So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ---Isaiah 41:10 A GENDA & PROGRAM UIDE G 1 “God Our Creator, Christ Our Redeemer, The Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family” ANNUAL CONFERENCE SERIES James202 L. Davis, Servant Bishop1 Arelis B. Davis, WMS Supervisor MAILING ADDRESS Post Office Box 34247 Washington, DC 20043 EPISCOPAL DISTRICT OFFICE 1134 11th Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 202.842.3788 (Office) [email protected] www.ame2.com 2 Our Episcopal Servants 3 JAMES LEVERT DAVIS † ARELIS BEEVERS DAVIS, Servant Leaders The Bishop’s Annual Address "So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6 NKJV) Dearly Beloved Second Episcopal District Church Family, Together – We Prayed and Persevered! Gave God Our Best! And God Blessed it! Arelis and I are delighted to welcome you to our fifth series of Annual Conferences of the magnificent Second Episcopal District(SED), African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church for the 2021 Conference Year. These memorable virtual Conference Sessions begin with the 205th Baltimore, April 12- 13th; 71st Washington, April 15-16; 155th Virginia, April 19-20; 152nd North Carolina, April 22-23rd and end with the 129th, Western North Carolina, April 29-30th, 2021. While 2020 is not the year any of us planned, it has shown us how critical churches are to our communities in our mission to carry out the mandate in Matthew 25:31-46 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. On January 29, 2021, we all exhaled as we witnessed a peaceful transfer of power with the inauguration of our 46th president, Joseph Biden, and the historic swearing-in of our of 49th vice president, Kamala Harris, the first Black person, first Asian American, and the first woman elected to that position. What does this mean for you as a member of the SED of the AME Church? In the 2020 presidential election, by supporting and encouraging voter registration, more than 60% of eligible voters participated – making 2020 the most engaged election since 1900. Your vote made a difference in the election outcome. Just as you engaged in the democratic process and our nation's governance, an essential part of being a member of the AME Church is to attend to the shaping of its governance structure. Thus, we have assembled as the church in our respective Annual Conferences to account for our stewardship for the 2021 Conference Year. We've remained steadfast and true to our calling, knowing that despite what has happened in our lives, we are still accountable for the great things that God has done through His component ministries for our communal stewardship, evangelism, discipleship, and social and economic justice for all persons. Your engagement counts! Looking back, we remember that the Second Sunday in March 2020 was the Sunday we closed the doors of our churches in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic that had gripped the world. The doors of the church were closed; however, the church never closed; The work of the church continued. We have suffered untold physical and financial losses. Many have been overcome by the deaths of loved ones, friends, and acquaintances to COVID-19 and other underlying causes during this time. We've had numerous church members be called to their eternal home. Through all the grief and pain, we've not been able to memorialize, celebrate and honor their lives in ways to which we are accustomed in order to bring relief to those who mourn their passing. We pray that you may find blessed assurance in knowing that your loved ones are at eternal rest and peace with our Lord. We are praying for you. 4 When everything shut down in March 2020, our priorities immediately changed. We had to reimagine how we would meet the needs of delivering information to our members and community as quickly as possible. We had to find innovative ways to keep our members connected as well as secure funds to keep our churches operating. Given all the advance planning that goes into giving an accounting of the work in which we engaged throughout the year, who could have predicted we would need to diverge so wildly from our original paths because of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the fight for civil rights and social justice. Admittedly, many of us had to get over the shock of just how much change we would be facing. But very quickly, the outpouring of people all across the SED, wanting to know how they could continue to serve others, made us so incredibly proud of such a compassionate group of human beings. Your actions proved that the physical doors of the church are closed; however, the Word of God has no boundaries of time and space. It reaches inwardly and outwardly across communities, across America, and expands all across the world. Your creative use of the technology utilizing conference calls and social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, Zoom, Webinars, and financial giving platforms, demonstrate that we do "Walk by Faith, and Not by Sight." We applaud you for being the resilient people of God who understand our mission to share Christ with the world through words and actions. We adapted to change and united in extraordinary ways, demonstrating the true substance of our character as a church by engaging in a plethora of new experiences and discovering new ways to realign our SED organizations with the world we live in today and with the "new normal" for a post-pandemic society. Throughout this Conference, year, we have focused on our churches working outwardly toward full community engagement. We are convinced that the church is not the building. We have come to accept that the church is within each of us. Thank you, presiding elders, pastors, clergy, laity -- children, youth, young adults, adults. Thank you, District Components, Committees, and Ministry Leaders. We applaud you for the great work you have done this conference year. We wish you all the best as we come to the close of this 2021 Conference Year and eagerly look forward to the breakthroughs and challenges of the 2022 Conference Year. We believe that unprecedented change comes with unprecedented opportunity. We have the opportunity to rewrite the rules; to have a say in history; to be engaged in reimagining the governance structure of the AME Church for a post- COVID-19 world. We will remain grounded in reimagining our lives for Kingdom building and Kingdom living, with total reliance on Almighty God, who is the source of all things; and Jesus Christ, His Son, who gave His all— His life—to redeem the sins of all humanity. The #REAL Church – Rising to the Challenge, will emerge victoriously, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." We are honored to be your servant leaders. We look forward to a positive, powerful, productive, and awe-inspiring Annual Conference; and 2022 Conference Year. In the Spirit of the REAL Church, Rising to the Challenge James & Arelis Davis Servant Leaders 5 Second Episcopal District Baltimore Annual Conference Baltimore District Eastern Baltimore District Washington Annual Conference Capital District Potomac District Virginia Annual Conference Norfolk Eastern Shore District Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District North Carolina Annual Conference Northern District Southern District Western North Carolina Annual Conference Eastern District Western District 6 2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 205TH SESSION OF THE BALTIMORE ANNUAL CONFERENCE Monday, April 12, 2021 – WMS Annual Convention Monday - Tuesday, April 12 – 13, 2021 V Business, Training & Worship Opening Annual Service – Monday, April 12, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Closing and Commissioning Service – Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. 71ST SESSION OF THE WASHINGTON ANNUAL CONFERENCE Thursday, April 15, 2021 – WMS Annual Convention Thursday – Friday, April 15 – 16, 2021 V Business, Training & Worship Opening Annual Service – Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Closing and Commissioning Service – Friday, April 16, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Monday, April 19, 2021 – WMS Annual Convention Monday – Tuesday, April 19 – 20, 2021 V Business, Training & Worship Opening Annual Service – Monday, April 19, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Closing and Commissioning Service – Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. 152ND SESSION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Thursday, April 22, 2021 – WMS Annual Convention Thursday – Friday, April 22 – 23, 2021 V Business, Training & Worship Opening Annual Service – Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Closing and Commissioning Service – Friday, April 23, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. 129TH SESSION OF THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Thursday, April 29, 2021 – WMS Annual Convention Thursday – Friday, April 29 – 30, 2021 V Business, Training & Worship Opening Annual Service – Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Closing and Commissioning Service – Friday, April 30, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. 2ND EPISCOPAL DISTRICT - PLANNING MEETING Friday – Saturday, May 14 – 15, 2021 7 The Bishops of the A. M. E. Church DISTRICTS ELECTED BISHOPS ST 1 ……………………… 118 …………………..… GREGORY GERALD MCKINLEY INGRAM ND 2 ……………………… 123 …………………..… JAMES LEVERT DAVIS RD 3 ……………………… 109 …………………..… FRANK MADISON REID, III TH 4 ……………………… 130 …………………..… JOHN FRANKLIN WHITE TH 5 ……………………… 131 …………………..… CLEMENT WILLIE FUGH TH 6 ……………………… 132 …………………..… REGINALD THOMAS JACKSON TH 7 ……………………… 125 …………………..… SAMUEL LAWRENCE GREEN, SR. TH 8 ……………………… 129 …………………..… JULIUS HARRISON MCALLISTER, SR. TH 9 ……………………… 133 …………………..… HARRY LEE SEAWRIGHT TH 10 ………………….… 117 …………………..… VASHTI MURPHY MCKENZIE TH 11 …………………… 115 …………………..… ADAM JEFFERSON RICHARDSON, JR.