East Annual Conference The One Hundred & Forty-third third Session Friday s Worship Services ~ November 2, 2018 ~ ~ The Memorial Service ~ Eleven-thirty in the Morning ~ The Closing Service ~ Six-thirty in the Evening
AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ELEVENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT EAST ANNUAL CONFERENCE 143 Years Annual Conference Theme: Our Calling to Fulfill: Proclaiming the Gospel, Community Service, Civic Engagement The Memorial Service Friday, November 2, 2018 Eleven-thirty O'Clock in the Morning Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. Presiding Prelate Mrs. Connie Speights Richardson Episcopal Supervisor Convening with Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Gainesville, Florida The Rev. Karl V. Smith Host Pastor At The Hilton Hotel & Conference Center Gainesville, Florida The Rev. Elizabeth Elaine Yates Host Presiding Elder The Rev. Tony DeMarco Hansberry Associate Presiding Elder The Rev. Eugene E. Moseley, Jr. Associate Presiding Elder 2
The Memorial Service For all the saints who, from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia, Alleluia! The Rev. Alphonso Hardnett Since the close of our last Annual Conference, seats have become vacant, family circles have been broken, and congregations have diminished in number by the visitation of the angel of death. Hearts have been made sad, tears have been shed, homes have been draped in crepe, and grief has been the daily companion of loved ones left behind. Yet, by faith, we have learned not to sorrow as those who have no hope. Today we pause to remember colleagues and loved ones who have run ahead of us to the great Coronation in the heavenly city beyond the celestial shore. The Song of Hope (#364 AMEC Hymnal) The Rev. Michelle Barton My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus Name. The Refrain On Christ, the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground us sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound may I then in Him be found! Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before His throne. (Words by Edward Mote; music by William Bradbury) The Prayer The Rev. Leslie Washington Holy God, Gracious and Eternal, we honor and adore You as Lord, Sovereign and Mighty. We are grateful for the time You have permitted us to spend with loved ones, friends and colleagues. We are grateful and glad for the lessons we learned, for the memories shared and the encouragement received. By Your mercy, we are also thankful for the blessed hope of immortality through your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Responsive Reading (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) The Rev. Steffanie Jones But we would not have you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, concerning them that fall asleep; that you sorrow not as those who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 3
The Roll Call The Rev. Wendell Webster Brothers and Sisters, these are they who have run the race and finished their course this Conference Year. We thank the Lord for their labor and faithful witness. (The deceased ministers and spouses) (The deceased lay persons who were delegates at the last Annual Conference) The Prayer The Rev. Gregory Jones O God, we thank and praise You for the love, life and labor of our deceased colleagues and loved-ones. We thank You for their faithful witness in word and deed. Allow us to be inspired to emulate what was good in them that we too might see your face in the land of perfect day. We pray in the name of Him who took the sting from death and victory from the grave, even Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. The Song of Triumph and Hope (#511 AMEC Hymnal) The Rev. Marva T. Mitchell Sing the wondrous love of Jesus; Sing His mercy and His grace; In the mansions bright and blessed, He s prepared for us a place. The Refrain When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, When we all see Jesus, we ll sing and shout the victory. Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving, every day, Just one glimpse of Him in glory, Will the toils of life repay. The Benediction The Rev. Malinda Samuel Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25) (A Memorial Service: Written by Bishop Adam J. Richardson, 115) 4
AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ELEVENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT EAST ANNUAL CONFERENCE 143 Years Annual Conference Theme: Our Calling to Fulfill: Proclaiming the Gospel, Community Service, Civic Engagement The Closing Service Friday, November 2, 2018 Six-Thirty in the Evening Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. Presiding Prelate Mrs. Connie Speights Richardson Episcopal Supervisor Convening with Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Gainesville, Florida The Rev. Karl V. Smith Host Pastor At The Hilton Hotel & Conference Center Gainesville, Florida The Rev. Elizabeth Elaine Yates Host Presiding Elder The Rev. Tony DeMarco Hansberry Associate Presiding Elder The Rev. Eugene E. Moseley, Jr. Associate Presiding Elder 5
The Closing Service Presiding Elder Tony D. Hansberry, Worship Leader The Prelude to Worship (#594 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy Name. He has done great things; He has done great things, He has done great things, bless His holy Name. (Text and Tune by Andre Crouch) The Great Processional The Doxology (#647 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Call to Worship The Rev. Albert Bivens, Jr. Minister: I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord, our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:1) For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Ps. 84:10) Minister: Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good. (Psalm. 122:9) Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. (Psalm 92:13) Minister: Blessed are they that dwell in Your house. Lord, I have loved Your habitation, the place where Your honor dwells. (Psalm 26:8) For the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20) Minister: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) O sing unto the Lord a new song, for God has done marvelous things. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth, sing praises. (Psalm 98:1, 4) The Hymn of Praise (#91 AMEC Hymnal) The Rev. Dr. Alesia Ford-Burse How great the wisdom, power and grace Which in redemption shine! The heavenly host with joy confess The work is all divine, The work is all divine, The work is all divine. Before His feet they cast their crowns-those crowns which Jesus gave And with ten thousand thousand tongues Proclaim His power to save, Proclaim His power to save, Proclaim His power to save. They tell the triumphs of His cross, The suffering which He bore; How low He stooped, how high He rose, And rose to stoop no more, And rose to stoop no more, And rose to stoop no more. O let them still their voices raise, And still their songs renew; Salvation well deserves the praise Of men and angels, too, Of men and angels, too, Of men and angels, too. Amen The Preface to Prayer (#579 Total Praise Hymnal) Choir/Congregation 6
The Prayer of Invocation and Intercession Zion is calling us to a higher place of praise. Stand upon the mountain and to magnify His name. To tell all the people in every nation that He reigns. Zion is calling us to a higher place of praise. (Words and Tune by Stephen Hurd) The Choral Response (#428, AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation O, for a faith that will not shrink, Though pressed by every foe, That will not tremble on the brink Of any earthly woe! The Worship through Music That will not murmur nor complain Beneath the chastening rod, But, in the hour of grief or pain, Will lean upon its God. A faith that shines more bright and clear When tempests rage without; That when in danger knows no fear, In darkness feels no doubt. Lord, give me such a faith as this, And then, whate er may come, I ll taste, e en here, the hallowed bliss Of an eternal home. (Words by William H. Bathurst; Tune by Henry W. Greatorex) The East Conference Choir The Scripture Readings The Hebrew Scriptures Psalm 24 The Rev. Mattie Riley Hayes The Epistle Revelation 21:1-6a The Rev. Louis Kirkland The Gospel John 11:32-44 The Rev. George Trotman The Preface to the Decalogue (#69 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation From all that dwell below the skies, let the Creator's praise arise; Let the Redeemer's name be sung, through every land by every tongue. Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord, Eternal truth attends Thy word; Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore, till suns shall rise and set no more. (Isaac Watts) The Decalogue (An Affirmation of God s Law) The Rev. Tracey McGeathy-Lockley Let us express our commitment to keep God s Law. God of salvation, only You are God. We will make no idols. We will not invoke with malice your name, O God. We will remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. We will honor our father and our mother. We will not commit murder. We will not commit adultery. We will not steal. We will not be a false witness. We will not covet anything that belongs to our neighbor. Jesus said: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first Commandment. Jesus also challenged us to live justly with a second Commandment, which is like the first: We shall love our neighbor as ourselves! On these two Commandments depend all the Law and the prophets. (From the Anvil, 2018) The Gloria Patri (#626 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation 7
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, World without end. Amen. (Henry W. Greatorex) The Offering for Nehemiah Ministry (#166 Total Praise Hymnal) The Rev. Roger L.D. Williams I just want to praise You forever, and ever, and ever, For all You've done for me. Blessings and glory and honor, they all belong to You. Thank You, Jesus, for blessing me. (Words and Tune by Arthur Tannous) The Special Litany LET MY PEOPLE VOTE! The Rev. Leslie Washington It was dangerous duty, but a lisping, stammering prophet of God stood before the powerful head of state with four words eloquently spoken, "Let my people go!" And a new word was added to the daily vocabulary of the people: EXODUS! And a river that looked like blood flowed, and frogs, lice, flies, mange-infected animals, hail, boils, locusts, gnats and darkness that covered the land like a pall, became a nuisance to the people of Egypt, then the first born of the oppressors died. Freedom is not free! It was dangerous duty, but abolitionists, some of whom were prophets of God, stood before the powerful with four words eloquently spoken, "Let my people go!" And a new word was added to the daily vocabulary of the people: EMANCIPATION! Fortunes lost, war fought, and blood went cascading into ravines and rivers, down hillsides where historic battles were engaged, and soldiers and civilians died. Freedom is not free! It was dangerous duty, but "fighters for freedom," many of whom were prophets of God, stood before the powerful (stubborn legislators, "governors whose lips dripped with the words of interposition and nullification," sociopathic sheriffs, uncompromising chiefs of police, unsympathetic supervisors of elections) speaking four words with eloquence, "Let my people VOTE!" And a new word was added to the daily vocabulary of the people: EQUALITY! Buckets of blood would be shed in the streets. Many are the common heroes who died uncommon deaths for the shared power of voting. Freedom is not free! It is a dangerous matter when Apathy is introduced into the daily vocabulary of the people. It is a retreat to various forms of bondage. It is an unthankful disregard for the holy sacrifice of those who heroically gave the gift of blood for the rights of us all to make decisions about public policy, public education, potholes, police protection, excessive use of force, and of those who will give voice and vote to the collective interests of tax-payers in the halls of government. Conscientious citizens, some of whom are prophets of God, turn to one another with these four words of eloquence, "Let my people vote!" Freedom is not free! Today is not an appeal to the benevolence of a despot, or a plea for mercy from those whose influence is bought with wealth; we now claim "power to the people" with bloodbought knowledge that "Freedom is not free!" "Eternal vigilance is the price we must pay for it. Add this word to our daily vocabulary: ENGAGEMENT! Therefore, we hold one another accountable with four words eloquently spoken: Let my people VOTE! (A Litany by Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. #115) 8
The Worship through Music The Presentation of the Preacher The East Conference Choir Presiding Elder Elizabeth E. Yates The Sermonic Hymn (#80 AMEC Hymnal, Tune: Metropolitan) The Rev. Cynthia Bailey Before Thy mercy seat, O Lord, behold, Thy servants stand, To ask the knowledge of Thy Word, The guidance of Thy hand. Let Thy eternal truths, we pray, dwell richly in each heart; That from the safe and narrow way We never may depart. Lord, from Thy Word remove the seal, unfold its hidden store, And as we read, teach us to feel Its value more and more. Help us to see a Savior s love shine forth from every page, And let the thoughts of joys above Our inmost souls engage. Thus, while Thy Word our footsteps guides, shall we be truly blest, And soon arrive where love provides an everlasting rest. (Text by William Bathurst; Tune by John T. Layton) The Sermon Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. Presiding Prelate, Eleventh Episcopal District The Invitation to Christian Discipleship The Rev. Victor Cole There s nothing better than knowing Jesus; He will pick you and turn your life around You ought to know Him, get to know Him, right now, today, just come. The Stewardship Litany There s nothing better than knowing Jesus, He gets sweeter as the days go by, You ought to know Him, get to know Him, right now, today, just come. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Right now, today, just come. (John W. Pace II) The Rev. Ida R. Elmore Our call to Stewardship as an Act of Worship is historic; it is biblical; it is relevant to our relationship with Christ, to our spiritual maturity, to the manifold blessings we enjoy. The earth is the Lord s and the fullness thereof and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 Therefore, we cheerfully give and gladly affirm: The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty. Haggai 2:8 Therefore, we cheerfully give and gladly affirm: All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee. 1 Chronicles 29:14 Therefore, we cheerfully give and gladly affirm: For the Kingdom is Thine; the Power is Thine; the Glory is Thine; the earth is Thine, the money is Thine, and I am Thine. Through my stewardship, I am closer drawn to Thee. (A Litany by Bishop Adam J. Richardson) The Worship through Giving The Conference Stewardship Committee 9
The Offertory (#644 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation All things come of Thee, O Lord; and of Thine own have we given Thee. Amen. The Introduction of Visitors The Announcements The Unfinished Annual Conference Business Report of the Statistician The Conference Resolution(s) The Rev. Wendell Webster The Rev. Karl V. Smith The Rev. Ron Rawls Mrs. Shirley Green Brown The Commissioning Service Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. The Commissioning Hymn (#242 AMEC Hymnal; Tune: St. Thomas) Choir/Congregation A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill; O may it all my powers engage to do my Master s will! (Text by Charles Wesley, Tune by Aaron Williams) The Presentation of Certificates to Conference Officers The Prayer for Guidance The Reading of the Scripture Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20) The Hymn (#220 AMEC Hymnal; Tune: Retreat) Choir/Congregation Go preach my gospel, saith the Lord. Bid the whole earth my grace receive. Explain to them my sacred word; Bid them believe, obey and live. I ll make my great commission known, and ye shall prove my gospel true By all the works that I have done and all the wonders ye shall do. Go, heal the sick; go, raise the dead; Go cast out devils in My name; Nor let my prophets be afraid, Tho some reproach and some blaspheme. While thus ye follow my commands I m with you till the world shall end; All power is trusted in my hands; I can destroy and can defend. He spake, and light shone round His head, on a bright cloud to heaven He rode. They to the farthest nation spread the grace of their ascended God. (Words by Isaac Watts, Tune by Thomas Hastings) The Reading of Appointments Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr. The Doxology (#647 AMEC Hymnal) Choir/Congregation Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Benediction Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. 10
The African Methodist Episcopal Church Eleventh Episcopal District 143 rd Session of The East Annual Conference 1875-2018 Proclaiming the Gospel, Community Service, Civic Engagement Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr. Presiding Prelate ~ 11th Episcopal District Dr. Connie Speights Richardson Episcopal Supervisor The Reverend Elizabeth E. Yates Host Presiding Elder ~ Alachua Central District Associate Presiding Elders The Reverend Tony DeMarco Hansberry ~ Suwannee North District The Reverend Eugene E. Moseley, Jr. ~ South District The Reverend & Mrs. Karl V. Smith, Sr. Greater Bethel AfricanA Host Clergy Family frican Methodist Episcopal Church Host Church In Collaboration with All Alachua County A.M.E. Churches 701 Southeast 43 rd Street ~ Gainesville, FL 32641 Celebrating 149 Years 1869 ~2018 Touching, Teaching, Turning Lives to Christ