Making History in Church History at SMU!

Rev Sharon Grant, Ph.D. in Church History from Southern Methodist University

Candidate for Historiographer and Executive Director for Research and Scholarship, The Reverend Sharon Grant is proud to announce the completion of the requirements for the Ph.D. in Church History from Southern Methodist University, (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Grant's research project was centered on the history of African Methodism on the island of Jamaica, her father’s birthplace. In addition to the completion of the Ph.D. Dr. Grant accomplished the task with Honors on the dissertation and Honors on the oral defense on December 12, 2011. She is the first African-American woman to matriculate and complete the Ph.D. program from the Graduate Program of Religious Studies (GPRS) at SMU. For this and other mercies, Dr. Grant says, “To God Be the Glory, Great things He Has Done!” She remains on a quest to serve the connectional AME church as the next Historiographer and Executive Director of Research and Scholarship. History is not just her academic discipline, it is her ministry, and she is “Today’s Historian for Tomorrow’s Church.”

Methodism and the Annual Conference

The end of October typically marks the conclusion of the set of Annual Conferences that convene in the Fall. The episcopal districts throughout the connectional African Methodist Episcopal Church divide the annual conferences along a schedule whereby half of the thedistricts hold their annual conferences in the Spring, and the second half convenes in the Fall.  For those of us who have been born and raised in the AME church – the Annual Conference is an event like none other!  We ‘plan our work and work our plan’ all year long, just to be able to stand on the floor and present a ‘good report’ before our brothers, sisters, colleagues  and episcopal leadership who are all laboring with us in the ministry to expand the kingdom of God on this side of heaven!

I thought it might be helpful to share some history of the Annual Conference as a reminder of its significance to AME’s and all Methodists who share a doctrinal heritage with John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.  The first Methodist Conference was convened by John Wesley in 1744 in London, England, when 6 clergy and 4 lay preachers met to answer 3 questions about the future of Methodism:

1. What should we teach?
2. How should we teach?
3. What should we do?

In 1744 the first Methodists in England began sorting out their future, with the careful guidance of John Wesley. The first conference was the vehicle they used to clarify their theology and map out an effective strategy of disciple making. From that day forward some sort of annual conference has continued across Methodism.  

The first Methodist preachers arrived in North America in the 1760’s, however the first Methodist conference in North America did not convene until 1773.  The first conference that inaugurated Methodism in North America was held in St. George’s Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ( YES, the same St. George’s that was the launch pad for African Methodism!) July 14-16, 1773. Methodists in America followed the British precedent set by Wesley and held annual conferences every year after 1773 –even when the Revolutionary War strained communication and personnel. 

1784 is an important year for American Methodism in general, and for African Methodists in the AME Church.  It was the year that Richard Allen received his license to preach from St. George’s Methodist Church in Philadelphia, and it was the year that an independent Methodist Church was organized after  the former North American colonies won their independence from England.  John Wesley’s decision to sanction the inauguration of a new church in America was not without controversy, but the end result is that he sent a personal letter, ordained clergy, and a book to be used during worship called, The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America to assist with the building up of the new church. The letter from Wesley was read – and the men and the book were introduced during the famous Christmas Conference, which began on Friday, December 24, 1784 in the Lovely Lane Methodist Chapel, Baltimore, Maryland. As a newly licensed preacher, Richard Allen was present at this organizing conference, although he would find it necessary to leave and found a separate denomination where persons of African descent would be able to worship freely without the hindrance of racial insult.

Allen loved the conference system of Methodism and as soon as the AME church became legally incorporated in 1816, a conference was called.  Allen writes, “Many of the coloured people, in other places, were in a situation nearly like those of Philadelphia and Baltimore, which introduced us, last April, to call a general meeting, by way of conference.”[1] The first Annual conference of the AME Church was held in Philadelphia in April 1816.  Delegates from Baltimore, Maryland, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wilmington, Delaware, Attleborough, Pennsylvania and Salem, New Jersey were present.  Daniel Coker served as Chairman, and Richard Allen, Jr., a young man of fourteen, who was elected Secretary by virtue of his literacy and ability to write.  Although this  first AME Church conference elected Daniel Coker as the first bishop of the church, after  more conciliar deliberation Coker withdrew, and  Richard Allen was eventually elected and consecrated by the imposition of the hands of five ordained Elders, among which was Absalom Jones, the first African American ordained priest in the Episcopal Church of North America. 

AME’s understand that the Annual Conference can be demanding, stressful events that may conclude with disappointment.  However, there is one moment in which all persons, clergy, laity, members and visitors unite in gratitude and praise.  That is the moment during the Opening Worship Service when the hymn “ AND ARE WE YET ALIVE” is sung.  "“ AND ARE WE YET ALIVE " first appeared in the Wesleys' 1749 hymnal, Hymns And Sacred Poems. In 1780 John included it in his A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodist as the first hymn in the section titled "For the Society . . . at meeting." John Wesley himself, began the custom of opening the annual meeting of Methodists by singing this hymn. The practice was picked up by Methodists around the world, and it largely continues today.

REFERENCES

Allen, Richard. The First Edition of the Discipline of African Methodist Episcopal Church. With historical preface by C.M. Tanner, D.D. Third printing ( Nashville, AMEC Sunday School Union, 1985).

Bucke, Emory S. ed. The History of American Methodism, Vol. I ( Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1964).

Meeks, Douglas The Future of Methodist Theological Traditions (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1985).

Singleton, George A. The Romance of African Methodism: A Study of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (Nashville; AME Press, 1985).

United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship website.     http://www.gbod.org/site/apps/nlnet/concipketent3.aspx?=nhLRJ2PMKsG&b=5594997&ct=7591979
Accessed October 31, 2011.

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[1] Allen, p.13.

The 32nd Lay Biennial Session blesses Paul Quinn College!

Hello Wonderful People of God!

I pray that you are enjoying the transition into school and a new season.  In Texas, we are rejoicing over the respite from the blistering dog days of summer.  Just wanted to post some pictures from the Lay Biennial from last month and share a little with you.  The 32^nd Biennial Session of the Connectional Lay Organization was a wonderful event!  It was my first time attending the Lay Biennial and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  My father, The Rev. Hector Grant, Sr. was able to travel with me and assist me in the campaign booth, and I had a blast watching him make new friends and reconnect with friends he hadn’t seen in nearly fifty years! 

Bishop Ingram and Dr. Jessica

One of the highlights of the Biennial was the Black Tie Affair, a fundraising activity that identified Paul Quinn College (PQC), the AME college in the 10^th District as the designated recipient.  Approximately $45,000 was raised to assist the school in  meeting its urgent financial obligations. On a personal note, my grandmother and father attended PQC and at some point, both of my parents actually taught there.  I was peacock proud to be able to attend an elegant, well executed affair and celebrate its recent accomplishments. 

We venerate the Rt. Rev. Paul Quinn  as one of the Four Horsemen of our Zion - a celebrated missionary and exemplary bishop within the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Many of us are familiar with his fervent missionary activity that allowed the AME church to expand its influence as the United States extended its authority into Western territory during the nineteenth century.  Quinn’s extraordinary efforts propelled him to the episcopacy – however, not many of us are familiar with the work that he performed after he became a bishop in the AME Church.  In Texas, we honor the tireless effort that Bishop Quinn exerted after the end of the Civil War, when he oversaw the expansion of the AME Church into Texas and the organization of the first Texas Conference.   His steady guidance resulted in the development of Paul Quinn College -the oldest institution of higher learning south of the Mississippi River.  There is a very useful book that provides more glimpses into the ministry of Bishop Paul Quinn as a presiding prelate until his declining health prevented him from serving.  The recollections of Bishop Alexander Wayman, the 7^th elected and consecrated Bishop of the AME Church are a wonderful read!  The book was published iin 1881, and can be accessed in digital form through the University of North Carolina’s,  Documenting the South website: http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/wayman/wayman.html.

Please remember that my vision of service includes developing a website for the connectional church that will feature digitally archived material of AME history that is currently inaccessible.  I’m Today’s Historian for Tomorrow’s Church and I remain on a quest to put our past in your hands! Please enjoy some additional images of the CLO 32nd Biennial Session.

Master and Mistress of Black Tie Affair
Bro. Earl  (my Co-Chair) and Sis. TaShun Bowden-Lewis, Judicial Council Candidate

10th District VP, Bro. Hollie presents Lady Phyllis,The Connectional Lay Person of the Year!

Sis Vicki Houston and I

Episcopal Candidate Presiding Elder Anne Henning Byfield and Dad

Dad's outnumbered by the ladies!

Dad and Dr. Daryl Ingram,
Executive Director of Christian Education

Posing with Sis. Shirley Douthard  and Mr. Frank Gilyard 

Bro. Russell Livingstone and Mother Livingstone

Bishop Sarah Davis and Dad

Sis. McMillan and Dad going down memory lane

                           

The Historian as Detective

 

Hello Wonderful People of God!

        

I want to share a document with you that I discovered while conducting research in Jamaica last year.  Many of you know that my father is Jamaican and I consider the lovely Caribbean island to be my second home.  I have spent countless weeks, days and hours analyzing various documents housed in the archives at the Institute of Jamaica and the University of West Indies, in Kingston, as well as the nation’s archival center in Spanish Town.

            One historical find that peaked my interest was a newspaper article dated, February 14, 1935 in the Jamaica Gleaner, the country’s oldest continuously published newspaper.[1]   The article covered an event where the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. presented a lecture on the Right Reverend Richard Allen during a Founders Day Observance at the  former mother church of African Methodism in Jamaica, Allen Temple A.M.E. Church.[2]

 

[1] Jamaica Gleaner, 14, February 1935, p. 11. Copyright 2004 Heritage Microfilm, Inc. and Newspaperarchive.com

[2] Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) was a Jamaican publisher, entrepreneur and activist who organized The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) the most successful global mass movement to motivate African descendants to support the idea of a developed African continent led by capable black leaders.  His vision sought to elevate and unify the black race throughout the African diaspora through education and economic empowerment. He created the steamship company the Black Star Line to promote entrepreneurship and the return of black people to develop the African continent.  He was the first man to receive the Order of National Hero by the government of Jamaica in 1969. Hence he is referenced with the title, The Right Excellent Marcus Garvey.

___________________________________

Here is an excerpt of the article:
 

Mr. Garvey’s Address

The treat of the evening came at [ … illegible] an address by Mr. Garvey. [ … illegible] With his characteristic eloquence and philosophic treatment of the subject, the speaker held the audience enthralled for over 30 minutes while he discoursed on the merits of Richard Allen.  He began by saying it was a pleasure to come to them at the invitation of their pastor and to speak on Richard Allen – a character of history and the founder of a great church.  The African Methodist Episcopal Church was one well known in America, launched at a time when the negro was being buffeted about [ … illegible] Richard Allen had something original for the Negro in Religion and he founded the A.M.E. Church.  Since that time it had been established in every State of the Union and today was spread to Africa, South and Central America and the West Indies.

It was fitting at this time that the branch in Jamaica should commemorate his greatness.  They should do that with reverence for there were very few things in civilization for which they could claim originality.  They were judged from what they could do and their low standard among the peoples of the world was due to their inability to create, originate bring forth things worthy of their higher civilization.  That was one of the chief reasons for their inferiority compared with the other nations, white and coloured of the world. When one hundred years ago, when the Negro was but a child in the precepts of Religion or of Philosophy, a man could found such a Religion for his people, then he was a man to be honoured and have tribute paid him. He[Garvey] had come to pay tribute to this man who in the dark ages of Negro culture could visualize the avenues of progress which Religion would open up for him.   

___________________

         After I found the article I became determined to find out if the church was still standing where the 1935 Founders Day lecture occurred.  No one I asked who presently attended AME Churches  in Jamaica had any memory of the old Allen Temple.  Based on the address, it would be in an extremely blighted area of West Kingston - called a garrison that was controlled by gangs and often prone to violence.  Nevertheless, after months of investigative research, many days taking the bus or walking on foot, one day I found the building that once represented the Mother Church of African Methodism in Jamaica – the former Allen Temple !!!  Although it was no longer an A.M.E. Church,  it was still in good repair and still being used as a church – in fact it was the only church bearing witness to the good news of  Christ on the entire block of a very depressed area of the city. Praise God!

Below is a picture I took of the church when I was there last year. In this sanctuary, Marcus Garvey paid tribute to our own Bishop Richard Allen.

  

Well, now we’re off to Detroit, Michigan for the Connectional Lay Organization Biennial. I look forward to seeing many of you there!  I remain on this quest to serve you as “Today’s Historian for Tomorrow’s Church.”

Rev. Sharon

2011 WMS Quadrennial in Orlando Florida

"WMS" may as well stand for "With My Sisters!" What a wonderful fellowship I had with the WMS Quadrennial attendees in Orlando this last week!
WMS Quadrennial is the second largest legislative gathering in the AME Church.  The estimated 8,000 people in attendance included 2,000 delegates from around the world. I shook hands and shared my aspiration with representatives from Districts 1 - 20.  God is good!  A new connectional WMS President was elected -congratulations are due to Mrs. Shirley Cason-Reed from the 2nd District!  May God bless her and the newly elected slate of connectional WMS officers - among which is new Connectional 1st Vice President,  Deborah Taylor King - who hails from the 10th District. Great things come out of Texas!

QUEST 2012 Manpower! Bros.William Earl and Hiram Harrison.

Visiting with Mrs. Melanie Thibodeaux  from Shreveport, LA. Had to call and tell my father that I reconnected with his mentor from his years at Campbell College in Jackson, Mississippi!

Embracing a dear friend, Sis. Goodness Thwala, from Swaziland.

Heading to Quadrennial

    

Documents that tell our Story

Hello Wonderful People of God! 
        
As I write, the connectionalYoung People’s Department (YPD) is gathering in Orlando, Florida for their Quadrennial, and the Women’s Missionary Society is preparing for their gathering in just a few days.  I look forward to visiting with many of you there! Before I depart for Orlando, I’d like to share a bit more about my vision for the office of Historiographer and Executive Director of Research and Scholarship. Definitively, the term historiography literally means, ‘the history of historical writing’.  Another way to look at it is that in general - a historiographer analyzes the way other historians have written history about certain subjects.

For example, many of you are old enough to remember when the history of the United States was written and taught in schools from the narrow perspective of contributions of powerful white males. Well, historiographers study the ideas, events, and personalities that accompanied, or in many cases demanded a change in the way U.S. History is written and taught such that the contributions of women, the poor, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native-Americans and other excluded persons are given proper recognition to the formation of the United States. 

The most important tool that historians use to research the past is called the primary source.  Most primary sources are documents that were created by witnesses or first recorders of historical events during (or very near) the time they occurred.  They include, but are not limited to:  journals, speeches, interviews, conference minutes, letters, reports, photographs, financial records, memos, and newspaper articles.  I have provided an image of The 1817 Doctrine and Discipline of the AME Church, first published by Richard Allen in 1817 - a very important primary source document for our Zion.

For our current use, The 2008 Doctrine and Discipline of the AME Church lays out the requirements for the connectional office of Historiographer on pages 158, 159.  Per the discipline, the historiographer’s first three essential duties are:

(1)     Write an updated history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

(2)      Represent the AME Church by participating in several historical societies.
(3)       Act as the archivist of the church – finding historical records of our church and placing them in safe and accessible locations.  After AME historical records have been securely housed, copies of these documents must remain in the custody of the AME Church.

In reference to the first task of the connectional historiographer, my research on the AME Church in Jamaica contributes significantly to an updated history of the AME Church. As it relates to the second task, I have had the privilege of attending several important gatherings of the mentioned societies as a Methodist Church historian who is ordained in the AME Church. (See photo of the Summer Wesley Seminar at  Duke University in 2008. )  The third task, is of profound interest to me, as I am convinced that this is the area with the most potential to expand the AME Church’s capacity to perform historical research within the 21^st century and beyond. This directly relates to my vision of placing the primary sources of our AME Church at your fingertips!

If I am elected Historiographer and Executive Director of Research and Scholarship, my first order of business will be to create a digital archival center, where members, scholars and interested persons can locate and use primary source documents of the AME Church in a digital format.  In other words, documents that reveal the history of our church - missionary correspondence, various conference minutes, miscellaneous letters, organizational records and more will become electronically accessible. 

I invite you to take a look at two websites that provide access to many AME historical documents in digital format.  The first is provided by the University of North Carolina: http://docsouth.unc.edu/.  The second is provided by the Ohio Historical Society: http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/serial/aa_se01.cfm. Using this format, I pledge my full-time commitment to place the AME REVIEW online and provide research tools that provide access to documents that tell our stories - stories of the history of the connectional AME Church from District 1 through District 20.

I pray that you are able to ‘feel’ my passion for this work, and my enthusiasm in this quest to serve you.  History is not just my academic discipline, but my ministry, as I am “Today’s Historian for Tomorrow’s Church!”

Be Blessed!

Rev. Sharon

Quest 2012 Candidate

Historiographer/Executive Director of Research and Scholarship

Hello, South Carolina!

Greetings from the 10th!

I have returned from the 2011 General Board and Council of Bishops and what a refreshing experience it was! I had the precious opportunity to meet and greet so many wonderful people from around the connection and I am ever so grateful.  

It was a particular pleasure to share my vision for the office of Historiographer. May I remind you of my commitment to:

• Organize and Digitize as many AME historical documents as possible, with your help
• Make these documents and every resource that comes out of the office user-friendly and understandable for every AME member, from YPDers to those in the Academy.
• Move to Nashville, TN and pursue this work full-time.

Your words of encouragement and support were received in the warm spirit in which they were shared and will carry me on to the finish line. I thank you for the time and attention you shared with me and hope that you are convinced that I am indeed "Today's Historian for Tomorrow's Church!"

Yours,

Rev. Sharon J. Grant
Candidate- 2012
Historiographer/ Executive Director of Research & Scholarship