What is the task of the Historian?

Hello all!

I pray that you are experiencing a wonderfully blessed Easter season as we move rapidly toward Pentecost Sunday!  As I thought about what might be a useful topic to blog about I realized that no matter what side of the globe you are on, the month of May was eventful.  To start off:

• President Obama announced the execution of Osama Bin Laden. 
• As soon as the news cycle started to slow, the Mississippi River began to swell and portions of the country faced unprecedented danger from the impending flood waters. 
• Oprah retired after twenty-five years and we watched her commemorate her legacy as the Queen of Daytime Television. 
• Last week, we watched in horror as a once in a lifetime F -5 tornado ripped through the town of Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 139 people and causing unspeakable amounts of damage. 
• Last, but not least, the country waited and watched with half-expectant, half-amused attention for the end of the world  to occur on May 21, 2011.

Some of these events will have lasting historical impact on our world, our country, our communities and our lives.  Historians sort out the lasting impact of an event by analyzing it and then making an interpretation of its meaning by looking at the 'world' around the event.

What does that mean for members of the AME Church?

Well, for example, when I attended the Lay Biennial Executive Board Meeting in  Detroit, Michigan in April - Bishop John Bryant made a statement that seemed to indicate that much of our church history is preserved from the perspective of clergy, i.e. Bishops and Pastors.  That simply means that persons who are documenting and analyzing the events that take place in our churches, presiding elder districts, annual conferences, and General conferences are often interpreted from a clergy person's perspective.  The hard work of laity is often overlooked. Therefore, the work of the conscientious historian, or historiographer, is to make every attempt to observe a church event from several points of view - clergy and laity before attempting to interpret its significance.

I look forward to seeing many of you as we travel to the General Board, the Quadrennial and the Lay Biennial! I remain on a quest to put our history in your hands!

In Christ's grace,

Rev. Sharon