Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The voice. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1946-195? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1950)
OFFICIAL 1NKWS of the f ifth Episcotml District VftJfF of »He fvaiL AFRICAN METHODIST CHURCH Km/mV W . Shnkrtprate, Mimaging i tltUtt The Rt. Rev D. Ormonde Walker, Presiding Bishop George Jones President Box 2St OSKALOOSA, KANSAS Herbert L. Dudley, President Conneetional Laymen's League Delroit, Michigan Conference Presidents Puget Sound Conference Mrs. Georgia Marshall, V. P California Conference 4210 Market Street Oakland. Calif. c a Stafford South wn California 1504 K. 4 5 Street Los Angeles 11. Calif. A L. Mitchell Colorado Conference 519 N. 7lh Street Albuquerque, N. M,. Dr. J. Louis Rr nsom Kansas Conference 2251 ropeka Blvd. Topeka, ’''insas J J. Pai.;s Nebraska Conf. 20 14 N. 7th Street Kansas City. Kas. Joseph T. A usee1 North Missouri Conf 1U0 South Wintz H icon. Missouri Cl ence K. Owens Southwest Missour. Conf. 21 t K. 271h Street Kansas City, Mo. A. L. Hammons M ouri Conference 409 Lafayette Street j 1 ' croon City, A!o, Send all news releases to you c<' rence president by the 20th ©i each month. P.V'sident Neb. Conference Mr. J. J. Parks, a resident of K ansas City, Kas., has proven himself worthy of commendation for the fine leadership he has given in his church, in civic and social affairs of of the commu nity, and as a promoter of clean politics. He has been a faithful mem ber of Trinity A. M. E. church for 26 years and has served J. J. Parks in the capaci ties of steward, trustee and class leader. Each year for 20 years, Mr. Parks has represented his church at the District and Annual Conferences and has been elected five consecutive times to repre sent the church at the General Conference. As a layman in the African Methodist church, he has cham pioned the cause of the laymen and is now serving as president of the Laymen’s League of Trin ity and as president of the Nebraska Conference Laymen’s League. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Wilber force university, an active mem ber of the N.A.A.C.P. and a 32nd Degree Mason. Several civic, social and political clubs have been organized by Mr. Parks for the uplifting of the people of the community and are doing a fine work. As Superintendent of Buildings at the County Court House in Kansas City, Mr. Parks is the only Negro who has held the po sition. For six years he held that position and made a record that is an example for every one. The people of Kansas City are very proud of Mr. Parks and con sider him to be a good citizen and a dependable Christian gen tleman who is definitely for right. S.VT. Missouri Conference Daniel L. Shakespeare, mem ber of Bethel Lay league, Kan sas City, Mo., brings greetings to Lincoln and The Voice staff. It is Renewal Time for many —Be sure your Subscription is Paid Up. ' President Jones Writes Open Letter If you haven’t already received the very fine first issue of the Laymen’s Voice which was off the press August 10, write your con ference president and subscribe for it from your president or send direct to Mrs. Rubie W. Shakes peare, Box 2023, Lincoln, Neb. Lay Members, we voted in June at our Kansas City meeting to support this paper. I hope this project gets your successful sup port. It will not in any -way hinder your support of your church pa pers. This laymen sheet is where 1 will look for news from you and you will find official news from your officers. Subscribe for it -.hrough your conference presi dent. 5//i District Chaplain Serves Church Well Mrs. Lucy Wilson Minor was oorn in Carrollton, Miss., the daughter of Professor and Mrs. J. C. Wilson. She received her education there and in Mound Bayou Industrial College. She 1 taught in the public schools in Leflore county for seven years. She married the Rev. L. W. Minor, a pastor in the Southern Califor nia Conference for 23 years. As a member of St. Mark A.M.E. church, Los Angeles, she serves as conference evangelist, chaplain of the conference branch mission ary, parliamentarian of Los An geles district, missionary society area No. 1, and president of the Lay League of the local church where she also serves as steward and trustee. Mrs. Minor was lay delegate to the 1948 General Conference. Kansas City, Kas. As Lay dele ^25HSH2SE5252S2S252SH®SliS?S^ra&«lSil‘,(>Se52Sc« >j Food For I Iioii^IiI [y I It’s the Church's special function fa To uphold the finer things rQ To teach the way of living &J From which all that’s noble K] springs. S “But the minister can’t do it fa fa Single-handed and alone g P’or the laymen of the coun- S fa Are the church's corner q] stones. [}j “When you see a church fa [y that’s empty yj Though its doors are open S wide R] R] It’s not the church that’s y] dying K fa It’s the laymen who have |o q] died. yj “For it’s not by song or 1 sermon jo That the church’s work is It’s the laymen of the coun- [5 Who, for God. must carry R] gate to the First district meeting of the Fifth District Laymen League which was held in Kan sas City, she was elected chap lain. She is also a member of the United Council of Church Women, Inc. St. Mark AME Church llev. Ferguson, Minister Mrs. Minor, President Southern California Conference The Laymen’s League is pro gressing under the leadership ol our very worthy and active presi dent. We are 12 in number and we have learned more about the organic laws of our church since becoming members of the league than ever before. It gives us a broader vision and the laity is looking forward to a better day for our Zion. Mrs. Lucy W Minor is presi dent and the Rev. W. H. Ferguson is minister. Members of Executive Board Pictured above is a group of the members of the Executive Board of the Laymen’s League of the Southern California Conference of the A.M.E. Church. Left to right, front row: Mrs. Mabel Norman, conference branch secretary; Mrs. Cora Ross, member of executive board; Presiding-Elder A. K. Quinn; Mrs. Pinkie Wilson, con ference branch chaplain; Rev. J. W. Price, founder and pastor of Price Chapel; Mrs. Camilla Leftridge, member of executive board; Mrs. Helen Maupin, field director of Los Angeles County X-ray Service. Standing: C. W. Stafford, conference president; John R. Wright, conference vice president; Benj. W. Inghram, mem ber of executive board and chair man of league committee; James Crafton, member of executive board; Mrs. Vassar L. Burks, member of executive board; Don ald A. Brunson, vice-president and member of executive boards of conference and district; Dr. William A. Beck, respiratory dis eases specialist; M. E. Webb, member of executive board; Mr. Evans, member of executive board; Henry H. Pettigrew, mem ber of executive board and dis trict president’s advisory board and Wm. Thos. Person, member of executive board. Not shown: Mrs. Edna Willis, Mrs. Jos. C. Ellis, Mrs. Lucy Minor, and Mrs. Sadie Wilson, members of executive board. Present Health Program By President t. oley W. Stafford Ivis Angeles, Calif. A health program is underway in collaboration with the Lay men's League of Price Chapel A.M E. Church, founded and pas tored by the Rev. J. W Price, who, Geo. Jones Chairs Homecoming By R. W. Shakespeare It was a privilege to be among the guests at the 10th Annual Re union and Homecoming of St. Paul AME church, Oskaloosa, Kansas which was held Sunday, August 27, with approximately 400 rela tives, friends and former citizens traveling for miles around to share in the celebration. The little town with less than 50 Negro residents remaining, ‘does things in a big way.’ The all-day meeting was held in the high school auditorium and a big free country dinner, more than enough for all, was served from the cafeteria. Mayor Fred M. Thompson who welcomed the guests paid tribute to President George Jones, who was in charge of the entire pro gram, when he said that “George Jones was Oskaloosa.” The morning worship was in | charge of Mrs. Robert Hammand, [ elder of the Church of God, Junc tion City, Kas. She was accom panied by her singers. The Rev. W. W. Betton, pastor of New Bethel AME church, Leavenworth, Kansas, rendered service for the afternoon. He was accompanied by his choir, who gave the wor shippers a great spiritual treat. Rev. Mr. McKibben, Twilight Baptist church, Kansas City, Mo., assisted. Remarks to veterans were made by Commander Morgan of Topeka and a brief memorial to deceased veterans of Oskaloosa and vicinity was given with remarks by Capt. S. W. Jones, Wichita, Kas. Among special guests were Dr. and Mrs. J. Louis Ransom, To peka, Kas. and Mrs. Lena I. Wil son, Evanston, 111. After a very delightful service at the homecoming, I was privil eged to visit with Mr. Jones at his office. There we shared the great anticipation he has for the Lay men’s League of the Fifth District. He would have each president to report frequently on his work in his conference in order that he might lend inspiration to the dis trict. Mr. Jones emphasized, as he always does, the obligation and responsibility of an officer to the people who elected him. “They should never allow their support ers to be disappointed or to lose confidence,” he stated. Mrs. Jones was one, among the many very gracious hosts who as sisted Mr. Jones during the day. Bisliop Walker Speaks to Laymen On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the Rt. Rev. D. Ormonde Walker ad dressed the laymen of the South ern California Conference in a special meeting held in Los An geles. The effective work in or ganization done by Coley W. Stafford, president, and his staff was of special significance. after fifty years in the ministry in the state of California caught in spiration from the famous sermons by Dinah M. Craik on the church in which the writer declared: "Work, work, work, that is the grand panacea for sorrow, of work to be done in this world, if anybody will do it.” Thus, this venerable minister of the gospel gives to African Meth odism a beautiful church. It was in that spirit that the Executive Board of the Laymen’s League of the Southern California Conference joined with the league of Price Chapel to present to the church’s community a health edu cational program featuring Dr. William A. Beck, specialist in res piratory diseases and Mrs. Helen Maupin, field representative of the Los Angeles County X-Ray Serv ice. Ur. Beck presented some star tling statistics, pointing out that sixty thousand deaths in the na tion were caused by tuberculosis in 1940, of which fifteen thousand or twenty per cent were Negroes. The laymen of the Southern California Conference of the A.M.E Church believe the health of the community is a challenge to Christianity and are going to im plement their belief by making this one of their projects. Pa, >cr for Laymen Articles of primary interest to Laymen are usually few and far between in e average church paper. Every basic principle of good journalism requires that the interests of the majority should receive the major attention of the editor. At many points and in many areas, of course, the interests of the laity and those of the clergy are identical. In other cases they diverge. The layman, for example, is not particularly interested in sermonic material as sucn. He does not face the necessity of making prepara tion for a 30 minute pulpit pre sentation every week. Nor is the layman ordinarily interested in a discussion of the theological is sues which quite right! may be of absorbing interest to the clergyman. His religious needs and interests are usually very practical, never professional. The average hard-pressed pas tor is eager for suggestions as to how to make his ministry more effective and hir church program more serviceable. He is concerned with problems of the worship service, theo.*' of religious edu cation, denominational policies, and theological pr blems. If the layman finds in his church paper an article designed distinctly for the clergy, he is likely to lay the paper aside in the belief that it has nothing for him. The preacher, on the other hand, feels that the paper has failed him if it does not minister to his professional needs. In view of these difficulties it is of utmost importance that a paper for laymen be published with close co-operation with pub lications which serve the personal as well as the professional religi ous needs of pastors. v»u« Ann— An Active Lay Organization In Every Church B> Benjamine W. Inghnam Southern California Conferemce