DR. JOSEPHUS ROOSEVELT
COAN
Returned Missionary after nine
years of faithful and far-reachinf
•ervice in the South African field
Formerly, Superintendent ol
Wilberforce Institute.
Dean of the School of Religion,
Transvaal, South Africa.
General Superintendent of the
Missionary Work of the A.M.E.
Church in South Africa.
Demonstrated for two quadren
niums high standards of Execu
tive and Administrative ability.
Now, Professor of Missions and
Old Testament, Morris Brown
College.
He is willing to dedicate his life
to the cause of the Advancement
of African Methodism abroad.
He will eliminate the charac
teristic weaknesses of discontin
uity and bring African Methodism
in the foreign field to its rightful
place of power and prestige.
For greater advance in foreign
Missions, Elect J. R. Coan in 1952,
as a Missionary Bishop of the
Church.
I
S.W. Lay League
Holds Convention
The second annual conference
of the South West Laymen’s Or
ganization held at Allen Chapel,'
Kansas City, Missouri was one of(
the more informative and inter- (
esting meetings of the series. “A1
panel discussion on “The Duties
of a Layman” proved educational'
and extremely helpful to unor-j
ganized groups. Sub topics of the
discussion were Personal Evangel
ism, Miss Mary L. Peeler; Chris-'
tian Stewardship, Mrs. Cecil An
derson; New Areas of Service,
Mrs. Mitchell; Circulations of
Church Papers, Mrs. Laura Boyd;
Ministerial Support, Mrs. Albert
Carter; Training for Leadership,
Mrs. Arzelia Gates and Connec
tional Fellowship, Mr. Raymond
Burgin.
Vice president, Mrs. Cecil An
derson told of some very effective
work done in organizing unit
throughout the conference.
Officers elected were: Clarenci
Owens, president; Cecil Ander
Eon, first vice president; Leste
Smith, second vice president
Louise Peeler, secretary; Cliffori
Hopkins, treasurer, and Mrs. Fan
nie Dunn, chaplain.
President George Jones wa
present and outlined the Dougla
hospital project and other im
portant issues of interest to lay
men.
Mr. J. L. Bell, president S
Paul Lay League, St. Louis, M
J. Parks, president Nebraska La
organization and Mrs. Rubie V
Shakespeare, editor of the Lay
it an’s Voice, were introduced.
REvl^^^GOKENs"*--11
WILL LIVE ON
Every true African Methodi
has been touched over the sudde
passing of Rev. J. S. Brookens,
high churchman, a firm and a In
stone in our building; he was
proven friend of the laymen,
much so that he became one
our choice candidates for bishopr
In 1952, he felt and acted the pa
of a general officer. All of Sout]
Meeting
Continued from Page 1)
minder, president 4th Districl
~ Laymen; Mr. ft. J. Gardner, presi
I dent 3rd District Laymen; Mr
| John F. Shack, presicl nt 1st Dis
| trict Laymen; Mr. H. It. Sumlin,
1J Dayton, Ohio Dr. J. W. Wibsrton
land Dr. R. L. Flagg, I .e nphis;
Dr. J. S. Bimm, Pennsylvanir; Dr.
|:Carlisle Stewart, Ebenezer, De
troit; Rev. Mason, 3rd Distri t.
Dr. S. S. Morris, Secretary-Treas
urer Dept. Leligious Education;
Dr. Singleton, Des Moines, Iowa;
Dr. M. E. Jackson; Dr. E. C.
Hatcher, Editor, Southern Chris
tian Recorder; Dr. A. O. Richard
son, Georgia; Dr. Mason, P. E.,
Ohio; Mr. John Day, Indiana;
S. M. Porter, Trinity, Kansas City,
Kansas; Dr. Davis, Texas; Dr.
O. A. Burk, West Virginia; Dr.
Anderson, Youngstown, Ohio; Dr.
Bell, Zion, Philadelphia; Dr.
Blakely, Arkansas; Dr. Brookins,
I Editor, A.M.E. Church Review;
Dr. W. E. Alexander, Michigan;
| Dr. Pointer, Prof. Mimms, Mr
Moses S. Thompson, N. J., and
Rev. David Readye, Joliet, 111.
Attorney Freeman L. Martin.
I General Chairman, represented
the Honorable Mayor, Joseph M.
Darst, in extending the keys of
the city and the gavel of authority
to the convention. Attorney Mar
tin, an able and loyal layman, is
president of the Missouri Confer
ence Lay Organization, a former ,
Alderman of St. Louis
Attorney J. Ernest Wilkins, <
Chicago, was a guest speaker, ex- :
plaining the working o fthe Judi-,;
cial Council of the Methodist
Church. Mrs. Lucille Wilkins, was
also present and extended greet- i
Ings. S
A workshop was conducted by <
Mrs. Eleanor Woodcock, of d
Ebenezer, Detroit, assisted by Mrs. i
Herbert L. Dudley, Mrs. Pearl V. 1
Collins, Youth Director of the 4th (
District Lay Organization, and:
Mrs. Bertie DeLyles. Addresses
were made by Mrs. Woodcock on ;
the “Role of the Laymen in the,
Local Church” and Mrs. Dudley ■1
on “What the Modern Psychiatric <
Social Work can contribute to the
Church.” 11
After substituting the name R. f
J. Gardner, for Dr. R. R. Williams, <
the officers were re-elected, i
The Convention opposes Com- ]
munism in any form and renews
its unchanging devotion to the
constitution of the United States.
A Judicial Council is on the
!
Mason Devercau, Jr.y To
Study At Wilber force. O.
Mason Devereaux, Jr., left on
Wednesday, October 10, 1951 to
enter Payne Theology Seminary,
Wilberforce University, W’ilber
force, Ohio.
Mr. Devereaux is a n e iber oi
the St. John A.M.E. Church
Omaha, Nebraska where he has
been a very active worker. The
ast 6 years he has served ns the
Official Reporter for St. John
siting in the Om^ha Star, West
ern Christian, and Scuth Christian
Recorder, and the Guide. He has
been a member of the \v:t h r.en
Club, Men’s Chorus. Served as
Secretary of the Minute Men and |
Auxiliary for over 2 yerrs, a
member of the St. John Usher
Board.
For the past 3 years he nas,;
served as one of the Religious
Counsellors lor the St John, Jr
Choir. The past year ht was the
President of the Youth Advisory
Council of St. John.
Mason Devereaux was born
and reared in the city of Omaha,
ttending Public and High School;
where he was quite active in
civic affairs. He worked part
time in order that he could com
plete 3 j’ears at the University
of Omaha at Omaha in the Col
lege ol Business Administration.
He has worked with the Hi-Y,
' Z.C.A. and the Urban League.
On leaving for Ohio Mr. Dever
:aux asked us to thank his many
friends that did anything to make
his progrestive Christian effort
?cssiole.
Tiie State of the Church
California Conference
Repor' on ‘he State of the Church as
given by .Mrs. Georgia Marshall, vice presi
dent of th.- Fifth episcopal district Laymen’s
meeting held July 31st and Aug. 1st in St.
Louis, Mo.
MRS. GEORGIA MARSHALL
In these times of stress and
strain, with the world in a turmoil
af confusion with all the suffering!
we look to the church more than
?ver for solace. Religion still
bolds its place in this modern life.
When we say “The Church” wre
do not mean the materials, edi-1
'ices, members, etc., yet these are
desirable assets, and may be used
tr an ultimate end; but the church
s a force, a power and a mani
festation of the kingdom of God
tt is no longer localized at Je
rusalem, nor in the Holy Lands
vhere the fathers of old wor
ihiped, but it Is wherever and
vhenever man enters that spirit
ial state ..hat lifts him from the
ow plan of life ind living up into
^mmunion with God.
The primary objective of the j
Church is to call a people to bear
Christ’s name and to carry out
His will on earth; or better yet, to
call men from the low walks ol
life to the true mission of the
kingdom of God, and to es' ablish
that kingdom in their hearts and
lives.
The Church has a program of
Evangelism, Christianizing the
people and preparing them for
active, faithful, Christian service.
It also has a great expansion pro
gram and a program for the
youth.
Nearly two thousand years this
Did Zion of ours has been moving
Dn. It is the great part of God’s
Universal Church.
In speaking of this great Church
Df ours, recognizing and admitting
her shortcomings and imperfec
tions, nevertheless this A.M.E.
:hurch stands today the greatest
arganization for Negroes.
To be cont.
agenda of measures to be sup
ported at the 1952 session of the
Heneral Conference to be held in
Chicago.
The body went on record re- (
lewing our faith and belief in the
undamental traditions and ten
ets of our denomination; and
everence and respect for our
episcopal and Ministerial Fathers
and pledging our devotion to the
oyal laymen and lay women,
whom we are privileged to rep
resent.
The generosity of the following
newspapers is acknowledged: St.
Louis Argus, The Associated Ne
gro Press, St. Louis Globe Demo
crat, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Chi
cago Defender, The Voice, Lin
coln, Nebraska; Common Sense
Historical Reviews, of Chicago,
Pittsburgh Courier, Kansas City
Call, Atlantic World, Amsterdam
News, New York, Los Angeles
Eagle, Detroit Tribune and other
members of the press for the news
releases they have carried.
L DR. O. A. BURKS
r | CANDIDATE FOR BISHOP
y Vote for him he has all the faults
that a good man should have.
The Candidate is Chairman and
Treasurer of Connectional- *
Commission of Evangelism.
ern California will cherish the
1 memory of his presence at our an
n nual conference Aug. 15, 1951, as
3 sisting our pishop D. Ormonde
e: Walker in closing one of the
a greatest conferences here at First
50 A.M.E. church, 8th & Towne, Rev.
^ Alvin A. Shaw, host pastor.
lt: Coley W. Stafford, President.
r* Camilla Lcltridge, Reporter
REV. A. O. WILSON
Pastor Steward Chapel A.M.E.
church.
Endorsed as the Connectional
“Good-Will Candidate” for the
bishopric—1952 by the Evangelis
tic convention of the African
Methodist Episcopal church, July
28, 1950 at St. John A.M.E. church,!
Birmingham, Ala.
He is true and tried—often de
nied, and willing to be tried again.
He has been faithful to the
church through every crisis.
He is a hard worker, faithful
servant, and a brother to all men.
Give him your prayers and a
vote, e chance.
CARLYLE F. STEWART
Pastor of Ebenezer A.M.E.
Church, Detroit, Michigan. Re
cently elected President of the
Detroit Pastors’ Union of the
Detroit Council of Churches, the
first Negro minister to be elected
to the office of presidency. Can
didate for the Bishopric at the
1952 General Conference.
Be sure your church is
in the news. Choose your
reporter today.
JONATHAN A. DAMES
Minister Bethel A.M.E. church,
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Candidate for the Bishopric 1952.
IThe Southwest Mo.
i Laymen's League
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS
C.E. Owens
To the Bishop D. Ormonde
Walker, Presiding Elders, Officers,
Members and Friends of the Lay
men’s Organization of Southwest
Missouri Annual Conference.
GREETINGS:
We have assembled here this
afternoon to report on our stew
ardship for this past year. We
have gained considerable ground
: since 1948, when the General Con
ference granted us the privilege to
organize the Laymen into units.
THIS AWAKENED us to the
great opportunity afforded the
League to join in the task of cre
ating a more wholesome atmos
phere otward correcting many of
the complained evils in the church.
MANY MINISTERS have trained
and encouraged a knowledge of
the law of the Church and or
ganization of leagues in the
Church.
There are other ministers that
have made no attempt to organize
at any time, but the movement is
here to stay.
THE PROGRESSIVE and highly
qualified pastors seldom protest,
for they know that as the intelli
gence and economic standards of
the Laymen are raised, they will
be relieved of much of the detail
work and obligation operations of
the Church, permitting them op
portunity to devote proper time
to the spiritual and social service
of the community in which they
serve.
THE LAYMEN are interested
in the problems and welfare of
the Great A.M.E. Church, and are
eager to serve in every possible
way.
IT’S PURPOSE, as stated by
J. R. Gardner, President of the
Third District Lay Organization;
is to enlist and coordinate the
manpower of the local congrega
tion for an effective performance
of the essential Christian activi
ties; to cultivate the Christian life
of the laymen through study,
worship, fellowship and service
We give thank to God for the
progress made in several churches.
Mentioning a few:
EBENEZER brought to Kansas
City the Connectional Lay Organ
ization president, Atty. Herbert L.
Dudley, of Detroit; Bethel pur
chased and presented to the
Church, an oil painting of the as
cension; Ward Laymen purchased
a large number of disciplines and
catechisms; others have made con
tributions in many ways.
The Southwest Missouri Con
ference had the largest representa
tion of all the conferences attend
ing the Fifth District Connec
tional Meeting held in St Louis,
Missouri July 31st through Au
gust 4th.