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About The voice. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1946-195? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1952)
THE LAYMENS VOICE VOL. 1, NO. 3 JANUARY, 1952 PRICE 10c Bishop (layhorn Outlines Plans for (lass A Colleges MEMPHIS, Tenn.— (ANP) — Bishop J. H. Clayborn of the AME church last week took an other blast at AME operated schools of higher learning. He re ferred to many of the schools as being “excess baggage” which the church should unload because there is no hope for them ever becoming accredited. Most of the 10 AME schools drew almost all their financial support from taxation from church congregations, he said. But, he added, the supporters are getting too little in return for what they give. Among other things, Bishop Clayborn said: “In view of our national crisis, economic demands and keen com petition in our academic circles, we believe that it k high time to appeal to our better thinking people, educators, leaders in the realm of education to re-think, revamp our entire present system of education. “A committee should study our program, much of which is anti quated, outlived, outmoded, and recommend the merging of our 10 schools into Say four or five^ standard four year ‘A’ colleges “If we expect continued loyalty, cooperation, guidance, and finan-' cial assistance from the people, we must better equip for main-: tenance, buildings, modern labora-i torfes, libraries, more highly trained teaching personnel ... j “In brief, we must not expect our children- to go to college, to be taught by professors, whose degrees and experience place them below the educational level, just because they happen to be children of friends of some bishop or presiding elder.” In discussing connectional schools, Bishop Clayborn pointed out that the AME Church at pre sent did not have any connectional educational institutions. We have some schools owned by the AME Church but they are not operated connectionally, he added. As a means of connectionalizing the churches and preparing a con nectional financial budget. Bishop Clayborn suggested the following plan: “We have 1,066,000 members . . . Let the AME Church, through its pastors, stewards, class leaders, college annually $1,500,000 ear-, marked specifically for education . . . That would give us a Con nectional budget where as at pre sent we do not have a common amount per capita, per annum for education. . . .** “Funds received in this manner would allow the church to oper ate four or five class “A” schools, the Bishop said. Bishop Clayborn concluded by appealing to the AME Church to be big enough at its forthcoming General conference to stop travel ing down a blind alley, and gear its schools to meet present day demands. AME Ministers' Wives , Alliance Entertains KANSAS CITY, Mo —The resi dence of Mrs. Virginia Goff, 359 Rowland Avenue, Kansas City, Kas., was the scene of the annual holiday meeting of the AME Min isters’ Wives Alliance of Greater Kansas City and vicinity. Mrs. Helen K. Newton, Mrs. Mary Kidd and Mrs. Goff were co-hostesses. Mrs. Bernie Childress directed the singing of carols and hymns appropriate for the season. After j BISHOP J. H. CLAYBORN A Challenge Let the Church search her own soul in penitence and confession. Let the Church make sure that her message rings with the reality of the living Christ. Let the Church lead the world in thinking in terms of humanity —world-wide humanity for which Christ died. Let the Church love again in the spirit of the Cross. Above all else, let the Church have faith in its unfailing re sources in Christ, and confidence in its glorious commission to save the world . .. Town & Country. ETTA MOTEN Miss Etta Moten To Return Feb, 27 Miss Etta Moten, the nationally known radio, stage and screen ar tist, is scheduled to return to the states Feb. 27, Miss Moten was invited by the Liberian government to sing dur ing the week of celebrations inci dent to the inauguration of Presi dent William V. S. Tubman of Li beria, Jan. 4. Miss Moten was ac companied to Liberia by her hus band, Mr. Claude Burnett, and her accompanist, Mr. George Pierson Jr. Mr. Barnett has returned to his home in Chicago. Miss Moten and Mr. Pierson will give seven re citals in France, Germany and England before returning home. Miss Moten is the daughter of Presiding Elder and Mrs. F. F. Moten of 2531 Michigan Ave., Kansas City, Mo. several games, the hostesses served dinner to the members and their husbands, who were guests. 1 A gift exchange was a special , feature. Mrs. Myrtle L. Martin is presi dent of the alliance. Douglass Hospital Acknowledges Gift j Douglass Hospital received a Christmas gift from the lay peo ple and friends of the fifth Epis copal district of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, dur ing the month of December. Mr. George “Farmer” Jones, president of the Nebraska AME Conference Laymen’s League transferred the initial gift of one hundred ten dol lars ($110.00) in the lobby of the Douglass State Bank. Mr. Jones read the following message during his presentation: “We have called you here to transfer a small gift fund deposited in this bank by the laymen of the district. It is to "be used for the operations of the line, service rendering institution ' known as Douglass Hospital. Al though this number one gift fund has a small beginning; it is our I hope that it carries the seeds of the season’s spirit. We look for ward to a continuance of this practice and hope you will make Uts benefits so outstanding; it will grow with interest and develop j into a great mercy service. The laymen solicit the helpful appre ciation of humanity and the in spirational benediction of God. We dedicate this act to the unparal leled loyalty of the African Meth odist Laymen to this church. Signed: The Committee Clarence Owens, president of the Southwest Mo. Conference League; J. J. Parks; Henry H. Glass, Secretary of the District Organization; and George Jones president of the fifth' district laj . organization. I Since the initial gift was re ceived, supplemental gifts of for ty - six dollars, twenty cents ($46.20) have been added to the initial sum. Total amount received $156.20. The interest of the lay people is acknowledged and ap preciated by the staff of the hos pital. EUGENE H. KELLY, JR Stamp Honors Founder of AME Church WASHINGTON— (ANP) —A commemorative stamp honoring Richard Allen, the founder of the AME church, the oldest Negro organization in America, was is sued last week. Desired by the General Con ference Commission of the church, !the seal heralds the 1952 confer ence to be held in Chicago, May 7-21. Allen, a free man of color, founded the AME church in Phila 1 delphia in 1783 after a group of Negro worshipers had been ejected > from a white Methodist church ■ where they went to worship. The original church whas located at Six and Lombard streets in ■ Philadelphia, the site of the pres ■ ent edifice, Mother Bethel AME church. In honoring Allen with the i commemorative seal, known as the i “Richard Allen Stamp,"’ Bishop ; D. Ward Nichols, chairman of the l General Conference Commission, .'stated that the seals woulc^be dis [ tributed throughout the entire church connection, f The project will be handled by . the commission and the office of Dr. A. S. Jackson, chairman of the finance department of the AME church, Washington, D. C. 1 ---- . Christian Living require con stant spiritual refreshment from Lour heavenly Father in order that . we might effectively give forth I ourselves to our fellowmen. AME General Conference to Be Held in Chicago'1 s Coliseum POWERS G. PORTER, lay dele gate from Nebraska Conference, was named vice chairman of the Fifth district delegation to assist The Rev. Fred A. Stephens. They are in charge of arrange ments for the General confer ence in Chicago. Mrs. Camille W. Briggs Is Dead ATCHISON, Kas.—Mrs. Camille Wilson Briggs, one of the most ■prominent church women and civic leaders in the state of Kan sas, died here Thursday afternoon Jan. 10 at the Atchison hospita of a heart attack. She had enter ed the hospital on Monday, Jan. 7, for treatment as she had been ailing for several weeks. She was 63 years old. Mrs. Briggs was the wife of Clyde L. Briggs, a postal employe here for the last 39 years. Funeral services were held Monday afternoon, Jan. 14, at the Campbell Chapel AME church with the Rev. S. J. Holly officiat ing. The Campbell Chapel choir sang. Mrs. Ada Smith read the obituary, resolutions and condol ences. A large crowd of persons, from Atchison and from out of; the city attended. Mrs. Briggs was born Nov. 22, 1888, in Effingham, Kas., one of the three children of Mr and Mrs. Frank Wilson. Her parents moved to Atchison when she was an infant and she had lived here all of her life. For many years, her father was a police officer in Atchison. After attending the public schools here and graduating from the Atchison high school, Mrs. Briggs attended the University of Kansas. She was married to Mr. Briggs in 1910. Mrs. Briggs was nationally known for her activities with the National Association of Club Wo men. She was president emeritus of the Kansas Association of Col lege Women. In addition to her husband, ;Mrs. Briggs is survived by a son, Clyde Wilson Briggs, a teacher jof social studies at the Central 'high school in Ypsilanti, Mich.; two grandchildren, Clyde Bray nard Briggs, 7, and Pamela Leigh “Briggs, 4, both of Ypsilanti; and “two uncles, the Rev. Joseph Wil lson, postmaster of Nicodemus, Kas , arid Henry Wilson, also of Nicodemus. Burial was in the family lot in the Mt. Vernon cemetery, J. T. Miles funeral home in charge. 25,000 Delegates, Visitors Expected CHICAGO —(ANP)— Chicago’s huge Coliseum will be the site of the 1952 General Conference of the AME Church which will meet May 7-21. Seating capacity of the Coliseum is around 12,000. Exclusive use of the Auditorium and adjacent meeting rooms has been obtained by the church, and more than 25,000 delegates and visitors are expected to attend. The 1952 General Conference vill mark the 34th Quadrennium »f the church which was founded n 1783 by Bishop Richard Allen. \ special seal commemorating the founder and heralding the confer ence has been issued by a church commission. Besides Bishop D. Ward Nichols, Chairman of the General Confer ence Commission and Bishop George W. Baber, Host Bishop. Other members of the General Conference Commission are: Bish op Frank Madison Reid, Bishop A. J. Allen, Bishop J. H. Clayborn, Bishop J. A. Gregg and Bishop W. A. Fountain, (Ex-officio). Reverends Sheley Lynem, Lex ington, Ky.; Frank R. Veal, Charleston, S. C., E. J. Davis, At 'lanta, Roscoe Henderson, Phila delphia; R. E. Brogdon, Charles :ton, S. C., Way man Ward, Chi 'cago, W. F. Ball, Miami, Fla.; G. I N. Davis, NYC; Russell S. Brown, ■jSt Louis, (Ex-officio). I Laymen serving on the Com mission are: Dr. R. W. Manee, Columbia, S. C., Dr. J. L. Leach, (Flint, Mich., Dr. R. W. Tucker, 1 Bogalusa, La., Dr. H. H. Rhine hart, Warren, Ark., Dr. A. S. Jack son, Washington, D. C., Financial Secretary. Wright Voted To. So. America CINCINNATI, Ohio. — At ft special session of the Council of Bishops of the AME church held here on January 3, it was voted to transfer Bishop R. R. Wright to the 16th Episcopal district of the church which includes the West Indies and South America, it was learned this week. The bishops voted at a meet ing at the Brown Chapel AME church to transfer Bishop Wright out of the country and to bring Bishop William R. Wilkes to the 12th district which embraces Ar kansas and Oklahoma over which Bishop Wright has been presiding. Bishop John A. Gregg, president of the council, presided over the special session held here. Bishop S. L. Greene of Georgia served as ' secertary. I Bishops participating in the Cincinnati meeting were: Bishops W. A. Fountain Sr., R. C. Ran som, R. R. Wright, D. Ward Nichols, Frank M. Reid, A. J. Allen, G. W. Baber, John H. Clay bon.; L. H. Hemmingway, D. O. Walker, I. H. Bonner, W. R. Wilkes, and by proxy, Bishops M. H. Davis, Noah W. Williams, 'Joseph Gomez and C. A. Gibb*. The teachings of Jesus are bet ter understood today by Christian 1 living. - * • * The parables of Jesus unfold , daily in the life of Christiana. * • • ' Christian living causes us to become Christian helpers, we arm blessed by our heavenly Father I thereby we bless and help other*.
