The voice. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1946-195?, January 31, 1952, THE LAYMEN'S VOICE, Image 3

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    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*.