We have allowed the few to put a structure in place that is imploding before our eyes. Now is the time for clergy and lay delegates of the 52nd General Conference to act for the well-being of our church. Our clergy servants have been devastated by the mismanagement & misappropriation of their hard-earned retirement resources. Join us as we come together for change!
Areas of Focus
We apologize to those who didn’t get to place their orders in time, we had to stop sales in order to meet our delivery deadline. Again,we apologize!
Honorable Bishops of the AME Church:
By Rev. Dr. J. Edgar Boyd, Retired Former Pastor, First A.M.E. Church of Los Angeles
In a matter of fifteen days, the leadership of the AME Church will gather in Columbus, Ohio to deliberate on a diverse menu of matters, perhaps the most critical set of issues to face “The Church of Allen,” in its 208-year history.
If there ever was ever, an urgent need for the presence of the Lord in the affairs of African Methodism, it is of certainty that we need that divine presence NOW!
Many, across the AMEC denomination, are longing for the genuine passion and denominational loyalty that once existed throughout the denomination, at all levels, reflecting the ideals of the founding parents of African Methodism.
How did our denomination fall from being the recognized moral voice in America, and throughout the global community, calling for civil justice, social equity, and spiritual uprightness? Why have we, as the oldest Black denomination, lost the zeal for establishing churches, growing congregations, and expanding the circle of ministries which once reached out deep into the communities within the footprint and outreach of our ministry?
Where are the virtues once seen in our efforts to aid the poor, the indigent, and the unsaved within the unchurched population? Where is that abiding love and commitment that we once held for our institutions of higher learning, the kind that evidenced itself sixteen decades ago, through the 25-cents, per year, “AME Church Book Concern?” Why have we lowered the value of our undergirding projects and ministries on the global frontier? Where is the joy, the passion, and urgent excitement that preachers and lay members once had, to attend local, annual conference, district, and connectional meetings? Where is the pride that once existed throughout the AMEC membership, echoing the genuine and heartfelt sentiment once heard in the statement: “I am PROUD to be an AME?”
As we face such painful realities, we all must admit it… “our church is not growing,” and there does not appear to be, any compelling and strategic plan to change that narrative. As the memberships in our local congregations continue to shrink, blatantly, there is a corresponding denominational demand for more monetary resources placed on already struggling local church congregations. All too often there are oppressive additional financial demands placed on congregations that are already strapped with monetary difficulties, the likes of which are seen in the congregation’s inability to meet pastoral salaries, and staff payrolls, in addition to heavy mortgage payments, and other operational costs.
In all too many instances, there seems to be no sensitivity to the struggles that pastors and local lay church leaders face in meeting an evolutionary and ever-increasing demand more and more money, in the absence of any concerted connectional plan to grow the denominational footprint.
Have we (AMEs) replaced what once was, our sacred loyalty to the institution of African Methodism, with the quest to gain fame, power, glory, and personal material wealth? Have we abandoned our commitment to the credal mission that once defined our 17th and 18th Century evolution “…to preach the love of the God, and to promote the tenants of economic self-help and social liberation?”
Are we as AMEs, not concerned about the foul vocal-optic shown to the entire world, through the financial mis-management that exist, egregiously, at the top our leadership, the type of which is seen in the financial misbehavior resulting from the misappropriation of two-thirds of the vested corpus of the retirement funds for pastors and elders? Are we not concerned that these servants of the church will face a painfully impact to the quality of life in their retirement, at a time in the ending of their career, which should be devoted to their spouse, and family? To throw insult to injury, there is a blatant atmosphere of silence, in the absence of any published effort to call the culprits to accountability, and to mitigate the ungodly material breach.
To: My Fellow African Methodist Episcopal Church Members.
By now you may have heard that many of our former pastors are hurting after spending 10- 20-30 or 40 years or more as pastors, only to discover at retirement there is little or no funds to provide any retirement income. They have trusted, as you have the leadership of this Church to be the overseers of the AME Church Retirement Fund. Retires and current pastors potentially are being bullied, intimidated, and forced to accept from our church what otherwise would not be acceptable in any other employment arrangement. I am not suggesting that we break our Church up, I am simply suggesting that moving forward, collectively we correct this problem before us. The only way this matter can be resolved is to speak up, notwithstanding whether you are a delegate or an alternate. The treatment of our retired pastors is wrong.
I have been a member of the AME Church all my life. I was elected forty-nine consecutive years as a trustee of the local church, serving forty-two of those years as president pro tem of the board. I currently serve as a Steward. In addition, I have been a part of its business development program for more than 25 years. If it makes you uncomfortable to support those people who have served as pastors in our church, please stop reading this and go back as you were. However, should you feel after you have worked for an employer for several years and promised a retirement, and at your retirement you are told there are little or no funds available to support your retirement, how would you feel?
This situation as mentioned above can only be corrected by the members of this church demanding that our discipline is followed. As of the writing of this letter, nearly $100 million in retirement funds cannot be adequately accounted for. It appears that leadership wants to keep everything as is or make very minor changes to leave things as is. We have an adopted policy that would allow for an outside oversight body of professionals to manage the AME Church Retirement Program.
There should be no budget passed at the 52nd Quadrennial of the AME Church until this problem with our retirees is resolved and brings about equity for all retirees involved. I am saddened to speak with former pastors to learn that they have been treated this way by an institution we all love.
Respectfully,
Bro. Dr. Bobby Sisk, MBA, DM.,
Bethel AME Church, San Francisco, Ca, 5th Episcopal District
Greetings to my Brothers and Sisters, the elected delegates to the 52nd quadrennial session of the General Conference of the African Methodist church.
By: Rev. Dr. Earl Harris, Retired Presiding Elder, 3rd Episcopal District
By now all of you have heard and are aware of the controversy surrounding the loss of an estimated $92,000,000 dollars in VESTED retirement funds from the department of retirement services of the African Methodist Church. As amazing as that sounds, the truth is that no one knows, with complete confidence the total amount of money lost in our church annually in what deceased former general officer doctor Jamie Coleman Williams once described as the “underground economy” of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Ten years ago, one annual conference in the third Episcopal district, at the close of its annual meeting reported the conference had raised $1.4 million for that year. This was just one medium size annual conference, if you multiply that number times the 77 annual conferences, just in the United States… YOU DO THE MATH! ($ 1.4 million [one conference] x 77 annual conferences equal $107.8 million for one year. Now multiply that number times 4) the AME church raises just south of half a billion dollars every four years—the connectional budget is about 60 million over the same period. And after taking the cost of the local church expenses, you can begin to understand the scale of what Doctor Williams was talking about and eluding too.
The truth is our leadership does not and HAS NOT wanted the people of the Church to know the real worth of the African Methodist Church. Hiding in plain sight, in the Discipline of our Church, is a provision the 42nd session of the General Conference made “positive law” to guard against slippage and erosion of funds misappropriated by the “underground economy.”
This 52nd quadrennial session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is likely to be one of the most consequential sessions of the General Conference since 1816. Accountability must become the buzzword of this General Conference. Nothing less than complete transparency and accountability from every Commission and every Department… AND EVERY BISHOP MUST BE insistent upon. Restoration of retirement funds is laudable, but for those servants of the church, those who have been so deeply affected and wounded—systems (checks and balances) are essential. If the work and witness of the Church is to go forward “serving the present age” we must never forget, “those to whom much is given, much is required.”
A Love Letter to Our Clergy-Servants, Forgive Us! From the Heart of Lay Persons
By Sis. Cynthia Gordon-Floyd & Sis. Penny Oliver
We acknowledge our silence, as we sat with you in Nashville, Tennessee, in December 2021 as you listened to the Department of Retirement Services report that 66% of your retirement savings was gone. We sat with you in disbelief. We sat in silence.
We acknowledge our silence.
We acknowledge our silence, as we have asked you to be constantly attentive to our needs, our pain, and our struggles, yet when you needed us to be attentive to your needs, your pain, and your struggles, we sat by quietly and followed behind those who led us to this egregious loss.
We acknowledge our silence, as we have gathered and financially supported celebrations for episcopal leadership, while refusing to speak out against celebrating in a time of extreme loss and uncertainty for the church as a whole.
Forgive us.
Forgive us for our thoughtlessness, as we have participated in raising money for the few and making plans to help the “less fortunate,” while our own retired clergy family seeks employment at 75 years of age to have money to put food on their table, or as the clergy widow applies for government assistance to afford their medication. You should be our most pressing cause for raising money.
Forgive us for our silence, as we sat by and allowed those who have failed in their leadership responsibilities to paint those who were forced to pursue legal remedies as traitors and enemies of the church, when it was them that failed to protect your future by mismanaging your retirement legacy that you worked decades to receive.
Forgive us for our selfishness, as we sat in our pews allowing you to preach, teach, console, and love on us with a broken heart and a disturbed spirit. Forgive us for not praying aloud for you each day that the LORD would continue to keep you and strengthen you as you continue to serve with a broken heart.
Forgive us for gathering as delegates at the General Conference and allowing those presiding and on the floor to contort the operation of the quadrennial body for the benefit of the few with the labor and funding of the many. We should gather for the good of the church body – nothing more or less.
Forgive us for our weakness. We have not prayed, fasted, or studied The Word enough that we have the boldness to stand flat footed for what is right trusting that the LORD will fight our battles.
We stand in love, care, concern, and solidarity with all clergy-servants who have experienced the loss of 66% of their retirement savings and retirement income. Our hearts ache as we recognize the years of sacrifice, service, and loyalty of our clergy-servants as they have preached the unadulterated Word of God, served the needy, visited the sick, eulogized members, (including their own loved ones), and baptized our children. We want it known that we love our clergy-servants and grieve with them through this horrific loss.
Forgive us, we will not be silent any longer.