This is a questions that will sure to stir you, Why are there no White pastors in the AME Church? or Are there?

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

Answers

Linda we do have white pastors in the A.M.E. Church and why would that "stir us up?" God can call anyone he wants too. Pastor Mike Barta is white and my fifth district brother, he is a dynamic, on fire for the Lord Pastor. We also have a clergywoman in L.A. who is white, I can't remember her name. She too is awesome and her church is all white, they were formally with another denomination and asked to become A.M.E. Bishop Bryant brought them in. My congregation is predominantly white and they love being A.M.E. Also in the fifth district we have mexican a.m.e pastors whose services are all in spanish. The A.M.E. Church is so blessed to have pastors of all colors on the mission field. Let us embrace everyone on the mission field for God, for our real enemy are "the children of darkeness!"

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

Pastor Denise,

Thank you for remembering me and for your kind words. I truly count it a blessing to be an AME and to Pastor in our Zion. I beleive with all of my being that I am where God desires and has called me to be.

The young woman that you are referring to is Rev. Jane Galloway. The New Church is Immanuel Community Church of Long Beach. There will be a special service of committment and celebration there on Sunday September 7th and they will be coming before the Annual Conference in October seeking to become a part of our Connection

Blessings, Mike Barta

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

Thank you for the update, I am in the 11th and there are none. I was wondering why. I know God can and will use whomever He decides to and it's great to know He calls you by name and not color.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

If you wish to see diversity...just visit the Canadian Conference! I met a minister who was white and originally from Belgium. During our recent CEC, there were several persons in attendance who were white. They knew and loved the church better than some of us!

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

There are white pastors in the Tenth District. The person who started this thread should not have assumed but investigated. What distrubs me is that duly elected and consecrated Black African Bishops are not allowed to serve U. S. Districts! That is shocking because it is exactly the same thing that was and is still practiced by white churches regarding black PResiding Elders, Pastors and Bishops. It seems that we are going to elect and consecrate African Bishops who will not be allowed to serve the U.S. Districts.

Be Blessed

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

Pastor Mike, I have missed you!!! I don't know if my words are kind but they were the truth! You are an awesome passionate preacher for the Lord. I am just so glad the A.M.E. Church has you. Give my love to Linda, and tell her I guess she is too busy riding down rodeo drive to write her sis;-) And thank you for giving me Pastor Jane's name I just couldn't remember she and I have been in touch. I am so glad we are in the fifth district together, and give a holler more often. so I know you are alive. Joy in all you do Mike. Your fifth district sister.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

I hope Mike Barta has been catching up on his reading in National Review and listening to Rush Limbaugh :-) This is a private joke between me and the fine parson from Riverside County, CA. The next time I'm in Moreno Valley he is on my list of folks to see. QED

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2003

We also need to mention January Kiefer, a caucasian woman who is pastoring in Kirkwood, MO a suburb of St. Louis.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Rev. E. Ann Embry is a pastor who happens to be white in the Indiana Conference (4th District).

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Linda,

As you can see, we have diversity. The "A" represents our past, not our future (I forget which pastor taught me that, but he's on this discussion board). I pray that the "A" will stand for "all- inclusive" some day.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Thank you all for the update, as you can see in the 11th we have little diversity. It's good to know there are white brothers and sisters in the AME church spreading the Gospel. Maybe one day we will catch up with the other districts.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

There is diversity in Florida. There is a growing congregation of Haitians in the Belle Glade. Additionally, the secretary of the South Florida Conference is fluent in spanish due to his heritage. I speak of my dear friend the Rev. T. R. Francisco. At one point, there was a white minister in the West Palm Beach area.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Rev. Denise, Professor Dickens and Friends,

Even though I have not posted on this Board in a while. I do follow the discussion regularly. Every once in a while I am sorely tempted to fire off an epistle to the esteemed Professor Dickens in response to one of his posts about the War in Iraq. After typing the first thousand words or so however, I usually feel better and delete the posting. I was honored and somwhat surprised to find myself on his "most missed' list recently...especially since I was looking for him and the copy of the National Review that he promised me when he said he was coming to Southern California a number of months ago. I was sure I had been stood up because he could not stand to face me and admit that I and Parson Ray were right about Iraq all along (smile).

Professor Bill, when you do finally get around to getting to these parts, you will have to come to Orange County to see me as I have been assigned to Johnson Chapel, Santa Ana since October 2001. I have been given the difficult task of trying to follow in the footsteps of the Reverend Doctor Timothy Tyler who is now at Wayman, St. Louis doing truly wonderful work there. Rev. Denise, that makes it the South Coast Plaza (which is located right across the street from where we live) rather than Rodeo Drive ,insofar as Linda is concerned. Its all the same though....$$$$$ and more $$$$$

Bill, the prayers of myself and my wife Linda, go with you as you travel to be with your family. May the Holy Spirit minister and comfort as only He can.

Rev. Harper my friend, belated congratulations on your new responsibilites on this Board. Keep up the good work! We could not have made a better choice as moderator!!

blessings,

Mike Barta

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Pastor Mike, please alert us when Bill comes to visit, he loves to eat. I would like to set up a food fund to replace what he eats. Though in all fairness when he visited Jerryl Payne in the 10th some of us were worried we would have to reimburse the entire district. But Jerryl let us know he did not eat them out of house and home. Ah, the power of prayer. Please tell Linda I have started a grassroots movement in my town called WOMEN SHOPPING TO HELP THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. Some of us feel that if we shop it is very patriotic and we are helping our country. It has taken the guilt away, and many of the women have convinced their husbands they are not true americans if they do not give them money to shop. I was proud of the women that came up with that one! Please tell Linda we would love for her to start a chapter in your town. We do encourage the women to call one another and shop in groups, we spend more money that way because a girlfriend talks you into spending more.

Everyone in my town knows I have a wild sense of humor, and they are just cracking up. One of my dear friends who owns an art gallery in town had not called me in months, to teach him a lesson, I called his wife and told her about the movement. She went out and went wild to help america, my friend chuck is still laughing and now calls.

Pastor Mike wherever you are, you have nothing to fear for you are anointed. Give my love to Linda.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2003

Just to keep the conversation going; I attended General Conference in Louisville, KY in 1996. The 13th District had a family of caucasion ministers. It was a father and 3 sons. One of them pastored a church in Northern Kentucky near Cincinnati. In fact that church used to have a website.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2003

make una give clear for dis area.

-- Anonymous, May 07, 2004