I have spoken to some of you privately, and know that you are receiving hate and spite mail as a result of your posts on this forum.

In light of that, and of losing Rev. Rogers, I will ask the question / raise the issue again:

This board, in it's current form, has little protection from people like the ones who have threatened Rev. Rogers, as well as the ones who leave spam and obscene posts.

Prudence dictates that we take measures to ensure the safety of the posters of this board.

Here are two options:

1. We move the forum to a new location. I am testing a discussion forum right now to test its security functions. It can be ready within 72 hours.

2.I can place a password on this forum. What would happen is this:

You will have to send me an e-mail with your name, e-mail address, physical address, and church. I will then contact your pastor/bishop to verify that you are who you say you are. I will then e-mail you the password.

The disadvantage is that visitors would not be able to see the posts (something that has attracted many of our current posters), unless they requested the password.

I need your input. I don't like what's happened to Rev. Rogers, and I don't want to happen to any of you.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

Answers

Rev. Harper:

I have never received nor sent hate mail. By the grace of God, all has been uplifting. Whatever the community decides is fine with me. I just want all of us to be what God has called us to be and carry out our business in the full light of God. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

Rev. Harper,

I have posted on this board since the beginning with Rev. Fisher. In fact, Brother Fisher, myself, and another borother whose name escapes me now were the first three to host an AME Web Site. I think Fisher was frist although he would never make that claim, but I digress.

I have been attacked and called names on the board but that brings glory to God is we respond not in kind but with kindness. I have recieved private email which I have kept private. I think we ought to leave the board as it is. I know you must remove the obscene posts but I hope we allow it to continue as it is, because there are probably 20 readers for each persons who posts on this board. I know there are many in the Tenth District who read and never post.

Be Blessed

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I have received hateful email but I think we as posters should take steps to guard our privacy. It was nice to hear about Montana and things but sometimes people go overboard and since we cannot control them then we have to take an individual responsibility to maintain some sembalance of privacy. I urge you not to restrict the availability of this community.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I agree with Rev. Paris. I think the board should stay as it is

Yours in the Joy of Jesus,

Mike Barta

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

Update

The consensus from the major contributors (on and off line) is that the board remains open in its current form.

Please know that the issue was not raised out of personal gain or in haste. I receive private mail from many of you (which I share with no one), and they play a major part in the decisions and ideas I propose.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I am not quite sure how long I have posted on this board, nor am I sure who was here when I first came. I do know that Reverend Fisher and Reverend Paris were here.

Over the years that I have posted there have been many viewpoints expressed. Many often openly disagreed with me. That came as no surprise to me and I was not upset by it. I also had my disagreement with many of you who regurlarly posted here.

Having been trained in Methods of Research, Measurement and Statistics at a University where WEB DuBois was twice a member of the staff, I sometimes checked out what I read on this board by using a primary source. I even posted telling you that I had done so and I extended the same courtesy to you. I expected you to do the same when making a response or rebuttal to me. I never considered your doing so a character assassination or a threat. I only considered it to be the way of open, democratic, intelligent and academic exchange. None of us have a monopoly on the truth. But we are wise to use all at our disposal to accurately access the truth as best we can.

I am a staunch advocate for free and open speech as guaranteed by the US Constitutional Bill of Rights. I was drawn to the Forum because Reverend Fisher allowed free and opposing views to be presented here. Only on rare occasions would he ever delete a post. These occurred only when the posts were viscous or profane. Never would he remove them because one expressed opposing views, nor the fact that one said to another, "I disagree with you". In my humble opinion this is how democratic forums should operate. I belive you can go back to the beginning and find all of these post still in tack.

Those who post on this board are the proverbial "tip if the iceberg". Underneath lies a huge following we never hear from by openly positing here. So I, for one am glad that this forum will remain open as Reverend Fisher designed it to be. Had we not decided to leave it as it is I would probably have left it for good.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I agree, wholeheartedly, Brother Matthews. I am glad that things are staying the way they are. I like them as they are. If we stick with the subjects being discussed and not share all of our personal business on the board, then I think we will be fine. Though it is nice to know where people are from, it is not absolutely necessary. I think when you are in an internet/chatroom situation, it is very important to maintain a sense of privacy and confidentiality. Thanks for keeping the board the way it is. God's blessings to you all.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I believe in freedom of speech. The board as it is currently formatted allows for that freedom. Everyone that posts to the board is an adult and should be treated as such. Sis. Jackson's suggestion of blocking personally offensive email is a good idea. I have not yet recieved negative e-mail but, I would keep it private and respond to to it in an appropriate way. Trying to identify people and verify their information in the form of a background check, I believe would cause the same kind of harassment Sis. Rogers experienced.

It is unfournate that Rev. Rogers has felt threatened and now feels the need to leave the board at the advice or recommendation of mental health workers and law enforcement professionals. I pray one day she will be healed from her bad experience and re-join the discussion board.

To avoid future problems I believe civility and Christian decorum should govern all conversations and behaviors associated with posters on this board.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2004

I have received negative e-mail from time to time, and have never liked the fact I'm required to post my private e-mail address for all to see. It never ceases to amaze me how some people think they have the right to e-mail me at home to chew me out.

Sometimes my wife sees it before I have the chance to delete it, and it has upset her. More importantly, it has diminished her view of the participants of the board, and I don't think she is impressed with the AME church as a result.

For a while I actually got a free second e-mail account she knew about but never checked, and posted under an alias. I like having an open forum where the public can see the views posted, but the e-mail address requirement needs to go. Other boards have a registration and password requirement that allows a person to participate. The rest of the world is "read only".

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2004

By the way, feel free to chew me out on the board. My wife doesn't read that.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2004

Maybe I should forward all the emails your white supremacist groupies send me. Maybe your wife will get a better view of your kind of Christians.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2004

On Requiring a Legimate E-mail Address

This was done to keep the posters from throwing rocks and hiding their hands. It holds each person responsible for what they say. RP, I have a little trouble with your volunteering your wife's opinion of the AME Church on this board. I'm sure she did not expect you to share that with us. But if she did, what is the motive? Our church is now and always has been open to all in contrast to others in the Methodist family of churches. If she is contemplating joining then let her know that although we are a connectional church each individual congregation has its our personality. What you see on this board is a small cross section of the online portion of the AME Church. Also none of us, I believe are able to speak for the official AME Church. The official weeb site is www,ame-church.com

Be Blessed

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2004

I think keeping a legitimate email address should remain. Also, if you put in a fake address, it affects the functionality of the bulletin board, or so I hear.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2004

I, too, agree with the majority of the readers that although we do not all regularly post on the Discussion Board, it should repain open as this is the only forum that we can usually get up-to-date information (other than the AME Herald) as to what is going on in the AMEC Connection.

Mary Banks-Wright, President, 4th Episcopal District Lay Organization

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2004

We shouldn't be naive, there is a lot of information exchanged on this board, personal info. re: persons whereabouts, churches, districts, etc. There are sick people. My sorority hosts its own board as a private community, it is pass word protected etc. I don't know what happened with the threatening of our Rev., however that's ridiculous and let's not wait until we have a "situation" to do something about it.

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2004