AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 5TH DISTRICT LAY

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 5TH DISTRICT LAY ORGANIZATION
JULY 2014
HISTORIOGRAPHER, DR. VERDA BRADLEY
Greetings to 5th District Lay Org
Convention July 2014
 Pray
that God will teach you His ways
and transform your life by His Word.
 Is.2:3
Thanks to

Roxanne Buchanan

Tom Sutton

Doris Bailey

Fred Stuart

Don Jones

Simeon Rhoden

This is a partial report and everyone is encouraged to participate so that
our history will be complete

Remember this is only the beginning and we need your help to get it right.
Laity

Literally means, “people,” the word refers technically to the whole people
of God incorporated into the body of Christ. The term has come to refer to
those who are non-ordained as distinguished from ordained clergy.

“The Lay Organization of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is
commissioned to teach, train and empower its member for lay ministry,
global leadership and service following the tenets of Jesus Christ. The
purpose of this organization is to organize and train the laity of the AMEC
so that lay persons may maximally utilize their God given abilities and skills
to improve and extend the kingdom to create happiness, peace and
harmony among its members.” (The Doctrine and Discipline of the AMEC
2012, Pg. 382 )
Fifth District’s History
Fifth District Lay Organization - PAST
AND PRESENT.

The Lay Organization in the Fifth Episcopal District began in 1944.

During a two-day session, June 22-24, 1950, at Trinity A.M.E. Church in
Kansas City, Kansas.

The Fifth District Laymen's Organization was officially organized under
the leadership of the late Bishop D. Ormonde Walker and Reverend
Frederick D. Jordan who at that time was a Pastor at First A.M.E. Church
in Los Angeles, California, and was later elected a bishop. George
“Farmer” Jones was the first elected President of the 5th District.
5th District Lay Presidents

Mr. George (Farmer) Jones

Attorney R.J. Reynolds

Mr. J.D. Williams


Mrs. Doris Bailey
1984 *

Mr. Fred Stuart
1993
1958

Mr. Tom Sutton
2001
Mr. Moses Webb
1964

Mr. Harold Shields
2009

Mr. Wayman B. Waldron
1968

Mr. Simeon Rhoden
2013 *

Mr. Milton Branch *
1978

* Ms. Bailey is the only female President.
Served over 9 years

* Mr. Simeon Rhoden is the youngest
elected President of the 5th Episcopal
District

1950
1954
* Mr. Branch died prior to completing his
term.
First President: Mr. George Jones
Under Mr. Jones's administration, also affectionally known
as “Farmer Jones” the groundwork was begun for the
establishment of local lay organizations. Observing annual
lay days, and also having Douglass Hospital as a fund-raising
project helped the progress of the Fifth District Lay
Organization.
He was from the Nebraska Conference.
Attorney R. J. Reynolds
Attorney R.J. Reynolds of the California Conference was the second President.
During Attorney Reynolds's administration, progress was made toward the establishment of a
workable financial system for the District Organization under "minimum contributions" from
local lay groups according to the size of the church membership. This administration also
concentrated on Lay Evangelism during the season of Lent.
Under Attorney Reynolds Adm.
The constitution was revised and updated.
Also, a monthly publication entitled the Amen Notebook
was started in 1955 . It was later discontinued due to insufficient funding.
On July 27-30, 1955, the Fifth District Laymen’s Organization of the A.M.E. Church held its First Annual Convention
at Campbell Chapel AMEC in Denver, Colorado.
Mr. R.J. Reynolds was President; serving as Bishops were the Rt. Rev H.T. Primm,
Associates Rt. Rev. J. A. Gomez, Rt. Rev. F.D. Jordan, and Rev. Don C. Stephenson Host Pastor.
The 1955 District Convention adopted an objective called "Opposition to the Division
of the Fifth District”. The creation of the Department of Lay Activities, the establishment of voting machines use,
and the raising of standards for election. They also worked hard at upholding
the eight-year law regarding Bishops.
The 5th District Quilt

Mrs. Maxine Black as historiographer commissioned a beautiful
quilt under the leadership of President Doris Bailey in 1987. The Quilt
was designed by Mrs. Thomasine Long. Each of the then 7
conferences that comprised the 5th District were given fabric in the
shape of their conference area.

In addition, the Quilt includes pictures of all 5th District
Officers/Conference Presidents and the Connectional President,
Dr. Kathryn Brown.

This Quilt was displayed at the Biennial in Atlanta 2013.
Bishops that have served in the 5th

D. Ormonde Walker*

Vinton Randolph Anderson

R. R. Wright and J. A Gomez

Vernon Randolph Byrd

H. T. Primm

John Richard Bryant

Hamel Harford Brookins

Theodore Larry Kirkland

Henry Wendell Murph

* District split when he died . Wright took
the western portion and Gomez took the
eastern.
Our Current Leaders are


Bishop T. Larry Kirkland: A down home country bishop with an uptown
message. A dynamic spiritual leader and strong Episcopal leader and
supporter of the Lay Organization. Elected and consecrated the 114th Bishop
of the AME Church and was elected out of the 5th District. He was assigned to
serve as the Presiding Prelate during the 2012 General Conference.
Mr. Simeon Rhoden, ASID: An energetic, creative, and talented leader, with
extensive planning and administrative background. President Rhoden was
elected during the 2013 56th Annual Session of the 5th District Lay
Organization, hosted by the Missouri Conference in St. Louis, MO. President
Rhoden is the first Lay Person to be elected 5th District President out of the
Pacific Northwest Conference and is the youngest elected District President
throughout the connection.
5th District Executive Board
From Left to Right – Back Row: Harriette Ziegler (CP), Dianna Maddix (EO), Marilyn Lovelace -Grant (CP). Shawlee Lee (CP), Jene”l
Sconier (EO), Verda Bradley (EO), Judith Bradley (EO), Faye Brown (EO) Conference President (CP)
From Left to Right – Seated Row: Florette Hampton, Nixetta Williams, Patricia Samuel, Simeon Rhoden (President), Lamar Rose, Barbara
Moore,, Nelda Hills Elected Officers (EO)
Not shown: (EO) Marguerite Davis, Patricia Mayberry, Foster Chisholm
5th District is Comprised of the
following States

The Mighty Fifth is composed of 15 states west of the Mississippi:
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri,
Montana, Oregon, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.

The Fifth has six annual conferences: Pacific Northwest, Desert
Mountain, California , Southern California, Midwest and Missouri
Conferences.

The country of India came into the 5th District at the 2008 General
Conference.

2012 General Conference India was assigned to the 4th District.
The California and Southern California
Conference Lay Organizations

The California Conference comprises of all points north of the San Luis
Obispo Line on the coast and all points north of Kern County line in the
valley.

Conference President is Mrs. Marilyn Lovelace-Grant.

The Southern California Conference comprises of all points not embraced
in the California conference and all points in the State of Nevada.

Conference President is Dr. Dorothy Vails-Weber.
The Desert/Mountain and Missouri
Conferences


The Desert/Mountain Conferences comprises the States of Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Previously know as the
Colorado Conference.
The Conference President is Mrs. Harriette Zeigler.

The Missouri Conference comprises that part of the State lying south of the
Missouri River including the County of Cooper also all the churches of the
Columbia-St Louis Presiding Elder District and the Cape Girardeau-St Louis
Presiding Elder District with the exception of Glascow.

Conference President is Ms. Pamela Williams.
Midwest Conference



The Midwest Conference comprises the States of Kansas and Nebraska, the
Presiding Elder District of Pettis, Kansas City, Sedalia, with Johnson County,
together with the St. Joseph-Moberly District of the North Missouri, plus
Boonville Conference, Speed Circuit, and Glascow. The Kansas North District
and the Kansas-South Districts are the two Presiding Elder Districts of the
Northwest Missouri Conference.
Conference President is Mr. Melvin Jenkins.
This Conference was merged to its present state under Bishop John Bryant. The
ratification of Bill CB-01 merged two conferences (Kansas-Nebraska and
Northwest Missouri) during the 48th Quadrennial Session in St. Louis, MO in July,
2008.
Pacific Northwest Conference

Pacific Northwest Conference comprises all the states
of Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Alaska.

Originally called the Puget Sound Conference;
organized by Mrs. Georgia Marshall acting President for
the West Coast Conferences in 1952. Puget Sound’s first
President was Mr. Hubert R. Dewitty.

Conference President is Mrs. Shawlee Lee.
Activities of Presidents
The election of Mr. Fred Stuart in July 1993 brought about the inclusion of youth activities.
He started the Oratorical Contest for youth of various ages.
Under President Sutton, the Oratorical Contest grew to what is now known as the Lay Christian Art's
Festival, created by Brother Simeon Rhoden and implemented by our former Director of Youth and Young
Adults, Mr. Lamar Rose of the Missouri Conference and the Youth and Young Adults Committee.
The objective is to serve as a beacon for other Young Adults to be encouraged to join the Lay Organization.
The Lay Organization wants to be responsive in teaching our young people about the Mission and Purpose of
the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The “Evening of Elegance” was designed by President Simeon Rhoden when he was First Vice President
during the administration of Mr. Harold Shields. The Bishop T. Larry Kirkland and Mr. Fred Stuart
Scholarships were also established for graduating high school seniors and college students.
More to Come

Please help to digitize our history by emailing or sending information that
you think would be interesting and noteworthy for our records.

Historiographers and other interested persons lets meet on your
Conference history.

May God Richly Bless You,

Verda Bradley