Archives

As America prepares to mark 250 years of independence, familiar names will fill our public memory – Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton. Their portraits will grace podiums and parades. Yet one of the most consequential founders of the American experiment will again go largely unmentioned – Bishop Richard Allen, a formerly enslaved preacher who built a church when the Republic would not build a home for his people.

On February 17, 2026, history will be made in Maputo, Mozambique, as the
Connectional Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) of the African Methodist Episcopal Church convenes its first-ever District 14–20 Convergence Session. This landmark summit will unite young adult leaders and members from across multiple Episcopal Districts under the powerful theme: “One Faith, Many Nations, One Mission” (Ephesians 4:3–6). More than a meeting, the Convergence Session represents a movement of unity, vision, and shared purpose among young adults across the Connectional Church. It is a bold expression of RAYAC’s commitment to strengthening global relationships, deepening faith, and advancing collective mission in an increasingly interconnected world.

In the historic halls of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a denomination birthed from the fires of liberation and radical equality, a troubling dissonance and precedence is vibrating through the pews. As we reflect on our identity as a “connectional” body, we find ourselves living in a modern-day Tale of Two Cities.

In the wake of the EF3 tornado that struck on May 16, 2025, she saw pastors putting on gloves, masks, and steel-toe boots not just for safety, but for service.
Yet St. John AME Church remained a steadfast hub of hope, even as its own building bore the impact of the storm. Despite the physical damage, the ministry did not pause; it deepened. As she continued to serve the congregation, she also expanded outreach to the wider community, meeting urgent needs with compassion and resolve.