Dr. Bridget Floyd
St. John African Methodist (AME) Church, Huntsville, marked its 137th anniversary on March 20, 2022, at the 10 a.m. worship service. The theme was “A Legacy of Faith and a Bright Future,” with a scriptural emphasis on Matthew 16:18. The service was hybrid in terms of recorded and in-person participants, with the latter adhering to Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The Mass Choir and musicians were inspirational under the direction of Brother Reggie Pearson, with Brother Phil Lee leading the choir and congregation in singing the opening hymn. Pastor Maurice Wright II preached the sermon for the anniversary service.
A nostalgic review began the service with a video presentation of photos of people and events over the years. After which, the Women’s Month tribute to women of St. John continued, highlighting two “phenomenal women.” Ms. Joy Wright highlighted Sister Claire Philadelphia and Attorney Genevia Fontenot. Congratulations to these outstanding ladies. Sister Maeola Peoples gave the welcome and announcements.
Pastor Wright introduced Deaconess Sarah “Granny” Bell, “the oldest and longest serving St. John member,” as the worship leader. The Deaconess Board recited the Call to Worship: Deaconesses Earnestine Barnes-Ivery, Eva Smith, Willie M. Heyward, Charlsie Brooks, Gwendolyn Baldwin, and Mary Powers. The Reverend Meriam Garrett gave the invocation after the opening hymn.
Scripture readings were as follows: Old Testament, Psalm 100 by Addison and Breanne Bradford; The Epistle, Ephesians 1: 15-23, Sister Jana Goggans; The Gospel, Matthew 16:13-18, Sister Mattie Ezell.
Pastor Wright preached the third sermon in his series “What Shall We Do with the Church?” entitled “Don’t Sleep on the Church.” The scripture reference was Acts 20: 7-12. He noted the negative impact of “sleeping”/inattention at this point, including social, economic, and political factors. He emphasized that “there are people sleeping on the church,” resulting in a negative impact on the youth and leadership; ministries are not as fulfilling; the message is “watered down.” He urged soberness and vigilance to avoid the negative impact.
The first point made by Pastor Wright was, “The Word is for you.” There is something for every believer present when a sermon is delivered. He noted that “the Word of God always meets its target.” He encouraged participation in the church, noting that “church is not a spectator sport.” His second point was, “You can be in the right place but be in the wrong place at the same time.” In the text, the man was in the right place—the church, but in the wrong place—sitting in the window on the third level, which would allow for inattention or distractions. He cautioned that this could cause believers of today to miss their blessing because they could not focus fully on the Word.
Additionally, Pastor Wright emphasized that “there is always light in the church” and that we must always “pay attention to the light,” which allows us “to see as well as be seen.” He noted that in the text, no one cautioned the man about being “on the ledge” and that “the church can not be too busy to warn people.” He indicated in the text that the people “became the church” once they attended to the man who fell from the window. He indicated that Paul directly “ministered”/attended to the man when he fell, not delegating to someone else. Another key factor was that everyone left comforted after the events in the text. Pastor Wright indicated that people should feel better after participating in worship, “leave with joy in your spirit [from being in the presence of] the power of the Almighty.” Finally, Pastor Wright ended by citing Luke 21:36 – the importance of “staying awake” to escape events that are going to take place and gave examples of current events/problem situations.
Truly a sermon upon which to reflect as the St. John family marked 137 years of existence as a church serving the Huntsville community. Sister Mary Allen made the offertory appeal, and the Doxology and Benediction followed.
Congregants remained to view a congratulatory video of greetings from regional and national clergy, church officers, members, and friends. They included Bishop Harry L. Seawright of the Ninth Episcopal District; Bishop Anne Henning Byfield, 13th Episcopal District; Bishop Adam Richardson, Sr., Senior Bishop, 10th Episcopal District; Presiding Elder Bruce W. Hunter, South Birmingham-Huntsville Bessemer District; the Reverend Dr. Willie Eugene Marshall, Presiding Elder Ozark/Troy District; the Reverend Mark Kelly Tyler, Pastor of Mother Bethel AME, Philadelphia, PA; the Reverend Dr. Patrick Clayborn, Bethel AME, Baltimore, MD [former pastor of St. John, Huntsville]; the Reverend Dr. Michael Bell, Allen AME, Washington, D.C.; Brother John Thomas, III, Editor, The Christian Recorder; Brother Marcus Hill, St. John Steward Board, vice chair; Brother Bill Williams, St. John Trustee Board, Vice Chair; Brother David Person, a friend of the church; The Honorable Anthony Daniels, Alabama House Minority Leader, and St. John member; and Deaconess Sarah Bell – 90 years of service to St. John and longest living member.”
St. John is proud of its legacy and looking forward to a bright future.
