Reid Temple African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Church Partners with the US Naval Academy
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Whitlock, Jr. Pastor of Reid Temple
Jamie Carter Davidson, Worship Arts and Public Relations Commissioner
This summer a historic partnership was created between Reid Temple A.M.E Church, Glenn Dale, MD and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD to provide weekly Gospel worship services and bible study starting with Plebe Summer, the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy.
The Naval Academy has approximately four thousand or more midshipmen/students enrolled each year, preparing young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. These midshipmen/students are future U.S. Presidents, Supreme Court Judges, Senators, Congresspersons, corporate presidents, pastors, professors, and community leaders. Reid Temple’s primary partnership goal is to strengthen Christian spiritual formation to enable them to take Jesus to the end of the earth.
The partnership began with a recommendation by USN Commander Christilene Whalen, CHA. U.S. Navy Captain Maurice A. Buford, CHC, USN Command Chaplain, who is also an AME Itinerate Elder, Dr. Mark E. Whitlock, Jr. along with Reid Temple Executive Minister Rev. Hermia Shegog Whitlock, Chief Operating Officer Kisha Broady, Steward Pro Tem Dr. Anton Bizzell, and Worship Arts Commissioner Jamie Carter Davidson worked together with Chaplain Ryan Whitfield to oversee the partnership. This is the first time in the history of the US Naval Academy an AME Church has led a Gospel worship service on a weekly basis.
For five weeks, starting on June 30th, Reid Temple led the Friday night Gospel service for Plebe Summer. The US Naval Academy provided space for the weekly worship service and a classroom for the weekly bible study classes. Midshipmen/students from diverse communities and races attended the services. Not knowing what to expect, the partnership team anticipated an audience of 30 to 50 students, but God had a different forecast! Three hundred students came to the first Friday night Gospel Service. The next week chairs had to be placed in the aisles to accommodate the overflow when over 800 hundred students attended the service. Each week, the services went higher and higher.
The partnership’s purpose is to develop, deepen, and enrich the students’ spiritual formation, and focus one’s relationship with God to become missional representatives of God in Jesus Christ. In short, the goal is to teach about the power, principles, and the purpose of spiritual gifts that take God’s mission to the ends of the earth.
In the Fall, the partnership will continue with Bible studies to include teaching the scriptures, memorizing Bible scriptures, Christian meditation, and Christian discipleship to strengthen their faith in God in Jesus Christ. We also expect to participate in weekly worship services with Naval
Chaplains offering preaching, prayer, and gospel congregational singing to the Naval Academy students. We believe the program will save lives.
Why is this partnership important? We believe this partnership will save lives. The Navy’s suicide rate for 2021 was 58 deaths for 100,000 active-duty sailors, according to its annual report, down from 65 deaths per 100,000 active-duty sailors the year before. Most service members who die by suicide are young, male enlistees according to the US Navy Institute report. For the Navy, the largest percentage of suicides – 37.9 percent – were among active duty sailors between 21 and 24 years old, according to the report. The next highest – 27.6 percent – were among sailors 25 to 29 years old.
Finally, in addition to providing Gospel worship services, Reid Temple members will be sponsoring US Naval midshipmen. By providing a “home away from home” for Midshipmen, church members will offer transportation to church, provide lunch or dinner, and create a family like atmosphere for the young midshipmen. We thank God for this historic partnership between the AME Church and US Naval Academy.
