By Rev. Terence Gray and Mr. Daniel Smart, 11th Episcopal District
There are moments in time when words fail to capture the depth and impact of events filled with transformative and electrifying energy. The Listening Tour for the North Orlando District, where the Rev. Valarie J. Walker serves as Presiding Elder, was one of them. While she, along with the twenty-three pastors who make up the District, prayed, discussed, and came to a consensus on the route and time, Bishop Marvin Clyde Zanders, II, made this tour unforgettable. He was the pivotal and essential presence under the direction of Almighty God, making each church visit memorable for a lifetime.
Why do you ask? It’s all because Bishop Zanders had come home. The now North Orlando District comprises all the churches that were a part of the once Ocala District, which his Grandparents (Elder Leroy & Mother Cornelia Johnson) served as Presiding Elder and Consultant for many years. He had preached in many of the pulpits and was the personal driver of his Grandparents as they went around to hold their Quarters. This is the District where both of Bishop Zanders’ ordinations (Itinerant Deacon, Mount Zion – Ocala; Itinerant Elder, Saint Mark – Orlando) occurred and where his home church (New Bethel – Orlando) is, in which he preached his first sermon. Hopefully, you sense this tour was an Old-Fashioned Amazing Homecoming!
During our visit to the churches, we were blessed to meet babies and one person, a 103-year-old who said, “When I heard the Bishop was coming, I had to come and meet him.” The excitement of Bishop Zanders’ coming was met with crowds of members, visitors, and pastors on the District caravaning with us, where we were met on the grounds, walked us into the Sanctuary, with cheers, singing, clapping, waving of flags, laughter, praise, and joy.
Even more special, there were persons who had not yet decided to join one of the local churches we visited, but they came as well. They wanted to see and hear Bishop Zanders. In each of those settings, Bishop Zanders said, “I am willing to open the doors of the church right now, if you want to officially become a part.” To all of our amazement, in one of the local churches, a brother came forward who had been visiting for three months. Praise God!
There was something good, something great in the atmosphere created by God in Bishop Zanders whose message was “even though I have been amongst you all my life and served as Treasurer for thirty years for the 11th Episcopal District, I needed to come and be with and among you, because then I knew you because I dealt with numbers on paper, now I need know the people who gave me the numbers on that paper, because you matter” He expressed his interest in all persons seeing their church essential to the life of the community in which they serve. They are so important that when there are times when one may start thinking about getting out or dropping out, just remember your why. Recall the reason you first gave your life to the Lord and hands in service to the building of God’s kingdom. Then, to hear him thank every church for their longstanding support of the global ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, made everyone he spoke to glad they had done their part.
Following his eloquent message, he took the time to hear from every member of every church. He gave them an opportunity to introduce themselves and describe their role in the life of the church. No matter the length of their introduction and additional comments, Bishop Zanders made each one of them feel what they were saying was essential in forming an understanding of the kind of Pastor, if needed, that would fit the people and community.
In following the tradition of Bishop Frank Curtis Cummings, Bishop Zanders, prayed in every church, wanted to view the grounds, took pictures of most, if not all of the cornerstones, wanted to hear the physical needs concerns of the building and intentionally wanted the signage to be representative of the God and denomination in which they represented.
While it took us two days to complete the twenty-four-churches tour, I was so intrigued that I had to join the Orlando District, where the Rev. Milton Broomfield serves as Presiding Elder for the churches within the city of Orlando. On the third day of the Central Conference Listening Tour, we began at the church where he preached his first sermon, New Bethel in Orlando. Wow, this was a totally welcome homecoming, marked by testimonials, tears, praise, laughter, and joy. While everyone there had a story to tell about how they were blessed to be a part of his upbringing, the two that stood out for me were his Boy Scout troop leader, Bro. Jesse Hill, Jr. and his Mother, Sis. Jacquelyn Johnson Bain.
We were unable to complete the tour of the Orlando churches on day three due to a funeral for one of our retired Pastors. So, on day four, we went to the church where he Pastored Mount Olive – Orlando. This was worth getting up on day four to press my way, even if it was for only one church. The Homecoming was complete, I had shared with Bishop the Homecoming idea and the cheers and singing we had met on the journey, that when we were walking up to Mount Olive where the signs, singing, cheers, and laughter was going on, he turned around, looked at me, smile, shook his head because we both knew in that moment, the once seen as son, preacher, pastor, and district accountant was now seen, revered and respected as their Bishop. Trust me, there was not a person in that church who did not have some testimony of the impact Bishop Zanders had made on their lives while he was their Pastor.
I, along with Bro. Daniel Smart (Steward – Saint Mark) has attached photos of the 2025 Listening Tour of the North Orlando District, better known as Homecoming! Welcome Home, Bishop and Supervisor Zanders!
The Reverend Terence R. Gray I is the Senior Pastor of Saint Mark, Orlando. Mr. Daniel Smart is a Steward at St. Mark, Orlando.
