Bishop Seawright Preaches for 135th Anniversary of St. John, Huntsville
By Bridget J. Floyd, Ninth Episcopal District
A special worship service was held on Sunday, March 15 that marked the celebration of the 135th-anniversary of St. John AME Church. The Rt. Rev. Harry L. Seawright, the 133rd elected and consecrated bishop in the AME Church was the special guest preacher for the event. Presiding Elder Bruce W. Hunter served as the worship leader. The theme was “A Solid Foundation and a Promising Future,” with the scriptural reference of Matthew 16:18. The Mass Choir provided musical selections that augmented the service. The Liturgical Dance Ministry offered a powerful, inspirational dance to “The Blood Will Never Lose its Power.”
The service began with the processional as the choir sang, “Glad to Be in the Service,” followed by the Doxology and the Call to Worship as led by Sister Donna Gullatte. This was followed by the singing of “The Church’s One Foundation,” the invocation by the Rev. Charles Glover, and another selection by the Mass Choir. Psalm 100 was read by Brother Justin York and 1 Corinthians 3: 9-11 and Matthew 16:13-18 was read by Sister Karmen Lattimore. After the Apostle’s Creed, the Steward Pro Tem Marcus Hill and his daughter, Martinee Hill, highlighted announcements. Two new members who completed New Members Class were read into full membership. Pastor Wright introduced Bishop Seawright.
Bishop Seawright preached, “The Church—The Change Agent,” using Matthew 16:13-18. He began by referencing the challenge of keeping calm and leading amid recent events and noted the problem of fear and the importance of listening to God’s Word and not leaning to our own understanding. He said it is important, in these difficult times, to recall the assurances in God’s Word and faithfulness. He acknowledged his history of a life-threatening experience and God bringing him through and stated, “I’ve chosen to not live in fear.”
In referring to the text, Bishop Seawright stated that “Peter had the courage to confess to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” which resulted in Jesus giving Peter “the keys to the kingdom because he knew who Jesus was.” He went on to say, “There is no greater accomplishment than knowing that Jesus is your Savior…recognizing the role that Jesus played in your accomplishments.”
Bishop Seawright cited an analogy of the Church serving as a change agent. One should think of the Church as the thermostat, which can change the temperature, rather than the thermometer which measures or registers the temperature. He went on to cite the various problems that particularly impact the African American community and are not featured in the headlines. He noted the difference in current headlines regarding the novel coronavirus.
Bishop Seawright concluded the sermon by encouraging the congregation to continue giving to and feeding those in need, especially during these troubling times. He reminded everyone of Jesus’ words, “When you did it to the least of these.”
