By Rev. Christopher W. Riley, Pastor, New Community AME, LaPorte, Indiana
FORT WAYNE-
It was early one morning, just about the break of day,
Jesus touched me and He washed my sins away
I started running; I started shouting,
There’s no reason to doubt Him; I tell you, I’ve got
Nothing but the Holy Ghost
The lyrics to this Gospel Classic recorded by the late great Rev. Milton Brunson and The Thompson Community Choir rang out in Turner Chapel on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The Indiana Conference of the Fourth Episcopal District made history by hosting its first combined Pentecost Service. Local congregations celebrated Pentecost in their morning services and were able to come together with other members from across the state to commemorate the birth of the church.
Pentecost is a special day of worship. The feast marks the end of the Easter Season and commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus. The Church of God, which began on Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, is given the mission of preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
“The Pentecost Service captured the Spirit of that day recorded in scripture as we reflected on Pentecost’s Passion, Purpose, and Power. The time spent in prayer, word, dance, and song united those in attendance while serving as an inspiration to continue in the Lord’s Work.” The Rev. Lenore G. Williams, Presiding Elder of the North District, Indiana Conference.
Williams, who has the distinction of serving as Presiding Elder over the same district as her Father, the late Rev. Leonard Williams, Sr., was the visionary behind this conference-wide initiative and collaborated with the Rev. Elain Gordon, Presiding Elder of the South District, to host this praise party. According to Williams, the Pentecost Service will become an annual event in the Mother Conference of the Fourth District.
The preacher is a son of the Indiana Conference, the Rev. Christopher Bonner (Bethel AME, Bloomington), who is enrolled at Howard University in Washington, District of Columbia, majoring in Divinity and Social Work. Bonner proclaimed, “My God is making sound deliberations. Ain’t Nothing Impossible!” “We have to show the world that Jesus is Real.”
Bonner recalls, “The Indiana Conference has furnished my spirit with unconditional kingdom community since I first entered Bethel AME, Bloomington…you can feel the great cloud of ancestral witnesses clapping in that place. That Holy Black Joy is still echoing in my heart. Two of the most innovative Presiding Elders Rev. Dr. Elaine P. Gordon and Rev. Lenore G. Williams, are responsible for this grand vision. My heart desires that this worship celebration catapults our Zion to uncharted greatness.”
Turner Chapel AME Church, founded in 1849, is the oldest church in the Fort Wayne African-American Community and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rev. Kenneth C. Christmon is the pastor.
