Page 2 - General Conference 2020

51ST QUADRENNIAL SESSION | AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AMECNational
GREETINGS!
BISHOP JOHN F. WHITE
GENERAL CONFERENCE COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON
As we gather to share in the 51ST Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Orlando, Florida, we are at a pivotal time in the history of this world. It is a tremendous opportunity for our ministries.
The headlines are filled with unchecked assaults on truth, justice, and freedom. Of course, this is not the first time we’ve been here. Since there’s nothing new under the sun, our theme, “From Legacy to Mission: A Call to Prophetic Education and Social Engagement,” is both a reference to our glorious past and a referendum to chart out new paths for an even brighter future.
Living out their unwavering faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, our ancestors saw and met the needs of the least, the lost, and the left behind. Through God’s grace, they climbed. Our fore parents countered oppression, creating institutions of excellence, speaking godly truth to power, and standing on the frontlines of civil injustice.
Remembering from whence we have come, let us recalibrate our church to its original witness and divinely-assigned work as we share together in celebration of Word and Table. To serve the present age, let us realign our witness and work with 21ST-century needs, taking the eternal message of “Jesus saves” and the realities of His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven across the length and breadth of our world.
We have a mission, for the world is hungry for the Living Bread. In order for our mission to fully have us, it will take a collective effort of young and old, clergy and lay, and each and every component of our church to move forward.
In Orlando, join us as we collectively recall and revitalize under the banner of our Zion’s unique calling: God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, Holy Spirit our Comforter, and Humankind our Family. We will do so with the future in sight as our mission field.
John F. White
General Conference Commission Chair