Mission Statement

Connectional Lay Organization

The Lay Organization, being lead by the Spirit and empowered

to serve, will set new goals and a new agenda for the new century

and continue to lead the Church from membership to discipleship.

Lay Organization Theme:

“Building on our Global Legacy of Christ-Centered Leadership and Training.”

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.                                                                       Ephesians 4: 11-13 NIV

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."              Mark 16:15 NIV

The theme that is being presented to your hearing today is one that captures the very spirit of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Object and purpose of the Lay Organization. Our ancestors recognized the need to follow the teachings of Jesus the Christ, and reach out to people all over the world from our early beginning as a denomination. We, as the Faith descendants of our God fearing, Christ-centered fore-parents have continued this practice by “Building on Our Global Legacy through Christ-centered Leadership and Training.”

Inherent in this theme is confirmation that we, as African Methodist, are a peculiar people with a noble Christian heritage. This theme also confirms that the African Methodist Episcopal Church is an inclusive Denomination which has spread throughout the world. Its liturgy is practiced in countries and on continents spanning the entire globe. As members, in the Continental United States, are lifting our voices in prayer and singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving in “Divine Worship Service” our sisters and brothers in the Mother Continent of Africa, in India, in the Caribbean, in the South America, in Canada, and in London England are lifting their voices in prayer and singing praises to God as well. Our Global legacy dates back to the 18th century when Bishops William Paul Quinn and Henry McNeal Turner, two off the four  horsemen moved African Methodism into Canada and Africa respectively. The global expansion was also evident when the church moved into South America, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.

The Connectional Lay Organization re-affirmed is commitment to the global movement when we elected Weldon A. Shuman 15 Episcopal District, to serve as third vice president. We continued to expand in our global vision and understanding as the African Methodist Episcopal Church elected indigenous leadership at the 2004 General Conference. This litany of mentioned references to Global Expansion and involvement is by no stretch of the imagination exhaustive, but has been referenced as illustrative of a much broader phenomenon.

As we continued to examine this theme we realized that we are not only building on a Global Legacy because of historical events, but we are also responding to the ”Word” spoken by Jesus Christ, who commissioned the followers to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  (Mark 16:15) We are building on a Global legacy of Christ-centered leadership and training.

Paul tells us in his letter to the church at Ephesus “that unto every one of use is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And He gave some apostles; some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers.” When we look at this power packed theme, ripe with possibilities for service and ministry, we can’t help but recall the commission given the Lay Organization by the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church: “To organize and train every lay member to the end that certain objectives are achieved…. “To accomplish this directive we must utilize our God given gifts to the fullest. We also know to fulfill this duty we must be Christ-centered Leaders and Trainers. Before we can be empowered as leaders, first we must respond to the call of Jesus to pick up our cross and follow Him. To be Christ-centered we too must possess the attributes and characteristics of Christ. Others must see Jesus in us. We must be compassionate, kind, understanding, loving, patient, considerate, committed and tolerant. We must study to show ourselves approved unto God: we must be workers who are not ashamed. As Christ-Centered leaders and trainers we must lead by precept and example. As Christ-Centered leaders and trainers we must reach out, personally and collectively to bring a message of hope to those who are most vulnerable in this present age all over the world. We must with tolerance, love, and understanding reach out, embrace, and make ourselves available to our youth and young adults. We must catch the spirit and support the vision of these “new age” Christ-centered leaders, while at the same time passing on the tradition that we ourselves have received. If we effectively train our next generation and hear them, they too will be empowered to continue building on our global legacy.

My sisters and brothers, I give you our theme for this new quadrennial.

Edith Cartledge
Connectional  Director of Lay Activities
October 23, 2009

History of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference

The Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the AME Church had its beginnings on May 15, 1865 when Bishop Daniel Payne organized the South Carolina Conference in Charleston. This Conference included the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. On May 14, 1866, at the first South Carolina Annual Conference held in Savannah, Georgia, the Reverends George M. Broadie and Samuel B. Williams were among the Conference participants representing North Carolina.

The first North Carolina Annual Conference was held in Greensboro in 1869. At that meeting, a number of churches joined the Conference, especially churches in the Western part of the state. According to Bishop R.R. Wright, Jr. “the growth of the North Carolina Annual Conference was so marvelous that it became necessary to organize the Western North Carolina Conference.” On November 19, 1892, at St. James AME Church in Kinston, North Carolina, the North Carolina Annual Conference was divided into the Western North Carolina and the North Carolina Annual Conferences under the leadership of Bishop W. J. Gaines. The Reverend W. H. Giles was Conference secretary. Some of the ministers participating in the organization of the Conference were the Reverends Cornelius Sampson, Robert Lucas, Jacob, Homes, George Hunter, Harry Pope, Minto Crooms, Bryant Rudd and Henry Tucker. Boundary lines for the newly formed Western Conference were fixed to include, roughly, all areas from Wake County westward.

Throughout the years, in North Carolina, the AME Church has continued its contribution to fight for dignity and freedom of Black Americans. As a result, African Methodism in Western North Carolina continued to grow. Three Bishops of the Church, D. O. Walker, Frederick D. Jordan and Phillip R. Cousin, pastured in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference.

At the 200^th anniversary of the AME Church, the Western North Carolina Annual Conference was composed of two Presiding Elder Districts – Central Eastern and Central Western, currently the two Presiding Elder Districts are the Eastern and Western Districts.

The Lay Organization is one of the youngest auxiliaries of the church, compared to the total year's existence of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The record shows that laymen held places alongside the clergy during the formative years of the church.

However, at the Baltimore Annual Conference of 1826, a resolution was passed that made a change in the relationship of the laymen to the Annual Conference. It was voted that "exhorters and stewards in full connection could be members of the Annual Conference with a seat, but that they could have neither voice or vote."

Lay Organization Stages of Growth and Development:

1. Formative Years - 1912-1916
2. Second Stage - 1916-1946
3. Third Stage - 1946-present

Formative Years

The organized lay movement started at the General Conference in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912. Professor Charles H. Johnson, of Wilberforce, Ohio was the first president. It was known as the "Laymen's Missionary Movement." No written records are available to tell us more about its workings. Professor Johnson did travel extensively and wrote the pamphlet, "Men at Work and Laymen's Missionary Movement."

Second Stage

Professor Carl V. Roman organized the "Connectional Lay College" at the General Conference of 1916. He was not satisfied with the progress of the LMM. He taught at Fisk University and was the first president.

The CLC met only once every four years at the seat of the General Conference. Only delegates to the General Conference were members. Its weakness was its ever changing membership, lack of funds and inability to mobilize the laity at the local level.

Third Stage

The delegates to the CLC meeting in Little Rock Arkansas in 1946, abolished the old CLC and organized the Connectional Lay Organization as we know it today - from the Episcopal District level down through the Conferences to the local church unit.

This action was ratified at the General Conference of 1948 giving laymen the right to organize in the local church and make the lay organization a part of the organic law of African Methodism. The CLC met quadrennially at the site of the General Conference.

Some Significant Accomplishments Along the Way

• 1928 - Legislation giving the lay equal representation at the General Conference.
• 1932 - Granted the right to serve on the Episcopal Committee
• 1936 - Election of Attorney Herbert L. Dudley, lay movement accelerated
• 1940 - General Conference, Detroit, Michigan, legislation guaranteeing equal representation at Annual Conference
• 1944 - General Conference legislation providing equal representation on all department committees