AFRICAN AMERICANS IN FREE METHODIST HISTORY
By Superintendent Amelia Cleveland-Traylor
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Black history is American history!
Many people in the USA celebrate, highlight, or learn Black history during the month of February. You will not be surprised to know that African Americans are a part of Free Methodist History as well. This article will highlight a few of those people.
James Suggs was born an enslaved person in North Carolina on August 15, 1831. When James was sold at the age of three, he was permanently separated from his parents and his twin brother. James was sold and resold several times. He ended up in northern Mississippi, owned by a wealthy but kind master named Suggs. This is why he was known as James Suggs. He married Malinda, an enslaved teenage girl owned by master Suggs, when he was a teenager. Not long after his marriage, he converted to Christianity.
Near the end of the Civil War, James ran away and joined the Union forces that were nearby. He became a soldier in the Union Army. After the war, he moved north as a free man. He had learned to be a blacksmith while enslaved. As a result, he was able to support himself and later his family through this trade. He lived in Princeton, Illinois.
When James received a call to Christian ministry, he struggled to yield himself to the call because he liked making and having money as a blacksmith. Nonetheless, he answered his call to ministry and gave up his work as a blacksmith. He then began preaching in schoolhouses. Large crowds gathered to hear him. It was the business of his life to “minister divine truth to dying men and women” (Shadow and Sunshine by Eliza Suggs).
James Suggs became a Free Methodist through contact with preachers like C. E. Harrold, Jr., and C.M. Damon. In fact, B.T. Roberts ordained him a deacon in the Illinois Conference in 1879. Suggs then went to Kansas as an evangelist. He was described as a pioneer in Kansas Free Methodism. He was ordained an elder by E. P. Hart in the new West Kansas Conference in 1884. He was the first African American to be ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church. When Rev. Suggs discovered a group of colored people from the south that had settled in northwest Kansas, he observed that they were “nearly starving and scarcely able to cover their nakedness.” He immediately became their advocate to obtain clothing and food. They were described as colored refugees. He, along with his wife pastored the Nicodemus Free Methodist Church. Much of Rev. Sugg’s history was preserved in the memoir of his youngest daughter, Eliza. That memoir was called Shadow and Sunshine and it was published in 1906.
The Free Methodist Church was founded on principles that promoted an awakened social conscience. It was outspoken against the institution of slavery and class distinction. It was also committed to taking the Good News to the poor. Rev. James Suggs was first Black Free Methodist pastor, but he was not the last. There have certainly been more. As with any institution, the Free Methodist Church has had times when its objectives have been met and others when it has not. The African Heritage Network (AHN) was developed in 1998. Its mission was and continues to be a healthy biblical community of African Heritage Free Methodist leaders supporting one another, assisting the Free Methodist Church of the United States in understanding the societal distinctive in the African American and African Heritage community in order to multiply disciples, leaders, groups, and churches. In the past, most African American pastors have led small African American churches or assisted in majority churches. It is still uncommon for African American pastors to be appointed to lead majority churches though there has been some progress. In 2018, the Free Methodist Church appointed its first superintendents of African American descent. These superintendents were Rev. Charles Latchison, Rev. Dr. Fraser Venter, Rev. Dr. Michael Traylor, and Rev. Dr. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor.
The current Board of Bishops have given us a gift. The Free Methodist Way seeks to articulate our denominational identity in a way that is relevant and fresh in the twenty-first century. Let us hope that as we strive to practice love-driven justice and cross-cultural collaboration we will witness increased diversification and inclusion of African American Free Methodists at every level of leadership.
After all, African American Free Methodist history is Free Methodist history.
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Those of you who attended the Leadership Summit this past summer, saw the video that Bishop Whitehead presented on The FM Way. (click here to view). We will highlight one of the values that shape our identity. The information comes from the Free Methodist Way brochure and is available from FMC if you would like to include it in your New Member packets.
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Free Methodists are first and foremost a Kingdom people. Yet throughout church history God has raised up distinct movements like ours to enrich the larger body of Christ. Building on the legacies of John Wesley and B.T. Roberts, but always discerning where God is moving today, our identity is shaped by values that are both historical and aspirational. Of the many values we hold dear, these five lie at the heart of our movement. We view them as a whole, each one bringing necessary balance to the others. In a time of rising polarization in our nation, we resist the pull toward both fundamentalism and theological liberalism, - not out of a spirit of compromise, but from a radical commitment to what Wesley called "the middle way." It is a path that takes the whole gospel seriously and continually calls us to "both/and" convictions in an "either/or" world. We call it The Free Methodist Way.
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WE HOLD UNWAVERINGLY to our conviction that the Bible is the inspired Word of God an our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
Drawing on our Wesleyan heritage of engaging with Scripture through the lenses of tradition, reason, and experience, we keep Scripture primary. While the church will always be tasked with authentically communicating and applying biblical truths with sensitivity to cultural dynamics, we do not subjugate the Bible's timeless truths to cultural norms or social trends.
The Free Methodist Way is to fully align our lives and our movement on the unshakeable foundation of God's Word.
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RIVER INSTITUTE
REGISTRATION OPEN NOW
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When: June 17-18, 2022
Where: Denver, Colorado
Please join us for the 2022 Leadership Summit.
This year's theme is Fueling the Fire.
Registration will begin in the next few weeks.
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WHY THEY’RE NOT COMING BACK TO CHURCH
(AND WHAT TO DO WITH WHO’S LEFT)
By Carey Nieuwhof
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You probably remember the predictions back in the Spring of 2020: that as soon as churches reopened for in-person worship service again people would flood back into church, high-fiving people and embracing friends they hadn’t seen in weeks or months.
Then the lockdown went from weeks to months, to in some cases, a year or longer.
As churches reopened in a slow, regional, checkerboard pattern across the US and eventually around the world, the Great Return didn’t happen.
Admirably, most pastors kept hoping.
If they’re not coming back now, you told yourself, then people will come back:
In the fall
- After Christmas
- When the mask mandate is lifted
- When most people are vaccinated
- After the summer break
- When ALL the restrictions are lifted
- Once the kids are back in school full time
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MOVING DAY FOR FMCUSA
Just wanted to update you on our moving plans, as we pack up the World Ministries Center at 770 N. High School Rd. here in Indianapolis and move just a bit south, still in Indianapolis.
Our offices are getting packed up and our warehouse cleaned out. We will hold a “Goodbye to the Building” celebration next week (to which local pastors and retirees have been invited), and then the movers come to pick up all our boxes and move them… in to storage. It’s a bit anti-climactic for us as a small number of us are moving in to a temporary facility while the rest of us work remotely until the construction on our new building is completed. When that happens, we will be so excited to welcome you for meetings and tours!
Here is some information you might need to know:
- As of February 22, 2022, we will no longer be receiving mail at our 770 North High School Rd. address. We hope that all of your pastors, churches, donors, and retirees received notice of our new PO Box number: PO Box 51710, Indianapolis, IN 46251. Mail sent to our old address will be forwarded for a while by the post office, but the sooner you make this address change in your database, the better.
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As of right now, we are not sure where our temporary location will be, but our phone number remains the same: (317)244-3660. Mail should be sent to PO Box 51710, Indianapolis, IN 46251.
- When we move, we will still be using the PO Box for our mail, but you may want our location address. It will be 5235 Decatur Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46241
Thank you for your patience with our staff as we navigate the move as well as our regular day-to-day tasks. And thank you especially for your prayers through this process. God is at work through this move, and we can’t wait to see what He has in store for us!
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ANNUAL REPORT UPDATE
The 2021 FMC Annual Report process can be challenging for you. We appreciate the special effort each church goes through to make sure the responses to the Annual Report are accurate.
The process will be:
- The 2021 FMC Annual Report is expected to be released in early April 2022.
- The 2021 Annual Report will use the same categories that were used for the 2020 report.
- We will use the same categories for the 2022 report (that will be filed a year from now) as we are using for the 2021 report.
You will receive notifications from the Conference Administrator as we get closer to the deadlines.
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TRC COVID-19 State Resources
Below are the websites for all the states in The River Conference that have current information on COVID-19. Stay informed. These websites have the most current information for each state. Simply click on the state and it will take you to the corresponding website.
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TRC signed up to take advantage of Amazon.com's "give back" campaign. Amazon Smile is a program where you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of any purchase made on Amazon.com.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity. How to get started:
www.smile.amazon.com - find The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Lakewood, CO on the charity list, select it. Now every time you order something from Amazon, you must enter through the smile.amazon.com website, you'll see what charity you're supporting in red letters. Then start shopping. Amazon will automatically deposit donations into our checking account.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity.
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TRC DISTRICT LEADERS
ARIZONA
BOISE
COLORADO/NEW MEXICO/SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTH TEXAS
SOUTH TEXAS
TBD
SPOKANE
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Upcoming TRC Committee Meetings
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
MAC Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, March 3, 2022
MEG Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Property Team Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Board of Directors Monthly Video Conference
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
District Leaders Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Nominating Committee Video Conference
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HEY Free Methodist Youth Workers! |
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I hope you’ve heard, FMYC 2022 is happening! We’ll gather on the campus of Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado June 27-July 1, 2022.
FMYC (Free Methodist Youth Conference) is a week-long event designed for your high school students. (Bringing Middle School students is up to the discretion of the Youth Worker. But again – please know that the event is programmed with high school students in mind.)
The Scriptures tell us that followers of Jesus are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…” (1 Peter 2:9). We are Marked. Our identity is in Jesus. This next Summer we’ll spend a week together in Colorado, looking at what this means!
On our website you’ll find:
* Promotional material
* Program information
* FAQ & Contact information
We've also encouraged each conference to help with the transportation costs for groups attending FMYC’22. Make sure you contact your local Superintendent for more information!
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Click HERE to hear a message from the Bishops regarding the upcoming conference
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Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy is made up of a group of likeminded denominations who ordain women and promote a biblically-based theology and practice of women in ministry. WHWC’s biennial conference, called E2022, is being held March 10-12, 2022 in Grapevine, Texas. Women who are elders, CMC’s, leading laypersons, students or others exploring a call to ministry or seeking to understand our position on the role of women in the church are encouraged to attend. Men are also welcome—whether husbands, colleagues, superintendents or others looking for an uplifting event featuring excellent women preachers, workshops and fellowship.
AND… “WELL2022” is a Free Methodist women-only event on the day before the conference at the same location. This all-expenses-paid event begins at 1 PM on March 9 and ends at noon on March 10. Women will spend time getting to know other Free Methodist women in ministry and celebrating what God is doing in our denomination—for instance, we now have 571 ordained women, two female superintendents, a female bishop and hundreds of women serving in denominational or conference leadership positions. At this pre-conference event, we will also have time to explore concerns that can be heard together and communicated to denominational leaders to address our acknowledged “room for improvement” reality.
For both WELL and E2022:
If you have already registered for E2022, you can still add on WELL to your registration. Don't use the links above, just email or call Callie Darling, our event services manager
phone 972 724 5184.
P.S. If you are a pastor’s husband or a man in leadership who plans to attend WHWC and would be interested in a gathering of FM men during WELL, contact Soo Ji Alvarez.
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Find out what is happening around the Free Methodist Church. Click below to view the respective newsletters |
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