And then there was one.
Bishop Philip R. Cousin, Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District, will hold the last annual conference for his tenture in the Mother Episcopal District of African Methodism this week.
Appropriately enough, for Bishop Cousin it will all end, where the church began. It will be the Philadelphia Annual Conference, the founding Annual Conference of the denomination and the host church will be the flagship church of African Methodism, Mother Bethel, which is pastored by the Reverend Jeffrey Leath. Rev. Carl D. Ogden Sr., Presiding Elder of the Mother Presiding Elder District, will be the host Presiding Elder.
This year, the activities of the Philadelphia Annual Conference will be divided between Mother Bethel, at 419 Richard Allen Avenue in Philadelphia and the First Episcopal District Headquarters, at 3801 Market Street, in Philadelphia.
Pre-Conference activities will begin Monday with the Department of Evangelism holding workshops Monday morning and then moving into a noon worship service. There also will be a 7 p.m. worship service. This activity will be held at Mother Bethel.
Tuesday will be the WMS Conference Branch Annual Meeting. There will be a business session in the morning and then a worship service at 10 a.m. Scheduled to bring the Word is Rev. Jocelyn K. Hart. The day will conclude with a banquet. This activity will be held at the Headquarters.
On Wednesday, May 24, The Annual Conference will begin devotions at 8 a.m. Roll Call and Organization will begin at 8:15 a.m. Opening Worship service is set for 10 a.m. Rev. Vernal E. Simms, is scheduled to preach the Annual Sermon. The Conference will recess at 1 p.m. and then resume at 2:45 with devotions. Business sessions are set to begin at 3 p.m. The Conference will recess again at 5:30 p.m. A Communion Worship service is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. This opening day of Annual Conference will be held at the Headquarters.
Thursday, Annual Conference will shift back to Mother Bethel. The advance schedule calls for Devotions at 8 a.m. followed by Conference Institute at 8:15 a.m. The business session will start at 9:15 a.m. The Worship Service will begin at noon and the conference will recess at 1 p.m. At 2:45, the Conference will resume with Devotions with the business sessions restarting at 3 p.m. The Conference will recess at 5:30 p.m. and the Evening Worship will be the Lay Organization Night at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Annual Conference returns to Headquarters. The advance schedule again calls for Devotions at 8 a.m. followed by Conference Institute at 8:15 a.m. The business session will start at 9:15 a.m. The Worship Service will begin at noon and the conference will recess at 1 p.m. At 2:45, the Conference will resume with Devotions with the business sessions restarting at 3 p.m. The Conference will recess at 5:30 p.m. and the Evening Worship will be Youth Night at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Annual Conference will return to Mother Bethel. The schedule calls for Devotions at 8:30 a.m., a business sessin at 8:45 a.m. and The Memorial Service at 9:45 a.m. The Ordination Service is set for a 10 a.m. start.
The Annual Conference will conclude on Sunday with Conference Church School at 8:30 a.m. and then the closing Conference worship service at 10 a.m. followed by the reading of appointments. The closing day of Annual Conference will be held at Headquarters.
For those persons planning on attending the Philadelphia Annual Conference, here is the cost of meals. Breakfast will be $5 Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Lunch will be $8 and includes beveragea nd desert. Dinner will be $10 and also will include beverage and desert.
The phone number for Mother Bethel, the host church, is 215 592-0616.
