In his introduction of the Service of Ordination preacher, Bishop Philip R. Cousin, Presiding Prelate of the First Episcopal District, said what better person than someone who has personally been in touch with each person that was to be ordained.

The preacher he referred to was Rev. Jeffrey Leath, pastor of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and Dean of the Ministerial Institute for the Philadelphia Annual Conference. The Philadelphia Annual Conference began Wednesday and will conclude Sunday after appointments.

Saturday, Rev. Leath was to bring a special message to a group of preachers he has shepherded through the educational process. They were standing on the brink of ordination, and Rev. Leath was poised to give them The Word that would be their verbal bookmark of this important juncture in their lives.

It has been a long and hard week for Rev. Leath. He is the host pastor for the 184th Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference. And he has made it an impeccable proceeding. Every "i" has been dotted, every "t" crossed. There is nothing he could do, that he didn't do, to make his guests more comfortable or feel more pampered. He, during the week of Annual Conference, has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure everyone has had every amenity possible.

And now he was being introduced to speak. With this type of week behind him, how much energy did he have in front of him.

It became apparent early on, this was indeed a preacher on fire for the Lord with a burning message for all that had ears to hear.

He drew his sermon from Jonah 4:4 and worked with the theme "Do Your Duty."

He told the soon to be ordained Deacons and Elders that the ordination process was not the end it was just the beginning. That they had come full circle. And the "Do Your Duty" in the theme. It is simply put, to save souls.

Rev. Leath said it was not about being accorded more honor and prestige but that those being ordained could be lifted up so they then could look down and see the souls that needed to be saved.

He drew a laugh from the audience when he said you often can learn as many lessons in the bathroom as you can in the classroom.

He said at the First Episcopal Headquarters at 3801 Market Street during the days the Annual Conference was held there. He said there was a tall and a shorter man in the bathroom. He said the window in the bathroom was high so the smaller man could only look out and see the sky. The taller man, however was able to look down to the sidewalk and see the people down there who needed saving.

Rev. Leath compared it to life. Where some of us look up to the lofty planes to see what other people have and then aspire to be them because of what they have rather than looking down and seeing that their duty is to save souls and there are plenty of them right where they are at in need of saving.

Rev. Leath carefully wove the story of Jonah into the fabric of modern ministry before concluding with three points. His first point was You must be able to communicate to the people of God the mind of God. That preachers need to know and be in the mind of God. "But often times we are like Jonah, so full of ourselves we can't get filled up by God," Rev. Leath said.

Rev. Leath's second point was you have to love the people of God. "If your neighborhood is changing then perhaps it is time for you to change with the neighborhood. You just might have to learn Spanish.

He continued, "We are called to be shepherds not cattle drivers. The flock should come when you call its name. You should not be driving them in front of you."

The third point was "Trust God in deliverance," Rev. Leath said echoing the pertinent lines from "We come this far by Faith.

The conclusion of the sermon was a masterful display of interjecting the Holy Ghost into an already soaring, high energy message. It was shouting time in Mother Bethel Church.

It may have been a long and energy sapping week for Rev. Leath, but he seemed recharged when he hit the pulpit, and his electrifying sermon invigorated the congregation as well.

"They will not forget their ordination sermon," Bishop Cousin said following Rev. Leath's sermon. Those preparing to be ordained nodded their heads in agreement, as did most of the other people who filled Mother Bethel for this special occasion.

For a report from the first day of the Philadelphia Annual Conference [Click Here] For a report from Day Two of the Philadelphia Annual Conference [Click Here] For a look at the highlights of Day Three [Click Here] For the overall schedule of the Philadelphia Annual Conference [Click Here]