SMALL CHURCH WITH BIG PLANS:
PASADENA'S BROWN MEMORIAL
A.M.E. CHURCH TO RETIRE DEBT, RENOVATE AND ADDRESS
HOMELESSNESS IN 2005
PASADENA, Calif. - (January 31, 2005) - Don't let his
small membership roster fool you. The Rev. Carlton V.
Rickman Jr. of
Brown Memorial A.M.E. Church in Pasadena is a man on a
mission: retire the Church's debt, address homelessness in
the community and most importantly, save 100 souls by year's
end.
Rickman was appointed pastor of Brown Memorial in October
2004. Already he's reduced the existing debt by nearly 7
percent, begun a feeding program for persons down on their
luck, sought 501(C)(3) status and declared victory over the
church's financial situation by March 2005.
"My vision for the church is that Brown will become a
source of spiritual, social, political and economic
empowerment for the people within the community," said
Rickman, a 17-year veteran of ministry in the A.M.E. Church,
16 of which were spent at pastoral charges in Ohio and West
Virginia.
In the long-term, Rickman is working toward affordable
housing, youth mentorship and tutoring, job placement and
job referral programs, and access to affordable healthcare
for neighborhood residents. In the short-term,
however, he is feverishly working to retire the $72,000 debt
that's plagued the congregation for more many years. Once
it's liquidated in mid-March, Rickman will need another
$40,500 for new renovations - a new roof and energy
efficient wiring among them.
To accomplish the goal, he's enlisted a cadre of
spirit-filled preachers, including the Rev. Leslie R. White
of Grant A.M.E. Church in the heart of Watts. White was the
keynote speaker for the Mortgage Liquidation/Church
Renovation Rally Kick-off on Sunday, Jan. 23, where another
4 percent was shaved from the debt through the offering.
White's sermon, "Fix this House!" was taken from Jeremiah
7:1-4 and encouraged the nearly 150 persons in attendance to
develop a "strong social and moral consciousness that is not
in conflict with the financial obligations of the church."
Pointing to the commercialization occurring around the
Church - including a new shopping center complete with a
VONS grocery store, a host of restaurants and a Starbucks -
White challenged the Church to consider creative ways to
utilize the church space for God's glory.
The sermon was both poignant and prophetic, Rickman said,
particularly because White had been called upon to help
retire Brown Memorial's debt 24 years ago when he was pastor
of Price Chapel A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles.
"Rev. White's sermon was right on time now as I am sure
it was then," added Rickman. "Each of us leaves this
service taking a closer look at ourselves and the future of
our Church so that 20 years from now we aren't still talking
about liquidating debt."
Rickman is planning future rallies before the Fifth District
Mid-Year Convocation, March 14-19. Area pastors who have
agreed to participate include the Rev. Dr. Kelvin T.
Calloway, Second A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles; the Rev. John
Cager, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Fontana; the Rev Dr. Louis
Logan, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Los Angeles; and the Rev.
Anthony L.
Hughes, St. Paul A.M.E. Church, San Bernardino.
And Rickman believes that the goals are within reach. "What
God can't do cannot be done," he said. "If we have the
faith, God has the power."
To support Brown Memorial's fundraising initiative, contact
the Church Office at:
Brown Memorial A.M.E. Church, 25 East Orange
Grove Boulevard, Pasadena, Calif. 91103, (626) 792-6422 or
visit brownmemorialamec.org.
You Can Go Home Again
January 27, 2005 - The AME Church has had a strong
historical presence in the city center of Pretoria. This
dates back to the 1896 when Reverend Mokone started the
AME Church in Marabastad, Pretoria. This changed under
the policies of Apartheid, when the church was
forcefully relocated to the African townships around
Pretoria.
The AME Church has moved back to the
Centre of Pretoria and is in the process of negotiating
with authorities to acquire and occupy a building very
close to where the founding father, the Reverend Mokone
started the church more than 110 years ago. February 22
2004 marked the historic re-entry by the AME Church into
the Capital of South Africa, the place of the birth of
the African Methodism in Southern Africa.
The Bethel AME Church Family has organised a banquet for
February 26, 2005. A souvenir Journal and a Chartered
Membership
list
will be launched on this day.
For details, please contact
Rev. Pretty Harrison – Pastor at
