From: Bishop Samuel L. Green, President Council of Bishops
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Arkansas African Methodist Episcopal Leader Elected to Church Council Presidency
A meeting of the International Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church has brought more than 1,000 people from around the globe to Little Rock.
They're in town to celebrate the election of North Little Rock Bishop Samuel L. Green, Sr. to the presidency of the AME Council of Bishops.
The group gathered in the Arkansas Ballroom of the Peabody Hotel to announce Bishop Green's investiture as the President of the Council of Bishops and to also announce support for President Barack Obama's budget deficit reduction plan.
Bishop Green is the Presiding Bishop of the 12th District, which encompasses Arkansas and Oklahoma. Under Bishop Green's guidance the credibility of the Church's Junior College, Shorter College in North Little Rock, is being restored, as it has received Candidacy Status for Accreditation.
"I am humbled by the trust the Council of Bishops has placed in me to help lead this great body of two million Christian believers," Bishop Green said.
"While the bishops from Africa, India, the Caribbean and Europe are here attending the Investiture Celebration, we want to take this opportunity to express what we see as the need for increased financial opportunities for students who desire to pursue a college degree, our concerns about the fiscal cliff and call for unity among the American people during President Obama's second term."
Bishops John Bryant (Chicago), Reginald Jackson (Orange, NJ), Adam Richardson, Jr. (Jacksonville, FL) and Vashti McKenzie (Dallas) all took part in a morning news conference held as part of the event. The celebrated Bishop McKenzie will provide insight into President Obama's desire for continued inclusion of the faith-based community in shaping America's future. She has intimate knowledge of President Obama's objectives, having been appointed to the President's Advisory Council of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Bishop McKenzie was also a national co-chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention and a featured speaker at the Convention.
About the African Methodist Episcopal Church
The Mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed. At every level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society, out of which the AME Church evolved: that is, to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy. There are two million AME members worldwide.