It is hard to imagine that I am sorrounded by a bunch of members who either don't have the will or don't have the ability to understand that they truly can change the course of events at Mt. Hope A.M.E. Zion Church. The ball is in all of your courts; and you have decided that change is not worth the effort. Or one might conclude that you are elated to have Pastor Maddox back since he has done such a magnificant job in his 14 years at Mt. Hope Church. Perhaps you can enlighten me as to one or two of his accomplishments during the past 14 years; i'm all eyes and ears!
It has come to the point where I have no respect for anyone of you. I am not angry; just so dissapointed with all of you. I will be glad when the day comes and a new broom really sweeps clean at Mt. Hope. That broom needs to sweep you bunch of gutless members out alongwith the leader of the church.
Oh and by the way; the presiding elder also has no guts or credibility. If she did, she would not have allowed Pastor Maddox to send the letter to me whereby he tried, unsuccessfuly, to remove me from the Mt Hope membership role. She and Pastor Maddox both knew that our church discipline does not permit that. The presiding elder chose to seal her lips and hide her hands - she didn't even once say "Pastor Maddox you know that is against the A.M.E. Zion Church rules and you must retract this letter". Instead, Bishop Battle had a little guts and spoke on that at the Annual Conference!
I'm not offering any praises to him either because so much more was needed and still needs to be done and he really needs to step up to the plate. If not now; when and if not him then who?
I will be sending letters to Pastor Maddox, Presiding Elder Willis Stewart and to the presiding prelate; Bishop George H. Battle, Jr. during the course of the week to demand a retraction of the letter and to address other important matters.
There will also be another letter to the cowardly membership who has chosen, up to this point, to accept whatever is thrown at them even though it is as wrong as two left feet. Come on and wake up out of your zombie like state and take a stand for what is just and right! You members really disgust me with your cowardice!!!!
Glover Davis
Monday, July 9, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Mt. Hope A.M.E. Zion Church Members Have Defined Themselves.
Today, Sunday July 1st is a new beginning of the past, same old stuff just a different day. After personally witnessing those who have decided to do nothing and therefore attend service at Mt. Hope today, I have personally seen each and everyone of you define who you are and that you absolutely and unequivalently really don't stand for anything. You don't care about fighting for what is right, all you care about is going to church. Some have said: I am singing on the choir today so I must be there, I am ushering today and we don't have enough ushers already, I am on the worship service program today and I must be there, Today is the 1st Sunday and communion will be served - God knows that if I don't take communion today, I will be banished to hell (what about what Christ demands of us in preparation for the taking of the Holy Communion - I guess none of that is important, just the ritual of communion); etc., etc., etc., etc. Its best to serve & worship in a spiritually and financially bankrupt church than to fight for a church that can and should be better (this is what you are saying by your actions).
Good luck to you for the rest of your great life, the die has been cast and nothing will ever change. God bless you that you can lay your little heads on your pillow tonight and all nights to come and be totally at peace with yourselves. To heck with those that will follow us since we will be leaving such a great legacy for them and we will be primarily responsible for the church that is being left for them to try and salvage - I can see Jesus smiling on each one of you for the great christian job that you have done; Hip-Hip-Horay, Hip-Hip Horay - how great each of you art, such courage being dispalyed here.
On another subject, I attended the wake and funeral of Ronald N. Manning (age 61) of New Rochelle, NY on Thursday night and Friday morning (June 28 & 29, 2007). Ronald was the twin brother of Donald Thompson, who was my best friend in my adult life. Ronald is also the father of a 12-year old son and two other mature daughters. Donald passed away exactly 20 years ago and I was able to move on and not think constantly of how sad his passing was. Now, with the passing of his twin brother, whom I also knew quite well, it was all brought back to me full-circle.
However, my sadness was washed away as I sat in Bethesda Baptist Church as the fairly youthful minister delivered a wonderful eulogy. He went on to briefly state that Ronald was a truly religious person who cared deeply about his church and always did his best to help the church flourish. He was a leader and was dedicated to his church and his faith. The pastor and Ronald shared a true and respectful friendship that stood the test of time. The pastor was able to speak in glowing terms about Ronald and I know his words to be true because I knew Ronald. The pastor confirmed that on many occasions, he was admonished by Ronald but that he always spoke the truth and that he (the pastor) had the utmost respect for Ronald and looked forward to his counsel from time to time. Just hearing that made me feel somewhat ambivalent. I seem to share a lot of the core beliefs that Ronald had and we both had no reservations abouts demonstrating what those beliefs were.
I was really sad until the homegoing service got into gear; I felt like we were having a regular worship service since the spirit was so high, the music was tremendous and those in attendance reflected a sense of true contentment that they knew Ronald and that this was a service of celebration for the kind of good and decent life that he led. Again, I must say that it was a truly uplifting service, the likes of which I would like to experience more often. For just a fleeting moment I said to myself; why can't our church's regular worship service exhibit this level of joy and sincerity? But I realize that we at Mt. Hope are just in a different world and I quickly left it at that.
What I did act on was the urge to use Ronald's life to strengthen my resolve and to continue to try to help to make things better at our church since there needs to be a positive legacy for young people, especially during the times we live in. I sat down and finished a second letter to the church's membership appealing to them to do something and not just sit idly by with a defeatist attitude & mentality. God does not want this for our church since everything that he touches truly flourishes. I don't know what this says about Mt. Hope but maybe we can figure it out together.
Today is the first day of the new conference year and from what I witnessed today, there is not much to hope for. But I truly believe that God will have his will done, even when we think its to late and things may seem to be set in stone. I will never believe that positive change can't take place next week, next month or during the next few months. I now know that the battle will have to be waged by me alone (basically) but there are some small and encouring signs that have already manifested themselves. The future is now, not at the end of this conference year as most members are content to wait for - after all, that is another 365 days away.
Glover Davis
Good luck to you for the rest of your great life, the die has been cast and nothing will ever change. God bless you that you can lay your little heads on your pillow tonight and all nights to come and be totally at peace with yourselves. To heck with those that will follow us since we will be leaving such a great legacy for them and we will be primarily responsible for the church that is being left for them to try and salvage - I can see Jesus smiling on each one of you for the great christian job that you have done; Hip-Hip-Horay, Hip-Hip Horay - how great each of you art, such courage being dispalyed here.
On another subject, I attended the wake and funeral of Ronald N. Manning (age 61) of New Rochelle, NY on Thursday night and Friday morning (June 28 & 29, 2007). Ronald was the twin brother of Donald Thompson, who was my best friend in my adult life. Ronald is also the father of a 12-year old son and two other mature daughters. Donald passed away exactly 20 years ago and I was able to move on and not think constantly of how sad his passing was. Now, with the passing of his twin brother, whom I also knew quite well, it was all brought back to me full-circle.
However, my sadness was washed away as I sat in Bethesda Baptist Church as the fairly youthful minister delivered a wonderful eulogy. He went on to briefly state that Ronald was a truly religious person who cared deeply about his church and always did his best to help the church flourish. He was a leader and was dedicated to his church and his faith. The pastor and Ronald shared a true and respectful friendship that stood the test of time. The pastor was able to speak in glowing terms about Ronald and I know his words to be true because I knew Ronald. The pastor confirmed that on many occasions, he was admonished by Ronald but that he always spoke the truth and that he (the pastor) had the utmost respect for Ronald and looked forward to his counsel from time to time. Just hearing that made me feel somewhat ambivalent. I seem to share a lot of the core beliefs that Ronald had and we both had no reservations abouts demonstrating what those beliefs were.
I was really sad until the homegoing service got into gear; I felt like we were having a regular worship service since the spirit was so high, the music was tremendous and those in attendance reflected a sense of true contentment that they knew Ronald and that this was a service of celebration for the kind of good and decent life that he led. Again, I must say that it was a truly uplifting service, the likes of which I would like to experience more often. For just a fleeting moment I said to myself; why can't our church's regular worship service exhibit this level of joy and sincerity? But I realize that we at Mt. Hope are just in a different world and I quickly left it at that.
What I did act on was the urge to use Ronald's life to strengthen my resolve and to continue to try to help to make things better at our church since there needs to be a positive legacy for young people, especially during the times we live in. I sat down and finished a second letter to the church's membership appealing to them to do something and not just sit idly by with a defeatist attitude & mentality. God does not want this for our church since everything that he touches truly flourishes. I don't know what this says about Mt. Hope but maybe we can figure it out together.
Today is the first day of the new conference year and from what I witnessed today, there is not much to hope for. But I truly believe that God will have his will done, even when we think its to late and things may seem to be set in stone. I will never believe that positive change can't take place next week, next month or during the next few months. I now know that the battle will have to be waged by me alone (basically) but there are some small and encouring signs that have already manifested themselves. The future is now, not at the end of this conference year as most members are content to wait for - after all, that is another 365 days away.
Glover Davis
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