Ecuadorean mayors seek police protection amid spiraling violence
Quito, Ecuador Reuters Forty-five mayors in Ecuador have requested police protection in the past year as violence grips the country, where 22 local officials have died in violent circumstances since 2023, the executive director of the Association of Ecuadorean Municipalities (AME) said. Officials have come under threat amid a national crackdown on criminal groups. President […]
US AME Bishop Silvester Beaman named chair of White House council on African engagement
United StatesRNS An African Methodist Episcopal bishop has been appointed chair of the new White House council that aims to increase dialogue between US officials and African, Caribbean and African American communities. Bishop Silvester Scott Beaman of Delaware was named the leader of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States, […]
In the US, AME bishops condemn leaders who took massive kickbacks from church sales in New York
United StatesRNS A group of New York clergy took more than a million dollars from a real estate developer who sought to turn distressed Black churches into lucrative properties, according to settlements with that state’s Attorney General. The settlements, posted on the Attorney General’s website in August, show that a bishop, two pastors and a […]
Bishop Vashti McKenzie to lead US National Council of Churches for next two years
RNS Bishop Vashti McKenzie, a recently retired bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, has been named the interim president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, the ecumenical organisation announced on Tuesday. McKenzie succeeds Jim Winkler, who left the post on 31st January after serving in the role since 2013. She officially […]
More than $US90 million missing from AME pension funds, claim class-action lawsuits
RNS Retired African Methodist Episcopal Church pastors have filed at least three federal class-action lawsuits alleging the church mishandled tens of millions of dollars in pension funds. Last month, AME leaders stopped making payments to retirees after discovering alleged financial irregularities in the church’s pension fund. The African Methodist Episcopal Church’s annuity investment department location […]
The Interview: Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first AME Church woman prelate, reflects on a groundbreaking career
ADELLE M BANKS, writing for Religion News Service, speaks with just retired Bishop Vashti McKenzie…
Four new bishops – and first biracial bishop – elected to AME Church
RNS Four new bishops were elected to the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday, the final day of the denomination’s General Conference in Orlando, Florida. Four general officers and two judicial council members were also elected. Rev Francine A Brookins is the first biracial bishop to be elected, and Advocate Thabile M Ngubeni is the first […]
AME Church historical documentary features Mother Emanuel pastor Clementa Pinckney
RNS The African Methodist Episcopal Church has released a short film online about its history that includes an interview with Rev Clementa Pinckney, the pastor killed in a 2015 attack on his South Carolina church, in which he talks about the historically Black denomination’s significance. “Our church and every good AME pastor knows that we’re […]
In the US state of Georgia, church leaders seek Home Depot boycott over voting law
Atlanta, USAP A group of religious leaders is calling for a boycott of Georgia-based Home Depot, saying the home improvement giant hasn’t done enough to oppose the state’s new voting laws. African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Reginald Jackson said the company has remained “silent and indifferent” to his efforts to rally opposition to the new state […]
In the US, AME church delays boycott of Georgia companies, plans protest at Masters Tournament
RNS The African Methodist Episcopal Church and other historically Black faith groups in Georgia have delayed a boycott of major companies, planning instead to protest the Masters golf tournament while giving company executives additional time to combat controversial elections law in the state. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AME Bishop Reginald Jackson, who oversees the […]