2010 General Board & Council of Bishops Highlights June 26 - 30, 2010 Birmingham, AL Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, President of the General Board Bishop James L. Davis, President of the Council of Bishops Bishop John R. Bryant, Senior Bishop

Changing of the Guard

a. Bishop James Levert Davis, President of the Council of Bishops
b. Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, President of the General Board

Haiti and Malawi Earthquake Disaster Response

*Total Raised for Haiti does not include $139,357.00 raised by Bishop Sarah Davis, Presiding Bishop, through donors. Estimated cost to repair/rebuild five of the churches affected by the earthquake in Haiti comes to $1,497,000.00.

The Council of Bishops Committee on The Quadrennial Theme, chaired by Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, through the sale of ANVILS, awarded gifts of $10,000 each to the 16th and 20th Districts for a total of $20,000.00 toward earthquake disaster relief.

Right-sizing

The following is a listing of the schedule of delegates proposed by the Ad hoc Committee on Right-sizing the General Conference Delegation to the General Board, and approved as a guide in assisting the Treasurer/CFO in determining Annual Conference delegate allocations for the 2012 General Conference.

*The Report was amended to include the India Annual Conference, a part of the 5th Episcopal District, and to assign a delegate number.

**The Report was also amended to recommend to the General Conference Commission that since the average delegation increased through this proposal for Districts 1 – 13 is 13%, that the financial allocation from the Finance Department for delegate travel and sustentation for Districts 14 – 20 be frozen at the 2008 level, but that they be permitted to increase their delegation numbers up to 13%, with the understanding that they bear any cost above the 2008 allocation. This will impact the bottom line.

“Even” delegate allocations did not include the Episcopal District President of the Lay Organization, which increased the initial bottom line from 169 to 172.

The approved Right-sizing plan eliminates the requirement for the election of at least one first time lay and one first time clergy in each Annual Conference Delegation. This does not preclude the election of “first timers,” it only eliminates the requirement to do so.

Public Statement from the Council of Bishops

The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church from its meeting held on Sunday, June 27 and Wednesday June 30, 2010, issued the following statement concerning their deliberations and concurrence with decisions made by the General Board at its June 30, 2010 Session.

The Council wishes to highlight the following issues:

1. The Council of Bishops received a follow-up report from the Dickerson Insurance Group concerning the feasibility study authorized by the Council of Bishops and the General Board in June 2009. The Council and the General Board concurred in signing an agreement to move forward with developing a Business Plan for A.M. E. Reinsurance with the assistance of Dickerson Insurance Group.
2. The Ad-hoc committee chaired by Bishop Adam J. Richardson presented a plan for “Right-sizing” the General Conference Delegation. The Council of Bishops concurred with the General Board on the plan which will be published by the General Secretary. The plan gives equity to each Episcopal District.
3. The Council of Bishops, upon receiving the report from the Treasurer’s office, goes on record thanking and commending the members of the A. M. E. Church for contributions in excess of $1.5 million dollars, US, for Haiti and Malawi after the earthquakes in January 2010. The Council encourages continued support of these areas, as the need is still great.
4. The Council concurs with the recommendations from the Social Action Commission, and approved by the General Board, that the African Methodist Episcopal Church goes on record in support of the National Council of Churches’ letter to the U. S. Department of Education regarding public education, literacy and “Race to the Top Initiative.”
5. The Bishops join the Social Action Commission in encouraging A.M.E.’s to join AME/SADA and the Commission “on the Hill” in Washington, D.C. in September, 2011. A.M.E.’s will visit congresspersons and the President to express our concerns and support.
6. The Bishops concur with the General Board’s decision to approve the request of the Sunday School Union to purchase state of the art equipment so that they can expand the printing services of the Publishing House.
7. The Council approves of the General Board’s recommendation that consideration be given for the India Annual Conference when awarding General Conference delegates to the Fifth Episcopal District’s General Conference delegation.
8. The Council concurs with the recommendations from the Commission on Seminaries, Universities, Colleges, and Schools, and approved by the General Board, that the Commission establish a committee of diverse representatives, including bishops who currently chair the Board of Trustees and Chancellor of our educational institutions; the CFO and the General Counsel of the AME Church; trustees, presidents and administrators, alumni and interested stakeholders of these institutions to design a study to assess the plight of all of the AMEC educational institutions.
9. The Council encourages a raised awareness regarding immigration issues, especially as it relates to people who are attempting to enter the United States coming from islands and countries of color.
10. The Council of Bishops extends its commendations to its new president, Bishop James Levert Davis, for the excellent manner in which he presided. We commend also the Ninth Episcopal District for the outstanding hosting of this 2010 session of the General Board/Bishops Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.