Bishop Davis has passed away after a brief illness.

Expressions of Sympathy

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:

The Family of Bishop Sarah Frances Davis
12214 Rocky Knoll Drive
Houston, Texas 77077

All expressions of sympathy are welcomed.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the 16th District AMEC, Haiti Orphanage, in memory of Bishop Sarah Frances Davis. Checks or money orders are to be made payable to the 16th District AMEC and mailed to:

16th District AMEC
Place on notation line: Haiti Orphanage
Mail to: P.O. Box 821308
Houston, Texas 77282

*Submitted by the family of Bishop Sarah Davis and The Office of the Tenth Episcopal District (Host for Service) – Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate, provided by the AME Church Clergy Family Information Center

Funeral Services Were Held Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013

Funeral Services for Bishop Sarah Frances Davis, 126th Elected and Consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, President of the Council of Bishops and Presiding Prelate of the Sixteenth Episcopal District, were held Saturday, November 16, 2013 at The Church Without Walls in Houston, Texas.

Services were entrusted to:
Gabriel Funeral Home
2500 Procter Street
Port Arthur, Texas 77640
Phone: (409) 983-6661

Click the image shown at left to view the funeral program.

A Message from The Council of Bishops

From: Jeffrey N. Leath, Secretary, The Council of Bishops

Bishop Sarah Frances Taylor Davis, 126th Elected and Consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, President of the Council of Bishops and Presiding Bishop of the Sixteenth Episcopal District transitioned from time to eternity on 9 November 2013.

The Council of Bishops mourns the loss of our leader, colleague, friend and inspiration.

Bishop Sarah Davis brought unique gifts to the Council. Her dedication to prayer and commitment to the progress of our Zion will ever resonate in the heart of the Council of Bishops.

Elected from the Tenth Episcopal District (Texas) in 2004, Bishop Davis was the third woman elevated to episcopal service in our Zion. Before her assignment to the Sixteenth Episcopal District (The Caribbean, South America and Europe) she provided exemplary leadership in the Eighteenth District (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland).

Bishop Davis was invested as the President of the Council of Bishops in June 2013.

The Bishops of the Church extend condolences to her husband / Episcopal Supervisor Claytie Davis and the Davis Family. We solicit prayer for Supervisor Claytie Davis, Jr. and Family.

We also lift in prayer The Sixteenth Episcopal District, The African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the larger ecumenical community.

Preparations are being made for a Service of Celebration of the life of Bishop Sarah Frances Taylor Davis. The details will be forthcoming; however, the observance will be in Houston, Texas on Saturday, 16 November 2013.

We ask the membership of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to duly observe the death of this leader with respect and prayer. Join with us with faithful resolve to exemplify the hope and love of those who walk in the light of Christ.

“Gracious God, we give you thanks for the life and labors of our sister, Sarah Frances Taylor Davis. We have been encouraged by her holy service and her life devoted through prayer. We stand firmly upon our faith as we seek comfort and strength for Brother Claytie and the bereaved family and friends during this time of pain and stress. Amen”

A message from the World Methodist Council

It is with great sadness that we report that Bishop Sarah Frances Davis, Vice President of the World Methodist Council, passed away after a brief illness.

Bishop Davis was the 126th elected and consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E. Church). Bishop Davis served as the presiding prelate of the16th Episcopal District, comprised of churches and schools in South America (Guyana and Suriname); Windward Islands (Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados and Grenada); the Caribbean Islands (Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Virgin Islands); and Europe (London, the Netherlands and France). On June 24, 2013, in Kingston Jamaica, Bishop Davis was named President of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC), during a special Investiture Worship Celebration.

Bishop Davis was affectionately known as the “Prayer Bishop” because of her consistent emphasis on the importance of prayer in the life of the Church. She was chairperson of the prayer committee for the 48th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the A. M. E. Church. As a result of her leadership, the first Connectional Day of Prayer in African Methodism was held April 13, 2008, and is now an annual observance in African Methodism.

Her first Episcopal assignment was to the 18th Episcopal District, comprised of the Southern African countries of Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, and Mozambique. A staunch advocate of empowerment through education, Bishop Davis gave exemplary leadership to over 39 A.M.E. Church-sponsored schools in Southern Africa.

She introduced the first ever summer science and math institute program in Lesotho to globalize and develop the knowledge of students and teachers and granted a record number of academic scholarships to young people, adults and clergy while in the 18th District. During her term, two clerics earned degrees in theology from universities in South Africa and Mozambique and four earned diplomas in Theology in Botswana. For the first time, English classes were provided for Portuguese-speaking lay and clergy persons in A.M.E. Churches in Beira, Mozambique which resulted in many receiving English as Second Language (ESL) certificates.

Also, during her tenure in the 18th District, Bishop Davis was a champion for orphaned and vulnerable children. Under her leadership the Selulasandla Vashti Village, an 18th District sponsored orphanage, grew in housing capacity from 4 to 21 orphans. In April 2008, Bishop Sarah dedicated the first A.M.E. Church-sponsored orphanage built in the mountains of Mokhotlong in the country of Lesotho: The T’sepong Cecelia Williams Bryant Home.

In October of 2012, Bishop Davis represented the World Methodist Council as a guest of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI at the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, Italy. The meeting, held under the theme The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, addressed the call of the Church to its original missionary goal and sought to rekindle the original fire in Christians worldwide.

Bishop Davis was a trailblazer in her ministry; prior to her Episcopal election, she served for seven years as the first female pastor of the 115-year old Bethel A.M.E. Church in San Antonio, Texas. With this appointment, Bishop Sarah became the first woman in Texas to be appointed to a major A.M.E. Church.

Bishop Davis served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Houston Graduate School of Theology, served as Chair of the Global Development Council (GDC) of the A.M.E. Church (2009-2011) and was a member of the Jamaica Council of Churches.

Bishop Davis trained to perform in all areas of her life’s calling having earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology, a Master of Divinity from the Houston Graduate School of Theology, a Master of Science from New York Pace University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Texas.

“In October John Thomas III and I had a chance to visit Bishop Davis on behalf of the World Methodist Council. We found her to be in great spirits and excited that her hopes for the Council meeting in London were realized,” remarked General Secretary Ivan Abrahams.

Bishop Davis is survived by her husband, Claytie Davis, Jr., her sons and Corey B. Davis, and Dr. Claytie Davis, III his wife Yolanda and a grandchild, Alexandra Morgan Davis.

“During this time of grief when we are very forcefully reminded that death is woven into the very fabric of our human existence, I ask that you pray that the Davis family will know God’s love and comfort in a very special way,” added General Secretary Abrahams.

The Lord is near to those who mourn; he lifts up those who whose spirit is crushed. – Ps 34:18

The World Methodist Council would like to convey heartfelt condolences to the Davis family.