Know Your Church History

1. He was elected Treasurer of the AME Church at the General Conference held in Dallas, TX. Name this outstanding layman who also authored several lay handbooks.

2. He is the Music Co-Chair for the Connectional Lay Organization, Chaplain of the Washington Conference Lay Organization, and President of the C. B. Neal Lay Organization at his home church in Washington, DC. He is also the newly elected ANC Board member of his neighborhood and serves as its Parliamentarian. Name this young adult educator and musician.

3. What is the name of the current elected Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer of the AME Church?

4. He served as the Historian for the AME Church and published a book in 1980 entitled History of the A.M.E. Church (The Black Church in Action). What is his name?

5. At the General Conference in 1848, the office of AME Historiographer was created. Name the first AME Church Historian.

6. Who was the AME Church laywoman and Engineer who became a NASA astronaut in 1996? She was the second African American woman to travel in space and subsequently flew three shuttle missions.

7. Who was the native Texan and AME Church layman who migrated to Los Angeles CA. in 1927 and became the first African American Mayor of a predominantly white city? He served an unprecedented five terms as mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993.

8. Who was the AME Church laywoman and civil rights activist who was the State President of the Arkansas NAACP in 1952? She was an author, journalist, publisher, and owner of the Arkansas State Press. She was a chief strategist in desegregating Central High School in Little Rock and was the mentor of the Little Rock 9. Four of the Little Rock 9 and this laywoman were members of Bethel AME Church, Little Rock, Arkansas.

9. Who was the AME Church layman and former Treasurer of the denomination whose biography is entitled Black Titan? He was an African American businessman who established several businesses in Birmingham, AL and who played a significant role in the movement to remove legal barriers to school integration in Birmingham.

10. Who is the AME Church laywoman who was appointed Judge President (Chief Judge) in the 19^th Episcopal District (RSA)?

11. He was elected Financial Secretary of the CLO at the 2013 Biennial and elected its Treasurer in 2017. Who was this distinguished layman?

12. He served as an outstanding Layman of the 7^th Episcopal District and served as an advisor to several CLO Presidents. He was also noted for his dedication and devotion to his church in South Carolina and served as a Lay Organization President at the Conference level. Name this faithful servant of God and dedicated layman.

13. She was elected President of the Connectional Lay Organization (CLO) in 2017. She passed away while in service. A Second District office building located in Pennsylvania in Forestville, MD, will be named in her honor on February 17, 2012. She was one of the Founding Members of First AME Church in Manassas, VA. Name this former CLO President and a distinguished laywoman.

14. Where was the first AME Publishing House owned and operated by Negroes located, and who established it?

15. She was the first woman graduate of the now University of North Carolina Wilmington. She was also an actor in the Willis Richardson Players and served as President of the troupe for nearly 2 decades. This active AME Church woman was a member of St. Stephens, Wilmington. She was the recipient of the Enduring Contribution to Wilmington Theater Award. The award was later named in her honor. Who was this great thespian?

16. He served as the first President of the 20^th Episcopal District after the AMEC General Conference approved the formation of the 20th Episcopal District (RSA). The Episcopal District comprises Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. The President was born in Zimbabwe. He worked hard and paved the way for the growth/expansion of the District Lay Organization. What is the name of this pioneer President?

17. The General Conference is the supreme body of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It meets every four years (quadrennially). In the year 2024, Columbus, Ohio, will serve as the host city of the General Conference. It will be held from August 21 to August 28. What year was the last General Conference held in Ohio?

18. He served as the first Black judge on the highest court in the District of Columbia. This outstanding layman was elevated to Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals in 1976. He was also greatly involved in the life of Metropolitan AME Church in DC. Additionally, he served on the Steward Board and as a member of the Robert Kelly Lay Organization. What was the name of this Senior Judge who was the son of an AME minister?

19. He hailed from Liberia (RSA) and served on the AME Church General Board Commission from the years 2000 to 2004. Name this distinguished

20. She represented the 16^th district numerous times on the AME General Board, serving on a number of Commissions. Name this outstanding episcopal district representative and laywoman.

Answers to Know Your Church and Its History

1. Joseph Columbus McKinney – (2^nd) Episcopal District)
2. Brian Glover – (2nd Episcopal District)
3. Marcus Henderson – (13^th Episcopal District)
4. Howard D. Gregg, Ph.D. – (4^th Episcopal District)
5. Daniel A. Payne – (later elevated as the 6th Bishop in the denomination. He purchased Wilberforce University for the AME Church) – (3^rd Episcopal District)
6. Stephanie Diana Wilson – (1^st Episcopal District)
7. Thomas J. “Tom” Bradley – (10^th Episcopal District)
8. Daisy Lee Gaston Bates – (12^th Episcopal District)
9. G. (Arthur George) Gaston – (9^th Episcopal District)
10. Judge President Monica Leeuw – (19^th Episcopal District)
11. Richard Bowden – (9^th Episcopal District)
12. Norman L. Deas – (7^th Episcopal District)
13. Valarie Faith Gary Bell – (2^nd Episcopal District)
14. Philadelphia, PA. – Richard Allen – (1^st Episcopal District)
15. Nela Mae Pierce Thompson – (2^nd Episcopal District)
16. Phillip Nhekairo – (20^th Episcopal District)
17. 2000 – (the year the AME Church made history by electing its first female Bishop – (3^rd Episcopal District)
18. Theodore R. Newman Jr. – (2^nd Episcopal District)
19. Justice M. William Wright – (14^th Episcopal District)
20. Elvira Douglas – (16^th Episcopal District)

You are encouraged, and please encourage others to use the CLO website to purchase “The CLO Historical Journal.” The journal will assist you in getting correct answers to the puzzles and series 1, 2, 3, and 4 Q & A’s. I look forward to seeing you at the CLO biennial June 26-30, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Matikane A. Makiti, Clo President

Mr. William “Bill” Ayers, Clo Historiographer