By Rev. Rickey C. Dennis, Jr., 7th Episcopal District
For decades, members of the Seventh District have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, to host conferences and events in White-owned facilities, much to the dismay and complaints of AMEs who have long questioned why the church doesn’t purchase its facility and invest in itself.
That dream has now become a reality.
Standing inside an auditorium that seats 900, Bishop Samuel L. Green, Sr., and members of the 7th District were joined by bishops from around the connection and elected officials to dedicate the newly renovated Vision Center, formerly the White Oak Conference Center. More than a thousand people were in attendance to applaud the faithfulness of God and the people of the Seventh who made the vision come to pass.
“God has allowed us to do great work in South Carolina,” Bishop Green said at the dedication.
The Seventh District purchased the center from the S.C. Southern Baptist Convention two years ago for $870,000. The 218-acre property includes three motels with 144 rooms, 26 classrooms, a cafeteria, and two lakes.
Phase One of the project, originally projected to cost $10 million, ended up costing $2.5 million due to creative and “nontraditional” funding resources, said Dr. Charles E. Young, Presiding Elder of the Central Conference who oversaw the Vision Center project.
Phase one included electrical, HVAC, flooring, roofing, and other exterior work, as well as upgrading the kitchen and renovating the dining hall. Staff still needs to be hired to handle the day-to-day affairs of the Vision Center, which will be overseen by a newly established nonprofit. The four motels still need to be refurbished. Dr. Young said this would be a huge undertaking for the next bishop assigned to South Carolina.
“Whether (the next bishop) wants it to be or not, it’s a major project, and it’ll be at the forefront of our minds,” Dr. Young said.
The project has been a long-awaited asset to the seventh and has been described by many as a lifelong dream. The Vision Center hopes to generate revenue by hosting events for faith and secular institutions.
This indicates to many that the church is thinking outside the box, which resonates with Gen Z and millennials, who have often felt that the church has relied too heavily on tithes and offerings to make ends meet.
“We have a model for what economic development means for our people,” said Dr. Phyllis N. Green, Episcopal Supervisor of the Seventh.
The Rev. Emmanuel Sellers recalled attending YPD retreats at the Vision Center years ago when the Baptists still owned it. The fact that the Seventh now owns it is a full-circle moment.
The dedication ceremony helped cement the legacy of Bishop Sam, whose work in Seventh for the past eight years includes an enormous span of ministries and projects. Since his arrival in 2016, Bishop Green has invested money into smaller churches, assisted numerous clergy to attend seminary, established Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary, South Carolina’s first Black seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, and much more.
Bishop Green was also awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, at the dedication for his ministry over the past eight years.
“In the midst of all that going on in our church, the center speaks in a positive voice to what people can do in the midst of a struggle and storm when they come together and have a mind to make a difference,” Bishop Green said. “This center is just the tip of the iceberg of what the entire AME connection can do. It represents one Episcopal District who has made sacrifices and differences to own their own piece of property, host their own meetings, and provide opportunities for economic empowerment and community development.”
To God be the glory. Congratulations 7th District/Bishop Green.
This is what happens when you have a leader that has a vision. But like the Israelite we are in the land that was promised what is next?
What a great achievement. Supa proud to be an AME.