The Twentieth Episcopal District

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Report to 50th Quadrennial Session

General Conference

July 6-13, 2016

“Last in Number, But First In Spirit and Service”

Christy Davis Jackson, Esquire Episcopal Supervisor

The Rt. Rev. Reginald T. Jackson

Presiding Bishop

May 2, 2016

Fiieth Quadrennial Session of the General Conference:

Greengs in the name of our risen, ruling and reigning Christ, Jesus the Lord.

Supervisor Christy Davis Jackson joins with me in presenng the report of the Tweneth Episcopal District to this historic Bicentennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

WWe thank God and African Methodism for the opportunity to serve the Tweneth Episcopal District over the last four years. It has provided us the opportunity to meet and serve with some of the most faithful and loyal people in our Zion. The ministers, missionaries, laity andyyoung people of the District embraced our vision and strived to live up to our theme, “last in number, but first in spirit and service.” While the Tweneth District, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Tanzania are some of the poorest countries in the world, you would not know it by the way they carry themselves and demonstrate their faith. The last District created in our church, the Tweneth District and its components give their best, to do their best for God and His church. They are enthusiasc and energec about what they do.

TheThere are many challenges facing the Tweneth Episcopal District. Immense poverty, scarce resources, poorly educated and unprepared ministers and laity, inadequate facilies, lack of transportaon and lile if any books or other materials to teach or enhance ministry. The absence of an Episcopal residence or housing allowance for the bishop and his family makes it difficult for the bishop to spend much me in the District and uses much of the funds to be used for development.

WWe want to thank the Episcopal Districts, WMS, Laity, churches, pastors and others who have supported with your prayers, financially and in other ways the work of the Tweneth Episcopal District the last four years. It is greatly needed and appreciated.

ChriChristy and I want to especially thank the wonderful people of the Tweneth Episcopal District. They have tried to do all that we asked, have given their best and been faithful. We have been blessed to worship and serve with them, and are honored to be able to call them friends. We will cherish these friendships the rest of our lives, and pray all God’s best for you in all the days to come.

Yours and His,

Reginald T. JacksonBishopBishop

Twentieth Episcopal District

African Methodist Episcopal Church July 2016

Name: Bishop Reginald Thomas Jackson Date: April 19, 2016

1. Birthdate: April 26, 1954 2. General Health – Good

3. Amount of travel within the boundaries of the District this Quadrennium

Travel within district by car – 9,764 miles

Travel by air – 2,323 miles

Travel from United States to Malawi, Zimbabwe and Tanzania during Quadrennium –

172,000 miles

4. Administrative Decisions

a. Number of preachers tried, suspended and expelled during the Quadrennium?

None b. Number of preachers transferred

1. The Rev. Robert Chapola – served as presiding elder in the South Malawi Conference, transferred in 2014 to the Central Malawi Conference because it was closer to his home and because of health problems. Rev. Chapola retired in 2015.

c. Number of preachers in the District who have left the connection during the Quadrennium? None

d. Number of new congregations organized during the Quadrennium, along with a statement setting forth the date, place and name of the same? None

e. Number of buildings erected and/or purchased during the Quadrennium. Hlankanani AME Church, Kwekwe, in the Central Zimbabwe Conference. Built in 2015. Edifice built by one of the members of the church, with volunteers who assisted him. No mortgage on the church. Church owned the property.

f. What decisions and rulings have been made during the Quadrennial. Made a decision to relieve presiding elder of responsibilities following the annual conference, while investigation was done regarding handling of finances in the District and lack of confidence of ministers and laymen on the District. Presiding Elder given another assignment. 2

g. What is the number of churches in the District? 167

h. What number of pastors in the District? 136

i. What number of Presiding Elders in the District? 21

j. What number of members in the District? 7,139

k. What number of retired ministers? 12

l. What number of church schools? 93

m. What number of Allen Christian Fellowship? None

n. What number of Missionary Societies? 143

o. What number of subscribers to church publications? p. How much raised for the General Budget Fund?

$8,000.00

Signed___________________________________________________________

Bishop Reginald T. Jackson______________________________________

District ______Twentieth Episcopal District_____________________________

Connectional Support

The Twentieth Episcopal District would like to thank all who gave to support our ministry and work this Quadrennium. Without your support we would not have been able to support the education of ministers and lay people, repair and upgrade facilities, and much of the work done over the last four years. The following Episcopal Districts gave to support the Twentieth Episcopal District: First Episcopal District Fourth Episcopal District Seventh Episcopal District Second Episcopal District Fifth Episcopal District Ninth Episcopal District Third Episcopal District Sixth Episcopal District Tenth Episcopal District

Thirteenth Episcopal District

3

We would also like to thank the following who gave to help and support our work. These funds went to assist with food, shelter and restoration during flooding in Malawi. WMS Foundation Connectional Lay Organization A special word of thanks is extended to churches and individuals all across the connection who gave to partner with local churches in the Twentieth Episcopal District. Many churches were blessed immeasurably by your giving, enabling them to do what they could not do by themselves.

Schools

The Twentieth Episcopal District is blessed to have a number of schools which strive to provide a quality education to children. Many of these schools receive little support from their national government, and have to depend upon the Twentieth Episcopal District and the local church which sponsors them. A Twentieth Episcopal District Education Committee was appointed which is to compile a list of the schools in the District and a report on each of them. From this report the next bishop and the District will compile a plan to assist the schools, and seek to raise funds to support them. Sizane High School in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe has been named one of the premiere high schools in the country of Zimbabwe. The school has over 1300 students. Funds are in place to build a much needed assembly hall for the school this year. Matema School in the Northeast Conference (Harare) is also a strong school which has 320 students. It has tremendous potential but needs funds to upgrade facilities, especially electricity. These are not the only schools in the Twentieth District. There are schools in Malawi which provide a good education despite inadequate funding. In spite of the extreme poverty a commitment must be made to assist these schools. The average age of people in Malawi and Zimbabwe is 26; neither Malawi nor Zimbabwe will improve if young people do not receive a good education.

Support of Ministerial Education

There is a crisis in the Twentieth District that must be addressed if we are serious about growing and strengthening our work in this District, and in all of Africa. This crisis is that there are very few ministers who have any theological education. Currently in the Twentieth Episcopal District there are only two ministers serving who have a theological education from an accredited seminary. If this does not change our churches will not grow to be sustainable institutions. The pulpit must be educated and prepared. In addition Boards of Examiners are woefully inadequate. You cannot teach what you do not know. 4

In the proposed connectional budget to be presented to this General Conference there is a line item in the budget of $200,000.00 for theological education. It is recommended that $50,000.00 of this be set aside specifically for theological education for Districts 14 to 20, including India. This is not an increase in the connectional budget. This will enable ministers in Districts 14 to 20 to get a theological education.

Women’s Missionary Society The Women’s Missionary Society of the Twentieth Episcopal District had a productive and fruitful Quadrennium. Particular emphasis was placed on helping young women, who are particularly vulnerable in society. Missionaries assisted in life skills, education, health, parenting and other areas of life. A goal was to strengthen family life. Missionaries also assisted in seeking to provide basic needs for members of our churches in the midst of poverty throughout the District, particularly in response to torrential flooding in Malawi which saw 270,000 people displaced and seventy people lose their lives. Some of them were our members. The Twentieth District WMS also focused on striving toward reaching Millennium goals, particularly reducing the spread of malaria and HIV/AIDS. This Quadrennium also saw the Young People’s Division of the Twentieth District continue to grow. Youth and young adults are the fastest growing component of the District. They have embraced the priorities of the WMS and are excited about worshipping and serving God. They have been blessed to have outstanding leadership this Quadrennial, former presidents Blessings Mpande and Kwandokuhle Khumalo and current president Angeline Thandeka Ncube each of who have and are serving with joy and commitment. The District YPD is blessed to have Sis. Judith Yohane, appointed as the new District YPD Director, who previously served as YPD Director of the Northeast Conference YPD. The Twentieth District was well represented at the Quadrennial in 2015. The delegation under the leadership of Supervisor Christy Davis Jackson and President Hilda Matshoba served in positions of leadership on a number of committees and left the Quadrennial with two members being elected to connectional office. Sister Hilda Matshoba was elected Third Vice-President and Sister Precious Ncube as Assistant Recording Secretary. The Twentieth District expresses its thanks to Sister Hilda Matshoba who served as Episcopal President and Sister Precious Ncube who gave excellent service as Episcopal YPD Director for many years.

Episcopal Housing Currently the Twentieth District is the only Episcopal District which provides no housing for the bishop of the District. This means that money intended to be used for overseas development must be used to pay for housing when the bishop comes to the district. This means that almost half of the overseas development is used for housing. The Twentieth 5

District request, that $15,000.00 is earmarked for a housing allowance for the Twentieth District. This will enable the bishop to spend more time in the District, and free up more monies for development work in the District.

Uganda and Mozambique Under the Episcopal ministry of Bishop Wilfred Messiah, who visited the country of Uganda and several churches were established. These churches felt they were part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, but no official action was taken by the General Conference in 2008 or 2012 to create the Uganda Conference, nor were any follow up meetings held in Uganda since the 2004 to 2008 Quadrennium. Representatives of the 11 churches in Uganda have since reached out to officially become a part of the AME Church. The Twentieth District respectfully requests the General Conference to support this resolution. The Biera area of Southern Mozambique because of long travel distances has expressed a desire to become part of the Twentieth Episcopal District. The conferences of the Twentieth Episcopal District support this request, and ask the General Conference to approve it. The Biera area of Southern Mozambique would become a part of the South Malawi Conference. 6