Congratulatory Announcements
September 2022
*Dr. Jacquelyn DuPont Walker Director of the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to receive the Interreligious Council of Southern California 2022 Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence
The Interreligious Council of Southern California 2022 Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence will be presented to Dr. Jacquelyn DuPont-Walker for her Interfaith Excellence. Through the award the Council expresses its deep gratitude for her many years of work at local, regional, and national levels for economic justice, affordable housing, voter empowerment, racial equity, transportation, and interfaith collaboration especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award will be presented at a luncheon gathering at 11:30am on Tuesday, October 11, at the Baha’i Center, 5755 Obama Boulevard, Los Angeles. Altman Lynch, who, once staffed the Interreligious Council while serving as local leader of the National Council for Community and Justice looks forward to being on hand to present the award to Dr. DuPont-Walker.
The Interreligious Council of Southern California Lucky Altman Lynch Award for Interfaith Excellence is presented annually to deserving recipients who meet the criteria of living out the priority of their life’s work ‘to build bridges of understanding and to eliminate bias and bigotry to those who held a different belief system." The Executive Committee receives and approve nominations, and also consult with Lucky Altman Lynch during the selection process for each recipient. Dr. DuPont Walker’ extensive work with ICSoCal, particularly during the 1984 Olympics interfaith outreach and with the National Conference for Community and Justice, makes her well known to the ICSoCa.
The Interreligious Council fulfills the promise of its name with the participation of all of the major religions of the world. Official delegates of the member organizations take part in the planning, decision making, and implementation of all programs of the Council. Its mission is to promote Religious Pluralism, Diversity, and Collaboration in Southern California.
Congratulatory messages can be emailed to: jdupontwalker@gmail.com
*Ordination and Consecration of The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Chicago - the cousin of General Officer Retired Dr. Kenneth Hil
On September 17tth I was provided the opportunity to participate in the ordination and consecration of my cousin, The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Chicago.
Paula Clark is the first Black person and first woman to serve as Chicago’s diocesan bishop. She leads more than 30,000 Episcopalians in 124 congregations and campus ministries across northern and west central Illinois.
Bishop Mariann Budde of the Diocese of Washington, where Clark served as canon to the ordinary before her election to the episcopacy, preached the consecration sermon. “Being in the presence of Paula Clark and watching her in action is like taking a master class in Christian leadership.
That was true before all that transpired in the last 18 months, and it is even more so now,” Budde said, referring to the cerebral bleed that Clark suffered in April 2021, just days before she was originally scheduled to be ordained and consecrated, and to the death of Clark’s husband from multiple myeloma in November.
“Paula, you have lived the last 18 months as if everything we proclaim as followers of Jesus is true,” Budde said.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was the chief consecrating bishop.
Peace and Love,
Rev. Kenneth H. Hill Ph.D. hilldrkenneth@comcast.net
Pastor
Shorter Chapel A.M.E. Church
*Two AMEs Receive Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer Service Award
L-R – Reverend Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford and Dr. Georgianne Thomas
Congratulations to Dr. Georgianne Thomas (6th District) and Reverend Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford (9th District), a mother-daughter duo, on each receiving a 2022 Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer Service Award in a ceremony on Friday, August 26, 2022, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where many other distinguished recipients were honored.
Dr. Thomas received the award for her work and courage as an activist in the Atlanta Student Movement while she was a student at Spelman College in Atlanta in the 1960s. Reverend Sanders-Swafford was honored in the Media/Storytellers category. She received the award for her work as the producer, writer, and director of the independent, award-winning documentary, “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.” The film tells the story of the women of the Class of 1964 at Spelman College who participated in the largest coordinated series of protests in Atlanta’s history during their freshman year. Reverend Sanders-Swafford and her mother, who tells her story in the film, produced the project together. The film was entered in the U.S. Congressional Record in May 2022 to commemorate the contributions of the “foot soldiers” and the 10th Anniversary of the documentary. It premiered in the 2012 BronzeLens Film Festival in Atlanta, before making its television debut on Atlanta’s PBS station, WPBA-TV30. “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” received two awards at the 21st Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles in February 2013: Best Documentary Short (57mins) in the juried competition and Audience Favorite in the Documentary Short category. The filmmakers completely volunteered their time to make this film, which still resonates with audiences a decade later. It will be featured on Maryland Public Television (PBS) in September 2022 as a part of that station’s HBCU Week of special programming,
Dr. Thomas and Reverend Sanders-Swafford give God praise for the distinguished honor of the Presidential Award, which is bestowed on behalf of the President of the United States, Points of Light, and AmeriCorps. They are grateful for the blessing of producing the documentary. It was produced as a gift to pay homage to the courage and sacrifice of the “foot soldiers” and the Atlanta Student Movement participants. Dr. Georgianne Thomas is a member of Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is a Trustee Emeritus. She is an Adjunct Professor of Humanities at Clark Atlanta University.
Reverend Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford is the pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (Avondale) in Birmingham, AL. She serves as a member of the administrative staff for Bishop Harry L. Seawright, and as a member of the staff for General Secretary/CIO Reverend Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, upon invitation, for connectional meetings. Reverend Sanders-Swafford serves on the Finance Committee and the Board of Examiners of the Northwest Alabama Annual Conference, and she is married to Reverend Raymond Swafford, the pastor of Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church (Kingston) in Birmingham, AL.
Reverend Sanders-Swafford has served as an Instructor at Morris Brown College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Atlanta Metropolitan State College. Sanders- Swafford was one of 15 writers selected to participate in the inaugural Master Class of Memoir Writing at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. As a member of the faculty at Morris Brown College, she was one of twenty instructors selected nationally to participate in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation Faculty Seminar on the television entertainment industry held in Los Angeles.
For more information about the honorees, please visit:
They may be reached via email at:
Dr. Georgianne Thomas - - georgiannethomas@gmail.com
Rev. Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford - -alvelynsanders@gmail.com
*Reverend and Mrs. Charles Singleton Celebrate 65th Wedding Anniversary
It’s “Another Day” of THANK YOU JESUS! THANK YOU LORD! as expressed by REVEREND & MRS. CHARLES (Jeanette Pinckney) Singleton of Awendaw, SC. The couple met and became sweethearts 83 years ago. On September 7, 1957 they became ONE. On September 7, 2022 (they celebrated) 65 years of marriage. They are still very active and sharing with many groups and organizations. Reverend Singleton is a Superannuated Pastor in the AME Church and Sister Jeanette is a Life Member of the Women’s Missionary Society of the AME Church. They thank, respect, praise and appreciate their family members, acquaintances, and friends for their kindness and respect. TO GOD BE THE GLORY as they celebrate their BLUE SAPPHIRE ANNIVERSARY!
Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: JeanettePSing@att.net
*Congratulations Rev. Alexander for 50 years of faithfulness to God’s Calling
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On behalf of Social Action Commission Chair, Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield and Dr. Jacquelyn DuPont-Walker, Director, Social Action Commission, we extend congratulations as you praise God for the Joy of these significant milestones reached.
