The Omaha guide., 1939-08-05
AME Church Leaders,
Laymen, Honor Bishop
Noah ". Williams
Hold Precautionary Celebration in
Kansas City


Kansas Ci.y, August 3 amp
Several hundred AME church
leadens and prominent laymen
from all sections of the country
eonverged here to attend a triple
celebration at Ebenezar church, a
hiehlight Of which was a special
program on Thursday, honoring
TT. Rev. Noah W. Williams on the
40th anniversary of his entrance
into the AME ministry.
The other two ma35r events
were the precautionary celebration
Ct the AME church west of the
Mississippi and the Youth congress
and Pastoral conferences and elm
ie. The precautionary program was
in anticipation of the 100 h ami
versary of the AME church west
Of the Mississippi VIII ch will be
celebrated in 1910. Mother church
in the west is St. Paul church,
st. Louhs, founded in 1910.
The Youth congress and Pas
toral clinic was the first ever held
in tho Fifth district, presided over
by Bishop Williams. So successful
YER these meetings that the d.
rector of activities, Rev. Frank NJ.
Reid, pastor, St. Paul church, st.
Louis, said they would be annual
affairs. In his keynote speech o.
the pastoral clinic, Rev. F.
d. Jordan, president, Western Uni
versity, told the ministers ito help
enc another receive the harvest
which God has provided"
Climax to the triple AME cele-
bration was the program and ban
quet honoring Bishop Williams
doth ministerial year, with Bishop
David H. Sims, First Episcopal
district, Philadelphia, acting as
MISTER of ceremonies. The banquet
held in the dining hall of Ebene-
Ear church, was attended by more
than 125 persons, with a special
table provided for Bishop Will
Iiams and visiting church digni-
On the anniversary program,
conservatives of the committee
of state presented the bishop with
a token of gratitude for his "long
and loyal services to African Me-
thodism," and testimonials were
read by DR.. jordan. Representing
the women of the Fifth district,
Mrs. Artisha Jordan, Kansas CT
ty, Kans., presented a floral trl-
butte to the bishops wife, Mrs. H.
A. Williams. A splendid musical
program was presented by the u
nited AME choirs of the city.
Presiding prelates who came to
honor here the Bishop Williams
were: Bishop E. J.. Howard, Waco,
Texas, who presides over the
conferences in West Africa (13th !
district and part of the 18th dis
trict which embraces Tennessee;
Bishop w. A. Fountain, Atlanta
Ca, 9th district, and Bishop Sims,
Philadelphia. General officers pre-
sent included: DIR. John H. Clay
born. Little Rock editor, Southern
Christian Recorder; DR.. V. N
Townsend, Little Rock, president,
Correctional council; DR.. George
A Singleton, Philadelphia, editor,
Christian Recorder; Rev. G. e
Curry, Philadelphia, manager, AM
f Book Concern, and Mrs. Lucy NJ.
Hughes, AME woman leader and
president, Women's Home and For
eign Missionary society, embrac-
ing IL states.
Among the speakers who paid
tribute to Bishop Williams were
Bishop William Tecumseh Vernon,
veteran leader of the connection;
Mrs. Hughes, DIR. F. F. Molten and
Mrs. Helen A. Thomas. Bishop
Williams was elevated to the Epis-
copacy in 1882, at the general con-
florence held in Cleveland, Ohio.
-oOo--
MAJOR MONROE S. CAVER,
II 9 ARMY CHAPLAIN,