The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1950-03-18


iY publieation-)
Recently AT Wilson in the
home OF Dr.. Z. Z. Morgan, the
pastor. we talked with his tai
ented son. who is also a minister,
the pastor of Avery Church. Pit
tsburgh. With him was his
charming wife and their beauti-
ful and beloved baby. the first
born of happy couple. whose
marriage we witnessed in the
home Of DR.. J. L. Black Of Cleve-
land. year before last.
Naturally our conversation
drifted to Avery Church, for the
younger Rev. Morgan is a brilli-
ant fellow with a great future
and we were interested to know
about his hopes in the church he
now serves. For II has been
problem TO the Connection, and
still is
We had been there more than
year ago, attending an inspir-
ing session of the Ohio Confer
ence. and we learned az first
hand the fact that the members
OF the church, for the most part,
live away from the church. the
people in the neighborhood are
not Negroes. and most OF them,
perhaps. are not included to be
Protestants. much less 10 join a
Negro Church. particularly one
that designaies itself as "Afri-
can"
Bluntly and frankly I asked
this intelligent young. Christian
minister whether he had consid-
cred the possibilities of minister
ing 10 the needs Of the people in
that community. all of whom are
not normally considered good
prospects for membership in the
AME Zion Church.
He was equally frank TO say
that ne thought Of IT, but indi-
Gated his belief that il might be
hopeless. And, we cannont right
fully blame him for the way he
feels about il.
We withdrew from the Mother
Church in 1895 as protest
against segregation. and to be
absolutely sure that we should
be distinctly different. we d e
signated our church African
because the members were des-
cendants Of Africans. And for
more than $50 years we have Sc
gregated ourselves. even in COM
munities where there are no Sc
eregation laws and where there
are many non-Negro people who
would willingly join our church,
il We asked them to do so.
The proof of this is found in
the fact that they join other
groups and organizations in
which Negroes predominant. In
deed. we have had white mem
bers in our churches in isolated
cases: even some white ministers
in one or two of the conferences.
But we have never made any
effort 10 minister to white people
who lived about our churches,
nor have we encouraged them TO
! join.
A classic example of white men,
Der is that of Miss Trude, of our
church at Sacramento, California.
She had been the cheerful. will
ing and capable organist for a
number of years and was a mem
Der of the First Methodist church
down town. And then one day
probably to the surprise of the
| pastor, she asked him If she
could join the church.
When he informed her he
would be glad to have her as
full Pledged member. Miss
Trude secured her letter. joined
Kyles Temple and for than rs
years, has been a faithful, active
and devoted member, working in
various departments and serving
as a Conference Worker To be
sure, her case is an exception
but il need not have been.
In countless communities there
are many non-Negro people, who
would have welcomed the min
istration and helpfulness of the
AME Zion church. il we had con
sidered such a ministry as a par
OF our program and philosophy
And. we affirm, with every
consideration for those w {
think otherwise, that the tim,
has come when Zion Methodisn
must become a Christian church