yo
J
In the
n
on 358 da. ince Dr.
umed the pr idencv of the
. B.C. U.S.A., be has already achieved
an enviab record of performance
through a 1 'p of service hich
facilitates rather than ingr . ates , hich
includes rath than excludes. Some of
ar:
1. tablished
orehouse Coil e.
2. Underwrote 2S,<XX> co for major
statue of anin Luther in Jr. t
oreho
3. R ed the role and commitment
of th ational Baptist Convention
U.S.A. to the ational Council of Chur-
es d contri ed 10,500 to ds i
operation.
. B' t bri bet .B.C.
U.S. . and its t o-Bapti er group
for the fir tim since the separation
to ard th goal of unifying all 13 �
million Blae .
5. Launched the first major
convention-wide involvemen of .B.C.
U.S. . in the Voter Regi ration ove­
m t and played major rein the elec­
tion of Haro d ashington the first
B mayor of Chicago. Goal: 3 million
n regi ered voters by ember 1984.
6. Revitalized the ministry and involve­
ment of .B.C. U.S .. in the develop­
ment and li 'on of in Africa,
th Caribbean and Central America
through the Foreign Mi . on Board.
7. U ded the rol and vitality of the
Home ission Board as .B.e.
U.S.A.'s major ehicle for erating
and broadening its im in domestic
affairs.
8. Und girded Congr of ris-
tian Education in order to iner its
ability to outr and d elop Blac
Christian youth.
9. Established SOO,<XX> goal in 83 for
grants of lOO,<XX> each to .B.C.
U.S.A.'s five Blac Ba . colleges.
10. ituted a $2S,<XX> co scholar-
hip goal for '83 to fund the education of
needy and deserving youth.
11. . umed the major church leader­
ship role in th ational Assault On il­
literacy Program (AOIP) as the means of
e panding .B.C. U.S.. 1·
terdenominational ro in networ
. th the Ieadin BIac organizations in
Blae Ainerica for If. improvement,
self-b p and self-devdopmenl.
12. lm ted a program to facilitate
cour e and persuade every Blac
pastor in .B.C. U.S.A. to become a life
member of the AACP.
13. lni 'ated fort to acquire a em
of closed circuit t . 'on to permit th
ection and sharing of educational and
cultural information under the . dance
and processing of the .B.C.
14. etired and/or id all major
outstanding deb .
15. Created the lega. of a Convenuo
that car
16. Dev oped th concept of a justl. ad­
ministered adequatel_ funded church
oan program to provide interest-free
loans for internal church needs .
I? . oved to install a first rate retire­
ment benefit, life and hospitalization in-
urance program for the ministers, mis­
sionari and other employ of .B.C.
and its co . uent churches to giv them
maximum coverage a group rates.
or
HOi e unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar's and to God the thin that are His ...
s for me and my house will obey the
Lord. "
In his . ori treatise on The History
of the egro Church. the great his orian
Dr. Carter G. oodson documents i
rot in the battle again ignorance and
illiteracy, in the ruggle for political
po er, the aboli . onist and civil righ
era, a social force for th race, an
educational innovator and the catal
for multiple movements. Charl esle
in his preface to this History described
e B church as a unique, C rare non-
hit e organization in
religion-monuments of Blac pride and
. respect-a dynamic ministry made large­
ly of f-m d men ho like the
fishermen of old became flaming
angels and ho ha e not 10 th
m . cal and proph ical elements in
their preaching." . '
et, as an organized body th Bl
church has not heretofore used its enor­
mous'po ential as an organized national
force to liberate it people and thrust
them beyond ci . rights into organized
supportive, cooperative self-sufficiency.
Indeed, it as the late Dr. actin
Luth r King Jr.- ho li e a ma eric
in a mighty herd-rejected b his
dom . cated bro h , mo ed ro the
unchartered multi-denomination of
faith, leading untamed and reluctan
ecumenical thorou hbred into the
mainstream of the internation ruggle
for human decency, respect and equality.
If anin Ii e . Peter in his
thrust then Dr. Jemison i artin'
Paul buildiDg and using the organized
church as an instil . nalized organized.
unselfi h arm. in the battle for li .
d . and survi al on th earth. '1
bell e the time has come," rit Rev.
Jemison, "for us to make our witn for
Christ b becoming more supportive of
ca through hich e belie e the
or in His Kingdom is being ad anced.
especiall: in the egro/Blac co-
muniti in our nation and orld.··
drian Hastin. . tin
t c
till BL CA
ITO -ON . I
men.
Th vision, th and focus of Dr .
.J. Jemison' lead r hip proclaim that
the unorganized minorit can become
th organized minorit -thereb gainin
the po er to effecti ely chan e .
thin n er before and to do
ithout fear of bein heard or on
the great and 'importan eo 0 . cal ,
social, eeonomi and political' u of
our day. ' Here trul i a ne I un
an old vi ion and a n f for our
tim -for a n Jerusalem and better
orld.
