Leaders of UM Men will join men of African-American denominations for a day of prayer
NASHVILLE––In an effort to address racism and the continuing violence against African Americans, Gil Hanke, top staff executive of the General Commission on UM Men, will host a National Day of Prayer with participants from the commission and leaders of men’s ministries of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church and the United Methodist Church.
The four denominational leaders have been meeting to determine their “next steps” in their joint journey,
On Saturday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.CT the church leaders will meet via Zoom, for a historic time of prayer and reflection. This event is modeled after similar events sponsored by the United Methodist Men’s leadership in each of the five U.S. Jurisdictions. Each of those events included men and women of color who called for renewed efforts to eliminate racism following the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans.
During the 3-hour event, each of the four leaders will make a 14-minute presentation and other leaders will have seven minutes to read passages of Scripture and to pray.
This event is open to all; and we mean ALL.
To attend the event, please click here: Attend Prayer Event 9/26/2000 @ 11am central
Participants in the event
Gilbert C. Hanke is the general secretary of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. He a graduate of Lynchburg (Va.) College and Southwest Texas State University (M.Ed.). He was elected chief staff executive of the commission in 2010 following his service as president of the National Association of Conference Presidents (2001-2004) and president of the commission (2005-2009). He has served as a delegate to seven sessions of General Conference and is the founder of Hope of Hearing, a ministry that provides hearing aids for Haitian children. He has led mission teams to that island community for more than 30 years.
The Rev. Scot Moore is founder pf Judah Temple in Mitchellville, Md., and connectional director of Men for the A.M.E. Zion Church. He says his attention is focused on creating and expanding a support network for men to learn to become better Christians, husbands, fathers, and workers. “If you minister to the people, people will change the world,” says Moore. In October 2018, here was appointed presiding elder of St. Vincent and Barbados.
Leo Pinkett is top staff executive of the Ministry to Men Department of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. A 1972 graduate of Morehouse College, he serves on the Board of Stewards at the Butler Street CME Church and is the lay leader for Georgia North Annual Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He is self-employed at Pinkett and Associates in Atlanta and is a life specialist at the McKinley Financial Services.
Monroe Miller is president of Sons of Allen, AME. In 1984, the African Methodist Episcopal Church created the Sons of Allen Men’s Fellowship to equip men of the church to reach unchurched men, and to present positive role models for our youth. “The challenges and disturbing realities facing African American men call for a response from the church,” says Miller. Miller and his predecessor serve with Hanke on the Denominational Men’s Ministry Leadership Group, which means annually.
Mississippi Area Bishop James Swanson serves as president of the General Commission on UM Men. A post he has held since 2012. He was elected to the episcopacy by the 2004 Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference. He was assigned to the Holston Conference where he served for eight years, prior to being appointed to the Mississippi Episcopal Area. He is a sought after preacher, workshop leader and lecturer who has led groups in Japan, Korea, Brazil, Russia, Estonia, Chile, Canada, the Holy Land, Egypt, Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and throughout the United States.