1. Dr. Verda Bradley
Historiographer

2. Mr. Simeon Rhoden: 5th District President 2013-2017
Mr. Simeon Rhoden was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He has a MBA from the University of Phoenix, MA: Construction Science from Karl-Franzens University of Graz Austria. Mr. Rhoden’s BS is from the University of Oklahoma and his major was Interior Architecture He is employed by The Boeing Company: Management Corporate Real Estate & Planning Department.
He has a long history with the African Methodist Church. His home church was Mount Hermon AMEC Fort Lauderdale, FL where he participated with the YPD and RAYAC. He has worked in 5th District for many years in various capacities prior to be elected to the presidency. He is a renown opera singer.

3. Bishop Clement Fugh: Presiding Prelate of the 5th District (left) Dr
Bishop Clement Fugh: Presiding Prelate of the 5th District (left) Dr. Willie Glover: President of the Connectional Lay Organization

4. Executive Board:

5. Conference Presidents
Pacific Northwest President is Ms. Shawlee Lee.
California Conference President is Ms. Sue Seldon Ward.
Southern CA Conference President is Dr. Dorothy Vails Weber.
Desert Mountain President is Ms. Melba Salter.
Missouri President is Ms. Pamela Williams.
Midwest President is Mr. Melvin Jenkins, Esq.

6. Life Members:
Life membership was designed under the Leadership of President Fred. Stuart and was established as recognition for those members of the 5th who have outstandingly served the District as officers and or outstanding committee chairs for a period of not less than 8 years. Each Conference may nominate from one to seven persons. No Conference may elect more than seven persons at one time. * (deceased)
California Conference: Lou Ressie Montgomery Branch, Faye Combs, Zefferene Appleberry*
Nina Mitchell, Walter Mitchell, Nelda Hills
Desert Mountain Conference: Thomas Sutton Sr., LC DeMon Carey, Ada Groff, Gladys Ahmad, Harriette Zeigler, Rena Paris- Bendaw
Midwest Conference: Doris Bailey, Cornelia Garnett, Phyllis Kitchen, Dianna Maddix, Donald P. Jones, Jr, Cedric Patton
Missouri Conference: Saul Williams, Eddie Broomfield, Samantha Kendall, Patricia Samuel
Pacific Northwest: Dorothy Johnson, Edgar Mitchell, Robert Sherrion, Travis Curry, Thelma Glover, Minnie Bell Johnson
Southern California Conference: Willie Waddell, Estella Richardson Williams, Fred Stuart,*

8. Mother Bethel: Philadelphia, PA
The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) celebrated its bicentennial as the oldest denomination in the United States organized and incorporated by Blacks. AMEC can be found on five continents and in 39 countries and has approximately three million members. Mother Bethel is the founding church and was established in 1816.

9. Bishop Richard Allen. The Sculptor is Fern Cunningham Terry a renown artist and member of AMEC

10. Dedication of the Richard Allen Stamp 2016

11. Worshiping at Mother Bethel: 5th District and Descendants of Richard Allen

12. Day at the General Conference: Lay Breakfast notables: Mayor Karen Weaver, Flint MI, Dr. Jamye Coleman

13. Celebrating the Bicentennial
Celebrating the Bicentennial. The mural of our founding father Bishop Richard Allen is found on the side of the 1st District Headquarters in Philadelphia PA. Artist Willis Nomo Humphry. Present during the unveiling.

14. 5th District at the Mural Dedication Philadelphia PA

15. Bicentennial Torch Run
Four runners from each of the 20 Episcopal Districts of the AMEC ran one mile over an 80 mile course from Dover , Delaware where Richard Allen spent much of his childhood to Philadelphia, PA. Ms. Jacqueline Dupont Walker was one of the four chosen to represent 5th District. She is seen here with Ms. Jessica Randle looking on to begin her historic run.

16. Bicentennial General Conference 5th District at Work

17. Candidate Ms. Hilary Clinton : Guest Speaker at the General Conference 2016

18. Black Lives Matter: Protest Against Racial Injustice 5th District Leading

19. Introduction
To: Bishop Clement W. Fugh, Presiding Prelate of the Fifth Episcopal District; Mrs. Alexia B. Fugh, Episcopal Supervisor; Dr. Willie Glover, Connectional Lay President; Connectional Officers; Mr. Simeon Rhoden, President, Fifth Episcopal District Lay Organization; Fifth District Lay Officers; Presiding Elders; Pastors; Clergy; Delegates; Visitors and Friends
“ I have engrave you on the palms of my hands… Your walls are continually before me” Isaiah 49:16
The banner of African Methodism was planted west of the Mississippi River by Bishop William Paul Quinn between Bishop Quinn established churches in the Indiana Territory and in California. He reported to the General Conference in 1844 his successful outcomes but these conference were widely separate localities from St. Louis MO and Sacramento CA. The General Conference of 1852 ordered a division of the Indiana Conference because of its vast territory and set a part the Missouri Conference which embraced all of the slave holding states of the west and southwest. The General Conference organized the church into three Districts in Subsequently adding more as territories expanded. The Fourth District included Indiana, Illinois. Missouri (in September 1855) Kansas (1880) and Louisiana. Fifth District incorporated Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. Sixth District was called the Pacific Coast. The California Conference was admitted at the General Conference of 1860 but was not formally organized until April 6, Bishop Thomas Ward served the Pacific Coast for 12 years. The Colorado Annual Conference organized on September in Shorter Chapel Denver included the States of Colorado Utah Montana Wyoming Arizona, New Mexico.

20. 1873-1892 saw great expansion by the church to develop 11 Districts
saw great expansion by the church to develop 11 Districts. At this juncture the Fifth District included Missouri, North Missouri, Kansas, Rocky Mountains and Indian Mission of Oregon.
Nebraska annual conference in 1920 five counties in Kansa and the state of Nebraska were separated from the Kansas conference to form the Nebraska annual conference .Bishop Henry Parks the new bishop arranged to placed Western University and Douglas hospital within the new conference Bishops Carey, Gregg and N. W. Williams. At the present time Bishops Williams and Reid resided within its confines. On the hillside of the Western University Campus Quindaro Kansas are the ruins of the home of John Brown which was one of the “Underground Railroad Stations” of pre-Civil War days. Also included in the ruins is the entrance to the tunnel under the Missouri River used in slave days to pass the fleeing slaves from the south to the north side of the Missouri river.
The first session of the Southern California Conference was held at First A. M. E Church, Los Angeles in September , however it was authorized by the General Conference of Bishop Parks served as Presiding Prelate.

21. Lay Organization Begins
Establishing the Lay Organization in the Fifth Episcopal District began in However, it was during a two-day session, June 22-24, 1950, at Trinity A.M.E. Church in Kansas City, Kansas, the Fifth District Laymen's Organization was officially organized under the leadership of the late Bishop D. Ormonde Walker and Reverend Frederick D. Jordan who at that time was a Pastor at First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles, California, and was later elected a bishop. The first elected president was Mr. George Jones of the Nebraska Conference and Mrs. Georgia Marshall of the California Conference was elected as Vice President.

22. In 1952, Mrs. Georgia Marshall, acting president for the West Coast Conferences, organized the Puget Sound Conference and Mr. Hubert R. Dewitty was elected their first President. Mr. Jones served as president until June 1953 when he was elected President Emeritus. Under Mr. Jones's administration, the groundwork was initiated for the establishment of local lay organizations; observing annual lay days, and also having Douglass Hospital (St. Louis) as a fund-raising project helped the progress of the Fifth District Lay Organization. Attorney R.J. Reynolds (1954) of the California Conference succeeded him

23. During Attorney Reynolds's administration, progress was made toward the establishment of a workable financial system for the District Organization under "minimum contributions" from local lay groups according to the size of the church membership. This administration also concentrated on Lay Evangelism during the season of Lent. The constitution was revised and updated. Also, a monthly publication entitled the Amen Notebook was started in On July 27-30, 1955, the Fifth District Laymen’s Organization of the A.M.E. Church held its First Annual Convention at Campbell Chapel AMEC in Denver, Colorado. R.J. Reynolds was President; Rt. Rev H.T. Primm Bishop, Associates Rt. Rev. J. A. Gomez, Rt. Rev. F.D. Jordan, Rev. Don C. Stephenson Host Pastor

24. During Attorney Reynolds's administration, progress was made toward the establishment of a workable financial system for the District Organization under "minimum contributions" from local lay groups according to the size of the church membership. This administration also concentrated on Lay Evangelism during the season of Lent. The constitution was revised and updated. Also, a monthly publication entitled the Amen Notebook was started in On July 27-30, 1955, the Fifth District Laymen’s Organization of the A.M.E. Church held its First Annual Convention at Campbell Chapel AMEC in Denver, Colorado. R.J. Reynolds was President; Rt. Rev H.T. Primm Bishop, Associates Rt. Rev. J. A. Gomez, Rt. Rev. F.D. Jordan, Rev. Don C. Stephenson Host Pastor

25. In 1958 Mr. J.D. Williams was elected President; he continued the work accomplishing previous stated objectives. Mr. Moses Webb was elected President in Mr. Wyman B. Waldron was elected President in Mr. Milton Branch was elected President in 1978 however, he died prior to completing his term of office.

26. Upon his death, Mrs. Doris J
. Upon his death, Mrs. Doris J. Bailey finished his term and went on to be elected to serve eight years as President. Mrs. Bailey is the only female to have served as President in 5th District and she served a total of nine years. Mr. Fred Stuart was elected in July Under President Stuart's term, the Oratorical Contest established to attract and train youth to participate in the organized Lay. Mr. Stuart also initiated the 5th District Lifetime membership recognizing outstanding achievement for those serving sixteen years or more in the District.

27. . Mrs. Bailey is the only female to have served as President in 5th District and she served a total of nine years. Mr. Fred Stuart was elected in July Under President Stuart's term, the Oratorical Contest established to attract and train youth to participate in the organized Lay. Mr. Stuart also initiated the 5th District Lifetime membership recognizing outstanding achievement for those serving sixteen years or more in the District Mr. Thomas Sutton was elected President. The Oratorical Contest was expanded and is now known as the Lay Christian Art's Festival (LCAF).

28. From the 1800’s following Bishops served in the 5th District: Benjamin Tucker Tanner, Thomas M. Ward, Henry B. Park, Abram Grant, Noah Williams, Dougal O Walker, RR Wright, Joseph Gomez, Howard T. Primm, Harrison J. Bryant, Hamel Harford Brookins, Henry Wendell Murph, Vinton Randolph Anderson, Randolph Byrd, John Richard Bryant, Theodore Larry Kirkland and in 2016 Clement Fugh.

29. Activities / Projects / Accomplishments
Recommendations for District/Conference
Researched 5th District History starting in 1840’s
Researched Bishops of the 5th District
Published 5th District memorabilia
Each Conference Historiographer submit to the District information ton their local Conferences to be included in the next published book.
District / Conference Meetings
Attended all 5th District Meetings
Delegate to General Conference
Attended Planning Meeting
Attended Mid Year
Connectional Lay Officer for CLEDC
Future Office Plans
Continue to research history of 5th District
Budgetary Needs
District Officer Budget needs: $175 29

30. Questions