By Tiffany Ginyard
AFRO Staff Writer
St. Louis, Mo--At the general conference of 2004, Bishops Sarah Frances Davis and Carolyn Tyler Guidry joined Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie in the episcopacy of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, bringing the number of females serving in the highest-ranking position of leadership in the 221-year-old denomination to three.
In their first term as bishops, both Davis and Guidry have shown and proven their leadership, hoping to pave the way for more women who have been called to serve in that capacity. In exclusive interviews with the AFRO, they tell of their experiences.
In their first term as bishops, both Davis and Guidry have shown and proven their leadership, hoping to pave the way for more women…
“My first term has been exciting,” says Bishop Guidry, who served from 2004 to 2008 in the 16th District, which is comprised of Suriname-Guyana, Windward Islands, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and London. “A month after I was appointed, Hurricane Ivan hit and so many of the [connectional] churches, particularly in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, had been negatively affected. And that was our initiation into the district.”
Guidry says people were “warm and welcoming” to her upon her arrival in the district — contrary to what she had expected, especially in the Caribbean where “society is a little bit chauvinistic.”
“I found none of that to be true,” she said, “And we were able to begin right away doing the work of the Lord.”
A central area of Guidry’s missions in the district was economic empowerment. One of the strategies initiated under her leadership was the “chickery”—the business of purchasing and raising chickens for market— in Guyana. And, in Jamaica, pig farms.
Over the span of four years, these businesses have expanded and provided employment for several people.
Haiti, considered the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, however, has posed the greatest challenge to the bishop among others like the language barriers she sometimes encounters and finding resources. But she says since the development of economic programs, things are looking up. In Haiti, the conference purchased 10 acres of land to provide affordable housing for its congregations.
Facing the possibility of being reassigned to a different district at this general conference, Guidry looks back on her first term as bishop with a sense of fulfillment.
“Every challenge I have placed before the district, and have assured that we could meet together, they have attempted to meet it. They were willing to do what was necessary to get the results that we were looking for,” said Guidry, “And I think that we’ve accomplished many of things we set out to do.”
Bishop Carolyn Davis, of the 18th District, comprised of South African nations Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, and Northeastern Lesotho, echoes those same sentiments in regards to her first term as bishop.
“I really didn’t have any challenges that I was not able to overcome,” she says, “And people were quite willing to work with me and to follow direction.”
Davis highlights two areas of ministry in which the four conferences over which she presides have made great strides. The first, caring for the orphans — most of whom have been left behind by parents killed by HIV/AIDS—and education.
Despite the trickle of resources Davis was able to orchestrate the building of a second orphanage in Swaziland (The first was built by Bishop McKenzie). When Davis arrived at the orphanage in 2004, there were only four children being served. Today, that number has grown to 21.
“Education leads to people being empowered,” says Davis, identifying education as the other “major thrust in our ministry.”
“We have put about a quarter million dollars into scholarships for high school students and also clergy who are going off to be trained in ministry,” says Davis. The scholarships cover tuition, room and board and uniforms and other accessories to ensure a positive experience for the students.
Building more churches fell second to educational empowerment on Davis’ agenda. However, under her leadership, 21 congregations have been established and 13 schools and/or churches have been built.
Both agree now that the “glass ceiling” has been shattered in the episcopacy of the A.M.E. Church, opportunities for women to exhibit their leadership abilities in the highest level of leadership are endless.