The Southern California Region of the CME Church will open their Spring Convocation and Quadrennial Celebration on Friday, April 13, at Lewis Metropolitan CME Church, 4900 S. Western Ave., in Los Angeles.
Bishop Bobby R. Best, presiding prelate of the CME Ninth Episcopal District, will oversee the gathering. The Rev. Travis Morris is the host pastor.
Activities begin with registration at 8 a.m. The agenda includes worship services, business sessions and leadership development training. At 1 p.m., Bishop Clement W. Fugh, presiding prelate of the AME Fifth Episcopal District, will be the keynote speaker at the Closing Worship Service.
On Saturday, April 14, at 6 p.m., a quadrennial celebration and banquet will be held for Best and his wife, Mrs. Jacqueline Howard Best. The event takes place at The Foundation Center, 11633 S. Western Ave., in Los Angeles. The theme is “Expressing Love and Appreciation for God’s Servant” based on Hebrews 6:10.
Best, who was elected and consecrated to episcopal service in 2014, oversees 100+ CME parishes in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. During his 28 years of ministry, he served as pastor at six churches as well as in several CME executive positions in the Carolina Region.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Best earned his Masters of Divinity degree at Duke University and his Doctorate of Ministry degree at Interdenominational Theology Center.
Fugh was elected and consecrated as bishop in 2012. Four years later, he was assigned to his current position where he serves as chief shepherd and administrator over AME churches in the 15 states, including Hawaii, west of the Mississippi River.
Previously, he led several churches in Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio for more than 30 years and was elected as general secretary and chief information officer of the AME Church.
To learn more about the SCR Spring Convocation, call Herb Titus at (714) 365-4004 or Richard E. Lee at (323) 514-4412.
