The Right Rev. Clement W. Fugh is the new bishop of the 5th Episcopal District of the AME Church, which encompasses 14 states west of the Mississippi River. He succeeds Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Sr., who retired after fifty years of active ministry.
The assignment was announced July 13 at the close of the 50th Quadrennial Session and General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A welcome reception for the Fughs is set for Friday, July 22, at the First AME Church Allen House, 2249 S. Harvard Blvd., in Los Angeles.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Fugh was elected as the 131st bishop in 2012 and served as chief shepherd of the 14th Episcopal District, which includes the countries of Liberia, Central Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire and Togo-Benin. Previously, he led several churches in Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio for more than 30 years and was also elected as general secretary and chief information officer of the AME Church.
Fugh earned a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Memphis, a Master of Theology degree at Boston University School of Theology and a Doctor of Ministry degree at United Theological Seminary.
His wife, Mrs. Alexia Butler Fugh, is the new 5th District Supervisor of Missions for the Women’s Missionary Society, succeeding Mrs. Mary L. Kirkland. A licensed registered nurse for more than 31 years; she is also a senior clinical research associate in pharmaceutical research industry.
Mrs. Fugh is a member of the American Nurses Association, National Black Nurses Association, Association of Clinical Research Professionals and American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.
