The Rev. Dr. Frank Madison Reid III was elected as a bishop in the AME Church on July 11 during the denomination’s 50th General Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Reid served eight years as pastor of Ward AME Church in Los Angeles. Also, Attorney Patricia Mayberry of Carson was reelected to the AME Judicial Council.
During an interview with the Sentinel last month, Reid said he wanted to bring visionary leadership to the AME Church.
“In 2016, African American people in this country and Black people all over the globe need to move into a new direction and the Black church has always been the pioneer in taking people to new directions nationally and globally.
“This is not our mother’s and father’s church, but the Word of God has not changed. We need to train a generation of leaders who are rooted and grounded in their culture, but who also have understanding and commitment to the Word of God that could change the world. We’ve got to have a new radical, take-it-to-the-streets teaching. Be radical, but be real to the Word of God and that’s what I’ve tried to represent,” he said.
A minister for 45 years, Reid first served as pastor of Greater Bethel AME in Charlotte NC. Assigned to Ward AME in 1980, he established several outreach ministries including the Ward Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), one of the first faith-based EDCs in the city. Currently, WEDC operates three housing complexes for low-income families and seniors in L.A.
Since being at Bethel AME – Baltimore, Reid has led the congregation in participating in the Million Man March on 1995, purchasing 254 acres of land in 1999, opening the MLK Afterschool Academy in 2002, starting a second worship location in 2011, and donating $10,000 to Haiti earthquake victims in 2010 and an equal amount to Coppin State University in 2014.
