Bishop Frank Madison Reid III will preach at the Christmas Day Worship on December 25, at 10 a.m., at Ward AME Church, 1177 W. 25th Street in Los Angeles.
A familiar and popular figure to many in the area, Reid was the pastor of Ward AME Church in Los Angeles for eight years in the 1980s. He served 28 years as the spiritual leader of Bethel AME in Baltimore, MD, prior to his election as bishop in July 2016.
According to Pastor John E. Cager III, Reid’s return to Ward will allow the new bishop to witness the continuance of church’s Winter Shelter Program, an outreach Reid started at Ward in 1987.
“I invited Bishop Reid both in the spirit of a homecoming victory lap after his election to the episcopacy and as symbolic of the legacy he begun at Ward that is being championed and expanded today. During his pastorate, Ward welcomed the homeless into its facility during freezing weather and 29 years later, the program continues,” said Cager.
“Bishop Reid is an internationally known leader, and innovative thinker and preeminent power speaker. We encourage the greater Los Angeles community to join us on Christmas Day as he brings a prophetic word.”
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.
At Bethel – Baltimore, Reid 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. Currently, Reid serves as the Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer of the AME Church.
To learn more, call Ward AME at (213) 747-1367.
