Saturday, October 22, 2005
WARREN -- Grace African Methodist Episcopal Church will host the 124th session of the North Ohio Annual Conference from Wednesday through Oct. 30.
The conference will include worship services, business sessions and a concert by the Wilberforce University Choir.
Wilberforce, the oldest, private black liberal arts university, was founded in 1856 by leaders of the AME Church. The choir will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, at Grace AME Church, 1137 Main Ave. S.W., Warren.
The conference will open at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The opening worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Worship services will be held at noon Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Evening worship services begin at 7. Friendship Baptist Church of Warren will be the guest church during Wednesday evening's Men's Ecumenical Night. Thursday evening's service will highlight the laity.
Friday is Christian Education and Wilberforce/Payne Night. Saturday is Youth Night.
On Sunday, church school will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Grace AME and the annual conference closing worship service is at 3 p.m. at North Mar Church, 3855 E. Market St.
The conference
The North Ohio Annual Conference includes 48 churches throughout northern Ohio, spanning from Toledo to the Pennsylvania line and south to Waynesburg. The conference is part of the Third Episcopal District of the AME Church, which is led by Bishop Robert V. Webster.
Grace AME was established in 1874. Worship services were initially held in private homes. The church bought its first property on West Market Street in 1875.
The lower basement of the church at its present location on Main Street was built in 1949. Since then, the church has undergone many improvements.
The current pastor, the Rev. Kevin E. Parks, was appointed in November 2003.