MINISTRY HISTORY  

Clergy Family Information Center (CFIC)

         Mrs. Ora L. Easley, International Administrator

The Genesis  of the Ministry: The Clergy Family Information Center began in 1999 as "A Special Project" of Mrs. Ora L. Easley, who served as the president of CONN-M-SWAWO + PK's  from 1997-2005, and grew from a minuscule grouping of email recipients receiving communications  containing the service arrangements of deceased family members of the organizational officers to the current email communication network, which post emails to Districts 1-20, inclusive of the church leadership, clergy families, offices of Episcopal Districts, offices of presiding elders, offices of AME Church institutions of higher learning, offices of chaplains and local churches. 

Original Rationale: Pastors and other ministry leaders carry some of this world’s heaviest burdens comforting and guiding the spiritual lives of hundreds, if not thousands, as well as providing and caring for their families; and likewise, the families of ministers are called upon to make many sacrifices. Yet, here-to-fore, when those who had given so much made their earthy transitions, many only learned of their transitioning when their presence was missed at an AME Church gathering, or when names were lifted at the next session of the annual conference. 
 
The Genesis of the Ministry Structure: In early 2004, during the winter session of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Richard Franklin Norris, serving as Chair of the Commission on Social Action, shared with the president of CONN-M-SWAWO +PK'S, Mrs. Ora L. Easley, that the Bishops of the Church meeting in Council were anxious to see her continue the ministry,  "The Special Project of the President" past her June 2005 term of office. The ministry would be given a different name and Mrs. Easley would be given another title, not serving as an officer of CONN-M-SWAWO + PK’s, but as a component of the Commission on Social Action, reporting to the Commission.  Humbled and honored by the request, an affirmative answer was given by Mrs. Easley.  At the 47th  Quadrennial Session of the General Conference, 2004, held in Indianapolis, Indiana,  Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, newly elected and consecrated Bishop #122 was appointed Commission Chair of the Social Action Commission. Under the leadership of Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, as Chair of the Commission on Social Action the ministry name, “The Clergy Family Information Center” and the position title  “Administrator” was  created.  Bishop Guidry also suggested the addition of the congratulatory component, which involved the posting of congratulatory announcements on Friday of each week.
 
Bishop Guidry worked tirelessly to secure operational funding for the ministry. Dr. Richard A. Lewis, Chief Financial Office/Treasurer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was a blessing to the operation of the ministry,  as we sought to " build bricks without straw," as well as Bishop Guidry and Sis. Jacquelyn DuPont Walker the Social Action Consultant.
 
Legislation for The Clergy Family Information Center Passed at the 48th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference:  At the 2008 General Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, under the leadership and guidance of Social Action Commission Chair, Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Mrs. Jacquelyn DuPont-Walker, Consultant / Director of Social Action submitted a bill for the ministry of The Clergy Family Information Center. The Bill was referenced as Bill MN-08. Intent: To add the Clergy Family Information Center and the duties of its Administrator to the Commission on Social Action; to add the Administrator as a Connectional Officer. Reference: PART VII – Section III; The General Board, Connectional Departments and Commissions; Commission on Social Action, page 200 (addendum to the Commission on Social Action) and Connectional Officers; Section III, page 588, Doctrine and Discipline of the AME Church, 2004 edition. The Clergy Family Information Center was included in The Book of Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church for 2008 and in the following editions.
 
Funding of the Ministry:
At the 2008 Winter Session of the General Board Meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, under the esteemed leadership of Social Action Commission Chair, Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, who served two unprecedented terms, funding was approved for The Clergy Family Information Center; funding ramification; an equitable distribution of the allocation for Social Action, among the principals.
 
The Ministry Continued It's Global Outreach: In January of 2010, the administrator of the Clergy Family Information Center constructed a web site, URL, www.amecfic.org:
  1. To make available necrology information, especially bereavements occurring within the Episcopal families and General Officers for annual conference statisticians who compile annual necrology reports.
  2. To spread the ministry message to a global audience via cyberspace.

Also, in 2010 the ministry became a part of the social media community, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a Ministry Blog. In September 2010, the AMEC Clergy Family Information Center secured its own domain acronym, "Amecfic.net" to better serve the growing ministry and also secured a business Telecommunication account.

At the 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference held June 27, 2012 - July 4, 2012 at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry #122, who had served as Social Action Commission Chair, retired from active service. At the meeting of the AME Church General Board following the closing session of the General Conference, Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, newly elected Bishop (132) was assigned as the Social Action Commission Chair.  

The Clergy Family Information Center, with it's MISSION as a global online conduit of Compassion and Caring,  continued it's growth and outreach under the leadership of Social Action Commission Chair, Bishop Reginald T. Jackson.

To eliminate the time-consuming process of resending email messages upward to ten times by the Administrator for each notification, Email Marketing was secured (Mail Chimp) as the ministry database continued to expand.

In 2015 the ministry added new dimensions to news posted, as more and more Episcopal District leadership asked that the ministry carry news of their District Meetings.  Episcopal District pictorial announcements were frequently posted by the CFIC. Institutions of higher learning also requested that the anniversary events of the AME Church Universities and Seminaries be added within the ministry posting guidelines.

At the 50th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference held in Philadelphia, PA July 6-13, 2016, Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, newly elected Bishop #138, was assigned as the Social Action Commission Chair.

Under the visionary and challenging leadership of Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, the CFIC continued to make technological advances in its email posting procedures and adding more "eye appeal" to the communications, using graphics and borders. In February 2017,  we began posting (1) photo with each congratulatory announcement and  statements of gratitude publication was offered weekly on Thursday for church leadership who receive a large outpouring of responses and wish to express gratitude to the Connectional AME Church family for kindnesses shown during their season of bereavement.

At the 2016 Winter Meeting of the Council of Bishops and General Board Meeting an Electronic Protocol was approved; the CFIC per The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 2012, posting regulations were re-defined as “emailing bereavement related notifications and congratulatory announcements.”

BROADEN READERSHIP: In March of 2017, the Editor of the Christian Recorder, Mr. John Thomas, III, with a verbal agreement "only" between the two entities, began including the notifications of bereavement and congratulatory announcements in the AME Church Christian Recorder, giving the ministry information a wider readership internationally.

The Office of the AME Church Sunday School Union, Rev. Roderick D. Belin, President/ Publisher, designed the first official ministry logo and a banner for use in publishing email notifications and for the website.

In 2020, after receiving several inquiries from Episcopal District 14 and 17-20, as to whether the ministry was inclusive of their Episcopal Districts since the majority of the notifications were focused on Districts 1-13 and 16, the word International was appended to the title of the Administrator on each notification to denote all inclusiveness, along with the existing language converter. 

At the 51st Session of the African Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference held in Orlando, Florida, Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield  #135 was assigned as the Social Action Commission Chair and The Office of the AME Church Sunday School Union,  Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/ Publisher, designed and copyrighted another banner-header for use in publishing email notifications and for the CFIC website, under the insightful and creative leadership of Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield. 

In October 2021, The CFIC webpage was officially shared with the connectional church as an annual conference memorial committee resource to be utilized by annual conference memorial committee personnel, although many episcopal districts had relied on the necrology information for several years.

In November 2021, The CFIC began utilizing social media (FACE BOOK) for placement of All clergy family  notifications posted via email on the CFIC Ministry Wall. Excluded are personal email addresses and phone numbers. Previously only the church leadership had been posted on Social Media.

In August 2024 at the 52nd Session of the African Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference held in Columbus, OH, Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, (132) was again assigned as the Social Action Commission Chair.  

Where will we go from here? as with its inception, the Clergy Family Information Center "will go where the Will of God leads."

“Step out on faith, embrace the impossible. Walk in the vision of God, and be assured that when God gives you a vision, He also has provisions which are already waiting for you."