A few score years ago, our forefathers brought forth to this great African Methodist Episcopal Church a new idea. Conceived in the knowledge of God our Father, Christ our Redeemer and dedicated to the proposition that all men are brothers. Now we are engaged in a great movement, testing whether Laymen all over the church, so dedicated to educate and increase their forces can long endure.

We have met for many educational workshops. We meet to dedicate ourselves to the Lay Organization as a beacon to those lost in the darkness of misunderstanding and intolerance, self-sacrifice and above all, veracity.  But, a larger sense, we cannot dedicate for our workers in Macedonia are so few, we cannot consecrate, for our aims are so often misunderstood, and unless we exert ourselves to greater heights of service we cannot fully revere the sacred shoes of our forefathers.

Laymen, living and dead who sweated blood to get an organization started, have set up ideals above our power to increase or depreciate. Many members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will not listen to our constant pleas and appeals; but they should not forget such standard bearers as Pinkie Brown, John R. Hawkins, Robert Mance, and Robert Manceto name a few.

Let us here highly resolve that our dead Lay leaders did not die unprofitable – for they left us a noble heritage that – this organization under God, shall have an awakening of love, patience, and knowledge of our birthright – and that mold, of Methodist Laymen; by Methodist Laymen; for Methodist Laymen shall never let African Methodist perish from the earth.

*Mrs. Trent is past present of the NC Conference Lay Organization in the Second District. This creed was rearranged and modified for publication by Dr. Joseph C. McKinney, Treasurer of the A.M.E. Church and past president of the laymen’s Organization, Second Episcopal District. They are both native North Carolinians.