St. John to formally welcome new pastor after concert
(pictured above: Members of the St. John CME Church Male Chorus.)
Rev. Dykes
Rev. Omar L. Dykes was appointed in July as the 27th pastor of St. John CME Church by Presiding Prelate Bishop James B. Walker. It happened during the 142nd Session of the Carolina Region Annual Conference in Columbia, S.C.
Dykes is the second youngest minister to lead the 94-year-old St. John CME Church, which is located at 350 Nw Crawford Place. His guiding Bible verse is taken from Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Dykes is a native of Chester, Penn. He holds a BA degree in history from Miles College in Birmingham, Ala. and a Master of Divinity degree from the Phillips School of Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He is currently a candidate for the Master of Sacred Theology degree at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Dykes previously served as pastor at churches in Estill and Charleston, S.C.
“We are truly excited about this opportunity to work with this talented and god-fearing young servant of God,” said St. John member Jackie Spencer. “We are looking forward to reaching that next level that God is preparing for us.”
The community is welcome to attend a reception for Pastor Dykes on Sunday, Sept. 21. The reception will follow the church’s “Anointed Men Singing to God” program, which starts at 4 p.m.
Phillips
Anne Phillips founded the Anointed Men series in 2005 to recognize and applaud the many accomplishments of men in local churches.
An R.J. Reynolds retiree and a former substitute teacher, Phillips has moved back to Winston-Salem after living in Atlanta for a brief time.
The series has been heralded as one of the many monumental contributions to St. John C.M.E. Church.
Each year, the Anointed Men program attempts to address current issues that affect black men. Male choruses from across the city are slated to perform at this year’s program.
Learn more by calling the church at 336-725-3968 or go to www.stjohncme.com/#! .
