St. Paul UMC Usher Board is 100
St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2400 Dellabrook Rd., will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Senior Usher Board on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. A light reception will immediately follow in the fellowship hall.
Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett, senior pastor of the 600-member St. James Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, will be the guest preacher. Earlier this year, St. Paul marked its 142nd anniversary.
A native of Oakland, Calif., Moffett received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and both her Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry degrees from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, Calif.
Moffett is the author of “Beyond Greens and Cornbread: Reflections of African American Christian Identity.” The book presents sermonic poems, scripture reading and reflections designed to inspire and motivate readers. Dr. Moffett’s sermon “Giving Birth” is featured in Judson Press’ “Outstanding Black Sermons,” and “Mustard Seed Faith,” another of her sermons, was published in “Those Preachin’ Women, Volume 4.”
“Records point to an organized Senior Usher Board dating back to 1913,” said Rev. Donald Jenkins, who is in his 20th year as pastor of St. Paul.
As the first official representatives of the church that people see, ushers and greeters play key roles, according to Jenkins. As ambassadors of the church, they set a tone of warmth and hospitality in the body of Christ and are gatekeepers for maintaining a devout order during worship.
St. Paul is the first church founded for African Americans in the town of Winston and the second oldest black church in the combined towns of Winston and Salem. The church’s leadership also includes Asst. Pastor Ellis Carson, a 2011 Duke Divinity graduate.
For more information, contact Jessie Brown or Geraldine Davis at the church at 336-723-4531.
