Report

Of

Bonner—Campbell Inst i tu te of Rel ig ious Studies

Edwards, Mississ ipp i

The Right Rev. Jul ius H. McAll is ter , Sr .

Presiding Prelate

The Reverend Keith Sanders, Administrator

The Reverend Earl Robinson, Dean

The Reverend Michele R. Goodloe , Property and Fiscal Manager

Message from the Bishop

Greetings in the joy of Jesus the Christ!

God is about to do a new thing at Bonner Campbell.

While we are excited about the progress, we as a District have made at the Bonner

Campbell campus, there were times that we felt somewhat uncomfortable because we

thought that at any moment we might be forced to abandon the property because of a

number of city, state and federal code violations. There were even several activities

that we were reluctant to host on the campus, including weekly theological and other

educational classes for clergy and laity.

Today, we rejoice! We are excited. We rejoice because it was the District’s determina-

tion, tenacity, untiring efforts and many, many financial sacrifices that the code viola-

tions have been addressed and corrected.

Educational classes for clergy and laity will resume in September 2016. We are excit-

ed! We are excited about the possibility of establishing a partnership with Tougaloo

College and the forming of a relationship with the Jackson Medical Mall that will be a

great benefit to the citizens of Edwards, Mississippi.

We thank the Connectional AME Church for its support. We could not have done what

we have done without the Church’s support.

God is about to do a new thing at Bonner Campbell!

Stay Tuned!

Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Sr.

Overview

The Eighth Episcopal District has sponsored and maintained a campus property/facility in Edwards, Mis-

sissippi for the purpose of ministerial training and Christian Education dating back to 1981. This campus is

known as the Bonner-Campbell Institute of Religious Studies. It was during the administration of Bishop

Frank Curtis Cummings that the Institute was opened as a training school for ministers. In addition to clas-

ses on campus, six satellite units of the school were instituted across the District. Since that time, the mis-

sion of Bonner-Campbell has been to prepare ministers and laity for effective ministry and Christian ser-

vice. The program at this property has been designed, in particular, for those who were not in a position to

pursue theological/ministerial training at an accredited seminary. Many ministerial students and pastors

are unable to attend a seminary due to financial reasons, family responsibilities, or the lack of an under-

graduate degree.

Approximately ninety five per cent of the pastors are bi-vocational. There are only seven full time pas-

tors out of a total of two hundred ten in the district. (There are three in the South Mississippi Conference,

one in the Central North Louisiana Conference, and three in the Louisiana Conference.) There are twelve

pastors in the episcopal district with M. Div. or D. Min. degrees. The Eighth Episcopal District is, therefore,

concerned about providing a theological educational experience for its pastors and ministers who would

not otherwise be able to obtain one.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bonner-Campbell Religious Studies Institute is to develop as a school which prepares

ministers and laity in heart and mind with the knowledge and skills to serve effectively in the Christian

ministry.

Financial Observations

Maintaining the financial stability of the Institute property/facility is currently a challenging endeavor.

Realistically, the Eighth Episcopal District is still in a recovery mode as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The

overall membership of the district has been substantially reduced. This statement has been verified by pas-

tors annual reports presented at annual conferences in Louisiana and Mississippi. This information was re-

flected in reports during the conference years of 2012-2015.These reports reveal that the average A.M.E.

Church attendance in Louisiana is forty (40) and in Mississippi it is thirty five (35). A significant number of

members relocated to other states and did not return. This, of course, has led to negative consequences in

regard to the financial income of the local churches. It follows that the reduced income of the churches im-

pacts the income of the District

The constituency of the Eighth Episcopal District has rallied sacrificially to contribute funds for the im-

provement projects of the Institute. This has occurred in spite of the challenges of meeting the financial

needs of the local churches. In fact, many pastors serve churches where they have to pay or help pay as-

sessments from their personal funds or sacrifice their salaries to meet the obligations of these churches.

Progress and Accomplishments

It has been previously noted that the District has endeavored to responsibly engage in implementing needed improvement projects at the Institute property/facilities. Please note the following accomplish-ments:

Installation of a sewage lift station with a connection to the City of Edwards sewage system, which now complies with EPA and Mississippi Department of Health standards

Installation of a comprehensive commercial water filtering system to eliminate discolored water and comply with city, state and federal codes Installation of upgraded water closets (rest room facilities) to comply with city, state, and federal codes Installation of an upgraded sound system

Made cosmetic improvements -Interior decorating implemented throughout the administration building

Demolition of all dilapidated buildings (4) Raised and invested funds in excess of $250,000.00 for improvements in order to bring the facility up to code

Reactivation of Classes

It has been previously reported that classes were suspended due to critical infrastructure issues. Due to considerable progress in the resolution of these issues, classes are scheduled to be reactivated in Septem-ber, 2016. Courses in religious (theological) and general educational studies will once again be offered to clergy and laity. It is to be noted that the Institute facility has not sat idle but has been utilized during the improvement period. The Bishop has scheduled worship services, conferences, and other meetings at the Institute. These include the following events:

Theological seminars and a variety of workshops are held at the campus throughout the year

Retreats are held by the Clergy, Women’s Missionary Society, Y. P. D. Lay Organization and Sons of Allen

Vision Statement and Pending Projects

The Bishop and members of the Eighth Episcopal District have a positive vision for the Bonner-Campbell Institute of Religious Studies. They envision it as developing into a viable, functional and productive enter-prise that will be representative of the educational mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It is further envisioned as a becoming a model institution with goals of continued development and expansion in its programmatic offerings and infrastructure.

*The Institute sits on 56 acres of land. It is the District’s vision to develop on that property a Conference and Retreat Center equipped with lodging facilities. This is in addition to the religious training programs.

*The District is currently engaged in talks with Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi in regard to estab-lishing a partnership with that institution. This proposed partnership will lead to all courses offered at Bon-ner-Campbell being accredited through the named college.

*The District is engaged in initial talks with the Jackson Medical Mall with the goal of establishing a facility on the Bonner-Campbell property. The proposed facility will provide health, medical and social services to the small, predominately African American town of Edwards, Mississippi. The town has a population of ap-proximately 3,000 citizens.

*These are the major pending projects on which the Bishop and District are currently focused. Additional projects will be emerging as they are formulated.

Water filtering system

The water in the town of Edwards, Mississippi is brown. City

and health officials report that though the water is discolored

and has been for decades, it is safe to drink. In 2013, the

Eighth Episcopal District had installed on the Bonner Campbell

campus a commercial water filtering system, the only of its

kind in Edwards, Mississippi.

Sewerage Lift Station

A sewerage lift station was installed because of existing health

safety issues. With the installation of the lift station, all EPA and

Mississippi Department of Health standards have been met.

The Eighth District Women’s Missionary Society raised

$50,000.00 for this project.

Bonner Campbell Demolition Project

For a number of years, Bonner Campbell was known for having on its

campus old, dilapidated buildings, which presented personal, business

and insurance liability issues. Because of the existence of these buildings

on the campus, the insurance premiums and bank interest rate/loan col-

lateral were higher than normal. Theological classes for clergy and laity

could not resume until these buildings were demolished.

The Eighth Episcopal District Lay Organization contributed $60,000 to-

wards the demolition project; the balance was raised through annual

conferences on Bonner Campbell Day.

…