World Methodist Council General Secretary Ivan Abrahams visited the Blue Ridge Conference Meeting of the AME-Zion Church as a guest of the church’s Senior Bishop, George Battle Jr. Together the two visited with representatives from local churches and spoke to attendees about the AME-Zion Church and the Church’s role within Global Methodism.
General Secretary Abrahams joined Bishop Battle in hearing updates from churches throughout the conference, and then brought greetings from the World Methodist Council, introducing the organization and its task of uniting 77 Member Churches and over 80 million people together.
“Our spiritual father John Wesley spoke of Methodists being one people throughout the world. Just as we in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa heard the cries for justice from the AME-Zion Church during the Civil Rights struggle in the United States, we ask that you now hear the call from the world to make our global communion stronger and more vital than ever,” said Abrahams.
Bishop Battle also noted the strong ties between the Church and the Council, reminding visitors of the upcoming Council meeting in London.
The two shared lunch and made plans for future meetings. During their time together, plans were made to strengthen the bonds between the AME-Zion Church and the World Methodist Council.
