Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida

After a comprehensive search and careful consideration, the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida, Inc. (CCNWFL) is proud to announce the hiring of our new President/CEO, Mr. Christopher Root. He has a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from Michigan State University. Christopher has a deep-seated Catholic faith, wide breadth of social programming knowledge and a strong managerial track record that makes him the right choice for Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida.
He currently serves as the Department Head of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Lansing; a position he has held for the last 11 years. The services he oversee are numerous and include such programs as: adoption, foster care, behavioral health counseling, substance abuse, adult day care, soup kitchens, food pantries, a warming shelter, clothing and personal needs programs, an immigration law clinic, refugee resettlement, housing for disabled adults, transitional housing, and assistance with rent and utilities. He also established a medical and educational mission in Guatemala.
He is highly regarded for his ability to develop positive working relationships with priests, parishioners, donors, external funding sources, board members, agency staff, diocesan staff, elected officials and the general public.  His strengths are what we need and his experience goes hand-in-glove with our programs and mission.
“I am filled with deep gratitude to be selected as the President/CEO of Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida,” said Chris Root. He continued, “I am eagerly looking forward to meeting the wonderful people that make up the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Catholic Charities, will do all we can to share the love of God with each person we encounter.”
Christopher and his wife will be relocating here in the next few months and Christopher will join CCNWFL in January 2015. Until that time, the current leadership team headed by interim CEO Robby Youd, will remain in place.
“Nothing has been more important to the board or directors and Bishop Parkes, than finding the right leader to represent our remarkable mission and the incredibly gifted staff,” said Patrick Schlenker, Board Chairman CCNWFL.

Faith Missionary Baptist Church to honor their Pastor for 20 years of service and 33 years as a preacher of the Gospel on November 9, at 3:30 p.m.
Rev. R. L. McAdory is the founding pastor of the church that began on August 31, 1994. The church is located at 1605 15th Avenue North, Bessemer, AL  35020.
Dr. Charles R. Winston, Jr., Pastor of the New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church will be the guest preacher.  The public is invited to share in this momentous occasion.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – There was a bona fide traffic jam on Daniel Payne Drive in Birmingham in early September. Hundreds of members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), Ninth Episcopal District were the first souls to cross the threshold of the largest property owned by an African American institution in the state of Alabama.
Guests on hand for the Northwest Alabama Annual Conference, held September 10-13, 2014, filled the Daniel Payne Community Plaza (the former Daniel Payne Middle School) with praise and thanksgiving for the 60,000 sq. ft. building located on 19 acres of land. The property was purchased by the Daniel Payne Foundation of the Ninth Episcopal District in August 2014 as a $2.5 million cash-sale.
The AME Church boasts a 200-year history of self-help and the empowerment of people of African descent by serving the church and the community through a variety of ministries. The Plaza represents a commitment to that mission and the realization of the vision of Bishop James L. Davis, who serves as the Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District. The Daniel Payne Community Plaza is named for the sixth Bishop of the AME Church. Daniel Alexander Payne was one of the founders and former presidents of Wilberforce University in Ohio as well.
The Daniel Payne Community Plaza will be home to the headquarters of the Ninth Episcopal District, and become a thriving space catering to the needs of the immediate Birmingham community and the state of Alabama. Conferences, corporate retreats, weddings, banquets, sports tournaments, educational programs, college satellite classes, arts programs, and activities for senior citizens are just some of the ways the Plaza will be used. The possibilities are endless.
“Through God’s provision and favor, we were able to acquire the Daniel Payne Community Plaza for the use of God’s people. It is more than a building, it is a tool for ministry,” says Bishop Davis. “I am thankful to the thousands of members of the AME Church in Alabama and throughout the AME connectional church who gave sacrificially to the vision. The Daniel Payne Community Plaza belongs to them,” Bishop Davis continued.
In 2010, members of the Ninth Episcopal District, along with the Daniel Payne Board of Trustees began raising funds to develop 140 acres of the former Daniel Payne College campus for the purpose of economic growth and development. With enthusiastic support of local church members, pastors, and many additional supporters, the vision of the Daniel Payne College Legacy Village began to take hold and propel the church forward. By 2014, the fundraising plan had raised almost three million dollars toward the $9.6 million goal to begin developing the land.
Then something happened. One day, while visiting the site, Bishop Davis was led to take a short trek just across the street to Daniel Payne Middle School. He noticed that the building was empty. That moment was the genesis of the Daniel Payne Community Plaza.
Now, the Ninth Episcopal District and the Daniel Payne Foundation own the Daniel Payne Community Plaza and the 140 acres of the original land that will be developed still. Such an amount of land ownership by one African American institution or church in the state of Alabama is unprecedented. The historic proportion of the property acquisition and the high level of economic development that is expected to occur positions the AME Church for longevity in Alabama.
Presiding Elder Dwight Dillard serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Daniel Payne Foundation. “The new plaza is a grand and beautiful sight! I am most proud to usher in this new era for our church. We have created something for the next generation. This is holy ground,” offered Elder Dillard, who leads the Birmingham-Florence-Tuscaloosa District of the Northwest Alabama Conference.
For some supporters, the new Daniel Payne Community Plaza offers a way to honor their ancestors and the legacy of the former Daniel Payne College. Mrs. Ernestine Barnes-Ivery, the only Deaconess in the AME Church in Alabama, recalls the past, “I used to play on Daniel Payne’s picnic area as a member of St. Luke AME Church when I was a little girl. Now, to see 60 plus years later that someone is trying to carry on that memory is a good feeling.” Mrs. Barnes-Ivery has donated $6,000 to the fundraising project. “I have given in memory of my parents. I see something tangible. That is a blessing,” adds Mrs. Barnes-Ivery.

Upcoming Events:
November 13, 7 p.m.
Service of Ordination
Seven Bishops of the AME Church will participate.
The Daniel Payne Community Plaza will serve as the site of the historic Service of Ordination for all ministerial candidates in Alabama who will be ordained.
Bishop John Richard Bryant, Senior Bishop of the AME Church and the Presiding Prelate of the Fourth Episcopal District, will be the guest preacher. In total, seven AME Bishops will be on hand for the ordination service, including (in alphabetical order) Bishops Frank Curtis Cummings, Retired Bishop; James L. Davis, Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District; Clement W. Fugh, Presiding Prelate of the Fourteenth Episcopal District; Samuel Lawrence Green, Sr., Presiding Prelate of the Twelfth Episcopal District; Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Retired Bishop, and Reginald T. Jackson, Presiding Prelate of the Twentieth Episcopal District and Ecumenical Officer.
Never before have seven bishops come together to participate in one ordination service in the history of AME Church in Alabama.
April 9-11, 2015
Open House and Dedication
The Daniel Payne Community Plaza welcomes guests to tour the new site, learn more about how the Plaza will serve the greater Birmingham community and the state of Alabama, and enjoy fun, food, and fellowship.
For more information about the Daniel Payne Community Plaza, call (205) 326-4499 or visit www.ninthamec.org.
The mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ’s liberating gospel through word and deed. At every level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society, out of which the AME Church evolved: that is to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy.

Editor’s Note: Digital images of the signing/purchase of the Daniel Payne Community Plaza are attached, as well as exterior images of the property.

Caption: Bishop James L. Davis, Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District, the Board of Directors of the Daniel Payne Foundation, and members of the Ninth Episcopal District at the “signing” to purchase the Daniel Payne Community Plaza, August 12, 2014.

by Angela Moore

I’ll be the first to admit that there was a point in life a few years ago where I was upset regarding my divorce, not just at my former husband, but mostly at myself for feeling like the choice to marry him, leave a high paying job, dedicate seven full-time years (and nine total) to helping my ex-husband prosper in his purpose, and all that good stuff was the worst mistake I could have ever made in life. Truth be told, in hindsight, I think I was also a little upset with God for allowing me to do that. (That’s crazy. I know) It was as if my hurt wanted to convince me that honoring marriage according to God’s word, being obedient to His call to help my ex-husband and carrying out the role of the wife as helper was something I should not have done. (I tell you, disappointment will jack up your thinking if you allow it). Needless to say, I snapped out of that place of being upset, choosing to place things in proper perspective to see all of the good the Lord allowed for me even in the midst of entering into the realm of “My Life As I Know It, the Remix”.

Coming out of that space landed me in another unfamiliar and unfortunate place. I was no longer angry or hurt, but was now questioning how I was going to be who I was supposed to be after spending so much time connected to another and helping others (my former husband was a Pastor and a large part of my purpose during our marriage was helping him help people.) I, like many, who have lost any relationship of any type that, sadly, we allowed to somewhat define us, sometimes feel lost after it ends. It’s as if we’ve purchased stock in www.MySolePurposeIsInYours.com<http://www.MySolePurposeIsInYours.com> instead of www.IStillHavePurpose.com<http://www.IStillHavePurpose.com>. (The last website does not exist, even though it should.)

Whether it’s a divorcee’ who loses a mate, a widower who no longer has a spouse, a parent who loses a child, a man who loses a job, an athlete who loses a position, an actor who loses a role, a boyfriend who loses a girlfriend, or a friend who loses a friend, finding our “new” after losing is not only sometimes tough, it’s very necessary. I’ve learned the new and improved purpose that awaits us is intricately tied into our pains of the old. That’s what all that anger and crying, and questioning, disappointment and doubting, and fear and hurt and humiliation and shame was about all along. Getting through that was our gift from God to give to others. The Lord knows who He can trust with what. Being trusted to live again after losing is a mighty badge of honor that many can’t carry. Being able to use what we’ve lost to help ourselves and others know God, find peace, have joy, cling to a reason to really live again, develop a new way of thinking, change a generational mindset, form a new platform to share with the masses, chart a path to healing or even something as simple as have a host of wild and crazy stories at which to laugh is a blessing that belongs to those who believe that purpose doesn’t end when the relationship does. In fact, some of the best Biblical and historical figures did their best business and received their BEST blessings following the beautiful beginning of some very tragic ends. You’ve got next!

Angela Scott Moore has sported many hats in her lifetime. Some were cute, some not by choice and others brought a little chaos. All in all, each hat has helped her become the woman she is today and hopes to be in the future.
She’s a former broadcast anchor, reporter and producer, as well as a trained motivational speaker, fundraiser and marketing/public relations expert.  Careers in Civic Service, Social Justice and Human Resources have recently been added to her list of “been there, done that” duties. She’s also a former pastor’s wife of nine years, having worked in full-time ministry, where the majority of her time was spent empowering women and girls. She’s overcome life-threatening and life-altering illnesses, divorce, loss of job, death of close loved ones and too much to post, all while purposely trying to maintain a smile, positive outlook, encouraging word and faith in God.
Angela is an avid inspirational blogger at http://www.angelamooreblog.wordpress.com<http://www.angelamooreblog.wordpress.com/> and also a philanthropic community supporter who has served with more than 25 local and national organizations over her nearly 20 year professional career. Currently, as a hobby, she operates the blossoming, full-service public relations venture Amazing Kreations, offering media and event planning assistance at low, or no cost to small organizations, ministries and businesses. She also hosts a Facebook page devoted to divorce called I’m More Than What Happened<https://www.facebook.com/ImMoreThanWhatHappened?ref=hl>.
Taking lessons learned from each phase of her ever-evolving life, Angela’s now donning the hat of a single woman on a single mission to use spoken and written words to remind others that Life Gets Better and it’s possible to look and be their best in the process.