AME Church Elects First Female Bishop

ByABC News
July 12, 2000, 5:39 AM

C I N C I N N A T I, July 12 -- The nations oldest black church on Tuesdaynight elected the first female bishop in the denominationshistory.

Delegates to the general conference of the African MethodistEpiscopal Church elected the Rev. Vashti McKenzie of Baltimore toone of four bishop positions on the second ballot.

Because of Gods favor, the stained glass ceiling has beenpierced and broken, McKenzie said.

The Rev. Richard Norris of Philadelphia also was elected bishop.Delegates elected the Rev. Gregory Ingram of Detroit and the Rev.Preston Williams of Atlanta to the two remaining positions on thethird ballot.

Momentum clearly had been building toward election of a woman,even though delegates last weekend rejected a resolution that wouldhave required a woman to be chosen as one of the new bishops.

Cheers After Announcement

Delegates cheered loudly and McKenzie was surrounded bysupporters when the announcement of her election was made.

In her acceptance speech, McKenzie praised the pioneer work ofwomen who had been trying to become bishops for several decades,saying they had sacrificed, cried, died, and gave their verybest.

Today, I not only stand on the shoulders of the called-upwomen, but on the shoulders of my brothers.

McKenzie was one of two women among 42 candidates for bishop.

A majority of the ballots cast was required to win each of thefour bishops positions vacated by retirements. None of the 42candidates received enough votes on the first ballot, so morevoting rounds were planned into the night.

Approximately 1,800 delegates are attending the generalconference and were eligible to vote. Historically, multiple roundsof balloting are routinely needed in order for bishop candidates towin enough votes for election, church spokesman Mike McKinney said.

The two female candidates were McKenzie, pastor of PayneMemorial AME Church in Baltimore, and the Rev. Carolyn TylerGuidry, a presiding elder and former pastor who supervises 19 AMEchurches in the Los Angeles area. Guidry ran unsuccessfully forbishop at the last general conference in 1996, while McKenzie was afirst-time candidate.