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BY JOHN W. COLEMAN
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

For a decade Bishop Forrest C. Stith, of Upper Marlboro, has led the African-American Methodist Heritage Center in assembling a trove of black Methodist archival treasures. The center celebrated both its own 10-year history and the service of its unpaid president and CEO at a Dec. 9 Washington, D.C., gala that featured a concert of African-American sacred music.

The Heritage Center's repository of books, periodicals, documents, photographs and other memorabilia is nestled in the care of the General Commission on Archives and History, located on the campus of United Methodist-related Drew University in Madison, N.J.

Although retired as an episcopal leader since 1996, Stith has logged thousands of miles since 2001 developing and promoting the fledgling institution at meetings and events, while encouraging black churches around the nation to organize, protect and share their own historical treasures.

Washington Area Bishop John R. Schol began the tribute quoting lines from a favorite Charles Tindley hymn, "Beams of Heaven." He extolled the Heritage Center as "a gift for our future" and lauded Stith as "a visionary leader, whose determination, hard work and partnering with others has brought us to this place."

The gala gave center board members a chance to signify the institution's achievements, as well as its future plans, while also celebrating Stith, 77, who plans to step down from his post in early 2012.

Board member Barbara Thompson, a member of Mt. Zion UMC in Georgetown, cited some achievements - from receiving prize acquisitions like a century-old book, "Methodism and the Negro," donated by the widow of Baltimore pastor the Rev. Irvin Lockman, to persuading the United Methodist Publishing House to reprint "Black United Methodism: Retrospect and Prospect," the landmark book by John Graham first published 30 years ago.

Thompson also reported on progress in partnering with church scholars and United Methodist-related black colleges to do historical research and presentations. She mentioned plans to establish an endowment to aid the center's development as an archive for exhibition, education and research. But the center's most important work, she said, is helping black churches "to recover and share their own stories.

"Our jurisdictional workshops for local church historians (convened by Bishop Stith) have been some of our most rewarding activities as a center," said Thompson.

The Rev. Robert Williams, who heads the General Commission on Archives and History, is a frequent participant in those workshops. He received special recognition from the Heritage Center's board during the gala for his generous support of the center and its work.

But the board's main tribute was to Bishop Stith for his 58 years in ministry and his "enthusiastic leadership (and) steadfast commitment." Introduced to the gathering by a fellow retired bishop, Violet Fisher, he announced that his fourth retirement since he was a presiding bishop would happen after the spring board meeting in 2012.

Dr. Leonard L. Haynes III, who chairs the Heritage Center's foundation, announced its plan to establish a traveling exhibit in Stith's name. The exhibit will visit historically black colleges and universities and other venues as a "satellite outpost" of the Heritage Center.

"One of the primary struggles of African-American Methodists is that we have a confused sense of our own identity, often lost in the 95 percent white denomination," Bishop Stith said following the tribute. "My goal has been to help people affirm their identity and history and thus become more productive evangelists. If persons of all races can understand and share that vision, then the Heritage Center has a bright future."