Bishop Gregory Ingram To Preach At The Payne Alumni Breakfast In Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - June 19, 2014 - PRLog -- The National Alumni Association of Payne Theological Seminary invites you to a prayer breakfast Wednesday June 25, 2014, at 7:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Music City located at 777 McGavock Pike in Nashville, Tennessee. The breakfast will take place inside the McGavock Room B and the cost is $50 at the door. The guest speaker is the Right Reverend Gregory Gerald McKinley Ingram, the Presiding Bishop of the First Episcopal District which encompasses most of the Northeast Corridor and Bermuda. Bishop Ingram is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Payne Theological Seminary. "We are blessed to have Bishop Ingram as our speaker for this breakfast," says the Rev. Bruce Butcher, pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Akron, Ohio, and President of Payne's Alumni. "Bishop Ingram provides exemplary leadership and has a vision to carry our beloved seminary to higher heights," he said.

Payne Theological Seminary, located at the corner of Wilberforce-Clifton Road and Coleman Road in Wilberforce, Ohio is the oldest Black seminary in the nation. Payne's primary mission is to train men and women for the ministry to be spiritual and intellectual leaders and agents of constructive social change in the church and world. Payne's origin can be traced to October 18, 1844 when the Ohio Conference met in Columbus, Ohio.  A committee was appointed and empowered to select a site and erect a Seminary and Manual Training School.  In 1871, the Board of Trustees of Wilberforce University voted and approved the organization of the seminary to be named after Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne who led the push for higher education in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Payne Theological Seminary was incorporated in 1894 as an independent institution "...for the purpose of promoting education, religion, and morality by the education of persons for the Christian ministry and missionaries for the redemption of Africa and other foreign lands."  In 1954, the Seminary took steps to raise its standards by promoting a program exclusively on a graduate level.  Payne Theological Seminary was admitted to membership in the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in 1956.  In 1995, it became the fourth historically African American theological seminary to become fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).  In 2009, the ATS Commission on Accrediting announced that Payne had been elevated to a ten-year accreditation cycle.  Payne’s next accreditation visit will be in 2018.

For more information about Payne Theological Seminary go to http://www.payne.edu. For more information about the alumni breakfast in Nashville on Wednesday June 25, 2014, at 7:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Music City; contact Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church and National Alumni Coordinator at markkellytyler@gmail.com.

About Right Rev. Gregory G. M. Ingram

Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram was appointed presiding prelate of the First Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on July 4, 2012, during the 49th Quadrennial Session of the denomination’s General Conference, held in Nashville, Tenn. At the 2008 General Conference, Bishop Ingram was elected to chair the General Conference Commission, which oversaw planning and organization for the 49th Quadrennial Session. In his new assignment, he will preside over seven annual conferences comprising Delaware, New England, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda.

Bishop Ingram was elected and consecrated the 118th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2000. His first appointment was to the Fifteenth Episcopal District, which comprises Angola, Namibia and most of South Africa. His second appointment was to the Tenth Episcopal District, which encompasses the State of Texas. Under his visionary leadership, Bishop Ingram introduced the District to his 10-Point Partnership Plan, a strategy for improving every aspect of life for the people of the Tenth Episcopal District. He has refined that plan and reintroduced it as 10 Priorities for the First Episcopal District for the 2012-2016 Quadrennium:

Church, Community and Civic Involvement
Church Growth and Evangelism
Education
Health and Healing
Information Technology/Communication
Membership and Discipleship
Mission Outreach and Disaster Relief
Spiritual Formation
Stewardship and Fiscal Integrity
Youth and Young Adults

Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Bishop Ingram served as the Senior Minister of Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church in Detroit, Mich. During his 13-year pastorate, the church prospered both numerically and financially. Under his compassionate leadership and spiritual direction, 2,400 people united in membership, more than 1,400 were inspired to become tithers and a $2.3-million building and expansion project was undertaken and paid off in five years. Before being assigned to Oak Grove, Bishop Ingram served as pastor of A.M.E. churches in Chicago, Springfield and Alton, Illinois. He also served two years on the religious staff at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Campus.

Bishop Ingram has distinguished himself throughout African Methodism, in particular, and the religious community, in general, for his expertise on stewardship and tithing. He is a dynamic preacher and lecturer who is sought after to speak at churches, colleges, universities and civic functions. He has authored a number of publications that are heralded throughout African Methodism. Included among them are Equipping the Saints for Service, The African Methodist Episcopal Church Pastor’s Journal and Quarterly Conference Record Book, The Joy of Giving More Than Enough and The S.A.T. Manual on African Methodism: A Study Guide on the Faith, Beliefs, History and Structure of the World’s Oldest Denomination Founded by Blacks, an acclaimed instructional tool for new members that has been updated and expanded.

Bishop Ingram holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilberforce University, a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Antioch College, a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary. His religious, civic, community, professional and social affiliations, past and present, include the Ecumenical Center for Stewardship Studies in North America (executive board member), the Christian Communication Council (board member), Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (advisory board member) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (life member). He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and is a Thirty-Third Degree Mason-Prince Hall Affiliation.

Bishop Ingram is married to the Reverend Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram, his devoted partner in ministry. They are the proud parents of one adult daughter, Jennifer Eman Keanne, and the grandparents of two treasured granddaughters, Jayda and "Gabby."