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PAD Conferences

2011 People of African Descent Conference

Past Conference Photos

2008 - 2006 - 2004 - 2002 - 2000 - 1998
2007 General Conf. - 1999 General Conf.

2010 PAD at General Conference

2008 PAD Conference Booklet - Part 1 - Part 2
**Note: This pdf is over 8 mb and may take longer to download

PAD Conference History:

1995 --- During the MCC World Jubilee & General Conference in Atlanta, GA, 40+ people of African descent gathered to connect with one another and expressed the desire to stay connected.   The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to influence the efforts of MCC to recruit and retain African-Americans in U.S. and international churches within the denomination.  Out of this meeting the group submitted a report to the Board of Elders and General Council (the governing bodies of MCC) The First Report on the State of African-Americans in MCC to General Council and the Board of Elders.  One of the recommendations within this report was that the denomination should begin sponsoring a bi-annual conference for People of African Descent in MCC.  The Board of Elders asked Rev. Elder Darlene Garner to be responsible for ensuring follow-through on the recommendations contained in The Report, including convening biennial MCC conferences for people of African descent.

1998 --- 1st MCC Leadership Conference for African Americans (Beltsville, MD); chaired by Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, Conference Convener.

2000 --- 2nd MCC Leadership Conference for African-Americans (McLean, VA); chaired by Ms. Onetta Brooks of MCC LA. 

2002 --- 3rd MCC Leadership Conference for People of African Descent (Atlanta, GA); convened by Rev. Wanda Floyd of Imani MCC in Durham, NC, and Mr. Barry Hundley of First MCC in Atlanta, GA.

2004 --- 4th MCC Leadership Conference for People of African Descent and Parallel Track (Houston, TX); co-chaired by Ms. Anita Jones-Merritt, Mr. Kenneth M. Samuel, and Ms. Philippa Lynn Jenkins of Resurrection MCC in Houston, TX.

2006 --- 5th MCC Leadership Conference for People of African Descent and our Friends and Allies (Tampa, FL); co-chaired by Rev. Candy Holmes of Christ the Liberator MCC in North Brunswick, NJ, and Rev. Franc Perry of First MCC of Atlanta in Atlanta, GA.

Relationship of the PAD Conference to MCC

The Conference for People of African Descent is an official conference sponsored by MCC and is included in MCC’s annual budget process.  MCC staff is available to work with planning teams to provide assistance with site selection, negotiating hotel contracts, preparing marketing materials, maintaining the conference Web site, and managing pre-conference registrations.  A representative of the Board of Elders serves as Convener of the Conference to ensure that MCC continues to provide the resources and supports that are needed for each Conference and to provide information from the Conference to the Board of Elders, Board of Administration, and MCC staff, as appropriate.

Planning Principles

1. The Conference should “travel” among the various Regions in North America.
2. The Conference should be affordable for potential registrants.
3. The Conference should be advertised as broadly as possible, beginning twelve (12) months in advance.
4. The Conference program content should be relevant to the changing needs of people of African descent in MCC.
5. The Conference should include programming specifically designed for people who are not of African descent yet desire to learn about and share with people of African descent.