Hood Theological Seminary News Service

Virtual Firm Foundation Covenant Service

Hood Theological Seminary’s 2025 Virtual Firm Foundation Covenant Service is scheduled for February 5, 2025, at 6 p.m. The preacher will be Bishop George D. Crenshaw, Northeastern District of the A.M.E. Zion Church. For more information on Bishop Crenshaw, please go here: https://www.needzion.org/bishopcrenshaw . This event will be virtual via Zoom.

This annual service is sponsored by the Board of Bishops of the A.M.E. Zion Church, and at this special gathering, the bishops conduct a moving and inspiring service and bring collections from their Episcopal Districts in support of the Seminary. This free event is open to the public and all are welcome. For more information, including the zoom link to attend the event, go here: https://www.hoodseminary.edu/news/attend-the-2025-firm-foundation-covenant-service .

Bishop Alfred E. and Mrs. Mamie White Endowed Heritage Lecture Series

The 2025 Bishop Alfred E. and Mrs. Mamie White Endowed Heritage Lecture Series will take place next month, on Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., and Feb. 8, at 10 a.m.

The speaker will be Bishop Michael A. Frencher.

Frencher is the A.M.E. Zion Bishop-in-Residence at Hood Theological Seminary. As the A.M.E. Zion Bishop-in-Residence, he will teach, preach, advocate for the Seminary, and work with students as required. Frencher is the 101st Bishop in Succession of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and was elected at the 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the AME Zion Church in July 2012. He is originally from Detroit and has pastored churches across South Carolina, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Frencher also taught at Hood Theological Seminary for 17 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit, a master’s of divinity degree from Hood Theological Seminary, and a doctor of ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. In 2013, he was awarded the doctor of divinity degree from Hood-Speaks-Theological Seminary in Nigeria. He was the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Trustee Service Award which honors distinguished Alumni and Trustee Emeritus – Bishop George E. Battle, Jr.

The Heritage Lectureship Series, established in 1999, is held each February. Dr. Albert Aymer established the lecture series to celebrate the heritage of Hood Theological Seminary and to help create a broader academic environment for seminary students and faculty. The public is cordially invited to attend all lecture series sponsored by the seminary. In 2012, the Seminary renamed the lecture series the Bishop Alfred E. and Mamie White Heritage Lectureship Series.

Bishop Alfred E. White was recognized as a compassionate and innovative pastor, building character and churches. His tenure as pastor culminated at Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Hartford, Connecticut, where he served for 22 years and gained notable recognition as a powerful preacher and spiritual leader. The key to his success as a pastor stemmed from the fact that his work was produced by faith, his labors were prompted by love, and his endurance was inspired by faith and hope in Jesus Christ. His denominational involvements spanned years of dedicated service to the A.M.E. Zion Church. His ability to motivate and his sensitive and caring leadership in the capacity as Presiding Elder of the Hartford District earned Alfred E. White the reputation of being a “Pastor’s pastor.” His thirst for knowledge and his considerable pastoral experiences made Bishop White an exceptional and respected instructor at Hartford Theological Seminary and Livingstone College. He was described as “a staunch advocate of ecumenicalism and for social justice among people of diverse faiths.” The AME Zion Church recognized the extraordinary gifts of Alfred E. White when in August 1984 the denomination’s General Conference elected him as the 80th bishop in succession in the A.M.E. Zion Church. Bishop White’s leadership extended to the wider community where he served on numerous Boards and Commissions, including 13 years as chairman of the Human Relations Commission of the City of Hartford. He also had a great love for music and was an accomplished violinist who played with the Hartford Civic Orchestra and often accompanied the Chancel Choir of Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church.

The lectures will take place virtually via zoom. Zoom links are forthcoming and will be posted on the Hood website here: https://www.hoodseminary.edu/news/2025-heritage-lecture-series . Please note, there will be two Zoom links, one for Friday and one for Saturday.