Faith Honors its Patriarch, Dr. Ndugu T’Ofori-Atta, with an Appreciation Banquet
It was an occasion of great celebration with decor characteristic of the man of the hour. Faith honored its patriarch, Dr. Ndugu G.B. T’Ofori-Atta, with an appreciation banquet on Saturday, June 4, 2011. His family and friends from across the country came to Atlanta to give words of thanks and to uplift and honor the mighty work of Dr. ‘T’, as he is affectionately called. Doris Jones served as mistress of ceremonies for the evening and led the audience in the carefully organized program, which included reflections from persons from the AME Zion denomination and the village. Due to a recent illness, Dr. T was unable to attend the banquet. However, the program was videotaped for his viewing afterwards. The attendees even sang a short hearty song to Dr. T, – “Dr. T We Love You” – led by Doris Jones. It was a beautiful evening of fellowship. Dr. T is currently recovering well. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.
To see pictorial highlights from the program, click here to be forwarded to the album on our Facebook page.
Rev. Dr. Ndugu T’Ofori Atta is professor emeritus of Church and Society at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA. Dr. T’Ofori Atta is founder and director of the Religious Heritage of the African World project. An ordained minister of the AME Zion church, T’Ofori Atta worked as a missionary in the former Belgian Congo in the 1950s and 60s where he made important links to the Kimbanguist independent African church movement. He is a founding organizer of the Pan African Christian Conference.
Dr. T’s contributions to Zion include pastorates at Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh, Pa,; Charleston in West Virginia; Rush Church in Cambridge, Mass; and in North Carolina – East Spencer in Salisbury and St. Paul in Hickory. In Atlanta, Georgia twice at Shaw Temple in ‘70s and 80’s; and three times at Bush Chapel, Winder, GA. He also served as Presiding Elder of the North Georgia Conference in ‘80’s under Bishops Arthur Marshall and Cecil Bishop. Other bishops he served under include: Bishop W.J. Walls, Bishop C. Coleman, Bishop C. Foggie, Bishop H. Anderson and Bishop G. Battle. Dr. T retired in 1999, but was called out after one day, to pastor the new society Faith, as Faith’s first pastor in Atlanta. Faith’s journey was in 4 locations in 5 years before repurchasing the old Shaw Temple building. During the travel in the wilderness after 4 years, 11+acres of land was purchased in Atlanta, making this the 3rd property secured for Zion (in Atlanta alone) during his pastoral experiences. While serving as pastor of Faith under Bishop Joseph Johnson and then Bishop Clarence Carr, he was appointed by Bishop Carr as Director of Strategic Planning for the State of Georgia. At the 2006 Annual Conference, Dr. T was officially retired from active ministry.
Faith Women Strive to be Better-The Sistah Friend Circle
The Sistah Friend Circle is a group of women, divinely led, striving to be better individuals and striving to be better “sistahs” to each other. An invitation was put forth by Sistah Tammi Love, wife of Pastor Jawwad Love (Faith AME Zion Church), during the worship service at Faith on Resurrection Sunday 2011, for women to come together to discuss and review the book, Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer. It was at that gathering that the Sistah Friend Circle was birthed and a resurgence of empowerment was stirred up!
The Sistah Friend Circle is an effort to walk out the mission of Faith AME Zion Church, which is, “Building Kingdom People for Kingdom Living by Empowering, Equipping, Encouraging, & Expressing the love of Jesus Christ”. Many seeds of prayer and resources have been sown into the Circle and its endeavors. We are intentional about changing lives. You are welcome to join us in our journey to make a sincere difference in a “sistah’s” life, beginning with yourself.
