The United Baptist Missionary Convention of Maryland celebrated its 100th anniversary while reflecting on a century of supporting Black Baptist churches through ministry, mentorship and community outreach. Convention leaders and members highlighted the organization’s continued focus on developing young leaders, serving vulnerable communities and providing support systems beyond the church walls.
Category: Religion
Posted inReligion
Black churches transform food aid into food justice
From Baltimore to North Carolina, Black churches are transforming food ministry into a broader movement around justice, health and community power — responding to disproportionately high hunger rates in Black America with solutions rooted in faith and self-determination.
Posted inReligion
Meet Bishop Harry L. Seawright, the new leader of AME’s Second Episcopal District
Bishop Harry L. Seawright, 70, now leads the AME’s Second Episcopal District, drawing on a lifetime of ministry shaped by his upbringing in rural South Carolina. Read about his journey to the episcopacy on AFRO.com.
Posted inReligion
In the Black Church, Women’s Hats Still Testify
Black women’s church hats have been a symbol of faith, dignity, creativity, and resistance for generations, reflecting a tradition of reverence, self-expression, and cultural pride.
Posted inReligion
‘Pray and stay’ is still hurting Black women in church
The Rev. Dr. Thema Bryant says many Black churches have made progress on domestic violence — but too many still pressure women to stay, forgive, and protect the institution instead of protecting survivors.
Posted inWord In Black
500 voices, one mission: Reviving Baltimore’s gospel sound
Combining past, present and future, Eric Waddell’s vision is about more than harmony. It’s about reconnecting young people to a legacy built in Baltimore’s choir lofts. Hundreds of singers are pushing back, one rehearsal at a time.
Posted inReligion
Reverend Nontombi Tutu speaks at Asbury UMC’s annual Women’s Day Service
By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to The AFRO By her own admission, the Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, struggled against accepting the call to ministry for most of her life. But you couldn’t tell, based on the reactions of worshipers at Asbury United Methodist Church (UMC) on Sunday, April 2, […]
Posted inOPINION
Cannabis, justice and religion: My journey to leading a dispensary
Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III is an author, nonprofit executive and now, CEO of Marula Wellness Dispensary. This week, he shares his inspiration for pursuing and opening his own marijuana dispensary.
Posted inReligion
Pope prays at Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade
Pope Leo XIV visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola, a Catholic shrine with deep spiritual significance and a painful history as a hub in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. During his visit, he prayed for healing and acknowledged the suffering endured by Angolans over centuries, while scholars and observers reflected on the Catholic Church’s historical role in slavery and the need for further acknowledgment and reconciliation.
Posted inWord In Black
Behind the pulpit, Black women battle violence and silence
The killing of Rev. Tammy McCollum on Easter Sunday, allegedly at the hands of her husband, is a shocking example of intimate partner violence in the church. But a growing number of Black women clergy struggle to break through misogyny and violence inside the church — harm often unspoken, protected by patriarchy, shame and fear of not being believed.
Posted inReligion
Next lifetime or this one? Erykah Badu ignites a tithing debate
A debate sparked by Erykah Badu’s purported critique of tithing has reignited questions about faith, financial literacy and systemic inequality. At stake: whether a cornerstone of Black church tradition supports community survival — or complicates efforts to close the racial wealth gap.
Posted inReligion
Many US Catholics are dismayed by No. 47’s unprecedented broadside at the first American pope
Many U.S. Catholics and some evangelical leaders are expressing dismay after the 47th U.S. president launched an unprecedented verbal attack on Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, highlighting growing tensions between the White House and key religious constituencies ahead of the midterm elections.