Close Menu
    Advertise With Us
    Religion

    Rev. Henry E. Green III: The Right Pastor at the Right Time   

    4 Mins Read25 Views
    Rev. Henry E. Green, III
    Advertisement

     By Sylvester “ Nunnie” Robinson

    On March  19, 2022, Bishop Frank Madison Reid, Presiding Prelate of the Eleventh Episcopal District,  under the jurisdiction  of the South Annual Conference of  the African Methodist Episcopal Church, assigned pastoral charge of Mount Hermon AME Church Fort Lauderdale to Rev. Henry E. Green III, making him the 33rd pastor in the church’s storied history.

    Pastor Trae’s appointment to Mt. Hermon is both unique and timely as he follows his father, Rev. Henry E. Green, Jr., the dynamic, visionary spiritual leader who pastored Mount Hermon for eight years, and timely because Pastor Trae brings a wealth of experience, a youthful exuberance and an unquenchable desire to transform the church  through Christian conversion.

    Manifestations of his sincerity and devotion to Christ’s teachings were succinctly evident to bible study participants recently when he taught bible study via zoom in an airport terminal while waiting to board a flight to Atlanta. On a another occasion, having been called to an out of town meeting, he pulled over on the side of the road and conducted bible study, fervent, passionate  examples not lost on his members.

    As  a member I secretly harbored the thought that Pastor Trae would be chosen to succeed his father as I am certain others did as well.  What an honor and privilege!

    His father and current presiding elder of the Celebrated Central District stated thusly : “The appointment of Pastor to a church with the rich history and legacy of Mount Hermon AME is a tremendous honor and responsibility. I feel very blessed to have the privilege of experiencing it for myself, but also to have my son, Reverend Henry E. Green III, succeed me as Pastor, doubling the honor for me. He is a dynamic, innovative, and intelligent leader who I believe will lead Mount Hermon to unprecedented growth and impact upon the City of Fort Lauderdale. The best for Mount Hermon is not behind us but in front of us ; with Jesus the best is yet to come.”

    Steward Pro Tem Dr. Judy Johnson witnessed  Pastor Trae’s appointments as Executive and Senior Pastor  of Mount Hermon Fort Lauderdale, stating with great pride, “I brought the Certificate of Appointment and presented it to the congregation on Sunday, March 22, 2022.”

    Although Pastor Trae, as he is affectionately called, was born in Jacksonville, FL., his formative years were experienced in Miami where he attended and graduated from Carol City Senior High School, then matriculated to the University of Florida in Gainesville, earning  a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. Additionally, Pastor Trae earned his Masters in Theology from ITC (Interdenominational Theology Seminary) in Atlanta and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Theology from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

    However, don’t let his youthful persona deceive you as he has amassed invaluable experience leading several congregations: New Bethel AME in Clewiston, FL.; Person Chapel AME in Midway, Alabama; Greater St. Mark AME in Columbus, Georgia; and most recently Payne Chapel AME in West Palm Beach, FL. With every appointment he has left an indelible impact on church, members and community.

    Pastor Trae is presently a board member of the Corey Jones Scholarship Committee, honored with induction in the University of Florida Black Student Alumni “Gator Greats”, inducted in the My Legacy Magazine’s 2021 class Top 40 Under 40 in South Florida, and co-authored a book titled Green Pastures along with three generations of Green clergy family members. He is married to the love of his life, Mrs. Heather Banks Green and is the proud father of two sons, London and Henry IV.

    The Mt. Hermon AME Church family, under the profound leadership of Bishop Frank Madison Reid and Presiding Elder Rev. Henry E. Green, Jr., cordially invites the public to attend “The Investiture Service “ in honor of Rev. Henry E. Green III which will be held at Mount Hermon AME Church, 701 NW 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL., on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at 3:30 p.m.

    A complete bio can be viewed on the Westside Gazette website @www.thewestsidegazette.com

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

    Related Posts

    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.