Special to The American
At 10 years and counting, the Rev. James T. Morris becomes the second longest serving pastor of the 112 year old Lane Tabernacle CME Church. On Sunday, September 12, Pastor Morris and first lady Lisha Morris will be honored for their historic contributions to the church, the St. Louis community and the state of Missouri.
At 10 a.m., the morning worship service speaker will be the Rev. Phillip Washington, the former pastor of Pilgrim Temple CME Church in East St. Louis. Washington, a seminary classmate of Pastor Morris, is now serving as presiding elder of the Detroit and Mid-Michigan District of the C.M.E. Church.
At 3 p.m., a special joint worship service will be held featuring special guests the Rev. Earl Nance Jr. and the choir and congregation of the Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church and several other C.M.E. churches of the city.
When Morris arrived a decade ago, Lane Tabernacle was facing one of its biggest challenges as members struggled to replace their fire-damaged educational building. Under Morris’ leadership, a new building with a new mission has been erected. The Isom Community Center now serves the entire city by hosting health fairs, a food pantry, a free health clinic and other outreach programs.
Morris continues the tradition of other Lane pastors who expanded their ministries outside the walls of the church. As a political activist he helped lead the fight to restore health care cuts for the poor. He continued to fight for the downtrodden as the Missouri state representative of the 58th District. The thousands who listen to his Friday morning radio show “Morris In The Morning” on 970 AM, WGNU, simply know him as the “Reverend Rep.”
On Sunday mornings, the former divinity school professor goes beyond the cliché’s that many preachers rely on. His in-depth translations of the text accompanied by information on the history and customs of the times, helps members understand why they shout for joy.
During his tenure at Lane, Morris has made many innovative changes, including establishing a prison ministry, health ministry and creating an annual black history dinner show called “From The Cotton Fields To The Cotton Club.”
Lane’s first lady, Lisha Morris, shuns the limelight, preferring to work behind the scenes. She works with the youth in a variety of ways and uses her creative talents to decorate the church for theatrical and special events. Mrs. Morris has a delightfully dry sense of humor, and enjoys exchanging one liners with members.
For more information, please call Lane Tabernacle at 533-0534.
United fish fry
The interracial group United Church Men of Greater St. Louis is having a fish fry fund raiser on Friday, September 10 from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Boulevard Christian Church, 3000 N. Kingshighway at Labadie. Pick up only. To order ahead, call 367-5767.
International Day of Remembrance
On September 18 at 8 a.m. central time, an International Day of Remembrance all across the world will take place. The St. Louis riverfront is the local site of worship. For more information, contact Hadurah Yisrael 314-653-6845 or MarakaYisrael 314-680-7564.
