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PRESS RELEASE For more information contact:
The Reverend Doctor Harry L. Seawright July 31, 2006 (Brandywine, MD) – On Monday, July 17, 2006, at the Second Episcopal District Planning Meeting in Hampton, Virginia, The Reverend Dr. Harry L. Seawright, Pastor of Union Bethel AME Church, in Brandywine and Temple Hills, Maryland, announced his candidacy for Bishop in 2008. With his family, several co-laborers in ministry and a vast number of the Union Bethel congregation standing with him, Pastor Seawright announced to Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Episcopal Supervisor Connie Speights Richardson and the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church that he has heard the voice of God and that he has been called to Episcopal Service. He stated, “As a child of sharecroppers, I stand on the shoulders of my parents, from Swansea, South Carolina, to over 30 years in ministry and 25 years as a pastor - I must be obedient and accept God’s calling on my life.” A native of South Carolina Rev. Dr. Seawright’s first pastoral assignment was Interim Pastor of St. Stephen AME Church, St. Matthews, SC. In 1981, after being ordained an Itinerant Elder, he received his first of 3 pastoral assignments from Bishop John Hurst Adams. The 1981 assignment was to Payne Memorial AME Church, Jessup, Maryland. At this church, located in a rural area between Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland, this young pastor led the church in installing indoor bathroom facilities. Prayer, faith, and outreach to the community, especially students at the Laurel, Maryland Job Corps Center, formed the foundations of Pastor Seawright’s ministry at Payne. The membership increased, and God allowed the church to prosper spiritually and financially. In 1983 Rev. Dr. Seawright was assigned to Hemingway Temple AME Church, Washington, DC. Through prayer, fasting, and faith, the pastor and people installed central air conditioning. By providing food, fellowship, and clothing, they continued a mid-week ministry to the hungry and homeless in the urban setting. Assigned as pastor in 1986, Rev. Dr. Seawright has served the people of Union Bethel AME Church for over 20 years. His innovative leadership has transformed the ‘little church in the country’ to a well-respected and powerful ‘Five-Star Ministry Serving a Five-Star People’ in a suburb of Washington, DC. Under his leadership, Union Bethel has grown from 200 members to over 1,500 members. Fifteen years ago the candidate led the Union Bethel church family in building a new worship edifice in Brandywine. In 2001 Union Bethel transformed an abandoned drugstore in Temple Hills, Maryland, into a sanctuary, daycare center, and banquet facility. Now Union Bethel has two worship sites. More than 50 ministries have been birthed under Pastor Seawright’s leadership, including before-and after-care programs, summer camps, a kindergarten class, Bethel House, Inc. (a non-profit outreach ministry serving the counties of Prince George’s and Charles), Unity Economic Development Corporation, HIV/AIDS Ministry, Deliverance Ministry, Community Thrift Store. Future plans call for an 80,784 square feet community recreation center to be built on part of the 50 acres of land Union Bethel purchased during Pastor Seawright’s tenure. Candidate Seawright holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Benedict College, Columbia, SC, a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Religion and a Doctor of Ministry from Howard University School of Divinity, both in Washington, DC. During his doctoral studies, he was a participant in the Congress of National Black Churches’ National Black Pastors Fellowship Program where he was assigned as a fellow at Partners for Sacred Places in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also received a Fellowship to St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford in Oxford, England, where he presented a position paper on “The Relationship between Religion, Education, and Politics”. Pastor Seawright’s service and leadership in the AME Church is based on faith, commitment, integrity and sincerity. His current appointments are: Treasurer of the Washington Annual Conference; Treasurer of the Second Episcopal District; Treasurer of the Second Episcopal District Religious, Educational and Charitable Non-Profit Board (RED, Inc.); Trustee of the Washington Annual Conference; Instructor of Homiletics with the Washington Annual Conference Board of Examiners; and Chair of the Salary and Upkeep Committee for Presiding Elder Goodwin Douglas. Some of his former positions are: President of the AME Ministerial Alliance of Washington, DC & Vicinity; Dean of the Washington Annual Conference Board of Examiners; Chief Accountant in the AME Church Finance Department, under the leadership of the late Dr. Joseph C. McKinney, in Washington, DC; Delegate to the General Conference; Second Episcopal District Director of Evangelism; and the General Conference Preliminary Inquiry Committee. Pastor Harry L. Seawright has been blessed to serve under the Episcopal leadership of Bishop Frank Madison Reid, Jr., Bishop Henry Wendell Murph, Bishop John Hurst Adams, Bishop Hamel Hartford Brookins, Bishop Frederick Calhoun James, and Bishop Vinton Randolph Anderson. His current Presiding Prelate is Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson. He has learned much from and gained respect for all of these bishops. Rev. Dr. Harry L. Seawright is a global traveler who has served on foreign missions trips in Bermuda, Johannesburg, South Africa; Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya and the Caribbean. He is the author of the book, “More than Bricks and Mortar – Building a Church without Losing Your Mind”, 1986. He is a contributing author to the African American Devotional Bible, “Quality Leadership” and the Pastor’s Manual, “The Pastor’s Role in Church Construction”. As an entrepreneur, this candidate is the founder and CEO of 3 businesses (HLS Consulting, Inc., WE KLEEN, Inc. and Prestigious Realty and Property Management, Inc.) that employ over 25 people from the Washington Metropolitan community. He is a well-known church leadership consultant, community leader, workshop speaker and role model to many, Pastor Seawright is 50 years old and has been married to his college sweetheart, The Reverend Sherita Moon Seawright for 24 years. They have two children and one grandson. Rev. Dr. Harry L. Seawright is a man of God whose life and Christian service demonstrate love, encouragement, empowerment and integrity. Pastor Seawright offers himself as a “Spirit-Filled, Spirit-Led, Spirit-Driven” candidate. His strong faith in God, respect for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, genuine love and compassion for people, academic preparation, business acumen, and creativity in pastoral ministry combine to make him a candidate for Episcopal Service. For more information or to assist with the campaign, please visit www.SeawrightforBishop.com.
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