The Shrines of the Black Madonna of the PAOCC Celebrate their 60th Anniversary

The Shrines of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church (PAOCC) will celebrate 60 years of Christian service and hold its 2013 Synod Conference, Oct. 25 -27 in Atlanta, Georgia, its Southern Regional Office. 

Founded in 1953, the Shrines of the Black Madonna secured headlines with the unveiling of an 18-foot chancel mural of a Black Madonna and Child on Easter Sunday, 1963, at its church in Detroit. The PAOCC continues to affirm the African foundation of Christianity and a theology of becoming one’s “best self” in service to God and one’s community. 

Bishop Demosthenes Nelson, presiding bishop of the PAOCC, will give the opening keynote address. A 40-year member of the PAOCC, Bishop Nelson assumed leadership of the PAOCC in 2000, following the transition of Bishop Albert B. Cleage, Jr., founder of the Shrines of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church. 

 “The Shrines of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church have been beacons of light in the black community for more than three generations,” says Bishop Nelson. “We affirm that there is a spark of divinity is in every person. Once realized and nurtured, that spark can ignite a movement that can transform individuals and communities to reflect the will of God.  We look forward to the future and pay tribute to our past as we light the way for a new generation of progressive thought and leadership.”

Synod sessions include the expansion of the church’s “Best Self” theology, an update on Beulah Land, its 4,000+-acre agribusiness in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, and voting on the organization’s revised Constitution.  

Invited speakers include Baraka Sele, assistant vice president of programming at New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Gary Coleman, named by the DTN/The Progressive Farmer as one of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers for 2013; and Blair Evans, MIT engineer and Chief Innovation Officer of Incite Focus.

The Synod will culminate with the 60th Anniversary Gala at the conference site and worship services at the Atlanta church in the city’s historic West End community.

The 2013 Synod is open to the public and will be held at the Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree Resort. For registration, visit http://www.theyearofrestoration.org/Synod-2013.html.