'AME Exposed' Special Report – The Sinister 'Bryant' AME Connection
March 18th, 2009
Bishop John R. Bryant
UPDATE 3.18.09 – 10:15pm: A prominent 5th District minister emailed Mo’Kelly and indicated that Rev. Hubert Armstrong of the 4th District (who punched the woman in the youtube video below) is now deceased and most likely died before the changeover in bishops in 2008.
____________________________________________________________________
Yesterday (Tuesday) a settlement was reached in the lawsuit against AME Bishop John Bryant for his role/responsibility in allowing (the late) Rev. Sylvester Laudermill Jr. to molest multiple minors in both St. Louis and Los Angeles AME churches. For the AME savvy, the Bryant name is not unfamiliar with controversy.
Bishop Bryant’s son Jamal-Harrison Bryant, is pastor of
Jamal-Harrison Bryant
the 10,000-member Empowerment Temple AME church in Baltimore. Ironically, in J.H. Bryant’s most recent Father’s Day sermon titled, The Curse of R-Kelly, he asked “where are the fathers who will protect their children from pedophiles,” like the singer (who later was acquitted on all charges).
Not so ironically, the youtube clips featuring the sermon were recently pulled…which Mo’Kelly takes to be uh…um…a “coincidence.”
Yes, fathers, pedophiles and the AME church…a “coincidence.”
For those unaware, J.H. Bryant’s ministry has long been dogged by accusations of adultery and sodomy, including an unsubstantiated rumor that the younger Bryant impregnated a 17-year-old girl. Although church officers asked him to step down pending a paternity test, Bryant remained in the pulpit. No word on the result of the paternity test or if one was ever given. This is not including a recent revelation that he has an 8-year-old daughter from before his marriage, made public due to court-ordered child support, not through public admission.
Yes, fathers, pedophiles and the AME church…a “coincidence.”
And for those who doubted the veracity of the rumors, they were enough for his then wife Gizelle to file for divorce in February of 2008, alleging among other things, adultery.
The Baltimore Sun characterized their marriage as follows:
“Bryant and his wife, a former model, are known for their flashy lifestyle, which includes a Bentley and a multimillion-dollar Canton waterfront property. Their lifestyle has attracted criticism from those who say the church is more about his business enterprises and building wealth than religion. Her original divorce complaint stated that he earned more than $350,000 a year.”
If the city of “Baltimore” jumps out at you the reader, it’s probably because that once upon a time, the elder Bryant used to pastor the venerable Bethel AME in Baltimore. That would be the SAME Bethel AME back in the news for its music minister Timothy Price being sentenced to 7 years in prison for repeatedly raping a 12-year old girl recently. “Coincidentally,” the younger J.H. Bryant was also the assistant pastor at Bethel from 1997-2000.
Yes, fathers, pedophiles and the AME church…a “coincidence.”
Price story HERE.
But back to the younger Bryant…
If you look more closely at the history of J.H. Bryant, the mounting “circumstantial” evidence and “hmmm factor” rises considerably. Prior to ever becoming a pastor, J.H. Bryant served as the director of the national NAACP’s youth and college division.
Yes, youth and college division.
The elder, Bishop John Bryant has now been embroiled in two separate molestation scandals, both connected to the late Rev. Sylvester Laudermill Jr., who Bryant transferred from St. Louis to Los Angeles in the midst of an already brooding St. Louis molestation scandal. According to a source closely connected to the family of “John Doe” victim in Los Angeles who contacted The Mo’Kelly Report; although “John Doe” in Los Angeles was NOT infected with HIV, the aforementioned St. Louis victim was in fact infected with HIV.
Laudermill died in October of 2008 due to cancer.
There is legitimate reason to believe the cancer was AIDS-related. The recent lawsuits levied at Ward AME in Los Angeles in connection to Laudermill and Bryant were both settled in February and March respectively. The first settlement is reportedly $300,000 and the second is not publicly known and is sealed under court order. Although it is presumed that any settlement amount for both cases will be paid by the General Church and Bishop Bryant personally…the public will wait and see if Bryant will liquidate some or all of his five houses and his Bentley. Presumably the area churches will also likely be assessed to help pick up the bill.
If that wasn’t troubling enough, Bishop Bryant met with the other AME bishops in Tampa, Florida in June of 2002 to specifically examine AME doctrine and policy in regards to sexual abuse and impropriety committed by pastors.
June 2002 – TWO years prior to the Laudermill transfer.
Full story HERE
Bishop Adam Richardson Jr.
“It signals to us the need to carefully review the administrative processes we employ in handling such issues. We have all (denominations) similarly faced difficult, embarrassing and very sensitive failures on the part of leaders.”
- Bishop Adam Richardson Jr. (June 2002)
Again, the transfer of Rev. Sylvester Laudermill Jr. from St. Louis to Los Angeles, despite the public allegations occurred in 2004, two years after this gathering.
The AME doctrine even as of 2002 was clear that allegations of misconduct be reported to a bishop or presiding elder. A committee is then to investigate and determine whether a minister is at fault and should be dismissed or suspended. No hearing was convened in regards to Laudermill and not surprisingly, a second incident occurred in Los Angeles in subsequent years.
But wait, there’s more…
Mind you this was THREE years after the highly publicized Saundra
Rev. Saundra McFadden-Weaver
McFadden/Rev. Ron Williams Kansas City debauchery/sexual harassment case of 1999 where a minister used his affair with a member as leverage in his threat to ruin both her marriage and career.
Full story HERE. (Note, this link is VERY GRAPHIC in nature in terms of described imagery.)
View Rev. McFadden-Weaver’s Myspace Page HERE
The McFadden/Williams scandal/lawsuit also occurred in the 5th district of the AME church.
Another “coincidence” to be sure.
Bishop Vernon R. Byrd
But to sum up the McFadden-Weaver saga…check out Bishop Vernon R. Byrd.
Bishop Byrd, in his deposition, admitted that there was “no investigation” of Saundra’s sexual harassment claims and that he took no action when his secretary complained that Prince Albert Williams had made inappropriate comments to her. He admitted that the AME church had no sexual harassment policy until 1996.
When asked what option a woman had if she were being sexually harassed, he said she should “examine herself.”
“What should she examine herself for?” Fletcher asked.
“For whatever reason she wants to examine herself…. [She should ask] herself, ‘How did I get in this position?’” Byrd replied.
If the church had never taken punitive actions against anyone for alleged sexual harassment, Fletcher asked, how would people know those activities were wrong?
“That’s on them,” Bishop Byrd replied.
Prince Albert Williams was transferred to Kansas and received a cut in salary, and Bishop Byrd retired to Arizona.
(Note 5.6.09 – Update on Bishop Byrd)
Bishop Vernon R. Byrd Succumbs
Bishop Vernon Randolph Byrd, the 105th elected and consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church passed this afternoon, May 5, 2009, at his home in Charlotte, NC. Service arrangements for Bishop Vernon Randolph Byrd:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Visitation: 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon
Funeral: 12:00 Noon Greater Bethel AME Church 5232 The Plaza Charlotte, NC 28215 (704) 566-9000 Email: gboffice@carolina.rr.com. Rev. Morris Reddon, Pastor
Bishop Bryant was appointed the presiding prelate of the 5th district during the adjudication of this lawsuit, STILL TWO years prior to the church convening to address sexual abuse and harassment doctrine in full and four full years before deciding to transfer Laudermill to Los Angeles.
After Bishop Bryant left the 5th district in 2008 (bishops must move posts after 8 years), he landed in the 4th district. That would be the same 4th district in which Rev. Hubert Armstrong of St. James Church in St. Paul, Minnesota was reappointed in the midst of allegations of theft. Oh and he also punched a woman in the face…ON CAMERA.
To date, I can find no evidence of disciplinary action taken against Armstrong, which “coincidentally” would have fallen under the responsibility of Bishop Bryant.
The sinister Bryant connection to the AME church and the scandals contained therein continue…
RELATED:
2nd Settlement Reached in Laudermill/Ward AME Molestation Case
AME Church Exposed Part II – Interview w/ Rev. Kupaji Jaliwa
The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.mrmokelly.com. Mo’Kelly can be reached at Mo@mrmokelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.
Subscribe to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE
Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: 4th District, 5th District, Bishop John R. Bryant, Jamal-Harrison Bryant, Sylvester Laudermill, Vernon Byrd, Ward AME
11 Responses to “'AME Exposed' Special Report – The Sinister 'Bryant' AME Connection”
Leave a Reply
Saturday and Sunday nights from 8pm - 9pm PDT on XM 244.
In the time that I have been an AME, there has always been a double standard. If you don’t play the game with them, you are isolated. But if you play, you can get away with anything.
Does Jamal Bryant have a Phd., from Oxford? Does his soon-to-be ex-wife, Gizelle, have a degree from Howard University in Marketing? People are saying that he does NOT have a degree from Oxford. I checked his websites and none of them state that his wife has a degree of any kind. I would think that they would, especially since he lists all of his. Thank you.
i am so sorry to read such pain amoung parishoners. remember, we should be aligned with God, Jesus as we lay our all on the altar, and lay prostrate before Him. the church, in all its falicies, is not 'without spot nor wrinkle' and clearly while 'many are called, few are chosen', yet we should 'walk in grace and not in the flesh'.
rather than walk away from the a.m.e. church, let's enter in fervent prayer for the transgressions of bishops, presiding elders, pastors, ministers and lay of our church. the adversdary 'seeks whom he may devour, roaming to and fro', to not let those who have made poor choices give you a harden heart, rather, we must hold them accountable and responsible for their action and inaction and contiue to lift them in prayer.
Harriet,
My sentiments exactly. We realize that no man is perfect and in God's eyes, sin is sin, all to the same degree. By no means does this justify the behavior of our leaders or lay, but it does reaffirm and makes clear the reason why he bore our sins on the cross at Calvary. We should all trust and depend on God in every situation because as long as we are human, we will commit sins.
Consider this, FORGIVENESS should have it's own National Holiday!!!! Thought provoking?????
[...] Related: The Sinister AME/Bryant Connection [...]
I just heard Jamal Harrison Bryant on April 26, 2010 at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit for the first time. I was so disgusted with his handling of the Word of God and was surprised that 10,000 people were screaming, yelling, and encouraging this deceiver from their venerable pulpit. I realized that the 'anointing' in this church was equated to their loud, sharp voices, both of Bryant and of their Pastor, Edgar Vann, of their phenomenal choir, and the quality of their musicians. I took issue with Bryant because 1. he made mention of his infidelity but made no mention of his repentance. Instead, he justified it stating that God was someone who gave people second chances and was not looking for perfect people. 2. I was irritated with his lack of exposition from I Samuel 8 and instead, encouraged people to lose their 2 donkeys, spouses, children, jobs, homes, etc. for the anointing which would make them kings. 3. He spent most, if not all of his speaking time with personal application of the text, stating that God would send them an answer to prayer and deliver them within seven days. I do not consider this man someone who can speak for God nor an astute student of the Word of God. Supposedly, he did have some theological training but I'd probably recommend people to stay away from the schools that he learned from since his preaching totally puts to shame the rigors needed to study and expose Scripture.
WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL HOW WE PUT OUR MOUTHS ON THE MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD, TOUCH NOT MY ANOITED AND DO MY PROPHETS NO HARM, THATS THE WORD OF GOD REMEMBER YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
EVANGELIST MITCHELL
pastor jamal byrant you have change me the words you preach are so real you are a one of a kind pastor i have never heard know body to preach and be so amazing and loving what they do with a sense of style while sending a power message from havenly father every sunday i look forward to come to receive my blessing from empower temple i thank god daily that the pastor he pick for my family is the greatest so i know you heard these words a million of time but it,s the truth.
you are so amazing i just had to tell you that you have made a difference in me & my daughter life when we come there i get so excited about hereing god name because i know you are preaching from with in and that itself is outstanding thank you pastor jamal byrant.
Dear Min. Rosalind Mitchell: when one quotes the scripture,"touch not my annoited do my prophet no harm" either in defense of himself or for another who is being exposed or reprimanded for some misbehavior antithetical to the Christian theology, please be aware that all believers are God's annoited. I believe that when the body of Christ is calling the men and women of God to task to be the moral leaders that they where called to be, we are not doing the prophet harm, but simply rescuing him/her from hell's fire.
Good right hand, Rev.:-) Hey, ladies equality is not a convenience.