COGIC convocation overlaps with election

Bishop Charles Blake
Bishop Charles Blake

— Each November, the Church of God in Christ’s convocation draws tens of thousands of worshippers.

It’s a tradition that dates back 100 years - part revival, part denominational business meeting.

But the church’s religious calendar sometimes collides with the nation’s political calendar, as the Convocation and Election Day periodically overlap. And that’s the case in 2012, as an estimated 40,000 worshippers prepare to gather in St. Louis.

The nine-day gathering begins Monday and will be in full swing on Tuesday, as the nation picks its president.

The Memphis-based church is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States.

To make sure COGIC members don’t miss out on the election, Presiding Bishop Charles Blake and church leaders decided to launch a first-ever absentee ballot initiative. The goal: to make sure the throngs of attendees - most of whom will be arriving from other states - cast ballots before they arrive in Missouri.

Blake is a spiritual adviser to President Barack Obama, who gave a warm greeting to the convocation crowd via video link at the church’s 2010 convocation. But Talbert W. Swan II, one of the pastors organizing the initiative, said that support for Obama isn’t the motivating factor for the drive.

“It was not particularly launched in support of the president. As a predominantly African-American congregation we are aware of the sacrifices made by many to have the right to vote. But it’s also about being good citizens,” said Swan, who leads a congregation in Springfield, Mass.

Superintendent Robert Rudolph of the Arkansas 2nd Jurisdiction said Blake launched the effort early this year to “push people” to file absentee ballots before they leave for Holy Convocation.

He said the church has no way to say how successful the effort has been, but Rudolph, who is also a member of the absentee vote committee, says he is confident that church leadership will take responsibility and get the word out.

At least several hundred COGIC members from Arkansas will travel to St. Louis for the convocation, Rudolph estimated.

“It would be a travesty,” Rudolph said, if COGIC members missed the opportunity to cast a ballot because of church commitments.

In Arkansas, absentee ballots can be picked up in person from county clerks up to Monday. They can be returned in person by the close of business that day. A designated bearer or authorized agent can return the ballot by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

Swan said that church leaders initially thought about changing the date of the convocation, but the date had been a “long-standing tradition” and the idea “did not meet with much support,” he said.

There have been a few exceptions. In the early days, COGIC’s convocation ran from Nov. 25-Dec. 14.

And last year, the dates of the convocation were shifted because of a scheduling conflict. The St. Louis Rams, the city’s professional football team, had already reserved the Edward Jones Dome,which is also used by COGIC during their convocations.

Blake, the presiding bishop, sent a letter to COGIC leaders across the nation urging them to stress the importance of voter registration and voter participation on Tuesday.

“The faithful should never relinquish their socio-political responsibility for the common good,” he wrote. “We are making it an overarching goal to nurture enthusiasm for the electoral process and to reach out to all eligible voters in every state, conducting extensive voter outreach and voter-education activities.”

Religion, Pages 12 on 11/03/2012

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