“Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord by the power of grace divine; Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope and my will be lost in Thine.”

Greetings to my fellow Zionites;

As I’ve traveled our beloved Zion, I’ve heard the laments of church decline. I’ve talked with pastors who have made enormous sacrifices and are exhausted from the demands of ministry. Many lay persons have shared their frustrations at ever-increasing obligations with vastly diminished resources. Rather than simply bemoaning our condition, we need leaders, like the tribe of Issachar, who can discern the times. It is in that spirit that I humbly solicit your prayers, guidance, and support as I offer myself to Christ and our church as a candidate for Bishop.

For me, this journey began even before my birth. My family roots run deep in the A.M.E. Zion Church with one of my ancestors helping to organize the first AME Zion Church in Whitmire, SC and another, the Rev. William Byrd, being one of the ministers who helped to establish the Pee Dee Annual Conference. For more than five generations, my family has been spiritually nurtured by the Freedom Church, pastors and laity alike.

The journey continued as I was baptized as an infant and raised at Greater Centennial AME Zion Church being tutored by wonderful Christian mentors, first under the pastorate of Dr. Clinton L. Wilcox, then Dr. J. Clinton Hoggard (interim) who later became a bishop, and finally, my father in the ministry, Dr. Belvie H. Jackson. As a son of Greater Centennial, I am uniquely blessed to serve as the eighteenth pastor of this historic congregation which was named in honor of the Centennial Celebration of our denomination.

My love for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is deep and abiding and my dedication to the advancement of God’s Kingdom, God’s people and Zion is unsurpassed. During my thirty four years of ministry in this church, I have served rural and urban congregations, small circuit churches and large, prominent congregations. I have been a Presiding Elder, first in Indianapolis, and now in Nassau, Bahamas. With every assignment, as pastor and as a Presiding Elder, the record will attest to the significant spiritual, numerical, and financial growth of each.

Currently, as you are aware, there are enormous challenges facing our beloved Zion as well as profound opportunities. Such realities demand dynamic leadership who has demonstrated a consistent record of exceptional pastoral integrity, administrative competence, and the ability to articulate a vision that inspires. Beyond serving as pastor of Zion’s largest congregation in the USA with more than 5,000 members and a budget of over $4 million, I provide leadership for our Housing Corporation, our Community Development Corporation, and several boards with significant administrative responsibilities. During nine years as a trustee for the Mt. Vernon Board of Education, I was elected twice as president, overseeing an annual budget of $120 million.

One of my most important appointments was as chairman of the Budget and Apportionment Committee during the 2008 General Conference where we were able to reduce the assessments on many of the Annual Conferences. I have also served on the Connectional Budget Board, the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council, the Founding Chairman of YACM, and as a member of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees. With this record of service, experience, and vision, it is my intention to seek election to the episcopacy at the 49th Session of the General Conference in July, 2012 in order to serve the church I love on another level.

I am profoundly humbled by the enormity of the office which I seek. My wife, my children, and I have prayed together that whatever the will of God is concerning this journey, we will not only be accepting, but rejoicing that He considered us worthy to be a part of so great a church. The office of Bishop is not owed to anyone, regardless of the quality of their ministry tenure, it is bestowed upon those whom God through His church chooses, and we submit ourselves to this process. However, I do so with the absolute conviction that the Lord’s hand will undergird and direct. I sincerely need your wise counsel, prayers, and encouragement to assist me in this amazing journey. I am grateful for your service to Zion and for any support you deem appropriate. If, once you’ve considered my record, you want “Moore for Zion”, please pray with me as we embark upon this journey together.

Blessings and Jesus Joy!