I am a life-long AME. As a son of the late Bishop Vernon R. Byrd Sr. and retired Supervisor Theora L. Byrd, my life was shaped by the itinerancy. I was born in Seaford Delaware in March of 1959 when my father was the pastor of Macedonia AME Church. As my father was moved I got to appreciate some of the length and breadth of the AME Church. As a child of the parsonage I was blessed to be nurtured and influenced in such diverse places as St. Paul AME Bermuda, Macedonia AME in Camden NJ, Morris Brown AME in Philadelphia and St. James AME, Newark NJ. The lessons that I learned in those places whether as a YPDer, member of the Sunday School or being a director of the Youth Choirs, gave me a great foundation for success. But it was more than lessons. At each of those places I developed life-long friends, who I count as part of my extended family and there were countless AMEs who corrected me and encouraged me. I can still hear the late Ethel McNair telling me as a teenager, “son, you need to get some info under that afro!” And I found an amazing woman at St. James Newark, Melinda Contreras and eventually asked her to marry me. She said yes! And God has blessed us to be married for over 30 years with two beautiful daughters Kamaria and Alexa.
Rev. Byrd at a young age.
Rev. Byrd with daughters Kamaria and Alexa.
As I matured and went off to college and later law school there were two other churches that had a major impact on my life: St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge and Hemmingway Memorial. Under the dynamic leadership of the then pastor Rev. Dr. LeRoy Attles, Sr., St. Paul was the place where I developed a sense of my faith away from the eyes and ears of my parents. I was in college then, finally on my own. It seemed to me like a great time to play the role of the prodigal son—and play it I did. But Rev. Attles and St. Paul brought me back home. Well to be more accurate, I came running back and they graciously took me in and gave me a role to play in leading the Inspirational Choir and the Angels Without Wings Choir.
At Hemmingway Memorial my life changed. I was minding my own business working as a paralegal at a law firm in Washington DC when I received a call from my friend Grainger Browning who asked me to come to this little out of the way church in Maryland where he was on the ministerial staff. He wanted me to play for a choir. Rev. Browning ignored my expressions of reluctance and told me what time he was going to pick me up that Sunday. The pastor was the late Rev. William Robert Porter. It was under his liberating and compassionate preaching of the Good News, I accepted the call to preach. He taught me the importance of preaching the Good News because people had heard the bad news all week long. I received my license from an extraordinary preacher and servant of God, the late Presiding Elder Walter Hildebrand. And I was admitted on trial under the erudite leadership of Bishop John Hurst Adams. Rev. Porter got upset with me when I told him I was going to law school instead of seminary but that too was part of God’s plan for my life.
The story of my AME journey cannot end without mentioning a few more persons who have had a major impact on me. Even after accepting the call to preach, I found myself like Jacob, wrestling with God. I did not want to pastor. By the mid 90’s I was well into my law career, playing for choirs and happy to preach occasionally. But Bishop Cousin impressed upon me the importance and the blessing of serving God’s people through the pastorate. He also taught me my first lesson in receiving an AME appointment. You are never sure where you are going to be assigned until it is read out and the paper is in your hands! But he gave me my first appointment to St. Paul in South Bound Brook NJ and he gave me my second appointment to Grant Chapel AME in Trenton NJ. Tremendous people
My story was impacted in a major way by Bishop Richard F. Norris. In addition to his encouraging me to complete seminary, I credit him with making me a better pastor and a stronger leader. He did this by teaching through example and words several leadership lessons including: 1) hold yourself and others accountable to high standards--they may not always like you but in the long run the church will be better, 2) be firm but fair and 3) always treat others with dignity and respect regardless of status—it goes a long way.
My journey took a surprising turn in 2012. Again, feeling a call, I ran for and got elected to the Judicial Council of the AME Church. At the time I had never thought about running for an office, any office church or otherwise. Nevertheless, I promised the church that I would serve “Without Fear or Favor.” I am confident that the record reflects that I did just that.
Rev. Byrd with wife Rev. Melinda Contreras-Byrd
Finally, I will be forever grateful to Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram for entrusting me with the leadership of one of the pillars of African Methodism, St. Matthew AME Church in Philadelphia. There were many pastors he could have chosen, but he saw something in me and I am humbled. What an extraordinary people. What an amazing legacy. We are honored and proud to lead in the work of Jesus Christ at St. Matthew.
And now my journey continues with another calling on my life: to serve God and the church by being a spiritual servant at the Episcopal level. Leadership sets priorities, determines the cultural norms and values of organizations. If the church bestows that honor on me, the center of my leadership will be Jesus, his love, his values, and his standards. It is his church. He is our foundation. Help Me Lift Jesus.