Hello
Greetings, beloved. My name is Anthony Noland Witherspoon, and I am the Pastor of the historic Washington Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in St. Louis, MO. I was elected the 109th Bishop in the line of succession at the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church General Conference, held in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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It is an honor and privilege to lead this congregation as we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and relieve the poor. Our ministry is involved in social justice for all of humanity. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."
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Christ came to seek the lost and minister to the sick based on agape love. At Washington Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, we make every effort to replicate Christ's work, witness, and worship as we meet the needs of our community.
Biography
Dr. Witherspoon is the son of the late Ms. Elfreida Witherspoon and was married to the late Sherry Renee Pharr of Charlotte, North Carolina. He has two daughters, Brittany, a Livingstone College (Criminal Justice) graduate, and Anquanette (2 grandsons, Anthony Noland Ingram and Sede Zion 1). During his forty years of ministry, he has served as Associate Minister at Clement Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (Portland, Maine). He served as Youth Pastor at the Brighton Rock A.M.E. Zion Church (Portsmouth, Virginia), Pastor of the Huntersville A.M.E. Zion Church (Huntersville, North Carolina), Pastor of New Jersey A.M.E. Zion Church (Lexington, North Carolina), Pastor of Fair Promise A.M.E. Zion Church (Sanford, North Carolina), Pastor of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church (Goldsboro, North Carolina), and is currently the Pastor of the Washington Metropolitan A.M.E Zion Church in St. Louis, Missouri since October 1999.
He was elected and served as State President of the North Carolina Head Start Association from March of 1999 through March of 2000, served as Adjunct Professor of Religion/Ethics at Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, North Carolina, from 1998 to 1999, was a faculty member of North Carolina Wesleyan College, located at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1999. Pastor Witherspoon was appointed by the Honorable Governor Matt Blunt, to serve as a commissioner; of the Emancipation Day Commission for the State of Missouri 2006; appointed to The Judicial Commission 21st District by the Honorable Governor Jeremiah (Jay) Nixon in 2010-2016; elected to serve as the President of the International Ministers and Lay Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 2017, and served as its treasurer from 2009-2017; serves on the Board of Christian Education for A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as a consultant to the Restructuring Commission for the A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as the Dean of the Leadership Training Institute for the Midwest Episcopal Area, A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as the Dean of the Leadership Training Institute for the Trinidad-Tobago Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church; Chairman of the Finance Committee, Missouri Annual Conference, A.M.E. Zion Church; Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Annual Conference, A.M.E. Zion Church; Presiding Elder of the Trinidad District, and of the Tobago Annual Conferences. A former Adjunct Professor of African American Religious Studies, Criminal Justice/Sociology at St. Louis University in the field of African American Religious Traditions.
Dr. Witherspoon is a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary, Webster Groves, Missouri, 2012 (D-Min); Duke Divinity School, 1998 (M-Div), Livingstone College, 1995 (BA in English); and East Mecklenburg High School.
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Dr. Witherspoon formally served on the Doorways Assisted Living Board, the Executive Board of the Monsanto YMCA Board, the Interfaith Partnership Board (Cabinet member and First Vice Chair), and Churches United In Christ Board, to name a few. He serves on the Faith Communities United Board of St. Louis and formerly served on the Executive Committee of Clergy Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis. He is the Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee for the Saint Louis City Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
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Dr. Witherspoon was featured in Crisis Magazine in the December 2015 Edition, sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He is the recipient of various awards and accolades, including Outstanding Young Men of America, Who’s Who Among Professionals in America; W.O. Carrington Award for Dedicated and Sacrificial Service, by Bishop Ruben L. Speaks and the Western North Carolina Annual Conference; Dean’s List Award, Livingstone College; Dean’s List, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dolly Spence Scholarships, awarded by Duke University; E. Moore Award for Outstanding Young Christian Leader, Livingstone College; Huntersville Community Development Award, Huntersville, N.C.; various military awards and commendations from the United States Navy. He’s been featured in the News Argus (Wayne County, North Carolina), “UP Magazine”, and denominational publications. Dr. Witherspoon was inducted into the Livingstone College United Negro College Fund (U.N.C. F.) Hall Of Fame, February 2005, was selected as the Ernest A. Calloway, Jr. Excellence in Teaching Awarded By St. Louis University, 2007-2008. He was awarded Dynamic Leader in the Community by the Royal Vagabond 2012. He has received a host of other awards, too numerous to name. He is a member of the Local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, INC.
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