Reconciling the World through Christ
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
The African American Fellowship of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/ Delaware (AAFM/D) exists to encourage and nurture the development of partnerships among regional congregations to fulfill the work of the National African American Fellowship.
Leadership Team
Rev. Dr. Nathaniel B. Thomas
President
Rev. Byron Day
Treasurer
Rev. Dr. Bernard Fuller
Executive Board Member
Rev. Victor O. Kirk, Sr.
Vice President
Rev. Dennis Marshall
Executive Board Member
Rev. Vernon Lattimore
Secretary
Rev. Mark Roy
Executive Board Member
Our History
The African American Fellowship was founded in 1998 at the Skycroft Retreat Center with the Director of Missions from Prince George’s, Montgomery, and Baltimore along with the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware.
The African American Fellowship (AAF) was originally formed as an Advisory team to the BCM/D to orient African American churches into Southern Baptist culture.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to provide a unified base of all Southern Baptist Churches in Maryland and Delaware that identify themselves as African American congregants. We aim to connect African American churches and pastors in order to build relationships, form partnerships, and organize fellowships with one another. We encourage African American churches to partner together to adopt and fulfill the objectives of the BCM/D and the objectives set forth by the National African American Fellowship.
Our Vision
The AAF envisions a BCM/D that fully embraces the great commandment, reflects the unity of the body of Christ, and celebrates our diversity while carrying out the great commission. We embrace and adopt the core values of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC.
- We believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
- We believe and support the Baptist Faith and message.
- We believe that people are lost but created in the image of God.
- We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
- We affirm cultural diversity in expression of worship.
Our vision is to create a premier learning community that is intentional about developing the heart, the hands and the habits of servant leaders for global impact as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
Our Strategy
Our Strategy is to meet the needs of African American churches in the areas of Church Planting, Church Growth and Revitalization, as well as Church Sending (Missions).
To accomplish these tasks, we will work through the foundational structure and strategy of the George Liele Leadership Institute (GLLI).
Our Mission
Our mission is to enlist and equip Believers to think and live as Christ-centered, biblically based and Holy Spirit-led Christians; and to send them back to their neighborhoods and to the nations of the world, to proclaim and advance God’s kingdom agenda in the church and society.
Our Present Project
The George Liele Leadership Institute
The George Liele Leadership Institute is our current project established to continue the legacy of George Liele; one of America’s first missionaries and the first African American missionary for the SBC.
After the African American Fellowship held an awareness conference on George Liele, a team was formulated to discuss the implementation of an Institute of higher learning that would meet the needs of all churches but with a particular focus on helping African- American Leaders, strengthen their churches, plant new churches and identify individuals to train for the mission field.
From that meeting the George Liele Scholarship was created. This was established to assist African American Pastors and Churches who are interested in traveling and doing the work of foreign missions. The scholarship will be in honor of George Liele, an African American and emancipated slave who became the founding pastor of First Bryan Baptist Church and First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia. He later would become a missionary to Jamaica.
The George Liele Leadership Institute will hold its 2024 Fall classes at the New Song Bible Fellowship Church (Formerly Washington Bible College). Click below to find out more information and to register.
Our Goals
Strengthening Churches
Birthing New Ministries
Supporting Missions
Making a Lasting Impact
Upcoming Events
Past Events
George Liele Breakfast
About 50 individuals gathered at Sharon Bible Fellowship Church on February 11 for an African American Fellowship (AAF) of the BCM/D-sponsored George Liele Missionary Breakfast.
Liele was a slave who became the first ordained African American Baptist preacher and started the first African American Baptist Church in North America. He also led the way in international ministry, becoming a missionary in Jamaica years before William Carey sailed for India. Read more about Liele here. It’s a compelling story!
After enjoying a traditional breakfast while catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, attendees heard from several international missionaries who shared testimonies and encouraged listeners to prayerfully support and participate in international ministry.
AAF leaders also shared about a George Liele scholarship for international missions and the George Liele institute.
