The vision of St. Paul is to be a church where you will experience God, belong to a spiritual and loving family, and involve meaningful ministries for all ages.By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter
St. Paul A.M.E Church located at 4118 Brookside had a special service to welcome their pastor the Rev. Shane Floyd to their church. The theme was Unity in the Spirit and was a special Sunday that welcomed the Greeks to the church.
The Sunday was full of praise and worship and had the Youth Department in charge. St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church has been in the forefront of this community for nearly 87 years. St. Paul is a church bridging the gap to the larger community by making an investment in family, community and humanity.
The first couple of rows up front had Delta’s, AKA’s and the Q’s to name a few representing the Greeks. After service refreshments were served and a short presentation about House Bill 194 that is important to the Black Community.
The eldest of two sons, Rev. Floyd was born July 29, 1971 in Youngstown, Ohio to the late Frederick C. Floyd and Fannie Stewart. His parents provided a solid upbringing that involved membership at Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church of Youngstown, Ohio. He was very active in the life of the church. It was in the church that Rev. Floyd began to develop his leadership abilities by being a part of the Junior Church Organization and Sunday School.
Upon graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School, Rev. Floyd entered Central State University of Wilberforce, Ohio. He graduated with Honors obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in June of 1994.
In the fall of 1994, Rev. Floyd entered Payne Theological Seminary. He later enrolled in United Theological Seminary where he obtained his Master of Divinity Degree in 1998. Upon graduation, he became Pastor of Residence Park United Methodist Church and Assistant Director of Wesley Community Center where he served for two years.
In the summer of 2000, Rev. Floyd became the Program Director for the Ohio State University Office of Minority Affairs Young Scholars Program where he served for five years (spring 2005).
In 2001, he joined Greater Allen A.M.E. Church under the guidance of Pastor Earl G. Harris. While at Greater Allen, he served as an Associate Minister for three years conducting Bible Studies and visiting the sick and shut in. In 2003 he was appointed Pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church of Oxford, Ohio where he served for six years. In October of 2009 Rev. Floyd was transferred from the South Ohio Conference to the North Ohio Conference and appointed to serve as Pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Church of Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. Floyd served as the CEO for the Arise Academy located in Dayton Ohio and now currently serves as an Educational Consultant. In December of 2009, he earned his Ph.D. in Education Administration at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Some of his awards and affiliations include the Key Bank’s Religious Awareness Award, Psi Chi National Honors Society, National Chancellor’s List, Member of Equity Lodge #121 of Prince Hall Masons and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church grew out of the Free African Society (FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, FAS members discovered just how far American Methodists would go to enforce racial discrimination against African Americans. Hence, these members of St. George’s made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation. Although most wanted to affiliate with the Protestant Episcopal Church, Allen led a small group who resolved to remain Methodists. In 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated with Allen as pastor. To establish Bethel’s independence from interfering white Methodists, Allen, a former Delaware slave, successfully sued in the Pennsylvania courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist as an independent institution. Because black Methodists in other middle Atlantic communities encountered racism and desired religious autonomy, Allen called them to meet in Philadelphia to form a new Wesleyan denomination, the “African Methodist Episcopal Church” (AME Church).
The vision of St. Paul is to be a church where you will experience God, belong to a spiritual and loving family, and involve meaningful ministries for all ages.
