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Reverend Doctor Roderick Darnell Lewis, Senior
The Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Lewis, Sr. is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and is the second of five children born to Mrs. C. W. and the late Mr. J. P. Lewis, Sr. He completed the public schools of District One, Richland County, South Carolina. Dr. Lewis received the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Degree from Livingstone College, Salisbury, North Carolina in 1980 and the Master of Divinity Degree from Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC in 1987. Dr. Lewis earned the Doctor of Ministry Degree from Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, NC in May 2007.
Dr. Lewis has served as a Clinical Social Worker with the Veteran=s Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, North Carolina and South Carolina Department of Mental Health. He has also served as pastor for three churches in South Carolina; New Hope C.M.E., St. James C.M.E. and Community C.M.E. where he was the first pastor and organizer; Logan Chapel C.M.E. Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Miles Memorial C.M.E. Church, Washington, District of Columbia where he served fourteen years, prior to becoming the Presiding Elder of the Philadelphia District of the New York-Washington Annual Conference in July of 1998, where he served until August 2001. In July 2001 he was appointed to the Parkwood Institutional C.M.E. Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, where he served until July 2010. In June 2010 Dr. Lewis was elected General Secretary of the Department of Publications of the CME Church, where he presently serves. He has also served as Interim Pastor of Salem CME Church, Jackson, TN, pastor of Nichols Chapel CME Church, Byhalia, MS, and is presently pastoring the Bates Chapel CME Church, Coldwater, MS
Dr. Lewis has a developed interest in Christian Education and has served as the Director of Christian Education for both the Carolina Conference and the New York-Washington Conferences of the C.M.E. church, and as District President and Director of Christian Education for the Washington-Virginia District of the New York-Washington Conference. Prior to his present appointment, he served as a member of the Board of Ministerial Examination and as Conference Secretary for the New York-Washington Conference. Dr. Lewis presently serves as Conference Program Coordinator, Dean of Leadership Training for the Carolina Region, Dean of Local Preacher Education for the Durham District and a member of the Board of Ministerial Examination for the Carolina Region. He serves as a member of the faculty for the Interdenominational Theology Center Extension Program for the Carolina Region and for 14 years represented the CME Church as a curriculum writer for the Committee on Uniform Series for the National Council of Churches, Inc., to facilitate the Sunday School lessons used by the CME Church and other denominations and publishers nationally and internationally.
In 1988, Dr. Lewis was awarded a Fellowship from the Congress of National Black Churches, as part of the “1988-89 National Fellowship Program for Black Pastors”. This Ford Foundation Funded Fellowship was designed to develop and maintain a relationship between the Black Church Communities and the secular communities. As a part of his fellowship responsibilities, Rev. Lewis developed an AIDS Education project entitled ALOVE IN ACTION@, which has been used by the office of HIV/AIDS of the District of Columbia Department of Public Health. He has served as a consultant for community organizations to implement ALOVE IN ACTION@ and other similar projects.
Dr. Lewis is a contributor of three devotions in The African-American Devotional Bible, a collaborative effort between the Congress of National Black Churches and Zondervan Publishing House. The devotions are ASow Righteousness@ (Hosea 10:12); ABe Strong and Work to God=s Glory@ (Haggai 2:4); and AThe Promise Keeper@ (2 Peter 3:9).
He has been and is active in numerous community, social, civic and religious organizations. Member of the General Board of the C.M.E. Church1998-2006, Member of the Compilation Committee for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Discipline of C.M.E. Church, The Livingstone College Alumni Association, The Howard University Alumni Association, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.
Dr. Lewis was married to the former Sandra. K. Wylie (deceased February 2010) and they are the proud parents of two children, Roderick Darnell Lewis, Jr. and Allasyn Danielle Lewis and three grandsons, Jayden, Sean, and Greyson and three granddaughters; Alexis, Jaliyah and Moriah Kaye.