For immediate release
Nov. 4, 2025
GCAH ANNUAL BOARD MEETING RE-ELECTS LEADERS, CELEBRATES YEAR OF PRESERVING AND PROMOTING UMC HISTORY
The Rev. Dr. Bonnie J. McCubbin and the African American Methodist Heritage Center honored at virtual gathering
Madison, N.J. – Leadership elections, awards presentations and reports from denominational archivists and historians occurred when the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) convened its annual board meeting. The two-gathering was held virtually Sept. 18-19.
The board re-elected Dr. Ashley Boggan and Bishop Cynthia Fiero Harvey to their respective roles of general secretary and board president. In addition to electing Boggan, who will begin her sixth year as the agency’s top executive, and Harvey, who serves as episcopal leader of the Texas Conference and Rio Texas Conference, the board approved a motion from the Executive Committee to elect Ted Campbell to continue serving as GCAH vice president and Anne Packard to continue in her role as GCAH secretary. Campbell is the archivist for the Texas Annual Conference and recently retired from his position as the Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Perkins School of Theology. Packard is the South Georgia Annual Conference historian and director of the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum on St. Simons Island, Ga.
Bishop Harvey presided over the board meeting, where board members and staff, as well as other affiliate, jurisdictional and conference Commissions on Archives and History reported.
Highlights included officially welcoming new GCAH staff members with the announcement that Katherine DuVall and Jill Hershorin have joined the agency team as part-time archivists. The Rev. Robert (Rob) Lee, also is new to the staff as the director of operations, a role created when Michelle Merkel-Brunskill, GCAH’s executive assistant, retired after 25 years with GCAH.
GCAH staff also reported the transition to a new platform for searching the archives at catalog.gcah.org and the launch of a new series about Methodism around the world on “Un-Tied Methodism,” the monthly podcast hosted by Dr. Ashley Boggan.
During affiliate reports, updates were shared by numerous GCAH-affiliated groups across the connection. (Ret.) Bishop Ernest S. Lyght shared about the work of the African American Methodist Heritage Center (AAMHC), which celebrates its 25th year in ministry in 2025; GCAH board member. The Rev. Dr. Paul Barton presented for the Association for the Hispanic/Latin@ Church History, sharing that GCAH approved establishing a new archives center in Chihuahua, Mexico, and also granted $8,000 to support the renovation of a local church archives at La Trinidad United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas. Kristina Shaw, a board member for the newly-established GCAH ministry, the Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage, reported that the new center’s new website is up at LGBTQUMCHeritage.org, a collaboration with United Methodist Communications, and the ministry’s first LGBTQ Heritage Season is set for Oct. 11-Nov, 1.
The board also passed the 2026 budget as presented by Rick King from the General Commission on Finance and Administration.
The board meeting concluded with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award and the Contemporary History Trailblazer Award to the African American Methodist Heritage Center and the Rev. Dr. Bonnie J. McCubbin, respectively.
“This award honors the 25 years that y’all have done this work,” said Dr. Ashley Boggan in making the presentation to the AAMHC. “You have worked hard to gather the collection and promote it and we are honored to be in partnership with you.
Bishop Lyght, co-founder and former board chairman, and Carol Travis, who serves in a part-time administrative role for the AAMHC, were on hand to accept the award virtually. Mollie Stewart, AAMHC’s president, was unable to attend.
The Rev. Dr. Bonnie J. McCubbin, pastor at Old Otterbein UMC and director of museums and pilgrimage/conference archivist for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, was presented with the Contemporary History Trailblazer Award for her tireless ministry to preserve and promote the history of The UMC and its antecedent denominations. She was selected for the award for her creation of virtual pilgrimages, archeological excavations and continuous and creative ways of telling United Methodist stories.
Upon accepting the award, McCubbin said, “I got an award for being a trailblazer, but I don’t think I’m a trailblazer. I’m a trail restorer. I challenge you not to be a trail blazer but a trail restorer. When we reconnect with our roots, we reconnect with where we came from.”
To learn more about GCAH, visit ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory.