Rev. Dr. Larry Eugene Dixon
Presiding Elder West District, Bermuda Conference
The Rev. Dr. Larry Eugene Dixon was appointed Pastor of St. Philip AME Church, “The Friendly Church By The Sound” in June 2018. Rev. Dixon was also assigned by Bishop Gregory G.M. Ingram to preside over the West District of the Bermuda Conference.
In 2013 Rev. Dixon was assigned as Presiding Elder of the Atlantic City District, New Jersey Conference, First Episcopal District, before being assigned to Bermuda in June of this year.
He was Ordained an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1976 and pastored of St. John AME Church in Bermuda from 1976-1978.
Christian Profile and Philosophy:
A native of Milledgeville, GA, Rev. Dr. Larry Dixon responded to the Call to Preach at age 12. He preached his trial sermon at the Gum Hill Baptist Church, Baldwin County, GA using as a subject: “What Manner of Man is Jesus?” He was ordained by Pastor D.L. Knight at Gum Hill in June of 1966 after completing his freshman year in college.
His role models for ministry are the late Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, President of Morehouse College and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an alumnus of Morehouse. Dr. Dixon set his sights on being a “Morehouse Man” and in May 1969, that dream became a reality.
Early on, Dr. Dixon became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He marched with Dr. King on several occasions and went to jail for demonstrating in support of Black Students’ rights to quality high school education in Atlanta.
Dr. Dixon continues to be on the battlefield for justice and righteousness for all God’s children. He believes that God, by His very nature, must be on the side of the oppressed.
Dr. Dixon receives his marching orders from St. Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus proclaims:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Dr. Dixon believes and preaches that Jesus Christ is our Hope, our Savior, our Redeemer and our Friend. In keeping with this philosophy, Dr. Dixon believes that real ministry must extend beyond the pulpit and into the streets where people are hurting and need healing. He believes that Jesus, in His earthly ministry, practiced a holistic ministry and that His ministers today must do likewise!
Presiding Elder Dixon believes that the thrust of the church must be two-fold: Evangelism and Stewardship. Evangelism is how the Church reaches out to hurting people and introduces them to the Balm of Gilead who can make the wounded whole; the sharing of the Good News that God is concerned about even the least of these. Stewardship is the proper use of our God-given resources to make a difference in the lives of suffering humanity. Dr. Dixon understands that all churches cannot do all things; he does believe that all of us can do some things; and those “some things” are expected to be done well to the Glory of God.
Pastorates:
1976-1978: St. John A.M.E. Church, Bailey’s Bay, Bermuda
1978-1982: Allen Memorial A.M.E Church, Brooklyn, NY
1982-1983: Bright Temple A.M.E. Church, Bronx, NY
1984-1988: Carter Community A.M.E. Church, Jamaica, NY
1988-1993: Mount Carmel A.M.E. Church, New Rochelle, NY
1993-2001: Presiding Elder – Brooklyn-Westchester District, NY Conference
2001-2013: Mt. Teman A.M.E. Church, Elizabeth, NJ
2013-2018 Presiding Elder – Atlantic City District, NJ Conference
Education:
1969 B.A.: Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
1973 M. Div.: Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
1973 M.S.W.: Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work, New Brunswick, NJ
1997 D. Min.: Drew University School of Theology, Madison, NJ
Doctoral Dissertation: “The Pastoral Role of the Presiding Elder in the A.M.E. Church”
Organization Affiliations:
Founding Member – Southeast Queens Clergy for Community Empowerment
Charter Member – New York Metropolitan One Church – One Child Project
Member – Atlantic City Branch NAACP
Member – The Rotary Club of Elizabeth, NJ
Board Member – Communities In Cooperation, Inc. (CIC)
Commissioner – Elizabeth Zoning Board