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Bishop Ronald M.
Cunningham, the
53rd Bishop of
the Christian
Methodist
Episcopal
Church, was born
on November 23,
1936, one of
three siblings
to the late
Reverend and
Mrs. David S.
Cunningham.
Bishop
Cunningham was
assigned to the
Tenth Episcopal
District at the
2002 General
Conference.
After graduating
from Charles
Sumner High
School in
Mississippi, he
joined the U.s.
Marine Corp
where he served
for three
years. He holds
a BA Degree from
LeMoyne-Owen
College,
Memphis,
Tennessee, 1960;
and a Doctor of
Religion Degree,
Claremont School
of Theology,
Claremont,
California,
1970.
He has a rich
pastoral
ministry: Allen
Temple,
Riverside,
California,
1966; Parker
Chapel and Mt.
Pleasant (Milan
Circuit),
Tennessee,
1970-1971; Dyer
CME, Dyer,
Tennessee,
1971-1976;
Johnson Temple,
McKenzie,
Tennessee,
1976-1978;
Mother Liberty,
Jackson,
Tennessee,
1978-1984; Shady
Grove,
Fairfield,
Alabama,
1984-1989;
Phillips Chapel,
Milan,
Tennessee,
1989-1991;
Taylor Chapel,
Germantown,
Tennessee,
1991-1995; and
Lesley Temple,
Tuscumbia,
Alabama,
1997-2002.
He served as
General
Secretary of
Christian
Education for 16
consecutive
years. He has
coordinated
several Annual
CME Convocations
as well as Youth
and Young Adult
Conventions.
Bishop
Cunningham
served as
professor of
Religion and
Philosophy and
chairman of the
Social Science
Division at Lane
College. He
also served as
Vice-President
of Miles
College,
Birmingham,
Alabama,
1984-1986;
Administrative
Assistant to the
General
Secretary of
Evangelism,
1982-1986 and
interim
President of
Texas College,
Tyler, Texas,
1994.
He has
represented the
Christian
Methodist
Episcopal Church
in the National
Council of
Churches of
Christ, USA
General Assembly
and the Black
Family Ministry
Task Force. He
has also served
on the boards of
Lane, Paine and
Miles Colleges
as well as
Phillips School
of Theology.
He is married to
the former
Clarice Flake of
Milan,
Tennessee. They
have one
daughter,
Bridgette, who
is a sophomore,
pre-med honor
student at
Florida A&M
University in
Tallahassee,
Florida.
Bishop
Cunningham was
assigned to the
Eighth Episcopal
District at the
2006 General
Conference.
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