A historic gathering of the nation's three largest Black Methodist denominations will convene next Monday to address social ills within the African American community.

Titled the "Great Gathering," the Mar. 1-3 event will bring together members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ), and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) for the first time in 45 years in an effort to seek "unified solutions for the key issues that are devastating the African American community," a press release for the event stated.

 "I think that this [gathering] will speak volumes for the three denominations," said Bishop George W.C. Walker of the AMEZ. "When we have so many issues in our society that impact all three denominations, it appears that we can do more together than we can apart."

In taking care of the "problems confronting our churches, we are going have to do it," CME Bishop William H. Graves adds, "Because we can't look to government to do it, we can't look to other agencies. We ourselves know what these problems are and we have the resources within our own denomination to alleviate…these problems."

In speaking about the motivation for the "Great Gathering," Bishop John R. Bryant, Senior Bishop for the AME Church, said it was to, "Send an image and model of unity. Together, all our denominations represent a people and a community with many ills and problems…but we feel strongly that we can overcome all that might separate our churches so we can all focus collectively on what we can do to make things better for our people."

Addressing the problem of the dwindling numbers of men in black churches, Bryant said, "It is for me a sign of the work that has to be done internally in our community. It is not that the black man is simply missing from the black church. In too many instances the black man is missing from black community life."

"Wherever it is, we too often are missing, except maybe for sports events, so that weakens us, because the black man was created for so much in mind that is powerful," Bryant continues. "And we are weakened as a people in his absence. The family is weakened in the absence of the man, our children are weakened in the absence of the man, and of course the church is weakened in the absence of the man, and our men are weakened in the absence of the man."

"So much work has to be done in that area of empowering the black man, and surfacing the painful issues and trying to discover what the problems are," he adds.

Organizers expect more than 6,000 people to attend the "Great Gathering," which will be held at the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, S.C.

Speakers at the event include Cornel West, a Princeton professor and expert on racial justice; Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund; and the Rev. Charley Hames Jr., pastor of the rapidly growing Bebe Memorial Cathedral in Oakland, Calif. Music will be provided by the Rev. Hezekiah Walker.