Description: Barbara Ricks Thompson talks about her personal experience in the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church, and her hopes and expectations for the reunion. This recording is from a series of interviews conducted by Pamela Crosby at a 2004 reunion of persons who were part of the Central Jurisdiction. Thompson is a lifelong Methodist, growing up with the support of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in the Washington area. She is retired as top staff executive of the denomination's Commission on Religion and Race and served as the president of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. When the Central Jurisdiction held a reunion in August 2004, Thompson saw the event as an opportunity for African-American members to become re-energized, to move forward and gather collective knowledge in order to become a more vital part of the United Methodist Church. - UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. | Length: 1:52 | Recording Date: 8/28/2004 | Recorded at: College Park, Georgia | 