Bishop Harry L. Seawright
Bishop Harry L. Seawright is the 133rd elected and consecrated Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop Seawright serves as the Presiding Prelate of the Second Episcopal District, which encompasses the states of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina and the District of Columbia. In July 2016, during the 50th Quadrennial Session of the AME Church General Conference in Philadelphia, PA, Bishop Seawright’s election marked only the second time in AME history that a bishop was elected on the first ballot. At that general conference, he received his first episcopal assignment as bishop of the Ninth Episcopal District, the state of Alabama. At the 2024 general conference, he received the appointment to the Thirteenth Episcopal District.
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Bishop Seawright was born in Swansea, SC, to the late Joe Nathan and Mary L. Seawright. As a fourth-generation AME, his faith was nurtured at Prodigal AME Church in Swansea, SC.
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The late Bishop Frank M. Reid, II, admitted Bishop Seawright to the Central South Carolina Annual Conference. The late Bishop Henry W. Murph ordained him an Itinerant Deacon in the Washington Annual Conference. The late Bishop John Hurst Adams ordained him an Itinerant Elder in the Washington Annual Conference.
Bishop Seawright earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Benedict College, Columbia, SC; Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC. Bishop Seawright founded and maintains many business interests. With his appointment as Interim Pastor of St. Stephen AME, St. Matthews, SC., Bishop Seawright’s preparation for pastoral ministry began. He served on the ministerial staffs of Reid Temple AME and Pilgrim AME, both in Washington, DC. His pastoral appointments were: Payne Memorial AME, Jessup, MD; Hemingway Temple AME, Washington, DC; and Union Bethel AME, Brandywine and Temple Hills, MD. He served Union Bethel for 30 years, the longest tenure of any pastor in the church’s 130-year history.​
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On the Connectional level, Bishop Seawright serves as chair of the AME International Commission on Economic Development and the International Health Commission. In Alabama, he served as a board member on the Ingram State Technical College Foundation and was honored by Alabama A & M University. The Birmingham NAACP recognized him as the 2017 Distinguished Religious Leader of the Year. In 2018, he was inducted into Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He also serves as a board member of the Interdenominational Theological Center; and in 2018, he was appointed as 2nd Vice President of the Trustee Board of Turner Seminary in Atlanta, GA. From June 2019 until June 2020, Bishop Seawright served as the President of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. On October 9, 2020, the State of Alabama, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Commission deputized Bishop Harry L. Seawright to serve as a Special Deputy in Jefferson County. The Greater Titusville Civitan Club presented Bishop Seawright with the 2021 Clergy Appreciation Award in April 2021. Also in April 2021, Bishop Seawright was appointed to serve on the newly created AstraZeneca US Health Equity Advisory Council (HEAC). Several cities in the state of Alabama have given him keys to their cities, and he is the recipient of several congressional citations.
Episcopal Supervisor Sherita Seawright
The Reverend Sherita Moon Seawright is married to Bishop Harry L. Seawright. She is the mother of two adult children, Shari Nicole Seawright and Harry Matthew Seawright, and the grandmother of Cameron Isaiah Seawright.
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Sherita Moon Seawright was born in Clinton, South Carolina, the second child of the late Peter and Aurelia Moon. She grew up in Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Clinton, where she served as a Sunday school teacher and a musician.
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Rev. Sherita loves learning! She received her early education in the public schools of Mountville, Cross Hill, and Clinton, South Carolina. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, summa cum laude, from Benedict College, Columbia, SC, and a Master of Arts degree in political science from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, DC. Rev. Sherita served a one-year Chaplaincy Internship and a one-year Chaplaincy Residency at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, earning five units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).
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Rev. Sherita Seawright, an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, served as the Assistant Pastor of Union Bethel AME, Brandywine, MD and the Lead Ministry Coordinator of Union Bethel North, Temple Hills, MD. One of her greatest joys is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and empowering people for Christian service.
