Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. While itinerating in Liberia, Bishop Levi Scott ordained the first African deacons and elders in 1853. In 1856, the General Conference created a new position, the missionary bishop, to oversee the foreign mission fields. The Liberian Conference elected Francis Burns to be its missionary bishop, and he was consecrated in 1858, becoming the Methodist Episcopal Church's first African American bishop. As a missionary bishop, Burns was not considered a general superintendent of the church, and his episcopal authority was limited to his assigned field. Domestically, there were efforts among Native American tribes, such as the Wyandotte of Ohio;
Information Affairs Authority Information Affairs Authority The Information Affairs Authority refers to Bahrain's ministry of information. It was formed in July 2010 by a decree of King Hamad separating the information portfolio from what was then known as the "Ministry of Culture and Information". The president of the Information Affairs Authority is appointed directly by the King of Bahrain and has the rank of a minister in the Bahrain government. The first president of the Information Affairs Authority was Fawaz bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, who is a member of the Al Khalifa ruling family and a cousin of King Hamad and