Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake
A co-pastor at one of the largest churches in New York, Reverend Elaine Flake was born on July, 2, 1948 an only child to Leroy and Lorene McCollins in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1970, she graduated with her B.A. degree in English from Fisk University and went on to get her M.A. degree in English from Boston University. In 1993, Flake earned her Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She was also awarded a D.D. degree from United Theological Seminary in Ohio where her husband, the Reverend Floyd Flake was an alumnus.
In 1976, Flake assumed a leadership role at The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York alongside her husband. Through their work, The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral became the 57th largest church in America and was featured nationally in media like Ebony Magazine and The History Channel. In 1983, she co-founded the Allen Christian School in Jamaica, NY, serving over 500 African American students. She went on to found the Allen Women’s Resource Center providing services to women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. The Center is also partnered with New York’s ‘Superwoman Program’ to help women find untraditional career fields. That same year Reverend Flake began the Allen Prison Ministry, the Allen Cancer Support Ministry, and the Allen HIV/AIDS Spiritual Support Ministry. These resources together made the Cathedral a central point in Queens, New York. For twenty-seven years, she has also hosted annual spiritual retreats/conferences for women. In 1999, she became the co-Pastor of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York.
In the late 1990’s Flake contributed to publications about spirituality including the Women of Color Study Bible compiled by World Bible Publishing and Souls of My Sisters: Black Women Break their Silence, Tell Their Stories, and Heal Their Spirits edited by Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy. In 2003, Flake and her husband co-authored their own book Practical Virtues: Everyday Values and Devotions for African American Families Learning To Live With All Our Souls filled with historical narratives related to spiritual values. Together they also wrote the African American Church Management Handbook and in 2007, Flake alone wrote God in Her Midst: Preaching Healing to Hurting Women.
Flake lives in New York City with her husband Floyd and they have four adult children, Aliya, Nailah, Robert, and Harold.
Elaine Flake was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 27, 2010.
A2010.006
Female
4/27/2010
Flake
Married
Hamilton Elementary School
Fisk University
Boston University
Union Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary
Hamilton High School
Organizations
Elaine
Memphis
FLA03
Spring
Tennessee
Aruba
There Is No Substitute For Common Sense.

New York
7/2/1948
New York
USA
Greens (Turnip)
Pastor Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake (1948 - ) was a pastor at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in New York City, a co-founder of the Allen Christian School and the author of God in Her Midst: Preaching Healing to Hurting Women.
Newton Massachusetts School District
Allen Christian School
Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York
Peach
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638229">Tape: 1 Slating of Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake's interview</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638230">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake lists her favorites</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638231">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her mother's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638232">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about her mother's upbringing</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638233">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her mother's education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638234">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her father's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638235">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about her family's land ownership</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638236">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about her paternal uncles' departure from Mississippi</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638237">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about her father's U.S. Navy service</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638238">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes how her parents met</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638239">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers her parents' personalities</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638240">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her earliest childhood memories</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638241">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638242">Tape: 1 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers segregation in Memphis, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638243">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake compares the racial climate in Tennessee and Mississippi</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638244">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers her schooling in Memphis, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638245">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about the class distinctions within the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638246">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her early musical interests</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638247">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the integration of public accommodations in Memphis, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638248">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638249">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her social life at Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638250">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her experiences at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638251">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers moving to Boston, Massachusetts</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638252">Tape: 2 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638253">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the reactions to President John F. Kennedy's assassination</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638254">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638255">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls meeting her husband</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638256">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers joining the African Methodist Episcopal Church</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638257">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls founding the Allen Christian School in Queens, New York</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638258">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes the Allen Christian School</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638259">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the founding of the Allen Women's Resource Center</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638260">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about the challenges faced by female ministers</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638261">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls her reception as a female preacher</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638262">Tape: 3 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls the election of Bishop Vashti McKenzie</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638263">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake remembers her calling to the ministry</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638264">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake recalls her theological education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638265">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes the ministries of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638266">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about her concerns for the African Methodist Episcopal church</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638267">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about the reassignment of pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal church</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638268">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes her hopes and concerns for the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638269">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake talks about the importance of female ministers</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638270">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake reflects upon her life</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638271">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake reflects upon her legacy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/638272">Tape: 4 Reverend Dr. Elaine Flake describes how she would like to be remembered</a>
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