Sybel A. Thomas, a well-known lay leader and former president of the National Convocation, died June 7, at her home in Chicago. A memorial service has been set for Friday, June 24, at Park Manor Christian Church in Chicago. The service will start at 6:30 pm with a wake preceding it at 5:30pm.
Thomas was a member of the first moderator team of the newly restructured Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and probably the first African American and first lay woman to serve as one of the moderators. She held many other positions within the Church and in the community over the years. She served as president of the National Convocation from 1992 to 1994. She also was president of the World Christian Women’s Fellowship and an Elder of Park Manor Christian Church in Chicago. She received the Church’s Liberation Award in 1998, for being an effective enabler of Disciples women.
She was a trustee of the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago for more than 15 years. Through the House and in many other contexts, she and her late husband Harvey (who died in December 2010) invested time and attention in young people and in future leaders.
Sybel and Harvey Thomas shared 62 years of marriage. They are survived by their son Craig and by grandchildren; another son, Harvey Jr., preceded them in death.
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Compiled from material submitted by the Disciples Divinity House at the University of Chicago and the National Convocation
