Sisters — from left, Ida Odom of St. Louis; Mildred Mobley of Omaha, Neb.; and Blanche Dickinson of St. Louis — pose for a photo during the convocation. The three, now in their 70s, began attending Black Ministry Convocations some 30 years ago and have no plans to stop. Odom, who is married to former LCMS black ministry interim director Rev. Dr. Frazier Odom, said she attends convocations to “know what the church is doing” and to “be part of the growth and change.” Dickinson, at right, is the widow of longtime black-ministry leader Rev. Dr. Richard Dickinson, who died in 2010. (LCMS/Paula Schlueter Ross)
