The World Has Changed Forever…
Over the past year, we have experienced one pandemic after another, bringing both national and global attention to many of the issues the nation needs to address. Before COVID-19, America’s atmosphere was permeated with gun violence, police misconduct, unemployment, civil unrest, political leadership failures, and more. So much is happening in our world, and the coronavirus and the lives it took have left people living in fear, uncertainty, and anxiety. The world has changed forever, and the church has changed forever, whether you want to believe it or not.
Our health and social realities forced small businesses and even churches to close, and those not closed are struggling to survive. Schools are in a quandary – to open or not to open, further increasing the educational divide between poorer communities and those which are more affluent. So many areas of our economy and way of life are no more. There is now a new normal.
Despite all these challenging realities, 2020 was the best year of my ministry, service to humanity, and transformational leadership. The greater the need, the greater the opportunity I had to serve. During the pandemic, the doors of my church were closed for about 12 months. However, the services our church provides were still open as we continued to fulfill our mandate: serving our community with COVID-19 food relief and making deliveries to those who are medically high risk, supporting frontline workers and their families, and helping many cope with the hidden effects of working in our medical facilities and nursing homes. From transit employees to workers in the food industry and other essential services, our church assiduously worked to spread hope by simply showing up in the places and at the moments when we were needed the most, including marching for social justice and against gun violence, providing comfort to hurting families, and supporting our first responders. Why? Because the church truly is about people.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.