Unity Fellowship of Churches Excerpts from President’s Address To Unity Fellowship of Churches & The Board of Directors President’s Address Dr. John H. Grant Unity Fellowship of Churches, Inc., Global To: § my bride of 30+ years, Belinda § our children, Kontia and John Jr. § our grandson, Kobey § officers of the UFC ….., pastors, visitors and messengers here gathered § officers and members of this the historic Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church In the words of the Apostle Peter, writing in the 2 Peter 1: 1-4: To those of you “who have obtained like precious faith with us …” On behalf of our host church and UFC, welcome to the “Land of the Sky …” “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) “All advances have taken place as a result of individual men and women who believed that they had a responsibility for the well-being of others, who refused to remain silent in the face of abuse, who were not intimidated by the powers that be, who believed they could make a difference, and who were not afraid to take action. These were the people who had great visions, who began small in numbers, but who eventually created, lead, and participated in the great movements of history.” (Paraphrase from The Rights of Man by Prof. Paul Gordon Lauren) “The test of your character is what it takes to stop you.” (Bob Jones Sr.) You’re waiting on somebody else to do something for you when in reality, WE’VE GOT TO DO IT TOGETHER. Professor Lauren, quoted above, also points out that tyrants, dictators, and other abusers of human rights have always thrived on (1) darkness, (2) distance, and (3) their ability to control information. To move to the next level, Unity Fellowship of Churches should accelerate its’ efforts in each of these areas, among others. Darkness: Let’s continue to lift up the One who is the Light of the World, the One who came as a light to shine in, and dispel, the darkness. Let us also bring the resources of light, in the form of relevant information and knowledge, to shine upon the challenges and issues facing our communities. Distance: Let’s encourage our churches and pastors to take advantage of the latest communication technology, i.e., fax, email, worldwide web, and so on, to help keep us in close touch with each other. Many churches still do not have a fax machine, much less email. Control of Information: We are grateful for what the Dr. Gilchrist does for us through his newspaper, The Tri-County Times. We want to enhance what Dr. Gilchrist is doing by adding an electronic and/or US Mail Newsletter. If we do not tell people our story on a regular and consistent basis, then someone else will tell a distorted version of our story. Along those lines, I am happy to announce the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Ann Beck of Durham as Chief Communications Officer for our Fellowship of churches. She is responsible for directing and overseeing UFC's organizational and internal communications. This would also include the marketing and public relations. Dr. Beck has over twenty-five years of experience in Information Technology and has worked for several major corporations throughout her professional career. While residing in Nebraska, she worked for ConAgra, Inc. and Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. She has also worked in Oregon, Michigan, and Ohio as a Consultant for Claremont Technology Group. She concluded her corporate career with JP Morgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio where she worked as a Vice President in their Information Technology Department. With a focus on being more of a movement than an organization, we are currently implementing the following partnership Commissions to facilitate the movement: 1) Save The Family Now Commission: Elder Ronald Gates to Chair. We’ve already partnered with Dr. R. B. Holmes and the Bethel Church of Tallahassee. 2) Global/Foreign Missions Commission: Already partnered with Dr. J. Albert Bush and the Foreign Mission Board, NBC, USA, Inc. $10,000 was given last year and will add 10-15,000 more thousand this year. Each member church to have a foreign mission day. I am happy to announce our partnership with the Baptist Ministers Union of Asheville and Vicinity—DR. L.C. RAY, PRESIDENT. 3) Evangelism Commission: Chairperson pending. 4) Young Pastors & Ministers Commission: Rev. Patrick McNair to Chair. 5) Close the Health Disparities Commission: Partnering with the Mt. Zion Community Development, Inc. and nationally recognized programs. 6) Christian Academies Commission: Partner with New City Christian School of Asheville, Bethel of Tallahassee and Walker Memorial of the Bronx, NY. 7) Safe Houses Commission: Vice President, Dr. Everett to Chair. 8) Political Action Commission: Rev. David Kennedy to Chair. Partner with CHIMURANGA, an organization founded by Rev. Kennedy. 9) Endowment Commission: Chairperson pending. 10) To Add others: Youth & Children (Min. Ann White of Asheville), Money & Finances, etc. I’m recommending that our Mid-Year and Annual Sessions will be planned around each commission with each commission chair planning presentations for our sessions. Beckstrom and Brafman in their book The Starfish and the Spider suggest that leadership of the future will not depend on the “head” office. Instead, organizations will join together based on common purpose, vision, and values. The parts are connected but not dependent. … The connection between the (organizations) is not legal, but relationship driven. There is accountability, but not dependence. The above quote describes the philosophy undergirding our own Unity Fellowship of Churches movement. We envision other organizations/movements joining with Unity Fellowship of Churches to facilitate the work of our commissions. We will rotate our annual session meetings among the various partner organizations/movements, having each of them host when we meet in their respective cities. In addition to preaching and teaching the Word of God at the annual sessions, we will have sessions in which the appropriate professionals will make presentations on resources and “how to’s” for the various commissions. Other action items to consider: 1) Reassess the particular threats in the African American and other poor communities in areas such as housing, education, healthcare, etc. 2) Identify leaders with expertise in these areas (not necessarily preachers or pastors) and designate them as UFC leaders in their particular area of interest. 3) Our sessions should include bringing these leaders together to discuss their successes and failures and receive constructive criticism. 4) Get young people involved. Each of us recruits and brings one with us to UFC functions. 5) Our sessions should also include a “Forum for Problem Solving” where we actually give UFC members an opportunity to tell us a problem with which they need help. Obviously we need to have some ground rules for this Forum. As Fellowship President, these are some of the things the Lord has put on my mind to bring to you. Thank you for your attention and consideration. Now is there a word from the WORD of GOD. 1 Peter 4:5-6, “They will give an account …” Briefly, I want to speak from the subject “Preaching to the Dead.” |
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