Blessings Family,
This week I had the pleasure of meeting up with some of our church family at a safe and socially distanced pull up. Don't know that is? Don't worry, we will host one soon, and I'll see you there. I was encouraged to hear things like "Bishop, we are so thankful," and "God is doing it for us; we are just giving Him praise!" I reminded them, as I warn you now, your latter will be greater than your former. In August 2019, I prophesied that a storm of monumental proportions was coming in a series called STORM PREP . If you missed it, I suggest you revisit it online. In that series, one of the phrases that stuck was "the next downturn, will be our upturn." I know things have been shaky, but let me be clear, God will prosper those who heed the word released in 2019, pre-COVID-19. The storm surge will wipe you out, or it will become a floating mechanism to carry you to new places and usher in a more prosperous season.
Impact, go HIGHER. Impact, please don't spend money. If you are not part of the August financial fast and savings challenge, you are missing out on the hand of God touching your money. I believe the Word of the Lord that this will be the decade of double redemption, for the remnant [those who remain close with God through it all]. The 2020s will end better than they started. God is doing something BIG, and I don't want you to miss it. Thank you, thank you for continuing to be mature disciples of Jesus with your tithing and giving. We have not had to layoff staff or reduce ministry. In fact, we've been able to grow our ministry presence online, help small business owners, and provide resources to the needy. Lady Terri and I also thank those of you who’ve been so generous to Bishop's Circle. We appreciate your thoughtfulness. There are some days I feel exhausted, and like this will never end. There are days where I feel unequivocally challenged, and it's in these moments, like clockwork, when God will encourage me through one of your testimonies. You are the reason we press forward toward the goal. Continue to pray for the pastors in training and me. We've all been thrown into the fire, with little to no prior experience leading at this level. I hope you see their growth and appreciate their care for you. I certainly do. On that note, I sense there may be some new calls to ministry in this season. Maybe God has made it clear that you have ministry leadership in you. If so, contact Carolyn Knight and she will guide you in your next steps: cknight@church4impact.com.
I know many of you are also contemplating back to school issues and I want to know how we can best serve you this Fall. If you have any great ideas or needs, please contact Tyanna LeGrand at tlegrand@chuurch4impact.com. Trust and believe that we will be with you this semester.
Lastly, please carve out 45 minutes tomorrow at 12:00pm (EST). Grab your lunch, and meet me on our Facebook page as I host our third installment of Culture & Community with Dr. Korie Edwards, of The Ohio State University, as she disentangles the meanings of race, culture, and ethnicity. These lectures are our way of keeping the issue of race at the forefront of our community until God heals our land. These are intellectual meetings that will challenge and equip you to become more well informed on racial issues. The format allows for learning and Q&A., so please extend the invitation to your co-workers, especially those who aren't Black or Hispanic. I can guarantee you that tomorrow Dr. Edwards will drop knowledge that will gain you new allies in the marketplace. Okay, that's it for now. I'll see you on Facebook Live tomorrow—much love and peace.
-Bishop