Mm-hmm good morning everyone good morning good morning grab your coffee let me know that you can hear me when you see me hopefully you’re all out there Look good morning family good morning hope everybody’s good grabbing coffee we’re gonna talk for a couple minutes we’re not going to talk long we’re going to talk for a couple minutes though uh get coffee let me know where you’re at where are you where are you joining us good morning everyone
Good morning everyone never be bound again a liberty finally free but why this song was in my spirit this morning when I got up hello you know this is gonna be one of the songs we worship at the concert of Prayer I’ll start in just a minute just a minute
Come on let’s work it there y’all more money You’re out there let me know you’re out there If you have a question go ahead and put it out they’re gonna share it with them in our exact same with me one more minute one more minute let me know type in where you’re joining us from YouTube folk let me know you’re out there Facebook folks website Folk
Um what am I missing every Outlet let me know you’re out there Hey family good morning hope everybody’s doing outstanding and hopefully that’s not too much of a distraction back there I just wanted to make sure I was up and on and everything was good so uh looks like y’all can hear me all right so I’m gonna jump on in and um just say good
Morning look let me pray God thank you for our opportunity to be together thank you for everyone that’s on the platforms thank you for our coffee chat thank you that from the rising of the sun until the going down of the name it’s the same your name is worthy to be praised
Thank you for another day we’re in our right mind we have mobility in our limbs we’re grateful for all of it we’re going to give you thanks God for this day use this in a mighty way God and bless your people or on this broadcast right now
This coffee chat give us a great remainder of our day we give you praise for it in Jesus name amen come on type in amen uh so hey guys listen you know if I’m if I’m traveling or if I’m out of the pulpit for whatever reason like I
Have been I I miss you and I need to I need to touch y’all I need to interact with you that’s just the pastor in me and so that’s why I want to have a quick coffee chat 30 minutes we’re going to be done all of this
I did not know shows you how God works I did not know and I don’t know I’m a I’m a I’m a Dunkin Donuts guy y’all so as you know this past week last week was anniversary of the first year anniversary of my roofs my mom’s passing
And so you know I’m at the point now where I have to I gotta pack a room up um haven’t really moved anything in the in the last year so yesterday and had not planned on sharing this in the coffee chat but just shows you how God
Works so yesterday I went last night I was in her bedroom I was opening up drawers just kind of looking at things and she uses all of her drawer space for like pictures and memorabilia not clothes but just things to celebrate the family well lo and behold lo and behold um
She has I got that upside down she has a Rocky Mount Telegram front page from Wednesday July 1st 2015. Wednesday July 1st 2015 and the headline says word charges forward with expansion plan hopes to boost economy and there’s an article written by a guy named Corey Davis and
It talks about our plan our Dream Our Hope to build out the Home Depot that we bought that was eight years ago eight years ago I stood in front of people on a Tuesday at 12 noon and I shared the vision and we talked about there was
Going to be a gym we talked about there was going to be a fitness center we talked about there was going to be a school we talked about there will be a banquet room we talked about there will be a chapel we talked about um there will be a Center for Performing
Arts and worship we talked about that would be a broadcast studio I want you to get this in your spirit none of it had physically manifested we just talked about it in the spirit we talked about it and we cast The Vision that was eight years ago
Today eight years later that work is fully complete praise God for y’all for God’s vision for provision for the favor that God gave us here’s the piece that I wanted to grab a hold of y’all God is just getting started I want us really dreaming big I want you
Dreaming big I want you to know that that God is able I want you to know that I want your whole life to testify that God is good I want every aspect of your life to be a witness that God is capable that God is able that God is
Willing that God is powerful that that so so every part of your life do you get that in the spirit I want you to get that because that’s been my dream and hope for our church and for our membership that we use the word thriving but the Lord has in my spirit about
Flourishing right same thing but it’s about every area of my life being at peace and every area of my life fully living out to the full capacity that God has endowed me with every area of my life working synergistically together everything working together for good everything working together to glorify
God that there’s no space of lack that there’s no space of struggle that there’s no space of of failure that there’s no space for defeat that there’s no space for mediocrity that that’s been the dream y’all every area Faith and family and finances and fitness every area right and so we’re
Now at the next level we we cast a dream we cast a vision eight years ago the Lord brought it to pass somebody typed that in we were able to do that say God did that God did that God used us to do that it got accomplished the Box got checked built
Built done done we’re seeing more people saved than ever before in the history of the church Chet done happening right there’s a witness going forth and so now next level stuff y’all Next Level stuff we can form a foundation to do this work in perpetuity the paperwork’s already
Been done we’re going to do that we can enter into commercial real estate businesses and transactions so that there’s income streams to enable us to do the work God is calling us to do we can own a franchise we we can build Apartments we can build houses we we can
Grow a school in an academic environment all of that is possible we can have Thrive zones in communities one in tar East Tarboro one in Enfield one in Wilson no one in Johnson County one in Wake County we can have these Thrive zones where our people are gathering
Together in missions and evangelism and touching people’s lives that is entirely possible somebody type in we can do this y’all when we band together nothing is impossible that there is a commanded blessing in unity uh that there is a the blessing of God when we work together there’s evidence
That God sent his son Jesus when we are Unified that’s what I want our work to be about that’s what I want that’s what I’m asking you to sign up for and so when we give when we serve when we sacrifice there’s no limitation God is so big
Somebody type that in God is so big I want my whole life to testify that God is good on my whole life to testify that God is big that he is strong that he is mighty that he is awesome and I’m sorry I can’t I don’t know what
You’re responding out there because I can’t see it I’ll look at it later on um today but I want you to respond I want you to type in dream bigger for yourself you can start that business you can grow that business that business can advance we have to dream bigger we have
To spend our money on people that look like us people that have the passions we have people that love the kingdom of God we have to spend our resources in environments where we are not damaging what God is trying to do in our lives we need to attach ourselves with people
That are moving in the same direction we can do this we can grow the most successful small businesses we can grow the most successful non-profits we can thrive in every area of life I want us dreaming bigger it’s great that this done now what we’re going to do
We’re gonna pay it off in full we’re gonna get debt free you’re gonna get debt free somebody type that in I’m gonna get that free I want you thinking about that we talked about lowering debt by a million dollars this year that’s not off the table we talked about losing a thousand pounds
That’s not off the table right we’ve got to dream bigger and so this is not the time for complacency this is not the time to just say oh we got new we’ve arrived no no no no no this is the time we’re gonna plow and do even greater work somebody type in dream
Bigger if you have a question go ahead and type it in and they’ll share it with me um somebody’s telling me that Facebook is muffled so um so type in dream bigger because that’s number one here’s the second thing I want to talk about second thing I want to talk about
Are areas of Engagement this is word Tabernacle culture and language I want you familiar with it type in area of Engagement area of Engagement um as you know there are seven this is not going away we’re not talking about it as much as you may thought we
Were but this is not going away I’m gonna be talking about a whole lot more let me remind you of what these areas of Engagement are and why they’re important first of all there are seven of them as a word I I want you familiar I want you
Intimate as a partner you don’t have to be a member of our church but you may be like you know what I really believe in the work of word Tabernacle matter of fact you know what let me let me sit on that for a minute I want to put an appeal out
Um for a hundred new partners this month before this month is old we got a couple days left 100 new partners people that are like look I’m not a member word Tabernacle per se but I’m benefiting from the teaching I’m encouraged by the worship I’m empowered by seeing God do
The work he’s doing and I’m gonna come alongside when y’all are doing things in the community I’m going to come serve with you I’m gonna give a financial offering can’t give my tithe because that I’m a member of another church but I’m gonna give something sacrificial the word
Tabernacle I want to encourage you to do that you’re willing to be a partner I’m not talking about you’re not talking about somebody who’s a member I’m talking about someone who’s not a member maybe you’re in another part of the country but you believe in our work you
Want to help us accomplish this Vision this dream of standing up our foundation of getting debt free and then using our financial resources as a tool of equality so that the gospel can continue to go forth I’m gonna share some more about that with you in a minute so I’m
I’m on solicit your support or partnership so let me get back to our areas of Engagement there are seven of them the first is educational attainment type that in I want you to type these in the first is educational attainment um and and we know the value of this
This is why we’re focusing so heavily on things like fast for completion and literacy because we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing our part to educate our young people and so educational attainment is Big this is why we ask for the child’s report card when they come
Into the congregation and start actively serving in the youth ministry I’ll please make sure we have that report card because we want to make sure we’re monitoring their growth their success we want to put programs in place to make sure we’re educating the Next Generation
Um a word ice in the next generation of young people in our community so educational attainment the second is in the area of Health right you’ve heard me say this all the time I’m gonna keep saying it because it is so true it does not matter how anointed and how gifted
And how well-intentioned and how prayerful um we are doesn’t matter how oily you are if you are too sick to execute the work God has called you to do it is for not it just does not matter we must be healthy physically and emotionally healthy it is the first bullet on every
Ministry hell Health we’ve got to do our part you’ve heard me talk about this before but when you leave Wake County you start driving down Highway 64 going east every time you hit another County East life expectancy decreases by two years which means the child born in Martin
County has a 10-year lower life expectancy than the child born in Wake County there’s something fundamentally wrong about that while we have a captive audience of people in the church we need to make sure people are healthy and so health is the second one the third one is food security
Is food security making sure people have access to healthy foods foods and fruits and vegetables that they’re eating less processed foods that we’re learning how to grow our own Foods because that’s a form of emotional health that’s a form of physical health and as a form of
Economic health right when we grow our own fruits and vegetables we make our own sauces right so food security number three housing you know how do we leverage the land we have on West Mount Drive and how do we purchase other plots of land so then we become developers and
We enter into Partnerships with other entities so that we can be the solution for trying to fix housing needs and housing issues so that people earning 40 or 50 000 a year have the ability to actually own a home a safe affordable home so housing is one of them
Um Global witness right that is our our Christian witness globally and locally what does our work look like in in the city of Rocky Mountain throughout the state of North Carolina throughout our country and overseas and how are we targeting that work I’m not talking
About you know a one shot here and a one shot there I’m talking about really targeting it our ability to minister the widows helping parents in the adoption process and building out wheelchair ramps and making sure there’s the disaster recovery response and and then um social action you know we have a
Municipal election coming up and we need to be talking more and more about our voter turnout voter education you’re gonna you know just because I’m not on the ballot doesn’t mean we’re not talking about it we have to be engaging it as word I these are the areas of
Engagement I’m asking you to be talking about you know sometimes we talk about a bunch of stuff that’s not life-giving don’t matter to nobody we need to start talking about these areas of Engagement because this is where we’re going to build out the ecosystem so that people
Can have a flourishing life people can have a thriving life you know we we’ve got to speak truth to power we gotta we’ve got to expose the areas of Darkness let me give you an example of exposing areas of Darkness you know going to a church where people saying I’m praying for your
Child that they’re going to do better in school but then after they pray for you in search they go to the voting polls and they vote for elected people that underfund the public education system that your child is in that they just prayed for we have to speak to those
Kinds of issues people praying that your cancer is going to be all right but then they vote to keep to make sure that Medicare doesn’t get Medicaid doesn’t get expanded or they vote against the best interest of the very thing they’re praying about that kind of hypocrisy has got to be
Exposed and so we’ve got to talk about social action social engagement how we engage ourselves politically um and then economic equity um as you know I’m a student of a couple of outstanding men Through The Years one of them was a guy that was lovingly referred to as the lion of Zion
His name was Leon Sullivan Leon Solomon was pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia when I was a child Zion was at the corner it is still at the corner of Broad and Venango in the city of Philadelphia you don’t have a 14th Street you have a 13th Street you have
Broad Street and then you have 15th Street so in essence Broad Street would be 14th Street if we had one in Philadelphia so Zion Baptist Churches at Broad and Venango which basically will be 14th and Venango well I was raised at 11th of an angle
And so I live three and a half blocks for Zion Baptist Church I watched them build progress Plaza I watched them form a trust in the late early 70s mid 70s late 70s I watched them build housing for teachers I watched them form OIC I watched those things happen and this
Is what Leon Sullivan said when he started understanding the power of economics they raised four hundred thousand dollars this was in the late 60s early 70s Leon Solomon said I learned that four hundred thousand dollars can help fix race relations what he was saying was that when there’s economic equity people treat you
Different that’s why when he authored the Sullivan principles against economic sanctions for apartheid and General Motors amongst other corporations in America um executed and implemented those financial principles that was when you had the dismantling of apartheid in Africa and similarly y’all as long as we are going to people that’s funding and we’re
Paying people and they’re funding our oppression there’s never going to be econ so there’s economic equity there will not be racial equity there will not be educational Equity right we are going to have to create that Jesus cares about these things and because he cares about them we should
Care about him I want every word I intimate about our areas of Engagement somebody type that in Intimate about our areas of Engagement let me check make sure I don’t have any questions coming through because if you have one let me know um all right so real quick educational attainment health
And wellness food security social action housing economic equity Global witness somebody say these are areas of engagement right so that’s the second thing I want to talk about I want to talk about us dreaming bigger I want to talk about our areas of Engagement here’s the third thing I want to talk
About today is our e-city service coming up I want to make sure everybody understands this I know it’s crazy that we started we shut buildings down three times a year we do it over holiday weekends Memorial Day Fourth of July Labor Day weekend well Labor Day weekend
Is coming up that’s going to be September 3rd Sunday September 3rd we’re not in the building but we are worshiping somebody type we are worshiping I want to encourage you to have a watch party don’t just sit at home with your pajamas on get your family together get some friends
Together you know gather around a computer gather around the TV put it up on YouTube um but I want us worshiping I want us making sure we’re leading people to Jesus we should be going into the nursing homes we should be going in to some of our community rooms this is
Where we implement the bless Francis model right blessing them b-l-e-s-s I taught that make sure you catch that teaching that means we we’re praying with them we’re listening to them right we’re serving them that we’re sharing our testimony with them we’re eating with them right so that’s blessing them
Um and then Francis our friends relatives acquaintances neighbors um co-workers enemies strangers everyone we can share Jesus with may we not may I not be the one who didn’t share Jesus with somebody somebody typed that may I not be that one I want to make sure I’m sharing
Jesus with people I want to make sure they um getting say joining a Church Fellowship in a place where they can be empowered and so each City September 3rd y’all a week from tomorrow a week from tomorrow we’ll worship together digitally I got a great message
Um it’s gonna be a wonderful service but I want to make sure we’re eating together and worshiping together next thing I want to talk about is the following Sunday September 10th y’all that’s our HBCU Divine 9 Sunday this is going to be great this is I’m excited about this we have the
Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University with us that Sunday uh I want everybody wearing rep your organization whatever it is if you want to a HBCU rapid if you’re in a Divine night um fraternity sorority rep it if you’re not in either whatever wherever you went
To college rep it wherever you went to high school rep it um if you’re a Mason rep it you’re in a social group rep it I just want us to to elevate our social agency um in that worship service we’re gonna we’re gonna present um a chat to Elizabeth City State
Um to fund the education there the same way we did several years ago we’ve been in college when they were having struggle with their accreditation y’all we’re gonna Step Up I’m going to talk about the June 29th Supreme Court decision that Sunday that that Supreme Court decision on affirmative action that effectively
Y’all ended race conscious admission practices and I got a whole lot to say about that and and what’s wrong with that decision but what it’s going to mean are that our hbcus our our black churches and our divine now organization which are our three oldest agencies amongst African-Americans in our country
Black church been around since 1773. do you hear that 1773 our black college has been around since 1837. and we started with our black um sororities and fraternities in 1906. we got to form a triangle of those three entities so that we work together to bring about some really good stuff
So the chancellor is going to be with us um The Gospel Choir from Elizabeth City State is going to be with us this is going to be the launching point of an annual event where we start to bring together our hbcus we’re going to start here in North Carolina then it’s going
To expand Statewide I mean nationally and we’re going to have hbcus and we’re going to get early admission decisions we’re going to help people with FAFSA completion we’re going to get financial aid packages done we’re going to have um early decisions we’re going to have scholarship opportunities this is going
To be an annual event somebody type in an annual event which is getting getting things getting you getting out your appetite your palette ready for it okay but this is going to be a major Hub here in the um in the Southeastern part of the country and I want you to mark your
Calendar for September 10th afterwards we already have Amazon as a sponsor I was going to call yesterday Amazon signed is going to be a sponsor of this event um we have legislators coming from around the state that will be with us from Senators State House Congressional
So we have I mean we have chancellors coming we have members of the North Carolina legislative Black Caucus Foundation coming I’m gonna have some food trucks here we’re gonna have um an issues briefing immediately following service and a gathering and a meet and greet um we want Elizabeth City State Alumni
To step up you know because we want to be able to we want to present them with a big check y’all and um and we need your help to be able to do that okay it’s gonna be a great event I really are asking I want to pack the church out
Y’all want to pack the church out then next Tuesday after that if y’all still with me say Pastor I’m with you if y’all know this is good stuff say pastor this is good stuff next Bible study resumes on September 12th I am so amped Bible study resumes September 12th looking for questions we
Haven’t put them down real quick but here’s the deal about Bible study resuming we’re coming back to something different I’m going to I’m going to um bring us back to a concert of Prayer if you’ve never experienced a concert of prayer at word Tabernacle you don’t want to miss this
And if you’re in the community you need to be in the room okay I know some of y’all eat city Folk but you live like a block of wet I need y’all in the room so what a concert now I’m gonna still teach on Tuesday September 12th but I’m
Only going to teach for 15-20 minutes and then we’re immediately moving into prayer and then we’re going to have prayer a worship song prayer a worship song prayer a worship song you have a prayer guide to be able to journal what God is saying to you
And I really am believing for a major move of God I’m looking for everybody present okay this is a concert of prayer we used to do this back in our old campus it’s been a long time since we’ve done a concert of Prayer and this got triggered in our spirit uh
When we were at a conference and at First Baptist at glenard and I was like wow you know what I was saying to Kyle and Stephanie and Cedar we’re like you know what we need to get back to this we we got away from this this is an example
Of something we need to get back to so concert of prayer September 12th I need you present for that and then here’s the last thing I want to say I hope this has been helpful member feedback I started having meetings with like leaders and staff and saying listen I want you to answer
These five questions for me I wanna I wanna ask the members to send me an email pastor at wordshab.net pastor at wordtap.net and this is what I want you to answer for me number one what are we doing right what do you think we’re doing right
Um and and we want to keep doing those things okay number two what are we doing wrong and those are things that we should either stop doing what we need to improve upon number three what’s confusing what’s confusing those are the things we need to clarify number four What’s missing
Those are the things we need to add and I’ve gotten some amazing responses we’re going to be a better Church somebody’s gonna somebody type it in we’re getting better we’re getting better and then number five what is the most important mechanism for you to receive information from your church is it is it
Text messages is it social media is it Ministry matters is it the weekly call on Thursday like when you if you only could choose one what does that primary way in which you get information intersections monthly newsletter I want to know those five things so would you email me pastor at word
Tab.net share your heart share your heart I want our church to become better and better I think part of the reason we’re growing y’all this summer so far 115 people join the church I mean wow right um and and so but we want to keep getting better we don’t want to take any
Of that for granted and so those were the things that I want to talk about we’re going to leave this out so that you can see it I’m checking to make sure I don’t have any questions before I log us off um question from YouTube where does registering fall in this foundational vision
That’s a great question redistricting Falls in if you mean political registering of lines that falls in Social Action redistricting Falls in Social Action we need to be talking about redistricting what those new lines look like um and what will be the impact on gerrymandering and the impact in terms
Of um legislators in terms of the courts in terms of executive branch and so that’s where that comes in thank you for that well we have new Bible study again thank you for that question I we do not anticipate returning yet some new Bible study uh we’re going to focus heavily on
Getting people here at 7 pm I know for some of our older members our first gen members you know it’s not the most convenient because in the winter time it starts getting dark a little sooner um we’re trying to be responsive to that we may look at the possibility of
Starting Bible study just a little bit earlier in the future so that we can get people home a little bit quicker we just have to make sure it’s going to work with our youth ministry and all of that but for right now but we do have once a
Month Wednesday in the word and so one Wednesday a month at 12 noon is Wednesday in the word I want to encourage you I’m going to start cycling through that preaching our other ministers are cycling through that preaching we’ll have outside ministers preaching we’re going to always have
Food and fellowship afterwards so that’s a great opportunity for you to come out I’m expecting all my first gen folk I’m expecting folks that have a flexible work schedule I mean yeah you can watch it on the East City Campus but you know you can’t eat a sandwich that we provide
On East City Campus and so um that is another opportunity to worship at 12 noon okay not Tuesday Bible study but we do have Wednesday in the word um make sure there’s no more questions and then I’m gonna go ahead and get this off y’all I really appreciate y’all
There may be some other questions I will check back on the broadcast so in summary We’re Dreaming bigger discussion discussing more of our areas of Engagement East City Campus worship coming up HBCU divine nine Sunday coming up concert of prayer on we return from Bible study
Member feedback I do want to say we are waiting for our construction drawings to come in which is why we haven’t been able to start the project in the building on Hunter Hill Road next to the Reach Center it is still very much on the radar it’s very much alive there’s
Been a delay in construction drawings a lot of those contractors are really backed up the moment we get them back um from our plumbing mechanical and electrical engineers as pm and he is called y’all as soon as RPM and E drawings come in we can get our construction drawings of demolition done
And we can go ahead and get that building knocked out it’s going to happen this year because we do need believe it’s going to meet a significant need in our community right so I do want to raise that because we talked about that in an earlier coffee chat so look
Can I tell you I love you I love you I’m grateful to serve as your pastor it means so much to me that you are a part of our ministry and that you’re growing with us and that you’re serving with us and that you’re giving to the ministry thank you for trusting your
Walk with us I hope you feel empowered and encouraged by what I shared at the beginning that the Rocky Mountain article on Wednesday July 1st 2015. talked about everything we would do and y’all we did it we did it and so we’re checking the boxes we’re doing the work
God is calling us to do now it’s time to drink bigger and do even more I love y’all with everything in me I’m grateful for you can’t wait to worship tomorrow hope everyone has a great rest of your day I’m signing off love y’all
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