Faith in Action

Revolutionary Freedom Fighter, George Jackson, said:

“The ruling clique approaches its task with a “what to think” program; the vanguard elements have the much more difficult of promoting “how to think.”

And that conceptual statement guides me as I lead the Bible Study at the church where I am blessed to serve as Pastor - Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Northeast Baltimore.

Bible Study has never been something that I’ve been overwhelming excited about namely because in my many experiences it has been either an opportunity for the Pastor to “preach” a lesson or it has looked like a facilitator standing in front of the audience telling them what they should think with very little meaningful interaction. I always said that if I ever became a Pastor that I would have a Bible Study that folks would want to come to.

So far we’re well on our way to creating that type of study experience. Pleasant Hope Baptist Church is on track to have the most dangerous Bible Study in Baltimore simply because I push the people to THINK. I don’t answer a whole lot of questions. I help folks to re-read the scriptures with “fresh eyes” and question what they read. I dissuade them from taking anything they read in the Bible at face value. EVERYTHING is open to questioning, criticism, challenge.

We read the scripture in its context understanding that it was written at a certain time, in a certain location, by a certain person (or persons) within a certain culture, for a certain reason.

The amazing thing is that as we engage in textual criticism and exegete the text in a way that honors the scripture’s original meaning (or likely meaning), my students then begin to draw parallels between the context and/or meaning of the passage we’re studying and their everyday realities.

Two weeks ago as we were studying the persecution of Jesus a discussion was born about the persecution of so many others who stood up against the status quo power structure and were viewed as a threat capable of organizing the masses thus necessitating their assassination or exile. It was such an invigorating discussion. It eventually led to us analyzing the Roman Empire and the Religious Order of Jesus’ time and looking at Baltimore’s Government and Shadow Government today. (We love dealing with “problem texts” by the way - like when Jesus called the syrophoenician woman a dog.)

In addition, we’ve started our studies off with warm up activities designed to get people’s juices flowing. We started with analyzing a Baltimore Sun article one night, we played a Jill Scott song the following week, and we read a Paul Lawrence Dunbar poem the following week. Who knows I might drop some Kanye West on them next time. They don’t know what to expect from week to week. I keep people on their toes and prayerfully am helping them to realize that critical study of the Holy Writ is just as much an act of worship as singing songs on Sunday morning.

We even have the teens coming out to Bible Study faithfully…and bringing their friends!

As we continue in our time of weekly critical study, it is obvious to me that this group will be a very dangerous sect of Believers. They won’t be walking around talking about “Bless me indeed” and “enlarge my territory” while hiding behind sofas when the Jehovah Witnesses knock on their doors.

They’ll be walking around with a heightened awareness of how the revolutionary message of God’s love toward humanity was understood over the centuries and how it applies to their lives and responsibilities to community today.

This Bible Study is a Bad Mutha - Shut yo’ mouth! What? I’m only talking about the MOST DANGEROUS BIBLE STUDY IN BALTIMORE!

Be there!

Every Tuesday 7:00PM
Pleasant Hope Baptist Church
430 E. Belvedere Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21212
(410) 435-0851

A few years ago I met an amazingly passionate woman by the name of Shirell Tyner. I wrote about my experiences with Shirell in past posts and this Saturday marks a big day for the vision that God gave her. After God delivered her from drug abuse, criminality, incarceration, and immoral behavior, The Almighty gave her a vision to start a ministry called Caring Through The Spiritual Eye, Inc.

This ministry involved feeding the homeless, housing those who are recovering, and supporting the spiritual, social, and economic development of those whom the world has disregarded. Shirell, with little structured support from outside entities, funded her own vision and persevered when it looked like no one would come to assist.

However, now a new chapter is starting for Caring Through The Spiritual Eye, Inc.!

On Saturday, June 14, 2008 11:30AM - until, the Caring Through The Spiritual Eye Outreach Center will open its doors in the Park Heights Community. Free Food, Music, Games, and Resources! Call (443) 449-7515 for more information.

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to listen to Shirell Tyner’s interview with a local station.

This sermon got Father Mike removed from his church - the Faith Community of St. Sabina. To their credit, the St. Sabina family is standing with their pastor. Mary Mitchell writes an interesting article in the Chicago Sun-Times about this situation pointing out that Cardinal Francis George moved slow to remove a pedophile priest, but with great haste pushed Father Mike to the side!

It is with great excitement that I share good news related to the next phase of my service to God and community. I have recently been called to serve as the Pastor of the Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. (430 E. Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, 21212) Pleasant Hope is a loving congregation situated not far from the intersection of Belvedere Avenue and York Road in North Baltimore City.

I am truly thankful to God for this opportunity to serve God’s people and the broader community in this way.

All are invited to attend my first Sunday at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church which will actually be this Sunday, June 1, 2008. Sunday School begins at 9:30AM and morning worship begins at 11:00AM. As we are anticipating a crowd, I invite you to get there a bit early if you do plan on coming.

For those who are unable to come, I certainly solicit your prayers for me and my family. I’ve had the distinct privilege of serving alongside many of you as we advocated for justice for Isaiah Simmons, III, the removal of liquor stores from Park Heights, a quality education for Baltimore City public school students, a peaceful remedy for the people of Darfur, Sudan, engaging in civil disobedience at the gates of the White House in reference to the American invasion and military occupation of Iraq, and so many other important issues. Now more than ever I need your support as I have become an heir to a great tradition in my family and community. The Black Church, in my estimation, is the most valuable institution in the African American community and I will strive to honor the legacy of the Great Ancestors and Elders who have gone before me. With your prayers and God’s guidance, I will be successful in my quest.

Let’s continue to work together in an effort to usher in the realization of the Beloved Community in this world - starting right here in Baltimore City!

May God’s Peace be yours,

Pastor-Elect Heber M. Brown, III
Pleasant Hope Baptist Church
Baltimore, MD

I’m putting the finishing touches on my presentation which I will share at The Johns Hopkins 58th Institute for Spirituality and Medicine. The conference started Monday, May 12th and will continue until Wednesday, May 14, 2008. National and local presenters have converged on Charm City to talk about “Violence and the Challenge of Healing in Our Communities.”

Notables such as Rev. Eugene Rivers (Boston), Bishop Doug Miles (Baltimore), Dr. David Kennedy, Dr. Harold Carter, Sr., Rev. Karen Brau, Pastor Billy Stanfield, and a whole slew of others are sharing on a variety of topics.

I’m honored to be invited to present on the topic “Faith in Action: Examining Religious Outreach and Activism in Baltimore.” I’ll be profiling some members of the clergy and Faith communities who have welcomed the expression of their Faith beyond the boundaries of their sanctuaries. Contrary to the opinion of some, Baltimore has a very rich history of religious civic engagement and only as of late have we as a community drifted from our roots and centered moreso on a gospel that speaks primarily to a middle class who is hungry for personal advancement at the expense of social justice for the marginalized.

Hopefully, my presentation will resurrect and rehash the legacies of those strong clergy women and men who have, in days past, pointed the way to the Beloved Community.

Here is a short video (about 12 min.) that I will be sharing as a part of my presentation.

Hat Tip: Baltimore Sun

Debt cancellation a victory for the world
By Desmond Tutu

Last month, the House of Representatives showed leadership in the fight against global poverty by passing the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation, which would extend lifesaving debt cancellation to more poor nations around the globe.

Too many of the world’s poor children needlessly starve or go without education because too many impoverished nations - even after the laudable debt relief provided to date - are still funneling scarce resources to multilateral banks instead of paying for needs at home.

The world community has found crushing debt to be akin to a modern-day apartheid, and has responded with debt cancellation. Unjust debt leaves developing nations at the behest of the powerful. Shall we let the children of Africa and Asia die of curable disease, prevent them from going to school and limit their opportunities for meaningful work - all to pay off unjust and illegitimate loans made to their forefathers?

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A good friend and brother of mine learned a couple of months ago that his wife has cancer. The exact name of it escapes me at the moment, but just the word “cancer” has such a certain negative connotation to it that to many it doesn’t matter what type it is…it’s just bad news.

Well, today - in fact in a few moments - his wife will undergo surgery in an attempt to remove the cancer from her body. The good news is that it is not a form of cancer that spreads to other parts of the body so if the doctors can get all of it out, there is a good chance - with additional medical treatment - that it won’t return.

I just prayed for her, him, and their family, but I also wanted to record my supplication here as well. I believe deeply in the power of prayer. I believe that something happens when we diligently seek to connect with The Almighty through the vehicle of communication known as prayer. Even as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my recent experiences have emboldened my conviction that prayer is the best thing that family, friends, and loved ones can do in times of sickness, trouble, or chaos.

I record this prayer as a testament to the miraculous power of Almighty God:

Most gracious God, I come before you with great sincerity lifting to you my dear brother, his wife, and family. As you know Lord, she is about to undergo surgery for cancer as I type these words. My prayer Lord is that you intervene in this situation. You know her. You created her. You formed and fashioned her as a gift to her husband, family, and this community. Now Lord, I pray that you heal her body. Heal her body, Lord. Be with the surgeons as they prepare to be used as instruments of divine healing. Clear their minds, steady their hands, calm their souls, and focus their attention on my sister. Strenghten my brother who is now sitting in the waiting area. Prop him up on every leaning side and embolden his faith so that he rests assured that you are well able to do anything, but fail. Be with their children as they have understandable concern for their mother. Show yourself strong to them so that they’ll grow in their ability to rely on you even under troubling circumstances. Have your way, Lord. I’m praying for a good report. I’ll be ever so mindful to give you all the praise, glory, and honor for this and the many other signs of your blessings to your people. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.

My fast ended this past Tuesday at 12:00 Noon. Eight days I went without food drinking only water and juices in order to bring my flesh under subjection, clear my mind, and achieve a greater sense of intimacy with God. A very specific issue caused me to do this and reading the words of Jesus that “some things come only by prayer and fasting” (Matt 17: 14-21), I was led to engage in this ancient spiritual practice.

It was refreshing, invigorating, and spiritually satisfying. I needed to commune with God and I did even though attacks by the Adversary persisted. I was and am at peace.

During this season of fasting I learned how much support I really have in my circle of friends. Those who know me personally know that I am a giver. I give my time, energy, and resources to many many great causes and oftentimes to people that I may never see again. Likewise, I strive to be extremely supportive of those in my circle who are doing great things. To be honest, however, sometimes I wondered if I would receive the same level of support from others in my time of need. People say that they support you, they’re with you, they got your back, and the famous church line: “I’ll pray for you” - knowing that they aren’t going to pray. I wondered if I only have those type of folk in my circle. I no longer need to wonder.

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Monday, I received some troubling news that immediately rattled and unsettled me and my family. Everything went to the backburner and all of my energy and focus was on addressing this situation.

After the initial shock, I began to pray about it. There was a time when I considered prayer the “only” thing that I could do in reference to situations where I had lost all control. However, now I know that prayer isn’t the “only” thing that I can do - it’s the best thing that I can do.

Because the need is so great, not only am I in a heightened prayer posture this week, but I’m also fasting. My fast started Monday afternoon and will continue until Tuesday. My prayer is very specific and my fast is on purpose.

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