Tag: church

Guess Who’s Back?!?!

Leave a comment

Guess Who’s Back? I am, and I’ve been away for way, way, waaaay too long! I haven’t written in this blog since August of 2020, when I was appointed as the pastor of St. John A.M.E. Church in Baltimore, Md. As a matter of fact, as I’m writing this blog post, I’m thinking to myself, do people still even read blogs? Have blogs given way to social media posts, TikToks, and YouTube videos? I guess I’ll find out soon enough, huh?

It’s been over three years since I’ve written in this blog, and I won’t dare try to detail everything that’s happened in my life over the past three years. I’ll just share a few details, talking about the lowlights and the highlights— stuff that’s truly meaningful to me.

Well, for starters, a major change took place in my life on August 16, 2021—I got divorced. Now, I don’t know anyone who gets married to then get divorced, but unfortunately, my marriage wasn’t working out, and the dissolution of it was for the best. I hope and pray she’s massively happy!

While divorce is no cakewalk, trying to co-parent is definitely no cakewalk—it’s been a journey, to say the least! A rough, bumpy, stressful, at times bitter, tense, vindictive, and rarely cooperative journey. I wish I could say that co-parenting was 100% smooth and easy, but it hasn’t been that way; and because I’m committed to being honest in my writing, I have to tell the truth. It’s been rough!

From 2020 to 2023, my son, Super Mighty Max, was living with his mother in Virginia, and since the last weekend of July 2023, he’s been living with me in Maryland. And since Maxwell has come to live with me, it’s been a beautiful journey! It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been beautiful. Being a single parent to a differently-abled child has taught me a lot. It’s taught me a lot about Maxwell. It’s taught me a lot about myself. It’s taught me a lot about his mother. It’s taught me a lot about people in my life. It’s taught me a lot about the benefits and healthcare system in the state of Maryland. It’s taught me a lot about the education system and Baltimore County Public Schools. Being a single father to a differently-abled child has made me more empathetic to other caregivers in similar circumstances. Suffice it to say, I’ve learned a lot over these past three months. I’ll say more in future blog posts.

Another highlight in my life over the past three years is that I’m still the pastor of St. John A.M.E. Church. In A.M.E. terms, I’ve received four appointments thus far, and I’m loving it! It’s a great church, comprised of great people. God has truly been blessing our time together as pastor and people over these past three years and counting! Reminiscent of the early church in the Book of Acts, St. John is growing, with persons joining and getting saved each weekend—it’s a beautiful sight to witness and see. Not only are we growing numerically, but we’re also growing in faith, finances, and fun! We strive to be a church that makes a wholistic impact, and we’re doing just that. If you haven’t experienced Jesus at St. John—what are you waiting for?

Over these past three years, I’ve done and experienced a lot. I’ve met new friends and grown apart from old friends. I’ve jumped in the dating pool and jumped out; lost someone special in my life, and have learned a lot of valuable lessons—some painful ones! I’ve moved a few times—living in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City (I loved that), PG County, and now in Baltimore County. I’ve attempted to purchase a home, only to learn that the current real estate market is a beast! Sheesh! I’ve traveled near and far and have had amazing experiences on these trips! I’ve gone to more concerts in the past two years than I have in 15 years, and I’ve enjoyed it! I’ve lost weight, gained weight, and have begun losing it again! LOL, I even became an ambassador for a popular African clothing line! Overall, these past three years have been great!

Now, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, will we have to wait another three years to get a blog post? I don’t know. I doubt it! As I journey to 40, I plan on writing more and sharing more. As a single father to a differently-abled child, I plan on writing and sharing more about that experience. As a pastor, I too believe that I have something to share! So yes, I plan on writing more! Perhaps you’d like me to write about something more specific, just let me know! In the meantime, feel free to share this blog, comment, and like! Don’t forget to follow me on social media @pastorbrandonomcafee and @daddyandsupermightymax.

Peace and Blessings,

BOM

Do enough leaders “AIM” their employees??

1 Comment

Image

 

So every week, Monday-Friday, Target, the company that I work for has what is called a Morning Huddle. Our huddles always begin with recognition, which is the opportunity for the employees to recognize others for something they did on their behalf to help them, assist them, or encourage them. Next, we share information on store sales, store updates, and store initiatives. Lastly, there are times when I will a 60 second motivational tid-bit.  

So, from my experience at Target, I wonder how many companies, churches, leaders, etc. take the time to AIM. Affirm, Inform, and Motivate. 

Affirm

Everyone, at least folk whom I’ve met, desire to be affirmed about their gifts, contributions,  personality, value they’ve added to interpersonal relationships and their work environment. So affirm them for doing so. Affirm with kind words, cards, gifts, and token(s) of appreciation.

Inform

As leaders, we should always be in the business of informing people. No leader worth his/her salt should desire to keep people ignorant. Relevant information not only makes the employees or parishioners more knowledgable, but ultimately it impacts the overall organization. I’d rather have an organization of leaders, than followers.

Motivate

One thing I love about the Church is its ability to inspire and motivate people to action. Each organization should have the ability to motivate its people, if the leader can’t do it, then it should have someone in house that should, or bring folk in from the outside to motivate. People love to be motivated. Americans love to be motivated to do something that matters.

I hope in the future you AIM (Affirm, Inform, and Motivate)

BMack

Can these Bones Live? The Multi-Ethnic Church

1 Comment

Image

Recently I’ve been thinking about the possibility of leading a multicultural and multi-ethnic church in an urban area. When I first expressed the idea to my fiancé, her first thought was much like mine, “How can you do that? Don’t you need a White, Hispanic, Asian, or wife of another ethnicity?” I don’t know, do I? Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t have any hardcore statistics at my disposal right now to quote, but I do have my opinions, observations, and experiences to draw from. With that being the case, it seems as if pastors of African descent who happen to be in a monocultural marriage, have a very difficult time attracting, retaining, and leading other ethnicities, especially our White brothers and sisters.

Do people of other ethnicities, especially Whites trust Black leaders to shepherd them? Well before I go there, how about this, do they trust black leadership in general? Let’s use President Obama for example, while it may be only one example, I think it is a glaring one. President Obama has arguably been the most disrespected and undermined president in our history. He was a called a liar during the 2011 State of the Union Address, “chastised” by Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, accused of being a modern day Hitler, attacked with racial slurs, and had just about every proposed bill and agenda challenged and/or struck down. Why all the hatred, resentment, and anger towards our Black president?

Now, lets look at our churches and the diversity in our worship. Martin Luther King Jr. said “it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning.” Sadly things haven’t changed much, according to The Multiracial Congregations Project led by Michael Emerson, a Rice University sociologist, only 8% of all Christian congregations are racially diverse in America. Only 8%, wowzers? Just in case you were wondering, a racially diverse church, is at least 20% of people other than the majority culture. From my experience and observations, the majority of churches that are multi-ethnic tend to be led by White pastors. Heck, I’ve even witnessed majority Black congregations led by White pastors. So, I’m sure you’re asking; well, why is that the case?

In my opinion, the reason that Whites can seemingly pastor multi-ethnic congregations much easier than their Black counterparts is because of the normative of White male leadership. Whites have historically been slave owners, been President(until now), been CEO’s, been coaches, been mainstream media personalities, been doctors, been lawyers, been judges, been bankers, been middle managers, and been just about every leader you can think of. In my opinion, because our world is so accustomed to White leadership, the very same expectation presents itself in the church, especially in those that are multiethnic.

So, what’s the solution? First, we need to have open dialogue about race in America, because its alive and well, there’s no getting around it. In addition, I firmly believe that Blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics, and all of God’s children in America need to desegregate ourselves. I mean really desegregate and do so with true equality and fairness. Minorities need to teach White children, coach White children, supervise White adults, lead White adults, pastor White people, legally judge Whites, defend Whites, financially advise Whites, manage Whites, medically care for Whites, pastor Whites, and vice-versa. If we’re ever to become a post-racial, we need these sort of things need to take place, and I believe the temple, mosque, synagogue, and church can lead the revolution

It takes a Village,

RevBmack