Welcome to Pastor’s Pen!
Letters of love from Pastor O.
The JOY in Pause & Rest
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
(1 Kings 19:4-8 NRSV)
She believed she could but was really tired, so she didn't...
(Unknown)
For the sake of clarity, I do not identify with Elijah in having the desire to die. I do however identify with Elijah in that I know what it feels like to be so tired that you don’t feel like you can go on. That is not where I find myself, however, from experience, if we don’t pause and rest when we are tired, we can push ourselves to that point. This is overfunctioning at its best (worst, really). If I can be transparent, I spent my first two years trying to prove to myself and to you that I was worthy to have been called as Pastor. But God ordained it so without me having to prove a thing to anyone, including myself, and overfunctioning is poor stewardship of the gift of self that God has entrusted to us.
With that in mind, the best way to steward myself, and the various roles in which I function, is to declare this Slow-Girl Summer! I plan to do what is absolutely necessary (preaching, counseling, visiting), complete administrative projects that are necessary to the proper functioning of ministry (policy books, church management software, and website updates), and infusing my summer with JOY!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
The Price of Love
Grief doesn’t end, but it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. It is not a sign of weakness, nor lack of faith. It is the price of love.
Unknown
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him...therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, 18
There is a misconception that Pastors are impervious to pain and immune to suffering. Oh, how I wish that were true. Personal experiences aside, such an armor would make ministry easier, especially when walking alongside members through the valley of the shadow of death. Alas, Pastors feel our own pain, and yours too.
I have never dreaded a day more in my life than Father’s Day 2025. The days leading up to Dad’s service were cloudy. Thanksgiving and Christmas were distinguished by denial. Mom’s birthday was hard. My birthday, even more so. And Father’s Day just hits differently.
Yet, I am assured of God’s presence with me and in me. I also know that the intense grief and pain I feel today will not last always. If grief is the price of love, then I expect this to be costly as I loved my dad deeply.
I lay my soul bare, not to garner sympathy, rather in an attempt to model what we’ve been talking about in the Mind Over Matter preaching and teaching series. I am practicing what I have been preaching and teaching all year long--uncompromising faithfulness in my stewardship. In fact, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom of my therapist, I asked my good friend, the Rev. Drew Kyndall Ross, to deliver the sermon in worship today. Proper stewardship of this season and day, my first Father’s Day without the earthly presence of my Dad, was to care for my own heart, mind, and soul. In doing so, I will be a stronger me for God, for myself, for my family, and for the work of ministry.
If grief is your portion, today or any other day, I invite you to exercise good stewardship In caring for yourself; for you, too, belong to God.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
I Can Do All Things
The word mindset is defined as, “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” As people, in general, and as followers of Jesus, in particular, our mindset is of paramount importance. Attitude governs actions. Belief governs behavior. Our deep seated thoughts influence how we live, and move, and have our being. It is for this reason that I am drawn to the words attributed to the industrialist Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” What Ford was saying is that mindset determines outcome, even before embarking on the task. If you think you can do something, success will come. If you think you cannot, you will falter and fail.
This was illustrated beautifully in the life of the Apostle Paul. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote the following, “I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Paul wasn’t writing about launching a ministry, starting a degree program, or buying a house, he was writing about survival. The Philippians were a caring congregation, generously supporting his ministry. Paul was expressing gratitude for their gifts. In his gratitude, Paul makes it clear that he has learned to live lavishly and he has learned to live when with limited resources. It is in this context that he writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Paul reminds us that it is our mindset that determines whether or not we can accomplish a task. And as Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right. So whatever you are facing, I invite you to remix the mindset of the Little Engine that Could from, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” to “I can do all things through Christ. I can do all things through Christ. I can do all things through Christ.”
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Melodies of Heaven
June is African-American Music Appreciation Month. From Antiquity to today, music has shaped every facet of our lives. When the children of Israel were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh, Miriam picked up her tambourine, gathered some sisters, and made melody unto God.
“Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.” (Exodus 15:20)
Words were insufficient. The mighty work of God in their lives was so great that these women were moved to sing and shout and play their instruments to express their deepest awe and gratitude. Can you hear it? It sounds like freedom. It sounds like joy. It sounds like salvation. Through melody these women claimed their space in the world and proclaimed their freedom. Miriam isn’t the only one who recognized the power of music. She is part of a great cloud of witnesses that includes Hannah, the mother of Samuel, David, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Paul when he was jailed in a Roman prison.
Black people lilt when our loads are lightened. We wail when our souls are wounded. We moan when melancholy won’t allow for more. Music has gotten Black people through individual instability and collective crisis. When I am questioning myself, there is nothing like blasting “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige to remind me that I am more than enough. When my children are working my last good nerve, if you lean in close you will hear me humming, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.” When the injustices of America feel too heavy to bear, Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “There’s a New World Coming” reminds me that the evil of this day will come to an end.
What is your go-to song to invoke joy in your soul? What song has given sound to your deepest desires? What song do you play when you are going through and need to get to the other side?
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Our Neighborhood
Last Sunday we celebrated a glorious Family and Friends Day! After Family and Friends Day 2025, I wrote the following:
There were two main areas for improvement I noticed. These, I would argue, are not solely the work of the co-chairs, but the work of the entire church. The first area of improvement is engagement of the community. How wonderful it would have been to have our friends from the neighborhood to celebrate with us, even if they only joined for the post-worship fellowship as a way of reintroducing ourselves to the community. The second area of improvement is engagement of children. What a joy it was to have so many children running around in the parking lot. I can see face painting and bouncy houses in our future.
When I reflect on Family and Friends Day 2025, I thank God that the areas of improvement noted were addressed! We had neighbors join us in the parking lot. I saw some of our neighbors dancing and others having their faces painted. Speaking of face painting, what a joy to see the children with their faces painted, laughing, dancing, and running around playing with balloons! The popcorn and cotton candy machines were a bonus for all!
Sis. Kelly Brown and Sis. Charity Gall embody the reason I assign the co-chairs of Annual Days. They took the successes of last year and built upon them. (Ahem, fans for line dancing...that was Sis. Charity) They took the areas of improvement and found ways to make tremendous improvements. They pivoted when necessary and remained focused and prayerful when obstacles arose. They utilized a multiplicity of gifts within the congregation--from the beautiful balloon decorations to the grill masters. As Pastor, I thank God for Sis. Kelly Brown, Sis. Charity Gall, and all who assisted to make the day a rousing success! I cannot wait for Family and Friends Day 2026!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Healing thru Us
This Family and Friends Day, I am led to share the most powerful experience of family, that I recount in my book, Loves...Regardless: Forty Devotions Inspired by Womanist Creative Thought and Theology:
I arrived in Gallatin, Tennessee on June 2, 2009 all alone. I was there to serve a Shalom Zone in a community still deeply fragmented by racism and classism. I was there to work with a well-meaning liberal White woman who did not acknowledge my blackness; she perceived me as different from the Black women she encountered daily because my education made me exceptional in her eyes. I was living in the lush lakeside quarters of a board member far beyond the other side of the tracks where the Shalom Zone was located. I was an outsider, feeling isolated and unseen.
In a matter of days, I experienced the restorative power of community. It started at a community BBQ. I met Charlotte. Her heart was as wide as her smile. She did not know me, but she invited me to Sunday dinner at Big Mama’s house. There I met Big Mama, Sylvia, Wanda, NaCole and a host of other women and men whose love demonstrated the power of community. By the time June 22 rolled around, I wrote on my blog about being in a place, “that has not left me alone, or without family, or without bangin' macaroni and cheese for the last three Sunday afternoons after church.”
Big Mama an’nem are healers, building bridges, and showing off as they exemplify God’s love in community. They are not the only ones. Black women know how to show love and affection beyond me and mine. Sadly, as womanist theologian Monica Coleman writes in Making a Way Out of No Way, our fractured society esteems individualism above community. This way of being is antithetical to Black women’s ways of being. We are righteous open arms. We are southern hospitality and Ubuntu, connected through our shared humanity. We are healers. However, in order to survive, we have adapted to white hegemonic ways of being to the detriment of our communities and our souls. We must return to ourselves so that through us God can heal our communities.
Pastor Donna Owusu-Ansah
Happy Mothers Day!
For Mother’s Day, I want to share an excerpt from the entry inspired by my mother, Lois Elizabeth Powell, on hospitality featured in my book, Loves...Regardless: Forty Devotions Inspired by Womanist Creative Thought and Theology:
I first learned hospitality from my mother, Lois. Sharp tongued, she has a soft, fleshy heart and is extraordinarily hospitable. Lois will cuss you out while benevolently feeding, clothing, and housing you, or meeting whatever your need. I cannot recall a time when my mother did not have an open-door policy, a closet full of fresh linens, and cabinets brimming with food. Our three-bedroom apartment was a temporary home for many—cousins in trouble with the law, uncles down on their luck, aunties who needed some TLC, and other kin and neighbors who needed a warm meal, a soft bed, and some reprieve from the harsh realities of life.
As a child I resented the presence of others in our home; I disdained sharing my room. I grew tired of neighbors cackling at our dining table while mom made a fresh batch of fried chicken in the kitchen. However, I now know that my mother was doing what Black women do. She was taking care of others—our own—and affirming their humanity in a harsh world where racist, sexist, capitalistic leanings shut Black people, specifically Black women, out in the cold. My mother embodied the love of God, a work that has been part and parcel of Black women’s experiences since slavery.
The legacy that my mother lives is the tangible love of God through caring for and meeting the needs of others. What legacy has been left for you by the mothers and mother figures in your life?
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
For the Love of Money
There is a common misperception around money held by many, Including Christians, who believe that money is evil.
But Jesus never said this. He said, “You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13 CEV)
Similarly, the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Don't fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.”(Hebrews 13:5 CEV)
What these Scriptures teach us is that money is not inherently evil, but our attitudes and relationship with money is what places value on money. This point so aptly illustrated by the O’Jays:
Some people got to have it
Some people really need it
Do things, do things, do things, bad things with it
You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it
Talk about cash money, money
Talk about cash money, dollar bills y'all, come on now
For the love of money
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother
For the love of money
People can't even walk the street
Because they never know who in the world they're gonna beat
For that lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar, money
What is your attitude about and relationship with money?
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Priceless!
I am excited to add another celebration into the life of our church--Volunteer Appreciation Sunday! There are very few paid staff members. Most things happen in church because of the faithful service of God’s people. As the saying goes, ““Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!”
Today we celebrate all of our PRICELESS volunteers who serve on Sundays and all throughout the week: Deacons, Deaconesses, Trustees, Greeters, Ushers, Choir, Dance Ministry, Culinary Ministry, Media Ministry, Missionary Ministry, Pastor’s Care Ministry, Intercessory Prayer Ministry, Church Clerk, and everyone who serves without an official title or role in ministry.
Today we also celebrate select individuals who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism. The truth is, we could have honored so many more--and we will next year on the fourth Sunday in April 2026--but today I give thanks for these few who are faithful in their respective areas of ministry, without fanfare or desire for recognition. I have no doubt that this is the soundtrack of their service:
May the service I give speak for me!
When I've done the best I can,
And my friends don't understand.
May the service I've given speak for me!
In a South African newsletter it was written, “A volunteer is a person whose charity is fidelity, who is faithful in an unfaithful world, grateful in an ungrateful world, giving when all about are grasping, listening when others need to tell about their fears and problems.” I am grateful to God for all of the loving, faithful, generous people who give of their time, gifts, and energy because they love God and this church.
Pastor Donna Owusu-Ansah
Remembering Easter Past
Easter 1980 and 2017
The above photo is from Easter 2017. We were on our way to worship at the New Hope Baptist Church in Metuchen, where I served as an Associate Minister. On this morning, they would give their Easter speeches. Even though Joseph and I were the only ones who could fully understand what they were saying, the congregation roared in delight almost as loudly as the girls squealed on Saturday. The dresses! The hats! The bags! I loved dressing them in matching outfits, especially on Easter Sunday.
Their photo reminds me of Easter 1980 when I was four years old, about the same age as Afia in 2017. I was heading to the Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, the church our family attended in the rare instances that we went to church. I was donning a hat and regaled in my Easter finery. Though not in this photograph, I had a pocketbook to match the outfit. As the kids say, it’s giving Easter parade pomp and circumstance!
The pageantry of children is my second favorite part of Easter, with the Resurrection of Jesus being the first. For as advanced as we have become, I get nostalgic thinking about little boys in three-piece suits, girls in frilly dresses and hats, speeches, parades and all of the pageantry of Easter!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Yield to the Spirit
Last Sunday, before I preached, I had a moment of confession. I confessed that every now and then that even pastors want to stay home. I shared the prayer that I uttered on the way to church, “God, I really could have stayed in my bed this morning, but I'm on my way. So, God, I pray that you would move. I pray that the choir would worship and that their worship would minister to us and move us to where you would have us be.” And then I shared the contagious nature of worship. That as the choir began to worship in the opening praise selection, my soul was lifted. I cited Psalm 22:3, noting that God inhabits, God dwells in, and God takes residence in the praises of God’s people and how even when we don't feel like it, we should give God praise anyhow. Because our praise is an invocation and when we praise, God literally shows up.
Many of you came to me after worship to see how I was doing, to make sure that I was okay, so I wanted to address the moment in this space. I was good at the point when I made the confession. In fact, I shared my feelings not to garner sympathy, but rather to highlight the power of worship.
First, I wanted to remind ALL of us that even when we don’t feel like it, we should press our way into worship because God will meet us in worship. In that way, worship is transformative.
Secondly, I wanted to remind the choir and musicians that their ministry has great kingdom significance. Many enter the doors of our church feeling low, ready to quit, laden with grief, and perhaps even teetering on the brink of life and death. When the choir and musicians recognize the ways in which God can use them, God will use them. I am a witness! I would not have had the strength to stand, had the choir not yielded to the Spirit. Let’s continue going higher in worship!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
The Blood from Day to Day
We have already established that I love the hymns of the church. In my estimation, the hymns make a stronger theological stance than much of our contemporary sacred music. That is to say that the lyrics of the hymns of the church remind us of the awesome presence and power of God and are hefty enough to sustain us in times of great trial and tribulation.
We are in such a time of trial and tribulation. With our nation spinning out of control, many people, even in the pews, are feeling powerless. In fact, during my time away in Indianapolis, I heard a staggering statistic from faith leader, scholar, and data activist, Rev. Dr. Briana Parker, that 75% of Black churchgoers are feeling powerless. However, as we prepare to celebrate Holy Communion for the fourth time this year, I am reminded of the blood of Jesus that will never lose its power, which is the same blood that gives you and me strength and power. We are not powerless, my sisters and my brothers, for we serve a God who has all power, who has imbued us with power. So as you partake in Communion today, as you receive the bread and the cup, remember the power of God that will triumph over the evil of this day!
The blood that Jesus shed for me
Way back on Calvary
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power
It reaches to the highest mountain
It flows to the lowest valley
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
A Glorious Time to Celebrate
In my time preparing to preach the morning service during the Pastoral Installation Weekend of the Rev. Ivy A. Scudder, I have been reflecting upon our Pastoral Installation weekend. What a glorious time of celebration!
As we celebrate with Pastor-Elect Scudder and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, I invite you to reflect with me on all that God has done in our ministry since that beautiful September weekend in 2023.
God has been good and this is just the beginning!
https://www.youtube.com/live/wz4SKLccW8o?si=cH9Axb1-g_46-O_G&t=603
Amazement of Worship
If there is one characteristic more than others that contemporary public worship needs to recapture it is this awe before the surpassingly great and gracious God.
Henry Sloane Coffin
We must never rest until everything inside us worships God.
A. W. Tozer
The aforementioned quotations from Henry Sloane Coffin and A.W. Tozer speaks to worship as a full bodied, full hearted, full spirited experience. They speak to the presence of a God who defies human understanding and human language, in whose presence the people of God ought to be postured In reverence of God’s greatness. As the Psalmist aptly said, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
Given the unfathomable greatness of God, I have never understood how God’s people can enter the sanctuary for worship with a ho-hum attitude. Even on our worst days, when we enter the sanctuary that ought to be a recognition of the presence of God that moves the attention from ourselves to God.
Worship for the sake of ritual falls short. Worship that is rote, mechanical, or habitual repetition does not do God justice. Worship ought to evoke wonder. Worship ought to evoke awe. Worship ought to evoke amazement. That wonder, awe, and amazement ought to move us to sway, rock, clap, stomp our feet, lift our hands, weep, moan, and/or shout “Hallelujah!”
I don’t write this to shame anyone, but rather as an invitation to live Into God’s vision for First Baptist to go, “Higher in Worship!”
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
To God Be The Glory!
When words escape me, I draw on the words of Scripture and/or song to give voice to the meditations of my heart. As I reflect on the Pastoral Anniversary Worship Service, these are the words that come to mind:
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.
As I reflect on the Pastoral Anniversary Worship Service, I give glory to God and I have immense gratitude to you, the amazing people of First Baptist Church.
Sunday was absolutely perfect! When I arrived in the morning, I tried to “do” things and you all wouldn’t let me. From the start you made it abundantly clear that the anniversary was a day of rest and celebration for me. The music ministry was magnificent. The praise dancers were moving. The tribute was beautiful. It was a joy to see and hear members who do not usually participate in worship lead us. The violinist was anointed. The preaching was Inspiring and motivating. The glory of the Lord was in the house. The post service meal was delicious and the fellowship was even sweeter.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Feeding God’s Flock
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it, not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)
These are the words of the Apostle Peter, the one who Jesus charged to tend to and feed Jesus’ sheep. Jesus made it clear that the vocation of a Pastor is tending and feeding God’s people. With some experience under his belt, Peter now exhorts elders in the church to continue the work of tending and feeding. There were some pastors in the church who were abusing their authority. They understood the work pastoring as something that placed them on a pedestal over God’s people. Peter says, not so. Pastoring is oversight without being an overlord, for true power resides in God alone. There were also some Pastors who felt pressured into pastoring. They were not pastors after God’s own heart, rather they were Pastors doing out of obligation. Peter lets them know that they could not effectively care for and feed God’s people if their heart wasn’t in it. Lastly, there were some Pastors who were only leading in God’s church for what they could get from God’s people. They were takers and not givers. Peter tells them that there was no room for their dirt in the church.
So what kind of Pastors does Peter exhort them to be? Simply put, they are to be examples to the people of God. They are to follow in the ways of Jesus. They are to be full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, while walking in the fruit of the Spirit, that is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is my prayer that in these past two years that we have been together, that I have been that kind of Pastor. FBC is an amazing congregation. Tending and feeding is my joy, and I do so eagerly looking forward to our future together.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
In my heart, in my heart.
It is hard to believe that the Lenten Season is upon us already. Lent is, “the period preceding Easter that in the Christian Church is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness.” In my personal faith journey, the Lenten Season always provided an opportunity to draw nearer to God, to shed some practices that were not pleasing to God, and to take on some practices to strengthen my faith. In the early years of my faith, this meant giving up chocolate or red meat, but in later years the time has taken on more meaning. My prayer during the Lenten Season mirrors that of our ancestors:
Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
This Lenten Season we have several opportunities to strengthen our faith and draw us nearer to God In Christ. We invite you to be present on Zoom for our time of corporate devotion using, “The Forty Day Word Fast” as our guide. We also invite you to make a Lenten offering of $1, $3, or $5 per day for the Forty Days of Lent. This offering will be donated to the Center for Food Action in keeping with our desire to be like Jesus in our hearts and in our lives.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Goodly Heritage
I’m sure you already know that I am a bibliophile (a lover of books) and a lexiphile (a lover of words). As a lexiphile, I absolutely love digging into the origin of words.
The word heritage comes from an Old French word “heriter” which means inheritance. The word inherit, from where we derive the word inheritance, has several meanings:
to receive (money, property, or a title) as an heir at the death of the previous holder;
to derive (a quality, characteristic, or predisposition) genetically from one's parents or ancestors and;
On this Heritage Sunday, I am thinking about our inheritance as people of the African Diaspora living in the United States. Although our people have had to endure great travesty and tragedy as a result of colonization and white supremacy, our testimony remains, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:9).By the grace and strength of God, we have a goodly heritage--receiving riches and deriving dignity from our ancestors.
We inherited adaptability from Frederick Douglas!
We inherited courage from Ida B. Wells!
We inherited artistic expression from Langston Hughes
We inherited ingenuity from Madame C.J. Walker!
We inherited innovation from George Washington Carver!
We inherited intellectual excellence from W.E.B. DuBois
We inherited style and swagger from Josephine Baker!
We inherited commitment to justice from Thurgood Marshall!
We inherited strategic thinking from Booker T. Washington!
We inherited determination from Mary McLeod Bethune!
And our task is to live in such a way that generations yet to come will look back and testify that in us they have a goodly heritage!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
For Us, By Us
On this third Sunday in Black History Month, I am thinking about the attempted systematic erasure of Black people and our history from the story of this nation and how important it is that we fight this systematic erasure. One way of fighting is by engaging defensive strategies like phone calls, letters, protests and boycotts of companies and agencies that support our erasure.
The second way of fighting is by employing offensive strategies. This is something that we can do as a church, especially as a Historically Black Church affiliated with the Progressive Baptist Convention, the denominational home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Offensive strategies include being intentional with our use of sources in preaching and teaching, making sure to include Black theologians, Black history, Black music, Black literature, etc. As Issa Rae said, “I’m rooting for EVERYBODY BLACK!”
But this offensive strategy goes beyond the work of the pastor. It will be crucial for our Christian Education once the department and classes are in place to use curriculum written by us, for us. It will also be crucial for every ministry to locate and highlight our legacy within the framework of their ministry. For example, what would it mean for the Missionary Society to tell the story of Betsy Stockton, who was emancipated after being enslaved right here in New Jersey, who is lauded as the first African American Christian missionary, serving as the only Black woman in a company of thirteen (13) white missionaries to present day Hawaii in February of 1863. Or what would It mean for the Women’s Ministry to find Inspiration and strategy In the work of the Female Benevolent Society of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, of the the first African American women’s clubs that fought for social and political change? Or what would it mean for the Deacons to find purpose beyond the walls of the church Inspired by the Deacons for Defense and Justice, a group In the 1960s that protected protesters and activists from the Ku Klux Klan. Knowing our history will help us forge ahead Into the future.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
God is still on the throne.
We are living in an unprecedented social and political climate. Political parties aside, what we are witnessing unfold is antithetical to the radically loving and liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christ followers, we cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening because God is on the Throne, nor can we become so consumed by it that we lose sight of the fact that God is on the Throne. When I was growing up, the elder saints would say, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.” The elders were on to something...
So what do we do? I would encourage each of us, myself included, to stay abreast of the news, to be informed citizens, and to navigate this season with great care. When it comes to news and policy, I primarily lead and read with my heart. That is part of my pastoral sensibilities. However in this season, I have learned a great deal from Bro. Joseph. As an accountant, he is more methodical in his approach.
Be sure that your news sources are reliable and varied;
Be sure to read with a critical eye and an engaged mind;
Limit your exposure to sensationalized/salacious stories;
Reflect on the long and short term implications and;
Allow your emotions to fuel action based on the facts.
I must caution us: Even if we do all of that, what we are dealing with will still, in the words of Marvin Gaye, “Make you wanna holler and throw up both your hands...” So allow me to suggest one more practice to implement in your consumption of the news. After reading or watching the news, especially the news on our current political reality, I encourage you to read aloud (or listen to) the entirety of Psalm 37. Let the word of God wash over you and permeate your heart and mind as a reminder that our God is still on the throne and that our God will have the final say.
1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 Our steps[a] are made firm by the Lord
when he delights in our[b] way;
24 though we stumble, we[c] shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us[d] by the hand.
25 I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watch for the righteous
and seek to kill them.
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[e]
36 Again I[f] passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
because they take refuge in him.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah