TELL MY STORY Movie

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TELL MY STORY Movie

Los Angeles, CA  — In 2018, Jason Reid and his wife, the parents of four teens, went away for the weekend, only to experience the most harrowing moment for any parent: their youngest son Ryan texted to say he was going to kill himself. TELL MY STORY, a feature length documentary, follows Reid one year after his son’s suicide as he looks for the signals he may have missed with his son while candidly sharing his family’s experience. On March 23, 2021, TELL MY STORY was released on DVD, video on demand and theatrical on demand platforms and will stream for 90 days on WellBeings.org, a multi-platform multi-year campaign to address the critical health needs in America. Wellbeings.org was launched with a focus on youth mental health to raise awareness and shed stigma through candid conversations and storytelling. TELL MY STORY, along with original broadcast and digital content, continues to build on the Wellbeings.org mission to encourage compassion and a better understanding of mental health challenges facing teens, parents and families across the country.

Motivated by a note left by his son to “tell my story,” the grieving Southern California father embarks on a quest to understand what he could have done differently to prevent the suicide and especially the role that cell phone use and unfettered access to the internet may have played, with the hopes of helping other parents and caregivers. Jason’s quest begins with Mariangela Abeo, a Seattle-native whose photography project Faces of Fortitude profiles survivors of suicide.

Movie Trailer 

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Parents Bobbi and Ed Villareal, co-founders of Project 99, a Southern California non-profit that brings awareness about mental health and suicide prevention to schools, share their experiences after losing their 16-year-old son Diego to suicide in 2015.  They describe warning signs that they had missed, such as increased moodiness and pulling away from friends, stressing the need for kids to have someone they feel safe to talk to potentially outside of the family.

Flying to Seattle, Jason attends a group meeting with several young suicide survivors where they discuss the significance of social media, bullying, isolation, and what it feels like when depression spirals out of control.  Jason then visits a wilderness camp in Nevada City, CA, where Collin Kartchner, with #SaveTheKids, warns teen campers (and parents) about the impact of unmonitored cell phone time and social media access on their lives. Peter Mayfield of the Gateway Mountain Center in Truckee, CA, shares the tenants of his program which helps kids develop a stronger sense of self through physical activity in the outdoors while building relationships, practicing problem solving, and building resiliency and the ability to come back after taking a “hit” without a parent/adult trying to “fix” things for them.

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Back at home in Murrieta, Jason and his children attend a safeTALK seminar, where participants learn of the warning signs of suicide and the importance of being able to talk about suicide, debunking the misconception that talking about suicide causes suicide. Jason’s journey concludes at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Los Angeles, which provides mental health and suicide prevention services and operates a 24/7, multilingual Suicide Crisis Line that is part of the 1-800-273-TALK National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.

In 2019, as the film was being shot, the center fielded over 1000 calls a week from teens, with the youngest caller identified as 8 years old. Finally, Jason speaks with Dr. Mark Goulston, PhD, a psychiatrist and suicide prevention expert, who explains the chemical impact of cell phones and constant adrenaline on people’s brains while sharing techniques to break through to uncommunicative teens.

TELL MY STORY is produced by Cinema Libre Studio’s Philippe Diaz and Beth Portello and was an official selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and premiered in January 2020 before the pandemic.

‘Tell My Story” has a running time of 85 minutes, is not rated and is heading to DVD and SVOD (Amazon and Vimeo) on March 23, 2021 with additional platforms to follow. The film’s website includes additional resources culled from experts including “Recognizing Depression in Teens,” and “How to Begin a Conversation with Your Teen.”

SYNOPSIS:

A grieving father seeks answers after his 14-year-old son dies by suicide. He uncovers painful truths about the lives of teens, the impact of unfettered access to internet and social media, and the shocking rise of depression among America’s youth.

The journey brings him together with young suicide survivors, prevention experts, and parents trying to understand the 70% increase in adolescent suicide. Closer to home, with his family fractured, he examines his son’s technology use to discover what no parent wants to find.

Seeking to find the warning signs that were missed, he instead finds ways to reverse the isolation and disconnectedness that is killing our youth.

Website:  www.tellmystoryfilm.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TellMyStoryFilm/

Twitter/Instagram: #tellmystoryfilm

Video On Demand – Vimeo, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play,  and Amazon

About WELL BEINGS
The WELL BEINGS campaign addresses the critical health needs of Americans through broadcast content, original digital content, and impactful local events. The multi-year campaign, created by WETA Washington, D.C., brings together partners from across the country, including patients, families, caregivers, teachers, medical and mental health professionals, social service agencies, private foundations, filmmakers, corporations and media sponsors, to create awareness and resources for better health for all. To learn more, visit WellBeings.org or follow @WellBeingsOrg on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and join the conversation with #WellBeings.

The Well Beings Tour will be coming to 34 cities across the country, 2020 – 2022, in collaboration with public media stations, local community organizations, national sponsors, and partners. Through resource fairs, panel discussions, youth storytelling, performances, Mental Health First Aid Training, and more, the Well Beings Tour will convene and connect communities in a joint effort to address stigma and raise awareness about mental health and well-being.

 

The Well Beings Youth Mental Health Project is made possible by Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, One Mind, Movember, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dana Foundation, Dauten Family Foundation, The Hersh Foundation, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, John & Frances Von Schlegell, Sutter Health, Robina Riccitiello, and Jackson Family Enterprises. Partners include CALL TO MIND at American Public Media, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, WE Organization, Forbes, PEOPLE, Mental Health America, National Council for Behavioral Health, The Steve Fund, and The Jed Foundation. The project underwriters are leveraging their organizational resources to support Well Beings and have created a video, available to view at https://youtu.be/6Ke4BTivJzU.

About WETA
WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio and digital. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second largest producing-station of new content for public television in the United States, with news and public affairs programs including PBS NEWSHOUR and WASHINGTON WEEK; films by Ken Burns such as COUNTRY MUSIC, KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY and THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY; series and documentaries by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. (Seasons 3-6) and RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR; and performance specials including THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE and THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. Visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.

ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO:

Cinema Libre Studio is a mini studio known for producing and distributing high-quality feature films and social impact documentaries. The company is in pre-production on a feature film about the Angola 3 and a feature length documentary on CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth. Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, the team has released over 200 films including: THE END OF POVERTY?,  CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU: SURVIVING THE POLICE, and Canada’s 2020 Oscar ® submission, ANTIGONE. Visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com, https://www.facebook.com/cinemalibrestudio  or find us @CinemaLibre on Twitter and Instagram.

FOR HOME ENTERTAINMENT INQUIRIES:

Publicity – reviews, interviews

Jamie Coker Robertson | JCR Public Relations

[email protected]

Marketing & Partnerships

Beth Portello | Cinema Libre Studio

[email protected]

Thy Kingdom Come

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Thy Kingdom Come

Thy Kingdom Come is a non-denominational revival worship meeting put together to contribute to the revival, that God is already stirring in the United Kingdom.

Thy Kingdom Come is a revival worship meeting holding at OVO Arena Wembley, London on Sunday, July 24 2022. Although the program is being organized in partnership with churches, Thy Kingdom Come is not organized by any church particularly.

Led by Nathaniel Bassey featuring Victoria Orenze and Dunsin Oyekan, it is a free ticket event and is open to Christians from all over the world and non Christians  who are on a journey to find God.

Date : 24 July 2022

Time : 6pm – 10pm

Venue : OVO Arena Wembley

See more info here – https://thykingdomcomeuk.com/

Gentle Notice : This event is not affiliated with the prayer movement by the Church of England.

Christian group warns social media can be ‘deadly’ after 2 girls die in TikTok challenge

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Christian group warns social media can be ‘deadly’ after 2 girls die in TikTok challenge

Christian Post reports – A Christian organization commented on the potential harms of young children using social media without proper supervision amid reports that two sets of parents are suing TikTok over the belief the company could have done more to prevent their daughters’ deaths via an online challenge.

The Social Media Victims Law Center filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., in a Los Angeles County court on behalf of the families of Lalani Erika Walton and Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, two children who died while attempting the viral TikTok challenge known as the “blackout challenge.”

Participants in the challenge share videos depicting self-strangulation until they lose consciousness. Walton and Arriani, ages eight and nine, respectively, died after participating in the challenge.

The parents claim that their children became addicted to TikTok and that the platform promoted content that influenced the kids to harm themselves.

Paul Asay, senior associate editor of the Christian organization Focus on the Family’s PluggedIn.com, which helps parents navigate popular entertainment, weighed in on the controversy, stressing that social media comes with a “built-in irony.”

Asay told The Christian Post that these applications are intended to strengthen friendships but are also a “business.” He said the purpose of the business is to “keep their users as involved and engaged as much as they possibly can.”

He stated that this can be a problem for kids and teens using social media applications. The associate editor argued that children typically don’t have the ability to make “wise, healthy decisions for themselves.”

“Social media is designed to be addictive, in a way — designed to keep its users engaged with it as long as possible,” Asay wrote. “And, as this tragic story illustrates, content found on such sites can be damaging, dangerous and deadly — especially for children.”

The lawsuit notes that the application’s algorithm serves as “a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user” and “each person’s feed is unique and tailored to that specific individual.”

According to the complaint, TikTok determined that videos showing the blackout challenge were appropriate for young users and fed their children a stream of challenge videos persuading them to participate.

Both girls’ parents also allege that the company does not provide adequate warnings to deter young users or inform parents about the application’s addictive qualities or the presence of dangerous challenges. Read more …

Pastor’s Sons, Christian Teacher Killed in Northeast Nigeria

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Pastor’s Sons, Christian Teacher Killed in Northeast Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Gunmen in northeast Nigeria shot a pastor and killed his sons in one attack and killed a Christian engineering instructor in another this month, sources said.

Near Mubi town in Islamic terrorist-plagued Adamawa state, assailants shot the Rev. Daniel Umaru on July 5, leaving him for dead after killing his sons, 19-year-old Kefrey Daniel and Fanye Daniel, 23, area sources said. The gunmen kidnapped his 13-year-old daughter, Ijagla, who was released on July 8 after the kidnappers received a ransom payment.

Pastor Umaru, of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), was recovering in a hospital, said area resident Aunty Adunni.

“He was shot and left to bleed to death,” Adunni told Morning Star News in a text message. “Both the wounded pastor and his wife, who became unconscious during the attack, were taken to the hospital.”

Police in Adamawa state confirmed the attack, with spokesman Suleiman Nguroje saying the assailants stormed the pastor’s home in Mararaba Mubi, near Mubi, at about 2 a.m. on July 5.

The state governor condemned the attack in a statement and said the assailants must be brought to justice.

Area resident Peter Musa lamented the killings.

“Please pray for God’s intervention in this state over unending attacks on Christians and churches,” he told Morning Star News in a text message.

The pastor’s sons were buried on July 8 at EYN headquarters in Kwarhi Maararba, in the Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa state.

In the state capital, Yola, gunmen on July 14 killed a Christian engineering teacher, Yohanna Mbudai Bzegu, at his home in the Bajabure area of the city, sources said. Bzegu taught at Adamawa State Polytechnic in Yola.

The assailants broke into his home behind the Anglican Junior Seminary at about 3 a.m. and shot him to death, area resident John Usman said in a text message.

“The Christian lecturer was shot multiple times in his chest after the terrorists forcefully gained entrance into his house,” Usman told Morning Star News. “Before this time, the terrorists had attempted breaking into his house more than four times but were unsuccessful.”

Police in Yola confirmed the attack and were searching for the suspects.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

This article first appeared on Morning Star News

4 Christians arrested under annulled apostasy law in Sudan

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4 Christians arrested under annulled apostasy law in Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – Police in Darfur Region, Sudan have arrested four Christians under a law against apostasy that was annulled two years ago, according to local sources.

Police on June 28 arrested the Christians from the Sudanese Baptist Church in Zalingei, in western Sudan’s Central Darfur state, on charges of apostasy, detaining them until their release on bail on Tuesday (July 5), according to local media outlet Sudania 24.

The Christian converts from Islam – Bader el Dean Haroon Abdel Jabaar, his brother Mohammad Haroon Abdel Jabaar, Tariq Adam Abdalla and Morthada Ismail – had also been arrested on June 22 and released the same day.

Area Christians said they were arrested over allegations of apostasy under Article 126 of Sudan’s 1991 criminal code. In July 2020 the transitional government that took effect in September 2019 decriminalized apostasy, which had been punishable by death. Sudan’s 2020 Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act prohibits the labeling of any group as “infidels” (takfir), according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

The 2020 Act also repealed other Islamic-based articles of the 1991 criminal code, including public flogging as a punishment and prohibitions against drinking alcohol. Although Sudan has taken some steps to reform laws that violate religious rights, most current statutes are still based on Islamic law, Christian leaders say.

Human rights activists said prosecutors have mistakenly used a repealed article of the criminal code against the four Christians.

The Christians were scheduled to appear in court this week. Police also reportedly confiscated their Bibles and a sound system belonging to the church.

Officers reportedly ordered the Christians to leave the area. The arrested men refused but have since gone into hiding. Muslim extremists in the area have called for their death, one of the arrested Christians said.

Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with a military coup on Oct. 25, 2021.

After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government managed to undo some sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group “infidels” and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.

With the Oct. 25 coup, Christians in Sudan fear the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law. Abdalla Hamdok, who had led a transitional government as prime minister starting in September 2019, was detained under house arrest for nearly a month before he was released and reinstated in a tenuous power-sharing agreement in November.

Hamdock had been faced with rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist “deep state” from Bashir’s regime – the same deep state that is suspected of rooting out the transitional government in the Oct. 25 coup.

Persecution of Christians by non-state actors continued before and after the coup. In Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Sudan remained at No. 13, where it ranked the previous year, as attacks by non-state actors continued and religious freedom reforms at the national level were not enacted locally.

Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in the 2021 World Watch List. The U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report states that conditions have improved somewhat with the decriminalization of apostasy and a halt to demolition of churches, but that conservative Islam still dominates society; Christians face discrimination, including problems in obtaining licenses for constructing church buildings.

The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” and upgraded it to a watch list. The State Department removed Sudan from the Special Watch List in December 2020. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.

The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5 percent of the total population of more than 43 million.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News. 

Pastor John Gray hospitalized with life-threatening saddle pulmonary embolism

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Pastor John Gray hospitalized with life-threatening saddle pulmonary embolism

Megachurch Pastor John Gray has been hospitalized with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism he called an “illegal transaction from Hell” as his wife, Aventer, is urging his followers to bombard Heaven with prayers so her husband can receive a “miracle” from God.

Gray, 49, who leads Relentless Church, which has campuses in Greenville, South Carolina, and Powder Springs, Georgia, was admitted to the critical care unit at an undisclosed hospital, according to an Instagram post from his wife on Sunday.

“My family and I stand in need of a miracle. Please keep my husband @realjohngray in your prayers,” Aventer Gray began in her post.

“After feeling a little different over the past couple weeks, he went to the ER on Thursday evening and was immediately admitted to CCU with a saddle Pulmonary Embolism in the pulmonary artery and more lung blood clots. The Saddle PE is in a position that could potentially end his life if it shifts at all,” she explained.

“The clot burden is severe and only God is holding it in place. He is currently in CCU and based on CT & Echo we will need two types of surgery due to the pressure now on the heart within the next 24 hours. To place this in perspective, the doctor said that people have come into the hospital dead with this exact scenario he walked in with.”

A saddle pulmonary embolism, according to Medical News Today, is a rare type of acute pulmonary embolism that occurs when a large blood clot gets “lodged at the intersection where the main pulmonary artery divides and branches off into the left and right lungs.”

Since the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs to become reoxygenated, the condition limits blood supply to critical organs like the brain, heart and kidneys. If the condition is not treated urgently, it can lead to heart failure and sudden death. The condition is triggered by a number of factors, such as obesity.

The majority of people with the condition generally survive. One study shows the mortality rate for the condition is 3.62%.

Both Gray and his wife addressed their church remotely through video and telephone calls on Sunday as they leaned on their congregation for support.

“My husband is fighting for his life right now. And I have no idea how I’m able to sit here in front of a camera and speak to you other than the God that I serve,” Aventer said in a video. Read more …

Austin Gardner Announces New Ministry Launch

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Austin Gardner Announces New Ministry Launch

Austin Gardner Announces the Launch of Alignment Ministries. Austin Gardner and his team are will continue their current life-on-life ministries from a new online platform. Today, we are excited to announce the launch of Alignment Ministries. Alignment Ministries is the center of all our services including: “Society of Mentors” which is a Biblical mentorship for church leaders and Christian missionaries, “Ministry Investments” which allows you easily invest in missionaries overseas, and “From Austin’s Pen” where Austin shares articles based on his 50 years of experience in Ministry and Biblical Preaching.

Our mission is to spread the influence of Christ and maximize the impact of Biblical life-on-life discipleship. Our goal is to align the priorities and investments of those who serve in the ministry and those who seek to enable it. We work to bring to life the unique gifts God has given each of us.

Austin Gardner has been a minister and preacher for more than 50 years. During that time, he has done decades of missionary work and has supported missionaries and missions themselves. In his missionary endeavors, Austin developed a system of mentoring he calls life-on-life discipleship.

Life-on-life discipleship is defined as “Laboring in the lives of a few with the intention of imparting one’s life, God’s Word, and the gospel in such a way as to see them become mature and equipped followers of Christ, committed to doing the same in the lives of others.” Essentially, this means that the biblical text is taught through a personal relationship.

Our team at Alignment Ministries has high hopes for the future. We hope to deepen our relationship with God and share the gospel message with as many people as possible.

Austin Gardner
Alignment Ministries
+1 770-500-8021
[email protected]

Young Adult Sunday 2022

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Young Adult Sunday 2022

About this event

The Young Adult Ministry is excited to welcome the dynamic Pastor Montana So of Winston Salem, NC, and the anointed Guest Psalmist Sanina Barber, who will lead Praise & Worship!

Attire: Dress Down

This is an Each One, Reach One event! All are encouraged to invite three friends with them to church!

Date and time

Sun, July 17, 2022

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Location

Friendship Chapel Baptist Church

237 Friendship Chapel Road

Wake Forest, NC 27587

United States

For more info, contact Minister Michael Eley by email [email protected]

Young Adult Sunday 2022 image

Pastors and Church Leaders Across America Attend Bible Seminar

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Pastors and Church Leaders Across America Attend Bible Seminar

Pastors and church leaders joined for a July 4th seminar revealing the secrets of the Bible and Revelation. The event was hosted by New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and was broadcast worldwide through the church’s YouTube channel. Participants included pastors and leaders from across North and South America.

The seminar titled, “Testifying to the 66 Books of the Bible’s Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven and the New Covenant, the Revelation,” comes after the conclusion of online seminars that began being released in October 2021. These seminars presented content from the introductory, intermediate and advanced curriculum of the Zion Christian Mission Center, the theology school of Shincheonji Church that explains the Bible plainly, free of charge.

The seminars were successfully completed with 21 million YouTube views. Shincheonji Church also announced that it will produce 100,000 graduates from the Zion Christian Mission Center in 2022.

The main speaker, Shincheonji Church Chairman Lee Man-hee, testified that Jesus received the book of Revelation from God and fulfilled it today.

“If the testimony on the entire book of Revelation and the Testimony on the Revelation of the Old and New Testaments by Chapter revealed by Shincheonji is correct, then shouldn’t you believe?” Chairman Lee asked.

Chairman Lee also called for unity within Christianity.

“It is the word of God, for all people,” Chairman Lee said. “Therefore, we must fix the things that are incorrect and within God and Jesus, we must be one together is what I believe.”

“Testifying to the 66 Books of the Bible’s Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven and the New Covenant, the Revelation” is available on YouTube. For more information, visit www.scjamericas.org.

T.D. Jakes Honored in D.C. at Museum of the Bible

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T.D. Jakes Honored in D.C. at Museum of the Bible

T.D. Jakes was honored at the Museum of the Bible’s Blessing of The Elders event on June 23 to celebrate his accomplishments as both a revered communicator, pastor and global humanitarian. The event honored the Black church’s impact in America and how it has pioneered the way for many Americans to hear the message of the Bible.

“Blessing of the Elders” celebrates America’s rich spiritual legacy of the Black Church

John Hope Bryant, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, led the tribute of Jakes with these words:

“[T.D. Jakes] is the ultimate translator and can communicate to all people, from business to ministry to global philanthropy. On Sunday, his message of hope and love is reaching millions around this globe, and by Monday he’s in his director’s chair producing some of the most compelling faith-based films and stories. On Tuesday, he’s overseeing real estate development that will bring affording housing and economic opportunities to thousands, and by Wednesday he’s helping the formerly incarcerated through his [Texas] offender reentry program. Now through his foundation, he’s preparing people for the 21st-century workforce. T.D. Jakes is a man who understands the Scripture’s charge to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel.’ It’s an honor to know him and call him friend.”

As the senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational, multicultural church and global humanitarian organization based in Dallas, Jakes has built more than a church. He has built a multi-faceted, faith-based organization whose impact reaches well beyond the pulpit by using business and community outreach as a force for good. Jakes believes that faith is what connects us all – be it faith in a higher power, faith in ourselves, or faith in the goodness of humanity. Jakes’ ability to transcend cultural, racial, gender and socioeconomic barriers has transformed him into a guide and global leader for presidents and paupers alike around the world.

John Sharp, chief relations officer at Museum of the Bible, has long said that spiritual renewal in America could come through the Black church. The Blessing of the Elders initiative is intended to honor Black pastors across the U.S. who have been committed to the call of preaching and caring for others. It acknowledges their exceptional contribution as vitally important to the development of America’s biblical values.

Along with Jakes, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., Dr. John M. Perkins, Rev. Dr. A. R. Bernard Sr., Dr. Tony Evans, and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie were also honored.

Jakes will look to make an impact on thousands of women next during his Woman, Thou Art Loosed! conference in Atlanta, Sept. 22-24. The conference brings inspirational and motivational speakers to the stage to help women around the world be loosed from a myriad of strongholds, transforming them into revelations that help women to change the world.

About The Potter’s House 
Located in Dallas, The Potter’s House is a 30,000-member nondenominational, multicultural church and humanitarian organization led by Bishop T. D. Jakes, twice featured on the cover of Time magazine as America’s Best Preacher and as one of the nation’s 25 Most Influential Evangelicals. The Potter’s House has four locations: The Potter’s House of Dallas, The Potter’s House of Fort Worth, The Potter’s House of North Dallas and The Potter’s House OneLA.

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