Freedom Fellowship
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454
757-428-3277

• Education: Associate in Science (A.S) (High Honors) degree from Mohegan Community College (now, Three Rivers Community College), Norwich, New London County, Connecticut.
• Experience: Retired Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy (22 1/2 years). Retired Magistrate, Magistrate System, Supreme Court of Virginia. Local Preacher (1 year), Deacon (2 years), Elder (1 year, 4 months), in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Assistant Pastor, Morris Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, Pollocksville, NC (1 year); Pastor, St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church, Swansboro, NC (9 months); Joined Freedom Fellowship on 20 May 2010.
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: Pray for an anointing on my anointing. Pray not that I preach good sermons, but that I preach sermons that will do some good.
• Sermon or series that made a difference: "The Fourth Cross" - the first sermon I ever wrote, after my trial sermon, and preached, in 1999, at Grace African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, under the leadership of Rev. William E. Judd, now under the leadership of Rev. Staccato Powell, D.D.
• One of my favorite illustrations: Teaching children the difference between truth and false teaching through the use of a "real banana" and a "plastic banana" - followed by the question, "Which one of these bananas would you eat?" It is the same with God - whose report will you believe?
• What my parents think of my sermons: I’ll have to ask them when I get to Heaven - I was not a preacher while they sojourned on earth!
• Best advice given to me about preaching: Stand Up - Preach Jesus - and Sit Down! Note: Given to me by my first Episcopal leader, the Rt. Rev. George Edward Battle, Jr., then Presiding Prelate of the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District, now Presiding Prelate of the Northeastern Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church!
• Books that have had an impact: "The Pursuit of God," by Aiden Wilson Tozer "The God Chasers," by Tommy Tenney "Come Thirsty," by Max Lucado
• Hobbies: Reading religious material of all kinds.
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding!
• Something funny that happened while preaching: Went to another city, quite far from my home, to preach. I preach from manuscripts and I had left my manuscript home! I stood up and told the congregation what had happened and that now they would know, for sure, whether I could preach or not! Then the Holy Ghost showed them that it is not me doing the preaching but Him - because He - the "real preacher" - showed up and showed out! Almighty God has a way of showing us that it is not about us, but all about Him!
• What I want on my tombstone: Far from perfect in himself - yet, perfect in Christ Jesus!