Faith & Clergy
Tamela and David Mann: Launch Book and World Tour
They’ve made you laugh, they’ve made you cry but whatever they have done, they did it together as a married couple; David and Tamela Mann. From Meet the Browns to Mann and Wife; from singing for gospel great Kirk Franklin to acting for entertainment titan Tyler Perry, the Mann’s have made all the right moves to prepare their own empire.
This fall the power couple, founders of Tillyman Music Group, launched their Us Against The World Mann Tour, first-ever joint album Us Against The World: The Love Project and their new memoir, Us Against The World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family. With so much on the horizon the Mann’s say they simply wanted to celebrate their 30 years of marriage with the world.
In writing their book, Tamela hopes she can help save marriages by sharing an honest account of how they’ve weathered their storms.
“We want to make marriage great again,” said Tamela. “Couples need hope and we don’t want couples to give up or throw in the towel. Life is a circle, so if you divorce and move on to the next one, understand that you will continue to learn the same lessons. Ask the Lord to help you complete what you started and stay strong.”
The Mann’s new album, the Love Project features their first ever duet.
“Our album is not a gospel album, but speaks about genuine love between and a man and a wife, and people need to hear from a couple that loves each other and loves the Lord and this is possible,” said David.
Earlier the Manns were honored at the NAACP Image Awards for their docu-series The Manns on TV One. Tamela was also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Stellar Gospel Music Awards and received 2018 Billboard Music Award nominations for “Top Gospel Artist” and “Top Gospel Song” for “Change Me” from her 2017 Billboard Music Award-winning, No. 1-selling album, One Way. Last year, Tamela broke the record for the most No. 1’s in the history of Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart when “Change Me” became her sixth leader, topping the charts for three and a half months.
Sharing their faith beyond church walls is of the utmost importance to the Manns.
“We need to take ourselves out of the church box because God called us to help all people,” said Tamela. “We’ve opened up our minds to be able to become all things to all men and pull those not into the church house, in. We must be amongst people in order to spread the gospel because Jesus lives in us and we can be in the world and not of it.”
For the Manns, expanding their ministry from the gospel to the secular world was not a difficult transition.
“The secular world already knew who we were – that we were Christians and for Christ,” said Tamela. “We are all about bringing our belief to the larger world,” said David.
The duo also says working with Kirk Franklin taught them the importance of working in unison with a leader while Tyler Perry showed them how to capture their audience.
While the Manns work hard to bring positivity to the world, they will not ignore the hate they see in America.
“Society has taken some steps forward, but one entity has taken us all 10 steps back and when our leaders lower their moral standards, that bleeds down to people under them and becomes acceptable,” said David. “It’s never acceptable behavior.”
Tamela says fans can look forward to her leisure wear debuting in Ashley Stewart stores in this month and a new Christmas movie, “Merry Wish-mas” on TV One.
“Again we want to encourage families and bring them together. The family structure is not dead; there is still hope for the family.”
Community
Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes
The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).
The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.
“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).
Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.
“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.
Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.
Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.
Activism
Oakland’s ‘Green the Church,’ Others, Host a Climate Revival
On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA. The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.
Growing Healthy Communities from Soil to the Soul in Berkeley
By Y’Anad Burrell
On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA,
The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.
The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than 10 years as pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.
Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency.
The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.
Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.
With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.
Over the past 14 years, in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement.
GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the U.S., and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.
The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice.
Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.
The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it’s a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities.
By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.
For more information, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.
Bay Area
ICAC to Host Benefit Concert Jan. 20 to Keep Safe Car Park for Unhoused Open
It was chilly Monday evening at the reopening of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County’s (ICAC) Safe Car Park Program in West Oakland – a stark reminder of just how cold the night would be for those in the community without shelter. The safe car park has been temporarily closed due to lack of funding, and ICAC needs money to bridge the gap during these cold months until additional financial support from the city kicks in several months from now. To help bridge that gap, ICAC is sponsoring a concert at the Oakland Temple Hill Auditorium at 4780 Lincoln Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. The whole Bay Area community is invited to join this cause.
By Debbie Bromley
Special to The Post
It was chilly Monday evening at the reopening of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County’s (ICAC) Safe Car Park Program in West Oakland – a stark reminder of just how cold the night would be for those in the community without shelter.
The safe car park has been temporarily closed due to lack of funding, and ICAC needs money to bridge the gap during these cold months until additional financial support from the city kicks in several months from now.
To help bridge that gap, ICAC is sponsoring a concert at the Oakland Temple Hill Auditorium at 4780 Lincoln Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. The whole Bay Area community is invited to join this cause.
This special evening of top-notch entertainment will feature Billboard artist Lena Byrd Miles, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and Destined2Dance.
Attendance will help support the ICAC in their charitable efforts in the community, especially their work to improve community health and safety and to feed and care for those in need of food and shelter.
Tickets are $20-35 and are available online at TempleHill.org.
At the Safe Car event on Monday, Miles stepped to the mic to share a song with the poignant lyrics, “If I can help somebody, as I travel along, if I can help somebody, with a word or song…my living shall not be in vain.”
Miles said she is honored to lend her gift to this effort. “We are to do as much as we can to help the needy and God repays us. And as we give to them it’s as if we are giving unto the Lord.”
As the cars began to roll in for the night, warmth began to emerge from all the service being rendered, making the chilly evening more bearable.
The portable trailer from WeHope was standing ready to offer showers, laundry facilities and a caseworker.
Paul Bains, CEO of Project WeHope and pastor of St. Samuel Church of God in Christ commented, “WE ALL help make this happen, as it truly does take a village to positively impact a community!”
LaMel A. Smith, director of the nonprofit Helping Others Win was also on hand. Smith helps provide a food distribution service at the site that serves about 3,000 people per week.
Dr. Kenneth Anderson William, pastor of Temple Baptist Church, added, “It was with joy to see families living in their cars return back to a Safe Car parking site. Safe car parking is needed in every city to provide resources for more sites.”
Dr. Michelle Myles Chambers, assistant pastor of West Side Missionary Baptist Church and director of the San Francisco Foundation’s FAITHS program, has been there from the beginning. “The San Francisco Foundation was excited to be on the ground floor with ICAC,” she said. “We’re all in on housing and fully support innovative supportive housing models.”
ICAC is grateful to the Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the Kapor Center for funding support, along with The San Francisco Foundation for supporting the reopening.
Other supporters attending were Natalie Walker of WeHope, Lena Byrd Miles’ manager Tina Carter, representatives from the office of Oakland City Council members Rebecca Kaplan and Nikki Fortunato Bas, and CBS News reporter Itay Hod.
As Dr. Ken Chambers, founding president of the ICAC and pastor of West Side M.B.C. and often reminds us, “Working together works!”
Attending a concert is an easy way to show support for these efforts.
Debbie Bromley is the Oakland Temple Hill communication co-director of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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