Christ Missionary Baptist Church Live

[Music] [Music] chill you this day who we shall sure but ask for me in my house we shall serve the lord welcome to christ's missionary baptist church our children everybody's stopped by and i'm pastor gina m steward and i agree with ryan and lauren come on let's worship the i was lord when they said unto me let us go into the house of the lord did you come to celebrate the lord this morning come on and make some to noise brave hallelujah he's the ruler of everything [Music] [Music] is and is [Music] [Music] is he is [Music] he is [Music] he's a great guy he's a drinker [Music] [Music] hey [Music] he is [Music] [Music] yes [Music] he is [Music] is this morning [Music] is [Music] i wish somebody would say [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] come on and bless him come on and bless him come on and bless him don't you serve a great god who's great and greatly to be free hallelujah oh come on you got to do better than that i will bless the lord at all times and his praises shall continually be in my love my soul that make her vote in the lord the humble shall hear thereof at peak land oh magnify the lord with me and let us exalt his name together i don't know about you but we serve a great god and his name is great hallelujah that's the name of the lord [Music] we love to call you [Music] your greatness [Music] [Applause] [Music] you're [Music] stronger [Music] here we go [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] listen to this friend [Music] say that like you mean [Music] [Music] [Music] hey [Music] like hey [Music] [Applause] oh when i call [Music] [Applause] come on i don't know who you are but i came over here early this sunday morning just to tell you that you undercall on the name of jesus when i call your [Music] i can't somebody one more time [Music] is [Music] come on when [Music] when you call hallelujah bless the name of the lord come on [Music] the road [Music] i know you know the next part what it is [Music] really the only name that matters [Music] and nothing will happen but it's something about the name of jesus and when we call on those names you can get up off your sick bed when we call on that name your bills will be paid come on now when we call on that name god we'll do some things [Music] amen amen amen it's time for our call to worship it's just something and i do apologize but i remember nights in the hospital bed that was [Music] so [Music] you know you your mouth will tell you that's the only name to call wilson will tell you that's enough [Music] something about our sovereign god something about our own power for god something about that name on this pentecostal [Music] [Music] [Music] come on amen amen let's be prepared for alcohol to worship and excuse me amen pentecost is next sunday when you look so forward to getting back and seeing these days that you come on now didn't think you would see again you tend to get ahead of yourself but i'm just excited about being able to call on the name of jesus being able to praise the lord being happy for our pastor being happy during this church anniversary mom come on come on come on come on amen the scripture readings this morning we come from jeremiah that's right amen something about that name jeremiah 3 5 15 ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 through 13 1st timothy chapter 5 verse 17 in hebrews chapter 13 verse 17 amen amen then i will give you shepherds after my own heart who will lead you come on dr james stewart who will lead you with knowledge and understanding so christ himself gave the apostles the prophets the evangelists the pastors and teachers to equip his people for work works of service so that the body of christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of god and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of christ the elders who direct the affairs of the church were are well honored excuse me are worthy of double honor especially those whose work is preaching and teaching have confidence in your leaders that's right and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account do this so their work will be a joy and not a burden for that wouldn't be of no benefit to any of us amen the word of god for the people of god clapping [Music] amen praise the lord the spirit of the lord is already here amen this is a good opportunity to petition god's throne of grace as we go before god's throne let us remember those in our community who are bereaved we want to pray for pamela hendricks and caysen hendricks also in the hospital we have none this morning and upcoming surgery we have none recently released from the hospital we have julian canard joel ashley janaya macklin oath and other samuels also we want to continue to pray for mildred jones collins amber cannon julia purdy and francis kinney and we want to pray for one another amen your name may not be on this list but certainly your name is always on god's list and so we petition god's throne today for not only for ourselves but for our neighbors for the things that are happening around the world still for we're still in the midst of this pandemic and god is keeping us amen but we want to pray still for that god would bring it to a swift end and we want to pray for those who are uh severely impacted by the pandemic this morning and we want to pray for christ's missionary we want to pray for our pastor who is celebrating 26 years of pastoral ministry today we want to lift her up to the lord amen and so wherever you are in your homes in your kitchen in your bathroom in your bedroom wherever you are if you just erect an altar to the lord as we enter into god's gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise god we want to tell you thank you this morning for the presence that we've already experienced thank you for the reminder that when we call on your name our bodies are healed when we call on your names our minds are set free god when we call on your name we have the victory we thank you for the power that's in your name no other name under heaven by which men and women can be saved every knee shall bow to this name we tell you thank you that we know the name personally oh god we give you praise today for the times we called on that name and you came swiftly oh god we thank you for the days that we called on your name oh god and you came to see about us we thank you god for when we called on that name in the midnight hour and you minister to us oh god we give you the praise today for the power that's in your name we thank you for this day we thank you oh god for your loving kindness and for your tender mercies toward us you've been a waymaker you've been a door opener you've been uh you've stayed the hand of the enemy on our behalf of god you've made ways out of no way you've kept us through danger seen and unseen you've kept us oh god you've done more than we could ever ask think or imagine we just want to tell you thank you this morning you've been mighty kind to us you've been mighty good to us oh god what can we render to you for all of your benefits oh god we will pay our vows to you in the presence of your people we'll open up our mouths to you in the presence of your people we'll tell you thank you oh god if we had ten thousand tongues we could not tell you thank you enough thank you for getting us out of our sin thank you for oh god not repenting us according to our sin thank you for still hearing our prayers when we didn't deserve it thank you for keeping us oh god when we went left and you told us to go right we tell you thank you today thank you that you helped us helped us to make it through another week somebody didn't think they would make it oh god to see sunday so we tell you thank you for your keeping power this morning we tell you thank you for the holy ghost who comes to minister to us who comes to give us strength o god in our weakest hour we tell you thank you this morning for the holy spirit who ministers to us oh god we tell you thank you and we give you praise oh god you have done more than we could ask think or imagine your ways are great oh god your power is awesome oh god and so we ask that you keep on doing it we ask for encore in our lives today oh god we ask that you throw your weight around in this sanctuary we ask that you have your way in this ministry we ask that you have your way in our homes and in our lives today oh god we thank you for the woman of god who continues to say yes to you oh god we thank you that even sometimes when her yes was easy and when it was hard oh god she still said yes and because she said yes lives have been changed and lives have been transformed and people have come to know your name we tell you thank you for the woman of god today we pray a special prayer for her o god we ask that she won't not for anything o god as long as you shall give her days we pray in the name of jesus from the crown of a head to the souls of our feet that you meet every need even whatever is happening in her body that she may not know of oh god we thank you that you're keeping her oh god we thank you that the blood covers her and we speak life today oh god we speak life over her ministry we speak life over her mind we speak life over her spirit in the name of jesus we pray for a double portion of your spirit today that your spirit might strengthen her for even more years that your spirit might strengthen her oh god for even more years stand up on and on the inside of the woman of god give her your quickening power oh god stand up on the inside of it we'll give you the praise for it and we pray for the preacher the pastor has already prayed god but word her mouth we pray for a word in season oh god for those of us who need a word today thank you that you never leave us how we came oh god so we pray in the name of jesus for our rhema word today we pray in the name of jesus for a word that will change our hearts that will change our minds that will even answer our prayer and we give you the praise for it and we'll give you the glory and the honor for it it's in the mighty and matchless name of jesus the christ that we pray and the people of god say amen and amen praise the lord praise the lord praise the lord so glad to have a pastor who loves the great hymns of the church our congregational hymn is one that we love hymn number 222 in the new national baptist hymnal we've come this far by faith [Music] [Music] don't be discouraged with trouble in your life [Music] [Applause] is [Music] is every day me [Music] is [Music] [Applause] is me [Music] [Music] is [Music] hallelujah praise be to god thanks be to god who always leads us to triumph in christ jesus and we give thanks to god for the lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations come on and put your hands together with me and thank god for another day that the lord has made we rejoice and we are glad in it if you have not already done so can you just type in your comment section hashtag this far by faith this far by faith as we are celebrating 54 years of ministry at the christ missionary baptist church started in 1967 on the 3rd of may and we give god praise that even though people predicted we wouldn't last 54 days we are here 54 years later can somebody celebrate jesus and bless the lord in this place for his goodness and his grace toward us we give thanks to god for his faithfulness and for those founders and even those living founders who are still here with us we give god thanks if you haven't already done so do me a favor like and share this service like and share this service on facebook and we invite you to subscribe to our youtube youtube channel if you're visiting with us for the first time we invite you to complete the digital connect card that is in the comment box on facebook or on the website we'd like to know who you are if you have prayer requests please feel free to list those prayer requests in the comment section we have intercessors in the building who come early on sunday mornings to pray we believe in the power of prayer and you just saw pastor chuck running across the stage a little earlier he is evidence that prayer still works and so we believe that prayer works and we believe in praying and so we invite you to share your prayer requests with us help me welcome minister ryland harris to cnbc he has blessed the you fit right in over here he is the director of worship at the ray of hope christian church pastored by the reverend dr cynthia l hale i thought it would be great if they could tag team today and so let's welcome him again thank him for sharing with us you will hear from him again later in the service but we are so delighted that he could come and be with us today we want to wish a happy birthday to rosa coleman to bobby haywood our senior jewels don't they look wonderful and we want to wish uh happy birthday to michael finley and deacon patrick robinson michael finley works with our safety ministry with the peace ministry and deacon robinson of course is our ministry leader one of our co-ministry leaders for the deacon ministry doing a tremendous job with deacon jan carroll help me celebrate another life that god has allowed them to another year that god has allowed them to live and we say happy happy anniversary to deacon ted and shawanda roberson michael and alicia finley deacon uh tobias and shea towers and eli and geraldine williams i think she told me they have been married 52 years praise god come on put your hands together and give god praise we also want to congratulate one of our cameramen who is so faithful brother jaylen mckinney he's on the cameras today but he graduated a week or so ago and he's headed to howard university come on let's celebrate this young man we love jalen i pray jalen into existence and we are so proud of jalen and we are excited about the future that is in front of him uh cnbc mark your calendars for august 10th through the 12th august 10th through the 12th in atlanta georgia that will be the lot carry convention and this year is a special year because this year is the year that your pastor will ascend to the presidency of the loch kerry convention and so it's going to be in atlanta in atlanta georgia uh we don't know at this time about attendance i think it's going to be hybrid there will be some in person um there will be some in-person activities but we're waiting for the host pastor to give us a clearance about the number of people that can come we know we're still in a pandemic amen and we want to respect the the order of the house but if they are willing to allow people to come i wanted you to mark your calendars because it will be the first time that a woman will have served as president in the 124 year history of that convention and so we get give god thanks for that and then we will provide you with additional information as the date arrives or as the date gets closer we want to remind you that the mobile dental clinic will be held on june 8th through the 11th and if you'd like additional information please call or contact the administrative services office also on the fifth sunday in this month there will be a drive-by fellowship we will culminate our celebration on the fifth sunday in this month we will have music and gifts for volunteers and teachers and nurses in honor of volunteer appreciation week teacher appreciation week and nurses appreciation and let me as always thank you for your support of this ministry the reason why we are able to continue to do the work of ministry in this season and in this pandemic and the reason why we're able to be consistent with our ministry and to touch lives with transforming love is because of your faithfulness and your commitment not only members but those of you who are partners to this ministry we say thank you because of your generosity we're able to feed the community every week every wednesday if the weather permits we're able to feed 150 to 200 people per week and not only that we're also able to be a blessing to persons who may be struggling financially or having financial challenges in fact it makes it possible for us to be the church in the world the media ministry is going to place the giving options on the screen let me remind you that we do have a new giving platform cash app but we do want to ask that if you use cash out please put your government name somebody say government name your government name in the description so that we can properly give you credit for your gift amen curls for the girls we don't have curls for the girls in our database i'm messing with kayshawn now that's his cash app name i remember it but the finance team might not know who curls for the girls is hey man so we asked that you would put your government name somebody shout government name your government put your government name in the cash app description and we thank you for your gift remember that we are asking i'm asking you between now and december to give fifty four dollars five hundred and forty dollars fifty four hundred dollars or if you have it like that fifty four thousand 000 we want to build our scholarship ministry in honor and as a tribute to the legacy of my predecessor and our first pastor reverend eddie curry it's nice to give a stipend but the vision is to be able to bless people beyond the stipend wouldn't it be nice for our children to be able to say that their tuition for a semester was paid by their church that's one of the things that we want to try to do as we celebrate 54 years between now until the end of the year we're asking you to give a gift members if you're a visitor and you want to be a blessing we take money seven days a week 24 hours a day but i'm certainly inviting members to give above and beyond the tithe to honor the legacy of our predecessor my mentor and pastor he's the reason why i can stand in this place because he was courageous enough to believe that god gives gifts to human beings and because he believed that he took a chance on this little girl from south memphis licensed me in the 80s the 90s the early 90s and gave me tremendous opportunities to preach who would have thought that i'd be standing in this place today but it's because of him that i am and so we don't ever want his legacy to die we want to make sure that his legacy lives on we want to also welcome our my sister and my friend and she's my pastor and my road dog the reverend dr cynthia l hale i know she's my friend because she got on crimson and green today and she is an aka but she came at the house i said come on big joe look at big job she is dressed to the nines today i said you are really my friend cause we know the akas don't wear cream don't when they wear red she said we wear red we just don't wear red and cream at the same time but trust me when i tell you she has on red and cream at the same time and look good as a government check you know i am enjoying this moment right now so help me give god praise for the river doctor cynthia l hill you will hear about her later in the service but i am so grateful that she came to share with us today the shield ministry is coming followed by thank you followed by the uh video presentation of dr hill and then the music ministry in that order say amen as they come is [Music] and give god [Music] amen i'm not here to do the presentation man i'm here to introduce the ones who do the presentation but i would not be able to live the rest of my life if i did not take just 60 seconds and tell you thank you thank you for 26 years i've tried to help you i've tried not to be the one that needed the help but when i needed the help my pastor was right there i give you thanks i thank you that while i was in the hospital and didn't know i was in the world you took care of my wife you minister to our family there you go thank you pastor g thank you that one of the first pictures i saw when i woke up was you standing over my bed and i didn't even know you were there i said thank you you came out and put your own health at risk you're in the middle of a pandemic to pray over me and i tell you thank you and i just want to say this best as my pastor as my cousin but today as my pastor i love you i appreciate you and i'm telling you nobody can say anything to me about you that's not good i'm telling you i've said that i've meant that and right now i stand here and i tell you that when i needed the pastor you came as my pastor you loved me as your cousin but you came as my pastor and everything i know about pastoral care you've told me but she taught me another lesson when i woke up out of this covert experience when i came through you taught me what love compassion and past man and pastor of care was all about and again didn't want to take long but on this day that we honor you i want to tell you thank you for all that you've done over the past 26 years i thank you for what you did for my family and me during this time and i just thank you and i'm glad you're my pastor and unless i moved to atlanta and needed the church i wouldn't i wouldn't serve under anybody else so god bless you amen give pastor a handclapper pray amen we love you pastor and now the media ministry has the video prepared for us and then we'll come back with the presentation the death the death of reverend curry left the congregation in a precarious situation for the church had never been without a leader the time between may 1994 and march 1995 was most trying on march 4th 1995 the congregation chose to elect reverend gina m stewart as its pastor this act itself was history making pastor stewart became the first black female in memphis and shelby county to be elected to pastor an established black baptist congregation pastor stewart had been licensed ordained mentored and nurtured by reverend curry she was installed on the second sunday may 12 1995 as pastor of christ missionary baptist church after the election of reverend gina m stewart as pastor the membership witnessed a transformation of ministry more than 4 000 persons have united with cnbc over the past 26 years the church has also purchased several additional properties to accommodate its increasing growth the church offers approximately 50 ministries which are intended to minister to the spirit soul and body of every person christ missionary continues to function as an organism of the spirit committed to equipping and empowering disciples to transform god's world the church currently employs 40 full and part-time employees and has earned a reputation as an agent of change and transformation pastor stewart has proven to be an excellent pastor preacher visionary and builder because of her leadership and ministry at christ missionary the hungry are fed the naked are clothed the wounded and broken are healed and the bound are set free god continues to use her life and ministry to transform not only the community but the world as evidenced by pastor stewart becoming the first female president of the lot carey baptist ford mission convention in august 2021 pastor stewart is educated compassionate spirit-led generous and faith-filled her heart for god and the people of god call her to the work of advocacy and social justice around the city and abroad pastor stewart serves cnbc with skillful hands and integrity of heart we the members of christ missionary are forever indebted to god for sending us a shepherd after god's own heart [Music] amen and so as we prepare for our presentation we have a group of very special people that wants to present to you on today amen amen give god praise for the first family of christ missionary baptist [Applause] church good morning good morning everybody this is such a special day for me and for my family we got my brother here and my sister in love and my nephew is here he's over in the corner so today we are celebrating my sister dr jean m stewart's 26th anniversary as pastor of christ missionary baptist church for me this just isn't a day to celebrate the number of years that she has led this congregation but it's a time of celebration of her life her legacy and her ministry as my sister she's been the driving force in my life for the past 55 years but as my pastor for almost 25 years she has helped me to navigate my spiritual path i have seen the effectiveness of her ministry not just in my personal life but also in the lives of others if i polled people in our church today in this city as well as this nation i'm certain that one of the names that people will call that's been a impact in their lives is my sister though there are many things that i could say about my sister i could take a whole day just giving some of the stories that we've you know experienced together over the past years i want to mention mention a couple of things first of all she's humble with as many accolades as she has she has never let go she has never let it go to her head regardless to the number of boards that she sits on the things that she's been appointed to the places that she's been the poor pits that she's preached in and the opportunities that she's had to meet various people she always gives credit to god secondly she is faithful through the years she has faced many ups and downs [Applause] through the year she has faced many ups and downs in her ministry but she has remained faithful to god and the calling that she has on her life and answering god's call and many times she's had to make a great sacrifice so on today i know i speak for the entire congregation when i say that we are honored to be pastored by you and that we feel especially blessed knowing that god's plan for you even before you were born was to be here with us on this day as our pastor your journey to this day is an inspiration to us and we are humbled and grateful that you answered this call we love you and we appreciate you [Music] good morning church good morning pastor stewart on your 26 year anniversary 26 years as pastor of cnbc let's define anniversary it is the annual reoccurrence of a date marking a notable event 26 years 26 years can be defined in many ways longevity longevity is a duration of time preservation stability consistency and strength 26 years as pastor is 1352 weeks of preaching and teaching 9490 days of prayer 227 thousand 760 hours of love 13 million 665 600 minutes of non-stop caring and dedication thank you for 26 years of service to your church family and community we love you pastor jaina and now for us very special presentation miss anne good morning to pastor stewart dr hale pastors chuck donegan and other pastors and cmc leadership present today in person and virtually it is my distinct honor to have brief remarks as we celebrate and honor my pastor i call her my pastor for 26 years of faithful and relentless service to cnbc and our family even in a pandemic we have awards for outstanding achievements and excellence in television we have the emmy in recording industry we have the grammy in film we have the oscars and in theater we have the tony we have the nobel prize award that have conferred the greatest benefit for persons who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind in the areas of physics chemistry physiology or medicine literature and peace today may 16th in the year of our lord 2021 the steward family would like to recognize our pastor our sister our auntie dr gina marcia stewart for excellence and pastoral and family care during her pandemic for her creativity her excellence her intentionality compassion and pastoral care which have included to name just a few i drive by fish fry a weekly prayer call a fellowship in overton park zumba on the river in the cold [Music] a dynamic weekly virtual worship service attends and or officiates officiates funerals of church family and community members a weekly video update keeping us abreast of what's going on at cnbc and in the community monthly face time with pastor and members and friends of cnbc monthly new member connect call with new members teaches a bi-monthly discipleship orientation class for new members recognize recognizes personally recognizes birthdays and special occasions with a picture most of the time of members birthdays and special celebrations and also finds time to attend their drive-by celebrations virtual thanksgiving christmas and new year's zoom with family birthday and graduation celebrations with the family and all while pursuing a second degree and did i mention in a pandemic [Music] so today may 16th 2021 the stewart family hereby awards the nobel pandemic pastoral care award [Music] [Applause] [Music] to our pastor sister and auntie reverend dr gina marcia stewart for her faithful and relentless service leadership and pastoral care the nobel prize winners received three awards a gold medal a personal diploma and a cash award we have chosen to honor you pastor with three awards today one for the father one for the son and one for the holy ghost [Music] the first award is a gina marcia steward 500 dollar scholarship to be awarded annually to a high school graduate of christ missionary baptist church [Music] [Applause] the second is a personal diploma that unfortunately wasn't available in time for presentation today so we'll have to get a prop for pictures to mark this day in history and the third is a cash award to be used on you to buy another pair of pumps enjoy a massage steak dinner or spend on you however you like will you please stand in the sanctuary and virtual space virtual space and help us honor and celebrate our living legend sister auntie and pastor dr gina marcia [Music] stewart [Music] [Music] [Music] me thank you reverend dr cynthia l hale a native of roanoke virginia is the founder and senior pastor of the ray of hope christian church in decatur georgia she received her bachelor of arts degree from holland's college in virginia a master of divinity degree from duke university and a doctor of ministry degree from united theological seminary in dayton ohio additionally she hosts five honorary doctor of divinity degrees and one honorary doctor of law degree as a woman of vision dr hale established a mentoring program known as ela pastoral ministries incorporated and she's the convener of women in ministry a premier national conference with a focused mission to develop coach and mentor christian women in ministry for the 21st century she has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including induction into the martin luther king board of preachers of morehouse college dr hale is a contributing writer for many books and publications in january 2010 she authored her first book entitled i'm a piece of work sister shaped by god throughout her years in ministry dr hill's ministerial gift has drawn thousands young and old to witness the anointing of a woman totally sold out for the kingdom of god she is a dedicated active member of the alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated cnbc is pleased to welcome back the reverend dr cynthia l praise the hale you are worthy of my praise the ways that you made for me the doors that you've opened for me can i get a witness that there's nobody greater nobody like our god bless the name of the lord you are worthy of my praise lord you're worthy of my praise the doors you've opened for me [Music] you are worthy [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] jesus [Music] me [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is that's a testimony [Music] oh oh me [Music] me [Music] me me he me oh [Applause] me [Music] can we say oh you don't have anybody [Music] somebody walked out on youtube [Music] don't know which [Music] all i have to do is say oh [Music] [Music] you'll never see me again just lift your hands oh jesus oh jesus oh sweeter sweeter [Music] oh [Music] [Music] this is the day the lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it i said this is the day the lord has made there's no one like the lord no one like jesus no one who loves us no one who provides for us no one who cares for us like he does extraordinary pastor and my colleague friend rhodey the reverend dr gina marcia stewart thank you for the wonderful contribution that you've made in my life the life of your people in this congregation for 26 years and to the world other ministers of the gospel especially reverend chuck lester we know that the lord is good hallelujah and it is so good to see you well and whole officers members and friends of the christ missionary baptist church in memphis tennessee you know that i love to be here with you in this sanctuary and preaching those for those of you who are virtual as well i've come here to help you celebrate my good friend and your pastor and the church's 54th birthday anniversary it's good to see sister maria and brother dwight and sister in love ann and nephew god bless you my sorrows of alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated it's good to see you pink turn red hallelujah and i'm proud to honor my sister thank you so much for the beautiful gift that you gave me thank you choir for blessing us ministry of music flag you're still fabulous and i am so excited to have minister rylan andre harris who is the minister of worship and arts at the ray of hope christian church and blesses me and the congregation in so many ways and i certainly want to thank you dr stacy and shiels adrian phyllis and sean and deacon chris for all the ways and other shields who are here all the ways that you take care of my friend and your pastor and take care of me thank you so much psalm 78 psalm 78 70-72 psalm 78 70-72 he chose david his servant and took him from the sheep pens from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people jacob of israel his inheritance and david shepherded them with integrity of heart with skillful hands he led them for just a few moments i want to talk to you about an extraordinary leader and invite you to follow your leader great and also god we thank you for your word today and for what it's going to mean in each of our lives thank you o god for the witness that you have before us in reverend dr gina marcia stewart and god i pray that in the next few minutes i would decrease and you would increase so that the people will hear and see none of me but all of you and give your name the praise both now and forever more in jesus name we pray amen 26 years is a long time to pastor people preaching in and out of season when folks want to hear it and when they don't so that they might be healed set free and delivered 26 years is a long time to baptize believers bless babies married couples give wise counsel visit the sick bury the dead and walk on water as some folks expect us to do 26 years is a long time to equip the saints helping them discover their purpose and destiny embrace their giftedness tap into their unlimited potential and walk fully in the manifestation of god's glory waiting to be revealed in them 26 years is a significant amount of time to serve people especially given all of our issues and concerns moots and attitudes crazy and sometimes cunning ways laughing and crying with them loving without learning accepting them unconditionally and yet you reverend doctor have done it with poise grace and dignity you my friend are an uncommon blessing you are one of a kind the creme de la creme the cream of the crop they don't come any better than you when you have been what you've been able to achieve as the first black female to be elected to pastor and established black baptist church in memphis tennessee and shelby county is amazing you set the bar high for both men and women given the fact that 4 000 people have joined cnbc over the past 26 years i remember the time when people used to line around the old building waiting for one service to end and another to begin so they could come and hear you preach the word like only you can preach and then you had to buy new properties in order to accommodate the growth and then you built this facility and now the original site is a total city block long and wide it's for this reason that we are celebrating you today but also for the entire month of may happy anniversary all of us are called to leadership whether in the church at home school work or in the community leadership is nothing something that you choose to do because you think you would be good at it chris leadership is a divine calling the sovereign god calls men and women to serve him in ways we never dreamed possible saying to us in the words that he spoke to jeremiah before i formed you in the womb i knew you before you were born i set you apart i appointed you before you were even born before you were even thought about god had you on his mind he knit you together in your mother's womb you are fearfully and wonderfully made you are not here by accident you're here on assignment each of us is gifted in incredible ways you were made for ministry and shaped for significance though many of you are not are fully aware of god's call on your life there are others who struggle to discern his purpose for you it's hard for you to believe that god could make anything of your life given all that you have been through you've made too many bad choices too many mistakes you've had so many rough places that you cannot believe that anything would come good out of your life it's for this reason that god keeps calling you to a deeper walk with him drawing close to him enables you to hear him speak peace to your soul and remind you of his love for you how valuable you are to him and the special call that is upon your life i used to think that leaders were born but now i know that leaders are made huh john maxwell says leadership in individuals is developed daily not in a day it's a process that takes time becoming a leader takes work it's also an inside job leaders become effective because of who they are on the inside though chosen for leadership before the foundation of the world nevertheless we must be developed and god develops leaders over time through the preaching and teaching of the word the difficult and delightful people and experiences of our lives god has been developing you into servant leaders that he needs in this day and time every one of us can point to critical situations and circumstances in our lives that god used to teach us something that we needed to lead for his glory but you've also been blessed to have a model of excellence in leadership right here in your midst and the words of scripture that speak most profoundly to the leadership of dr gina marcia stewart are found in psalm 78 he chose david his servant took him from the sheep pens from tending the sheep he brought him to be a shepherd of his people jacob of israel his inheritance and david shepherded them with integrity of heart with skillful hands he led them this psalm is a meditation on israel's history from the exodus out of egypt to the choice of david as king of israel god took david from shepherd and sheep to be the shepherd of his people israel the choice of david was an act of divine grace towards david himself and in providing this leader for the people no doubt david was saying to himself as he was being made king why would god choose me though handsome and gifted david was the runt of the family when his brothers went out to war he had to stay home and take care of the sheep when jesse was asked to present sons who might be god's choice for king david was left out he was forgotten until samuel and god had rejected all the others and asked if there was another he was clearly not the favorite son of the family why should he be anointed david may not have been considered qualified by others but he was god's choice hallelujah humans look at the outward appearance but god looks at the heart david was a man after god's own heart 26 plus years ago when the legitimacy and appropriateness of women in ministry was still being questioned god called gina marcia stewart out of the ranks he chose her he picked her out of the crowd hallelujah he looked over everybody else the founders and others may not have even know what they were doing but god put it on their hearts god chose her to represent him god chose her to leave this congregation all of us question why god would want to use us we know ourselves better than anybody else we know our strengths and our weaknesses successes and failures public impressions and private indiscretions god's choice of any of us is clearly an act of grace that's what paul is talking about in first corinthians 1 when he says brothers and sisters think of what you were when you were called not many of you were wise by human standards not many were influential not many were of noble worth but god chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise god chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong he tells the lowly things of the world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one can boast before him it is because of him that you are in christ who has become for us wisdom from god that is our righteousness holiness and redemption god chose dr stewart and put her on display in the world and her world keeps getting bigger so that people might know what god can do through a woman who is totally sold out to him before the foundation of the world god chose you and created you with gifts and abilities you would need to complete your assignment then god places you on the grounds of your endowment character and fitness and the assignment he has for you david was an ideal candidate for his office because not only did he have the gifts but the training and the experience he who had slain the lion and the bear could become the champion of his native land he who had followed the eu's great with young could feel for the needs of god's people in a loving and compassionate way when they were oppressed and weary having been nurtured and mentored and licensed and ordained by pastor curry dr stewart was ready for the assignment when she stepped into it she had everything that she would need to lead this congregation and she has proved it the congregation may have been thrown off guard but god wasn't because god sees the end from the beginning and knows exactly what we need when we need it how we need it she leads with skillful hands skillful hands refer to the knowledge and the wisdom and the ability to lead god's people as a skilled leader she's imaginative dr stewart is always imagining more for her life and ministry she imagined more in terms of worship space for your growing congregation and led you in the construction of this 3.5 million dollar edifice she imagined more as the people of memphis began to migrate east and she set up a satellite situation there she imagined more for the young people who live in this community and implemented the ecclesia teen empowerment summer internship program fully funded by your church she imagined more for this church throughout the years and has developed 50 ministries to meet the needs of the members as well as the community every time she wakes up she's got a new dream on her mind and heart because that's the kind of leader that she is a visionary leader somebody ought to give god praise because you are saved in your right mind out of abusive relationships delivered from addictive and destructive behaviors and healed from broken hearts because doctor stood there to dream you are educated degreed employed on your own business your own home and doing well because this chick here said yes to the lord and continues to dream you see skilled leaders lead with vision they had a dream my brothers and sisters the reason i say daddy dream is when you're dead a dream you won't be able to remain the same you will have to step out of the boat launch out into the deep take some risk what are you afraid of huh success or failure come on here somebody you must remember that god has not given us a spirit of timidity or fear but a spirit of power love and a sound mind some of you want to claim that you're waiting on god but you're not waiting on god god is waiting on you to step out of your comfort zone and begin to do the things that he has called you to do and those of you who retire you ain't through yet there's an age-appropriate dream just for you with your name on it and god expects you to move out in it what are your dreams what are your visions floating around in your heart and mind concerning your future what are those ideas that excite you stir up your passion set your soul on fire making you want to dance to the tune of life without missing a beat all of us have the ability the capacity to dream chris to see a vision for your life and watch it come to pass god has plans for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future oh david understood this because he said all the danes ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be and then he said many o lord my god are the wonders you have done the things you have planned for me no one can recount them we're out of speak and tell of them there would be too many to declare i love this verse because what it says to me is even when you think you have dreamed your last dream there's another one on the way hallelujah you just getting started oh yes all of us have the capacity to dream many dreams and watch god work it out and what god wants to do in your life is so incredible it's so amazing it's so awesome that paul said no eye has seen no ear has heard no mind has conceived what god has prepared for those who love him but god is revealing it to you by his spirit you see he drops his vision for your life in your spirit by his spirit it begins as a tiny seed of an idea that has to be nurtured you have to take the dream seriously you must begin to work with it plan and pray over it like your pastor has done she sees it hallelujah then she claims it by faith she prays over it and then she deploys all of you to make it happen hallelujah dreams are the parents of possibilities norman vincent peale said to achieve anything significant all one needs is a dream not only is she imagine if she's an impassioned leader she's a passionate proclaimer of the word a skillful and powerful preacher who masterfully exegetes the text and gives you sound doctrine and practical application every time she preaches she's passionate about meeting the needs of people when you are passionate you are highly driven and motivated no one has to jump start you pull it plea beg plead push you to get you moving you are self-initiated and the thing that moves you forward is a passion for what you are called to be and to do passion is a gift of god our passion for god and his will for our lives will grow in our intimate times with him passion is the pure motivation to respond to the needs of others as only you are capable and gifted to do you see god takes the desires of our hearts the circumstances in our lives and his confirming word to reveal and solidify our passion the area of your passion is where you will have the greatest influence and impact in the world when you're passionate about a thing it won't let you go you can't put it down because it's uncomfortable it's not convenient you just don't want to do it because when you have a passion it consumes you it's all over you nothing else matters but that passion that's why you can serve brother dwight all those minutes and seconds and hours and weeks days that you talked about if ever there was a time when the church of god needed to be passionate about the needs of others it is now people are literally living on the edge dealing with multiple pandemics the coronavirus social unrest police brutality and economic upheaval from the loss of jobs but you christ missionary baptist following your leader have issued hunger relief boxes every week and stimulus checks to members and those in the community who does this when other states were affected by natural disasters and crisis you sent pallets of water gift cards and other supplies who in the world does this you are raising money to send your young people paying their entire tuition for four years who would be that passionate who does that we like symbolic gifts we give 25 not 54 000. we don't even ask for but this sister here ain't scared she ain't never scared to invite you to follow her passion and go where god is leading her so that you might accomplish god's will on earth somebody got it amen so give it to her quick so she don't worry you for the next four months all right in times like this we need passion for the work passion is the fire that drives you and keeps you compassionate when the needs are overwhelming and you feel like giving up passion you know doctor increases our willpower when you get discouraged and tired oh yes she gets discouraged and tired when you're tempted to wonder whether you're truly being effective passion won't let you quit or give up when you're faced with what seems like an impossible situation passion makes the impossible possible dr stewart is an astute administrator she's about business she does everything with excellence as sister ann said everything that happens here at christ missionary is top-notch huh from advertising to the administration from programming to production her work is impeccable and when is not that's when we're gonna see the other side oh glory that's when we might see a skillful leader yes does not wait till the last minute she is not a procrastinator and can't understand why you say i get my best work done at the last minute how do you know when you never started anything on time a skill leader does not take shortcuts you can tell by the detailed work in this building and beyond that no shortcuts have been taken that everything is on point think is what i like to say like the young people it takes much planning and preparation and prayer she leads with skillful hands a skillful leader is interrelated dr stewart has never operated as a lone ranger she's always been secure enough to surround herself with others who are as imaginative as innovative and gifted as she is leaders must be secure enough to partner with others who have amazing gifts those who can help to achieve the vision and when you partner with others you must be willing to delegate and release let other people do it and don't care how they get it done understand the importance of serving others loving and not lording it over them think more highly of others than you think of yourself supporting affirming encouraging others to be the best that they can be celebrating the special moments of their lives and congratulating them when they have accomplished something and that dr stewart does better than anybody i know i've never seen anybody celebrate people like she does facebook is full of all of her celebrations but probably the time that i want to mention is when i first came to the women's conference and i don't remember what the experience was like other than she washed my feet a colleague washing another's feet she really didn't know me that well at the point at that point but she cared enough about me to minister to me at the point of my need she's a giver she's a server she's a lover leaders don't just walk in partnership with others to simply accomplish their dreams they want to see other people succeed and all the years my friends that you have been working and serving with this pastor to accomplish her vision god has been setting you up giving you everything you need to accomplish yours finally dr gina marcia stewart has led with skillful hands but also integrity of heart integrity of heart refers to the fact that your heart is wholly sold out to god like david who shepherded the people with integrity of heart the word integrity means whole complete not divided devoted exhibiting single and steadfast devotion to god public and private worship can i just tell you that even on vacation my friend worships him and prays god chose gina marcia stewart because he could trust her [Music] and you can too she's one of the most integris people i know as with everything else she sets the standard there is no duplicity in her she says what she means it means what she says she's a woman of her word she preaches holiness and right living and practices what she preaches even in a time when scandalous behavior is the order of the day people are still looking for leaders who have more than charisma charisma might get you in the door but it won't keep you there dr stewart has not been in this position for 26 years as a woman because she has charisma people are looking for character and you have that my sister oh yes leaders have been held to a higher standard than anyone else those of us who are called to lead to teach to speak into others lives are held at a higher standard because we represent god and we speak for god we can determine life or death in people's lives by the words that we speak i know that most of us would say that we can't be perfect there is no way to be but we are perfected in christ and we are to live up to that calling every day every day of our lives though we are tempted to compromise what we believe in to act in inappropriate ways to look for an easy way not necessarily the right way to give into the flesh and its needs and desires rather than live by the spirit especially when in a pandemic or facing adversities nevertheless my brothers and sisters we must lead with integrity of heart following the example of our lord jesus christ and of your pastor and my friend the reverend doctor gina marcia stewart because in the words of that hymn that the baptist loved to say a choice to keep i have a god to glorify and ever dying soul to save to fit it for the sky to serve this present age my calling to fulfill oh made all my powers engaged to do my master's will can you sing that for me one time [Music] hallelujah they don't know oh [Music] y'all use the age [Music] oh [Music] it ever dies [Music] somebody online today needs to know jesus as their personal lord and savior somebody needs to say yes to him you might already be in a leadership role working in the world making things happen but the reality is in your private little world things are difficult [Music] and you need a savior you need someone to make your life different well jesus will make your life brand new we invite you to say yes to him today come on and surrender your heart to him it's so simple all you have to do is confess with your mouth that you believe in your heart that god sent jesus to die on the cross for your sins and having died for you he is able to reconcile you to god and give you newness of life won't you say yes to him today it's so simple pray this simple prayer with me dear god thank you for loving me thank you for saving me thank you for sending jesus to die on the cross for me i confess my sins and my faith in you and i give my heart to you today oh god thank you for loving me thank you for saving me in jesus name i pray amen if you prayed that prayer and you want to be a member of christ's missionary baptist church then text join cnbc to 84576 to become a member this church will help you become all that christ destined you to be and you'll be glad that you joined god bless you [Music] [Music] good [Music] oh help me [Music] we want to thank dr cynthia hale for that word and for her testimony can we put our hands together and give god thanks we want to remind you that this is the church and the place where everybody is somebody and as she's already said i'd love to be your pastor we'd love to have you as a part of our family and so don't wait don't don't debate do it now your life will never be the same we want to thank you for joining us for worship today and we invite you to meet us next week same time 11am as we celebrate our deacon emeritus on next sunday next sunday dr dr natalie dunnigan will deliver the word meet us at the same time same place now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding great joy to that god who is able to do exceedingly infinitely more than we can ask think or imagine to him be glory majesty dominion and power both now henceforth and forevermore we'll see you next week have a blessed week be safe and remember follow the leader the first leader who is jesus christ be blessed yes you

Channel: Christ Missionary Baptist Church

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Length: 111min 22sec (6682 seconds)

Published: Sun May 16 2021