84 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING: FOUNDATION LUNCHEON SPEAKER
My best advice to all is to be faithful where you are planted. Faithfulness is the key to promotion. Use your gift to the best of your ability even in places where it seems that gift is taking you no- where. You have to be a good and faith- ful steward of the gift even when there is no acknowledgment of your giftedness as preparation for future success. If you cannot give 100% of your best at a lower level how can you expect to be able to give 100% at a higher level? watching A Different World and School Daze and knew that I would not leave college without becoming a member of some fraternity. When I went to Duke I was impressed with the intelligence and service of the Kappas on the yard and, honestly, my desire to become a Kappa was based on that and the other fringe benefits that came with it. The older I get, the more I value being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi ® for more mature reasons. This brotherhood means the world to me and I take it seriously and am committed to our bond and our pursuit for achieve- ment in every field of human endeavor. I have benefited numerous times from brothers helping me become my best and I am committed to helping as many brothers as I can to become their best. I am sometimes challenged by those, who in their ignorance, accuse fraternities and sororities of being counter Christian or in conflict with Christian faith and principles. Although I do not spend time trying to negate stereotypes adopted by those who are ignorant of Kappa because they are not part of Kappa, for brothers it is important to remember that our fraternity is built upon and encourages Christian foundational prin- ciples of faith. Now we may choose to live otherwise and act contrary to these principles, that is a personal choice and not a fraternal persuasion. The Value of Brotherhood I am the first member of a Greek Letter organization in my family. I grew up
and as a Kappa, Kappa has helped me become a better Christian Man. My closet friends and leaders in church and mentors in ministry are all men of Kappa Alpha Psi. God literally uses our presence as brothers in each other’s lives to help us grow and mature in our walk with Him. This is part of the great value of our brotherhood. In my 11 years at Alfred Street, God has blessed us to grow from about 2,300 members to almost 9,000 today. I would love to tell you that it was all strategic, but it wasn’t. First and foremost, it was grace. Grace cannot be seen coming and planned and pursued. You don’t plan for grace, grace finds you. So, let me be clear whatever growth and good works we’ve been able to do is first and foremost a result of grace. Secondly, having grown up in church there were certain things I could not stand about church and I made a vow that if ever I was leading a church, I would try to remove those things. Part of what makes Alfred Street unique is that we have intentionally changed the practices that make church difficult for people to endure. For instance, we don’t have afternoon services, we don’t raise multiple offerings, we don’t have two hours services, etc. Thirdly, serving our community and world is the core of our church. We be- lieve that we have been blessed to be a blessing and we are committed to giving and serving at a level unseen heretofore. We support HBCUs in every way we can—we host the largest HBCU festival in the nation. We support over $11 million dollars a year in scholarships for students. For my anniversary I don’t ask for monetary gifts, we bless our commu- nity by placing a full week of groceries in 5,000 homes. Annually, in preparation for school, we give over 15,000 children a full year of school supplies and winter coats and backpacks. Our serving and giving has attracted people who want to do more than just come on Sunday and On the Growth of ASBC
shout. Finally, I believe in and embrace a collective leadership structure that is open to the vision and plan coming from more than myself. Every member of our church is a leader and are encouraged to help discern God’s vision and implement it. Strategic plans are important, target- ing goals is important, and being open to the grace of God is important.
Favorite Quote and Scripture
From my father, “Everybody needs somebody sometime. Be humble, a lot was done before you got here.” Favorite scripture: Matthew 6:33—“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added unto you.”
To Relax
I love spending time with my sons, that’s the best day for me, to be in their presence and expose them to the world. I love to cook, it’s my favorite thing to do to get my mind off of work. I am a foodie! And I love to travel and see the world. I am committed to having my sons walk on every continent before they go to college. What we are seeing in our nation’s lead- ership is an unprecedented resurgence of supremacy, violence, vulgarity, and malice. It is easy to become discouraged. I would remind us that we have seen evil and ignorant leadership before. We have lived through and defeated it before, and we will again. We have the ability through our lives and labor to change our world and protect our people, but it takes a sacrificial commitment to serve others. Finally, 2020 is coming and we must commit and enable ourselves to vote in the change we desire in our world. Dr. Wesley is now a Laurel Wreath Lau- reate-designate, which will be conferred during the 85 th Grand Chapter Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Advice About the World Today
As I have grown and matured as a man
58 | FALL 2019 ♦ THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for 105 years
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