Frederick Douglass loved life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—but he hated slavery. Douglass, a former slave, son, husband, father, abolitionist, author, orator and Christ follower, estimated to be born in 1818, selected February 14 as his date of birth because it was the last time he saw his beloved mother Harriet Bailey, a field hand—who gave him a heart-shaped…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – February 2025 Friends, I am so grateful today that even the hard pathways overflow with abundance because we serve a mighty God who is compassionate, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in unconditional love. In fact, God shows us love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – January 2025 Friends, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister, husband, father, freedom fighter, advocate for the poor, vulnerable and oppressed, Nobel Prize laureate, drum major for justice and a leader in the non-violent civil rights movement. During his 39 years of life, shortened by an assassination on…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – December 2024 Friends, As I join with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I’d like to share with you heartfelt wishes for a joyous season—filled with thankfulness, gratitude, generosity and cherished memories with loved ones. I hope you will take time to reflect on…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – November 2024 Friends, Did you know that according to George Barna at Arizona Christian University, as many as 41 million born-again Christians plan to sit out this election? That is beyond troublesome because Christians have a sacred opportunity to influence the presidential race as well as local and state races…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – October 2024 Friends, While more than 69% of Americans identify as Christians, only 4% have a biblical worldview—that’s according to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona State University. It’s no surprise we are a nation in chaos. And yet, I do believe that we must continue to fight ferociously for…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – September 2024 Friends, Did you know that approximately 1.2 million people walk away from the church every year—and that was before the pandemic? According to Lifeway Research, the number accelerated due to widespread church lockdowns and many churches are still recovering. Now that the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror,…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – August 2024 Friends, There is a crisis in America that I’d like to talk to you about today—it’s the violent assault on marriage. The disintegration of marriage began many years ago. Today, while marriage is down among Americans of all races, blacks are the most unmarried people in society. Here…
From the Desk of the President Bishop Garland Hunt – June 2024 Friends, Did you know that America is home to approximately 24 million fatherless children, or about 1 in 3 of all American children? Roughly 80% of these homes are led by single mothers. The fatherlessness crisis has devastated the black community—as nearly 70% of all Black babies in…
Benjamin and Kirsten Watson join the Douglass Leadership Institute to discuss their life, experiences, and lessons learned.