![]() ![]() from Northern Baptist Seminary, has a reputation for taking prophetic stands on social issues. ![]() “That’s what we are called to do, to let our light shine. “There’s a darkness that has been sweeping across this land, and the reality is that we are light right here outside of the nation’s capital, and we aggravate the forces of darkness,” he said. “To connect this with what is happening in Pittsburgh and indeed across the land is not something we take lightly,” he continued, “but it reminds us of why God has put us here.” ![]() “We know the era in which that came from, and it’s scary to think that we are reverting back to that era.” “It is disturbing, because we who are historically minded know the history of bombing and black churches,” the pastor said. “If we changed one iota of worship, then evil would have won,” he proclaimed. Wesley said there was some talk about whether the church would cancel the Sunday service. We know the era in which that came from, and it’s scary to think that we are reverting back to that era.” “It is disturbing, because we who are historically minded know the history of bombing and black churches. “To think about a threat to our family, a threat against me, it’s not something we take lightly, but God has not given us a spirit of fear.” “I’ll acknowledge I have slept better than I did last night,” he said. Wesley called whole episode as “a little unsettling.” “It is good to live in a city where we have positive, productive relationships with the men and women of law enforcement, who helped us on yesterday,” he said. The pastor commended the Alexandria Police Department’s handling of the incident. “The very first thing I stand to tell you is that you are safe this morning,” Wesley, a director of The Lott Carey Global Christian Missional Community and trustee of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, assured worshippers on Sunday. No explosives were found inside either the original two-story brick building built in 1855 and included on the National Register of Historic Places or the sanctuary added in 1994. (Facebook video)Īided by church security, police then directed people out of the building for a bomb sweep. Pastor Howard-John Wesley briefs the congregation of Alfred Street Baptist Church about weekend bomb scare. “We prayed and we sang and we had worship in spite of the threat.” “While we were in the building and could not leave, we did what Baptist Christians do,” the pastor said. Wesley said suspicious packages were found, but he had not been informed whether or not any contained explosives. Wesley, pastor of the church for 10 years, said police first quarantined the church, blocking off nearby streets for a bomb search. “We subsequently found out that some demented mind had called the police and reported that bombs were left at Alfred Street,” Pastor Howard-John Wesley said during a service on Sunday morning. The service, one of four services held each weekend at the 7,000-member Alfred Street Baptist Church in suburban Washington, D.C., was wrapping up when word came that police were outside and requesting all members to remain inside. “I think that that transparency, along with that vulnerability, is what attracts people to be part of the church.A historic African-American Baptist church in Alexandria, Virginia, received a bomb threat during a Saturday evening worship service, one week after 11 Jewish worshippers were gunned down at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not one,” Wesley said, choking up with emotion. And after getting up in humility, said I made a mistake, none of those questions were asked. “The pulpit committee had given me a list of questions… of things they thought the congregation was going to ask. But after realizing he made a mistake, Wesley came to Alfred Street to personally ask the congregation to reconsider him. Garrett said they had 108 applicants for the position.īut hiring Wesley wasn’t without its challenges. Wallace and Deacon James Garrett led the committee that hired Pastor Wesley eight years ago. What we didn’t know at that time how good his teaching was,” Deacon Patricia Wallace said. His name is Joseph,” Wesley said in the sermon. And you can’t get out of the first book of the Bible without being introduced to a brother who’s got a PhD in lemonade. “I didn’t come to preach Beyoncé – I came to preach Bible. In 2016, the subject was Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning album, “Lemonade.” Howard-John Wesley addresses the Trayvon Martin shooting. ![]() “When you’re hurt and when you’re scared, it’s hard to hear the voice of God,” he said. In 2012, he gave a sermon while wearing a hoodie as he addressed the Trayvon Martin shooting. His most well-received sermons mix contemporary topics with a biblical message. ![]()
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