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G'Life Social Justice and Public Advocacy Institute

We invite you to join us in worship, where our guest preacher will be Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould.

The Reverend Dr. Cassandra Gould is a native of Demopolis, Alabama. Her mother was a voter rights activist. Affectionately known as the “Pastor in the Public Square,” she serves as the Director of Power Building at the Faith in Action National Network and lives in DC. She is an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, serves
on staff at Metropolitan A.M.E., and previously served 10 years as a Sr. Pastor in Missouri. She is a church builder and masterful negotiator. She led a relocation and
building project that resulted in the er****on of a debt free state of the art edifice.

Her undergrad studies were in journalism and psychology. She is an alumna of Southern Illinois University and Columbia College. She also earned a Master of Divinity
from Eden Theological Seminary and was a proud Samuel DeWitt Proctor Fellow at United Theological Seminary, where she earned a Doctor of Ministry. Her D.Min. project,
“Beyond the Walls” is her mantra for ministry and evolved into a digi-ministry that was online weekly for three years during the pandemic.

Dr. Gould is a capacity builder. She previously served as Executive Director of Missouri Faith Voices, a statewide multi-faith grassroots organization. Under her leadership, the
organization grew exponentially. In the 2018 election cycle, they led the second largest voter engagement campaign in the State of Missouri, engaging more than 50,000 Black
and low propensity voters, resulting in the historic win defeating the infamous “Ferguson” Prosecutor. Her team’s organizing also led to various ballot measures
passing including raising the wage and finally Medicaid Expansion.

While living in St. Louis, she also answered the call to the front line in Ferguson, organizing a national presence of faith leaders from across the former PICO Network and beyond. Since that time, her voice and witness have taken her around the world, from Palestine and Ghana to Buffalo and the White House. Dr. Gould has been a part of a national movement to regulate predatory lending. She has also testified in
Congress regarding debt collection and financial predation.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Shining Star award alongside Donna Brazile and Tamara Burkes from N.O.B.E.L. Women (National
Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women). She is a frequent guest columnist and podcast guest. Her voting rights organizing was captured in the film Rigged:The
Voter Suppression Playbook and on an episode of Ben Chavis’ Chronicles.

She is a grandmother, mother and proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. As a Womanist public theologian, Dr. Gould intersects theology, restorative justice, and
community organizing. She believes that her call is not merely to challenge systems of oppression but to assist faith leaders and community members in a global context to
build and curate spaces of liberation that are multi-faith, gender, and racially equitable.

Her current focus is working with Black women in the US and Ghana to build political helping faith leaders to dismantle white Christian nationalism through a curriculum she
co-authored.

Working at the intersection of faith, justice, and politics, in the words of the late Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, is the work her soul requires.

09/24/2023

Watch here:

G'Life Worship Service-9-24-23 Join the G'Life family in worship, where our Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Rochester Neely, will preach.

09/17/2023

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G'Life Worship Service-9-17-23 Join G'Life in worship as Pastor Johnson continues his sermon series, "Preaching Our Mission." He will preach from Matthew 25:31-46, The Social Gospel."

09/10/2023

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G'Life Worship Service-9-10-23 Join the G'Life family in worship as Pastor Johnson continues his series on Preaching the Mission. In part two of the series, Pastor Johnson preaches from Re...

Former Tennessee death row inmate Pervis Payne eligible for parole in 4 years

08/31/2023

Good news!! Thank you all for your hard work.

Former Tennessee death row inmate Pervis Payne eligible for parole in 4 years The Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals affirmed Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan's ruling Wednesday.

07/29/2023

Remember Fort Pillow

from Dr. Dee Garceau and Dance River Productions

In the spring of 1864, word of a brutal massacre reached Memphis, Tennessee. Rebels overran Fort Pillow, a Union garrison forty miles north. Rumor held that when the federals laid down their arms in defeat, enraged rebels shot, beat, and bayoneted them anyway. It was said that black Union soldiers bore the worst of it. Army surgeons found powder burns on the faces and bodies of the dead Union soldiers, evidence they had been shot at very close range. Rebel sympathizers insisted that it was a clean victory and that newspapers exaggerated the carnage. What really happened at Fort Pillow? Why was this incident silenced for nearly 100 years? This film explores the controversy, bringing to life the stories of survivors on both sides.

07/09/2023

On July 2, 2023, we were having issues with our internet, and therefore, we could not offer a live stream. However, thanks to Deacon Kimberly Travers, we did get Pastor Johnson's sermon from Psalm 13, "The Power and Joy of the Lament." We share this with you now in hopes that you, too, will share.

02/03/2023

A Town Hall Conversation: Let's Talk About Public Safety

From March 29, 2022

A town hall conversation about public safety from the Black Memphis community perspective. We invite you to join us as we discuss current approaches to public safety and begin to imagine new ways to address this issue. We will also highlight groups and institutions that have already started reimagining public safety and ways you can join this effort.

Moderator: Rev. Andre E. Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Gifts of Life Ministries

Panelists:

Kimkea Harris, Attorney & Co-Chair, Justice Task Force, NBA Ben F. Jones Chapter

Duane Loynes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Africana Studies, Rhodes College

Cardell Orrin, Executive Director, Memphis Stand For Children

Rev. Vahisha Hasan, Incoming Program Director, Historic Clayborn Temple

Demetria Frank, Associate Professor of Law, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis

Opening remarks by Alaina Bloodworth, Deputy Director of the Black Public Defender Association

01/29/2023

Join us as Pastor Andre' E. Johnson, Ph.D preaches

09/18/2022

Join G'Life in worship as Pastor Johnson preaches from Isaiah 43:1-2, "This Too Shall Pass." Here's a little of what he will say:

When the evils of this world come like a mighty wind and sweep us off our feet; when we feel our backs against the wall; when the mighty and powerful fires and floods of life are too much for us to handle, we too feel as if we are in exile, being held captive by a force that’s seemly much more powerful than us.

And we can be so wrapped up in our exile experience that we forget about experiencing God. We forget how the Lord loves and cares for us. We forget how the Lord has promised never to leave us. We forget how the Lord can make a way out of no way. We forget that the Lord will make a way somehow. We forget that the Lord is our bridge over troubled waters. We forget “don’t be dismayed what evr’ be tired, God will take care of you. Beneath God’s wings of love abide, God will take care of you!

Let us never forget, that even in our exile experiences, even in the times that we are down and out, even when we are so far away from God that we can’t see the forest for the trees. Even when the fires and floods of life come sweeping in, let us never forget, that God still cares and God is still there and God will make a way somehow! Somebody in here knows what I am talking about! God will make a way somehow!!

09/10/2022

Join the G'Life Family as Pastor Johnson preaches from Luke 14:25-33, "Being Committed."

08/14/2022

Join the G'Life family for worship. Guest preacher: Min. Margaret Heidelberg will preach from Philippians 4:6-7, "Benefits of Praising God."

08/07/2022

Join the G'Life family as Associate Minister Rev. Dr. Rochester Neely preaches from Luke 4:21-30, "When Your Back Is Against the Wall"

08/04/2022

We invite you to join us for our third Reimagining Public Safety Town Hall titled "Safety and the Supreme Court." As the Supreme Court completed its docket for this term, many are feeling less safe than before.

From the overturning of Roe v. Wade, restricting prisoners' rights, to the rollback of the EPA to regulate carbon output, restricting vaccine mandates in a pandemic, the separation of church and state, to an expansion of freedom of religion issues, many are wondering if the Supreme Court is a place where one would go and find any kind of relief. We invite your questions and comments that center on the role of the Supreme Court in determining how safe we really are.

Host: Rev. Andre E. Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Gifts of Life Ministries and consultant with the Black Public Defenders Association.

Panelists:

Kimkea Harris, Attorney and Co-Chair Justice Task Force, NBA Ben F. Jones Chapter

Cherisse Scott, CEO & Founder of SisterReach

Frank W. Johnson, Environmental Justice Activist

Alaina Bloodworth, Attorney and Deputy Director of the Black Public Defender Association (BPDA)

08/04/2022

As a follow-up to our first town Hall event, we invite you to join us as we go inside the courtroom to address public safety with a judge, a former ADA, and a former public defender. We invite your questions and comments that center on how the courts could better address public safety concerns.

Host: Kimkea Harris, Attorney and Co-Chair Justice Task Force, NBA Ben F. Jones Chapter

Muriel Malone Nolen, Interim Executive Director for the Tennessee Human Rights Commission and former ADA in Shelby County for 18 years.

Donna Armstard, retired, a former public defender in Shelby County for 30 years.

Judge Carolyn Blackett, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge, Division 4

08/04/2022

A town hall conversation about public safety from the Black Memphis community perspective. We invite you to join us as we discuss current approaches to public safety and begin to imagine new ways to address this issue. We will also highlight groups and institutions that have already started reimagining public safety and ways you can join this effort.

Moderator: Rev. Andre E. Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Gifts of Life Ministries

Panelists:

Kimkea Harris, Attorney & Co-Chair, Justice Task Force, NBA Ben F. Jones Chapter

Duane Loynes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Africana Studies, Rhodes College

Cardell Orrin, Executive Director, Memphis Stand For Children

Rev. Vahisha Hasan, Incoming Program Director, Historic Clayborn Temple

Demetria Frank, Associate Professor of Law, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis

Opening remarks by Alaina Bloodworth, Deputy Director of the Black Public Defender Association

07/30/2022

Join Pastor Johnson and the G'Life family as we welcome our guest preacher for the day, Rev. Earle J. Fisher, Ph.D. pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Blackest Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He will preach from Luke 4:28-30, "Good Trouble."

07/24/2022

Join Pastor Johnson and the G'Life family as he preaches from Genesis 18:20-32; 19:29, "God Bless the Intercessors." Here's a little of what he will say:

Therefore, what I want to do is to lift up the intercessors. I came to lift up those people who are praying on the behalf of others. I came to lift up the ones who have been in the presence of God and saw a divine vision or heard something in their spirits. I came to lift up the ones who have been on their knees and their faces before God for years interceding on the behalf of others. I came to lift up the ones that are concerned about somebody else’s well-being. I came to lift up the ones who are praying both night and day. I came to lift up the ones who get on the telephone and call people and say the Lord wanted me to pray for you. I came to lift up the intercessors, the ones that have the gift of prayer and discernment that help the body of Christ move forward. I came to lift up the intercessors, the ones that are praying for a miracle to happen right here at G’Life.
I came to lift up the intercessors today.

We need the intercessors. We need the ones standing in the gap praying for a dying world. We need the intercessors. The ones praying for the folk who don’t want to pray for themselves. We need the intercessors. The ones praying for the folk who are running the streets thinking that they have it going on. We need the intercessors. The ones who are praying for the ones who think they are doing God’s will because they have been in church all their lives. We need the intercessors, the ones that can move the immovable, shake the unshakable, and cross the uncrossable.

We need the intercessors, the ones in tune with what’s going on in the heavenly realms. We need the intercessors, the ones that are true to themselves and to others. We need the intercessors, the ones praying for a revival and total deliverance to happen. We need the intercessors. The ones that can move mountains, move obstacles, move hazards, move the stuff that gets in our way. In other words, we need the intercessors, the ones that move the immovable. I came to lift up the intercessors today!

07/23/2022

Join Pastor Johnson and the G'Life family as he preaches from Luke 5:17-26, "By Any Means Necessary." Here's a little of what he will say:
..So when these men showed up, they found that it was standing room only and they could not get in the house. The easy thing to do would have been just to leave. I mean you tried it; you could have said to everybody that when we got there, the place was packed and there was no way you could have gotten in there with your friend. And you know what; many people would have understood and probably applauded you for your effort. Oh, but these men had something different in mind. They just did not want to try; they wanted to succeed, and that’s why they did not give up just because the obstacles seemed long. They knew Jesus was on the inside and if they could just figure a way in, they knew they would be helped. In other words, when obstacles presented themselves they didn’t stop; they found another way because their blessing was on the other side. In short, by any means necessary they were going to get in and see Jesus!

And I came to remind somebody in here who is striving for a blessing and there are obstacles everywhere, I came to remind that person not to give up because your blessing is on the other side! I know that you have given up in the past; you started school; but when the obstacles showed up, you gave up. You started a business, but when the obstacles showed up, you gave up. You know you can sing, but when the obstacles show up, you give up. You know that she or he was the right one for you, but when the obstacles showed up, you just gave up. And everybody understood; all your friends said they would have done the same thing, but deep down inside you knew you just gave up. You knew you just threw in the towel because the going got rough and you just didn’t want to do it anymore.

But I came to tell somebody that sometimes you have to go through it to get to it. When you are striving for a blessing, obstacles will come up; problems will show up; disappointments will abound, and tears may be shed, but if you can just find another way, your blessing is on the other side. I want to encourage somebody today to keep striving for your blessing. Don’t you give up and don’t you quit, because your blessing is on the other side!!

07/16/2022

Join us as Min. DiArron M. preaches from Exodus 2:11-15, "When the World Needs a Radical."

07/16/2022

(Originally aired: 7-14-22)

We invite you to join us for our third Reimagining Public Safety Town Hall titled "Safety and the Supreme Court." As the Supreme Court completed its docket for this term, many feel less safe than before.

From the overturning of Roe v. Wade, restricting prisoners' rights, to the rollback of the EPA to regulate carbon output, restricting vaccine mandates in a pandemic, the separation of church and state, to an expansion of freedom of religion issues, many are wondering if the Supreme Court is a place where one would go and find any kind of relief. We invite your questions and comments that center on the role of the Supreme Court in determining how safe we really are.

Host: Rev. Andre E. Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Gifts of Life Ministries and consultant with the Black Public Defenders Association.

Panelists:

Kimkea Harris, Attorney and Co-Chair Justice Task Force, NBA Ben F. Jones Chapter

Cherisse Scott, CEO & Founder of SisterReach

Rev. Frank W. Johnson, Environmental Justice Activist

Alaina Bloodworth, Attorney and Deputy Director of the Black Public Defender Association (BPDA)

07/14/2022

Join Pastor Johnson and the G'Life family as he preaches from Deuteronomy 30: 9-20 and Luke 10:25-37, "What Choice Will You Make?"

07/03/2022

G'Life Virtual Worship: 7-3-22

Join us as Min. DiArron M. preaches from Exodus 2:11-15, "When the World Needs a Radical."

07/03/2022

Join us as Pastor Johnson preaches from Luke 9:51-62 and Galatians 5:1, 13-25, "Freedom and Choice" Here's a little of what he will say:..But some have used this freedom to fill our streets with guns believing that more guns will make us safe. Some have used this freedom to lead insurrections at the Capitol and to overturn elections. Some have used this freedom to hijack our hopes and carjack our comforts, and some have even used this freedom, to take away a woman’s right to reproductive choice.
Never think that the overturning of Roe was just about life because if it was just about life, we would have universal health care and universal childcare. If it was just about life, we would have paid family and medical leave. If it was just about life, we would not have one of the highest rates of maternal mortality among the richest nations of the world. If it was just about life, 46 million people in this country would not have to live in poverty.
If it was just about life, our so-called safety nets would be stronger, and we would not feel it was a burden to fix whatever needed to be fixed to have a higher quality of life. If it was just about life, all people would feel safer in their own homes and communities—shalom would be practiced and proclaimed throughout the land. If it was just about life, we would not execute individuals and call it justice. If it was just about life, would act differently and live differently, but we know that it is not. No, this is a denial of freedom for women to act within their own agency to do what is best for them and their families. It’s about control. Believe it or not, and I know it may come as a shock to many Christians with toxic theologies, but women want to be free too!!

06/26/2022

Join us as Pastor Johnson preaches from Luke 9:51-62 and Galatians 5:1, 13-25, "Freedom and Choice" Here's a little of what he will say:
..But some have used this freedom to fill our streets with guns believing that more guns will make us safe. Some have used this freedom to lead insurrections at the Capitol and to overturn elections. Some have used this freedom to hijack our hopes and carjack our comforts, and some have even used this freedom, to take away a woman’s right to reproductive choice.

Never think that the overturning of Roe was just about life because if it was just about life, we would have universal health care and universal childcare. If it was just about life, we would have paid family and medical leave. If it was just about life, we would not have one of the highest rates of maternal mortality among the richest nations of the world. If it was just about life, 46 million people in this country would not have to live in poverty.

If it was just about life, our so-called safety nets would be stronger, and we would not feel it was a burden to fix whatever needed to be fixed to have a higher quality of life. If it was just about life, all people would feel safer in their own homes and communities—shalom would be practiced and proclaimed throughout the land. If it was just about life, we would not execute individuals and call it justice. If it was just about life, would act differently and live differently, but we know that it is not. No, this is a denial of freedom for women to act within their own agency to do what is best for them and their families. It’s about control. Believe it or not, and I know it may come as a shock to many Christians with toxic theologies, but women want to be free too!!

06/19/2022

Our guest lecturer in the Rhetoric and Theology of James Cone class is Wallis Baxter III, Ph.D. He currently serves as Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church, District Heights, Maryland and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Maple Springs Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Dr. Baxter is also the author of "Phillis Wheatley as Prophetic Poet: You Must Be Born Again (Lexington Books, 2022)

06/19/2022

Join us on Father's Day as Pastor Johnson preaches from 1 Chronicles 28: 9-12; 19-20, "Passing the Baton." Here's a little of what he will say:

On this Father’s Day, I am looking out at many people this morning who probably have had plans but God said no...
What do you do when your dreams of being a business owner fall through? What happens when you don’t finish school or finish the training you needed for that promotion? What happens when whom you thought you would grow old with is not there anymore? What happens when your bank account is smaller than you thought it would be by now? Many times, what happens is just life. Life has a way of redirecting our course and we can find ourselves in the midst of a GPS-led life when all of a sudden, we hear the word, recalculating.

It didn’t work out like you thought it would, recalculating. The job you thought you would retire from letting you go unexpectedly, recalculating. The school you thought you would graduate from, recalculating. That marriage you thought would work out, recalculating. That man or the woman you thought you would be with forever, recalculating. The children you thought would grow up and be what your dreams had shown you, recalculating. That athletic prowess you thought would have landed you in the pros or at least a scholarship somewhere; recalculating. The partnerships and friendships you thought would be there for life, recalculating. Sometimes in life, we can have dreams and purpose things in our hearts but yet still find ourselves on a life-filled GPS hearing the word, recalculating!

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