In a two-day event that coincided with the 56th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, dozens of faith and business leaders met in downtown D.C. for the “Kingdom Economic Summit,” to work toward economic opportunities in the Black community.
Inspired by King’s life and legacy, the summit was themed “Resurrecting the Dream and Redistributing the Wealth,” and there, local leaders preached, prayed and promoted economic equity for all.
“We wanted to commemorate Dr. King for making the ultimate sacrifice for economics,” said the Rev. Calvin E. Cage Sr., senior pastor of Meridian Hill Baptist Church in Capitol Heights, Maryland.”Dr. King started to address the inequities in our community with the war on poverty.”
Cage and other faith leaders came up with the idea of the summit because more than five decades after King’s death, not much has changed in many communities across the country.
“We are still in that place from food deserts to crime,” Cage told The Informer.
The Rev. Dr. William Bennett II, senior pastor and founder of the event’s host church Good Success Christian Baptist Church and Ministries in Southeast D.C., called the summit “phenomenal,” due to its goal to reach beyond sanctuaries.
“We are able to do good by helping people from all sectors of faith and community,” he said.
The Rev. Lionel Edmonds, senior pastor of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, said the issues plaguing the Black community are just as urgent as they were in the 1960s.
“We are continuing the vision Dr. King spoke about and the mantel he took, which was the next phase of the movement, which was economics,” Edmonds said.
As pastor of a Northwest D.C.-based church, Edmunds considered the economic challenges Washingtonians face daily as a critical crisis that needs addressing.
“There should not be double District poverty in the nation’s capital in the same zip codes,” he told The Informer. “We are dealing with structural sin.”
The Rev. Joe Daniels, pastor of Emery Fellowship United Methodist Church on Georgia Avenue NW, emphasized the many challenges Black Americans face across the United States such as economic, racial and environmental injustices.
“The Black community across the United States is at a very critical point where there are many needs that our community has. The Black church and the Black community have the opportunity to work together, and if we don’t take advantage of this moment now we might not get another chance.”
Daniels and Emery Fellowship know all about finding opportunities for the church to help the community overall. In 1919, Emery Fellowship opened the Beacon Center, a $60 million 99-unit apartment building for people who make 60% of the average income.
The Rev. John K. Jenkins Sr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, was one of the speakers at the summit, and shared excerpts and wisdom from his book, “Grace to Grow,” offering ways for churches to grow financially.
The Rev. L. K. Floyd II, pastor of Heart Changers Baptist Church in Silver Spring, said Jenkins’ lessons and insight were helpful because “when members grow individually in the area of financial freedom the church can grow in all areas.”
Endura Govan, CEO of Color of Health, LLC, explained events like the Kingdom Economic Summit are vital in a post-COVID world, particularly as the “church plays a role in generating additional revenue,” across communities.
“The church suffered a great financial loss by the nationwide mandate to shut down for over 18 months,” Govan said. “The Kingdom Economic Summit provided much needed strategies for pastors.”