word community if you go to
dictionary.com even now you you google
you see the word has so a lot to say but
a community is a social you know
gathering or a group of any size where
people come together for something they
want to do something they in a same
local place they want to share their
passion they want to do something they
have something that they have in common
maybe they have the same heritage
maybe they perhaps they have similar
colors they have maybe some ugly me they
have identity they have maybe if you
postulate me you have socio-religious
things that you come together for and
I’m so passionate about community and my
theology as a pastor is shaped by a
community when I I was here I was
interested with this community and I
worked for this community some of you
don’t know my story I worked for
maintenance I worked you know wherever I
could get a job and I used to bring some
guys together that we can have fresh we
can be together we can form ourselves
whichever name you give your group it’s
a community and you have a passion of
that you know we used to have even study
buddies you know just you have your guys
you study together you know you you
lunch buddies you know I used to all
most of the time to have the Hispanic or
they you know Latinos or guys from
Central America good friends because I
wanted to know something from their from
their culture from Africa and so I
wanted to know a little bit of everybody
and these groups I used to love them
these communities when I see people
coming together I love it because I know
there is something good in a community
the reason why they school
here is because a community of people
people came together and put something
together we are enjoying ourselves we
are sitting down here because somebody
somewhere brought somebody here and now
we can sit down together so all these
communities that we have there are some
itches in them there is something that
goes on in them and I remember when I
came here I was a little bit lonely
because I was from Africa I could see my
friends from Central America they have
their own groups the Americans they have
their own groups and so this guy from
Africa was very lonely sometimes and I
lived in e1 in my room for four years
one room never moved them never went
back to Africa I was here so I was
looking for people that I can form a
group with and be part of a community so
my passion and I started a small group
of Bible study at that time the chapel
was not renovated we were going down and
I had a small group of people that we
were meeting a young boys that maybe Kim
you know I was still ordered or guy but
these guys we used together to get
together and do a Bible study together
every Monday because I wanted a
community I wanted people who can be
with me and my passion from there is
started when I went to Tulsa Oklahoma
for my graduate school I was also lonely
I was looking for you know I went I
attended a big church where there are a
lot of people but this the service is
only one hour after one hour there’s
nobody at the parking lot so I was
always left alone you know this black
guy from Africa is looking for somewhere
to go so I used to go to Walmart and
just go around there maybe try to speak
some Swahili so that like if I see a
black person maybe who can connect with
me
but nobody because I was looking for a
community and people from this community
will not understand even my accent
sometimes even though I know is very
deep but after some time you know
because of the passion that I had I
started bringing some people in my house
and we formed a community of
internationals we air together
we fellowship together during the week
and right now I pastor a church because
of that passion and community is so
important to me because that’s where in
my own life and my journey as a
Christian and in my own theology that’s
where I see God working yes I know God
reveals I God can reveal himself in so
many ways and through a community and
individuals but the way I have seen God
working in my life is within a community
that’s where I see God every moment when
I I you know myself by myself yes I can
do for God but what can I do by myself
there is nothing the reason why you are
here and you are getting education is
not for yourself if it’s only for
yourself better stay at home because you
don’t need education to stay at home but
you need education so that you can go to
a community and make a difference so
community is everywhere it’s not about
church is about wherever you are going
and you have to know where to put your
passion that’s why you call them majors
you are majoring on something in that
major you take it in the community and
walk with it
and that is my passion now our sub
minister and I want everybody to be a
part of a community wherever you can be
whatever you can do be a part of
community and on please don’t be a lone
ranger you know I come from Africa and
where I was born is just too next to a
national park so I have seen animals in
a community and I have also seen alone
wages and religious is very easy to kill
them and the Lions they like when the
animals are separated because they know
they can attack them very quickly but
when maybe we have seen a movie of
bubbles they were there together it’s
very hard even a lion to get one of them
because they are in a community they
fight for one another and so when we
come together as a community we fight
for one another we deal with issues of
life as a community we become a life as
a community we do things together as a
community in fact I know some of you
know about the story of Jesus Christ
you know Jesus did not walk in isolation
he walked in a community when he needed
bread he had to go to the community one
young boy had the bread and he was with
in a community the miracles he performed
he was in a community well whatever I
did his preaching his ministry it was in
a community and so the idea and this is
what I came to learn here when I I came
from Africa is that there’s so many
people in this country they live alone
there are individuals they have this
gistic life that they don’t want anybody
in their lives you have certified and I
wonder how they can make impact if they
alone and so when we come together as
believers and people who believe in God
our prayers are answered in a community
where do I say this because I know I
believe that God works through a
community so when we pray the Lord’s
Prayer Lord give us the bread and all
that you you’re not going to sit down
and wait for God to drop a bread in your
house you die in your couch and we are
going to bury you hungry
it’s better to be buried fed but I’m
just I’m just saying when we pray all
these prayers we find our answers within
the community that we lead when I was
praying for our scholarship you know
when I came here I had no money but I
found a community that is so passionate
that one was here I got a full
scholarship because of people who came
together my prayers were answered within
a community but I could have said and
say you know I have enough I do not have
gotten my my degree and whatever and
college and all that but within this I
got what I wanted what about discipline
we are disciplined in a community the
discipline that you are getting is
within a community you cannot survive
alone if there is no community then
there is no discipline we are discipline
with it within a community and God is in
volved in a community I’m all saying
that God is not involved individuals but
if you want to experience the power of
God it is within a community and the
school is a community Ozarks is a
community where you live where you come
from there’s a community and there’s
some people I know they don’t know even
their neighbors they don’t even speak to
them they don’t even care about them you
know I come from a from a country where
we believe that you know all of us
belong to that community if I don’t have
sugar in the morning I don’t have to go
to the store I just go to my neighbor
and I told them can you give me some
sugar today we don’t have if you don’t
have salt we grew up like that and we
knew the power of the community so
regardless of where we are you are right
now whether you’re 20 or 30 no 50 you
need a community and that’s where your
answers are and you find it interesting
when you know the power in a community
Jesus we know when he was here he was he
had a human body yes he depended on his
father and the community that he was
living in his ministry again was another
community his disciples he caught them
from the community when he wanted to
feed people he fed the community he
performed miracles for community
everything that he did he’s a an example
for us that a community is important and
so my passion as I do the ministry is
about how I can bring communities
together and how a joy is seeing
communities being together because I
know all my answers
are within the community and if you
don’t believe that I don’t know where
you get your answers because all my
answers is funny that I pray God open my
eyes to see where my answer aids because
maybe it was dropped in here in your
life but my eyes are still closed
because of my DVD eristic light because
I just want to live by myself but if God
opens my eyes I can get all my answers
within a community and that’s where our
power is the job that you’ll be looking
for maybe sometimes when you graduate
it’s not in your house it is where in
the community that’s where you get it
get it if you are employed here in this
College don’t be a lone ledger have a
community you know I came and it was a
blessing for me to come today because my
philosophy professor dr. Aiken lost his
wife and God was a friend she got
married when I am with dr. Bell got
married when I was here so I knew them
and because there’s a connection between
me of the community that we’ve formed in
our philosophy class when I was told
that I felt I needed to be here whether
there was this talk or not I was to be
here because there is a community and I
love this community and I want to ask
you wherever whatever you do join a
community form a community and you will
be surprised by the things that you find
out even about yourself because your
gifts your talents your knowledge
anything that you have will be seen will
be exercised within a community the
little knowledge that we get is revealed
in a community you don’t mark your own
knowledge that’s why you have professors
you cannot say I’m wise unless you do an
exam and that exam has to go through a
community of people that will say you
are a smart kid we all depend on one
another and I pray and it’s my prayer my
passion that you may join me in forming
communities if you see a loan late you
tell them that’s not life life is within
and it is formed within a community
with the Lord bless you thank you [Applause]