1393 Pacific Street: Can You Take It? My Memoir in Early Ministry to Assist All Who Have Been Called into the Ministry of Jesus Christ

By Renaldo Watkis

1393 Pacific Street: Can You Take It? is a book designed to encourage and help all ministers in the Christian faith with examples of triumphs, disappointments, victories, and struggles in ministry. My experience has been that there are not too many who have had a mentor or guide to lead them in the different aspects of what it takes to minister to the sheepfold of God. There aren't too many who've been encouraged by an elder in the ministry to "press their way." So what I've attempted to do is just that: provide some examples and answers on how to persevere and overcome. I pray that what you've read encourages your heart as you partner with Christ in ministry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887933993

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1393 Pacific Street

Can You Take It? My Memoir in Early Ministry to Assist All Who Have Been Called into the Ministry of Jesus Christ

Renaldo Watkis

Copyright © 2023 Renaldo Watkis

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88793-397-9 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-88793-399-3 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Why This Book?

Foreword

Prelude

Our First Members

Removing Old Beams and Replacing Them with New

Installing a New Ceiling and Light Fixture in the Kitchen

Building a Restroom for the Women

Installing Parquet Floor Tiles in the Lower Floor Hallway

Carpet in the Sanctuary Changed due to Water Damage

Installing New Windows for the Sanctuary

Painting the Sanctuary

Installing Ceiling Fans and Air Conditioning

Create an Outdoor Church Sign

Acquired a Piano for the Sanctuary

Bible Study Classes

Articles Written

Some External Approaches to Ministry

Tract Distribution on Nostrand/Fulton Streets

Christmas Caroling

Christmas Gift Socks

Thanksgiving Blessings

Ministering at the Senior Citizen Nursing Home

Door-to-Door Visits

FOVAV

Bowery Missions (Female and Male)

Ministered with Pastor Herbert Daughtry at a Penal Institution

Tract Distribution with the Bible Study Group

Performed Several Weddings

District Fellowship with the NE Churches

Some of the Creative Outreach Attempts

Roof Top Bells

Coffeehouse

Youth Sunday School

Computer Fundamental Class

Youth Choir

Food Distribution on Pacific Street and the Block Association President

Created Musical Concerts

District Cookout

Created a Photography Club

Good Friday Presentations

External Ministries

About the Author

Why This Book?

This book was written for several reasons. First is to leave something tangible behind where anyone can learn about some of the struggles and achievements that I encountered during my early days at the Pacific Street Mission. My hope is that it will provide some level of encouragement to anyone, whether in ministry or not, and that it will help to inspire and motivate all to press their way forward. It was written with the young minister in mind. There are a number of battles that the child of God goes through, and one of them is accepting the call to ministry. Many do not have a blueprint for what follows after the acceptance of this great call. So hearing and reading it from the experiences of others may provide some level of comfort and guidance as they are going through it.

Lastly, this is an endeavor and testament to my mother, Rebeca Watkis, my two sons, Ayinde Peter James-Watkis and Andwele Andrew Watkis, and my wife, Sandra E. James-Watkis, for being there when I needed them and their continued love and support.

Foreword

Pastor Renaldo Watkis, a friend and fellow parishioner of mine for over four decades, has written a profound book on the trials and tribulations of sustaining and maintaining an urban ministry in an economically oppressed Black community in Brooklyn, New York.

Pastor Watkis's ministry was an extension of the historic ministry of The House of the Lord Churches under the leadership of the iconic people's pastor Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry and Rev. Dr. Karen S. Daughtry.

The book, 1393 Pacific Street: Can You Take It?, is a must read for anyone who wants to minister to our people in struggling, oppressed Black communities. The Pacific Street Mission was located on two floors of a brownstone in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Pastor Watkis was an all-purpose pastor. Most assuredly, he delivered powerful weekly sermons, often enhanced by his singing and musical talents on several instruments. He responded to community residents and their challenges and took on the racist, greedy capitalist system and its institutions of oppression. He developed a series of creative tracts that were distributed to the people in his beloved community. He attended rallies, demonstrations, and press conferences and did whatever was needed to speak the truth to power and fight against the system. He also paid particular attention to addressing the importance of meeting the individual's needs in their journey toward personal salvation. On top of all of this, he did construction work on the apartment and established a beautiful garden in the backyard.

In addition to all of that, Pastor Watkis is one of the most creative, hardworking, and caring persons I have ever met. He is 100 percent dependable. If he says he is going to do something, you can rest assured it's going to get done.

This book captures his spirit and commitment to the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. Read and enjoy this powerful message on salvation and liberation.

—Charles Barron

Prelude

Possessing the Land

If I may, I would like to jump in here and say that at some point in time, I found myself standing on the corner of Pacific Street and New York Avenues. I stood there looking down at Pacific Street and said to myself, This block belongs to me! I felt then that it was a declaration to myself that I was going to do all that I could to influence, change, and embed myself in the community. One way or another, Pacific Street was going to learn and hear of me. I never held to the notion that we were going to be a notch in some corner bound by silence. But instead, we would be a viable entity in the neighborhood, engaged in the pulse of the community.

I don't recall the exact year, month, and time, but it had to be around the year 1982. I figured it was around that time because my wife was pregnant with our first son. A group of us aspiring ministers met at The House of the Lord Church (Brooklyn, New York) in the National Presider's office for a ministry assignment. The presider at that time was the People's Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, and when we gathered in his office, we did not know (at least I didn't), what was about to happen. We listened as he told us we were being assigned to the Pacific Street Mission. Please keep in mind that I'm taking great strides in remembering details of what happened approximately thirty-eight years ago. So I may be a bit off by a year or two. In the office, the following people had to be there because we all ended up at 1393 Pacific Street: Ken, Queen and Sally Gibson, Antione and Laraine Johnson, Roger and Peggy Howell, and my wife, Sandra, and me. There may have been others there also, but I've mentioned the above names because we were the ones who would lead, conduct, and hold services while assisting Roger Howell, who was assigned to be the pastor of the mission. Apparently, this new venture didn't bother nor frighten me, nor did I detect any apprehension from my wife. We all assumed the responsibility and made our way to the new location. We were going to be the Pacific Street Mission.