When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4

By Dr. James H. Lockhart, Deacon

In Isaiah 41:10 (NASB), one finds these words of Scripture: "Do not fear, for I am with you: do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you..."

So, my brothers and sisters, please join me in this prayer as we, like the multitude that the Holy Spirit visited in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, also stand in the need of His visitation:

Lord, I have no reason to fear, because you are with me. You are ever-present by my side to guide and protect me. The virus and other such things in the world that make me afraid are not more powerful than You. You have shown, from the historic day of Pentecost to this very day, that You provide, through Your Holy Spirit dwelling in me, the peace, endurance and power I need to face the days ahead. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of Pentecost that assures me that You will strengthen and help me, as I set my gaze firmly and unwaveringly on You. Amen

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to you with praise in our hearts for Your Majesty, Your Sovereignty, Your Power, Your Love, for Who You are. We repent of all that displeases You and ask for Your divine help to change all of our errant ways. Thank You for the privilege to present to You, at this critical time in our world, our petitions, and to lay our burdens at Your feet.

O, Lord, as we continue to experience the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, impact that stretches from the inconvenience of wearing face masks to the adjustment of homeschooling to the uncertainty of loss of a job or business to the fear of facing eviction to the devastation of a loved one's death, we cry out to You for Your Divine intervention, Father, for Your way out of no way, for Your help. Read more >>

The Message version of Romans 13:1 says, "Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen." If we are to, indeed, be responsible citizens of this country, state and community, then we must exercise our rights. One of those rights is to be counted in the United States Census. Our participation can directly result in funding and support for our schools, social and public services, and a host of other needs.

Another of our rights, one that has been especially hard-fought and - won for African Americans, is our right to vote. Most voting for the 2020 presidential primary election will be done by mail. All mailed ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 2nd. In-person voting will also be available on Tuesday. Please visit www.elections.maryland.gov to find out where you can cast your vote.

Let's all be good citizens. Be counted in the Census and VOTE! It is our right and our responsibility.

By Dr. Shauna Moore Reynolds

During these challenging times, it is important that we maintain good mental health. Dr. Shauna Moore Reynolds provides tips for doing so in the midst of coronavirus. Please click here to learn how to successfully Navigate Your Mental Health During Times of Pandemic.

By Missionary Lilly Field and
Minister Janet Millner, Missions Director

A reasonable assumption is that all of us would love the new wine of God -- a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit revival power in our lives, individually and as a church -- and to thrust workers onto the mission field. Along with the power, His Spirit brings healing, deliverance, hope, purpose, and much more. With the TPCBC 2020 theme of "Jesus, We Want to See You," there is the desire to see Jesus in a new wine type of way, a fresh way, a way with new power.

This Scripture tells us that, if we want the new wine of God, we must first get new wineskins. If not, we will not be able to hold His outpouring. In fact, new wine poured into old church or old missions tradition will make the church or mission worse than it was before! In the context of missions, we see a minority percentage of African Americans entering long-term missions and few Christians overall entering missions in the nations unreached with the Gospel. Old wineskins contribute to this reality. So, the first thing is to get new wineskins. Then we will be ready for an outpouring of new wine.

The purpose of The Missions By the Book conference series is to consider how we would do missions according to the Bible -- Jesus Style -- so that when we stand before God, He knows us (Matthew 7:21-23). The theme of Missions By the Book 5 will help us consider the question: What would it look like to do missions or the Christian life/church life in a new wineskins way in order to hold the new wine? We hope to include in the discussion a broader audience beyond strictly missions and apply this question to the whole of our Christian lives.

If you have ever asked Marvin Allen how he is doing, then you know that his answer is always: "Marvelous!" And if you have ever heard him give this response, then you are familiar with his deep, rich and resonant voice. Well, Marvin recently put his distinctive voice on paper. In February, he released his first book, Lead: A Guide to Fostering Perpetual Leadership. This is a personal story that brings together all of Marvin's worlds: family, work, and church.

The objective of Lead is to inspire readers to identify people in their lives -- colleagues, children, church co-servants -- in whom they can invest and help develop leadership ability. The Lead process follows a leader-learner model -- applying the familiar axiom "each one teach one" -- that yields strong and capable leaders. The process is based on the acronym, L.E.A.D., which says that you can lead others by:

Read more >>

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, there is good news. One of our beloved church youth has grown up and graduated from college! Read here about Wayne Allen's accomplishments and his plans for the near future. Congratulations, Wayne, and to your parents, Charlene and Marvin Allen!

By Sandra Frazier

In January 2019, TPCBC began the Mortgage Liquidation Campaign (MLC) with the vision to liquidate the church's mortgages over a 24-month time period, thereby liberating God's resources for further Kingdom advancement. This campaign is based on the Faith Promises of God's people at TPCBC to commit above and beyond the regular tithes and offerings and to give sacrificially to achieve this goal. By honoring our Faith Promises, we show good stewardship for all that God provides to us.

From the beginning, the campaign has been undergirded by prayer. There is a group of prayer warriors who hold a constant vigil of prayer at 6:21 a.m. and 6:21 p.m. daily to honor Matthew 6:21, which says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Read more >>