The hymn writer reminds us that in times like these, not only do we need an anchor, but we must be sure – very sure – that it grips the solid rock. For Christian believers, that Rock is Jesus. Yet increasingly, as scripture unfolds before our eyes, both believers and non-believers are turning to the Black Church as their shelter in this time of storm.
From food insecurity and housing crises to mental health struggles, job readiness, and countless other needs, Black churches in our communities continue to show what the living gospel looks like. As true examples of “boots on the ground for the Kingdom,” they are impacting lives in tangible, transformative ways.
In this feature, we take a closer look at six of these churches and their ministers – their histories may be varied, their sizes different, but one constant remains: they are led by extraordinary men and women of God, sustained by faith and committed to delivering on God’s promises.
PASTOR MATTHEW SINGH
A Servant Leader at New Haven Ministries
For 27 years, Pastor Matthew Singh has stood at the helm of New Haven Ministries, a congregation of 200 deeply rooted in community service. Known for his compassionate spirit and gift for bringing people together, Pastor Matthew embodies the heart of the ministry – whether he is hosting local events, sharing thoughtful sermons, or offering a supportive ear. A native of Trinidad & Tobago, he carries forward a legacy of faith and service that has spanned nearly three decades.
In pursuit of its outreach mission, New Haven Ministries has forged a close partnership with the Local 102 Precinct, where Pastor Matthew himself completed the Citizen Police Academy Course. His civic commitment extends further as Economic Development Chair of Community Board 9, ensuring the church’s voice is heard in shaping the neighborhood’s future.
Together with his wife Kathy, Pastor Matthew founded the church in 1998 with just six people. Their first worship space was a real estate office – humble beginnings where congregants walked past men smoking in the hallway to reach their “sanctuary.”
“By God’s grace, after two years we were able to purchase a banquet hall for $2.3 million – far beyond our reach,” Pastor Matthew recalls. “It was a leap of faith, but one God handsomely rewarded.” Through renovations and creative use of the property as an event rental space, the congregation was able to pay off its 20-year mortgage in June of this year.
Community outreach remains the heartbeat of New Haven Ministries. The church operates a senior center, a food truck distribution program, and hosts its annual Summerfest Community Fair in partnership with LOVE NY, serving all five boroughs. Each year, Jesus Week focuses on engaging young people, and from these programs more than a dozen families have joined the congregation, many now leading ministries themselves.
For Pastor Matthew, titles mean little compared to service. “The biggest title anyone has in the church is that of servant,” he says. “Service is at the heart of our ministry. Every day, our members are reminded to live by our mantra: ‘Find a hurt and heal it; find a need and fill it.’ That’s what God wants us to do more than anything else.”
REV. DR. SHON T. ADKINS
From supermarket to sanctuary … a journey of faith and service
For the past 20 years, Rev. Dr. Shon T. Adkins has been faithfully leading the congregation of just over 100 members at Antioch Baptist Church, doing a mighty work in Harlem. She is only the second senior pastor in the church’s history, having inherited the pulpit from her late father, Rev. Dr. Alfloyd Alston, who founded the congregation in 1977 with 16 members.
“I grew up in Harlem in what we called back then ‘Da Hall,’ around 129th–130th Street and St. Nicholas Terrace,” recalls Rev. Dr. Adkins. “Things were rough in Harlem in those days, but my father was determined to make a difference.”
The first service of that small group of believers was held in the Harlem State Office Building. Dr. Adkins remembers vividly that a nude exhibit was what greeted worshippers on that first Sunday. Yet her father was relentless in his pursuit of a sanctuary home. “When he found our current building, which had been an A&P Supermarket, he openly wept,” she says.
The church’s building fund was sustained by weekly barbecues on 143rd Street and Lenox Avenue, which became so popular that people came from across the tri-state area. Today, Antioch’s community outreach continues to flourish. Food drives include one program led by a certified chef who prepares hot meals twice weekly for the public. In partnership with the 26th Precinct, the church hosts community events featuring the police band. A daycare, afterschool program, and active media ministry are also part
of Antioch’s outreach. Together with ALMS, food is provided for 100 people every week.
Known as “The Church with the Big Heart,” Antioch now boasts more than 13 ministries. And through it all, Dr. Adkins continues to encourage her congregation with words of faith: “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. You cannot trust God and then lean to your own understanding. Trust and leaning go hand in hand,” she says.
BISHOP REFORD MOTT
Building Bridges … Uniting Communities
Founded by Rev. Dr. Reford Mott 31 years ago, Generations Church NY (formerly Family Christian Center) stands as a beacon in the heart of New Rochelle. Serving a congregation of about 400 at its main campus in New Rochelle and another 75 at a second site in Mt. Vernon, Generations Church prides itself on being a mission church, both locally and internationally.
Under the leadership of Bishop “Ray” and his wife Sherrie, the non-denominational church has grown steadily since its founding. A native of Jamaica, Bishop Mott migrated to the United States in 1974. With a Cuban father, he proudly clings to both sides of his heritage. “I am very fierce about my heritage,” Bishop Mott told The New York Christian Times.
As part of its mission outreach, the church adopted the only shelter in the city, providing both food and spiritual support. Following the Ferguson riots, Generations Church launched the New Rochelle Clergy Rapid Response Team, a coalition of half a dozen dedicated pastors who serve the city in times of crisis. “Another ongoing thing we do at Generations,” says Bishop Mott, “is to support people who, in times of death, have nowhere to turn. We even offer the use of our church for free to ensure they are able to provide a dignified burial for their loved ones.”
A close partnership with the city’s Jewish community is another hallmark of the church’s outreach. Monthly conversations between rabbis and pastors help bridge divides, and on occasion, unity services have been held. At the Mt. Vernon campus, a soup kitchen operates in partnership with a local nonprofit, while the Christmas Child Project provides toys for children across the world.
Internationally, Generations Church has established a strong presence in India, with four congregations mostly in the southern part of the country. The Lebanon Project, launched in 2012, is a joint effort with 20 other churches. Annual medical missions are also a staple of the church’s global ministry investment.
Bishop Mott’s word of encouragement for these times is directed especially to those who have been hurt by the church. To them he says: “Church hurt is not God hurt. It’s time to come back to God!”
BISHOP PAUL PEART
Call to the World: Stand Firm
Bishop Paul Peart, the longtime spiritual shepherd of New Testament Church of God in the Bronx, has guided his congregation of 650 members with steadfast faith and vision since 1994. Next year the church celebrates its Golden Anniversary. He is only the second Senior Pastor in the Church’s 50-year-history. His more than three decades of leadership along with his wife, Rev. Ingrid, stands as a testament to enduring commitment and community growth.
Believing that the church ought to be a holistic institution, Bishop Peart, a native of Jamaica from the Parish of Manchester, works tirelessly to make his congregation a living example of service. In 2002 following the 9/11 tragedy, the church started an organization called the Good Neighbors Community Outreach, which resulted in the creation of a food pantry using resources from its existing budget and serving 200 families weekly. That pantry became a lifeline for the community during the pandemic.
“We faced a crisis when the pandemic hit and churches were called to close. We approached our local councilmember, who was successful in getting the food pantry designated an essential service, and we remained open. By the end of the pandemic, we were serving 2,000 people every week,” recalls Bishop Peart. Today, the church has become a hub of food distribution in the Bronx, assisting more than 30 other organizations in starting their own pantries.
The church’s outreach extends far beyond food. Among its services are immigration status adjustment, housing placement – from finding someone a room to helping with purchasing a house, literacy programs, and GED preparation. The church also has partnerships with the True to Life Program and the United Way. On staff is a couple that provides mental health counseling and runs a special program dedicated to suicide prevention called Choose Life International. The church is further distinguished as the Bronx outpost for the Clergy God Squad Unit, headquartered in Brooklyn.
Through it all, Bishop Peart’s message to the people of the world in these times remains simple yet powerful: “Stand firm! It is the best thing we can do as believers in God. Just stand firm in the Lord.”
REV. DR. DEMETRIUS CAROLINA, SR.
From Staten Island to Liberia: A Ministry Without Borders
In March of this year, the more than 500-member congregation of First Central Baptist Church (FCBC) in Staten Island joyfully celebrated the 20th pastoral anniversary of Rev. Dr. Demetrius S. Carolina, Sr. Over the past 20 years of his tenure as pastor, he has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to his congregations, the larger community, and issues affecting the global human community.
FCBC is located in the historic heart of Stapleton, Staten Island, a community that is home to one of the largest Liberian populations in the city. As a result, the congregation enjoys a close partnership with a sister church in Liberia, West Africa, along with four additional churches in the interior of the country.
“The aim of our congregation is to meet all the needs of people – in body, mind, and spirit,” says Dr. Carolina. One of the church’s hallmark initiatives was the development of Staten Island’s first Crisis Management System, designed to respond to emergencies and community needs.
Beyond the direct work of the church, the Central Family Life Center, where Rev. Dr. Carolina serves as Executive Director, oversees a wide range of programs including a city-funded after-school program, senior citizen services, prison recidivism initiatives, mental health support, youth recreation, and numerous other community enhancement projects. In total, the Center operates 22 ministries and 12 programs supported by federal, state, city, and private sector funding.
In November, the church marked its 47th anniversary, a milestone that reflects both its longevity and its evolving mission. As part of its outreach, the church also helps nonprofits and faith-based institutions build capacity, strengthening the broader community.
Together with his wife, Josenia Ruiz-Carolina, Pastor Carolina is guided by a personal mantra that shapes his ministry: “I had no power over when I was born; I have no power over when I will transition; but I have power to effect change in the middle.”
BISHOP FRANK A. WHITE
From Cradle to Congregation: A Lifelong Ministry
Bishop Frank A. White has the unique distinction of pastoring the very church into which he was born and raised. Therefore, numbered among the 97-year-old congregation of 1,500 are people who were his babysitters and Sunday School teachers. “It is such an honor to pastor the church where you were born,” he says. “The beauty and privilege of this are not lost on me.”
Bishop White entered the ministerial team of the church in 1998 and assumed leadership as Senior Pastor in 2017 after his father transitioned. Since then, he has guided the church with a mission-centered vision. “We are primarily a mission ministry catering to the day-to-day needs of our beloved community,” he explains. The church’s outreach includes food distribution, assistance with housing and heating, and other services that reflect the traditional meaning of mission: to feed, clothe, and shelter. Yet with more than 45 fully operational ministries, the church ministers to the whole person.
Under the umbrella of the Cedarmore Corporation, where Bishop White serves as CEO, the church has been offering educational, social, and emotional development programs for youth across the New York metropolitan area for the past 27 years. These include the Afterschool Enrichment Program, the Big Brothers Summer Basketball Tournament, the award-winning Young Entrepreneurs Program, and the Ready Set Know Interactive Instruction Platform, which focuses on personal development, self-esteem, goal-setting, and relationships.
Programs such as Boys to Men and Girls Talk Program use the Hofstra University campus several times a year to help young people navigate social issues, relationship challenges, entrepreneurship, and even AI literacy. In one young adult program, participants are required to complete a full business plan by the end of the course. At the height of the pandemic, the church opened the Bishop Frank O. White Digital Literacy Center, designed to bridge the digital divide in the black and brown community. There, young