In our new series, we explore the impact of the Black church on the local community

Throughout history, in every Black community, there is always an epicenter where young and old could gather to not only deal with their own problems, but to help one another solve theirs: the Black church.

The pastor would represent the social consciousness of the community, providing wisdom and guidance with each Sunday morning message, while the congregation would sing the songs of worship in unison. It would give a sense of oneness, to reassure that no matter the issues facing them outside, the church was going to be the one place where people knew they could go to in times of need.

Nowadays, the image of this pillar has been tainted by popular media. Whether it’s showing videos of inner discord, or the perception that leaders have become preoccupied with obtaining larger facilities over fulfilling their calling, it has cast mischaracterization over the church.

However, there are several working steadily in the community and making a positive impact. Recently, the PW Perspective met with Pastor Johnny Clements, Senior Pastor of One Word Community Church in Woodbridge. Clements spoke about the purpose that OWCC is doing in the local Featherstone community.

“Interesting that I was putting in the address the other day and it said ‘Emancipation Highway,’ which, for me it means freedom,” says Clements. “because one thing we do is that we are here to serve the community. You will see our leaders and our members wear these t-shirts with 1 Peter 4:10 “Empowered to serve,” particularly when we are out in the community because that’s what we’re here to do.”

The church started in Manassas before coming over to Featherstone Plaza in 2018, and he addresses what their strategy was upon arriving. “The first thing we did was prayed find out what the needs of the community were. So we established a food pantry; it’s open every Thursday, and it’s for anyone in the community who needs food. We’re not asking for pay stubs. People can call and we will open it up.”

“Secondly, we do a community outreach every summer. This past summer we had schools come out with their dance team, and we invited families in need to come out. We had a bookbag giveaway, and people from different communities give out school supplies. Despite the rain, the kids came out having fun and we gave out ice cream as well.”

He mentions how they are also other projects that they are engaged in. “The other thing we’ve done is open up the facility to Quest Co-op, a homeschool facility where the children receive tutoring. This allows a space where they otherwise wouldn’t have at a minimum charge. We’ve also had another church come in where we could help them get started. We have a “Hand in Hand” community outreach where we feed the homeless; we provide meals every fourth Sunday, and provide clothing items such as blankets, foot warmers in the winter.”

In addition to providing a service, he seeks to help their inner being as well. “When we’re out serving the community, we ask them to get involved and take ownership [of their situation] as well. We give them a word of inspiration and of encouragement.”

How was the church able to navigate through the pandemic? “Actually, in the times of the pandemic, it was an opportunity, and that’s how we looked at it,” he says. “With so many people being out of work or with children being home, it’s been refreshing as a church to get out and say ‘God has blessed us, and that’s what He’s called us to do, be a blessing.’

“This Christmas was a gift fellowship where we could provide gifts to the community. We had someone call us and ask what we were doing, so we provided gifts to their children. The challenge for us is to make sure that we have enough hands on deck.”

Getting buy-in from the congregation can be a challenge, but Clements mentions how well it worked out. “It [the buy-in] was excellent, because we cast the vision. Not only did we get the buy-in, but we challenged other churches to take part, so it was great encouragement. We had the young people and teenagers come out and support. They all had fun stuffing the bags during the giveaway.”

Churches can sometimes operate in silos, so how was he able to get collaboration? “It’s an ongoing process, but the thing my wife [First Lady Carolyn Clements] and I discussed was empowerment, and we asked other leaders for their input. We came up with the idea that empowerment was selfless, and is the giving of oneself, resources, and relationships to commission us to do what God has called us to do. It is us reaching out to invite others because we’re all fellow laborers in the vineyard, so however we can do it, we will.”

He continues. “Empowerment, it’s through actions. We have an annual pastors dinner on March 18, and it’s about getting pastors and their spouses in so they can be refreshed. This way, they can be re-energized through the Word, and they’ll get a great meal, fellowship, and to know that they are not alone.” 

As he is seeing the fruits of the church’s labor, there are some pastors who may not have as much success seeing their respective plans come to those same levels. So what should they do?

“For those pastors who are struggling to get their congregation involved: start small, and whatever God gives you, pray over it, look over it, and make sure that it’s sustainable not by our means but by God’s means,” says Clements. “When Moses started off, it was too overpowering in the beginning, so God told him to take seventy elders and take the spirit on you and put it upon them.”

“Make sure the people have your heart. When the spirit of the leader was upon them, they were able to proceed as a body.”

He mentions a familiar scripture that helps him navigate the church’s outreach. “Meetings are good to help us to charter a course, but it’s about working together, so we can impact the community. John 13:35 says that the world will know you are My disciples if you love one another, and if we’re loving one another while working as a body, we will make much more headway.”

So how does OWCC clear up any misconceptions about the church? “We don’t preach church, we preach relationships,” says Clements. “When I go out, I let people know I am a pastor, but we want to know about their relationships with God. We have a homeless community around here, and we’ve had people say, “I’ve never had a pastor speak to me the way you do.”

“People want to know that you hear them, see them and that you are consistent with who you are and what you do.”  

One Word Community Church is located at 14627 Jefferson Davis Highway, Woodbridge, VA 22192. Visit their website for service times and more information.