EAST TEXAS UNFILTERED w/J. Chad Parker: Featuring Bishop DeMarcus Pierson

Bishop DeMarcus Pierson joins East Texas UNFILTERED with J. Chad Parker for a strong conversation about faith, service, and the mission behind Love Thy City. He shares how this East Texas effort brings churches, businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers together to help people in real ways. The goal is simple. Love your neighbor and make the community stronger.

Bishop Pierson talks about growing up in North Tyler and how his life led him into ministry, construction, and community work. He explains how Love Thy City grew from an idea into a movement that serves families across Tyler and East Texas. This episode shows how people from different backgrounds can come together to do something good.

Love Thy City takes place August 22, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center, the Rose Garden, and the Mayfair Building in Tyler. Watch this episode to hear the story behind the movement and why it matters. Like, subscribe, and follow East Texas UNFILTERED for more East Texas stories.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Our goal is to touch every part of society. We're watching this evolve into something much larger than what we initially envisioned because it's unique in that it brings the three sectors of our society, the private, the public, and the social sectors, all together to do one thing. And that is what we all can't do separately. And that is love on our own community. My church only has so much reach. Green Acres has so much reach, and the other church isn't. But when we all come together, we're able to do what each of us cannot do individually. That's the power of Love Not City is that you got two types of people who've got two different uh methodology and uh ideology, but they're coming together. They're coming together to love on their city.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Welcome to another episode of East Texas Unfiltered. I'm your host, Jay Chad Parker. Today we're gonna talk about faith, we're gonna talk about church, we're gonna talk about something even larger, this city, uh, and what's going on and what's happening here. People have uh started to work together uh to make the city better for everyone. And I've got a guest here today who's a big part of that. Bishop, thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for inviting us.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Uh, for people who don't know, Chris, let's show them the uh we've got Love Thy City coming up. This is uh wow. We found a good look for you. And uh we uh we're gonna get to the real stuff, and I thought this would be a great way to introduce to the I don't know if that's real.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

That looks like AI.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Yeah. Well, I mean, you've got you got the gear on. You're obviously this is a big part of your life now.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Um, in the research that I did, I saw that maybe this the the LLC or the setup was in 2024, but the first event happened in 2025?

SPEAKER_02 1:51

No, the first event actually happened um was it? Yes. No, 2024. Okay. Yeah, we had the first event in 2024, uh July, July the 20th, as a matter of fact. And 2024 was our first Love Thy City Day.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

All right. And it seems like, because I remember somebody like Regina Williams had asked me about it. I'd never heard about it.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Yeah, she serves uh Love Thy City since that time. She has just been an amazing part of Love Thy City.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Well, you know, this this whole thing, Love Thy City, I mean, you kind of it kind of sounds like something we know what it means. Like, hey, we whatever we're doing, we want to do together and love thy city. When did this idea first get in your mind?

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Well, in 2023, there was um a question that came to my mind at heart, and I got just tired of watching so much division between that so many different entities, whether it's businesses, whether it's nonprofit organizations, churches, people in general. And I said, what would happen if we brought all of these entities together and that we could show it in such a way that our community came together? What component could do that? And my faith brought me to the place of love does that.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

And you know, that's a good starting point for anything that you try to do, right? Right. Um, did you did you see it developing, I guess, as fast as it did and big as it has gotten in this shorter period of time? Uh honestly, we did not.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Uh as a matter of fact, we started out that first year, we were thinking maybe 2,500 people might show up, maybe a thousand, uh, because it was an idea. It was not even fully uh fleshed out. And however, we began to talk, put things together, and the more we talked about it, we decided that there are more people that are interested in this than we uh originally imagined. And so the more we talked, the more people came on board. Then we had the date. The event happened. Expecting 2,500, 8,000 showed up.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah, well, that's that just speaks to the need in every city, but you know, this focus is Tyler. Like, you know, we're trying to take care of our own, essentially, with this organization, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Right, right. And it's it's not just Tyler, it's also East Texas. East Texas, we're we're we're the hub because we are uh the largest municipality in our region. However, it is all of East Texas, and we are treat taking care of our neighbors, taking care of our community.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Right. I mean, you know, when you if you know anything about the Bible and you were raised in the church, which I'm sure you were, uh Bishop. Yeah, absolutely. You know, love God and love your neighbor as yourself are kind of the uh the two that Jesus speaks to when asked about the greatest commandments, right? That's right.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

I mean, that was a commandment he said. Two things love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, and soul. And the second is likened unto it, and that is that you will love your neighbor as yourself. We have to do both. And when we do both, that's when we have fulfilled the commission.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

The, you know, the media, you know, drives a lot of division, at least it appears in my mind, because I used to watch TV and think about, you know, it doesn't seem like that I have these type of relationships where I live that I'm watching on TV. Was that part of, you know, what you were thinking, or was there something specific to Tyler that wasn't going like you thought it should? Well, I think it's a little bit of both.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Uh, media plays a huge part in our makeup, our everyday culture. I mean, it's on our phones, uh, we're constantly watching it. Uh, people wake up watching the media and it sets the tone of their mood.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

It makes them angry, it makes them happy, it makes them feel uh isolated. And so that has a lot of control. And then in itself, with just our uh makeup as human beings, sometimes the selfishness gets us into the place of isolation and division. So when you have both of those working together, it causes a community to be divided and we can't help each other. And that's what we need. We need each other. We were designed and created by our creator to need one another.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

I mean, people need to socialize, you know. They they that's why there's fellowship in church, I presume, right? I mean, because people uh get stronger when they collaborate, whether what they're thinking or helping or getting help.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I could go Bible. I'm not gonna preach today. Um, but there is a scripture that says forsaking not the assembly of ourselves, which means let's not divide ourselves. Let's come together because some people want that, but there's something that happens in community. The word unity is in community. And that's what brings us together. That's what we need. God created us so that we would lean on each other and be able to help our brothers and sisters in that time.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Well, you know, and and as governments have less and less money, we can't look to them to do these types of things, right? And that seems to be where you've have drawn your collaborators is from non-governments like vendors, right? Other churches, other people, right, and put put some type of coalition together. You know, do you have a a person that helped you form an initial steering committee or some smaller group to plan outwardly?

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Yeah, absolutely. So we have our executive committee of Love Die City, our executive leadership team. Um, and what we do, we have brought together our own separate gifts, talents, um, to basically strategically uh man this operation. And when we come together, we kind of put our heads together. We are governed by a board. We have a board of 12, and uh they oversee the governance part, make sure that we stay in line and that we are um uh doing what we said we we're supposed to do. And so, yeah, we do have a team, and that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Because a lot of people, you know, say, well, there's so many 501s today. Like anybody can go get one, essentially, right? And so, like you said, governance um and transparency and finances and things like that, you know, in order for people to be motivated to give money, right? Yes. You need to have those kind of things in place for something getting this large.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yes, absolutely. You always want to make sure that you are doing things uh in an integral way, character. And our board keeps us uh to that, hold our feet to the fire, make sure that we're doing what we need to do to continue to give um the opportunity for donors to support. Um, and so we do what we need to do legally, we do what we need to do fiscally, and we make sure that where the money uh comes in, the donations, and it is appropriated to the right place, so that we can show that we're showing love tangibly, not just in a way of words.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

You know, and I don't know the laws, but it's my impression that, you know, Christian, you know, identifying organizations generally don't get funds from the federal government. Is that true in regard to love thy city, or is there some way that that can happen?

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Absolutely. So a lot of times the government entities like our organization, nonprofit organization, we are totally funded by donors, churches, businesses, uh, individuals that just love their community. Um, and that's where it comes from. Um there's no government assistance. It is the heart of people who are loving people, and that's how this organization um continues to be funded and continues to do a great work in our community.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

I mean, I hate to use a cliche, but charity begins at home, and that's essentially what Love Thy City is seeking to do, if I'm looking at this right.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Yeah, absolutely. It's uh it's the ability to say, hey, we may argue over politics, we may argue over race, we we can argue over um I don't like this or I don't like that. But one of the things we can't argue with if if a child needs shoes.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

If people need help.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

If people need help. Um, those things are common because we all have been in a position of needing help. And we all come from different backgrounds, and it doesn't matter if you're black, white, Hispanic, uh whatever uh uh denomination you're a part of, when there's a need, you don't care who's helping you. If I am one who is in need and I'm drowning out there in the water and I'm screaming, help, help. I'm not gonna look up and say if you got a rap, are you black? Yeah, don't come get me. Yeah. You know, I'm going to need help from whomever is trying to give me the help.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Well, Bishop, you uh let's let's circle back. We're gonna finish and talk more detail about Love Thy City, but I just want to kind of open the show that way. But I want to get back earlier and talk a little bit about you. Um you were born and raised in Tyler. Yes. Um you what schools did you go to leading up to high school?

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Well, I definitely matriculated through all of the schools in Tyler, starting with Griffin and Douglas. Uh well, let me go all the way back, even before Griffin and Douglas. Started in North Tyler Daycare, which was at that time Texas College. Texas College Daycare.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

I think that's what it was called back then. It may have been called Texas College Daycare, because it was on the campus of Texas College. And um my mother, I'm the oldest of six, and my mother lived in Texas College apartments. That was the name of the apartments. Now it's called Victory Park. Um, and so I grew up there in the daycare, from there to Griffin Elementary. Yes, at that time, um, I've uh remember Dr. Mason and so many others. And from elementary school over to Dogen Elementary School, Boulter for a couple of years, then to Hubbard. We did a lot of moving, and then we landed uh in high school at that time, Robin Lee High School, which is legacy.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

All right, and you graduated from the I graduated from Tyler Junior College and then Texas College. All right. Now you mentioned the apartments across from uh Texas College. That's where you grew up?

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Yes, mostly in North Tyler, Grand Street. Yeah. I remember walking the streets of North Tyler as a little boy and uh just made my life uh growing up there. My the child early childhood development was in that area.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Well, you know, I don't know if that was rough back then, but I mean we have this, you know, five-year-old who was shot over there, you know, just recently. Um I know this because um I've talked to the mother. Um, but you know, was that a rough place to grow up over there uh in those apartments when you came up, or is that something that's kind of evolved later? Well, I'm gonna tell you times are different.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

And as I remember it, as a child, we did not have that worry. We could go outside and play. I mean, uh, even in the apartment complex, there was a little store. A lady would have this uh store in her house and she would sell five cent bubblegum. Um we could stay out until the light, the porch lights or the street lights would come on.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Was that your signal to get home?

SPEAKER_02 12:44

That was my signal to get home when that light came on. I think that was the neighborhood was an unspoken rule.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

I think that was a universal rule.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Yes, absolutely. And I could walk five years old, I could walk through the apartment complex and not worry about anything. That's not the case today. It's not as safe.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

I know. I mean, it it's sad, but I I just wondered because, you know, I remember the 80s were kind of wild, you know, because I came up in the 80s. I'm 58, you know, and you just turned 50, I guess, right? I know, I want everybody to know. Everybody said he looked good. You know, I said, no, he's 50. See that? There you go.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

See, I'm I'm getting I noticed, I noticed uh since I turned 50. Well, you people used to say you're not that old when I was four. They're like, oh, you're not old. When I turned 50, it was like, congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

I mean, I think you had a birthday party at the church, so I don't think I'm giving away any secrets.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Well, it wasn't at the church, but we did have a party on last Friday. It had a wonderful time. I celebrate 50. Um, it's a blessing to have even reached this age, so I give God the praise for that.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Yeah, I mean, it is. Every every decade after that, you know, 60. Yeah, you know, because then I mean, you know, we get closer to the end, the end for everybody, right? Yeah, absolutely. We all will pass that. We're blessed to get there. Right. Um, so you graduate from uh Texas College. Ultimately, do you have a career path in mind, or are you like a lot of young people at the time trying to figure out what's going to happen next?

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Well, you know, music is where my route of uh life began um as a church musician. And I thought at one time I became the first African-American drum major at Robley Lee. So I played trumpet, uh treble cleft, baritone. I enjoyed band. I was in music, loved sports, but I chose music over sports. And so I thought my pathway was gonna be in music. I was gonna be an accomplished musician. However, God had another plan. Uh, as being a hit musician at my home church at that time, um, I got into music and then ministry started. I was still in school, uh, but didn't really fully know the pathway. And so I chose business. I said, well, you know, I'm not gonna do music, so let me go ahead and go into business. It's hard to make a living as a musician, right? Absolutely. You know, I couldn't see my way in music. And so I chose business and I graduated with a business degree. Um, and then even to that end, I fully didn't understand what it meant to go into a career. So I had a degree and I went into sales. I could talk. One of the things that I learned as a child uh in school that my teacher would always tell me, DeMarcus, your mouth is gonna get you in trouble. And I was like, you know what? She would say that so often. I got older and I came up with this. I said, Well, my teacher said, My mouth is gonna get me in trouble. My mouth ought to be able to get me out of trouble. That's right. So I started using my gift to talk to help me in life. And that was just happened to be sales, worked for Mix 107.3 as an account executive, K E T K at that time. Um, then I went to Arts Communications, selling pagers, and I found a passion for marketing and sales and doing those uh types of uh uh career paths.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

What about the ministry? What about, you know, specifically preaching or a preacher? When does this become, you know, a reality for the first time for you?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Actually, here's here's my story. In short, I went to a convention, it was a church convention, and at that particular time I was not doing so well at Arts Communications, selling pages. Uh, sales were down. I was uh on the verge of getting fired. And I knew that my supervisor at the time told me, You're gonna, you know, we're gonna probably let you go if you don't pick up the sales. And so I was like, blaming on the cell phones. I blame it on the cell phones. Like, hey, cell phones just came out. I mean, just it stopped, it it dried up, you know. And so I went to a church convention. When I went to the church convention, I went in specifically to get prayer that God would give me a pathway to get out of this. I would, my job was this thing, sales would come up. I am on my knees praying, and I literally hear the voice of the Lord tell me, preach my word. And I was like, that's not what I'm down here to pray for. I'm I'm I came to ask. I'm trying to get a job. Yeah, I'm trying to get a job. And I'm trying to keep my job. And I kept hearing that voice, and I got up from my prayer, and a lady that was conducting that prayer meeting, she said, There's someone here, the Lord just spoke to you and told you to preach. I was like, Okay, wow. I said, So that's confirmed. I'm I'm nervous, excited, same time. Get back home, and guess what happens? I get fired. Did you have a family at that time? I did not have a family. I'm single still. Okay. And but I get back home, my supervisor says, Well, we decide we're gonna go ahead and let you go. I'm like, wow. Because at least it's only you. Yeah, at least it's only me. And from there, um, of course, I looked for another job. Um, our church was in a building project at the time. I wanted to help our pastor, at that, my pastor at that time, and he needed support. And for some reason, I just had a passion to help him fulfill the building project. So I drove around town and ended up at another church that was building. Stopped there, asked the contractor, uh, could you give me information about how to build a church? Um, our church is looking for a contractor. He said yes. He ended up following me to church that evening, talked to the pastor, before you know it. We ended up going into a building project. Long story short, um, I became the building expansion coordinator for the church, knew nothing about construction, but I just had a passion to see things done. I just love to see something go from nothing to something. And then all of a sudden, we finished a project, and me working so closely with the contract at that time, McCasa General Contracting, he said, Why don't you come work for me? And I ended up working for him as a general contracting manager for 20 years.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

20 years. Wow. You're like kind of a superintendent where you're running the jobs. Yes. You're you're controlling the subs, you're telling, you know, you're making sure the work's done correctly.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

And selling the project. So I sold the project, I would do the remodel project, go out, sell the project, and then I would manage the project. So I'm still using my sales skills, and then I'm also learning how to manage the project. Never touch lumber, cut anything. I just know what it's supposed to look like, and I have vision for this is how it will look.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Yeah, that's uh the construction business is something once you learn, you know, the compartments of each move, right? You gotta create the uh the pad, then you rough in the plumbing, right? I mean, there are steps that you learn along the way to build something from the ground up.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Yes. Everything we do in life starts with a foundation.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

Yeah, including, you know, many of the scriptures, you know, uh you don't want to build your foundation on sand, do you? Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

That's correct.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

I mean. And we we spend a lot of time on the cosmetic things of life.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Right. How we look, but you and I both know without a foundation of how we get to that place, all of the outer does not matter. Just like the inside, the internal workings of a house is important. How you put together the frame, the uh the electrical, the plumbing, those are the things that no one sees, but we need them. And that's what makes up a man. That's what makes up a woman. If a person is able to have a great inside and all of their organs are working along with their heart and their mind, they have what it takes to be what they need to be.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

You know, it's interesting. Um, and I don't know if it speaks to, you know, the fellowship in Tyler as a whole. Mikasa, this business, this was a Hispanic run business. Was it? And and he reached out to you, ended up how you ended up working him for 20 years.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Absolutely. I mean, he was hard on me, very, very hard. He worked hard to get where he was, and um he just taught me. He just taught me. I made mistakes, I got uh fussed at, sometimes cursed at.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

Uh, it was a part of the process. Well, when you come up hard, you know, you have less soft feelings for those that are not appreciating how hard it is to get there.

SPEAKER_02 20:59

Yes, absolutely. I mean, there's nothing that's gonna come to you, as the word says, to a sleeper, to a person that does not know discipline, does not take discipline. You have to take uh your own initiative uh in life and not wait for it to be handed to you. I teach my sons that. You gotta work for it. And in time, it will come back and it will pay for you, pay for itself, and you will be able to be blessed by it.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

What kind of projects, Bishop, did you did y'all build over those 20 years? I mean, was there something y'all specialized in that you oversaw more than other or or were there a lot of different projects?

SPEAKER_02 21:35

We specialized in high-end remodel.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

So that's which is tougher. There's usually not plans. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

You have to develop the plans, you have to have insight, you got to be able to look at something.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

We can do this, we can we can take this wall down. Absolutely. Right? I mean, it's not like a plan uh the plans of a new house.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

You create the plans while you're talking to the customer. You make the dream come to pass by listening to them, and the more you listen to Them, then you're able to picture what you're wanting and use their ideas with your uh expertise and you develop something that they are expecting and sometimes most of the time exceeds their expectations.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah, I mean if you can sell it and then you can build it and then you can do it on budget, you're gonna be successful, right? Absolutely. Any one of those three that's off, you know, if you can't sell it, you don't get the job, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

I I have a saying personally in my company now, and that is I build what you give vision for.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

Well, that's what people want, and a lot of times what they need help with is not being able to see you know what it is exactly, but they know it when they see it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Absolutely. If you can properly articulate what it is that you want, um, a person who is a visionary, and I consider myself as a visionary um as one of my uh gifts, um, I can build it and make it happen. Um, and so yes, that is exactly what people want in this day and time. You want to be able to say, hey, this is what I see. And then it takes a person to be able to go beyond that and make what they see even better.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

You know, the the free market system, entrepreneurship, it always or a lot of times leads to a guy works for somebody, learns the business, then strikes out on his or her own and has their own business. And that seems to be what you did with Mikasa. Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 23:29

That is correct. So a few years ago, probably about four years ago, I decided, you know, um, it is time for me to step out um and do this on my own. I've had 20 years experience. You got relationships? I got relationships. Um and I had oh, I did not tell you, I taught school as well. So I was a school teacher at Boulter for four years. Four. I mean, did you Well at Dogen, then I went to Boulter Middlesbrough.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

But when you taught, did you teach exclusively? That's all you did?

SPEAKER_02 23:58

That's all I did.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

You didn't build anything. You didn't know.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

At that time, I I had stopped working for Mikasa Construction and I went into education. Here's another transition. I don't know where it came from. It just was a passion of mine. Uh I always loved education. Um, and I decided I started out with substitute teaching. I said, hey, I like this. And I went and got my certification to be a language arts, eighth grade middle school language arts teacher.

SPEAKER_00 24:25

English.

SPEAKER_02 24:26

English. That's what they used to call it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

When we were coming up, it was English or language arts. I'm like, English. What is language arts?

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Yeah, English language arts. That's what I taught. Started out at Dogen Middle School and then transitioned. I was the one of the first teachers uh at the new Boulter, new built, uh, newly built Boulter Middle School, and taught there for three years. Left there and stayed in education, but I moved to administration to be a family engagement coordinator under the Title I of Tyler ISD.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

All right. So while you're teaching, I'm assuming you're still playing music in the church, but you're not yet preaching, are you?

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Oh, I'm pastoring at that time. You are? Yeah, because this was just I think 20 2016.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

When is the first, you know, pastor, because I I kind of I guess I missed the crossroad when you got the call, the meet Casa thing came along, and then you did that for 20 years. So when did you get into the preaching and the pastoring?

SPEAKER_02 25:22

So the pastoring started in 2004. I started ministering or being a minister in 2001.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

In okay, for the audience that listens to this, I mean, this is a I'm sure this is a very diverse audience. Okay, you're gonna have all spectrums of the Protestant churches, including Catholic, watching this. And so, you know, a minister, what does a minister mean to you? Like what were you doing as a minister?

SPEAKER_02 25:51

Aaron Powell So as a minister, I would call that the the run-up to to being a pastor. It is the opportunity to learn what it means to serve.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Is it kind of like an associate pastor in a in another church, like where you're the you're not the main pastor, but you're one uh one that helps?

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Yes, you're more of an associate uh of a church. Uh you do not have the responsibility of marrying, at least in our uh denomination, a non-denominational uh church. Um it is a part of ministry where you're being trained. You're being trained, and the next level, I would say, would be elder, uh, to be an elder in the church. And from elder, you are then at that time able to become a pastor.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

I mean, not all elders become pastors, do they?

SPEAKER_02 26:34

No, not all elders become pastors. Some elders remain elders, they remain associate, and they can be associate pastors, uh, at least in our reformation.

SPEAKER_00 26:43

And, you know, your particular denomination or how you refer to it is known as what? Non-denominational. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

Uh faith-based is is Christianity, of course. Um, and I come from the Church of God in Christ. That's my foundational teaching and church. Um, and from there uh we started our church, and so it is faith-based, Christian, um, Bible-believing um uh church.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

It's it's I I don't know this, but I mean there's a lot of Bible churches that have kind of, you know, emerged, sprung up, if you will, over the last 20 or 30 years. You know, do you think that organized, more organized religion um had not done a good job, had, you know, there were things that drove all of these churches to emerge. Why do you think that happened?

SPEAKER_02 27:32

Um differences. Um, our ideology, our way up, our traditions, uh, there's so many things that divide us over the smallest things that don't even really matter.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

I mean. Um That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking like, you know, uh if it's, you know, Jesus Christ crucifies, resurrected, right? Love your neighbor, love God. I mean, you know, the little things I wouldn't think would break up a church or really divide people, but they do for some reason.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

It it it does. It's because the tradition of men's that have, as the scripture says, that have made the word of God of none effect. And so sometimes we can get caught up in our tradition until I don't like what you do, I don't like this part of the pride, I don't like this scripture. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Arrogance?

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Yes. It can be attributed to arrogance, ego, pride, ego, all the us. Right. Us when we when man gets in the way, man always messes things up. And that's from the beginning. But the central message of the Christian belief is the gospel, the life, the death, the burial of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is the most comp important component. When we get to heaven, as we are all going to cross over to another side, it will be eternally hope or eternally damnation. He's gonna ask us one question. One question, not are you Baptist or Methodist? He's gonna ask, Do you know me? That's the question.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

And I'm gonna hope that uh in the parable of the sheep and the goats, that you know, I'm I'm the sheep. Absolutely. You know, um, no, I mean, you know, I mean, I was obviously I was raised Baptist and I've been here all my life. And yeah, so um I'm pretty familiar with the scriptures and um, you know, uh different Christians, as Paul said, some people are not yet ready for solid food. Yes. Right? You've heard that before. Absolutely. And I think that might refer to people, and I don't know this, I'm not a theologian, although I'm going to pretend to be one here today. Is that people that argue over the littlest things forget about all of the things that they share in common. Absolutely. Do you find that true in your church, even at Reveal today?

SPEAKER_02 29:40

I find that true in every Reformation and denomination. Even in the denomination, there's different differences. I mean, we can't get along in our own home of if we're going to eat cereal or bacon.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

You know, and that's how it is even with churches, within every church. And that's because we all have a mindset of what we think should be. And so it's not just from denomination from Baptist to Methodist, it's Baptist within Baptist, it's coging within coaching. And it's within the same denomination, it's non-denomination within non-denominational. It's within the church there are always differences, and we're going to have those. But what we do have in common is that we are believers of our Lord and Savior Jesus. And that's the central message. That's what we should preach.

SPEAKER_00 30:26

You know, and it it essentially, you know, way back when, I mean, I guess you could say early church, early house church groups, then you had the formation of the Catholic Church, and then once the Reformation came, you know, you've had a constant splintering, it seems, right? I mean, I don't know how many denominations there are. I've heard there's like thousands.

SPEAKER_02 30:45

Oh, yeah, absolutely. There are thousands, and we're not, I I have a saying. When we get to heaven, we're gonna find out that we had a we all had a little bit of it wrong and a little bit of it right.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yeah, I've often thought that too.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

Yes. I mean, we we we will not know everything, but we do know enough that will make us understand what the message is and that gospel.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

I mean, do you think people are, you know, they I don't know. I've often wondered what pastors and preachers think. A lot of them don't say it out loud because they have a church, you know, and and there's always, you know, rivals in the church, if you will. I don't know if that's a good word to use, but you know, uh are people afraid if they don't, like you said, have it all right that it scares them about, you know, eternity or their salvation? Do you think that plays some role in it?

SPEAKER_02 31:41

Yes, I think a lot of times we try to mimic other people's lives. And in doing so, we make a mistake and forget that people are human and that we all have fallen short. And sometimes we'll continue to fall short. But that's why we have a grace. That's why we have a savior that gives us grace to understand. Though I am no longer a sinner, I still may sin, but I'm not sinless, I just sin less. You uh I'm trying not to preach that.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

No, no, it's okay. I mean, look, we we can't have a bishop on here uh without without a little scripture weaved into the show, right? Absolutely. And uh and and it and it shouldn't be threatening to anybody because I think it's um, you know, it's it's optimism, it's uplifting, you know, to have faith, right? Right. I mean, I've always wondered, you know, believing there's nothing, you know, makes for kind of you know dire circumstances in a way to me. Uh and that's just my opinion, but obviously you feel uh stronger than I do as a pastor.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

Well, absolutely. You know, I am currently in a series at my church entitled Fight Hell, not me. And the premise of that is that we spend so much time coming against one another until we forget that we all have a common enemy that continues to dislike, does not like me, wants me to be destroyed, wants you to be destroyed, but he keeps us at each other so that he can continue to do the destruction while we fight one another.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

When you when you kind of ascended to uh, you know, you're no longer a minister, but you started preaching. When you started preaching, was it hard, you know, to do your job during the week and you know, prepare for a sermon uh or do whatever you had to do for the weekend?

SPEAKER_02 33:35

Uh no, it it it became a part of my life. My sermons are your routine are my sermons are a derivative of my life. And so the message comes through all of the messes that I've had. And so I'm able to look at the scripture in a different way. It helps me be able to speak. It's hard to preach what you have not lived through.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

How do you know each Sunday, like what you're gonna talk about as a preacher? How do you decide that?

SPEAKER_02 34:04

Oh, well, of course I consult Holy Spirit, I'm praying, asking God to just bring what is it that you want to say. I always want to be in the position that I'm ministering, I'm preaching, I'm teaching what's on God's mind, what's on his heart for the people that I minister to, who I've I've been chosen and called to serve. And there, I have not been called to serve every person in America, but there are people that God has sent to our church that need what God has put in my heart and in my mind to give them that message. So the message comes, of course, from the Holy Spirit and consulting God and then looking through the prism of life, my personal experiences, and I find out he always sends me the same type of people to our church. So I know that that is a message of hope.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Okay, so I'm gonna take that answer as you freestyle it. Yeah, I freestyle it, but with the caveat of the governance of the Holy Spirit. I mean, do you do you go looking in your Bible, you know, uh uh because a lot of, you know, a lot of messages in church seem to be related to scripture. Yeah. Right? You go, okay, well, today we're gonna talk about Luke 14, 12 or whatever, right? I mean, do you do that uh to pick, you know, a sermon, or do you just simply, you know, think about it and recall what you already know and go there?

SPEAKER_02 35:31

Well, you know, early in my uh ministry, I used I was not as confident as I am now.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Uh it's just like me on the podcast, right? You develop a process and it gets easier and easier. Absolutely easier.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

So I used to do this is really funny. I used to take my Bible, and I would take my Bible and I would say, Lord, if you want to speak to me, I want Well, I would drop my Bible on the floor, and whatever scripture page it lands on, I would say, God, that's you talking to me.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

That's what I see, that's what I'm getting at. I wondered if you just kind of looked and pointed, you know, and said, Okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:09

And then I used to do that until I learned how to hear the voice of the Lord in my heart and look at life. And now I could just walk by something and then I could hear the Holy Spirit say, you need to talk about that. I could be in a conversation with you. And the Holy Spirit said, You know what? You need to talk about that. And so now he speaks to me because I'm used to hearing his voice. The more you walk with Christ, the more you'll get common with how he speaks and how he uses you. Early on, I had to take it by chance and say, your word, it's got to be right. So I'm gonna just lean on whatever uh page it lands on when I drop it.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

I mean, I'm assuming you enjoy, you know, being a a bishop, a pastor, and preaching and that type of thing, or you wouldn't keep doing it, right? I love people.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

Um, you cannot be a leader. You cannot be a a leader of a community, certainly of a church, and not love people. And you must like them.

SPEAKER_00 37:08

You have to have a certain demeanor, do you not?

SPEAKER_02 37:10

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

To deal with the parishioners, the congregation, their needs, their wants, their complaints. I mean, you have to kind of it's not like you can get mad at them and and holler out right. I mean, you you've got to maintain the pastor composure.

SPEAKER_02 37:25

Absolutely. Well, the scripture says that God gives us pastors after his heart. So the office of a pastor.

SPEAKER_00 37:33

Is that what's wrong with me? If I was a pastor, then I could I could be a little better. I mean, you know.

SPEAKER_02 37:40

Listen, I well, I'll I'll say this there's a grace that God has given leaders who are pastors to be able to handle people because it is a lot. Yeah. And some pastors succumb to that pressure uh of carrying the load because there's a burden that he gives leaders.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

People in the hospital want you to come see them.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:02

Right? I mean, there's always a demand, and it's a reasonable demand because people, you know, put their faith in God and and then they you're the vehicle, right? Yes. Yes. For education and comfort. And uh it's just a lot of need. And I could see pastors wanting to isolate themselves a little bit because every time you saw someone, they might want something. Yes. Is that hard?

SPEAKER_02 38:24

Absolutely. I mean, we're always in the position of help.

SPEAKER_00 38:28

Right. You're somebody else's help.

SPEAKER_02 38:29

Yes, someone else's help. Um, and then we must channel that help to God because if I take on all of that help and think that I can solve every problem, I then in essence become that person's God. So I'm consistently saying, all right, thank you for uh sharing this with me. We're gonna pray about it together and we're gonna believe God for XYZ. And then I have to have a lifestyle of prayer and devotion to God so that I do not get in the way of being prideful, thinking that I'm doing something. So the heart of a pastor is twofold. You have to deal with people, and then you also have to be the uh the person that is a conduit for Christ to be able to handle your own. Paul says, Will I myself be a castaway while I help others, while I serve others, while I minister to others? I do not want to neglect self while I'm trying to help you.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

Yeah, because it's, you know, you've seen pastors in the past, I mean, uh they're elevated within their church, you know, to such a high level that oftentimes if you're not vigilant, then, you know, um the accuser can slip in. Yeah. The great deceiver, right? I mean, you can start to think you're somebody, you know, it can lead to, you know, temptation, uh financial this or whatever. We've seen all, right? It happens to pastors. Power.

SPEAKER_02 39:54

We have been giving by God and uh a gift of authority, power, and influence. That when it is not used appropriately, could be so detrimental to people and to the church itself. And we've seen that happen. And you don't even know it's happening because the the people have decided that's my leader. And in essence, they've almost put their leader in the place of God. And I'm very cautious when I share with our congregation, this is me, but I want you to understand I'm pointing you toward him. I am not your God, I'm your guide.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

Do you feel that responsibility, Bishop? You know, that um something you could do could, you know, undermine someone else's faith because of their belief, you know, in in you. That it do you think that this do you feel that weight, I guess is what I'm saying? I wouldn't want it myself, you know, like a misstep, an ugly moment for me, um, a flash of anger, whatever, right? I mean, and then people go, well, you know, I'm I've lost all faith in God because of you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 41:06

And and and that comes with humility. Uh as a pastor, I've learned to walk in the ways of humility. And what does that look like? That looks like when I'm wrong, I apologize. When I made a mistake, there's times that I've quoted a scripture out of context. And I've had to come back and say, you know, I told you all this, and after studying the Holy Spirit dealt with me, and I was wrong. It's hard for pastors to do that because they want to be right all the time. But at the same time, I am God in me, but I'm also a human who God is using. And sometimes there becomes a uh uh issue between the spirit trying to get to the flesh and the heart and the mind, and we make mistakes. But where the humility comes in is admitting that I too make mistakes and I error, even though I'm your leader.

SPEAKER_00 42:05

The business, the home building business, is that I mean, is that still ongoing uh as a part of your life? Are you still, I mean, every week, every you know, month, you're involved in projects, you're getting new projects. Are you still in that? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Um I I didn't share this, but even that our church, I was the builder of our church. Um I've built two other churches. Um, I am a home builder. I just finished a home project about two months ago. Um, I'm getting ready to uh build a complex, uh a fiveplex rather, um, another house. And so I have all of these entities going on right now of building, and I love construction. I love watching something that was not become something that is.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

Do you focus in any particular area with your residential housing, rentals, new houses, any of that? I prefer new build. Um Most people do.

SPEAKER_02 43:05

Absolutely. New construction is up in the ground. Yeah, from the uh remodel can get very uh It's hard to bid, though. Yeah. It's hard to bid because you have the unforeseen, the unknown. I when I knock that wall down, I don't know what I'm gonna find. Oh, I have absolutely I have to charge more for a remodel than I do for new construction just because of the variables of not knowing what's going to happen, you know, when I uh go into demolition. So, but I enjoy new construction.

SPEAKER_00 43:37

Well, you know, there's there's kind of this in America in general, but even in Tyler, this um notion and pro it's true, I think, that there's not enough housing. I mean, do you see that as a builder uh, you know, with the people you come in contact most, with the people you've talked to? Does it feel like there's a lack of really available housing?

SPEAKER_02 43:57

Aaron Powell I think there's a lack of available affordable. Affordable housing.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

I mean, in Tyler, that's Tyler's the highest rents I've ever seen for what you can get. Yes. I don't know why that is. I don't know if it's a lot of people own rental property and they put the prices here. You may have uh a a view on that and feel free to weigh in at this moment.

SPEAKER_02 44:17

Yes, absolutely. I mean, there there are uh builders and there are owners who who rent out their properties and of course they're gonna get the top dollar. And and once you go up, it's hard to come back down.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

Right. It's just the rents just keep ratchet up and there's no way for them to go back.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

Yeah, back down to the original price. Or they've raised the rate because they're still paying the mortgage on that while at the same time collecting the rent from it. And so they have to pay the mortgage. I have a client that's like that now. Um and they had to do that. So it's it's one of those variables that, yes, we need more affordable housing. And actually, the fireplex that I'm preparing to build um is in North Tyler to be able to help in the affordable pricing.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

Right, because North Tyler has always had, you know, really uh not enough housing, not enough new builds, it didn't seem like. And and more recently, I know that uh I think Chama, um, who's uh Hispanic, you know, Chama's tires. Yeah. I think he's been building quite a few houses in the north. Are you familiar with him?

SPEAKER_02 45:26

I'm not familiar with him, but I'm familiar with his business and I've heard some things that he's gotten into, so but I don't know him personally. Uh but yes, uh we need other builders uh to make housing affordable um and nice. And we need to be able to because that says dignity. Um you can own a car, uh, but owning a home, that's that's a whole nother level of dignity. And I think we should be pushing people toward home ownership, affordable home ownership, and until they could get to that place, we should be able to give them something affordable to live in that they can say, I'm on my way to home ownership.

SPEAKER_00 46:02

I mean, I think the city uh in any place would be better if everybody had their own home that they owned, because from that is, you know, pride. Yes. Um, you take care of it. Absolutely. Right? I mean, you you try to make it better. I mean, it seems like all of those things are good. Um, and you know, that's not necessarily true if you rent something and your landlord takes two weeks to fix the air condition in the summertime, right? I mean, you don't have the same pride in that place.

SPEAKER_02 46:33

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 46:34

And as landlords, um, I don't really like to use that term, but that word isn't there a Christian obligation as a landlord?

SPEAKER_02 46:42

Yeah, absolutely. To make sure that you are renting or leasing a property that people can live in with dignity and you know, making sure that it is well kept, and then holding that tenant to that standard of this is the house you moved in that was in great order. Here's the house that uh when you leave, it should be in that order or or better. So, yeah, absolutely, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 47:08

I mean, residential rental is sometimes tough. You mention it, you know, people go in there and tear it up, you know. Um and uh but I don't know if you're getting into this, but land-wise, where in North Tyler, like Tyler's kind of running out of land, at least in the general city limits. I mean, I'm sure there's land, but uh is there land you know about in North Tyler that's, you know, that would be good and could have housing that the people could build on?

SPEAKER_02 47:37

I drove by, ironically, I drove by a property over in the Butler College area just the other day. And I just glanced at it. It was a wonderful, nice flat piece of property. It had a sign on it, do not trespass. Trespass. And in my mind, as a builder, I'm looking like that would be an amazing property to put four or five houses on. But for whatever reason, um, this particular person had no trespass. They may not want to sell it, maybe family property, and that's their prerogative. They could do that. But as I drive around North Tyler, Northwest Tyler, I see plenty of properties. I see plenty of houses that are uh dilapidated and no one's living in those homes. They can be torn down and homes can be rebuilt for uh for families and rented out or purchased.

SPEAKER_00 48:27

You mentioned you built your church. Is that the reveal church that you currently pastor?

SPEAKER_02 48:32

Yes. That is uh at located at 202 North Parkdale.

SPEAKER_00 48:36

Um how long have you been uh I guess tell me about Reveal. Is this a church that you started, a church that you moved up as the pastor uh and and uh bishop in? What what is Reveal?

SPEAKER_02 48:48

I am the founder um and senior pastor of Revealed Church, uh organized in 2004. We started downtown in the storefront building. Actually, it's the uh Discovery Science Building currently. Uh then it was the old Office Pride building. I don't know if you remember. Not Office Pride, office furniture. There was some uh Crown Office. That was the colour.

SPEAKER_00 49:09

Crown office, you're right, because you know I was around the corner.

SPEAKER_02 49:13

Really?

SPEAKER_00 49:14

I was on the corner of College and Locust, a block behind you. Okay, didn't even know that. Salmons Parker. Yes, I remember. My dad was Jerry Parker, okay. Martin Sammons. That was the Salmons and Parker. Okay. And so I was I was there from 1993 until uh 2005. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 49:35

And we built that bank, we turned that motor bank, Bank of America, into a building that was behind it. I don't know if you remember that.

SPEAKER_02 49:42

I do remember. I do remember. So 2004, we started in that building and we stayed there for about a year and a half, and then we moved to Old Troop Highway uh in a building there. Uh it was the Arnellis building, I think. It was the uh they used to sell trees. I can't think uh celebrity, I can't think of the name of um of the company that sold Ficas Trees. I don't know if you remember.

SPEAKER_00 50:07

Yeah, I mean, I I I don't know if uh a celebrity might have been a uh plastic or fake trees or yes, right?

SPEAKER_02 50:13

Yes. It used to be that building, and we stayed there for about two and a half years or three years, and then we built, started building in 2009. We moved into our church in 2010.

SPEAKER_00 50:24

All right. So 2010, what kind of membership do you have at this point after, you know, starting it in 2004?

SPEAKER_02 50:30

Well, it all depends on which Sunday you come.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

Well, no, I know, but I mean, but you said y'all had a y'all built a church which tells me you somebody's gotta donate.

SPEAKER_02 50:39

It was you wouldn't believe, and I we probably won't have time to go through all of this, but I I wanted to share most of the moves that I've made in my life, um, Chad, have been faith moves.

SPEAKER_00 50:52

I was about to say that.

SPEAKER_02 50:53

It was all faith. We had zero dollars in the bank. Again.

SPEAKER_00 50:58

Hey, let's build a church.

SPEAKER_02 50:59

And that's exactly Hey, y'all with me? I drove down, and it was on the worst day to me of my life at that time. I money was not there. Um I had I was working, I had tried to be full-time in ministry. That was not quite working out, to the point that I had my truck repo that day. And so I had one other car, and so I was driving around. I was just so frustrated. I was upset with God. I was upset. I was like, God, why am I living like this? I have a degree. I don't have to do it. I was just coming up with all of these reasons, and I'm driving on Parkdale or in a circle, from Parkdale to Forest Street. I'm just driving in a circle. And on the third time around, driving, I look to my left and I see this sign that says land for sale. But it's a wooded area. And I looked over and I looked at it and I glanced at it, and I heard the Holy Spirit say, build a church. You got to be kidding me.

SPEAKER_00 51:54

I don't have a dollar. Right. I mean, and I stopped. Did they pay you while you were preaching at the church? No, I wasn't even getting paid. Okay. I wasn't even getting paid. Hey, I come from the Baptist tradition. Our pastors get paid. Oh, well, you know, they would I would get offerings here and there. Green acres. Yeah. I mean, I mean, look, we're not. We certainly were not there.

SPEAKER_02 52:15

Okay. We were certainly not there. And I got out, I stopped, and the Holy Spirit said, build me a church. I was like, wow.

SPEAKER_00 52:20

What is that wooded area? What was it next to? Where is that?

SPEAKER_02 52:23

It was we're about two blocks uh east of the Willowbrook Country Club.

SPEAKER_00 52:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 52:29

Right off of Irwin Street, Parkdale. Okay. Intersection there. Um, it was just totally wooded. Snakes everywhere, dirt everywhere. Um and long story short, I got in contact with the owner. I was so excited. For some reason, it always, every time that I go to God for something that I need, he tells me something he wants. And it's totally different than what I need. What did he want? He wanted a church. And a church built there in that on that street in that community. And at that time, my congregation was probably probably about 50 members, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 53:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 53:12

And they were inconsistent with zero dollars in the bank.

SPEAKER_00 53:15

Right. I mean, and you probably didn't have, you know, the wealthiest crowd. No, they know just college students. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:21

I had college students. Many, uh, there are several of our members that are still with us from that day. They were college students. They were my age. We just started out. They just followed me because I had a great idea, uh, to some great personality. Um, he's a kind guy. You're you're a salesman, man.

SPEAKER_00 53:38

I mean, you convinced these people to build a church, and you had 50 people that were barely showing up.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

Absolutely. And I went down to Regent's Bank and I went down there like I had money.

SPEAKER_00 53:47

I don't know how you didn't make it in the beaper business.

SPEAKER_02 53:49

I, you know, I made it for a season until it was time. That brook dried up. But I went down to Regent's Bank and I talked to our loan officer. I said, I have a property and the the guy wants $12,000 for it. She says to me, Well, um, fill this out, fill out this application. I filled out it was a one-page application.

SPEAKER_00 54:10

What do you have?

SPEAKER_02 54:13

And they our our church account was there and it's still there to this day. Um, I filled it out. She calls me back the next day, she says, Um, Pastor Pearson, come down here and get your $12,000. We got you signed, we got your signature loan. And I was shocked. And I went back to the church and said, We got $12,000. I don't know how we're gonna pay this note, but it's $100 a month.

SPEAKER_00 54:34

Can we do that? And so you bought the land first, got the congregation, used to paying the note. Yes. And then you just kind of went from there.

SPEAKER_02 54:43

I went from there and shared the vision with the church, sought out a um an architect. He drew the church up. I shared with him what I wanted to look like, and et cetera. Came back to church, put a picture up and said, This is our new church, we're gonna be moving. And they was like, huh? And y'all are still over here at Crown Furniture?

SPEAKER_00 55:04

Well, no, we were at that time we had moved celebrity. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:07

And so we, you know, we were having great, wonderful church, churches growing, new, excited. Um, however, we still did not have the money, but the people rallied together, and by faith, we were able to uh uh uh tane a loan with what we had uh within a year's time and talk to Citizens Bank here in Tyler, uh right there on the loop. Uh-huh. And uh Purdle. Perkins. Perkins, Mr. Perkins. Mr. Perkins.

SPEAKER_00 55:36

And Mr. Perkins, I think, owns that bank.

SPEAKER_02 55:38

Yes, yes. So they were they were able to give us our loan for our building, and I talked to them.

SPEAKER_00 55:45

Do you feel like that uh I think it's Jim Perkins actually? Uh uh, do you think that it, you know, uh, you know, that he tried to help you? Yes. I mean, instead of just running straight numbers, looking at you, you know, saying, hey, financially, this is not a good loan.

SPEAKER_02 56:03

I th I truly believe that because we went back and forth. I had, mind you, I had applied 25 times from 25 different institutions or loan, church loans.

SPEAKER_00 56:14

I mean, you are dedicated.

SPEAKER_02 56:16

Yeah, absolutely. 25 25 I got 25 no's and it took one yes. And I got that one yes, I didn't stop. I was I was just determined. I was like, God, if you said this, then it's got to happen. But that was the building of my faith to be able to say, you don't stop just because you get a no. You go to the next door and you keep knocking.

SPEAKER_00 56:40

Yeah, I mean, if you'd have quit after 20, you wouldn't have a church today.

SPEAKER_02 56:42

Absolutely. And it and it was the 26th time that I was able to get that yes by the grace of God.

SPEAKER_00 56:50

All right, you get the church built, and what year do you you go in there and preach your first message in the pulpit of a new church? It was May of 2010. All right, 2010. Um, you your membership is it still, you know, kind of small?

SPEAKER_02 57:04

It's still it was still small. I mean, we probably went in that Sunday with about 75 people or so. Um that and that was including guests and people that wanted to see the building. Um, however, it began to grow. Um, and right now we're at a membership between 250 and 300 on the road. And uh so and we have a consistent 125 to 150 a Sunday, something like that. Um, and so um it's still a progress and we're still growing, and I'm grateful for what God has done. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 57:36

How would you I know you described this non-denominational, you know, Bible, you know, believing church. What about the makeup? Is this a black church? Is this a um multiracial church? Who who's who's here?

SPEAKER_02 57:49

We are a predominantly African-American church with the heart of a multicultural ministry. Um we have ministries in our church that uh have been able to uh express that we are multi, not just multicultural, but multi-racial. And we've had uh some that are have joined our ministry that are part of uh other races, whether it's black or Hispanic or white, um, but it's predominantly African American. Um and that's not my heart.

SPEAKER_00 58:22

No, I know.

SPEAKER_02 58:23

Because I believe that the church should not be divided by race. It should be one church. Um and I just consider that to be that's the state that we're in, but it's certainly not my heart.

SPEAKER_00 58:36

Well, you know, um Tyler historically, um since I was born and raised here, I think I can uh make comments about it. You know, historically it's been um what one could say was somewhat segregated, especially. I mean, we know that the schools weren't desegregated until 1970, right? And people have, you know, kind of stayed to themselves, but that's changing. You know, the last 20 years, it seems like there's been a lot of change, but uh, you know, church is kind of the last, right, the last frontier, right? Where everybody gets together, worships together, you know, because people like their own church, they get used to their own ritual, right? I mean, that's part of it.

SPEAKER_02 59:17

Yeah, um we are creatures of being amongst our own. And sometimes that's become to our detriment in so many forms and fashion.

SPEAKER_00 59:27

Because we don't learn anything about anybody else.

SPEAKER_02 59:29

Absolutely. And so you get caught up in a group that you're most common with. And I don't care. You can just do you can see it when you go to the grocery store, you can see it when you go to the movies. The people that talk to each other. Absolutely. They just group up. Yeah, like and um but we are stronger when we are. Except me, I talk to everybody. You surely do you don't care who you speak with, you you you don't meet any stranger. I don't. My mom always said that about me. Absolutely. Uh-huh. Um But yes, uh, and that is what initiated, I believe, a heart for Love Thy City.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:03

Uh yeah, I'm building this. See, I'm I'm letting the audience get to know you, Bishop. Uh, the trials, the tribulations, the progress, to kind of let them understand, you know, uh the engine behind this thing when it finally starts to take off, that is Love Thy City.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:21

Um, you preach on from 2010, and then you get to this point that we started with. You get this feeling, you know, hey, I need to do something more. We need to do something more for our own city. Yes. Um Do you have a framework? Do you know some other city that's tried it? Do you go somewhere to kind of get, hey, this is how we're gonna try to put this together?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:44

Absolutely not. I I did some research on our name, the type of work we do. I see some similarities. I found some similarities of it's different, though. It's different. What makes Love Thy City different is that s most entities that uh that do this type of thing, they do it on one part, churches only, businesses only. Nonprofits grouped together.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:12

Helping people get into housing is what I saw. When I did a little research, it's like there was a group in Kentucky, I think it was called Love Thy City, and it was just that. But it was solely exclusive to affordable housing. I mean, that's the only thing they did, right? Yes. Um when you started thinking about it, um, would you say that what it became is what you thought initially, or did once you started getting into it, did you start thinking, you know, I think we could involve these people, do this? I mean, how did that uh, you know, play out?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:42

Our goal is to touch every part of society. And each year we're building on what we started as a foundation of businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches, and volunteers. And it's expanding. We're watching this evolve into something much larger than what we initially envisioned. And so now it's not only taking root in just our community, but I'm noticing there are other municipalities. I've already received calls from Austin, Washington, D.C., that have taken interest in what we're doing because it's unique in that it brings uh these three parts of our society, the three sectors of our society, the private, the public, and the social sectors, all together to do one thing. And that is what we all can't do separately, and that is love on our own community. We can only, my church only has so much reach. Green Acres has so much reach and the other churches that, but when we all come together, we're able to do what each of us cannot do individually. And even in the businesses, you can only help so many nonprofits. So many nonprofits and only reach so many people. But if I bring everybody together and bring all the churches, bring all the businesses, bring all the nonprofits into a one-stop shop and then bring the community to look at what we're doing and see, oh, I didn't know that this existed. Oh, I didn't know that I could get training here. Oh, I didn't know that I can be felt or love can be shown because people are coming. They want to be. I didn't know that you like me. I didn't know that even though you're a Republican, I'm Democrat, we can serve together. That's the power of Love Not City is that you got two uh types of people who got two different uh methodology and uh ideology and philosophy, but they coming together. They're coming together to love on their city. And we wouldn't normally do that because so many things divide us.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:47

You know, and it it kind of fits with, you know, um our city, at least the city governments, you know, suggest that we are different, right? I mean, they talk about that all the time. Like, you know, we're trying to be a good city, and I know they mean business-wise and also with the parks, quality of life, and all those things, right? This this kind of enhances um a city that's doing well uh, you know, in a way that's not economical, but it's very meaningful to real people. Yes. Right? I mean these are not the the wealthiest, the strongest businesses that are benefiting from this. These are the people that probably need it the most.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:28

Absolutely. There are the great thing about Love Dice City Day is that you're gonna be standing next to a person who is different than you in every way. And the the question is not going to be asked, uh, what side of the aisle are you on?

unknown 1:04:42

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:42

Right now. What church you go to. What's going to be asked is, how can I help you? How can I help?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:49

You I you've just, I think you just had your uh volunteer training.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:54

Correct. On this past Monday.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:55

Right. I had seen that on the calendar and that it had passed. Tell us about that. Okay. How many volunteers are showing up? What are they being trained on and what are they going to go do uh when we have this Love Thy City Day?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:09

So Love Thy City, hands and feet, those who help manage that day are our volunteers. Um we lean on them. Last year we had 600 volunteers. Um, and this year we're trending toward that. And so it's important.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:27

August 22nd, August 22nd, absolutely. It's gonna be at the WT Brookshire, is that right? Or the Mayfair?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:33

It's gonna be at all three. All right. The Brookshire Comfort Center, the Rose Garden, and the Mayfair building, and the courtyard.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:39

Okay, imagine this big gathering out there, right? Everybody's in a good mood. They're in a loving mood, right? Absolutely. What are all these volunteers that have been trained by your group going to be out there volunteering to do?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:50

Well, we have opportunities for them, what we call our welcome navigation team. We have those who are love ambassadors. They are like ministers on the ground. We have those Who are serving in the parking lot, showing others where to park. And, you know, it's it's such a huge event that people are everywhere. It's like a huge fair festival. With no rides. With no rides. With no rides. But there are so many other attractions that are meeting compassionate needs until we need volunteers to help manage all of the children. We're talking about 4,000 children that attended last year. So we have our volunteers to help manage those moments, handing out the compassionate services, and then just showing people where to go, how to uh how to maneuver through the traffic and all of the attractions that we have going on on that particular day.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:39

All right. For people who are hearing this and don't know what it is, they're visualizing some big gathering out there. Based on what you've said, there are some vendors of some kind, right? Correct. There are some services offered. Um, you know, a person that goes out there, I mean, what are they looking for? Are they are they being helped with something specifically either physical, financial, emotional? I mean, what what is this thing that's happening? So we focus on three areas physical, emotional, and spiritual. Hey, man, I got it almost. There you go. I mean, I didn't even know it.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:13

Those are the three. That's what we call holistic. You're taking care of the physical man, the emotional part of man, and the spiritual man. That's what makes Love Dot City so effective because you can't minister to the spirit until you have met the physical need.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:27

Right. If you're hungry or you're in pain physically or mentally, it's difficult to commune with, you know, God. Right?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:35

I mean, compassion opens the heart for recipi uh to receive the gospel, um, the reception of the gospel. So we start out with the physical. When you come and you check in, first thing we're gonna do is give you a free food truck voucher. Okay. So we have those food truck services that are there.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:54

And that means you can get a meal free. You and your family, whoever's with you, right? You can get a meal. Um now you said 4,000 kids. Why are there 4,000 kids there?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:06

Well, la that was last year's number, uh, 4,000 children that showed up.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:10

What are they there to do?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:11

So a lot of the children are there and they're gonna receive services that are pertaining, they're gonna see uh worship and they're gonna get an opportunity to what we call fun and play. They're gonna receive uh uh gifts, uh, they're gonna receive uh tools to help them. We even have a book that is going to share in a children's way. It's a children's book that teaches about human trafficking.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:33

Just to kind of raise awareness for awareness, yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:37

Then they get they're of course gonna have some supplies in that what we call the lovey bag. This year we have a mascot, it's Lovey the Lion. So that attraction in the Mayfra building is called Lovey Lion. So all the children will go through that uh Lovey Land and get to experience Lovey Land, Lovey Himself, the Lion. Then we have a petting zoo, so they're gonna get a chance to experience just what it means to love on their city, to love each other, to be in the company of other children, because that's where it begins. If we are able to share the gospel and to love on the children and show children that you don't have to be like what society or the culture uh dictates, that there is a way. And we get it on early on because that was my story. Someone came and they shared that with me as I was a child, and that's where all of this started. Because I was share, I was shown how to love as a early as a child early on.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:37

Now, school supplies is that part of it, is this a back to school kind of coordinated type thing as well?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:44

So there are elements of back to school that we will have. There will be some supplies in the lovey bag. However, because school have would have already started.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:54

That shows you how far my kids are away from school. I mean, like Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:59

So we're one week into school. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:01

So the backpacks needed to go out before then.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:04

Absolutely. So two years, the last two years we did our backpacks with school supplies. This year, because we're starting one week into school, um, we're going to do lovey bags and so most of them will probably already have their school supplies. So we're gonna give some supplies in the lovey bag, uh, but it will not be a it will be more of a drawstring bag versus a backpack because school would have already started, and there's another organization in our city, City of Tyler, that distributes those backpacks and so they they're gonna have the opportunity to get it there.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:34

That's right. I mean, I've I've been a part of that, the City of Tyler thing. Yes. And when I first heard of Love Thy City, I wasn't I I I was trying to, you know, if it hadn't been for Regina Williams, and I'll shout her out. Yeah. Um She's a wonderful administrator, by the way. She came to me and my wife initially and asked us to support, and we did, of course, uh just solely on her, you know, her recommendation. But um, yeah, at first I wasn't, you know, I was I'm always getting hit up, as you probably know. Of course. And but I didn't realize those were two separate things initially. Right? Absolutely. Because some of the city politicians were praising the effort, you know, and they were saying, hey, you ought to support Love Thy City, and and I just kind of got it confused. But what I really want to know is the vendors, you know, like what kind of help? I mean, I know you spiritual. I know there's, you know, um there's some free food, but who what vendors are occupying in there?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:29

So we have over 70 nonprofit organizations. There's over 1,200 nonprofit organizations in the East Sexis Tyler area. 70 of them.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:38

Yes, I know they've all contacted me.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:41

And they're wonderful organizations. I mean, I mean. So I I I can understand. So those organizations, and they're wonderful. And a lot of times our uh community and our citizens do not know that they exist.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:57

That's right. They don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:58

Absolutely. So we're bringing them all to one place, and you have all of them lined up in the Brookshire Conference and a nonprofit organization, getting resources, whether it's East Texas Food Bank Path, uh, Bethesda, all of these organizations are coming together in one place, handing out resources, sharing what they do. This year, that's on our what we call our emotional needs track. We're gonna have also free mammograms. We're also partnering with Living Alternatives. They're gonna have their bus there doing sonograms for pregnant mothers as well as pregnancy tests. We're gonna have uh NetHealth there giving street screenings and all types of other resources.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:39

That's where you know Scott Williams.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:41

NetHealth. Yeah. I know well, I know him from the restaurant, but NetHealth, and that's gonna be with George Roberts. Um, he's one of our advisors. And so uh absolutely so we're gonna have all of those resources that are there. And this year we even have a financial freedom track, two financial institutions that will be giving information on financial literacy.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:02

Right. You know, and that's good. I mean, I want people to to soak this in. You know, yeah, there's there's a ton of nonprofits in Tyler. We know that.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:11

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:11

And and some really good ones, a lot of really good ones. But most people don't know what every nonprofit really does. Correct. And this is the benefit of the vendors all being in one place where people can go around and actually talk to the people that work there.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:30

They can explain to them like, hey, you know, you know you can come to the food pantry and path, you know, once a month, you know, and your family can get a bunch of growth. Right, right. Or you know, or you're in a terrible relationship and someone's abusive to you. There's people you can talk to. I mean, it's right, it's meant to you know, support people physically and mentally. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:54

And on that same note, one of the uh compassionate services on the emotional needs track that I'm truly loving is our mental health. We're going to be able to share with our attendees counseling vouchers from therapists, licensed therapists, who are going to be giving counseling vouchers.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:15

Which means they're giving their time for free. Free, yes, trying to do their part as a single counselor to help some people.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:22

Families, individuals, um therap, therapy for students and parents. And so we have a team of counselors and therapists licensed who are going to share Christian counselors who are going to share their time, free vouchers that we're going to hand out to families. When they show up on that day, they check in, then they get to choose what are your top three needs for today. So we have a list of these needs, and they will be able to share. Here's what I need: one, two, three. And then they'll be put in a pool course. We can't give everyone. So it is by a system that we have to randomly draw that name based upon that compassionate need that they have.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:07

Well, you know, that's the hardest part about giving. And it's, you know, where do I start? Because I can't help everybody. And and we often find ourselves saying, well, man, this is just overwhelming. I don't even want to try. Right. Absolutely. Isn't that have you ever felt that way? Absolutely. That you see so many people that, you know, it it pains you to see what kind of condition they're in and how many there are, and say, Man, I I don't know if I can make a dent in this. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:36

Well, you know, we're we've not been called to help every single person. But if we can put a dent in it, that's all that we're required to do. If we could help somebody along the way, then our living, our support is not in vain. So we need not feel bad that we can help everyone. Uh last year we were able to give a attendee, an attendee, a free car. And there were five people that won at first, but they were not present. Oh we called those names because it was a random drawing system. We vetted, first of all, 300 names, and out of those 300 names, to make sure they really were in need. Yes, definitely in need. So we asked certain questions when they registered. Um, and so we put those 300 people in a pool, and we randomly, the system drew out the name. So we didn't know who it was. We called name one, not present, name two, name three, all the way to name five. Name six, she was there, and we called her name, and she just went crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:45

Oh, I'm I imagine.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:46

She went crazy and come to find out she was the right one that really that I truly believe needed it because she had no car. She was riding her scooter to work, but she was catching a ride. She was a part of the LTC choir. And she catched a ride to choir rehearsal every time we had rehearsal. And so when she won, it was the right person. And her job, she was working at Bethesda at the um, I forgot the name, the uh the medical clinic. Yeah, not the medical clinic, but their clothing store.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:23

Uh you're talking about hangers of hope.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:25

Hangers of Hope. Yeah, she was an employee of Hangers Hope. They came together and paid her insurance.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:29

Wow. Now, I'm assuming that, you know, donors that also joined this effort probably had something to do with the free car that was being given away.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:38

Absolutely. So we had several donors that that helped purchase or contribute to the purchase of that. It was a used car, it wasn't a brand new car. That's okay. It was a good used car. She's still driving it. She has the title to it. And we were just grateful. I'm saying that because we pray that when a name is drawn through the system, Lord, let it be a person who really needs it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:04

Yeah, I've always, you know, that's that's difficult, right? I mean, I can remember as a as a young child, my dad and mom, we would always take a family and and take them Christmas gifts, right? But the hard part about that is you never really knew did they really need it. Or you know what I'm saying? And it sounds like Love Thy City brings the largest number of people that are most likely in real need to to a specific place.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:32

Absolutely. The people that are in need and people that need to be supportive of that need. So it's not just those in need, it is also people like you and I who may not be in need of groceries or the compassionate services, but something happens when I am on the other side of the aisle and I am the one serving, the one that needs to be served. It does something not just for them, it does something for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:00

I mean, I'm a huge believer in that because my dad always said that, and it's better to give than to receive. Yes. And I I I I literally, you you you don't have to tell me that's what I should believe, it's what I actually do believe. Because what you're saying, I mean, when you see, you know, what happens to somebody's face or in their eyes when they understand some other human being that they don't know cares about them, right? It it's it's almost transformative.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:25

And not just who they don't know, who they thought didn't like them or knew them, or didn't care anything about them. There's an image, and that's the reason why I talk it. Your show is so important because you get a chance to really see and feel what people are thinking. When we do not properly communicate, there's an assumption left there.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:43

And it's always negative.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:44

And it's always negative.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:45

It's never like, oh, he probably loves me. No, it's like, oh, hey, I can't hate you because I don't know you. I'm hard to hate when you get in a room with me. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:54

And it's hard to hate anyone when you're showing them love. What are you gonna say? Because it was what my mama said, what my daddy said.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:02

What somebody else did to me that wasn't me, that looked like me or sounded like me or whatever, right? I mean, uh, we're trying in this city to do our best. I am, with this show to some extent, is to, you know, open people's eyes a little bit more, be open to things, listen to each other, learn about each other like you, that many of these people might not know who you are, right? And say, well, you know, uh Bishop Marcus Pearson is contributing to this city in a very positive way when maybe he didn't have as much motivation to do so as a lot of other people.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:41

I I believe that the transformation happens one year at a time. And with people like you, and if you allow me to just brag on you for a moment, I'll please. No, no, you won't. But I will tell you Okay, go ahead. You you contributed, you contributed even to one of my members and and supported a member. I sent them your way, and your heart for just people in general supported her and you told her, I don't need this money. I'm gonna help you. She was, in this case, just lost her son in a terrible accident, but you gave her something that she did not have and sacrificed to say, I don't need this, I can help do without. And I want you to know, just because she talked to me, how much that meant to her.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:31

Now, I didn't pre prearrange this him to say it on the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:34

Absolutely not. No, you don't have to. Your work speaks for you. And and I'm here to tell you when she called and told me she was so excited and she had hope because it was it was hard enough for her to deal with the death of her son, but then it helped when you said, I'm gonna show you love in a different way.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:52

Well, I consider myself an armchair preacher, deacon, uh uh bishop. But I said this uh last night in a text to Kevin Mobley. I'm sure you know him. Absolutely. He's on our team. I said, uh to whom much is given, much is required. Right. And you know, you kind of as a lawyer in my position, you know, you have opportunities that you can, you know, take advantage of and truly try to help somebody, or you can simply justify it. Well, you know, I earned this money, uh, you agreed to pay me, right? I mean, and I'm thankful for those opportunities. Um, and I hope, you know, when it's all said and done, that, you know, I did the right thing as as often as I could, right? Absolutely. Now, everybody's not always going to be happy. You know how that is, right? Well, you can't please everybody. I mean, I there's some people uh you try to do everything in the world for, they don't understand it, they're still mad at you, you can't believe it, but I mean that's just the way of the world, isn't it? You love people. I have a rule. And you're more loving than me, Bishop.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:52

Well, I don't know about that, but I will say I have a rule. Yeah, I do ask somebody when it comes to I do have a rule personally. I perform for the audience of one. Yeah. And that's God.

unknown 1:23:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:06

If He's pleased with me, people will fall in line.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:09

Yeah. Um You know, I wrote down uh what I kind of gathered together, the purpose of this organization, and I think the words matter. Uh mobilize the community, number one. That's part of what this Love Thy City is trying to do, right? Correct. And that involves nonprofits, donors, right? People, volunteers, faith organizations, right? I mean to serve people in need and str and by serving people in need, it strengthens the city. That is, people that are different from each other feel a closer connection and a bond that they did not feel from one year to the next, right? And then you're we're trying to build on that.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:54

Absolutely. I was just gonna say Love Night City Day, the last two years, the culture of the day, um, and we're we're evolving into more than just a an event. We're we're a movement, so it's not just a day we do things all year round. However, that particular day, it's amazing because you see people who would normally talk to each other, talking, helping, serving. They don't even know each other. They don't even know, but it's the love of Christ in us that's uh permeating throughout all the things that we're doing and is causing people to do what we were designed to do, and that is to serve and help each other and do it without some type of biasness. We bring together a culture of motivation. Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:43

I mean, like I'm not whoever's there, they're not getting anything out of it. They're not there on a hustle, right? Absolutely. You know, there's we don't sell anything. Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:52

There's there's nothing that's being sold. It's all about giving. It's all about serving, it's all about showing someone else, not that I'm trying to be in competition with you. It's that I am serving you. I will take the lower seat to serve you, even though I am mayor, even though I am a pastor, even though I am a leader in our community. I want to get down here and I don't want to just be a shepherd. I want to be a shepherd among sheep. I want to smell like sheep. I mean, you you want to you want to get in the get down with the people, right? Absolutely. I mean, that's it does my heart good, you know, to serve with people than to be over people.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:31

Obviously, you know, you mentioned mentioned Christianity. Sharing the gospel is a part of this, right? And it and it's uh you don't really make any bones about it. It's what motivates you, that is, to love others, right? Absolutely. Your faith.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:45

Yeah, my faith guides me. It certainly it plays a huge part. My faith is a great motivation, demotivation behind Love Thy City, but it is also an opportunity for me to share it in a way that it is tangible and it's not just words. It it must be demonstrated. And so Love Thy City is a demonstration of love.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:09

Faith without words is dead.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:10

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:11

Right? Jesus' half brother said that, didn't he?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:13

That's right. Jesus did not just say, I'm going to get on the cross, he got on it.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:18

You know, I'll I often wonder, um, and I guess it's historical and I guess it's people, that leave people with the impression that Christianity is threatening. Right? I mean, right? I mean, you know, when you watch the news sometimes, or people recount their own experiences with other Christians, sometimes they act like judgmental, uh, you know, don't feel loving, right? I mean, how did Christianity get a bad name to the extent that it's it's looked at a little bit, you know, more predatory and aggressive than I than I think it is?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:53

Because of non-transparency. And non-transparency of the truth of who we are. We are believers being transformed.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:05

Not immediately, but in progress.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:08

Yes, and in and during that transformation, there are going to be moments where I'm not going to be where I should be or do what I should do.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:18

Or I'm not going to be what I believe.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:22

Right? I mean, I may say I believe it, but then I might do something either for reasons I can explain or can explain, but that doesn't mean I've abandoned the belief.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:32

That's correct. And we need to admit when we're wrong, because what that is called is sanctification. It means the process of being cleansed. And you will not be there totally until you go to glorification, which is in glory. So from the point and the moment that I receive Christ, I am then being transformed into Christ. But that could take years, and believers need to be honest. This is a walk with Christ, and every day you walk with him, you get better, you get stronger, you know more than you used to. I am certainly not the same man I was 20 years ago. Why? Because life, tests, trials, people have taught me how to walk in my faith. The only way I can learn by faith is my faith has to be challenged.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:20

I want people to know that regardless of what their belief system is or how strong a Christian they are or not, this place is still for everybody, is it not? Absolutely. I mean, this is not like, hey, if you're not a Christian, don't come down here.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:36

Oh, this is absolutely for everyone. We we have no biases. We the thing that we cannot argue with is compassion. And Love Not City Day is a day not just for the church. It's not just for uh people who are lost or those who are without. It is for every person who says, I want to see a better world. I want to see a better community. And I want to be a part of it. I want to be a part of the solution because I found out that division is profitable. And for some reason, when you talk unity and not do unity, you're just walking and you're just saying what you feel like you want to do, but it takes action. And so I want those who attend to understand that you don't have to come here in any kind of form. Come as you are and feel the love and watch the love be shown or be a part of the love that's being given.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:39

You know, people that say, well, you know, I don't really have any needs that I need from the vendors or down there. Those people, I mean, should they come for just the experience of being with other people who for that day are focused on singularly that they love their city?

SPEAKER_02 1:29:56

Absolutely. Especially the church, because the church loves to be in the four walls. We love our own. But the real church is outside of the building. It's outside the four walls.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:09

Nathan Apple.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:11

It is outside the four walls. That's where the church begins. We gather to learn about who we should share when we go out. The gospel should be believed, broadcasted, and benefited from. That's my BBB.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:27

Yeah, I mean, you know, um churches seem to have gone inward the last 30, 40 years, you know, building buildings, and this is not a reference to your church, uh, family life centers, you know, they were going to stay in, right? Yes. Instead of what you said was, you know, it was the gospel was meant to go outside. Yes. And go go meet people where they were. Yes. Not ask them to come down, you know, and be comfortable. We'll we'll welcome you, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:30:58

I mean, because that's there were people there will be people that will come to Love Not City as they have done the last two years that will never step foot in my church, but they will come to Bruce Comfort Center.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:09

And they'll be surprised, be uh impressed that uh they had such a good experience with other people by just showing up.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:20

Absolutely. My growing up, I used to have my neighbors, they would come to the house and knock on the door, my best friends would come on the door and say, Hey, and tell my parents, can DeMarcus come outside? Can DeMarcus come outside? My mom said, Yeah, he can come outside. They didn't ask, could they come inside? The church wants everybody to come inside, but never wants to go outside. We got to go outside.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:44

And this is what this is what is motivating you. That is Love Thy City is getting a bunch of other people with things that help people physically, mentally, spiritually, and going outside.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:00

Yes. It's coming outside. We need to come outside. We're so stuck, whether it's a business, whether it's a nonprofit or a church or even individuals, we're so used to our own until we don't come outside. We go outside to go to work.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:15

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:15

But we don't go outside in our community to find out, hey, maybe she does not uh seemingly like me because I got a perception, but I haven't set along, set enough time along with her to find out what's on her heart, what's on her mind. I haven't had a conversation. I've had so many conversations of just misunderstanding. Why do you act like that? Why does this happen? Why, why is black people like that? Why are Hispanics like that? Why are white people like that? We find out we're just different. And there's nothing wrong with being different.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:49

And there's a lot of similarities that people don't realize that they have with one another.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:54

Yes, absolutely. And we we have more in common than we have uh uh different.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:58

How about this one? Is there a strong woman behind every great man? Absolutely. And I'm talking about behind Marcus Pearson?

SPEAKER_02 1:33:06

Listen, right now there's a light beaming over where she works. Let's get her, Chris. Oh, look at that. That's that's my sweetheart.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:14

Right. Uh your wife, her name is what? Kaya. All right. And uh y'all, I I looked into her. She was in the U.S. Army. Yes, she served in the Army 14 years. Uh, what'd she do?

SPEAKER_02 1:33:24

I mean, can you tell us if you're uh now you give me to the rank? I'm gonna mess up. You don't have to tell the rank.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:28

But she had like three lieutenant something. Um, she's lieutenant. That's what I saw. She didn't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:35

Yeah, she was a lieutenant. I don't I do not know the degree of the lieutenant, but she served faithfully in the uh in the U.S. Army um and definitely is a wonderful backbone to me, to the ministry. She's a veteran. Yes, she is a veteran.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:50

And uh I imagine she's disciplined.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:52

Very disciplined, very organized. When we first met, I mean, you should have seen how she would fold her clothes. And I was like, I just threw my clothes, but she just there's a way that she does, there's a method in what she does, and she has such a strategic mind. She currently works for Bethesda as the HR uh director, director of HR. And uh, she's just a wonderful, beautiful woman. I love her to life.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:15

And you and she's also she's also a minister of some kind, right? I mean, she supports you and does the same type of work.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:22

Yes. Uh we're like totally opposite, but that's what makes us attract. I'm more of the extrovert. She's an introvert. Um I love crowds. Being my wife. Really?

SPEAKER_00 1:34:32

My wife. She wouldn't even hardly uh she could never do this.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:36

Yeah, I mean, yeah, no, this is this is too much talking for. She does not like crowds.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:42

But when she's in front of crowds, she knows how to turn it on. But when it's over, she's like, I'm going home. Uh, that just drained the life out of me. To me, crowds energize me. And but her, she has a way of lighting up anything that she's passionate about. So as a minister, the members love when she teaches because I'm all out there and I'm really, you know, extrovert and charismatic.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:05

Purple suit.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:06

Purple suit, yeah. Come on. But she's she's a lot more concerned. All right, where's the there you go? Oh, uh, you done went through all my full adam happy.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:13

Uh, this is uh this is the bishop in action uh on a Sunday or a Wednesday, I suspect. Yeah, that's on a Sunday morning. Um now, what about kids?

SPEAKER_02 1:35:22

Did y'all have kids? Uh we do have, we have a blended family.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:26

That's all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:26

I have two sons, uh, Micah, Nicholas, and our uh son that we have together, our blended family is Carlin, as you can see. Oh, look at that. There we go. Those are my three wonderful, handsome sons. Um, I love all three of them. And uh, they're just doing great things.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:41

Yeah, I mean, that suit there, Bishop, is uh, I mean, that's clean.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:45

Well, let me tell you, that was an anniversary. We have our pastoral anniversary each year, and so that's what that uh celebration was. That's why I was dressed up like that. I'll do that every Sunday. But yeah, every now and then we'll come outside.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:57

Well, the point of all this is that, you know, you're a man, you know, from this community, just like a lot of people, right? Yes, sir. Lived here a long time, got a family that you have, uh, the way that you got them, uh, and you love them dearly.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:10

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:36:12

Um you care about God. It motivated you to do what you do, and then ultimately it's led you to this outward outreach into the public to try to make things better for the people that live here.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:24

Absolutely. To unify us, to bring us together. I'm excited about the numbers that come and attend, the 11,000 that attended last year, but the numbers that excite me are the numbers of people that come together to be able to serve by one another. That's what excites me when I see black, white, Hispanic, uh, Jew, Christian, and all types of denominations, Baptist, uh, Church of God in Christ, Pentecostal, Catholic, all of these denominations coming together to serve and put aside differences and beliefs for one common cost to unify us. That number is what I'm excited about. That's what gets me excited about Love That City.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:12

And, you know, you're gonna get to watch this thing grow. And uh, and I know it's gotta, you know, as it gets more and more, it's gotta be a source of pride for you, you know, just to have, you know, you're not doing something good to get something from God. You're doing it because I assume it's what's motivates you to try and do things like these.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:31

Absolutely. I again I honor, uh, perform for the for the audience of one. If God is pleased with my efforts, my works, I've done my job. It just so happened, honoring him honors people.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:48

Well, as we close this out, why don't you describe, you know, what you think the purpose is in your own words of Love Thy People, uh, and hit us with the date and the time and the place at the end so people that watch this can really make a decision whether they come out and try to join their neighbors and learn more about people they don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:07

Love Thy City is an organization that seeks to bring together those who would not normally love on each other and would never know that they even love their neighbor or even cared for their neighbor. But we give the opportunity for those who have a heart for people to come and serve. On the other side, we give an opportunity for those who are in need to be able to find the hope, but find it with dignity, to find it with a place that they can say, hey, I was shown love in a great way. And if I can be a person that can leave this earth better than I brought, I was brought in, I've done my job. Love.city gives us all, whether it's through finance, whether it's through donations, whether it's through volunteering, whether it's through attending. We at the end of the day, we can all say we're loving our city in a compassionate, tangible way. And on August the 22nd, it happens from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., we're bringing together adults, children, families, even children with special needs, we're adding that addition and all people from all walks of life to say, hey, we love our city, and nobody's doing it but us. That's what we're about.

SPEAKER_00 1:39:28

If somebody wanted to love thy city as a donor, apply as a vendor, how would they reach out to this organization to make contact?

SPEAKER_02 1:39:37

All of our information is certainly on our website, lovethycity.org, L-O-V-E-T-H-Y-C-I-T-Y.org. You can join as a church partner, you can join as a volunteer, you can join as a nonprofit partner, a business partner. We're still accepting sponsorships. We have a deficit right now. We're still trying to raise $150,000 before August the 22nd. If someone's heart is is in that area of saying, hey, I want to be a part of this. We welcome that because all of those funds go toward helping to make our community better. We need support, we need volunteers, we need East Texas to come together.

SPEAKER_00 1:40:18

Bishop, keep up the good work and thank you for being on the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:21

Thank you so much for inviting us.