Op Ed Editorial

Rev Julius Walls Leads Greater Hood Celebrating Its 200th Anniversary

Julius Walls Jr. is a dedicated ordained minister, devoted husband, and duti ful father and is known for his preaching, teaching, and speak ing. Rev. Walls is the pastor of Greater Hood Memorial Afri can Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the first Black Church in Harlem, New York. since 1820.. This year Greater Hood is celebrating the church’s 200th Anniversary on Sunday, March 20, 2020 at the church, located on 146th Street between 7th and Lenox Avenues.

Reviving the congregation at Greater Hood, Rev. Walls’ vision is to be used by God to lead people to a relationship with and be instruments of Je sus’ generosity, joy, and justice in the world. While Rev. Walls sees the Sunday worship as a critical component to the in ternal change in the individual, he preaches and teaches that it porting the long-time residents who wish to thrive in today’s lished co-author of MISSION, INC., The Practitioners Guide (Clinton and Obama), spoken at multiple universities including ried to his college sweetheart for over 30 years. They have

is only the beginning as they live the external life of love in action. Rev. Walls has led Greater Hood to establish active ministries of partnering with the local elementary school to provide volunteers and financial support, feeding and clothing those in need, urban outreach through the unique Hip-Hop Church, and visiting the incar cerated at Rikers and developing programs to assist them as they return home, and as well as providing worship space for other faiths. Greater Hood is also engaged in the work of sup Harlem.

Rev. Walls has worked in to Social Enterprise, 2008.

Rev. Walls has directly several Ivy League, served and serves on multiple corporate, three children. Walls attended high school and college semi

business, academia, and min istry. He has served as pastor at two A.M.E. Zion churches, currently Greater Hood and formerly at Metropolitan. Rev. Walls is also the President of Greater Centennial Community Development Corp., which en gages in real estate development and management (housing/ homeownership). He has served as Chief of Staff of Greater Cen tennial Church, a 6000-member church; as CEO of Greyston Bakery, a $7 million social en terprise; as Vice President of Operations for a $23 million chocolate manufacturing com pany; and as an adjunct professor at the business graduate schools at two universities, New York University and Bainbridge Graduate Institute. He is a pub touched thousands of lives through his work at for-profits, non-profit, and government boards as chair and member atnary before deciding to pursue a career in business. He studied

non-profits, universities, and churches. Walls has taught, preached and spoken extensive ly throughout the country on the topics of Social Enterprise, So cial Purpose Businesses, Social Justice and Business, Spirituali ty in the Workplace, and Business Development in the Inner City. Rev. Walls has built busi nesses and consulted for others, coached executives, mentored students, and inspired thou sands of people to be the best they can be. He has developed life skills programs, affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, performed strate gic planning that has lifted organizations higher. In his various roles he has met with Presidents large. Walls served as an invited participant in the John F. Ken business at Baruch College and completed his bachelor’s degree

nedy School of Government’s Executive Session on Trans forming Cities through Civic Entrepreneurs at Harvard Uni versity, was named the first Social Entrepreneur in Residence at New York University, and has twice been named one of the Ten Most Influential Blacks in Westchester by African-Ameri can Chamber of Commerce.

Core ingredients in Walls’ life and his career are his re lationship with God, spiritual practice, family, and service, which seeds were sown by his parents in his native Bed ford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. Walls has been mar at Concordia College. He re turned to ministry in 2001 to en

courage people to be what God intends us to be, loving partici

pants in the world. His seminal sermon, “Are You Christian on

Monday?” challenges everyone, Christians and Non-Christians,

to carry their values into their everyday lives.

Greater Hood and the community will celebrate the

Church’s 200 th Anniversary with a banquet gala in Harlem

on March 20, 2020 with Bish op Dennis V. Proctor, Presiding Prelate of the A.M.E.Z. Church commemorating the event with them.

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