emerges as an invaluable resource for leaders seeking to navigate these transformative times with confidence and clarity. As churches and faith-based organizations confront unprecedented challenges and opportunities from digital engagement to social justice advocacy ministry coaching provides tailored guidance that empowers leaders to adapt, innovate, and thrive. OnPoint Church Coaching & Solutions, LLC, founded by Sherry Daniels has worked over the years to equip churches and leaders through personalized development plans, strategic visioning, and empathetic support, ministry coaching not only enhances leadership skills but also fosters a deeper connection to the community and the divine mission. By engaging in ministry coaching, leaders are equipped to inspire meaningful change, cultivate resilient congregations, and lead with authenticity in a dynamic world. So, this year I decided to not only celebrate my 65 birthday with family and friends I decided to make a difference in the world through the vision God gave me over twenty-five years ago. th
�� Birthday Celebration Program ��
In Honor of Dr. Sherry Lynn Daniels
August 16, 2025
Town Point Club
Welcome – Prelude Music
Min. William “Billy” Brown
Mistress of Ceremony & Opening
Remarks
Mrs. Phyllis Melton Turner
First Speaker: Reflections
Dr. Rodney T. Smothers
Second Speaker: Words of Inspiration
Dr. Theodore Smith 3
Concert: “Smooth Sounds & Jazzy Moments”
Min. William A.I. Brown
A Toast to Dr. Sherry L. Daniels
Mrs. Freida A. Clark
Dinner is Served
Words of Appreciation &
Presentation of Scholarships
Dr. Clarence R. Brown
Dr. Sherry L. Daniels
Dr. Candace M. Lewis, President
Gammon Theological Seminary
Special Presentation / Birthday Wishes
Sabora Townsend Ray Williams
The Ray Williams Christian Education Scholarship and the Sabora Townsend Women in Ministry Leadership Fund. It will start with an annual financial commitment and continue with including Gammon in my final estate planning. Ray Williams was my grandfather and a faithful family man till his death. He handed me a small book of scriptures to remember one day and told me that God has a calling on your life. He was the Sunday School Superintendent for Greater St. Matthew’s Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas for many years. He served as a Deacon and understood the importance of Christian Education in the church. Unfortunately, many of our congregations have gotten away from Christian Education in our sacred spaces church and home. Faith is not just something we claim, it is a spiritual practice that is practiced daily. My grandfather was a brilliant man in mathematics. He added, subtracted, multiplied, calculated in his head! So of us can barely do it with pencil and paper or a calculator. However, my grandfather’s daily work was janitorial at the Navy base. Humble work, yet he provided for his family, sent it children to college and a HBCU, paid for a home, and traveled the world as a 33rd degree Mason as its treasurer. His legacy speaks for itself.
Sabora Townsend was my grandmother and if you lived in her house, you were going to church on Sunday morning no if, and, or buts about it. We walked several miles most Sunday’s in Texas on red dirt roads and the interstate highway with no complaints. She was a strong woman of faith and committed to her church. She inspired me to be faithful in my stewardship through her example. Ironing clothes for a living, she contributed her tithes weekly in the Wesley Class System of her church, and helped to build a new church building in College Station, Texas. This was no small feat but it happened, brick with air conditioning in a small college town. Glory, to God. While she was married, he lived and worked in Houston, TX. So, she cared for her family without much help, and a great deal of blood, sweat and tears. Sabora was a proud woman, worked hard, prayed, praised and served God, made no excuses and like my grandfather, her legacy speaks for itself.
Ezekiel was exhausted—emotionally drained, spiritually burdened, and carrying the weight of his people’s collapse. He had seen the destruction of Jerusalem, watched hope evaporate from the eyes of the exiled, and wrestled with silence from heaven. By the time God led him into a valley, he was already worn thin. How many of us feel like Ezekiel right now, this very moment?
So imagine his confusion when the Spirit of the Lord places him in the middle of a desolate graveyard—bones scattered everywhere. Lifeless. Abandoned. Very dry.
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.” (Ezekiel 37:1)
This wasn’t just a vision. It was a reflection of Ezekiel’s inner world—and maybe yours too.
Sometimes we don’t need a battlefield to feel defeated. Life itself can feel like a valley of dry bones: silent group chats, grades slipping, anxiety rising, dreams on life support. You start wondering, “Can these bones live?” In other words: Is there any hope left? Well, there is hope, don’t fret dusty places. God is still able, well able.
In a world shaken by pandemics, racial reckonings, economic hardship, and identity crises, the face of ministry is changing. The Church can no longer afford to be passive, predictable, or performative. The army God is raising up now doesn’t wear uniforms it wears scars. It doesn’t march in silence it speaks with conviction. It doesn’t just show up on Sunday it shows up in the streets, in the shelters, in the classrooms, in the courthouses, and online.
This vast army looks like:
Young adults reclaiming their identity in Christ after the world told them they weren’t enough.
Mental health advocates preaching peace while battling anxiety themselves.
Activists and artists using their platforms to proclaim justice and mercy.
Preachers and poets, nurses and neighbors, baristas and business leaders all revived by God for a purpose beyond survival.
You were not revived just to feel better.
You were raised to fight better.
To live better.
To lead better.
To love harder.
This is your commissioning. This is your call.
“Leveling Up the Ministry Landscape”
In this critical moment of history, the church must rise not merely to maintain, but to multiply. Leveling up the ministry landscape means refusing to settle for the status quo of shrinking attendance and aging infrastructures. It calls us to embrace a prophetic posture of purpose: moving from maintenance to momentum, from survival to sustainability, from scarcity to strategy.
The future church is being forged now: A church that is agile in structure but anchored in the Gospel. A church that is accessible in person and online, reaching those who have felt excluded or invisible. A church that is aligned with the heart of God, with the needs of the people, and with the opportunities of our global and local communities. To level up, we must invest in: Digital Discipleship: Evangelism and spiritual formation that meet people where they are in their devices, in their questions, in their scrolling and invite them into authentic community.
Community-Rooted Economic Empowerment: Ministries that break cycles of poverty and dependency, establishing hubs of entrepreneurship, vocational training, and financial literacy. Intergenerational Collaboration: Platforms where elders and emerging leaders co-create a future that honors legacy and welcomes innovation. Global Connectivity: Partnerships beyond borders that reflect the global body of Christ, fostering mutual learning and mission. This is not just about innovation for its own sake it’s about faithful relevance: a ministry landscape that is responsive, responsible, and resilient.
In short: clergy and laity must rise together embracing fresh vision, harnessing creativity, and courageously pursuing the call to be a church that is truly alive, relevant, and faithful.
Profile of the Level-Up Clergy Leader
The clergy leader who levels up the ministry landscape is:
A Visionary Shepherd: Not just tending the flock, but seeing beyond today’s pasture imagining new ways to gather, nurture, and send.
Digitally Fluent: Leveraging technology for worship, discipleship, and outreach, not as a gimmick but as a genuine expression of incarnational ministry.
Community-Engaged: Rooted in the neighborhood, understanding the economic, social, and spiritual needs of the community, and collaborating with other sectors for holistic impact.
Entrepreneurial in Spirit: Willing to innovate, prototype, and adapt ministry models that are sustainable and scalable.
Bridge Builder: Uniting diverse generations, cultures, and traditions in a shared future.
Spirit-Led Strategist: Prayerful, discerning, yet unafraid to think strategically about resources, partnerships, and platforms for ministry effectiveness.
Profile of the Level-Up Laity Leader
The laity leader who levels up the ministry landscape is:
Empowered and Equipped: Not a passive participant, but an active partner in ministry trained, trusted, and released to lead.
Missionally Minded: Sees their vocation as their ministry bringing the Gospel into schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
Socially Aware and Spiritually Grounded: Understands the issues of justice, equity, and community well-being, while remaining anchored in the Word of God.
Innovative and Collaborative: Willing to serve in new ways, take risks, and support initiatives that move the church forward.
Intergenerational Connector: Helping bridge the wisdom of elders and the creativity of youth, fostering mutual respect and shared leadership.
Champion of Stewardship: Recognizes that resources time, talent, treasure, and technology must be cultivated, multiplied, and mobilized for kingdom purposes.
