The 1960's...

• On the heels of The U.S. Supreme Court outlawing public school segregation (Brown vs. Board of Education).
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
• Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination, is signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assinated sparking riots lasting days throughout Washington D.C.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is signed by Johnson.
• A 19yr. old African-American leader named Alfred A. Owens, Jr. starts a church in D.C. now known as Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church

Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr. - Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church
Amidst the waves of racial tension in a city on the brink of historic cultural shift a young African-American leader (19 years old) dared to start a church in Washington D.C. ... 43 years later Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr. humbly leads Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church, the single largest African-American church in the downtown D.C. area.  Bishop Owens raised his voice for the gospel in a volatile city during a volatile time & fought the odds to extend love and truth to his community.  I was surprised to hear that we had an opportunity to meet with Bishop Owens...it was, and remains, an honor to sit with him and learn from him and his leadership journey.  Listen as Joshua Symonette, friend of Catalyst and student of Bishop Owens, interviews a man who has seen more in his lifetime than most of us could imagine...

"What's it like to lead & pastor in the heart of the city?"

Bishop Owens, Back to 1966...His Early Years & Personal Life

"How have you been able to pastor for 43 years at the same church?!  What's kept you going?"
AND A Final Though for the Catalyst Audience...