Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 6-2-17

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FLORIDA SENTINEL
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Tampa Native Son Returns To Lead 80-Year-Old Congregation
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Bishop Sylvester Robinson, Ph. D., will be officially taking the pulpit at Peace Progressive Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, June 4, 2017.
Bishop Robinson will be following in the footsteps of one of the ‘giants’ of Peace Baptist. Rev. Albert Gallmon, Jr., retired in March after 8 years as pas- tor.
Bishop Robinson said he was “caught off guard” when the Lord placed him at Peace Baptist after 10 years away from the city. He equated the 10 years to ‘grace doubled.’ “God showed me double favor for my troubles.”
Although officially away from Tampa, he is often called upon to preach for sev- eral churches on various occasions.
“For the past 6 years, I’ve preached Rev. Gallmon’s Anniversary at 11 a. m. at Peace Baptist. That relationship fol- lowed the relationship I had with his predecessor – Rev. W. F. Leonard. I preached his anniversary as well.
“I had no idea that Rev. Gallmon was watching me all those years. He asked what I thought about coming back to Tampa. I told him that God would be the
BISHOP SYLVESTER ROBINSON
one to bring me back home,” he ex- plained.
Having studied the history of Peace Baptist, Bishop Robinson said, “The church has had some dynamic pastors – from (Rev.) I. Anderson to Rev. J. C. Goins, Leonard and Gallmon. None of them were voted out. They retired or left.”
Bishop Robinson, 51, has been coming back-and-forth to Tampa for the past month during transition.
“The people have embraced me. There’s excitement, and energy in the church; the deacons are on board and em- bracing the vision. I’m the new pastor, but not a new preacher.”
The Lord has given him a motto for the church: ‘Progressive People in a Peaceful Place.’
“I’m definitely not coming back home the way I left. Thank God he has given me another opportunity. This young fool doesn’t have to be an old fool. I’m totally transparent. I want to help some of the younger pastors to walk in the integrity of this office,” he explained.
His coming back is not to prove him- self, but to “show the Christian commu- nity of God’s redeeming love. This could very well be titled, ‘The Greatest Story of Redemption,’ because I am proof of that fact.”
Bishop Robinson’s wife, Mrs. Tammy (Dooley) Robinson, recently earned her B. S. degree in Public Rela- tions, graduating summa cum laude from Florida A&M University. She is an office manager in the Health and Physical Edu- cation Dept. at FAMU.
Since leaving Tampa, Bishop Robin- son has served as the pastor of First Branchville Missionary Baptist Church,
Boykin, GA (a 2-Sunday church), St. Mark M. B. Church, Quincy; and Greater Mt. Pleasant M. B. Church, Tallahassee.
Prior to leaving Tampa, he was the pastor of First Union M. B. Church and Faith Tabernacle.
Bishop Robinson has more than 20 years of pastoral experience. He has de- veloped a number of training manuals. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Crim- inal Justice from Florida Memorial Col- lege; and he has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brevard Christian University in the areas of Biblical Studies and Christian Counseling. In 2006, he completed doctoral studies in Christian Education at the Universal Bible College. And, on February 23, 2013, he was conse- crated an Ordinary Bishop by the Legacy Fellowship and Ministries of Tampa, FL, Inc., under the leadership of Presiding Prelate Bishop Micheal Lewis, Sr.
He has been an active participant in the communities where he has served.
Bishop and Mrs. Robinson share 3 children: Jasmene, Sylvester and Cameron.
“We’re excited about the journey and looking forward to working with the pas- tors in this community to effect change,” he concluded.
Tours And Mentors: Jamaica Native’s Mission To Help Those In Need
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
The word Jamaica often conjures up images of a para- dise of white, sandy beaches and lush resorts packed with vacationers.
But there’s another side to Jamaica that event planner, Tash Johnson knows that doesn’t get the attention – or money – of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the island nation each year and she wants to change that.
In July, Johnson will lead a group of visitors on a four- day, three-night excursion to her native land with a bounty of hygiene and school supplies in tow.
Dubbed the Tours and Mentors Trip, Johnson is hoping to expand the minds of visitors with a journey that couples visits to the Bob Mar- ley Museum and a stop at a local community center to dis- tribute books, backpacks, and other much-needed items for children.
It’s an extension of what Johnson, a University of Tampa alum, has done each year since her days as an un-
Tours and Mentors organizer, Tash Johnson poses with school- children in Jamaica. Johnson’s upcoming trip to the island nation will include a visit to a local community center to donate schools supplies.
when they visit Jamaica,” she said. “I figure this would be a much more rewarding experi- ence.”
According to the World Bank, Jamaica is middle-in- come country, but still suffers with low economic growth, high crime, and sharp unem- ployment among its youth.
There have been some signs of progress in recent years. For example, its credit rating is improving, its econ- omy is growing, and poverty fell from 25 percent in 2013 to 20 percent in 2014, according to the latest official estimate available.
But many of the country’s nearly three million residents lack many of the basics, John- son said.
It’s common for school- children to arrive to class un- prepared to learn, she said.
Johnson hopes to return with hundreds of backpacks filled with supplies when she returns in July.
“Many kids have nothing,” she said. “Some are walking in with just a pencil.”
It’s a move that’s sure to boost young people’s confi- dence and strike a chord with
visitors, Johnson said.
“I want them to see the raw, the real Jamaica and leave an
impact,” she said.
About Tours and Mentors
Visit www.ilovetovacay. com to learn more about the Tours and Mentors Trip to Ja- maica, which takes place July 14 to July 17.
Can’t go on the trip, but still want to help? Visit the Tours and Mentors booths these up- coming events to donate back- packs, hygiene products, and school supplies:
• Tampa Bay Caribbean Heritage Festival, 4 p. m. to 8 p. m., Saturday, June 3 at the University Area Community Center, 14013 North 22nd St., in Tampa.
• Red, White, and Blue Fes- tival, 6 p. m. to 10 p. m., Tues- day, July 4, at Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park (across from Amalie Arena), 601 Old Water St., in Tampa.
You also can bring items to Jamaican Tropicale by Jerk Hut, 513 Franklin St., in down- town Tampa. Or email Tash Johnson at contactus@tash johnson.com.
dergraduate.
At the end of each semes-
ter, Johnson would collect clothes and unused toiletries to take back with her during sum- mer visits home.
“This trip is a continuation of that,” she said.
The act of kindness was no small feat, because Johnson would have to purchase extra suitcases and bags to ensure
everything arrived with her. Now, she’s doing it on a larger scale with some help from travelers who want to ef- fect change – and meet those who they’re helping – while on
vacation.
And every little bit helps,
Johnson said.
“The hope is to reach out to
underserved communities that people don’t dare to step in