Lonette says she was âborn onto the pewâ at the traditional Black Holiness church where her parents were leaders. She says âSome people got stuck on the legalism part of it, but I learned a very healthy reverence for the Lord. I fell in love with Jesus and all the beautiful ways He would show up.â
âWhen I was a little girl, my mom was training women in deliverance and inner healing in my house. I knew I wanted to be a part of it, and my mom invited me to participate. She would stand me next to her and say, âThis is what weâre doing and this is what weâre seeing in the Spirit. Lay your hand here and pray like this.â She trained me around 8 or 9 years old to have a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and learn to listen to His voice.
As a teen, I was involved in a youth group and people would ask me to speak, but I was extremely shy. I knew that Jesus was asking me to do it for Him, and I would cry and tell Him I couldnât. But I said that if He took the fear away, I would go wherever He told me to go, talk to whoever He wanted me to, and stand on any platform.â Lonette says that in her junior year of high school, the Lord told her to take a drama class, and even though she was resistant, she obeyed. That evolved into her joining a speech team and she spent the next four years traveling and speaking around the country. âIt was like the Lord was preparing me along the way. Heâd plant seeds in my heart and then slowly water them.â Lonette now teaches once a month at her church.
As a young adult, Lonette experienced a wide range of church denominations but said that when she walked into a Vineyard, she felt at home even though no one looked like her. She says that she has been encouraged by the focus on Associations and loved the BPLA worship during last summerâs VUSA National Conference. âI donât often hear music and preaching that reminds me of home unless I search for it outside the Vineyard. But to hear it in a place that I call home and have it remind me of where I grew up felt very sweet. Itâs beautiful to be able to come together as a Vineyard family that truly works to make space for everybody.â
As an encouragement to Black pastors and leaders, Lonette says, âTake care of your own heart and get around people who can help you in that. Iâve seen many Black pastors and leaders wear themselves out and probably put themselves in an early grave. There is this underlying culture, especially with women in the Black community, that if I don’t do it, it’s not going to get done. Iâd like to remind us that itâs Jesusâ church; He’s the one who died for it and He’s the one who says he’s coming back for it. It’s His job to make that happen. And it’s our job to make sure that we take our hearts to Him so He can care for us and other people.â
Aisha says, âWe donât have the option of ignoring the problems of this world; we are called to participate in what God is doing in redeeming it. As N.T. Wright says, âThe gospel is not just about personal salvation. Itâs about participating in Godâs mission to bring healing and restoration to the world.ââÂ
Aisha says her interest in justice began in Nigeria. âI grew up with a lot of injustice, which has always made the idea of justice and fairness appealing to me, and it led me to study law. After years of practicing law, I felt that God was specifically calling me to advocate for the poor and those who canât advocate for themselves. My law license gets me into a lot of places, and while I am providing practical help for a lot of people it also gives me opportunities to share the gospel while talking about justice. I want people to have a genuine experience with Jesus that changes their lives in a way that brings them lasting spiritual growth. The gospel should give people an uplift, disrupt systems of injustice, and break the poverty cycle.â
Aisha spends about 85% of her time doing pro bono work partnering with nonprofits to provide free legal services to the poor. âI partner with the Dream Center, a huge Christian nonprofit in LA, to help rehabilitate people with life-controlling issues by teaching classes like anger management and life skills.Â
I also became a court-appointed special advocate in the foster care system, and have been mentoring a child for the past 7 years. We joke that she was the meanest 11-year-old when we met because she was just trying to survive, and now sheâs doing well and applying for college, and itâs looking very hopeful. I may not be able to change the whole world, but by Godâs grace that one kid is not going to go downhill like many other kids in the system. Similarly, I started working with incarcerated youth 9 years ago and there are 4 young men in prison who Iâve been mentoring. They need direction and care, so I visit them, write letters, and make phone calls. I would rather work with one person for 10 years and see that one person progress than with 50 people who have minimal progress. It takes hard work to invest in people, but itâs also changed my life. You think youâre working on people but God is working on you in the process. To be part of someoneâs story is remarkable.â
To hear more from Aisha, listen to her talk at the 2023 SoCal Regional Conference
Book Recommendations:
The Deeper Journey: The Spirituality of Discovering Your True Self by Robert Mulholland
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero
Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss
Zaneta says, âEquity is top three for me. I believe the Kingdom of God is holistic. If itâs âGodâs rule and reign brought to bear on the earthâ, what does that actually look like? As the worship pastor, thereâs the musical piece of it, but at the root of it is our hearts. I believe that equity looks like loving our neighbor well, which doesnât mean what we think they need; it means engaging in a process to discover what it is they actually need. This requires lots of (sometimes uncomfortable) conversations and asking things like âWhat feeds your soul? What does worship look like to you? What songs are you listening to? What songs do we sing that really touch your heart, even in English? As a culture, what do you need and what do you want to hear to make you comfortable?â
Zaneta has been in the Vineyard for twelve years. She was raised in a Pentecostal Black church, where her father pastored, with a strong foundation of loving the Lord and being rooted in scripture. She remembers thinking at an early age, âI love to see people free.â Zaneta says, âI love the experience of âthe Bodyâ, which has been a mainstay in what I believe and how I approach ministry and shepherding people. We all bring equally important things to the table. Freedom looks different for different people, but itâs equally necessary. If weâre in bondage or oppressed in any way, that prevents us from fully expressing ourselves, and our authenticity canât be discovered until itâs from a place of true identity. If we donât have that, at best itâs an attempt; itâs not Godâs original design. Iâm after the blueprint.â Zaneta says that this desire infiltrates her approach to worship leading.Â
When leading worship, Zaneta says, âIâm always trying to tap into what I donât see and what I donât hear. Iâm always listening for something different that God wants to express over His people, catching the sound of heaven for this moment. God is in the now; heâs always moving and releasing things and I want to be in tune with that.â
He earned his degree in elementary education with a special education endorsement and began working in youth ministry. Adama says, âWhen I came to faith, I thought I had to get rid of these unique things about my cultural/ethnic background to fit the mold of Christ that was being presented to me in the culture. I realized that wasnât the case, that I could walk in step with the Spirit and uphold my cultural background, that I could bring all of me to the table, and with Christ at the forefront, people were experiencing a better version of me.
Thatâs also true when youâre thinking big picture about the many diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds that make up a youth group. When you can create a space for everyone to bring all that they have to the table, it becomes a robust, lively, rich experience, and you get to see God displayed in so many ways that you wouldnât have if you didnât have all these people in the mix. Thatâs the beauty of it in the simplest way I can describe.âÂ
Adama continues, âIn the gospel, Jesus talks about the great banquet, and your youth group is like a banquet youâre throwing every Sunday. If you are a youth pastor who feels like your youth group is dying, maybe itâs time to start inviting people who donât fit your cookie-cutter group. A practical step is to take a demographic assessment of your youth group and pray specifically for those you donât see represented. See what God can do. I did that and I have multiple stories of how people came out of nowhere and started attending our group. What seems impossible can be possible with God, so donât make excuses for yourself or God.â
When it comes to building a multicultural youth group, Adama also says that becoming aware of our natural biases is really important! âWe naturally gravitate towards a certain group of people, so when weâre doing the work of ministers of the Gospel, how does that translate? When weâre evangelizing to people, who do we evangelize to? When weâre giving prophetic words to people, where are our eyes, spiritual and natural, gravitating towards in the room? When weâre identifying and empowering leaders, are we looking for the leader who looks like ourselves, or are you recognizing leadership gifting in students who look different from you and express it in different ways? We know that leadership is expressed differently, so it is important to check where we fall short in our understanding.âÂ
You can hear more of this conversation with Adama on the Redpoint Podcast!Â
Book recommendations:
Dangerous Jesus by Kevin “KB” Burgess
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs w/ Scott Kurashige
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an author, historian, journalist and founder of the Journal of Negro History, launched the first Negro History Week in February 1926. The week originally occurred during the second week of February to coincide with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and that of Frederick Douglas (February 14), both of which were dates Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.
Dr. Woodson was the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University (W.E.B. Du Bois was the first), and is known as the father of Black history. He wanted to see the teaching of the history of Black Americans in the nationâs public schools, particularly to African American children. Negro History Week later became nationally recognized as Black History Month in the mid-1970s, partially due to efforts at Kent State University in Ohio.
As a result of these and other efforts, many are now aware of the African (American) contribution to the wealth in this nation as well as numerous scientific, cultural, and literary contributions that all Americans benefit from today. And, African Americans continue to make remarkable contributions in every sector of American life through economic progress, culture, religion, and the arts. This needs to be celebratedâand not just in February.
A Vineyard USA Conference that thoughtfully discussed race, gender, reconciliation, and the multiethnic church while moving us intentionally toward being the Beloved Community.
====
Born and raised in Davenport, IA, she was introduced to the Vineyard movement in 2012, graduated from high school in 2014, and then entered college on a full-ride scholarship for Music Education. While attending college she (and others around her) felt God’s leadership call on her life, and she made the decision to leave school and accept a job offer from her home church at the young age of 19. Alex has been the worship pastor at the Vineyard Church of Davenport ever since. This was a big âyesâ to the Lord, and while there have been some hard moments, she loves being in ministry and is grateful for where the Lord has placed her.
Other âyesesâ she regularly gives include sharing the words the Lord lays on her heart for others, speaking up and engaging in the hard conversations that she knows will bring health and growth to her church and relationships, and holding fast to the path that the Lord is leading her on. Alex has seen a lot of growth in herself through being intentional with asking questions of those around her who have been leading with integrity and courage for a long time and says that being a part of the Black Pastors and Leaders Association has been a special connection, as it provides a safe place to process and learn from people who have a similar cultural experience.
Alex is passionate about leading people into the presence of God at her local church and with the broader Vineyard movement. She has worked with Vineyard Worship for several years and was a featured voice on Vineyard Soul: Generous God, Breathe In, Sing Out, and she will also appear on other anticipated Vineyard Worship releases in 2023.
Gary says, âThe theology Jesus presents in the Bible is not a theoretical theology, it is a practical theology. It is a Kingdom theology where we get in the middle of the mess; we pray, and we get involved. We get our hands dirty in order to see the Kingdom come. That is the passion of my life. I am not a leader in name or title only. I donât care about the position; I care about âIs this world being transformed? Is Luke 4:18 a reality?â If the poor, sick, marginalized, and incarcerated are not a part of our theology, our gospel message, and our actions, if weâre not actually impacting the lives of those people, then I believe we have a false faith, a counterfeit Christianity.â
Gary currently serves as Lead Pastor of the Mercy Vineyard Church in Minneapolis, MN where they are serving local schools, partnering with food distribution services to end local childhood hunger, supporting local children who have a parent currently incarcerated, and getting involved in community life throughout the Twin Cities to have a Kingdom impact. âThe Gospel is the only way to make lasting change and transformation. There are thousands of nonprofits trying to fix problems. Without the Gospel, theyâre putting bandaids on things that need to be surgically repaired.â
His encouragement to Black pastors and leaders in the Vineyard is to not give up. âWe have something to offer this challenged country, and in the moments of unsettled racial tension in our nation. Stay the course, but always stand up and advocate for yourself.â His encouragement to those who are not Black is to give voice to those who are Black in your congregation. âWe need more than just allies, we need advocates.â
Gary is the husband of the beautiful LeKita Scott Dawkins and father to the brilliant Grace. They love cooking together and playing Monopoly. He earned his MBA degree from Syracuse University and Master of Communications Management from Morgan State University, a Historically Black University (HBCU).
© 2025 Vineyard USA. VineyardUSA.org features voices of many speakers, authors, and contributors. Read full disclaimer.