Madam C. J. Walker was a self-made African American business woman. She was born in 1867and learned to read in Sunday school. She went from picking cotton to washing clothes, to cooking, to manufacturing hair care products. This she learned from her barber brothers. She built her business by going door to door teaching women how to care for their hair. Later, she recruited and trained 20,000 women to represent her products across the country. She died in 1919, but her legacy lives on as the first American self-made business woman. While Jesus was here he selected 12 men to serve as his apostles. His message and miracles had convinced them that Jesus was worthy to serve. So when he called them, they volunteered to be with him. We read in Mark Ch 3, “Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach.” By calling, training, and empowering these apostles, Christ’s followers have increased to nearly 3 billion people today and still counting. Recruiting and equipping reliable people to serve is still an effective growth strategy.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
