We are a diverse, caring community committed to Jesus and His teachings on social justice and personal rebirth.
As a member of American Baptist Churches of Metro NY, we join with ABC churches in our region to nurture devoted disciples of Jesus Christ who live their lives in mission and ministry for the healing of the world through the love of God. abcmny.org
Speaker: Rev. Willa Rose Johnson
Please follow this link to join us for our archived worship, at any time.
Greenwood is seeking a part-time choir director & worship leader to lead us during our Sunday worship experience and to train and develop our choir so that it can honor God to its highest ability. This position is a twenty hour per week position, to include planning, rehearsal, staff meetings and worship services. More information about the position can be found in the attached job description. Greenwood is seeking a dynamic, faithful leader who loves God and loves people. To be considered for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter, to gbccdsearch at gmail.com, explaining why you feel called to this role. We sincerely thank you for your interest.
Greenwood is seeking a part-time church office administrator to coordinate our operations and communications. This person will prioritize administration of church activities, internal and external communications, office management, and oversight of facility usage. Greenwood seeks a person of vibrant faith and excellent interpersonal skills who, in addition to managing the operations of the church, can work well with a diverse group of people and help create a welcoming atmosphere in our church home. To be considered for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter to gbcofficesearch at gmail.com explaining why you feel called to this role. We sincerely thank you for your interest.
Download the follow up including a letter from Trustee Chair Jay Gromek regarding use of the lower level and notes from Pastor Willa.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 8:38-39 —
October 24, 1961 – January 30, 2018
Greenwood Baptist Church
461 6th Street at 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Light refreshments and fellowship
will follow in the Chapel
Rev. Dr. Ernest H. Jones was born on October 24, 1961 in Detroit, Michigan to the late Ernest and Minnie Ree (Robertson) Jones. He graduated from Southeastern High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1985.
Dr. Jones gave his life to Christ as an adolescent, and by the age of 12 was a licensed preacher. For over 40 years, he devoted his life to the Gospel ministry.
He received his Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton, Massachusetts in 1989. In 1994, Dr. Jones became the first African American to assume an executive level position with the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, serving as Church Missions Director. In 1998, Dr. Jones was called to serve as the Senior Pastor of the Greenwood Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Under his pastorate, the church experienced increased spiritual vitality, repositioning itself as a community-based congregation for 21st century ministry.
Dr. Jones served as the region’s Executive Minister of The American Baptist Churches of Ohio, beginning in 2016.
In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Dr. Jones enjoyed spending time with his family and was an avid reader. He liked to watch sci-fi movies and enjoyed astronomy. He was an excellent baker, baking delicious rolls and sweet potato pies. He was tech savvy, enjoyed playing golf, loved to sing, and enjoyed learning the piano and guitar.
He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Denise S. Jones, whom he married on August 10, 1985; a son, Adam H. (Sieara) Jones; a daughter, Candace A. Jones; a brother Johnny; five sisters, Mary, Viola, Mary Ernestine, Joyce, and Deborah.
He was preceded in death by his parents and older brother, Alexander. He also leaves behind a plethora of nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made in In Dr. Jones’s name to ABC Ohio or to The Foundation for Hospice of Central Ohio, Post Office Box 430, Newark, Ohio 43058.
After a lengthy, disciplined search process that was prayerful and Spirit-led, the Pulpit Committee unanimously and enthusiastically recommends Reverend Willa Rose Johnson — aka “Pastor Willa” — to become the next Pastor of Greenwood Church.
As you will see below, Pastor Willa is a very accomplished person, but what really struck the Committee is her engaging personality and her love for the Church. She is smart, articulate, outgoing, knowledgeable, visionary, insightful, decisive, entrepreneurial, humble and joyful. Most importantly, she loves Jesus… and she can preach. Repeatedly, she spoke to us of her passion for worship and building community. The Committee believes Pastor Johnson will lead Greenwood on an exciting and expansionary next chapter in its long and storied journey.
Born and raised in rural Georgia, Pastor Willa has a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Dartmouth College and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. Prior to seminary, she was a Community Organizer at the Gamaliel Foundation, where she used her fluency in Spanish to support the civil rights of immigrants, developing a 13-state campaign and conducting leadership training in both Spanish and English.
While in seminary at Union Theological in New York City, Pastor Willa secured a much-sought-after internship at First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC), a growing, thriving multi-ethnic congregation in Harlem. Also at Union, Pastor Willa received multiple awards, including the Maxwell Fellowship for Promise of Excellence in Parish Ministry and the Wyn Write Prize for Biblical Languages.
Upon completion of her divinity degree, Pastor Willa stayed on at FCBC as the Pastor for Programming and Community Engagement. Her responsibilities included coordinating the church’s 21 innovative ministries (among them, several that she created), as well as designing and conducting leadership-development training for the church’s ministry leaders. She also managed FCBC ordinances such as weddings, funerals, baptisms and baby dedications, officiating at these ceremonies and providing premarital guidance and pastoral care for grieving families. She also preached regularly, working closely with FCBC musicians to plan and lead worship.
In the course of checking Pastor Willa’s (enthusiastic) references, the Pulpit Committee came across some great quotes about her that we’d like to share. Pastor Willa’s references described her as “deeply spiritual” and “their resident Jesus freak.” They said she is a “strong prayer warrior” with a “disciplined practice” who has shown “charity and poise.” She is a “great leader” and “people love her.” She “sets expectations, gets it done and can execute and lead.” She has the ability to “gather people around her, develop teams, identify talent, follow through and mobilize the people around her.”
The Pulpit Committee is very excited for the congregation to meet Pastor Willa next weekend.
Join us in getting to know our Pastor Willa at the following fellowship and informational events. All events are at Greenwood unless otherwise noted.
Please Note:
Friday, February 2
6:00-9:30pm – Women’s gathering at the Gromek’s (Map)
Saturday, February 3
9:30-10:30am – Men’s Coffee Klatch
10:30am-12:00pm – Missions & Christian Ed
12:00-1:00pm – Worship Committee
1:00-2:30pm – Deacons & Trustees
6:00-8:30pm – Family Night at the Littleton’s (Map)
Sunday, February 4
10:30am – Morning Worship
12:30-2:00pm – Fellowship Meal
2:00-3:00pm – Congregational Town Hall
Wednesday, February 7
1:00-2:00pm – Midweek Bible Study
Greenwood Baptist Church is pleased to introduce our new interim pastor, Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Senior Vice-President for Innovations in Public Programming, Union Theological Seminary.
Prior to his appointment as Senior Vice-President at Union Seminary, Dr. Harkins served as pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC, where he led the congregation in initiatives ranging from providing health education and access, to international relief and development. Before beginning his pastorate at Nineteenth Street, Dr. Harkins served as the Senior Minister of the New Hope Baptist Church of Dallas Texas. There he served as President of the Greater Dallas Community of Churches and was a founding board member of The Dallas Leadership Foundation. In Dallas Dr. Harkins was a leading voice in the efforts toward reconciliation between the African-American and Latino communities. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Rev. Harkins was named National Director of Faith Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, and has advised the Obama Administration on a number of faith related issues.
Dr. Harkins’ ministerial career began at the Historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York where he was a seminarian intern before becoming Assistant Minister. He has been a guest lecturer on the church and social action at a number of colleges and universities including, Bucknell, Cornell, Iona College, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Formerly a Vice President with the North American Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance, Dr. Harkins continues to be engaged with a number of religious and civic organizations. He has preached and been extensively engaged in relief and development work in Rwanda, Burkina Faso, and Jamaica, and has also contributed to the work of Search for Common Ground USA, and Many Voices on the issue of marriage equality. An active voice in the debate for comprehensive immigration reform, he has worked closely with the Immigration Policy Center, and Esperanza for America to expand the combined immigration reform efforts of the African American and Hispanic communities. He has appeared in a number of media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and NPR, and has written for the Sojourners blog God’s Politics.
Dr. Harkins was a contributing author for The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama (Judson Press) He has earned a B.S. degree in Broadcasting and Film, from Boston University, a Master of Divinity degree in Church History from Union Theological Seminary, NY, and a Doctorate in Homiletics as a Proctor Booth Fellow from United Seminary, in Dayton, Ohio. He was also a Fellow with the Christian Leadership Initiative of the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, a group of scholars and leaders developing curricula and platforms for discussion that seek to address the complexities of contemporary Israel and the West Bank. He and his wife Juli are the parents of two daughters, Lauren and Shannon.
We are excited to have Rev. Harkins joining us in serving the Lord here at Greenwood and we look forward to his leadership during our time of transition.
