African American Leadership Conference
Raising Up African American Leaders to Impact the University, the Marketplace, and the World
“Now is the time.”
Was the first event held specifically for African American students in Chi Alpha. It was a rich time of worship, prophetic words, and intense work of the Holy Spirit. Over 80 attended this historic event, including Chi Alpha’s National Director, Rev. Dennis Gaylor and the chair of the National Diversity Initiative, Rev. Mark Briley. Speakers included Rev. Todd Lucas, Ms. Sadell Bradley, and Rev. Dale Crall.
I’m already praying about strategic ways to do African American outreach during Black History Month. This conference has reignited a fire in my heart and hope in my spirit for ALL OUT REVIVAL in our community. Thanks Belkis for your vision and thanks to those that attended for believing! One word…HISTORIC!
God gives us the “inception” of an idea, it’s great to see the inception become manifestation and drop seeds into hearts that will bear fruit. That what the conference was. Had an awesome time in worship and fellowship. What we witnessed was the birth of a baby that will grow and begin to mature and become more diverse in it’s language, more powerful in its delivery, more confident in who its becoming and deliberate in its reach. look forward to the coming radical change.
I had no expectations for this conference but if I had set any this conference would have surpassed them all! I gained so much knowledge and understanding about blacks in the bible, our society and culture, and how to reach our society and culture. It was incredible to see so many African American students, adults, whites, etc on fire for God. I will never forget this first African American Leadership Conference. I want to to thank Steve and Belkis Lehmann, Todd Locas, Sadell Bradley, and Dale Crall for being people after Gods’ Heart and setting the stage for all the chi alpha students and showing us what it truly looks like to follow Christ!
I thought SALT was great as a whole, but the AALC was definitely a major highlight for me. God really spoke to me about identity and the kingdom versus culture message was really impactful. I realised that I need to live for God’s Kingdom at the forefront of my life, and that my heritage is an asset to furthering His kingdom, not a hindrance. I’m really thankful to all those who worked on putting the AALC together. It was a major success.
The AALC was just an mind-boggling experience that I will never forget. The emphasis about the Kingdom vs Culture and the call to lead really impacted my perspective of being missional to African Americans at my university. The quote, “Don’t place culture over Kingdom” was powerful!! When stepping out to share the gospel or reaching out to invite African Americans to Chi Alpha services, we shouldn’t let the culture differences hinder us from being missional. It’s about reconciling our brothers and sisters to Christ through the power of the gospel. If we do our part by stepping out on God’s grace, God will do His part by drawing them to a relationship with Him. The quote” God is giving us the grace to lead this generation and everything available to do the will of God” was an awesome push to stand up to the call to lead!
I have learned so much at the Leadership conference and also help me grow as a Black man and help me be an better witness in the African American community. And proud of my hearitage .
SALT itself was amazing but the AALC really spoke to me the most. Everything from worship to the messages were FANTASTIC! I learned a new level of the orphan spirit & hidden areas of the heart which helped me deal with a lot of personal issues in my life; in addition to Blacks in the Bible, I’ve heard it once before but I got so much more information from it this time. I plan to take what I’ve learned from here and pray for even more strategic ways to reach the African American community during February. I enjoyed AALC so much & look forward to attending more in the future! Thanks the Lord for his heart and vision for AALC!
I have so been moved and changed by AALC. I gained so much knowledge from the speakers and their heartfelt passion for what they were communicating was undeniably transferable to the hearers. God has begun to place specific things in my heart to bind and loose, through prayer, in our African American community and my family specifically. This was a wonderful beginning. The beginning for many more conferences intentionally targeting our community. The beginning for those of us that attended the conference to respond to the call that has been placed before us. Thank you so much for kicking this off!
I am still excited about what God and the saints did at the AALC conference this year. The AALC was a “ground breaking experience for students in the midwest that transferred a spiritual experience through to and throughout the SALT Conference. It was a vital component of God’s work for the ministry and will be expected to continue in the many years to come. I enjoyed the all star line up of leaders and speakers who all made considerable contributions. The anointing was certainly in the conference with the atomoshere being set and transformed for healings, blessings and knowledge of the gospel. I saw and learned much and was engaged in the entire conference. At the conclusion of the conference I had a good sense of fullness and thankfulness. I look forward to attending next time. “
I had a wonderful time the AALC. The messages were great. It really was eye opening. I touched on a lot of things that were hard subjects to talk about, some hit close to home, but needed to be said. It broke a lot of bonds that the enemy was trying to hold m down with. It also gave me confidence as an African American believer. Dispelling the myths that had been spoken over my life my other people, and even by my AA culture classes instructor, and empowering me as a believer in Christ.
I wished everyone at SALT could have heard the message and experienced it.
By GOD’s Grace, I will look past the hard exterior of some African-Americans and seek to love them with the Love of Christ. GOD has helped me to realize that past experiences deeply influence an individual’s present choices and behaviors but asking those “5 Whys?” will allow me to discern my people’s true need and grant me the ability to understand and have response-ability. Thank you JESUS and thank you to every single person who served, prayed, gave, and attended!
GOD BLESS!
This conference has opened my eyes to learning more about the history of black people in the Bible, as well as how man’s prejudice has tried to “whiten” history over the years. The Lord spoke to me to take an African American studies class this semester, and I am learning even more! I praise the Lord and am thankful for this conference, and I hope that it continues in Salt or even in its own entity for years to come!