Bulletin: Rev. Joseph B. Barlow Passes

From 1997-2003, he served as the first president of MOSES,

— Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength  a Gamaliel Foundation affiliate, part of MI Voice.

“As insignificant as little snowflakes are,

when they get together, look out. Wherever there is unity, there is power.” Rev. Joseph B. Barlow

 Rev. Barlow was SVI's banquet speaker 10th Annual Banquet (See Below)

Home Going Services for Rev. Joseph Barlow Jr.

Viewing: Friday, July 25th from 12 noon -8pm, Family Hour: Saturday, July 26th 10:30am - 11:00am, Funeral: 11:00 am , Mt. Zion MBC, 3936 12th Street, Ecorse Michigan 48229



Please keep his family and congregation in your prayers.

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Banquet speaker brings message of unity “As insignificant as little snowflakes are,

when they get together, look out. Wherever there is unity, there is power.” Rev. Joseph B. Barlow

HERMITAGE 5/7/04

By Cary Snyder

Herald Staff Writer

The Shenango Valley Initiative received a simple yet direct message at its 10th Anniversary Banquet: Togetherness. That one word, delivered by the Rev. Joseph B. Barlow Jr., keynote speaker and pastor of the Mt. Zion M i s s i o n a r y Baptist Church in Ecorse, Mich., is particularly essential to an organization comprised of 17 area church congregations representing various religious sects.

“I’ve come this evening with one message,” Rev. Barlow told the crowd at Normandy Banquet Center in the Hickory VFW that included business leaders, local government officials and community religious leaders. “You can make a difference.” In order to make that difference, Rev. Barlow said the group must band together, noting that any significant movement in United States history was done “by individuals who came together as a group.” “It matters not what church you’re from,” Rev. Barlow said, “if I need a building built, can you use a spade?”

Barlow’s congregation outside of Detroit is in the midst of building a multi-million dollar center that will extend beyond the walls of the church.  

“We’re concerned about the total community,” the Rev. Barlow said. “It’s not enough to be concerned with one segment of the community.” That mantra fits the goals of the SVI, which seeks to work with schools, businesses and the local government to improve the overall quality of life in the valley, including reducing crime and drug abuse.

In introducing Rev. Barlow, the Rev. Ralph Newell, vice president of SVI, dared Rev. Barlow “to challenge us to be better than we are.” To drive his point home, Rev. Barlow told the fictitious tale of a pastor who collected a few falling snowflakes in his hand and crushed them. As a small, separate entity, the snowflakes were powerless to defend themselves.

But overnight, Rev. Barlow said, the snowflakes banded together and asked for 24 inches of them to be dumped on the pastor’s house, commanding attention through the snow plows and shoveling that needed to be done to sweep them away. “As insignificant as little snowflakes are, when they get together, look out,” Barlow said. “Wherever there is unity, there is power.”  

Rev. Barlow is entering his 43rd year as pastor of his congregation. From 1997-2003, he served as the first president of MOSES — Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength — a sister organization of SVI and one of 50 nationwide

under the umbrella of The Gamaliel Foundation, based in Chicago. In his time with MOSES, Barlow met with former President Bill Clinton and Vice- President Al Gore and established working relationships with Michigan state officials. “I would like to challenge you,” Rev. Barlow told the audience. “You’ve heard a very famous person remark that that individual is a self-made man. There is no self-made man. There may be some God-made men.” Along with his faith, Rev. Barlow pulled himself up from a humble childhood on an Alabama farm that was destroyed on two occasions by high water and a tornado, forcing him to drop out of school at age 14 to help support his family of 10. 

Each of the member SVI congregations pay annual dues to the Initiative, which is also funded by grants and public donations, all for the purpose of, in the words of SVI President Dr. Thomas Hawkins, “to develop grass-roots leadership issues for the community.”  For more information on the Shenango Valley Initiative, call 724-981-0240 or e-mail svi1@verizon.net

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Meeting on December 3rd was by invitation: See what 10,000FRIENDS are doing....

Shenango Valley Initiative Banquet

Many thanks to those attending and the great speech from Tim Potts, PA. Democracy Rising. Follow the URL below for current information from Tim Potts

It happened! Thanks!

Thursday, May 10, 2007, Radisson Hotel, West Middlesex, PA, 6:30 PM

Theme...Democracy Rising

Speaker: Tim Potts

more....

Thanks for those banks that supported this event, and to the participants!

(Look for future seminars...)

Home Owners Seminar

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Where? Farrell City Building, 6:00 PM ...

See Flier