Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwyn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Pastor Samuel Casey, Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement and Founding Senior Shepherd of New Life Christian Church. Thank you so much for being here, Pastor Casey.
Pastor Samuel Casey
Absolutely, it's a treat to be here.
Maya Gwynn
Every pastor has a unique journey into ministry. What was the moment or experience that made you realize you were called to lead in this kind of way?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Oh, wow. After 30 years in ministry, and in hindsight, I can look back and say, I've never not been a leader. Either negatively or possibly, but thanks be unto God that it's led to a road of great positivity. My earliest memory of knowing that God had his hand on my life - probably about five or six years old. I remember even at the age of 13 or 14 in junior high school, Henry Clay Junior High School in Los Angeles, California, sensing God's voice and presence on my life.
Maya Gwynn
Did you have a mentor, someone to look that you got that from?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Yeah, I grew up in the church. Come from a family of preachers. My grandmother probably was my greatest advocate in preparing me for Sunday school. Growing up in the church, you know certain pastors and men who have come into my life, but at the age of 18 is when I finally submitted to the call.
Maya Gwynn
That's young, very young. The black church has historically been at the forefront of social justice movements in today's climate. How do you see the role of the church in addressing racial justice, economic disparities and political engagement?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Historically, the black church has been the moral compass and voice and really, conscience for this nation, and I believe that it still has a pivotal role to play in being a prophetic voice and speaking truth to power. Unfortunately, the black church has gone through a number of iterations, and now is really trying to find his voice from that wave of the faith movement and the wave of the prosperity gospel, and now it is my prayer that we would get back to our center and roots and being the voice of not only conscious and voice, but really that push because the rise of injustice and the voices that stood up in the black church, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen in the AME Church, the voices of Nat Turner as bad of a rap he gets, he was a gospel preacher. Most people wanted to point to Dr. King's great speeches, but at the end of the day, Dr. King was a black Baptist preacher. And it was those voices, and let's not leave out the voices of the women, black women, who led in this movement, specifically in the church. That's what's not spoken of a lot. Yeah, everyone thought it was black men, but really it was black women, too, side by side, standing and calling for justice and reflecting and representing a God who's a God of justice. Yeah, the black church has a pivotal role still to play.
Maya Gwynn
Younger generations, especially like Millennials and Gen Z, are turning to therapy, which I feel like has always had a weird relationship with the church for some reason, and maintaining mental health with their faith, and some people leaving. How can the church better support mental health? Or in what ways do you feel it's been doing so all along?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Absolutely. Listen, I had to evolve. Just pray about it. Yeah, fast and pray. That is true. We can take all things to the altar, but there's some things we also need to take to the couch. And I'm a strong proponent of mental wellness, mental health, and the scriptures and prayer and meditation, but definitely we've got to do a better job of promoting mental wellness, specifically in the black church context. We've not always talked about it. I have two therapists in our congregation. We do a Mental Health Monday every third Monday of the month. For Women's History Month, we did a session where we did, like a podcast style sermon, going through a book called Entitled. And I can't think of the author's name, but the book essentially talks about thriving, tending to the garden of your soul, and really talking about those kinds of issues that people are not only suffering from what we classify in the Word of God, and what the word talks about is sin, yeah, but there are rippling effects because of sin affect us, mentally, emotionally, physically and certainly spiritually.
Maya Gwynn
Definitely. What made you evolve, which allows you to do that?
Pastor Samuel Casey
What really made me evolve was the fact that my family and I had had a moment we had to go get counseling, and it was counseling which saved not only my life, but saved my family. And if I'm honest, I probably need to go sit on the couch. And really, there's a young brother who used to be engaged in the work of COPE, the organization that the Lord has allowed me to steward now some 25/26 years. And he came into the office one day and he said, “Pastor Casey, just tell me if this is what it's like - Yeah, I’ll say his name. Robert Gordon, young man, saved my life. It really opened my eyes, because [he said], “I just want to know, because the pace you're keeping is unhealthy, and I just need to know how to emotionally, mentally prepare myself, if this is how this work is going to be.” When he left my office, I literally cried because I realized we've equated - specifically my generation and probably the generation before me – busyness as success. You know, in this generation - we going on vacation, we catching flights. So I'm being more intentional. I'm not there yet. So let me be honest, being more intentional of being okay with not being so busy.
Maya Gwynn
That was beautifully said. We're gonna move into our rapid-fire portion. So just the first thing that comes to your mind. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Pastor Samuel Casey
“Ready or not, here I come. You can't hide.”
Maya Gwynn
Yeah, The Fugees. I was expecting a church song, but I like that.
Pastor Samuel Casey
Listen, if it was a church song, listen: “If anyone should ever write my life story, Jesus is the best thing that ever happened.”
Maya Gwynn
That's amazing. If you had to teach a master class or give a TED Talk about a random skill you have, besides preaching, what would it be?
Pastor Samuel Casey
How to raise pigs.
Maya Gwynn
Okay, you did that in LA?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Absolutely. I was the president of the Future Farmers of America Club at my high school. Saved my life. Little redhead teacher, Miss Heidi, shout out to her. Saved my life and high school career. I wouldn't have graduated without that program.
Maya Gwynn
That's amazing. And what's your favorite IE restaurant or a landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Wow. It's no longer here. And I'm upset. There used to be a restaurant on East Street called Mardi Gras. Had the best shrimp and grits, fried catfish and just Cajun food. My feelings are hurt, and whoever owns that restaurant, come back.
Maya Gwynn
And how can people keep up with you and support you?
Pastor Samuel Casey
Visit us at www.copesite.org. New Life Christian Church, www.new-lifecc.org. As a matter of fact, you can catch up with us on Sunday mornings at 10 am 7347 Juniper Ave and we're moving real soon to our new location in San Bernardino. Yes, New Life is moving to San Bernardino. 16th Street, Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1601 West, 16th Street in San Bernardino, California.
Maya Gwynn
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here today.
Pastor Samuel Casey
Oh thank you. Oh, man, that was really easy.
Maya Gwynn
Pastor Samuel Casey is Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement and Founding Senior Shepherd of New Life Christian Church. Support for this segment comes from the Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments and black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn. Thank you.
