Nehemiah 1:3 “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”
The mission of the Brothers of Cyrene is to unite God’s people around the common cause of confronting the deteriorating spiritual conditions in our society. We address these conditions by planting fundamental, independent, autonomous, Baptist churches in our communities and neighborhoods with consistent emphasis on soul winning, preaching, praying, teaching, discipleship, and education.
Our society is in “great affliction.” The Black community, in particular, is at the “bleeding edge” of this affliction. These problems are perpetuated in a “Cycle of Destruction” which can be directly linked to a departure from God’s blueprint for life. This cycle begins with wholesale abandonment of God’s plan for marriage and family, and moves to a failure to embrace biblical teachings. Coupled with high drop-out rates, these deficiencies result in marginal employment opportunities, which lead to poverty, drugs and crime. The end result is a disproportionately high rate of incarceration, HIV/AIDS, health problems and mortality rates.
It was the sins of the people that provoked Nehemiah to weep, mourn, fast, pray, and most importantly act. Nehemiah gathered his resources, surveyed the extent of the problem, built a team, assigned duties, avoided distractions, and accomplished, by the power of God, that which his critics and opposition thought impossible.
As in The Book of Nehemiah, it is incumbent upon God’s people to unite for the common cause of stopping and reversing the destruction of the Black community. The “Nehemiah Initiative” is a campaign to bring together those of us who recognize our condition for what it is and who are inclined to act to stop the destruction for the glory of God.
We believe that through these efforts, using the word of truth, the power of God, and the armor of righteousness, the potential exists for the next great revival. Our scope is to build a nationwide, grassroots network of independent, autonomous Baptist churches working in fellowship towards the common goal of healing our community by the power of God.