Pope Leo XIV Discovers #ThePentecostProject

FACT OR OPINION: #NoPoverty2030 is #MissionPossible  (John 14:14)

Africa includes 20% of the Catholics of the entire planet and is characterized by a highly dynamic spread of the Catholic Church. The number of Catholics increased from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023, with a relative variation of +3.31%. The Democratic Republic of Congo confirms its first-place position for the number of baptized Catholics, with almost 55 million, followed by Nigeria with 35 million; Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya also register significant figures.  Photo Clubs of Mozambique

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

#ThePentecostProject April 14, 2026 (1516 days to June 9, 2030), Alkebulan -- Pope Leo XIV is the first pope of documented African descent to visit “The Birthplace of Humankind” while serving as pope.  His historic Apostolic Journey, a term used by the Roman Catholic Church, structures the “Holy Father’s” visit outside Vatican City for pastoral, diplomatic, and missionary purposes.  But, for the first U.S. born Bishop of Rome, this four-nation #LearningJourney may signal reality of the future church as well as the Global Village. “You must be born again.”

The Gospel truth about Alkebulan navigates a circular path from the words, “IN THE BEGINNING” to a modern-day, logical choice, “CHAOS OR COMMUNITY?”  Most modern scholars place the church’s beginning around AD 33, based on the timeline of Jesus’ life and ministry.  Before the church became the church, the Romans used “Africa” to name their first North African province, Africa Proconsularis, after defeating Carthage in 146 BCE. At that time, Rome was pagan; the Catholic Church and the papacy did not yet exist in an institutional sense.

Ancestral Intelligence (AI) has not yet confirmed the existence of a pope who is clearly documented as “Black” in the modern racial sense. The pope most often referred to as the first Black pope is Pope Victor I (reigned c. 189–199 CE), because he was African-born, making him the first African pope in history.  But, Pope Leo’s footsteps among the ruins of Hippo Regius will ultimately rediscover his spiritual father, Saint Augustine of Hippo if not the reality of #Pentecost in the Holy Spirit of #BlackJesus.

Good morning! As-salamu alaykum!

#ThePentecostProject, in the spirit of the Free African Society, is a Spirit-led, community-rooted movement of self-determination, mutual care, moral formation, and public witness—organized by the people most affected, not imposed from above.

1. The Free African Society (1793): the spiritual DNA

The Free African Society (FAS)—founded by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones in Philadelphia—was:

·         Voluntary: free Black people organizing themselves

·         Mutual-aid centered: care for the sick, burial of the dead, aid for widows and orphans

·         Spiritually grounded: Christian faith expressed through action

·         Self-governing: refusal to be controlled by institutions that demeaned Black dignity

·         Publicly accountable: moral authority rooted in service during crisis (e.g., the 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic)

 

Key principle:  Faith becomes credible when oppressed people organize their own care, voice, and witness. This is the lens through which to read #ThePentecostProject.

 

2. Pentecost (Acts 2): the theological parallel

Pentecost is not hierarchy descending—it is community ignited:

·         The Spirit falls on ordinary people

·         Many languages are spoken without being erased

·         Authority comes from witness, not office

·         The result is sharing, care, and common life

In Acts 2:42–47, the marks of Spirit-filled life mirror the FAS:

·         Mutual aid

·         Shared resources

·         Public trust

·         Growth rooted in justice and joy

 

3. What #ThePentecostProject means in this spirit

Seen through the Free African Society, #ThePentecostProject is not a campaign; it is a method of liberation by communion.

A. Community-first, not institution-first

Like the FAS, this Pentecost vision:

·         Begins with people organizing themselves

·         Honors lived experience as theological data

·         Treats mutual care as sacred work

·         Pentecost is measured by whether people eat, heal, bury, teach, and protect one another.

B. Self-determination with spiritual legitimacy

The FAS did not ask permission to exist.

Likewise, #ThePentecostProject (in this spirit) insists that:

·         Communities may name their own needs

·         They can speak for themselves

·         Their faith does not require validation from dominance structures

·         This is apostolic authority from below.

 

C. Storytelling as sacred witness

The FAS created institutions so Black lives could be seen, valued, and remembered.

#ThePentecostProject does the same when it:

·         Centers marginalized voices

·         Treats testimony as theology

·         Shares “the mighty works of God” through lived struggles

 

4. Africa and the African Diaspora as Pentecostal teachers

In FAS spirit, Africa is not a recipient—it is a teacher.

Africa and the diaspora understand faith as:

·         Communal

·         Embodied

·         Rhythmic

·         Resilient under domination

That is why this Pentecost framing:

·         Resists respectability politics

·         Honors joy amid suffering

·         Treats survival and care as spiritual genius

·         Much like the FAS, the community becomes the catechism.

5. Organizational ethics: what this Pentecost avoids

In the Free African Society spirit, #ThePentecostProject refuses:

·         Top-down “empowerment” without power-sharing

·         Visibility without material care

·         Spiritual language divorced from justice

·         Inclusion that demands assimilation

Pentecost without liberation is Babel in religious dress.

6. What this calls forth today

·         Practically, #ThePentecostProject (in the FAS spirit) looks like:

·         Mutual-aid networks with spiritual grounding

·         Faith communities organizing their own schools, funds, care circles

·         Lay authority rooted in service

·         Multilingual, multi-cultural worship without hierarchy of worth

·         Public moral witness during crisis (health, migration, violence, climate)

 

Not slogans—structures of care.

Final integration

The Free African Society teaches us how Pentecost behaves under oppression.

It does not wait. It organizes. It cares. It testifies. It becomes church.

 

Count on a $6 trillion #BlackJesus Trust

 “If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.” #BlackJesus John 14:13 ICB

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, February 8, 2026, Maputo, Mozambique  -- U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration is moving the world’s 2.4 billion followers of Jesus The Christ closer than ever to God’s purpose for their existence. 

At the heart of manifest destiny was a gross misperception of racial superiority.  Just governments rightfully commend the obedience, loyalty, support, and defense of all Christian men and women they control and protect.  The Right Reverend Jeffrey N. Leath, 128th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, has cautioned his church’s institutional voice to seek substantive change from a shrinking dollar. “

·         We Have Capable Leaders in Districts 14-20

·        We want to decide for ourselves (leaders and governance structures)

·        We need/want Development Financial Support, but we have some resources without it.

·        We need a different Episcopal District Configuration (Zambia)

Fiduciary Trustees for Free African Society for the 21^st Century (FAS2) call on advocates and antagonists for church reform to assess generational needs through a $100 m seed for ending poverty.  FAS2 seeks to leverage equity in a $6 trillion asset to partner on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1, #NoPoverty2030 in Alkebulan.

The Historic Black Church, evolving from Philadelphia society, assimilated racist values into their divine rights to perpetuate perception of their inferiority.  Each February, historically disadvantaged believers honor founders to include Richard Allen and Absolom Jones for a vision to carry out the spirit of #BlackJesus. 

Young Adult followers are poised to assume responsibility for leveraging newly discovered assets for their ecosystem’s sustained development.  The Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC), scheduled for “convergence” at this year’s gathering of the Global Development Council, sets hope for  multi-generational trust.

RAYAC’s Black History report to the church of Richard Allen can repair and restore followers to their manifest destiny

In Revelation 3:7-8 ICB - To the Church in Philadelphia  The spirit of the original Free African Society acknowledges the church's deeds, stating, "I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name" (Revelation 3:8).

The letter to the church promises protection and vindication. Jesus assures them that He will keep them from the hour of trial that is coming upon the world (Revelation 3:10). He also promises that the one who overcomes will be made a pillar in the temple of God, signifying stability and honor in His presence.

Heirs of Salvation here and throughout State of African Diaspora (SOAD) can sing a new song for repair and reconciliation.  With almost 350 million people, the African Diaspora equals the THIRD COUNTRY in the world after China and India, but greater than The United States of America (323 million), Indonesia (258 million) and Brazil (205 million).

The African Diaspora is derived from two main waves of migration:

- The first is related to the deportation of Africans in the context of the slave trade, whether it is the Eastern Trade (from the 7th to the beginning of the 20th century), or the Western Trade (from the 15th to the 19th century). The descendants of these populations are still living today in countries like Yemen or Iraq, or The United States of America and Brazil, for example.

-The second wave is an economic migration that pushed the African population to Europe, since the twentieth century, especially after 1945. These are African descendants in France or the UK, but also in many other countries of the world. 

The Covenant

In 2004, the AME Church made a major commitment to Indigenous Leadership with an unprecedented election of three bishops who were born in overseas districts (Districts 14-20). The intent was sealed with a document:

Persons born outside of the USA would serve areas of their birth. Yet, the understanding of those elected was not clear in terms of their having made an active, career long obligation.

ARTICLES OF RELIGION  23. OF THE RULERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  

The President, the Congress, the General Assemblies, the Governors, and the Councils of State, as the delegates of the people, are the rulers of the United States of America, according to the division of power made to them by the Constitution of the United States, and by the constitution of their respective states and the Councils of States delegates of the people, are the rulers of the United States of America, and by the Constitutions of their respective States. And the said states are a sovereign and independent nation, and ought not to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction.

It is acknowledged that the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the United States. However, the African Methodist Episcopal Church is an international Christian body with constituents around the world, and a Christian witness that is both parochial and global. Article 23 presumes the duty, loyalty and patriotism of our constituents, as citizens of sovereign nations, to obey just laws, to recognize and respect the organizational structure, and to uphold the Constitution of the country or nation-state in which our members hold the rights and privileges of citizenship. Further, obedience to Civil Government is one of the principle duties of all persons, and was honored by our Lord and His Apostles. Though differing in form and policy, all just governments rightfully commend the obedience, loyalty, support, and defense of all Christian men and women they control and protect.

Can UNSDG’s #BlackJesus Partnership End Poverty?

“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’ Matthew 25:31-46 ICB

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, February 4, 2026, Maputo, Mozambique  --  Faith Leaders are set to gather here to “carry out the spirit of the original Free African Society.”  The youngest disciples of #BlackJesus should reasonably expect “substance of things hoped for” where they live, learn, work and or worship.

Fiduciary Trustees for The Free African Society (FAS2) have called on church reform advocates to assess generational needs through a $100 m seed for ending poverty. 

UNICEF reports that around 13 million children—77% of all children in Mozambique—live in monetary poverty, multidimensional poverty, or both. Two or more followers from Generations A and Z are awaiting a word from their institutional voice to confirm a promise, “if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you.” 

Black Church leaders believe Trump‑era foreign policy influenced poverty in Sub‑Saharan Africa through several mechanisms: foreign aid changes, trade uncertainties, immigration restrictions, geopolitical shifts (especially U.S.–China competition), and security policy adjustments. These factors collectively impacted economic conditions, social services, governance stability, and humanitarian needs.

According to The Christian Recorder, The Global Development Council  promotes the development of African Methodism in Districts 14–20 and serves as an institutional voice to the larger Connectional Church. 

African Methodism refers to the family of historic Black Methodist denominations that emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when African Americans, facing discrimination in white‑controlled Methodist churches, formed independent religious bodies grounded in Methodist theology, Wesleyan practice, and Black self‑governance.

In part, the “larger Connectional Church” may share responsibility for today’s effects of European colonialization throughout Alkebulan.   Estate attorneys are reviewing causes and effects of imposing European values on Free Africans.   Black History goes way back beyond the 1600s slave trade to  Noah’s Manifest Destiny.  

Findings from the African Union’s Year of Reparations offer evidence of change to traditional attitudes toward global development.   International recognition of the AU’s sixth region including the African Diaspora presents an emerging reality about estate values related to wills and trusts.

As conveners prepare for the February 18-20, 2026 gathering, the African Methodist Episcopal Church is considering structural changes, including closing the current Department of Retirement Services by July 31, 2028, as part of reforms tied to the lawsuit.  Substantive reform for the historic Black Church in the U.S. may ultimately serve as a foundation for global repair.

U.S. settlement in the matter of the missing preacher pension funds follows the discovery that a large portion of the fund—ultimately around $88–90 million—had been lost due to embezzlement and improper investment management by one former head of Retirement Services, who died in 2024.  But, further investigation of ponzi schemes may reveal patterns of corruption yet to be disclosed in the history of Free Africans in North America.

Here is a clear, well‑sourced overview of Rosa Parks, the iconic American civil rights activist.

 

Rosa Parks — Life, Legacy, and Impact

Who Was Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks (born February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama) was an American civil rights activist whose refusal to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus in 1955 became a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement.

Known as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” she played a central role in challenging racial segregation and inspiring mass protest across the United States.

Early Life

Born Rosa Louise McCauley to James and Leona McCauley.

Grew up in Pine Level, Alabama, where she attended segregated schools.

Experienced racial discrimination from a young age, shaping her commitment to justice.

  The Montgomery Bus Incident (1955)

On December 1, 1955, after a long workday, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery city bus.

Her refusal was an act of quiet, deliberate resistance, not a matter of physical fatigue.

She stated she was “tired of giving in,” not tired from work. [liheapch.acf.gov]

Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a 381‑day mass protest that:

Fueled the rise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a national leader

Led to the Supreme Court ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional

 Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Rosa Parks was not a random seamstress unaware of activism:

She was already an organizer, investigator, and secretary for the Montgomery NAACP.

She worked on cases involving racial violence and voting rights. [census.gov]

Her activism extended beyond Montgomery:

After the boycott, she moved to Detroit and continued civil rights, political, and community work.

She advocated for political prisoners, youth empowerment, and continued activism through the 1990s. [liheapch.acf.gov]

Later Life and Legacy

Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005, in Detroit. [census.gov]

She is honored as one of the most significant figures in American history for her courage, conviction, and lifelong commitment to equality.

Today, her birthday (February 4) is commemorated in places like Maryland as Transit Equity Day, honoring her contribution to transportation justice and civil rights.