THE SANCTUARY Watford C.O.G.I.C 
 Church of God in Christ, Beechen Grove, Watford, England, UK

Black History – Sunday 20.10.2019

 

The theme for today is “Look Where God has brought us”

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Look how far we’ve come, we’re not where we ought to be, but we’re not what we used to be. Thank God for what you’ve done for me.

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I think it is important to teach Black his/her story all the time not just for one month. I encourage you to read and get a better understanding of his/her story and our legacy. Now we all know about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks but do we know about Frederick Mckinley Jones, Dr Patricia Bath, Dr Daniel Hale Williams and Garrett Morgan.

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We may or may not know these individuals, so I am going to take you on a journey. I am going to paint a day in your life.

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You get up today getting ready for church don’t want to be late or Pastor Joe will give you the Look.

This morning is a little chilly and you go to turn the heating on let me introduce you to 

Alice H Parker, she invented the heating furnace that supplied central heating for homes and buildings she registered her invention on the 23.12.1919. 

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You wonder what I shall wear for church you reach for your favourite shirt but it is still in the washing machine wet, so you quickly take it out and put it in the dryer – Let me introduce you to 

George Thomas Sampson who invented the dryer on the 7th June 1892.  Great your shirt is nice and dry but it needs a little ironing this is where Sarah Marshall Boone the inventor of the new improved iron board around 1892.  You then take out your hair and beauty products and you remember.

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Sarah Breadlove known as Madam CJ Walker.  The CJ in hr name was actually her 3rd husband’s name Charles Joseph Walker.  She was the first female millionaire of any nationality and remained so until her death in May 1919. Ladies for those who relax your hair the Relaxer System was invented by Garrett Morgan.  

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Your grandfather Bro Paisley, Ollivierre, Menza who lives with you starts shouting hurry up hurry up and get ready I am leaving for church soon. So you run out of the house as your grandfather locks the front door and puts the home security system on and you remember Marie Van Brittain Brown together with her husband Albert L Brown in 1966 invented the Home Security System – CCTV as we know it today.  Your grandfather is still moaning while driving along and it’s getting on your nervous but then you think of the pacemaker that is keeping him alive and you remember Otis Frank Boykin who invented an improved electrical resistor which is used in computers, radios, TV’s and a mechanism inside the pacemaker.  

 

Your grandmother Sister Paisley, Ollivierre, Menza tells you of her wartime stories and you like the one about the gas mask that kept her alive, and we thank Garrett Morgan who invented the gas mask.

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As you drive through the streets in Watford Town you pass Watford General Hospital and you remember Evangelist Nembhard and all the doctors and nurses who have been charged by God to look after her and your remember Daniel Hall Williams who became the 1st surgeon to successfully perform open heart surgery in 1893. 

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You notice the traffic lights and you remember Garrett Morgan who invented the traffic lights system in 1923 and later introduced it to Britain and Canada. You notice he also invented the Relax Hair System and the Gas Mask. 

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You arrive at church in good time and press for the elevator/lift, as it arrives let me introduce you to   Alexander Miles who 1887 invented the opening and closing system for elevators/lifts.

You get onto the 3rd floor and all the lights go out and you remember Lewis Howard Latymer who in 1881 improves the filament inside the light bulb creating a longer lasting light bulb.

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Sister Bev Nembhard remembers she has a lantern inside the cupboard and we learn about Michael C Harvey who in 1884 invented the lantern, first form of light.  All the church lights come back  just in time as the saints start to arrive for church.

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As you walk into church Sister Sheriann is behind you pushing her pram and you remember William H Richardson who invented the first reversible stroller/pram.

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You notice Khian and Yasmin setting up the computer for the songs. Let me introduce you to Nigerian born Dr Philip Emeagwali who invented the world’s fastest computer and in 1989  who won the Gordon Bell Prize for his invention on a high performing computer applications.

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You sit behind Deacon Geoff and Sister Geraldine Senkatuka and see them writing their cheques for tithes and offering and you remember William Purvis who invented the fountain pen.  Jordan’s sitting doing some colouring with his pencil’s which seems a bit dull, he asked his sisters Shania and Tiffany if he can use their pencil sharpener and then you remember John Lee Love who invented the pencil sharpener 1897.

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You look over in the corner Sister Karis, Bro Andrew, Bro David are setting up the music and Elder Birch takes out his guitar and we are remember Robert Fleming who invented a guitar called the euphonics.

Pastor Joe opens the service with a song and Sister Yolande, Sister Bev and Sister Maxine use their mobile phone to sing the songs and you remember Henry Thomas Sampson Jr who was an inventor and pioneer in the field of nuclear technology part of this technology is used today in modern mobile phones.  Jayana, Lalesha, Ajani are singing very loudly as the service continues you start to daydream thinking about all that lovely money you made during your summer holidays doing odd gardening jobs. Then you remember John Albert Burr in 1899 invented the rotary blade lawn mower and Joseph H Smith who in 1897 invented an improved sprinkler system.  As this summer was really hot thank goodness for Frederick Mckinley Jones who invented the refrigerator system in 1938.  

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Suddenly the fire alarm goes off and you jump from your daydream to see Mother Scarlet and Sister Doreen with a fire extinguisher going down the stairs and you remember Thomas Marshall inventor of the improved design fire extinguisher in 1872.

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Finally church ends and we gather at the back for tea and cakes, someone has made peanut butter sandwiches and crisps and you think of George W Carver  who was born into slavery and went on to become one of the most prominent scientists and inventors of his time.  He devised over 100 products using one major crop – the peanut.  George Crum born George Speck was a renowned chef in New York who in the mid 1800’s invented the potato chip or as we call it crisps.

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You leave church and your mother Sister Diane shouts get in the car and you remember learning about Frederick Douglas Patterson who in the late 1800’s joined his father in the business of making horse drawn carriages. When his father died he turned the company around and started building horseless carriages or as we know it today a CAR. His cars were built around 1902.  Frederick Douglas Patterson‘s company was the first African American owned and operated in the car manufacturing business. By 1915 his company was producing 150 cars and was far superior to the model T produced by Henry Ford.  

 

With your mother’s shouts ringing in your ears, you get into the car as grandma is having her cataracts done today and you remember Dr Patricia Bath who invented the laser method for removing cataracts in 1988.

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Think of how different your life would have been had these men and women not lived. How would the world look without their inventions?  Young people many of the inventors I have spoken about did not get a helping hand, often living in poor conditions, receiving harsh treatment and experiencing racial prejudice on a great scale but they believed in themselves and understood that all things are possible with God and as such these amazing men and women went on to create inventions that made a major difference in all our lives today.

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So I challenge each and every one of you today, have a closer walk with God and see what new inventions or improvements you can make to this world.