On the first day of Holy Week, I attended the noonday service at the St. Luke Baptist Church in Paterson, where the Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson-Cook was the guest preacher.

The Rev. Kenneth Clayton, a young man who has and will continue to bring a fresh approach to the Kingdom of God and its people, pastors this progressive Baptist church.

That afternoon, SuJay, as she is affectionately called by the masses, challenged and reminded the congregation that on everyone's tombstone, there is the date of birth, the date of death and a dash in between. She asked rhetorically, "Are you sitting on your dash?" The message was insightful, short and to the point.

Leave it to Rev. Clayton to bring in giants like Johnson-Cook to deliver a one-two punch so to speak, without tiring her audience, many of whom had slipped away from their places of employment for that hour-long service.

St. Luke has become one the fastest growing churches in the Passaic County area. I said this a number of years ago publicly and a number of area ministers became angered by my subjective assessment.You know, it's always about shutting up the messenger. Whether they get mad or not, this young man has swept into this traditional Black church and since then, membership has been growing by leaps and bounds.
After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So, argue with the numbers. In this case, the numbers really do speak for themselves.

A devoted family man, the young minister and his lovely wife, Lisa, who have twin boys, are also raising his late sister-in-law's children.

For all he has accomplished in such a short period of time, I marvel at his unassuming nature. He's not a braggart and extended his hand of friendship to me years ago when it wasn't necessarily popular, or the
politically correct thing to do. So, I also have to admire his courage.

He holds two services on Sunday – he really does need two. Programs at the church target young people and the elderly. Basic common sense workshops are taught so the people of God can not only be righteous, but also be in tune about the world in which they live.

Several years ago we would periodically have lunch together. I always felt like I was talking with an elderly man in a young body. That's how knowledgeable he is.

If he's come this far in this short time span, he's bound to take the church to even greater heights than his predecessor, Rev. Tyler, could conceive.Then again, is that not the way it's supposed to be?

Because ministers, especially Black ones, have gotten such low marks from outsiders and
sometimes the laity itself, it's high time that we boldly indicate the good things going on in these houses of worship where the under-shepherd not only adheres to the mandates of Christ, but is wise enough to keep the flock in a contemporary mode.

Perhaps that is why young people make a beeline for Sunday morning service at the St. Luke Baptist Church in Paterson.

Anyone who can capture the attention of young folks, in all their cynicism today, must be commended, must be encouraged and must be spoken or written about.

So, I have.