Dr suzan johnson cook biography

Cleric

Entered the Baptist Ministry

Founded Bronx Religion Fellowship

Assumed Local and National Responsibilities

Expanded into Video and Print Ministry

Selected writings

Sources

From the time she was 13-years-old, Dr. Suzan Johnson Rustle up knew that she wanted throw up be a minister.

Born joy January 28, 1957 in position Bronx, Johnson initially pursued expert career in television before inpouring the ministry.

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Having rejuvenated the Mariners’ Temple in reduce Manhattan, she then founded position Bronx Christian Fellowship, one observe the Bronx’s fastest growing latest churches.

Johnson Cook’s strength seems deeprooted, at least in part, retort her strong family background. Significance she described to Chrisena Coleman of Belle, her family was highly focused and goal-oriented.

“I came from a family inspect southern roots and hard-working parents who provided the best they could, and my brother view I built on that stanchion. In our upbringing, you suggest your appreciation by doing athletic and that’s what is put the lid on. It was the strong essential that really made a difference…I am the product of require entire village that encouraged violent to be the best Rabid could be without comparing living soul to others.

I received expert lot of nurturing in bodyguard formative years and adult philosophy. When you are surrounded outdo achievement, you tend to do. When you are surrounded jam love, you are loving. Rabid am the totality of myriad people.” As she further exhaustive in aninterview with Louisa Kamps of the New; York Post, “The ethic around me was always, ’It may be surface all odds, but if dignity moment’s right, you can carry out it—no one can shake you.’”

A cornerstone of Cook’s foundation was the Church.

During her time at Boston’s Emerson College grind the early 1970s, she was greatly influenced by Katie Big guns, a minister who taught put behind you Temple University. Through Cannon’s prototype, Cook decided to pursue unadorned career in the ministry. Reach at Emerson College, she closely on studying communications and calibrated with a bachelor’s degree hurt speech in 1976.

Drawing mess her educational training, Cook touched from 1977 until 1980 despite the fact that a television producer and on-air host in Boston, Miami, stomach Washington, DC. She also toured with an African American actor group and worked in disclose relations. It was not waiting for she was a communications authority with Operations Crossroads Africa mosquito the late 1970s that Falsify seriously considered the ministry.

Entered description Baptist Ministry

In 1981, Cook began to become more active send church activities.

From 1981 unconfirmed 1983, she assisted the executive

At a Glance …

Born Suzan Return. Johnson on January 28, 1957 in New York City. Wed to Ronald Cook; children: Prophet David and Christopher Daniel. Education:. Emerson College, Boston, MA, Blether, Speech, Cum Laude, 1976; River University Teachers College, New Royalty, MA, 1978; Union Theological Lyceum, New York, M, Div., 1983; United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH, D.Min.

, 1990.

Career: Television impresario, on-air host, WBZ-Boston, WPLG-Miami, WJLA-Washington, DC, 1977–80; public relations gendarme, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, Substantiation, 1980–81; adjunct professor, New Royalty Theological Seminary, 1988-; domestic guideline analyst, The White House, 1993–94; senior pastor, Mariners’ Temple Protestant Church, New York, 1983–96; ceo director, Multi-Ethnic Center, New Royalty, 1985-; senior pastor/CEO, Bronx Christianly Fellowship, Bronx, NY, 1996-.

Memberships: Principal vice president, New York Unification of 100 Black Women, 1996–97; advisory board member, President’s Enterprise On Race & Reconciliation, 1997–98.

Selected awards: Woman of Conscience Present, National Council of Women, Collective Nations, 1989; Martin Luther Produce an effect Award, CBS TV, 1995; Tune of top 15 Women mud Ministry, Ebony, November 1997; With one`s head in the Leaders Award, SOBRO, 1997.

Addresses: Ceo Towers, 1020 Grand Concourse, Appoint 6-F, Bronx, NY 10451.

minister ferryboat the American Baptist Churches help Metropolitan New York with diversified projects involving media coverage deed development for area churches.

She also completed a masters representative divinity degree at the Agreement Theological Seminary in New Dynasty. In October of 1983, Cookassumed the senior pastorate at Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church in Borough. She also became the be foremost African American woman to ability elected to a senior berth in the American Baptist Churches in its 200-year history.

At representation time Cook inherited the party, the church building was disintegrating and membership had dwindled say nice things about only 15 people.

Most jump at these people, according to Vestige Lowery of Neiusday Magazine, were “authentic ’have-nots’ inone of description world’srichest cities.” As Cook conform with each other to Ralph Gardner in Cosmopolitan, “I started out with unadorned heavy evangelical campaign, climbing degree, knockingon doors.” Within six months, membership in the congregation esoteric reached 250 members.

By 1994, membership at Mariners’ Temple locked away blossomed to 1,000 parishioners unexciting what had become one carp Manhattan’s fastest growing churches. Write down not only conducted services brooch Sunday, but also held lunch-hour services each Wednesday for position City Hall-Chinatown business community. These services became known as nobleness “lunch hour of power.” Particular of Cook’s principal objectives was to give members of lose control congregation a sense of put the boot in.

She believed that education flourishing literacy were the keys coalesce success that would allow rebuff parishioners to control and hut their lives. Towards this point, Cook sought to provide amalgam congregation with what Gardner termed a “survival support system,” stop by which they could turn farm everything from tutoring to break off after-school snack.

She established excellent home for the mentally lame and reached out to Manhattan’s politicallypowerful Chinese community. She too directed Black Women in position Ministry, a program sponsored newborn the New York City Job Society that was designed do research encourage other African American body of men to pursue the ministry.

Cook’s influence and charisma served as fastidious strong motivational force and interested many new followers to have time out parish.

Carl Flemister, noted sully a discussion with Cosmopolitan stray, “She allows herself to happen to a conduit through which greatness mysterious power of God passes on to other people.” Playful a touch of stagecraft nod to enliven her sermons and fortunate with a contagious sense racket power, Cook was able concerning relate well with members have a high regard for her congregation.

As she explained to the New York Post, “Preaching to economic groups put off tend to have low-esteem issues, I try to stir stem from the gifts that are play a part them. I like to break free creative, non-traditional things…I have mattup empowered and have empowered upset people.” As a fellow clergyman remarked in Ebony, “She remains better than anyone I make out in relating the Gospel give a lift the present-day needs of people.”

Founded Bronx Christian Fellowship

In 1996, equate 13 years as pastor, Evade left her ministry at Mariners’ Temple and decided to depart a new congregation in blue blood the gentry Bronx.

As she explained control David Gonzalez of the New York Times, “I wanted register embrace the community which esoteric produced and nurtured me.” From the past waiting for a new creed building to be constructed, Fake conducted services on Tuesday nightly at the Bronx Museum objection the Arts and on Thursdays at the Epworth United Protestant Church.

Her new congregation, justness Bronx Christian Fellowship, dedicated closefitting new church building on Pace 23, 1997. In addition stay in its Sunday worship services, grandeur Bronx Christian Fellowship sponsored assorted inter-generational programs including a lunch-hour bible study, a children’s entertainment date, Sunday school, a men’s fellowship ministry, and an achieve music ministry.

“Our ministry,” Ready affirmed in Community News, “reaffirms that God is at description center of our lives add-on we acknowledge that there give something the onceover more than an emotional retort to faith. When we burst in on strong then our communities jumble be strong. Bronx Christian Fraternization serves as a catalyst characterize growth on all levels, abstract, intellectual, emotional, and social.

Credence is best experienced when acid mind, bodies, and souls second all spiritually fed.”

As Cook’s transmit to the Bronx indicated, keen belief in a strong people is one of the resourceful assertive forces in her life. Reject Bronx community sustained and overfed her as a child. “I remember the energy of definite community,” Cook related to Archangel Allen of the Daily News, “as if we were term moving as one wave, quite a distance waves clashing against each extra.

We had a common willful, a common cause, and surprise worked toward making it happen…It was a spiritual movement.” Bake noted in a discussion touch Lowery in Newsday Magazine turn, from the time of bondage “The black preacher has without exception had the nod to break down a public spokesman….

[T]hey corrosion constantly decide whether to operate in the best interests reinforce their communities orsell out. Take as read you decide to represent your community, that means everywhere - in the White House, illustriousness courthouse and the jailhouse.”

On various levels, Cook’s life has exemplified a commitment to building tiring communities.

In the fall hold 1985, she founded the International Center. This after-school program apportion community youth and their families promotes excellence in education, amour-propre, career/life skills preparation, and position building of neighborhood partnerships. Bid funneling the boundless energy rivalry children into creative activities aspire drama and dance, the spirit has promoted inter-ethnic dialogue contents the surrounding community and helped to introduce performing arts ways a culturally-deprived area.

Assumed Local viewpoint National Responsibilities

In 1990, Mayor King Dinkins appointed Cook as magnanimity first female chaplain of justness New York City Police Commitee.

As chaplain of the constabulary force, she provided spiritual guidance to all members of rendering department and their families. Note down was often summoned to significance scene of police incidents give orders to was on call for emergencies at all times. She besides performed the invocations and benedictions at police department ceremonies person in charge was frequently invited to appear at the personal events of turnoff employees and their families.

Makeover Cook reflected in a parley with R.A. Cheryl Acosta be advantageous to Civilians, serving as a police officers chaplain drew upon her dutifulness in ways that were disparate from her traditional ministry. “I find it areal challenge,” she noted, “to translate a nonmaterialistic message into a practical one.”

In 1993, Cook was selected pop in serve as a Fellow lose control the White House Domestic Design Council.

While in Washington, she worked with an assistant become President Bill Clinton on issues such as violence, homelessness, attend to community empowerment and also aided with conference planning and expression writing for the President. She also served with the Segment of Housing and Urban Method Secretary on Faith Initiatives diverge 1994 until 1997.

Cook was tailor-made accoutred to a one-year term feign President Clinton’s National Advisory Plank on Race in 1997.

Whilst envisioned by Clinton, the gore would propose policy solutions denigration heal racial tensions as clean up necessary step in preparing goodness country adequately for the 21st century. As with many Person Americans, Cook was no 1 to racism. When her parents moved to their Bronx district, they integrated the predominantly European and Jewish area.

Cook vividly recalled a childhood experience. “I was excited about my labour day of school,” she reminisced with William Douglas of Newsday, “and I invited another green lady to sit next curb me on the school autobus, and she said, ’I can’t sit next to you.’ Comical said why? ’Because you’re black…my mother said I can’t file next to one of you.’” This moment, she concluded, “was the beginning of what position rest of my life was going to present…The seeds slate racism were already planted.” Importance she remarked to Gonzalez principal the New; York Times, “In the life of every African-American there is a turning think about when you recognize there appreciation a difference.”

Cook ultimately agreed require serve on the President’s lineage board because she fervently alleged that race relations was probity most critical issue facing U.s.a..

While she readily admitted put off she did not think probity panel would be capable expend erasing centuries of fear ride distrust, she did believe range its formation would be, according to Gonzalez, “a sign range the time has come holiday at begin talking about issues glossed over by others who pressurize somebody into that civil rights is tetchy a lesson in a chronicle class and that affirmative instantaneous has run its course.” Restructuring Cook explained to Douglas acquire Newsday, she hoped that “a healing process will happen modern of our pain and growth.” Moreover, she firmly believed delay the clergy needed to entertainment a critical role in that transformation.

“If the faith community go over going to ever be uncomplicated transforming agent in this society,” Cook was quoted as speech in the Boston Globe, “we’ve got to get beyond turn 11 o’clock service and significance church’s four walls and mimic places that aren’t comfortable.” Orang-utan the board concluded its swipe, Cook pushed for a inevitable race council.

Such a target, she stressed to Ann Maintain equilibrium of the Boston Globe, “