Wow!!! By the Grace of

God we did it, C.E.A.S.E.,

Conference 2012 was over

the top! After a warm

greeting from Co-founders

Marjorie and Beverly,

(pictured above with one

of our speakers, Tina Po-

lite) we were underway to

a spectacular weekend of

“Solving, Simplifying and

Serving. Each presenter

came power-packed and

gave 110% of what we

needed to hear. “Pardon

me if I sound like I’m

gloating… but let me tell

you… if you missed it;

well, let me just say, you

just should have been

there.”

The presenters not only

shared from their knowl-

edge and expertise in their

respective fields, and they

also gave the attendees an

opportunity to purchase

some of that same teach-

ing on the book and tape

product they made avail-

able.

Beverly also gave a

wonderful presentation

on “A Little Less Con-

versation.” A topic

which emphasizes how

sharing too much com-

munication can lead to

time management and

productivity issues.

The overall take away

from the class noted is

everybody who doesn‟t

need to read an email is

distracted by it.

At some point over com-

municating just isn‟t ef-

ficient. The article also

emphasized how sharing

that information should

only be shared from a

“need to know basis.”

They say a pic-

ture is worth a

thousand words

and if there is

truth to that,

from the show of

hands pictured

right and from

the photos inserted

throughout this publica-

tion speak for them-

selves, you can see that

the „I‟s have it. If you

didn‟t make the confer-

ence this year, start mak-

ing plans now to attend

next year 2013. Watch

the website for the dates

and location. Start mak-

ing your plans now be-

cause you don‟t want to

miss, C.E.A.S.E. 2013.

Finally, taking it com-

pletely over the top,

Bishop Gary Oliver min-

istered to us on the clos-

ing night from “The

Lord’s Prayer” with

such an anointing that

we were speechless as

well as abundantly

blessed.

Conference 2012 Highlights & More

C.E.A.S.E. News!

September 2012

The 2nd Annual Support Conference ~ADVANCING ADMINISTRATION~ “Solving, Simplifying and Serving”

Oh, yes and we dined

scrumptiously on healthy

choice snacks and

lunches while shaping

our bodies as we sharp-

ened our minds!!

The 2nd Annual C.E.A.S.E., Inc. Support Conference

Sounds like the beginnings of a juicy

gossip scoop ~ and believe it or not,

not far from it.

Tina‟s Book is known as “A Gun-

slinger‟s Guide to Christian PR.”

With expert corporate Gunslinger In

it she shares her tips and techniques,

garnered from her 25 years of PR

field expertise; having seen it all,

and having lived to tell it. And tell

it she did, with hair raising surprise

for some as she provided the confer-

ence attendees with excerpts from

the Book; but also from her own

experiences in guiding preachers

and ministry leaders. It is her expert

guide to a saving grace of everything

they need to know if/when handling

delicate situations with the press,

the media, and the pressure that life

and ministry in the spotlight eventually

brings.

Obviously this is not a problem everyone

in ministry faces, but it is certainly great

information to have in your resource

bank for future use.

The group learned not to depend on the

old adage, „what you don‟t know can‟t

hurt you.” “Knowing is essential to self

preservation, and a wonderful antidote

for avoiding public embarrassment!”

Tina believes PR is “a bridge to change.

It is a means to adjust new attitudes that

have been caused by change,”

Tina Polite author of “The Press,

The Preacher and The Pressure.”

“Lets Give Them Something To Talk About” ~ Tina Polite

overflowing with educating and empower-

ing her audience in Financial Literacy.

She captivated us with not only her bank-

ing expertise but with her sweet, charming

personality as well.

Debbie holds several degrees in the banking

field, sits on advisory boards and is a sought

after speaker for seminars and conferences

all over. Debbie has built her reputation on

her passion, character and integrity which is

conveyed, and I believe those who attended

the C.E.A.S.E. 2012 Conference will agree,

in one of her greatest attributes: her infec-

tious smile that reveals an abiding love for

God on the inside.

Knowledge and the anointing rolled up

in a powerful package.

She currently serves as Vice President

of Comerica Bank in Dallas, TX.

Sounds like a line from an old Tom

Cruise movie, “think not;” but the

lively presentation on getting our

finances in order and our checks and

balances systems on track, as taught

by the energetic, full of enthusiasm,

Debbie Tucker.

Debbie‟s expertise and knowledge of

what I‟ve taken the liberty to title

“Banking and Beyond”, brought us

to our feet as she allowed her 39

years of banking experience to be

poured into us during one of our

Lunch and Learn sessions. My

goodness, who could eat… who

really thought much about food

when we had the Queen of Finance

“SHOW ME THE MONEY” ~ Debbie Tucker

C.E.A.S.E. News Page 2

berish simply means “Whew shaking my

head)☺

Bishop Oliver is well known worldwide

as a singer, songwriter, and speaker but

he is also the very dynamic, charismatic

pastor of Tabernacle of Praise in Fort

Worth, TX.

He spoke to us in his own unique way

about the importance of worship, using

the model “Lord‟s Prayer” as a

backdrop scripture and making it ring

from the rafters as he preached, taught

and sang its refrain. Bishop Oliver has

SMH/ That‟s about all we could do

Bishop Gary Oliver ministered to us on

the closing night of our conference.

(By the way all of you on Twitter/

Facebook, for those of you who may be

just finding out as I recently did, that gib-

made it his goal to bring a different

approach to the church experience and

he certainly lived up to that goal with a

sound that is unique and distinguishably

his alone.

Bishop Oliver is frequently seen as

guest host on Trinity Broadcasting

Network‟s Praise the Lord television

program in additon to being a sought

after conference speaker and guest

psalmist.

BISHOP GARY G. OLIVER

Page 3

Being the only male

member of the

C.E.A.S.E. Steering

Committee, Ramone

seems perfectly com-

fortable and compati-

ble working with a

group of females.

That may be in part,

due to the fact that

Ramone served as

Chief Officer at

Higher Dimension

Church, instrumental in catapulting their

growth from a startup church of 29 to over

10,000 members in less than 8 years, and

as Director of Ministry Operations at King-

dom Church in New Jersey, where he

helped the ministry grow from 1000 to over

5000 members in two locations in less than

6 years.

Ramone‟s diligence and expertise has left an

enduring legacy. Ramone seems very much a

“people person” as he shares his knowledge

and expertise on a plethora of topics including

the marketing strategies.

Ramone is the Chief Executive Officer for,

BNB Consulting & Associates, LLC., a com-

pany which is created to created to assist cor-

porations, media venues, government, minis-

tries, and entertainers to interpret their visions

and communicate effectively with: employ-

ees, shareholders, partners, clients, customers,

congregations, supporters and more.

He currently serves as Director of Operations

at The Luke Church located in Humble, Texas

under the direction of Pastor Timothy W.

Sloan. Elder Ramone Harper is a highly sought after

consultant to Mega Churches, entertainers and

businesses across the nation. The tremendous

impact and success of BNB has been recently

featured on television programs such as

Trinity Broadcasting Network's Praise the

Lord and Daystar's Celebration! He was

awarded the Ebony Men of 2006 Award

by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

More importantly, he loves Jesus Christ

and accepted his call to preach in Novem-

ber of 2007, was ordained in 2012, and

loves spending time with his beautiful

wife, Verily and their 4 children.

More importantly, Elder Harper loves

Jesus Christ and accepted his call to

preach and teach the Gospel in November

of 2007.

C.E.A.S.E., Inc. is proud to have Ramone

as one of its Steering Committee members

and appreciate his contribution.

the panel for comment. Needless to say the

exchange brought clarity to a lot of the

dilemmas Pastors, Leaders and their support

staff face everyday; including their families

who are often indirectly involved in ministry

if not directly.

A few of the points clarified by the panel‟s

questions is that:

1. Pastors/Leaders have a personal life.

They have long days, have to flip

switches in ways and at times that not

convenient for them or their families.

2. Life happens at the church everyday of

the week, not just on Sundays or service

days during the week.

3. Yes, they do get tired, and they need our

prayer.

And who better to

moderate the Panel for

this session than the

always faithful, Pastor

Lawrence Robinson,

Senior Associate

Pastor of the Potter‟s

House of Dallas, Inc.

Pastors, their wives, children, adju-

tants, administrators, support staff and

those who share in the task of counsel-

ing parishioners, all have a very unique

and difficult task in all that keeps a

ministry/church running smoothly.

Our panelists gave some very needed

insight on the challenges that fall to

those in that role. Each attendee was

given the opportunity to participate by

submitting their written questions to

4. As the Support Ministry, we can

help to facilitate that for them by

making sure we have done our

jobs well, in lifting as much of the

pressure and weight of day to day

assignments off their shoulders;

giving them more time to spend

with their families who also play

an intricate role in the life of the

church.

The panel consisted of First Lady Jac-

queline Byrd (Pastor‟s Wife),

Andrea Robinson (PK), Benny Adams,

(Adjutant) Natasha Stewart,

(Counseling) and our very own

Marjorie Duncan (representing the

Executive Administrative Support

Staff.

“The Pastoral Office”

Featured Steering Committee Member ~Ramone Harper! ~

“A revolutionary modern- day Dream Interpreter.”

Darryl Thornton, who is the Chief

Administrative Officer for the St.

John Church of Grand Prairie/

Southlake, Texas. He also recom-

mended a book for the attendees

entitled “Commitment to Excel-

lence,” from which the following

excerpt was taken: “Do it better

than it needs to be done… Do it

better each time… Do it better

than anyone else has done it.”

We asked each of the attendees

to submit questions regarding

the importance of staying

within certain guidelines while

working in their respective

roles as administrative profes-

sionals. The session promoted

excellence while also reminded

the attendees of the importance

of being mindful of Human Re-

source “Do‟s and Donts.”

The panelist was facilitated by

“It’s The Law”

“Do something brilliant today… everyday!!” “Excellence is not a spectator sport, everyone gets involved” ~ Kobe Yamada ~ Compendium Publishing

C.E.A.S.E. News Page 4

the temple is a command from

God.

The upbeat workout proved to be

a bit of a challenge but overall

everyone was able to keep up

even from the chair (hint).

Donna currently has the #1 Inspi-

rational Video titled, “Body Gos-

pel, a premise that is used in over

130 fitness programs in churches

across the country.

Donna has a great passion for fit-

ness as well as a healthy living life

-style which is based on the word

of God which is not only her pro-

fession but her personal confes-

sion. Her gift has opened doors for

Healthy Balance in our Mind,

Body and Soul, as we sweat in the

spirit!!

Donna Richardson-Joyner led the

crew through the basic warm up

and heart stimulating exercises

that make for a “fit and better

lifestyle” while reminding us that

our bodies are the temple of the

Holy Spirit and that taking care of

her in many places across the

country in addition to being an

instructor for Oprah Winfrey‟s

Leadership Academy for girls in

South Africa. The conference at-

tendees unanimously say yea to a

return visit from this fitness guru!!

“Moving in The Spirit” - Donna Richardson Joyner

“CLASS TIME”

Elder Cathy Moffitt The T.E.A.M. Effect

Anthony Meyers Customer Service

LaTonya Rodgers “Build IT and They Will Come: IT 101

Cathy brings her own unique

teaching style and kept the

attendees on their toes with

“The T.E.A.M. Effect. Moving

past technical issues to present a

power packed, informative session

on Team Building and Leadership,

Cathy stressed the importance of

being able to trust others who are

on your team.

Cathy is the founder and

President of Heartfelt International

Ministries, Inc., which provides

professional training, develop-

ment, community relations and

fund raising assistance to major

corporations and non-profit

organizations.

Anthony Meyers has more than 20 years of ministry and corporate leader-ship experience in various fields which includes Customer Service. He is a Life-Coach, Author, Motivational Speaker and a Change Agent who empowers his audiences with the tools to live a more productive and purposeful life. Pastor Meyers, was so favored in 2011, that we just had to bring him back again this year. He delivers his message with a touch of humor that is both attention getting and practical. His recent book 1440 Living Success Every Day was also a hit with this year’s conference attendees and is full of sub-stance to anyone to boost you to your full potential.

LaTonya Rodgers is an Associate

Pastor at The Potter's House of

Denver. She serves as the manager

of technology which includes: Infor-

mation Technology, Web Management

and Database Management. LaTonya's

mission is to use the vehicle of tech-

nology to showcase excellence in min-

istry through communication, online

presence and member management.

She believes that technology is the

bridge to reaching the uttermost parts

of the earth with the Gospel of Jesus

Christ. Her efforts in ministry seek

to empower others with similar

passion to synergize toward this

common Kingdom goal.

“THE LEADERSHIP GAP”~ CURTIS WALLACE

Curtis Wallace serves as the Chief

Operations Officer/General Coun-

sel of TDJ Enterprises, LLP,

bringing the worlds of faith and

business together for the mutual

benefit of both. He also works

closely with The Potter‟s House,

church of Dallas, and has served

as the Producer or Executive in

Charge of projects you may have

seen such as “Woman Thou Art

Loosed”, “Jumping The Broom”,

“Not Easily Broken”

and other popular films recently pro-

duced by Bishop T. D. Jakes.

The Leadership Gap is a book written

by Curtis Wallace, who speaks from

his unique position to pastors, minis-

try leaders, support team members,

and church members. His message

gives invaluable tips to people at

every level of ministry involvement.

The book is incredibly easy to read,

and uncommonly interesting

and relatable for its genre.

The message is ministry-focused, but

the business advice is also solid, and

there are even aspects of basic self-

improvement in Wallace‟s lessons.

Absolutely anyone can benefit from

this book; and the attendees at this

year‟s C.E.A.S.E. conference were

fortunate enough to have the

expertise of this gentle giant in his

field, first hand.

Mr. Wallace‟s message from his book

and his own personal experience will

help ministries and the people who

run them to become more effective in

their work, thereby fulfill their calling

and becoming closer to God.

[Every visionary leader needs people

around him who will help him bring the

vision to reality and sustain it. However,

leaders can often fail to see many of the

important details and potential problems

that will come in following the course of

action they suggest. When should a staff

person be a “yes man” and when should

he point out the flaws and problems in

their leader’s course of action? What tips

would you give for advising a visionary

leader? ]<> Gospel Today

“CLASS TIME”~ Double Duty!

C.E.A.S.E. News Page 5

The theme of this year's confer-ence was “Solving, Simplifying and Serving.” And the other element that was emphasized was “networking” whereby the dele-gates were able to meet/greet other delegates; share table talk and add their ideas of simplifying tasks that they encounter in their respective ministry roles. This year’s conference yielded a plethora of teaching sessions; and also added a few perks of prizes and fun-filled events that put a smile on many of the delegates faces as they were honored for their commitment to the C.E.A.S.E. vision. One area in particular that was pointed out in such somewhat comical way, but true was that of Steering committee member Shannen Mattingly teaching us how often we were so many ‘hats’ as support staff that we often forget how to relax and just have fun

or not to carry the stress of ministry so heavy on our shoulders that we forget who is ultimately in control of everything that we go through. Learning how to manage our time is impo-tent and in their own way, each presenter seemed to have that as an underlying theme in whatever their respective topic was about. The conference was designed so that each session reinforced just how important each person’s role in support ministry is; that each delegate walked away with the tools necessary to help them refuel, revive and rekindle the joy that comes with serv-ing the people of God. Every leader God uses in any capacity must first be prepared to function in that capacity. Proper preparation is the only

assurance of functioning effectively. All of us in our various roles have a desire to function effectively in min-isterial support but ultimately to function effectively in our service to God. There is a price however; associated with becoming the very best that we can be; and as we learn

from the scriptures;

Prov. 27:17-says, “Iron sharpeneth iron;

so a man sharpeneth the countenance of

his friend.”

The price of being made ready for what-ever task , whatever role we play in the Kingdom of God starts with taking advantage of trainings such as this where we have individuals with 35 and 40 years of experience in support ministry who are willing to pour themselves out like a drink of cool water in a dry and thirsty desert; that those who need to be refreshed and revived might indeed be so. Sharpening our skills from another’s per-spective forces us to stretch and re-examine our assumptions. Once we rec-ognize them, they can propel us to a place of greater use to those we serve. We learn and we grow by exposure. During this conference, each delegate has been exposed to some of the best, brightest and most anointed gifts in support minis-try across the country. To this end, we have been abundantly blessed!! "If I had eight hours to chop down a

tree, I'd spend six sharpening my

axe."<> Abraham Lincoln

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DIAL IN: (832) 551-5100 ~ Passcode: 154411# or

send prayer requests to: info@adsupportgroup.org

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Phil 4:6

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Special points of interest:

Special thanks to all the Volunteers who helped

facilitate this year’s conference.

Special thanks to Corliss Woodard for the photos

in this issue.

Special thanks to the Hilton Anatole and its staff for

all they did to make us feel right at home.

*September is National Preparedness Month.

*Lest we forget 9/11… and continue praying for the

families who lost loved ones on that fateful day.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

October is Domestic Violence Month!

Some of our wonderful Volunteers (minus one)

Happy Birthday to

Co-Founder

Beverly Robinson -

September 27th

& all those who

celebrate birthdays

in September!

C.E.A.S.E. NEWS SEPTEMBER 2012

Rev. Marykaye Jacquet, Newsletter Editor conferenceco@adsupportgroup.org

In her absence, Steering Committee member Monica Covington, sent Beverly & Marjorie the beautiful floral arrange-ment pictured here, congratulating them on the success of the 2012 conference.