Launching the 2nd District Directory of Entrepreneurs

“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18 Praise God! To Bishop Adam J.Richardson, thank you for your vision to empower the AME church for the 21st century! To Presiding Elder Montague,my Elder & the Presiding Elders of the 2nd District. To the Host Pastor Rev. Lee Washington, Fellowclergy, Lay people and all my brothers & siters in Christ! I greet you with Jesus Joy! The development to launch a Directory of the gifts, talents, skills, resources, and the potentials which exist in the 2nd District of the AME churches which will allow us to empower one another for ministry and well as provide economic opportunities to body of Christ. We hope that this directory will become an invaluable tool to the people of God in which we shall will be able share with one another the wealth that is waiting to be mined from the vast richness of our clergy, lay people, congregations and local communities. In this endevor we hope to unite the people of God in the Baltimore, Washington, Virginia and North Carolina conferences to share the knowledgebase of our multi-talented leaders, business owners, and the invaluable resources of our collective thought both the spiritual and economic that resides in our unity in God. "Collective Intelligence relies upon the individual knowledge, creativity, and identity of its constituent parts, and emerges from a synergy between them. In its highest forms, participating in collective intelligence can actually help people self-actualize while solving collective problems." MIT The above defination explains what can and should happen when we are able to harness the power of the body of Christ in our congregations and pews. Directory Launch Objectives : 1-Develop Mission Statement i.e. to be a conduit between the church and the business in our churches and community both local and national that wish to reach out to the AME community 2- Our Profile Who we are? -what is the the make-up of our members- do we more lawyers than doctors. are we technology wise up to speed, do have have more mom & pop shops , etc How we think? i.e- polls , learn about our community What we do.? hair salons cleaning services what fields need more representation 3- Reasons for action i.e- list reasons to collectively develop resource guide ability to get expert advice or referrals from trusted or rated businesses identify faith based sources of lending identify political positions job openings and listings produce a newsletter to be emailed monthly / quarterly 4- Core Values 1-Honesty and Integrity We earn respect through fair and honest dealings. Every client must know by our actions that they can trust us and our work. 2-Creativity and Resourcefulness Our commitment is to find creative and resourceful solutions. 3-Responsiveness, Cooperation, Enthusiasm and Dedication We do everything in our power to ensure that our clients achieve their goals. Our objective is exceptional client service. 4-Reliability and Dependability Our clients can count on our commitment to deliver and on time 5- Above all we must let The Holy Spirit guide us and be the BOSS! 5-Business information included in the business profile: Owners name, Title Business name / Profession, website, direct phone number, and address, e-mail address Number of employees, Industry type of the business - online Vision Fulfilled! BETA LAUNCH Feb.15-17th, 2007 Founders Day / Black History Month Active website to be presented Business Expo Business of the Month Mash-up of Businesses E-commerce section Workshops & seminars Search section 1-Goal Every AME business to have a website by 2008!