Watch out for the WatchD.O.G.S.

What did you watch last night?  Whatever it was, it couldn't have been better than what I saw.  I saw over 120 AFRICAN-AMERICAN FATHERS with their children gathered in the cafetorium of Seth Johnson Elementary School.

Thursday, October 4th, at 6 P.M. (yeah, a weeknight) over 120 fathers answered the call to our kick-off of WatchD.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students).  

Click here to learn more about WatchD.O.G.S.

Now, to be clear, this was not some finely dressed Men's Conference.  Seth Johnson is a public, non-magnet school located in a less-than-middle-class-and-struggling-not-to-go-way-lower neighborhood.

There were a lot of dads in sagging jeans, a lot of hats turned sideways, a lot of men who'd just gotten off work and/or were going to work as soon as the meeting was over, but they were there, present and accounted for.

I had the honor of praying with and speaking to 120+ Black men sitting in a school with their children when there was no music and no athletic event. 

(Some of you don't get why this is such a big deal.  That's O.K.  Some of you do.)

We ate pizza together, courtesy of HMCME and planned how those men, those FATHERS would be a literal presence in their children's school.

Shout out and much love to Mr. Demond Mullins, Seth Johnson teacher and coordinator for WatchD.O.G.S..

Shout out, love, and great thanks to Ms. Ferlisa Ross, principal of Seth Johnson who showed me the WatchD.O.G.S. plan back when we sat down together before school started.  Ms. Ross pushed the vision and opened her school's facilities and heart to the community's fathers.

Oh, and that 120+ fathers who showed up are from a school of about 530 kids. 

Click here to learn more about WatchD.O.G.S.

This is what we do at HALL MEMORIAL CME CHURCH. 

You can get in on this anytime.  See you Sunday.
----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116