Born Identity Conference - Celebrity Panel Recap

By Em Fergusson

One of the events offered at the Born Identity Conference at New Mercies Christian Church in Lilburn, Georgia, was the celebrity panel held on Saturday afternoon. The young people who attended the concert had the opportunity to grab some delicious food, while listening to celebrities speak on how God moved in their lives.

Taking center stage were the following dynamic individuals who shed light on what the power of God can do: Pastor William Murphy III (Senior Minister of Worship at Bishop Eddie Long's New Birth Missionary Church); Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (from the popular R&B group TLC); Tre (Universal recording artist); Darlene McCoy (gospel singer, recording artist, songwriter and minister) and Gerard Henry (motivational speaker, television and radio host and man of God).

Minutes before the celebrity panel began, the young people in attendance were encouraged to write down some questions they wanted the panelists to answer. Each celebrity was given an opportunity to respond. Pastor Boone asked the questions from the back of the room: "What does born identity mean to you?"

Darlene McCoy: …born identity means once you have this new birth in Christ, it's finding out that particular person he has called you and ordained you to be, finding out who that is and not fighting with it.…it's always a challenge to be the person God says you already are. A lot of people measure themselves to others and that's cheap. You're precious, you're jewels, young ladies and young men, and you’re kings... Gerard Henry: … everybody here has something that you love to do. That's what God put inside of you. The Bible said that you're his precious handy work…He already has a plan laid out for you. It's in Him these plans are realized…the joint question with what you love to do is what are you good at doing? When you marry what you love to do with what you excel at – some people like music, but they can't sing, right? So, they're not gonna be an artist. But they may work in the music industry because they love music, so if they love music, but they can count, maybe they can be an entertainment accountant. So, when you bring those two things together [what you love and what you're good at] in Christ, it will be ultimately realized.

Other questions included how did you come to make your dreams realized and what did you have to give up for Christ. The panelists did not shy away from sharing some deep struggles in living for Christ and in pursuing their dreams.

"Sometimes you have to keep your dreams to yourself, because not everyone believes in you the way you do," says Tionne, regarding her journey of breaking into the music industry. Darlene McCoy told the young people to accept the process of fulfilling their dreams. "I never pushed down any doors because my path was already set – God was training me to be who I was." The message each member of the celebrity panelist shared was powerful: living for Christ helped their dreams to be fully realized.

The panel ended with an alter call and many young people approached the front of the stage, where Pastor Boone and William Murphy III stood praising and worshiping God.

Pastor Jesse Curney III said the Born Identity Conference has made a positive impact on families. "The conference is really a tool to enhance the ministry," he added.

For more information on New Mercies Christian Church, visit www.newmerciescc.org.