Today we’d like to introduce you to Sammie Dow.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sammie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2012, I was hired as the National Youth Director for the NAACP at their headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. As National Youth Director, I was responsible for leading the nation’s largest organized group of youth activists with more than 20,000 members under the age of 25. During this time, Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, and much of our energy was spent addressing issues of gun violence and policing reform and accountability. During my tenure, the Division experienced a 23 percent membership increase and launched the #IMatter campaign, which reached more than 8.5 million young people, across the country, on issues of police reform, racial profiling, and gun violence.
After three years, in this role, I felt God leading me into a new season, full-time ministry. In 2015, my wife and I relocated to Houston, TX where I served as Director of Ministries at The Luke Church, a prominent 5,000–member congregation, in Humble, Texas under the leadership of Dr. Timothy W. Sloan. At The Luke, I was responsible for ministry development and operations, volunteer recruitment and training, leadership development, coordination of weekly worship experiences and served as preaching and teaching assistant to the Senior Pastor. After about 2 years, in Houston, I felt God transitioning me again.
In May 2017, I was elected as the 13th Pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, affectionately known as “The Grove,” in Marietta, Georgia. I’m now privileged to lead a vibrant 1,500–member congregation, as we pursue our mission of being transformed people who transform the world. My ministry focuses on empowering people to reach their maximum potential in life, family, and work. We have been blessed with phenomenal growth since we arrived at The Grove. We have been fortunate to add more than 440 people to our congregation since I arrived.
Now, we are focused on identifying ways to further connect our community to make a positive difference in people’s lives, using the love of Jesus Christ as our guide and template for transforming lives.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey has not all been smooth, but God never promised that it would be a smooth road. The promise I have from God is that, in the end, everything will work together for good because I love Him and have been called for a specific purpose. This journey has been a tremendous learning experience. It is not just a process of hearing God’s voice and understanding His will and purposes for my own personal life. Now, I carry the responsibility of hearing God’s voice and sensing purpose and vision for an entire congregation.
Leading spiritual and organizational transformation is a mammoth task. It requires building relationships, understanding history, dreaming new dreams, and creating the structures and processes necessary to accomplish the vision God has given me for our community of faith. It’s a constant process of learning myself, learning those I’ve been entrusted to lead, and imagining a new future for God’s people.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Grove is a progressive community of believers being transformed, by God, and transforming others through spiritual development, radical generosity, holistic wellness, social witness, and community engagement. We strive to be transformed people transforming the world.
Our worship experiences are each Sunday morning at 7:45 and 11:00. We are known to be a very friendly church that offers space and opportunity for everyone to be their authentic selves and experience God in a manner that aligns best with their journey of faith.
The Grove is unapologetically a traditional African American Baptist congregation. However, we do not allow the traditions of the black church experience to stifle our creative approaches to ministry. We are working, as a congregation, to blend the best of the traditional black church experience with contemporary elements to create an emerging model of church and ministry. We strive to ensure there is something for everyone – that is what sets The Grove apart.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I honestly cannot think of one single proudest moment because there have been so many. Whether it was seeing a college student identify a strategy for bettering their community or seeing an entire family make a decision to trust Jesus Christ with their lives, the work I am privileged to do every day is life-changing, seriously. Seeing people achieve their dreams, overcomes life’s obstacles or recommit to nurturing their relationships and families are all moments I have been fortunate to share with people, and they are the moments that me the proudest.
Contact Info:
- Address: 566 Whitlock Avenue NW
Marietta, Georgia 30064 - Website: pleasantgrove.org
- Phone: 770-428-3681
- Email: info@pleasantgrove.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegroveatlanta/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGroveAtlanta/
Image Credit:
Goldie Love Photography
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