By Johania Charles, Miami Times Staff Writer
(Source Miami Times):
One year after spearheading the global “Relief for Haiti” march calling to Congress for the extension of Biden’s Humanitarian Parole Program, Bishop Gregory Toussaint gathered thousands again last week. This time, it was to inaugurate the $60 million Tabernacle of Glory Miami (TG) campus.
Doors to the multilingual mega church, with English, Spanish, Creole and French services, opened with much fanfare before a crowd of community members, elected leaders, community advocates and pastors traveling near and far to support Toussaint. Its ribbon-cutting ceremony coincided with the church’s annual 40 Days of Fasting program and a 10-day conference, which has seen well over 4,000 nightly attendees this week.
“The big narrative that’s out there about Haiti is that we found ourselves in a situation where other nations have to intervene because it seems that we cannot get together to govern our country, to solve our problems,” said Toussaint, who began preaching at just 15 years old. ”So this construction, I think, sends the opposite message, that we can get ourselves together and accomplish things.”
“What I know is that this bishop wasn’t just a preacher in a church, he was a preacher in this community,” said Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners Chairman Oliver Gilbert III. “He understood when God said, ‘When they are hungry, what do we do? We feed them. When they need clothing, what do we do? When they need shelter, we give them shelter.’”
Toussaint was presented with proclamations from the city of North Miami and Miami-Dade County.
But the journey here is a bittersweet story of perseverance.
Since TG’s inception nearly two decades ago, its Miami congregation never truly had a place to call home. For nine years, services were held inside a leased space on the second floor of North Miami’s Bank of America building before services transitioned to North Miami Senior High School for another decade.
After being denied by more than a dozen lenders, Toussaint resolved to raise the $2.5 million to purchase the land on 390 NW 161st St. and the remaining funds over 10 years.
“This is very significant for us because it provides stability,” he said. “A congregation that does not have its own place is vulnerable to disappearance, almost at any time. We were limited to the hours available to us. It’s also a big deal because we have a central place where we can serve the community.”
TG will not only serve as a place of spiritual refuge for the community but also a haven for families in search of affordable housing, professional development, education and economic opportunities.
The church’s leaders announced plans to offer courses in project management and UX/UI design, build a mixed-used housing development near the Miami campus, open a faith-based school, and open the Shekinah Family Credit Union.
“In African American communities, the church is the heartbeat of the community,” said Toussaint. “People don’t only come to church to worship or for spiritual relief but that’s where social ills, psychological, economic and familial problems are addressed. It is a social hub.”
TG has 62 campuses around the world, including Philadelphia, New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Boston and New York. None are as massive as the newly inaugurated North Miami campus.
“In our community, people seem to think it’s only political leaders who can make a difference,” said Toussaint. “They think, especially in Haiti, that you have to run for president to make a difference. But I tell people … we can be influential in whatever sphere God has placed us in and use that sphere to make a difference.”
