MACU Concludes Black History Month With Chapel Service Led by Oklahoma City Thunder Chaplain

February 27th, 2019

OKLAHOMA CITY– To finish its month-long celebration of Black History Month, today Mid-America Christian University welcomed Rev. Amos Byron Coleman III to lead morning chapel services in the university’s JASCO Chapel in south Oklahoma City.

In addition to pastoring at the Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church in northeast Oklahoma City since 1998, Coleman has also served as the team chaplain for the Oklahoma City Thunder for nine seasons. In this capacity, he serves as a counselor and life coach to the players. During his hour-long sermon, Coleman urged the importance of embracing the individual gifts God has placed within every man and woman — even if difficult life circumstances have left them questioning their worth.

“Know that God created you for a reason and a purpose. When God made you, he gave you a gift. When you believe in your gift, He will open doors for you that you didn’t even know were there.” Coleman, who was called to ministry at age 17 but did not accept the call until he was 21 because of his self-doubt, said the biggest piece of knowledge he wants to impart upon young people is to believe in themselves.

“You are not an accident, a mistake or a mishap,” he said. “God made you to be here because He has an intentional purpose for you.”

He said that youth can survive tough times and emerge from them stronger and wiser.

“God doesn’t judge you based on your past; He judges you on your potential. He doesn’t see your yesterday, He sees your tomorrow. If you wake up and see yourself the way that God sees you, you can change the world.”

Even though Coleman was called to parish ministry, God has allowed him to use his gifts and knowledge in other areas. He currently serves as an adjunct professor in the African American studies program at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., where he teaches classes such as African American Religious Traditions, Leadership in the African American Community and Introduction to African American Studies.

For the past nine years, MACU has celebrated Black History Month with a series of chapel speakers. The campus is proudly diverse, with 68 percent of MACU students identifying as being non-white in the 2017-2018 academic year.