Habakkuk 2:2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it.
The birthing process for urban Empowerment, once called Urban Outreach, began four years before the full vision of the ministry came to light.
In January 2005 the vision was revealed to target people of an un-churched urban mindset. This target would need a movement, a ministry that utilizes unconventional and non-traditional methods to present the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. With that target in mind Pastor Woods and a Pastor friend traveled to Los Angeles to visit several churches that were doing ministry “out of the box.” The vision continued to be revealed to Pastor Woods.
In March of 2005, Pastor Woods, in agreement with First Lady Woods, invited a few people to hear the vision. Invitations were sent out with the simple question, “Are you called to serve?” As a result, a few people along with Pastor Woods, then referred to as Visioneer, had the first vision cast and prayer service regarding reaching the un-churched urban mind set with a different method.
One memorable endeavor at that time was the Dream Tour. uE along with Councilwoman Almeta Crayton and concerned members of the community toured the city in a school bus, traveling to all the areas in need of Empowerment. The tour identified gang related activity, pockets of poverty and educational needs. These items and others were added to a prayer list to ensure our sights were set on the target ahead.
Visionary gatherings were held twice a month along with a bi-weekly bible study and prayer service. Ultimately, in June of 2005, Sunday visionary gatherings were moved from homes to the stage of the Missouri Theater. Additionally, the bi-weekly bible studies continued in the homes of various members. The visionary gatherings and bible studies continued in this manner throughout the remainder of 2005, birthing the vision of the ministry, Empowering People to Impact the Community. (Acts 1:8)
In January 2006 urban Empowerment began holding weekly Sunday services at the Intersection, an inner city community center. Bible studies and other meetings continued to be held in the homes of members and at other public facilities.
The ministry embarked on a number of evangelistic events to reach out to the community. Events included a community Easter service entitled The HERO in April of 2006. There were also three successful block parties during the summer of 2006, which were culminated by the BACK to School Block party with a record setting over 300 attendees. The block parties were preceded by Bridge Services where the vision and purpose of urban Empowerment were most evident. It became apparent that this ministry was designed to be a “Bridge” by creating opportunities, moving people toward their purpose, and bringing people together.
In August of 2006 a very grateful urban Empowerment made another move to our present location, 2409 N. Stadium. This move gave urban Empowerment a place to call home. It has been creatively referred to as The Spot. We culminated the year with a New Year’s Watch Night Service, where uE and area church fellowships joined to celebrate the year to come.
January 2007 started with the blessing of the ministry, facilitated by none other than Bishop Russell L. Freeman of United Community Cathedral. As God continued to move, guide and direct, uE experienced exponential increase in membership and started being referred to as one of Columbia’s fasting growing ministries. uE became known for offering a number of different methods to delivering God’s message. Examples of this are, the hip hopera “The King is Born” first presented in December 2006, later presented and recorded for T.V. in February 2007 with the Sequel “The KING is Risen” which was presented in April 2007.
In the months of March to October of 2007 uE was on the move and adding to the Kingdom more than ever. Our Pastor and First Lady were traveling and ministering from St. Louis to Kansas City, from Moberly to Springfield, MO and from Missouri to Tennessee, marking the enlargement of ministry’s territory. Along with the travels, new programs, events and services were birthed out of the ministry providing different avenues to reach the lost. Power Players, Café Worship, our Christian café featuring music and spoken word and The Blaze, our all gospel hip hop service, launched in September and October 2007, respectively. August gave us our first Park Day where uE served the community with good food and with the gospel. Also in October 2007, uE acquired new space for the kids spot and hosted the very first Empowerment Encounter Conference.