The Canvas of Tomorrow - Study Guide: Nehemiah and the story of one church in a challenged neighborhood

Only the very best leaders exhibit these twin traits. In The Canvas of Tomorrow, Bishop Jerry Macklin describes how Nehemiah volunteered for one of the most challenging construction projects ever known. God's people were in trouble. They suffered from ridicule and poverty, and their outlook was grim. Nehemiah stepped up and stepped in; he took risks and led God's people to complete the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem in only fifty-two days.

Bishop Macklin is cut from the same cloth as Nehemiah. With courage and compassion, he has trusted God and led his church to transform an entire community. With a bold vision, a loving heart, and dogged tenacity, he has gradually bought and refurbished properties around his church. In that hopeful environment, people have been saved, families reunited, hearts inspired, homes restored, and businesses begun.

This book will challenge you with principles from the life of Nehemiah, it will inspire you with stories from Bishop Macklin's leadership, and it will prompt you to pick up your own brush to paint a vivid, beautiful picture on the canvas of your tomorrow.

In 1978, Bishop Jerry W. Macklin and Lady Vanessa founded Glad Tidings Church of God in Christ in Hayward, California. Today Glad Tidings mobilizes and equips hundreds of caring people to respond to communities in crisis. Among Bishop Macklin's numerous citations, honors, and awards, are Hayward's highest Humanitarian Lifetime Achievement Award and the distinguished Bay Area's Most Influential African American Clergyman award. In the forty-seven years that Bishop and Lady Vanessa Macklin have been married, they count their five biological children-two sons and three daughters-sons- and daughters-in-law, and ten unique grandchildren among their many blessings.