Tag Archives: Hodie

Sermon Title: “I’m so Hood” Dr. Jamal H. Bryant…

These sermon notes are unedited and uncut from Dr. Jamal’ Bryant’s sermon.  I will insert the video in this post as soon as the sermon is released on I tunes – enjoy! – Minster Evelyn Diane Thomas

  • Empowerment Temple / Dr. Jamal Bryant 11:30 a.m. Service

    Men singing: I’m standing in your will…

    ‘He opened up his sermon by Playing a video with Geraldo Rivera talking about a child wearing a hoodie… Every-time you see someone mugging or robbing, they are in a hoodie.. You are a gangster if you wear a hoodie…

    When you see a black or Latino with a hoodie on you tend to cross the street from a person that looks like that, because you want to avoid trouble…  Stop wearing the hoodies..He wore an outfit that was inappropriate.” – Geraldo Rivera speaking on this video above I quote…”

     

    I Samuel Chapter 16:7 – 1 Samuel 16:7

    New International Version (NIV)

    7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

    Sermon Title:  “I’m so hood”

    Reporter Gerald Rivera – after graduating from the Law School from the University of Pennsylvania.. He went into journalism and went into the practice with one client… The young client who shot their pastor and left them dead in the sanctuary… .Someone from ABC saw that he was very articulate and offered him a job…

    ABC News changed his name from Gerald to Geraldo because it did not sound as Spanish..  He changed his name to get a job..  It was Gerald Rivera that discovered how  Elvis  Presley really died… He said Elvis Presley died of an overdose….

    He broke into El Capon estate only to only find beer bottles..  He went to Iraq because he could not get a job here in America…   He reported false information from Iraq, resulting in them  discovering  that Geraldo was 300 miles away and misappropriated his report…

    He began to draw a diagram to show where an attack was gong to take place.. He endangered our lives and the sons and daughters that serve in the military,..

    Geraldo pushed a woman away during Hurricane Katrina so he could be seen on Tv…

    He comes after Don and Rush Limbaugh.. It does not surprise us that he would utter that black and dark skinned males should not wear hoodies because it immediately implicates that you are hood.. He believed that this young man was not only murdered because of Zimmerman’s overzealous behavior but because they had on a hood…

    Did the men were on the bridge did they have on hoods

    When martin Luther King Jr. was supporting the sanitation workers on the balcony, did he have on a hood?

    When A man was killed for looking a t white woman, did he have on a hood..

    He suggests that your clothing has something to do with what type of person you are…

    Geraldo can be found in the bible.. Joseph had a dream and his father put a multi colored rob on him… They become in  contact with him and identify him because of the rob he had on…

    A man that comes from 2 lineage of oppression… Jewish side of him and the Hispanic side of him.. .He’s given 5 erroneous reports on the air and is still on TV…  When a person reports something out of order, his race sticks with him…

    He further warned his son Cruz that he should not go outside with a hoodie on… His son was received as a Jewish man at age 12…

    What do you think would be the repercussion of a 17 year old Jewish boy who got killed by a black cop he would be in jail..

    We come to tell America that our children are important too!!!  Are children matters too!  If today if you stand with our children we are not going to let not one more of our kids die with oppression.

    Dr. King died back in 1963, but he did not know that today we would be stereotyped by what we wear.. .If every black man that wears a hood is a thug… Every white man from Wall Street is thief!

    We have to ask the justice system and FBI, how do you arrest someone who throws flour on Kim Kardashin…

    What is the value of our children when they will put Michael Vick in jail over dogs, but will  not put a man in jail over our baby that has been killed.

    What is Geraldo implying that black men ..

    We have the spirit of  Maya Angelo… We rise…

    It’s some people in the room that has made a difference because we have graduated and did some things that people think we could not do…

    God sends in a new leader because the old crew has gotten lazy.. I have to raise up leadership that can work and be amongst the people..

    Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere,,,

    When Jesse came to the house he said someone in this house is going to be able to lead… God told Samuel, to dare not put the oil on him… We choose people based on how they are dressed…

     

    I’m getting ready to raise up those that have been overlooked… David’s family did not pick him…

     

    The reason why God is getting ready to bless you is because your own family did not see your value,.,, God is getting ready to do something great in your life because of your destiny.,..

     

    He goes down the line, and look at all of his sons… He asked Jesse do you have anyone else…. He said he has not been in church very long..   He has some street in him, but he can walk and get some justice..

    I’m not calling people that are politically correct, but I’m calling some people that can shut it down… Those are the people that I’m getting ready to call..

    I’m gone call some folks that don’t dot every i and cross ever t because I’m getting ready to use some folks that are a product of his grace.

    I want you to know that we are in the middle of history.. We are not just sitting by, but we stand with Trayvon Martin to know that we stand with him.

    They have done everything to degrade our President…  America, you owe us because we helped built this country…  Since you could not give us 40 acres and a mule, you at least owe us to arrest George Zimmerman…

    They should arrest him for 1,000’s of black men that were arrested for no cause….

    They should arrest George Zimmerman before them black Panther’s get down there…

    There is a call for justice… I am proud of you because no violence has taken place…

    We know that there is strength in our voice… .Our people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…  He will heal the land..

    Touch not thy anointed and do my servant no harm….Shout if you know God is going to give you justice….

    I so wish I could get to Gerald Rivera because he thinks hoods started in the hood..

    He doesn’t know that hoods came from the monks… They used them when they prayed to keep the shame off…

    If your enemies are my enemies and your friends are my friends…

    The monks put on the hoods so God could not hear my shame…

    I’m so glad that when God hears me pray he don’t see how nasty that I am but he still answered by prayers.

    He looks beyond my faults and sees me at my needs.

    The monks only put on hoods when they are getting ready to pray and getting ready to work.. When you saw them put on a hood they were getting ready to work so they will never be in need…

    When you put on your hood, you are letting the world know that we have work to do and loads to lifts… You have to be strong..

    If you have your hood on you either have to be praying or working..

    Look at your neighbor and say you look suspicious… It was a time that 3 black could not converse at one time because they feared a riot was going to break out..

    There are some things you are going to get… We have come to far..

    He was bruised for our inequities… Our transgressions..

    I’m so hood… I did not come to play church but I came to kill a demon…

    Every demon that has tried to take my family.. I’m taking my hood back..

    God is getting ready to cover you… I can’t hear anybody!!

    Look at your neighbor and praise him like you are going to loose your mind… Give God Ghetto Praise.

    This joy that I have, the world did not give it to me and the world can’t take it away…/

    HE should have got me back when, Like he got my uncle back when…

    Rise, shine, give God the Glory…

    Hallelujah…. I can’t hear nobody…. Lift up your voice like God!!!!

    Lift up your voice and give God some praise….

    Lift up your hands,, and give God some praise..

    I don’t want you to get so saved that you lose your street ability…

    I pray that God is not only getting ready to bless you, but he is getting ready to bless the whole neighborhood… Open up your mouth like God is getting ready to bless your hood,..

    God Change my neighborhood!!!

    As that hand is lifted.. . Your hand is serving as an antenna that there will be no drug dealers, pedophiles, or burglars in your neighborhood…  If your neighbor’s house lose its value then it effects the whole neighborhood,.,,,

    Lift up your voice… .Come on, I can’t hear nobody….

    Lift up your voice that your neighborhood is safe that you can let the kids out and play…

    I’m praying that God restores the equity in your home…

    Lift up your hand and believe that God is getting ready to restore..

    Trayvon was not in the hood, but he was in a gated community….

    Where really is the hood?

    When folks moved to the upscale neighborhood, now they have the same problems that the hood has… If you go to the good neighborhood and you are hood you will impact the neighbored with your hood mentality…

    You can have expensive clothes and still no class,.

    You are not where you came from.. You are better than where you came. from.

    Lord I pray for my brother’s and sisters.. Let them be able to speak to anyone from the street corner to the other offices…

    Bless them Lord if they are going to go back and bless the place that blessed them…

    Give God your best sound of worship… .

    It’s amazing ladies and gentle, the reason why they cannot understand Empowerment Temple,.,, We are not moving to the County…. In the 6 years we have been here, only 3 cars have broken into.. It’s something about the presence of God that don’t only change people but it changes neighborhoods…

     

    You have too much anointing to keep it to yourself… Give to entire communities…

    You know when somebody from East Baltimore from West Baltimore… They are getting ready to cross in…  In need you to get your bravado own… I need you to jump into your square…

    You cannot be in the hood and be shy…. Please sir, and please mam… I need to open the doors of the church because some none want to join our hood…

    Give God some praise if you are proud of the church you go to!!!!

    Move from where you are, go to every row and ask somebody do you have a church home and do you want to become a member…. I need you to join this church and roll with us…

    Invitation Selection:  It’ s time now!!!

    Aint no church has HOOD as this church!! Empowerment Temple!

    You are in the right place at the right time, at the right church, serving the right God!!!

     

    Geraldo: the Hoodie = same level of responsibility as George Zimmerman for Trayvon’s murder
    By: Pam Spaulding Friday March 23, 2012 9:31 am

    And I guess wearing a skirt is an invitation to rape too, Geraldo. Where do you even begin with this statement? Rivera:

    “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

    He then urged those participating in the “Million Hoodie March” for Martin to “leave the hoodie at home,” adding that they cannot hope to “rehabilitate” the clothing item’s image.

    So, I better get my fashion police APB straight – are women also to watch out when thinking about purchasing a hoodie? How dark does your skin need to be to “raise the alarm” with scared folks who associate the item with gangsta-chic? What should be the safety wear for young black and Latino men to telegraph they aren’t going to loiter or mug you — as Roland Martin noted, three-piece suits?

    This blame-the-victim stuff was going to come around no matter how obvious it is that Trayvon, whose only “weapons” was a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea, was not responsible for his fate – he was hunted down by Zimmerman.

    Oh, and my other question – since Geraldo is worried about dark-skinned kids, does this mean we’ll need to administer a brown paper bag test to determine who can wear the hoodie or not?

    Bonus! Trayvon Martin 911 Call – Did George Zimmerman Say ‘F*ng Coons’?


    Did George Zimmerman, the infamous yet-to-be-arrested shooter of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, say “f*cking coons” in his 911 call? Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks share their take.

What are the Cyber saint saying while the worship and preaching of the Gospel is going on~

 

  • Awesome service i must agree…..
    about a minute ago
  • I LOVE YOU FAMILY OF THE FAITH, ONE BODY BABY BELOVED PEACE TO YOU UNTIL NEXT TIME THE LORD WILLING
    about a minute ago
  • GOD give justice for Trayvon Martin and family…Text movement to 37284
    about a minute ago
  • Amen, Keep the Martin Family lift up in Prayer. Bro & Sis, Martin. members of Adam Tabenacle of Faith A.M.E Pembroke Pines Fl. God Bless You All.
    about a minute ago
  • You to @ Carolyn
    about a minute ago
  • AMEN!!! AWESOME SERVICE
    about a minute ago
  • I USE TO BEAT THE BLOCK NOW I BE’S THE BLOCK. PREACH BLACK MAN!!!
    26 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:REFEFRRING THE ISSUES IN BALTIMORE,MD AS IT RELATES TO LOCATION ETC…
    26 minutes ago
  • Thank ya!
    26 minutes ago
  • God please let this storm of the Killing of child be for your Glory. Let Justice Prevail. Cover us Dear Lord!! America is Hurting!!! Restore Lord.

    Protect our young black men!! RESTORE them today!!!

    26 minutes ago
  • I’m covering every neighborhood that each of my family members live in! It will be a safe environment for their children…God is putting equity back!
    27 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:WAHTS CRAZY IS THAT TRAYVON WAS IN A GATED COMMUNITY:THE QUESTION IS:WHERE IS MY CHILD SAFE?
    27 minutes ago
  • Yes Lord, restore my hood!
    27 minutes ago
  • Pastor is putting a hurtin on the word today. He is on FIRE. Preach Pastor Preach
    27 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:UR HAND IS ANTENNA:PRAY THAT U WILL HAVE NO:DRUG DEALERS-PEDIPHILES-ETC…ASK GOD TO COVER UR ZIP CODE-UR NEIGHBORHOOD:HALLELUJAH
    27 minutes ago
  • It’ time to get up and do something!
    27 minutes ago
  • PASTOR;GIVE GOD GLORY AS IF HES RAISING THE EQUITY IN UR HOME:GOD IS RESTORING UR COMMUNITY!!!!
    27 minutes ago
  • I USE TO BEAT THE BLOCK NOW I BE’S THE BLOCK! -Jamal H. Bryant
    (He OVERDID himself Today) & He said,I DON’T WANT U TO BE SO SAVED:U LOSE UR STREET SENSIBILITY!!!!
    27 minutes ago
  • Cover my zip code Heavenly Father!!
    27 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:UR HAND IS ANTENNA:PRAY THAT U WILL HAVE NO:DRUG DEALERS-PEDIPHILES-ETC…ASK GOD TO COVER UR ZIP CODE-UR NEIGHBORHOOD:HALLELUJAH
    28 minutes ago
  • YES GOD!!!!
    28 minutes ago
  • Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    28 minutes ago
  • ONE BODY, ONE CHRIST, ONE LOVE, ONE AND ONLY TRUE AND LIVING GOD, JESUS CHRIST, THE HUSBAND LOVE’S HIS WIFE……HE ABOUT TO BALANCE IT OUT BEFORE HE COME’S BACK TO GET US…
    28 minutes ago
  • lift up ur voice,pray for ur family
    28 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus, please cover my entire community.
    28 minutes ago
  • praiSE THE LORD!!!
    28 minutes ago
  • Yes Lord, change the hearts and minds of my hood!!!
    28 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus, please cover my entire community.
    28 minutes ago
  • COVER MY ZIP CODE…….
    28 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:NO RACISTS CAN HOLD U BACK:HE WAS WOUNDED FOR MY TRANSGRESSION AND BRUISED FOR MY INIQUITYS ETC….
    28 minutes ago
  • Lift up your voice and ask God to cover your entire neighborhood
    28 minutes ago
  • THANK YOU LORD FOR PASTOR JAMAL BRYANT!!!
    28 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus! Praise the Lord!
    29 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus!! Bless our neighborhood!!
    29 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:I DONT WANT U TO BE SO SAVED:U LOSE UR STREET SENSIBILITY!!!
    29 minutes ago
  • YES YES YES LTFT UP YOUR HANDS BLESS MY NEIGHBORHOOD
    29 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:LIFT UP UR VOICE:LIKE GOD IS GETTIN READY TO BLESSED UR HOOD:GOD CHG MY NEIGHBORHOOD!!!
    29 minutes ago
  • Lift up your hand and open your mouth. God is getting ready to bless your hood!
    29 minutes ago
  • HALLELUJAH!!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:I DONT WANT U TO BE SO SAVED:U LOSE UR STREET SENSIBILITY!!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • Yes Lord, bless my neighborhood…..to God be all the glory!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • Getting Ready to Bless my hood
    30 minutes ago
  • Don’t get so saved that you lose your street sensiblity
    30 minutes ago
  • HANDS LIFTED
    30 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus for the words that you are having Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant to speak.
    30 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:I DONT WANT U TO BE SO SAVED:U LOSE UR STREET SENSIBILITY!!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • WHOOP THERE IT IS….PRAISE THE LORD…AMEN BLESS US LORD GIVE IT TO US…
    30 minutes ago
  • FAITH BELIEVING HOOD
    30 minutes ago
  • WOW!!!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • FIREEEEEEEEEEEE HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTGGGGGGGGGG7777777777.. KEEP IT HOOD LIFT UP YOU VOICE….. WHAT A SERVICE.. THANKS YOU LORD….
    30 minutes ago
  • Thank you Jesus for the words that you are having Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant to speak.
    30 minutes ago
  • JESUS!!! FIRE!!!
    30 minutes ago
  • I’m SO HOOD…. PREACH BLACK MAN!!!WOOHOO
    30 minutes ago
  • I thought when we got a black President, tensions between races would calm down. But I see things have not changed. I’m so glad my spirit is in God’s Kingdom, but my skin is recognized as WRONG in America. God will carry any how..I’m going to keep it Real.
    31 minutes ago
  • hallelujah “wow
    31 minutes ago
  • More than on FIAHHHHH!
    31 minutes ago
  • He is on Fire today Amen Thank god I’m So hood
    31 minutes ago
  • FIREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • I am soooooo hoood!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • WATCH OUT!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • Jesus, Jesus, thank you Jesus!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • LIFT UR VOICE:LIKE GOD!!!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • YES YES YES…PREACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • FIREEEEEEEEEEEE
    31 minutes ago
  • PREACH BLACK MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • GON HEAD JAMAL!!!!!! I’M SOOOOOO HOOD WITH YOU!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • he should have got me then cause now IM SO HOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!
    31 minutes ago
  • ‎@ Windor Carter I will have u n fam in my prayers
    58 minutes ago
  • SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS WINDSOR, MY HEAR GOES OUT TO YOU ALONG WITH PRAYERS!
    59 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:REFERRING THE BIO OF GERALD RIVERIA:HE GREW UP JEWISH ETC…HIS NAME WAS CHGD…HIS CAREER HAS BEEN JADED;1977:GERAL RIVERIA:WHO UNCOVERED WHY ELVIS PRESTLEY DIED ETC…
    59 minutes ago
  • give the 411 pastor bryant
    59 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:INVESTIGATIVE RPT:GERAL RIVERIA:PUERTO RICAN/JEWISH:LAWD SCHOOL/UNIV OF PENN:WRKD IN P0LICE/JOURNALISM:MAINTAIN ONE CLIENT:THE YOUNG LORDS/BCAME THE SPOKES PERSON FOR THE YOUNG LORDS
    59 minutes ago
  • PASTOR:REFERRING THE BIO OF GERALD RIVERIA:HE GREW UP JEWISH ETC…HIS NAME WAS CHGD…HIS CAREER HAS BEEN JADED;1977:GERAL RIVERIA:WHO UNCOVERED WHY ELVIS PRESTLEY DIED ETC…
    59 minutes ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7 verse,Subject:I’am so Hood.
    59 minutes ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7 The title of his sermon today is “I’M SO HOOD!”. PREACH PASTOR BRYANT
    about an hour ago
  • Text: 1 Samuel 16:7. Title: “I’m so Hood” Pastor Jamal Bryant http://www.empowermenttemple.org/
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7 Subject: Im So Hood
    about an hour ago
  • SERMON: I’M SO HOOD!
    about an hour ago
  • This is going to be a good message. I feel it in my spirit!
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7
    about an hour ago
  • Bless you Dr Bryant Don’t be brokenhearted
    about an hour ago
  • but the timer is going
    about an hour ago
  • I’M SOOO HOOD!!!! LET’S GO!!!
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7. Pastor’s sermon “I’m so Hood”
    about an hour ago
  • PASTOR:SUBJECT:IM SO HOOD!
    about an hour ago
  • i m sooo hood
    about an hour ago
  • That’s just like saying that the way a woman dresses makes someone attack her
    about an hour ago
  • I DONT THINK THATS RIGHT WHAT THAT MAN SAID THATS STEROTYPING
    about an hour ago
  • PASTOR:SUBJECT:IM SO HOOD!
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1Samuel 16:7
    about an hour ago
  • GO AHEAD BISHOP HOLY SPIRIT USE HIM UP…
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel16:7
    about an hour ago
  • PASTOR:IF UR THANKFUL FOR THIS WORD:GIVE GOD GLORY
    about an hour ago
  • I CANT SEE OR HEAR ANY THING
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 SAMUEL 16: 17…MY GOD!!!!
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7
    about an hour ago
  • So wearing a hoodie means your asking to be shot in the chest
    about an hour ago
  • ‎1 Samuel 16:7
    about an hour ago
  • Pray for Geraldo because he is so outdated and is seeking a comeback through this tragedy!
    about an hour ago
  • I see where he is coming from but by at the same token you should not categorize our children, thats one of the problems now. A Hoodie doesnt define no one
    about an hour ago
  • I wouldn,t want to wear a hoodie
    about an hour ago
  • omg SO we/everyone needs to dress to make them feel safe WOW AMERICA!!!!
    about an hour ago
  • I have mine on now also
    about an hour ago
  • somebody needs to hit Geraldo in the throat…..ooops sorry, I mean, pray for Geraldo
    about an hour ago
  • My 7 year old loves to wear a hoodie so does that make him suspious?
    about an hour ago
  • he,s telling the truth. Take off the hoods
    about an hour ago
  • white, black, latino, chinese..etc. wear hoodies..
    about an hour ago
  • My hoodies does not define me
    about an hour ago
  • really and how long have people been wearing hoodies no thats just wrong
    about an hour ago
  • Ummmm I dont agree with him
    about an hour ago
  • PLEASE REFER TO:THE SCREEN:LISTEN:THANKS EVERYONE~
    about an hour ago
  • the med are doing it BIG @www.empowermenttemple.org
    about an hour ago
  • It is beautiful to see these men of all ages jus singing praise to the Lord! God bless them!
    about an hour ago
  • The 11:30 service is in progress.. I could not tune in due to technically difficulties… It’s working now.. Just got in.. I’m under the Influence of Jesus ! http://www.empowermenttemple.org/
    about an hour ago
  • ‎@ Meek … Yes
    about an hour ago
  • HEARTS(SP)
    about an hour ago
  • Thank you Lord, bless them Lord the Men sound so good today and I can hear them clearly Halleluljah!!!!!!!
    about an hour ago
  • LET US PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR THE WORD:PASTOR JAMAL H BRAYNT:LETS PRAY FOR THE MAN OF GOD~AMEN~
    about an hour ago
  • Look at our men giving God praise!
    about an hour ago
  • I wont give up
    about an hour ago
  • ET MENS CHOIR:I WONT GIVE UP!
    about an hour ago
  • Sing Choir…….
    about an hour ago
  • PASTOR:PRAYER FOCUS LOCATED ON:EMPOWERMENTTEMPLE.ORG:
    CK IT OUT EVERYONE~
    about an hour ago

    ‘Hoodie Sunday’ churchgoers show solidarity with slain teen

    Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant of Baltimore’s Empowerment Temple plans march in Florida town where Trayvon Martin was killed

    By Gus G. Sentementes and Childs Walker, The Baltimore Sun1:23 p.m. EDT, March 25, 2012
    It was “Hoodie Sunday” at the Empowerment Temple in Northwest Baltimore.Throughout the morning, several hundred parishioners at the African Methodist Episcopal church arrived wearing black, blue or gray hoodies to show their solidarity with Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African-American who was gunned down in Florida on Feb. 26, allegedly by a neighborhood watch volunteer named George Zimmerman.Dozens of black youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 were invited to stand briefly in front of the altar, where Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant delivered a rousing sermon before 2,000 people. A staircase surrounding the altar was covered in bags of Skittles candy and bottles of Arizona iced tea — two items that Martin was carrying when he was shot.”Any one of them could’ve been gunned down on their way home from school, or on their way home from a friend’s house,” Bryant told the crowd. “The police know who did it and they still haven’t made an arrest.”The Martin case has burst open racial frustrations across the nation. Bryant has been an outspoken leader in what he believes is a new civil rights movement, one that emphasizes the health and safety of black children.Worshippers across the country reportedly wore hoodies during Sunday church services.Even as Bryant ministers locally to more than 8,000 parishioners every week, he has been busy flying back and forth to Sanford, Fla., where Martin was killed, to organize and plan events and protests.”On this day, the black church can’t be on the sideline,” Bryant told his parishioners. “You must be on the frontline.”Bryant planned to travel to Florida later Sunday to meet with Sanford officials to plan a Monday rally marking the one-month anniversary of Martin’s death. College students and church groups are expected to flood the small town, Bryant said, adding that he expects as many as 15,000 marchers.

    The march will start in central Sanford and lead to the town’s convention center, where the Sanford city council will be holding its monthly meeting. Bryant said he intends to speak at the meeting.

    “We’ll be working with the authorities,” Bryant said in an interview after the 9:30 a.m. service Sunday.

    Meanwhile, the Baltimore branch of the NAACP will hold a downtown rally Monday in memory of Martin.

    The rally is part of a flurry of action from Maryland churches and civil rights groups seeking to memorialize the teen.

    “It’s a sad, tragic situation,” said Baltimore NAACP President Tessa Hill-Aston. “You got a young boy trying to walk away from somebody, drinking a soda and eating candy like any other young person.”

    Hill-Aston said that beyond expressing sadness and anger, she hoped to be constructive by focusing on proper methods of neighborhood patrol.

    “You’re supposed to call for police backup,” she said. “You do not touch someone. That could have been anyone’s child.”

    The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will be joined by the Maryland Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Baltimore National Action Network in organizing the 5 p.m. rally at Pratt and Light streets.

    Besides Bryant, others intervening locally include former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, dean of the Howard University School of Law. Bowie State University leaders also plan to discuss the situation during a campus “Peace Week” starting Monday.

    Schmoke told NBC4 in Washington that the Howard University community wants to help.

    “We simply wanted to offer our condolences, and then our offer of assistance to the lawyers,” Schmoke told the station. “We could help with not only the investigation but, more importantly, looking at the law.”

    Benjamin Todd Jealous, national president of the NAACP, joined others in demanding that Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. be replaced. The Orlando Sentinel reported Saturday that Lee had temporarily stepped down.

    “My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation,” Lee said in a statement. “It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.

    “Therefore, I have come to the decision that I must temporarily relieve myself from the position as police chief for the city of Sanford,” he continued. “I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to a city which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”

    Jealous said in a statement: “The NAACP’s No. 1 concern in this case remains securing the arrest, prosecution and conviction of George Zimmerman. We are cautiously pleased that Chief Lee has stepped aside for his failure to assure Mr. Zimmerman was arrested.

    “Any chief who would so allow his officers to so mishandle a situation like this has no place in law enforcement. At the end of this investigation it will be clear that his temporary removal should be made permanent.”

    Gus.sentementes@baltsun.com