Rev. Lawrence Craig, third from left; Pastor the Rev. Roger Jackson, fourth from left; First Lady, Sis. Kim Jackson, fifth from left; Sis. Herline Florival, organist; and some members of FSUMC Men’s Group after Worship Service.
Photo by Nelson A. King
The United Methodist Men (UMM) at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) in Brooklyn on Sunday, Sept. 21, celebrated what they described as a very successful “Men’s Day” during the church’s Worship Service.
“It was a well thought-out, executed, and inspired Worship Service,” FSUMC Pastor, the Rev. Roger Jackson, told Caribbean Life afterwards.
“I am looking forward to seeing the continued growth and participation of the men in all areas of the ministry life at Fenimore,” he added.
The two-hour service featured lofty singing by the Men’s Praise Team, the Men’s Choral, and the congregation, as well as a soul-inspiring rendition by Bro. Edward Hyde, a Jamaican-born UMM member.
Before delivering his sermon on “We are our Brother’s Keeper,” the theme of the celebration, guest preacher, the Rev. Lawrence L. Craig, Jr., displayed his musical gift by playing the piano and singing “You Won’t Leave Here Like You Came in Jesus Name.”
Rev. Jackson noted that “Rev. Craig felt it necessary and important to remind us, and for us to remind each other by reciting that, ‘I am a miracle, and I believe in miracles every day because the God I serve specializes in making a way out of no way.’”
Rev. Craig used John 20 19-31 as the foundation text of his proclamation.
He first pointed out that Jesus’ tomb is open, and that the brothers in the text are in the house behind a locked door.
Rev. Craig said the brothers then left for the tomb of Jesus and “have entered into their own tombs of fear.”
Given the global status quo, Rev. Craig asked the men at the 134-year-old church, at the corner of Fenimore Street and Rogers Avenue: “How are we living? Are we keeping our brothers in the freedom and joy of the resurrection, or are we keeping our brothers behind locked doors?”
Rev. Craig reiterated the theological truth that Jesus has and will always come to unlock the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual doors.
“Jesus steps into those closed places in life that men do not talk about with resurrection power,” he preached. “This makes it possible for us to open our hearts to newness of life through Jesus Christ.”
In closing, Rev. Lawrence recited several verses of songs that speak to “the joy and love that are in us, so that, as our brother’s keeper, we can be at peace and extend peace to each other.
“If it is so, then we can be our brother’s keeper,” he said.
More about Rev. Craig
Rev. Lawrence L. Craig, Jr. received his call to ministry in 1975. October 2025 will mark his 50th year in ministry.
From his humble beginnings, serving as associate pastor under the administrations of his father, the late Rev. Dr. Lawrence L. Craig, Sr., in Cleveland, OH, East St. Louis, IL, and Chicago, IL, this fourth-generation preacher born into the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has become a highly sought-after speaker, singer, and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
His family legacy is steeped in dynamic men of God. The late Rt. Rev. Elisha P. Murchison, former Senior Bishop of the CME Church, appointed Rev. Craig to serve as his executive administrative assistant of youth affairs and activities for the denomination.
In the world of music, Rev. Craig has made a name for himself as “America’s Versatile Baritone,” performing on major concert, opera, and recital stages worldwide, including a recent operatic concert tour of Hong Kong, Macau, and Beijing, China as a member of the Dame Alice S. Kandell Camerata, featuring a lead-off concert by operatic superstar Placido Domingo.
Rev. Craig’s voice has been featured in various genres, including on Broadway, in the Emmy Award-winning PBS KIDS television series Peg + Cat, the NYC 75th Anniversary Concert to honor Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and as a guest soloist for the New York concert to honor former President Barack Obama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.
