The First Lady Brenda Barnes
First Lady Brenda Barnes, the great and gracious First Lady of Abyssinian Baptist Church, a virtuous woman of God who loves God’s people with all her heart. While this woman of God is blessed, she is grateful for her most precious gift, her children, Kevin Jr., Keith, and Kenneth, and her grandchildren, Aleijah Kevin III, Kamani, Keith Jr., and Kyndal.
First Lady Barnes is not your typical traditional First Lady, who is an out front-kind-of-person. However, it is in her heart to diligently work behind the scene, praying with and for our church that we can make a difference in the many lives God has allowed her and her husband to serve. She has the uttermost respect for her husband’s leadership, our church and how the Lord has guided their lives. God provided her with the insight of her calling early on in her Christian journey, which is to “pray, encourage and serve” and seek to do God’s will.
Kevin, Keith and Kenneth Barnes are our avid musicians ministering to God’s people through music.
Together they have produced a CD, “The Gift,” and have their own music studio. They have grown up in the church and support the ministry of their parents.
Kevin is our organist and Young Men for Christ instructor. He is married to Elizabeth and together they have three children, Aleijah, Kevin III, and Kamani.
Keith is our bass player and father of two children, Keith Jr. and Kyndal. Kenneth is our drummer and is a senior in high school
Why I wrote the book:
It was not lightly that I chose the topic Successfully Raising Young Black Men. I was inspired to write on this subject because it really hit home. Growing up I did not have a father (my own father having died when I was very young). In today’s society, it is imperative that young Black men know their fathers. Without the guidance and nurturing that a father can give, young Black men get lost. They get lost in the home, in the school system, the workforce, if incarcerated, in the penal system, and even in the church.
The process of writing this book has been its own transpersonal and transformational journey, one filled with countless emotional moments. While writing these pages I saw the young man that I was, and how by the grace of God, I made it. There were also moments of excitement, inspiration, courage, and gratitude because I was not sure I could really do it. But when I thought of my sons, I had a can do attitude.
I describe in these pages a series of steps and principles that I feel would be beneficial to fathers as well as mothers. As my life was strongly shaped by the conditions of a particular place and time, growing up in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, I know that fathers can help shape the lives of their sons by having a positive influence in their lives. It can be done through perseverance, love, and faith in God.