COMMUNITY
HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
Rev Julius Walls Leads Greater Hood Celebrating Its 200th Anniversary
J
ulius Walls Jr. is a dedicated ordained minister, devoted husband, and dutiful father and is known for his preaching, teaching, and speaking. Rev. Walls is the pastor of Greater Hood Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the first Black Church in Harlem, New York. since 1820.. This year Greater Hood is celebrating the church’s 200th Anniversary on Sunday, March 20, 2020 at the church, located on 146th Street between 7th and Lenox Avenues. Reviving the congregation at Greater Hood, Rev. Walls’ vision is to be used by God to lead people to a relationship with and be instruments of Jesus’ generosity, joy, and justice in the world. While Rev. Walls sees the Sunday worship as a critical component to the internal change in the individual, he preaches and teaches that it
is only the beginning as they live the external life of love in action. Rev. Walls has led Greater Hood to establish active ministries of partnering with the local elementary school to provide volunteers and financial support, feeding and clothing those in need, urban outreach through the unique Hip-Hop Church, and visiting the incarcerated at Rikers and developing programs to assist them as they return home, and as well as providing worship space for other faiths. Greater Hood is also engaged in the work of sup-
porting the long-time residents who wish to thrive in today’s Harlem. Rev. Walls has worked in business, academia, and ministry. He has served as pastor at two A.M.E. Zion churches, currently Greater Hood and formerly at Metropolitan. Rev. Walls is also the President of Greater Centennial Community Development Corp., which engages in real estate development and management (housing/ homeownership). He has served as Chief of Staff of Greater Centennial Church, a 6000-member church; as CEO of Greyston Bakery, a $7 million social enterprise; as Vice President of Operations for a $23 million chocolate manufacturing company; and as an adjunct professor at the business graduate schools at two universities, New York University and Bainbridge Graduate Institute. He is a pub-
lished co-author of MISSION, INC., The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise, 2008. Rev. Walls has directly touched thousands of lives through his work at for-profits, non-profits, universities, and churches. Walls has taught, preached and spoken extensively throughout the country on the topics of Social Enterprise, Social Purpose Businesses, Social Justice and Business, Spirituality in the Workplace, and Business Development in the Inner City. Rev. Walls has built businesses and consulted for others, coached executives, mentored students, and inspired thousands of people to be the best they can be. He has developed life skills programs, affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, performed strategic planning that has lifted organizations higher. In his various roles he has met with Presidents
(Clinton and Obama), spoken at multiple universities including several Ivy League, served and serves on multiple corporate, non-profit, and government boards as chair and member atlarge. Walls served as an invited participant in the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Session on Transforming Cities through Civic Entrepreneurs at Harvard University, was named the first Social Entrepreneur in Residence at New York University, and has twice been named one of the Ten Most Influential Blacks in Westchester by African-American Chamber of Commerce. Core ingredients in Walls’ life and his career are his relationship with God, spiritual practice, family, and service, which seeds were sown by his parents in his native Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. Walls has been mar-
ried to his college sweetheart for over 30 years. They have three children. Walls attended high school and college seminary before deciding to pursue a career in business. He studied business at Baruch College and completed his bachelor’s degree at Concordia College. He returned to ministry in 2001 to encourage people to be what God intends us to be, loving participants in the world. His seminal sermon, “Are You Christian on Monday?” challenges everyone, Christians and Non-Christians, to carry their values into their everyday lives. Greater Hood and the community will celebrate the Church’s 200th Anniversary with a banquet gala in Harlem on March 20, 2020 with Bishop Dennis V. Proctor, Presiding Prelate of the A.M.E.Z. Church commemorating the event with them.
Check Out Our Great CD Rates! 6 Month CD
% APY*
1.75
Harlem Community Newspapers | January 30. 2020
1.60
18 Month CD
% APY*
For details, contact Ebony Miranda, AVP, Branch Manager, at 212-360-7532.
Established 1863 · Member FDIC
applebankcd.com *Annual Percentage Yields (APYs) disclosed are effective as of 1/21/2020 and may be changed by the Bank at any time. CDs require a $1,000 minimum balance to open and earn interest. Early withdrawal penalty may apply. CDs must be opened in person at an Apple Bank branch. Offer may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice.
5 apple bk - HARLEM NEWS - CD - 1-21-2020.indd 1
1/17/2020 1:36:53 PM
