Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the National Association of Colored Women’s Club (NACWC) hosted the College Revival Series: Hour of Power on Monday, Sept. 24 in the Ferguson Auditorium.
The featured speaker was Bishop J.D. Thomas of the Mount Rose Church. A favorite of the students, Thomas warned the audience that because of his busy schedule, he almost didn’t make it to the program, but “ya’ll were so good to me last time, I had to come back again.”
And the audience was glad he did.His message was simple: stay focused.
“With all of the ‘stuff’ you deal with as a college student, it’s easy to lose focus,” Thomas said. “But you were sent to A&M-Commerce to get educated, so stay focused on your goals.”
Thomas spoke on issues of academics, friendships, and relationships mixed in with his own life experiences kept the audience engaged throughout the evening.
“I needed that message, Bishop Thomas,” Michelle Rushing, president of NACWC said as she gave him a plaque of appreciation. “It came right on time.”
Rodney Baker, Alpha Phi Alpha chapter president, felt the same way.
“Thank you, Bishop! I’ve had a bad case of senioritis lately and you woke me up and helped me realize I need to stay focused,” Baker said.
The New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel Choir sang two selections and undergraduate Colby Lewis performed the art of pantomime interpretation to R. Kelly’s “You Saved Me,” which had the entire crowd on its feet.
The hosts, Armondria Whetstone of NACWC, and Kentrel Phillips of Alpha Phi Alpha kept the audience engaged throughout the evening and the atmosphere was positive the entire night.
According to Phillips, it was a pleasure to co-sponsor the program with NACWC..
“This is the fourth time we’ve had the college revival and this time we wanted to do it bigger and better than ever. I couldn’t have imagined partnering with another organization besides NACWC.”