Pastor, Oak Park United Methodist Church

As pastor of Oak Park United Methodist Church in Sacramento, Robert L. Jones is dedicated to using faith and WE Connect as tools to empower people in his community.

The power of faith and serving others has been at the forefront Pastor Jones' work ever since he received his calling to ministry in 1991.

As a child, Pastor Jones grew up in a church community in Missouri, but although he is now considered a leader in the faith-based arena, Pastor Jones confessed he initially did not want to be a minister.

"I never saw the pastors as really engaged beyond the walls of the church. I didn't see them wanting to reaching out to actively take part of society and conversation outside of the church," he said.

With this in mind, once he became a minister, Pastor Jones was determined to not let the ways of old function as standard practice within the church.

"My calling was very clear to me. To make the gospel relevant, and to serve my community," he said.

Fast forward to present day and not only is Pastor Jones at the forefront of helping his church and neighborhood, but he has become an advocate in the faith-based community, counting Secretary of the Associated Ministers Empowering Neighborhoods (AMEN), and Governmental Affairs Director of California Association of Black Pastors among his many duties.

Last year, Pastor Jones added WE Connect Sunday as part of his efforts to help educate and empower his community.

WE Connect Sunday is a one day, statewide event, allowing WE Connect to reach out to congregations in communities across California as a unique way of connecting families to information that could significantly improve their lives.

In just its second year, the WE Connect Sunday campaign has been able to spread the word to over 1,000 places of worship through unique media partnerships in regions across the state, reaching hundreds of thousands of Californians through bulletin inserts and the distribution of bilingual supplements - all free of charge.

Pastors, priests, rabbis and other religious leaders are also encouraged to include WE Connect's message of opportunity and dreams in their sermons, reaching out on a more personal level to their worshipers.

"I believe what the First Lady Maria Shriver is doing is certainly in harmony with what I believe we in the church are doing," said Pastor Jones.

Whether it's providing tax preparation, diabetes screening or directing people to other resources they need, Pastor Jones has committed himself to making sure people get educated, but he knows he can't do it alone.

"We know that our reach is limited within the scope of being able to touch many people geographically. That's why we believe it's important to partner with WE Connect and anyone else who's committed to empowering people, wherever they are," he said.

Pastor Jones got involved with WE Connect because he wants to continue to help those that need help or feel disenfranchised.

"The goal is not only just getting connected to God, who's a source of all of our power and who's a source of all things that empower us, but also getting connected to resources that will empower your life, so that we can in turn contribute to our community and our neighbors," he said.

"I believe you serve God by serving the community and being a conduit to get people to the resources they need."

Pastor Jones also believes if people begin to take advantage of the programs, resources, and benefits that are available, the system will work, but it starts with people getting the word out and educating others.

"Our goal is to tell someone about WE Connect, and tell them to go and tell someone about it, and so on. Imagine if that happens, not only across the community, but across the state and this nation. It can become a very powerful movement," Pastor Jones said.

"It's a great opportunity to show the relevancy of the gospel for us and to show others that they really have some fruit of the statement, "We are Connected.""

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