Writing sample: Monday night ministry serves as sanctuary for McFerrin Park

Inglewood couple teach love transcends age, race, gender, geography, income

BY ANGELA PATTERSON | apatterson@tennessean.com | 259-8287

On Monday nights, there's a subtle murmur at the intersection of Berry and Meridian streets. Kids ride bikes, people walk up and down the sidewalks, cars turn in driveways.

But Jo Justian sits and waits.

Perched on the steps of the church that sits at that intersection, she's ready to greet the handful of people who come to the United Primitive Baptist Church building every Monday night for classes. As the minute hand ticks away from six o'clock and no one shows, Jo's brow furrows with concern. But as one woman pulls up, and two girls walk around the corner, her face brightens, and she greets each person as if a member of the family.

And while she's glad to see them, she's more excited about what's bringing them back week after week. The Monday night classes are an offering of Triple Cross Ministries, an outreach ministry for the McFerrin Park community led by Jo and her pastor husband, Emil. They have been working consistently in the community for a few years, and the ministry has been an exercise in submission, perseverance and faith. Watching the people walk through the doors each week is seeing the fruits of their labor.

Most may simply consider the classes they offer a learning opportunity for the community, but if you ask the Justians, it's God at work.

"The greatest of these is love"

In the McFerrin Park community they serve, the Justians are the minority. While that fact would bother some, the couple doesn't even think about it.

In the neighborhood, the Justians regularly approach people on the street and knock on people's doors. While being that forward would make some fearful, the Justians are never afraid.

Perhaps it's because the Inglewood couple is used to being in the minority. The couple joined a church in the United Primitive Baptist denomination, a predominantly black congregation known for its traditional beliefs. Jo and Emil immersed themselves in the church's culture. Emil was ordained as a minister in the church in 2002, making him the first white man in 137 years to have such a designation.

But the Justians would say the real reason is because they know God, and they know his word.

"My flesh has never been fearful, and I've never been intimidated," Jo said. "The presence of the Lord covers us. You fear no man. And His message is one of love. You love your fellow man. (When you know that) you see the Lord's colorblindness appear. His message is the same, no matter if you're in Belle Meade or on Meridian Street."

And that's the idea behind Triple Cross ministries. No matter what activity you're participating in, the point is always the same: love God, love yourself, love your fellow man.

"Teach me your way, O Lord"

Triple Cross has five ministries in the works, but only two of them are in full swing: the yoga class and the class for teenage girls. The classes were a product of Jo's experience and the community's needs. And while the classes obviously have different curriculums, they both allow the participants to reflect on God.

"The yoga class gives me a chance to refocus," said participant D'laine Bennett. "It's a time with no kids, no husband, no chores. It helps me to take care of me. It also helps me to remember my priorities."

Class instructor Stephanie Cash added: "This gives us a chance to step out of a world that is so chaotic. Here we get the chance to meet with our sisters in Christ and honor him and honor our bodies."

And the young women also focus on themselves, but in preparation more so than restoration. The group, nicknamed D.O.G. (Daughters of God), is based on the teachings in the book of Titus. The girls learn God wants his female followers to be virtuous women, and Jo gives advice on how to do that in a world where being proper isn't always popular.

"I came to this class to become elegant, to become more ladylike," said teenager Atlanta Dixon. "It teaches us how to show people we know how to be presentable, and that we're independent."

"I will wait for God my savior"

While the classes are flourishing, Emil looks forward to the time he can start his portion of the ministry: a music project and an oral history project pairing young people with seniors.

"Many of the kids around here are transient," Emil said. "They're in rental properties, or they just haven't been here very long, and they have no sense about what went on around them before they got here. We want the young people to talk to the older people, and vice versa. If we can break down the race wall, we know we can break down the age wall. If we can do that, then (the participants) can make friends for life."

Emil, a 30-plus-year music business veteran, has won W.C. Handy awards and has earned Grammy nominations for his blues music. But he feels all of that success was merely preparation for this ministry, for uniting people through words and music.

"I went from blues to gospel blues for Christ," Emil said. "The idea is to draw people together. Around here, when you meet someone, many times (they're suspicious of you). I want to be able to get past that with people. And music can do that. This is where God's going, and why he's put me where he's put me."

And just like Jo sits on the steps every Monday night, waiting for people to come, the Justians wait patiently for God to light their path, for they believe everything they do in this ministry is simply a manifestation of His plan.

"The cool thing is that God is in the middle of all this," Emil said, "and that's the bottom line."