On today’s episode of ROC Nation Real Talk, Steve talks with members of the Cedar Rapids community Paula Gardner and Bev Taylor. We have been exploring the connection between Buxton, Iowa and the Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood and in this episode, you will hear personal stories and experiences from Paula & Bev on how their lives were impacted and shaped.

It's been a couple of months since Carl Gonder became the new Executive Director for Serve the City, and it's an understatement to say that he hit the ground running.  He's been meeting with city officials, ministry leaders, non-profits, and helping to facilitate city wide prayer efforts, and much, much more.  All in an effort to increase the impact that STC is having on this community for Jesus Christ. STC launched in 2004 with Charles Daugherty at the helm.  The purpose of STC is to promote unity and collaboration to see our area won for Christ. Under Charles' leadership, STC grew from just a few ministry leaders connecting over coffee for fellowship and prayer, to the point where they are now representing over 50, 000 people from 75 unique churches, ministries and businesses.   Join Steve as they discuss a little bit of the history of STC, who they are today, and what's on the horizon for this amazing organization.

Rachelle Chase, author of "Creating the Black Utopia of Buxton, Iowa" and “Lost Buxton,” has given more than 80 presentations about the amazing town of Buxton. Rachelle’s work with Buxton coupled with George Floyd’s murder last year, motivated Rachelle to launch her new nonprofit, Uniting Through History, this month. For more information about Rachelle and her projects, visit her at RachelleChase.com and UnitingThroughHistory.org.

We are so excited to introduce our guest on this episode of ROC Nation Real Talk, Dr. Lucretia Berry. Dr. Berry is the creator of Brownicity.com, a contributor for (In)courage.me, and a TED and Q Ideas speaker (Charlotte). As a wife, mom of 3, and former college professor, her calling to active antiracism led her to author What Lies Between Us: Fostering First Steps Towards Racial Healing. During this episode, Steve & Dr. Berry discuss fostering first steps toward racial healing and, fostering healthy discourse around race, race/ism, identity & self.

In this episode, Steven talks with Pam Skelton of Living Room Ministries. They discuss how Living Room Ministries came to be, how they are impacting the lives of women in Cedar Rapids and also, how you can get involved! Pam spent 19 years teaching elementary learning and behaviorally disabled students. During this time traveled to Africa 5 times to do missions work. It was on one of those trips that she felt God telling her he had work for her to do. She retired early to start that work, first working as Volunteer and Prayer Coordinator for His Hands Free Clinic. It was during this time that she got the vision for Living Room Ministries Women’s Center that she has been operating since 2018. Get involved at https://www.livingroomministriescr.com/

Our guest this week on ROC Nation Real Talk is Mark Moyer, Executive Director of Heartland Youth For Christ. Listen in as Mark talks about the mission of Youth For Christ, how he got started and, what YFC is up to in the community.  We'll also hear what God has been teaching Mark through this season and, hear an exciting update about the YFC program "City Life".

On this episode of ROC NATION REAL TALK, we are excited to have Maurice Davis, Empower program manager at Jane Boyd joining us to discuss the topic of barriers for minority business owners.  Maurice gives valuable insight into questions such as "what are some common barriers for minority business owners and, how does low business ownership impact that segment of people. 

On this episode of ROC Nation Real Talk, our guest is LaSharon Taylor of Tailored Life Transitions Counseling. LaSharon is a 10 yr licensed Psychotherapist and 14 year Army National Guard Veteran. Her career specialty is racialized trauma by creating and implementing culturally competent groups and individual sessions for people of color who struggle with substance use disorders. She has a passion in caring for diverse populations, decreasing suicidality and strengthening bonds of military members and their supports. The purpose of Tailored Life Transitions Counseling is to impart hope and support hope-filled living by providing individual, family and marriage counseling services for all people.  During our conversation we  spoke about healing from historical violence, how to bring healing in our homes after racial, social, and civil unrest and, we discuss questions like how do i prepare my children for complex racial discussions and, if my child or I feel compelled to march or to protest, how do we go about it. 

Our guest  in this episode is Jefferson Jones from  Surge Ministries was established with a mission of connecting people from colleges and communities to create an intergenerational church focused on experiencing the power of Jesus in everyday life.  Today, JJ and Steve talk about how both black and white Christians engage in real conversations about race.

Our guest today is Efrem Jackson, founder of Free to Serve Financial Ministries. Efrem teaches people  how to manage their finances using common sense and Christian principles. Listen to our conversation as we not only discuss how his knowledge can help you on your journey to financial freedom but also, how to learn from the past and be financially smart during the COVID-19 pandemic.