Seminar Reports

Report on the October Mission trip of Leaders of Godly Character International Conducted October 10 – Nov 2, 2009 in Freetown, Sierra Leone

 Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.   

We thank God for all of you who joined us in prayer and in contribution to the efforts that went into the organization and implementation of the October 2009 mission trip to Sierra Leone. The trip was successful in many ways: (1) LGCI donated books and school supplies to children at Sybanclair Preparatory School and Sierra Leone Grammar School; (2) LGCI awarded eleven full-year tuition scholarships to schoolchildren at Sybanclair Preparatory School; (3) LGCI conducted a “Servant Leadership” training seminar at the British Council Hall in Freetown and trained over 150 people in servant leadership.

To achieve our purpose of developing leaders of Godly character that will serve God’s creation, LGCI pursues a two-pronged strategy: (1) influencing children through supporting and sponsoring education in schools that are led by Godly leaders to allow them even greater influence over more children as they develop them into leaders of Godly character; (2) influencing the parents by conducting leadership training seminars where the parents can learn about leadership, and be encouraged to adopt Godly leadership behaviors. Both of these strategies were implemented in this mission trip.

The donation of school books, supplies, and scholarships was well-received. Both Sybanclair Preparatory School and the Sierra Leone Grammar School continue to flourish under the Godly leadership of Mrs. Christiana Kenney and Mr. Akiwande Lasite respectively. The donation of the school supplies was carried out by LGCI’s finance and administrative director, Mrs. Renee Taylor-Pearce. One of the most emotional events of the mission trip occurred when Mrs. Renee Taylor-Pearce informed the parents and teachers of Sybanclair Preparatory School that one of the scholarships for the children had been donated by a group of nine (9) children in the USA – children of ages 5 to 13! These children spent an entire year putting away portions of their lunch money or pocket money, and together gathered enough to pay for one child’s tuition! This revelation brought tears to the eyes of the parents of the schoolchildren who received the scholarships.

The feedback from the seminar participants was very positive, with many participants suggesting that the seminar should be conducted every three months, it should be recorded and transmitted over radio and TV, and it should be advertised more heavily over radio and television, in order to capture more participants, especially in the civil service and in the education sectors.

 This is where we need your help. In order to host these seminars more often, and to provide even more support for childhood education, LGCI continues to depend on the prayer and financial support of people like you

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world. If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation online through our website at:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

The servant leadership seminar conducted in Freetown was attended by over 150 people, and was ground-breaking in its content. The concept of servant leadership is one that is in conflict with the traditional images of leadership in Sierra Leone. Initially, the participants were resistant to the concept of a leader being a servant. Eventually, through role-plays, discussion, and explanation, the participants were able to understand that a servant leader is someone who puts the needs and interests of the followers ahead of his/her own personal needs or interests; when this happens, everybody wins. By contrast, a non-servant leader puts his/her own needs and interests ahead of the needs of the followers, and when this happens, only the leader wins. “This style of leadership”, commented one of the participants at the end of the seminar, “is what we need to see in Sierra Leone.” The seminar was organized jointly by the Association of Christian Professionals (ACP), the Diakonia Interdenominational Services for Counseling, Evangelism, and Teaching (DISCET), and Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI). LGCI is blessed to partner with these organizations who are making a difference everyday in the work they do to expand God’s kingdom in Sierra Leone.

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html
Or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI):
Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you for your support.  Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

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Report on the “Public Servant Leadership” Seminar conducted
March 31, 2009 in Freetown, Sierra Leone

 Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.   

Leaders of Godly Character International was invited once again by His Worship the Mayor of Freetown, Mr. Herbert George Williams, to conduct a second installment of leadership training – to follow up on the initial training that was conducted in November of 2008. Once again, the attendees were the elected and appointed leadership of the Freetown City Council – the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, senior staff, and the councilors.

With permission from HW the Mayor, we release specifics of the training.

The workshop started with a review of the first training session. We reiterated the importance of the four minimum characteristics of good leadership: Integrity, Courage, Vision, and Passion. The feedback from most of the participants was that the most difficult of these characteristics to consistently display is courage; while it is easier to police oneself to maintain integrity, having the courage to demand and take action regarding breaches of integrity in one’s peers is much more difficult. 

The main topic of the workshop, which we discussed after the review of last November’s training, was  “SERVANT LEADERSHIP”.   All participants learned, through lively discussion, role-play, and analysis, the following truths:

 Every member of the Freetown City Council (including HW the Mayor) is a public servant.

1. As a public servant, every member of the FCC has a master – the citizens of Freetown.

2. A servant is never greater than his master; as such, no member of the FCC is greater than any citizen of Freetown.

3. Servant Leadership is displayed when the leader puts the interest of his people ahead of his own interests.

4. When the leader, through his actions and behavior – puts the interests and welfare of those he leads ahead of his own interests – EVERYBODY WINS (including the leader).  When the leader puts his own interests ahead of those he leads, then everybody loses.

The training on Servant Leadership taught the participants principles that are foreign to what most of them have learned through their previous leadership.  The comments made by the participants during and after the workshop, revealed the benefit of the training:

“I believe this servant leadership is good for our city and our country. But it will be hard for us to do it. This kind of leadership goes against our culture.”

“The cultural practices of leadership that we have experienced before have taught us that the leader takes care of himself before he takes care of anyone else. This is teaching us something completely different. If we want our country to improve, we need to change our leadership philosophy to reflect servant leadership”

 “I think this training is essential to our success as a nation. I would like to suggest that this training should be mandatory for anyone that wants to occupy leadership position in Sierra Leone government or civil service.”

 “It will not be easy to put this into practice. But we will do our best.”

Please join me in praying for the leadership of the Freetown City Council, that they may live out the true meaning of Sierra Leone pledge of allegiance: “to put her [Sierra Leone’s] interest above all else”.
Thank you to all of you who supported us with your prayers and/or financial contribution.  Your efforts go a long way to making a brighter future for people in Sierra Leone and beyond by investing in the leadership capabilities of the people and their leaders.

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world.  If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at:

 www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html
Or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI):
Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you for your support.  Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

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Report on the “Developing Leaders of Godly Character” Seminar conducted March 27 & 28, 2009 in Kenema, Sierra Leone

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.

  
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! He blessed us with a wonderful and productive mission trip to Kenema, where we were blessed to be a blessing to over 200 residents of Kenema that attended the “Developing Leaders of Godly Character” seminar.

The seminar took place at the Doors church; a wonderful newly built sanctuary that comfortably holds over 250 people. It was hosted by The seminar was co-hosted, along with Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI), by the Association of Christian Professionals (ACP), DISCET, and the Body of Christ in Kenema. 

The people of Kenema are hungry for success - for their city, for the Eastern region, and for Sierra Leone. The hunger was evident in the quantity of people that attended the seminar (we had a total of 210 people attend), and the level of engagement that they displayed during the training. The four minimum qualities of leadership - Integrity, Courage, Vision, & Passion – have now become part of their vocabulary, and we know that the Lord will do wonderful works through the attendees in the Eastern region and in Kenema.

Most of the attendees to the seminar are people who have received very little leadership training before, and have little access to such training.  They were people from all professions: at-home mothers, teachers, policemen, civil servants, traders, pastors, and students.  At the end of the seminar, all participants re-dedicated themselves to a lifetime of service to God and to Sierra Leone by signing a personalized version of the National Pledge and by reading the Pledge out loud in front of their peers. What a moment!

How do we follow up with the participants, to encourage them to follow through on their pledge to make the changes in their actions and behaviors to be good leaders? We partner with the Association of Professionals (ACP) to do this. The seminar in Kenema coincided with the launching of the ACP – Kenema branch. The ACP serves to bring together Christian professionals to encourage each other, and network with each other, in a manifestation of the biblical truth, “iron sharpens iron”.

We thank God for all of you who supported s with your prayer and your donations to make this training possible. We continue to provide the training free of charge for those attending – we want everyone to receive the benefit of leadership training regardless of financial status. 
Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world.  Our next seminar will be held this summer in Riverside, California. If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.
Or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI):
Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you for your support.  Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

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Report on the Education Mission trip to Freetown Sierra Leone
(Nov 20 - 30, 2008)

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.  We praise God for each of you that supported us with your prayers and support for the education mission trip to Sierra Leone. This was a joint mission trip, organized jointly by Leaders of Godly Character International (www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org) and Cross Word Christian Church (www.crosswordchurch.org).

We shipped school supplies and books to Freetown Sierra Leone, and made the presentation of these materials to the children and parents and teachers of three schools – El Shaddai Preparatory School, Sybanclair Preparatory School, and Dolbert International School.  

We wish that you could have seen the faces of the school children and the teachers as they received these much needed tools that will enhance their education efforts. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that you are being a blessing to others! In all, counting the students and the teachers at each school, we were blessed to be a blessing to over 500 people during this trip.

The mission team also taught the kids in the classrooms with the teachers, and we conducted leadership training for the teachers.  It was an eye-opener for all of us to recognize the difficult conditions under which the children have to study, and the teachers have to teach. Our admiration for the dedication of the teachers and the school administrators as they steadfastly and lovingly carry out their duties in the face of such hardship, was greatly increased during this mission trip, as we experienced first-hand what they go through to educate the children.

Again – thank you very much for your support of LGCI.  Please continue to support us as we gather more school supplies and books and computers for the schools to send in 2009.  We also offer scholarships to children whose parents cannot afford the school fees (school fees are between $100 and $150 per year, depending on the grade).

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world.  If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI):

Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you for your support.  Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

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Report on the “Public Servant Leadership” Seminar Conducted
Nov 26, 2008 in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.   

At the invitation of the Mayor of Freetown (Mr. Herbert George-Williams), Leaders of Godly Character International conducted a “Public Servant Leadership” seminar (part 1) for the Mayor, deputy Mayor, senior staff, and 49 councilors of the Freetown City Council on May 26, 2008 in Freetown Sierra Leone.  Praise God! When the leadership of the city of Freetown recognizes and acts upon a need for improved leadership development within its ranks, there is great promise for the future development of Freetown!

To preserve confidentiality, the details of the training will not be released in this report. However, we can safely say that the feedback received from the training was very positive, and LGCI has been invited to conduct part II of the training in March of 2009.

Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI) is committed to developing Leaders of Godly Character that will serve God’s creation.  We praise God for the opportunity to train the current political leadership of the capital city of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

LGCI is putting together its schedule for 2009.  If you would like for us to conduct a leadership seminar in your area (or in your church), please contact us at info@leadersofgodlycharacter.org. 

It is our goal to make these seminars free for those attending – we want everyone to receive the benefit of leadership training regardless of financial status. 

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world.  If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at

:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI):

Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you for your support.  Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

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Report on the "Developing Leaders of Godly Character" Seminar Conducted
Nov 21 & 22, 2008 in Makeni, Sierra Leone

Friends - Greetings in Jesus' precious name.

Integrity, Courage, Vision, & Passion; those four words became part of the vocabulary of many Makeni-ites this past week, as we successfully completed a two-day seminar on Leadership for the people of Makeni. The seminar was co-hosted, along with Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI), by the Association of Christian Professionals (ACP), New Harvest Ministries, and DISCET.

Makeni is the capital city of the Northern Region of Sierra Leone; the same region that the current President of Sierra Leone (President Koroma) hails from. As a courtesy, the President was informed of our upcoming seminar. Not only did he support the seminar, but he also sent his Press Secretary to attend the seminar, as a show of support. We received an even bigger surprise during the seminar - the mother of President Koroma was also in attendance!

The seminar was very well attended - we had 206 people attend the first day of the seminar, and over 210 people attended the second day of the seminar. Praise the Lord! Most of the attendees to the seminar are people who have received very little leadership training before, and have little access to such training. One of the key take-aways from this seminar was the need to do even more, to get the message of what good leadership is to every single village, no matter how remote, in Sierra Leone. A daunting task, but then, is there anything too hard for God? No indeed! All we have to be are willing vessels to be used by Him to be a blessing to others.

The feedback from the seminar participants gave a glimpse of the impact this kind of training is having on their lives:

"I am so inspired by this training. I did not really consider myself a leader. Now I understand that I am a leader, and God made me to be a leader, and I know what to do"

"Thank you for this training. It is very good. Please come again to do more training. We need leadership training very much in the Northern region."

"I am very happy that I attended this seminar. I wish that we could do this seminar in the villages and invite the chiefs and head-men to come and listen. It is so important"

"Thank you for the seminar. This is what we need in Sierra Leone today; we need to change peoples' attitudes, and this is the kind of training that will do that. We need a lot more of this."

The seminar ended with each participant pledging to serve the Lord faithfully, and to serve the interest of others above their own. Praise God for that!

Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI) is still putting together its schedule for 2009. If you would like for us to conduct a leadership seminar in your area (or in your church), please contact us at
info@leadersofgodlycharacter.org.


It is our goal to make these seminars free for those attending - we want everyone to receive the benefit of leadership training regardless of financial status.


Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world. If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at: www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

or you may send it by mail to: (Please make checks payable to LGCI):
Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA 92552

Thank you for your support. Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.


Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.

President, LGCI

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Report on the “Everyday Leadership” Seminar Conducted
Nov 7 & 8, 2008 in Brentwood, MD (USA)

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name. .  

Last weekend (Nov 7 & 8), Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI), in partnership with Brentwood Foursquare Gospel Church (www.brentwoodfoursquare.org) and The Refiner’s Place (www.refinersplace.com), conducted its first Washington DC metro area leadership seminar.

We thank and praise God for the tremendous success of the seminar, and we give Him all the glory. It is such a privilege to be used as vessels through which the Lord blesses others; the Lord answered our prayers above and beyond our expectations!!

The seminar was held at Brentwood Foursquare Gospel Church in Brentwood, Maryland over 50 participants in attendance. People came from various parts of the Washington DC metro area. The folks who attended the seminar were blessed with training and coaching in the basics of good leadership; in addition, they were able to attend more in-depth training on either Leadership in the Home, Leadership at Work, or Financial Leadership.

The comments from the participants reveal much about the impact that these seminars are having on their lives, as they seek to become the kind of Godly leaders that God created them to be:

“I really enjoyed the group interaction and the leadership scenarios. I wish the seminar were longer than just one night and one half-day. I would highly recommend this seminar to anyone!”

“This is the best leadership course I have ever attended. I just recently attended a three-month course on Leadership, and I learned more in this seminar than I learned in that entire course”

“This seminar is excellent. We need to do more of these. It is desperately needed in the Washington DC area, especially in the African community in this area”

“I enjoyed the seminar so much I did not want it to end. The Financial Leadership session was extremely useful for me”

“I have to confess that I did not want to come to this seminar. I came because my Pastor insisted that I had to come. I am so happy, though that I attended the seminar. It was excellent!”

Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI) have two more seminars planned for the rest of 2008 – both in Sierra Leone (West Africa). We are putting together our schedule for 2009. If you would like for us to conduct a leadership seminar in your area (or in your church), please contact us at info@leadersofgodlycharacter.org.

It is our goal to make these seminars free for those attending – we want everyone to receive the benefit of leadership training regardless of financial status.

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI as we continue to be a blessing to people all over the world. If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

or you may send it by mail to: (Please make checks payable to LGCI):

Leaders of Godly Character International
P.O. Box 8294 Moreno Valley, CA 92552

Thank you for your support. Remember - everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr. President, LGCI

LGCI is a non-profit organization registered in the state of California.

Report on the Leaders of Godly Character Seminar Conducted
May 17, 2008 in Riverside, CA (USA)

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name.  

This past Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., we conducted the first ever “Developing Leaders of Godly Character Seminar” in the USA.

We thank and praise God for the tremendous success we experienced with Saturday’s seminar and for the generous support of our co-hosts and partners, Cross Word Christian Church (www.crosswordchurch.org).  We petitioned God to use us as instruments of blessing to His people and He answered our prayers above and beyond our expectations!! 

The seminar was held at Cross Word Church in Riverside, California with over 180 participants in attendance.  People came from various parts of California and some traveling over 100 miles (round trip).

Some people asked before the seminar: “I know why you’re doing leadership seminars in Africa, but I can’t imagine why you need to do them in the USA. Is there a need for it?”

Well, during this seminar, the Lord answered that question with an emphatic “Yes!”  It was encouraging and amazing to witness the apparent need and hunger there was for leadership training. The participants were fully engaged, and even after 6 hours of training, were clamoring for additional time to ask more questions. They commented on how grateful they were for the seminar, how it had impacted their lives and changed their thinking.  Some of the comments received from the participants were:

“I want to thank you for putting this seminar together.  I have learned so much about leadership, but I have also been able to see where I, as a leader, have been lacking in my own leadership. I know what I have to do to improve my leadership, which will help me and my family.”

“I just completed a sixteen-week leadership course at a local college, and I have to tell you – I gained more from this six hour training session than I learned from the sixteen weeks. This seminar is wonderful!”

“Thank you for putting this seminar together.  Your training on leadership in the home for women has helped to show me some of the things that I need to change in how I am leading my home. As a single parent, it is not easy for me, and you have helped me to understand what I need to do to be more effective.”

“I never thought that I could have this much fun in a training seminar.  This has been a wonderful experience.”

“I have been to many seminars before.  I have even attended leadership training before. However, I have never been to a seminar that has been so practical on a personal level – I know from this training what areas I need to work on, and how to go about doing it.”

“Thank you so much for this experience.  My husband and I had two other events to attend, but for some reason, we decided we would come to this one.  I am so glad we did.  This has completely surpassed our expectations.  There is so much that we have learned, and we are going to be better for it.”

Participants in the seminar were given the opportunity to attend both the general session and one of four specialized leadership breakout sessions – Leadership at Work (led by Minister Karen Sykes), Leadership in Church Ministry (led by Pastor Lacy K. Sykes), Leadership in the Home for Women (led by Mrs. Molley Macauley), and Leadership in the Home for men (facilitated by Modupe Taylor-Pearce).  The seminar was chaired by Mrs. Wanda Scruggs.  

Leaders of Godly Character International (LGCI) have two more seminars planned for this year – one in Sierra Leone, and one in Maryland, USA. It is our goal to make these seminars free for those attending – we want everyone to receive the benefit of leadership training regardless of financial ability or inability – whether in Africa or the USA.  As such, we invite you to make donations to LGCI to off-set the costs of putting together the seminars.  Our budget for 2008 is $42,800.  

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI.  If the Lord leads you, please make a tax-deductible donation, of any amount, through our online website at:

www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html.

or you may send it by mail to:
(Please make checks payable to LGCI, Inc.):

Leaders of Godly Character, International
P.O. Box 8294
Moreno Valley, CA  92552

Thank you so very much for your support.  It will truly make a difference in the kingdom of God for truly everything rises and falls on leadership.  Join me in making sure the leaders of today and tomorrow leave a Godly legacy for generations to come.

Thank you and God bless you,
Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.
President, LGCI

LGCI is a non-profit organization registered in the state of California.

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Report on the Leaders of Godly Character Seminar Conducted
17th & 18th of April 2008 in Bo, Sierra Leone (West Africa)

Friends - Greetings in Jesus’ precious name. I thank God for all of you that supported me (through your prayers, words of encouragement) to make this leadership seminar possible. 

Praise God for another successful seminar. Once again, the Lord demonstrated that He is “…able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us”. 

This seminar was held in the town of Bo, the second largest town in Sierra Leone (West Africa).  We had phenomenal attendance (486 people), and the venue (New Harvest Ministries) was filled to capacity.  We were also blessed to be broadcast live on local radio in Bo to the thousands of residents of Bo.  The radio broadcast came as a total surprise to me; I am still not sure how that came about – to God be the glory!

Leadership training is virtually non-existent in Sierra Leone, and for the participants, this seminar was invaluable. Some of the comments that were made after the seminar were:

“I have learned so much about being a leader; I had a chance to evaluate myself, and realize I have a lot of work to do”.

“This seminar has given me a way to look at my leadership, and evaluate the leadership of others. I wish that this seminar could be given to President Koroma (President of Sierra Leone) and his cabinet ministers”

We have four seminars planned for this year – two in Sierra Leone, and two in the USA (California and Maryland). It is our goal to make these seminars free for those attending – we do not want anyone to not get the benefit of leadership training because of financial constraints – whether in Africa or the USA.  As such, to put together the seminars, we depend on donations made to LGCI by you. Our budget for 2008 is $42,800.    

Please pray for the Lord to bless LGCI.  If the Lord leads you, please make a donation. Donations may be made through www.leadersofgodlycharacter.org/contactus.html. LGCI is a non-profit organization registered in the state of California.

A special thank-you goes to the Association of Christian Professionals (ACP), the New Harvest Ministries, and Diakonia Interdenominational Services for Counseling, Evangelism, and Teaching (DISCET) for being the local coordinators of the Leadership seminar. These three organizations did an excellent job of handling all the logistical and planning details for a successful seminar.

Thank you and God bless you,

Modupe Taylor-Pearce Jr.

President, LGCI

“Leadership is the cause; all else is effect”

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