Photo of the Week - Rev. Floyd Flake Speaks at Clergy Breakfast

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village) hosted a Community Clergy Breakfast on May 29 at New Haven Ministries in Jamaica, featuring  special guest speaker the Rev. Floyd H. Flake, pastor of Greater Allen AME Cathedral, who shared his expertise on economic development and expanding one's church and congregation.

"Church is not merely what you do on Sunday morning," Rev. Flake said. "It is an understanding that everything that surrounds the church, that is a part of the church, is part of the community. You have a responsibility to help and make changes so that it is a better place for people to live."

During Rev. Flake's years with Greater Allen AME, its congregation has grown to 23,000 members and it is ranked as one of the nation’s top faith-based and urban development institutions. Allen oversees large commercial and residential properties,  a 750-student private school and various business and social service enterprises. It is also one of the largest private sector job providers in Queens. In addition to his work with the church, Rev. Flake served  as Congress Member for the 6th District in Queens from 1986 to 1997.

"This is not just a clergy breakfast, this is a training session," Senator Sanders said. "If a man is able to be blessed to build an incredible institution, as the Rev. Floyd Flake has done, then we should not let him walk out the door without asking him some questions and learning his secrets to success."

Senator Sanders holds a Community Clergy Breakfast once a month, bringing together faith-based leaders of different denominations from across the district to share information and discuss ways they can help their congregations, each time highlighting a new topic of importance for the faith-based community.