Paul Quinn College Chapel January 16, 2026

very

Good morning.

>> Good morning.

>> How are we this morning?

>> Great. Well, right. Let's sit together.

Wonderfully well.

>> Thank you. I'll be bringing you all the

chapel announcements this morning and

they will be brief, but please pay

attention. They do impact your lives

here on campus. Okay. Our first

announcement is from academic affairs.

Chapel College Assembly is an

institutional requirement and must

appear on your schedule each semester.

So make sure that it does. If you don't

see it in Canvas or in student

selfservice, please contact your

academic advisor immediately so this

issue can be resolved. There will be

penalties.

The next announcement is from the

business office. Your 1098-

tu is statement availability.

Your 1098T tu is statement will be

available January the 31st. Fastest way

to receive it. Choose electronic

delivery in student selfservice. How to

opt in? Log into student selfservice.

Select tax form. Choose 1098

information. Click receive my 1098 only

in electronic format.

Students who do not opt in will receive

a paper copy mailed out on January 31st

to the address that is on file, which

may take additional time to return. If

you have any questions, please contact

the business office. This is also from

the business office. Student health

insurance reminder. All students must

have active health insurance on file.

active or action required is by January

the 21st. Submit your insurance

information through the insurance

portal. Access the link in Canvas.

Students with personal insurance may be

eligible to wave the uh $555

comprehensive insurance. I do that. The

300 tiger care plan is required and nonw

uh nonwaable. Fall insurance waiverss

automatically carry over to spring and

no resubmission needed. Online students

were not charged for insurance. If an

insurance charge still appears after

January 23rd, contact Miss Felicia or oh

visit canvas for links and full

instructions.

[laughter]

This is my part. uh SSS, student support

services, right downstairs. We're having

a little welcome back, welcome back

event for you guys today and it's come

and go from 12 to two. We will be

serving a little refreshments for you.

We will be giving away free hygiene

packs and we just want to say hello,

welcome back. Anything we can do to help

you get information about SSS, student

support services, and see our lovely

faces.

Another one this neat Honda Campus

Allstar Hcast. You'll hear it over and

over. You'll see it often. It is a

trivia club where we as colleges compete

against other H.B.CU for money and lots

of money. We're talking up to $100,000.

If you're interested in this club, if

you love trivia, if you like

competition, if you like enjoying um

time with your colleagues and your

peers, we will have an information

meeting today at 1:00 in the SSS

classroom lab right downstairs in our

lab. For all additional information

about the club, you can see me, Miss

Neil. Email me, come see me. I don't

mind. Or Dr. Irving James here, who is

our coach. and I'm the campus

coordinator. I look forward to seeing

lots of you there. It's a lot of fun.

You'll really enjoy it. Cool. Beans.

All right. Last but not least, SSS is

hosting the mental health first aid

training on Thursday the 22nd. It is an

all day training from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00

pm and it will be in the SSS open space

and classroom. There will be breakfast

served and lunch served. This training

is an opportunity to invest in yourself

and learn how to support others in your

community. For participation details and

registration information, check your

canvas or contact the TRIO office SSS,

you see me, you see Miss uh Miss Kelly,

uh then just ask us about it, okay? We'd

love to see you all there. And this

concludes our announcements for today.

Come on, let's give God a hand clap of

praise.

Come on, let's stand. Let's stand. Let's

stand. Let's stand.

Let's stand. How many know you're

blessed? Come on, clap your hands if you

know you're blessed.

>> All right, the choir is going to open up

today.

Paul Quinn, what's going on?

>> Oh, good morning, Paul Quinn. What's

going on? Can we praise God just a

little bit? Just a little bit. Let me

get your hands.

>> If you know it, sing. One, two, three.

Let me hear you say blessed. Bless bless

bless. Say bless bless. Bless. Bless.

Say bless. Bless. Bless. Blessed.

[singing]

Blessed. [music] Blessed. We're blessed.

We're blessed. We're blessed. Say we're

blessed.

>> We're blessed.

>> We're blessed.

>> We're blessed.

And when we go weakness,

[music and singing]

>> for the devil is [music]

>> we are

>> we are blessed.

>> Let me hear you say blessed blessed

bless bless. Say bless. Blessed blessed

bless. Say, "Blessed, [singing]

blessed, blessed,

>> blessed, blessed, blessed, [music]

blessed,

>> blessed,

>> we're blessed. We're blessed in the

city."

>> We're blessed.

>> We're blessed.

>> We're blessed. We come and when we go we

can [music]

>> for the devil is

>> the devil is

>> we are [music and singing]

>> we are

>> oh late in the midnight hour's going to

turn it aroundise [music]

>> it's going to work in your favor

yes it will late in the midnight

[singing] hour that's going to turn it

around. It's going to work in your

favor. Let me say I'm telling you late.

>> In [music] the midnight hour,

>> God's going to turn it around.

>> It's going to work.

>> It's going to work [music] your favor.

>> Yes, it is. [singing] Yes, it is.

Telling you late in the midnight hour.

God [music]

say and around and around and around and

around and around and around and around

and around and around and around and

around. Watch me say yeah yeah yeah.

>> Say yeah yeah.

[music and singing]

Say, "Yeah,

>> yeah,

>> yeah."

>> Say, "Yeah,

>> yeah,

>> yeah,

>> yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> We're blessed in the

We're blessed in the

>> We're blessed.

>> We're blessed."

>> And when we go, we cast [singing] down

every

>> For the devil is for the [music]

>> We are blessed. We are blessed.

[singing]

God bless you. [applause]

>> I'm going to ask you to rise again for

the prayer.

Everybody, please rise.

Bow your heads, please. Lord, thank you

today for another

day of living,

another day of life.

Allowed us to see, to view, to witness

a day that looks like yesterday, but is

different in so many ways.

Thank you for what today

has in store for us.

We ask now that you'd bless everyone

here, our families, our friends,

the places we have come from to come to

this place.

May our today be better than our

yesterday.

And may you be more powerful to us today

even than you were on yesterday.

Give us a peace that passes all

understanding.

remove all of our anxieties and stress

and draw us close to you,

close to each other. Thank you for

another chapel as we begin this new

semester.

We ask it all in your precious name.

Amen. All right. Um remain standing for

the scriptures.

Good morning, Quinites.

I'm V James. I'm the history professor

here along with the faculty senate

president. And on behalf of the faculty,

I'd like to wish you all the best

semester ever. Welcome back.

I'll be reading Proverbs 4:19-23.

But they,

excuse me, but the way of the wicked is

like deep darkness.

They do not know what makes them

stumble. My son, pay attention to what I

say.

Turn your ears to my words. Do not let

them out of your sight. Keep them within

your heart. For they are life to those

who find them and health to one's whole

body. Above all else, guard your heart

for everything you do flows from it. The

word of God. Amen.

>> Good morning. Good morning.

>> Good morning.

>> Good morning. I have been asked to read

from the New Testament and it comes from

Matthew

chapter 5th, the fifth chapter vers 13-

16. You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt

loses its saltiness,

now it's not salty again. No longer is

it good for anything except to throw out

and step on under the foot. You are the

light of the world a town that is

not hidden.

Neither

do people light

a light and put it out under a bowl.

Instead,

it's on a stealth

give us.

It is given, excuse me, and is giving

the light to others to in his house. In

the same way, let your light shine. I'm

gonna say that again. In the same way,

let your light shine so others might see

thy good deeds and glorify God in his

house. I read to you the book of

Matthew. God bless the doers and the

most doers of his holy word.

You may be seated.

this morning.

This morning, we're going to do

something special this morning. I

haven't done this in a long time. Um,

uh, Mr. Willis and I are going to do a

two piano, um, piece. Uh, we're going to

recognize Martin Luther King. We're

going to do We Shall Overcome. And then

about two weeks ago, uh, a wonderful

songwriter passed away. Uh, Richard

Smallwood. He wrote Jesus, You're the

center of my joy. and he also wrote uh

total praise. So, we're just gonna do

uh those two pieces. Smile, Mr. Willis.

All

right.

All right.

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

[clears throat]

[music]

>> Come on.

Come on.

Heat. Heat.

Yeah.

Heat.

>> [applause and cheering]

[applause]

>> Good morning everyone. I'm Alexander

Warren.

I'm a sophomore here at Paul Quinn

College studying psychology. My hope and

my dream is to open two private

nonprofits.

I'm introducing our speaker today,

Reverend C. Reverend Dr. C. Dennis

Williams was born in San Diego,

California and was raised in San Anne,

California. He currently serves as the

African-American Episcopal Church as a

pres presiding elder on the Tyler

district of North Texas conference in

the 10th district episcal district where

he oversees 25 churches in the Tyler

district. In addition to his presiding

eldership, he also serves as a full-time

associate professor of religious studies

at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas,

where he pro where he teaches in the

areas of Christian ethics, church

leadership,

and speech communications. Dr. Williams

has earned the following degrees. A

bachelor's of science degree in history

and religious

religion from Paul Quinn College, Waco,

Texas. a master's of biblical studies

degree from Beth and Theology Seminary,

attending MacArthur Theological Seminary

for postgraduate studies and earned his

doctoral from missionary degree in

himalotics from United Theological

Seminary.

His doctoral thesis was entitled an HIV

ministry in the black church. Dr.

Williams is the author of two books, A

Guide to a Man's Spiritual Health,

published and released by West Both

Press and

Indismables Women's of Faith, published

by Triology and the Trinity Bordon

Casting Network.

Dr. Williams is in his fifth year of

preaching and has served

a full-time ministry in the AM church

for 41 years, pastoring, serving

churches in four states, Washington,

Missouri, California, and Texas. He and

his wife, I bet have three adult

children and one grandson.

[cheering]

Thank you, Alex, for the introduction.

Please rise for a few minutes. Thank

you.

Once again, Lord, you've given us the

opportunity

to share your words in

a familiar setting.

We ask your blessings on us.

And I pray today

that you would cause

my mind to fear

whether my heart means what I say. Amen.

I'm going to um read a verse of

scripture today, but I do want to thank

um Dr. Michael Surell, our president.

Let's give him a hand in his absence.

He is with their son today who is having

surgery and we will

pray for him today at the close of our

service as we do our closing prayer. But

I thank uh God for Dr. Sherelle and for

um Dr. Kwanda Grant, VP of academic

affairs for the opportunity

u to resume my role um as dean of chapel

for the school. And so you'll be seeing

a lot of me.

I want to share just a brief scripture

and to all of the faculty members and

staff members who are here and to you

the students just a small verse

and it's found in the 78th Psalm.

78th Psalm and it's the ninth verse.

78th Psalm

and the ninth verse. This is what it

says. This is the New International

Version.

It says, "The men of Ephraim,

though they were armed with bows and

arrows,

turned back." Everybody say they turned

back.

They turned back. On the day of battle,

the men of Ephraim,

though armed with bows,

turned back

on the day of battle, may be seated.

So, if you just give me if you give me

your undivided attention for about 12,

maybe 15 minutes and I'll be done.

Can we do that?

All right. I want to um

share with you today

about what it means to be armed and

dangerous.

That's what I want to speak about today.

Everybody say armed

>> and dangerous.

That's what I'm going to attempt to

speak about today.

During World War II, in World War II,

there was a young man who

enlisted in the army.

came from a strong

uh Christian background.

His family believed in God. They shared

God with him and he took that belief

system with him when he enlisted in the

army.

They let him in.

When he enlisted,

they discovered something about about

him that they didn't think was going to

work very well.

Because of his strong faith,

he did not believe in carrying weapons.

And they said, 'Now, how are you going

to fight in the army

if because of your faith you don't like

carrying weapons?

And so they tentatively

court marshaled him,

went to jail for a little bit,

and while he was in jail, they came up

with a plan that they thought would work

for him.

They said, "We tell you what we're going

to do so that you can remain in the

army. We're going to make you a medic.

Make you a medic. You won't have to

carry a weapon, and your job will be to

help soldiers who get wounded on the

battlefield. Can you do that?" He said,

"Yes." Went through training, became a

medic.

His name was First Class Private

Desmond Doss. That's his name. Check it

when you get back to your room. Desmond

Doss.

He fought in three battles. He fought in

the battle of Guam. He fought in the

battle of the Philippines. And he fought

in the battle of Japan. And he fought at

a place called Hacksaw Ridge.

He went to Hacksaw Ridge. And at the

battle of Hacksaw Hacksaw Ridge, 75

soldiers were wounded in battle.

And Desmond Doss

all by himself, listen to me,

rescued 75

soldiers by himself,

brought them to safety, and took care of

them until help came. One person,

no weapon,

saved 75 people, healed their wounds,

took care of them with no weapon. Why?

Because from his perspective,

he felt that because of his belief

system

that he himself was the weapon.

I want to say to this student body

that when you show up,

you become the weapon.

your education, the the degree that you

will get from this school,

the degree that you will earn from this

school, the skill set that these

professors and faculty and staff are

depositing into you

will help you become the kind of weapon

that the world will sometimes hate.

Lord have mercy. Don't you understand

that people hate on you not just because

they don't like you, but you have

something in you that they don't have in

themselves?

Yeah, you need to go on and clock that

right quick for me. Clock it. Clock it.

Clock it.

You have something in you that they

don't have in themselves. And so,

they're not hating on you. Watch this.

This is going to be worth coming to

chapel for. They're hating on the gift

in you

>> because they can't bother the gift.

They hate on you

which ultimately means that they are

hating on the gifter or the one who has

gifted you.

When we show up,

we become the weapons who are armed and

dangerous.

Not because we believe in open carry,

but because we arrive with an educated

mind. Let let me say this to you. Let me

let me say this to you. What the world

is afraid of

is an educated young person.

The world is afraid of an educated

Latino, an educated Hispanic, an

educated black person. They're afraid of

you

because you know how to intellectually

think your way out of stuff.

And so your intellect, your education,

your knowledge becomes everything you

knew. Listen, to win and to become

victorious. Help me preach right quick.

I'm almost done. And say, "I'm a victor.

I'm a victor. I'm a victor

because of the weapon in you."

If I were in um my Old Testament class,

I would sh say to you

that this 78th Psalm is what we would

call in Hebrew tongue,

mascul mascul word that literally means

introduction to a song or introduction

to music. That's what this is. Mas it's

a mascow. It's it's written and

presented by um Asoff

who was one of David's leading Levites

or musicians like Dr. Bradley and

brother Larry. One of the leading

musicians of that day they were called

Levites.

And Asoff is writing about

his anger with a group of men called

Ephraim. Ephraim or Ephronites.

Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph

and the grandson of Jacob. Okay, Ephraim

was the younger son of Joseph in the

Bible, grandson of Jacob.

And the reason Assaf is so upset with

the men of Ephraim is because they were

skilled archmen. They they knew how to

use they knew how to handle a bow and

arrow. They were experts at it.

And he's upset with them because on the

day they were getting ready to go to war

with their expertise, listen to this and

their skill set of knowing how to use a

bow and arrow to defeat the army. Got to

the edge of battle

and turned around and ran.

He was upset because they became cowards

on the day of battle. They became

fleeing soldiers with lethal weapons.

Had the weapons

and yet they got to the arm of battle,

the forefront, the edge, and they turned

around and ran. And Assaf is upset with

them because he's saying to them, "Why

would you run when you had everything

you needed? The victory was already

yours and you ran." Listen, this is

going to be worth coming to chapter 4

right here. You ready?

Never run from bullies. Let bullies run

from you.

Never allow yourself to run from the

enemy. You have everything you have to

win. In fact, don't you understand that

as a child of God, as an educated

person, when you show up to the war to

fight, the battle is already fixed? The

war is already fixed. You going to win.

All you've got to do to win and to get

the victory is to show up. And the

victory is yours just for showing up.

Because the fight has already been

fixed.

Help me preach right quick and just say,

"Show up.

>> Show up."

>> The battle has already been fixed. The

fight's already been fixed. God wanted

to give these men in this psalm a land

called Canaan.

Represented the promised land.

And they missed out

on the gift of the promised land

because they ran from the enemy instead

of making the enemy run from them. Don't

run from nobody. I need you to help me

preach right quick and say, "I'm I'm I'm

not scared."

>> Come on, say it like you're from the

hood. Say, "I'm not scared."

They were afraid. They were scared. Ran

on the day of battle.

Didn't they know that the 32nd

chapter of Deuteronomy verse 30 says

this? One can chase a thousand and two

can put 10,000 to flight. That's the

Bible. One

can chase a thousand.

Two can put 10,000 to flight. And then

Matthew 18:20 says, "Where two or three

come together in my name, that I am in

the midst of them." Grab you a person

who believes in the same values you do

and take those persons to fight with

you. Don't take everybody with you into

war. Cuz everybody that you take with

you in war cannot help you win.

>> Come on. Are you listening to me?

Don't take nobody war with sagging

pants. That means they have a low credit

score and a low bank account and every

everything about them if their pants are

sagging everything about them is

sagging.

Sagging pants trying to fight. Can't

even run.

Everything about them is low. Credit

score low, bank account low, morale low,

everything low.

pull your pants up and fight. Right.

>> So when you walk into battle,

don't run from the enemy.

Make the enemy

run from you. And then here's the last

thing.

When these men of Ephraim

turned their back

on their enemy,

they were turning their backs

on what the Lord had stored up for them.

They missed they were going to miss the

promise.

They were going to miss the victory.

They were going to miss everything that

the enemy had laid up for them

because they turned their back

on the opposition.

We're Quinnites. We go to Paul Quinn

College. We don't run from We don't run

from conflicts.

We don't run from tough times.

We don't run from difficulties.

We face them head on because the Bible

says 1 John 4, I can do all things. Uh,

Philippians, I can do all things through

Christ who gives me strength. Book of

Philippians, I can do not some, not

part. Help me preach and say, all

[screaming]

>> I can do all things

through Christ

who gives me strength. Philippians.

Let me let me um let me come around the

corner with this.

There was a couple.

Their names were

um

Norm and Helen Joerger.

They had been married, the Joker. They

had been married for 72 years.

The Yakers from Iowa.

Y E A G- E R. They had been married for

72 years.

The husband was 94. His wife was 90.

Their children said that their parents

were always together. Always. Always

together. Inseparable for 72 years.

And their children said,

"If our parents ever fought, we never

heard it, never saw them. They were

always together. and they were always

holding hands for 72 years.

One day in Iowa,

they were getting ready to run to the

store for an errand.

And as Mr. Joerger was driving,

um, he accidentally went on the wrong

side of the street and drove into

oncoming traffic

and they were

hurt very, very bad.

They were airlifted to the hospital and

when they got to the hospital

um both of them were in very grave

conditions.

Iowa was a small area and uh all the

nurses and doctors knew the joers

and they knew that they were always

holding hands and so the nurses said,

you know, they're they're not going to

make it.

let's

let's move their beds close to each

other so they can hold hands in their

final minutes of life. And they did put

their beds together, Mr. and Mrs. Jagger

were holding hands.

Then Mr. Jagger, while he was holding

his wife's hand, 94 years old, died.

Just slipped away.

and their children came in and noticed

that their father was not breathing and

he said, "Dad is gone."

But they looked at the heart monitors.

Sister Neil, they looked at the heart

monitors and they noticed that even

though Mr. Joerger's was dead, his heart

monitor was still moving like he was

living.

He didn't understand what was going on.

He called the nurse and the nurse came

in and she said, "Oh, I see the problem.

Your dad has passed, but your mother's

still living. And because they're

holding hands, the heartbeat of your

mother is keeping your dad's heartbeat

moving, even though he's dead.

The heartbeat of one

was moving through her hand to his,

moving from his heart to the monitor.

And even though he was dead,

it appeared as though his heart was

still beating because he was holding on

to the living heart in his living wife.

She died 15 minutes after he did, but

they died holding hands. I want to end

with this.

Doesn't matter what your pedigree is.

Doesn't

matter how many degrees you get when you

leave Paulin College.

Doesn't matter whether or not you make

the honor roll and you go four years

making straight A's.

All that is for not

if you go through life holding the wrong

hand.

And I want to say to you

that the only hand I know to hold after

50 years of preaching

is the hand of God.

And we sing a song in the black church

that says, "Hold to his hand,

God's unchanging hand. Build your hope

on things above.

Hold

to God's [music] unchanging

hand. Everybody say, "Hold to his hand."

>> All right, I'm done. Everybody stand.

Just before we conclude, um Dr. Grant,

do you have any

words?

Good morning,

>> Quinnise.

>> Hi, good morning and welcome back. Happy

Friday. I am not going to extend the

chapel hour longer. I did want to say

good morning. It is always lovely to see

your smiling faces. Um, I was in and out

this week. I was here Monday and then I

disappeared. Someone told me this

morning that uh they didn't know where I

was. Well, I had to go to a meeting off

campus, but now I'm back. And so, it's

good to be missed, and then it's always

good to be back. Um, if you are new to

Paul Quinn, this is your very, very

first semester. Just sneak a hand up in

the air. Don't be shy, everybody. Look

around. Look around. There are some new

Quinnites in the room. Okay, we got a

couple over here in the choir already.

Okay, recruiting Dr. Brett. [applause]

And of course, um, some of you may not

realize this that there's, I don't know,

close to, let's just say, 450 students

who are online students and they watch

chapel live on YouTube or they may

circle back on a different schedule and

watch it. Okay? So, just because we

don't see each other doesn't mean that

we're not all quinites. We can't get in

the room all together. Um, there's lots

of things that I can remind you about,

but those of you who are not new know

that this time of the year, at the

beginning of the semester, go to every

single one of your classes. And that

goal might be in person, it might be

online. If you don't check in with every

one of your instructors, then you are

changing what your financial aid status

needs to look like. All of your

instructors has to be able to say yes, I

have seen that quinite and they have

started academic activity in my class.

If you have five classes, you have five

instructors who need to make that

confirmation. If you only do that with

three, then the financial financial aid

office is required to adjust your

financial aid down to three classes.

>> Okay? So, don't create that gap by

saying, "I'm going to go to Judge

Lanner's class, but I'm not going to go

to Dr. grants class. Don't do that.

Second thing that is important this time

of year, uh we have had an active tow

truck. Okay. If you have a vehicle and

it does not have a Paul Quinn decal on

it, fancy for sticker, it could be

towed.

So, if you're not sure how to get a

decal, go to the business office with

your driver's license. That's the first

requirement. And proof of insurance.

It's okay if the insurance is not in

your name, but you must have a driver's

license and you must have proof of

insurance. That will get you a fancy

sticker to put on your dashboard so that

if we need your car to be moved, we can

identify whose car it belongs to. If you

are at one of the apartment complexes,

you need a decal, a sticker for that

property, okay? Because they tow cars.

Also, the last thing that I will say is

um if you need to make a payment, if you

need to get on a payment plan, you have

about four or five days before we start

looking at our official census um list,

which means who is an official Quinnite.

And if we don't have a plan in place for

how you're going to take care of your

financial responsibilities, then you end

up on another list. and then I have to

come tap you on the shoulder and say,

"Hey, we need to chat." Okay? So, please

take care of your business, your

academic business and your financial aid

business. Okay? Can I get an amen on

that?

>> Amen.

>> We have officially moved chapel to 11:00

a.m. for the rest of the semester. Thank

you if you voted.

>> There was a flurry of votes that came in

last night. I'm not sure what that was

about, but we had made the decision.

chapel will be held at 11 o'clock. Um it

only will move to the chapel on the hill

for special occasions. Okay? So we'll be

here in this space and uh we'll make

sure that we put out a few more chairs

so that um we can accommodate everybody

in the room. So thank you again. It was

great to see you. If you need to see me,

you have questions, I'm going to stand

somewhere around here up in the front

for a few more minutes after chapel to

answer any questions.

>> Thank you, Dr.

All right. All right. Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for everything that we

have heard today.

What we have felt, our eyes have seen,

ears have heard, and our hearts have

felt.

Pray for these students today that as

they leave this place that you would go

with them,

that you would send angels to them that

would guide them. Michael in the front

and Gable in the back of [music] them.

Keep them safe and protect them on

campus while they are away from home.

Dismiss us now from this place, but not

you nor your presence. Amen.

>> Choir members, be seated for two

minutes. [music] If you would like to be

a part of the choir, please come up

front real quick. If you know you can if

you know you can't sing, hit the door.

>> If you know you can sing, come up here.