U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (about) at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. STONECREST – New Birth Missionary Baptist Church , the largest land owner among Black churches in America, according to its Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant, was jammed-packed for Sunday service on the morning of October 20. Along with the weekly word, there was another message being sent, but not by a pastor. With only 16 days until Election Day, November 5, current United States Vice President and Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris was in the pulpit preaching the power of the vote. “Black people are getting ready to elect the next President of the United States,” Bryant said.This week can be defined as a make-or-break week for the Harris-Walz campaign. The emphasis being the word “make” in this case. The Vice President made several appearances on a number of political talk shows and radio programs, including Fox News and iHeart Radio. Her appearance at church on Sunday, dressed in a white blouse and black skirt instead of her signature pantsuits, made an impact on Black voters that may not be among the more than one million that voted during the first week of early voting.A large crowd of New Birth congregants and Kamala Harris supporter filled the church’s sanctuary on Sunday. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceAs of Saturday night, more than 1.1 million Georgians voted early. Fulton County, the largest county in the state, has the most registered voters and most polling places, according to data provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.More than 50 elected officials from around the state of Georgia attended Sunday service, which doubled as part one of a two-part “Souls to the Polls” weekend. The dignitaries included the mother of Juneteenth, Dr. Opal Lee. Ms. Lee, 98, traveled to Stonecrest from Texas to attend service, Harris’ Pastor Dr. Amos C. Brown from San Francisco, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.Harris thanked Bryant for his work on encouraging voter registration around the country and said it was good to be at New Birth on Pink Sunday. Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.When she spoke she used the parable of the Good Samaritan to make a point about leading the country as the Good Samaritan treated the man beaten and bloodied on the road. ‘In this moment across our country, what we do see is someone trying to sew chaos,” Harris said without mentioning the name of her political opponent. “This is a moment that is challenging us of faith. This is a moment that is challenging our fundamental faith. Faith is a verb. We show it in action, and in our deeds, and in our service.” She made a point of mentioning how people in Georgia took care of each other in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Harris was in Augusta days after Helene devasted so many of the city’s neighborhoods.“Let us look where we are and understand the Gospel of Luke. In this moment our country is at a crossroads. What kind of country do we want to live in,” said Harris.New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant’s message to VP Kamala Harris: “You were born for such a time as this.” Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceDuring Bryant’s sermon, he made a point of saying that men need to support women. “It was a sister that raised you, it was a sister that taught you how to read. It takes a real man to support a woman.” Bryant’s message to Harris: “You were born for such a time as this.” 98-year-old Lee got on her feet during the sermon. The message, at least for this day, was clear: Black Atlanta, Black Georgia is in full support of Harris. Part two of her trip brought Harris to Divine Faith Ministries International, a megachurch on Tara Blvd. in Jonesboro. Clayton County is one of the Georgia counties that saw a large turnout of early voters. As of Sunday morning, more than 29,400 Clayton County residents cast ballots, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office. Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock, who benefitted greatly from Clayton County voter turnout during his senatorial election and runoff with Republican candidate Herschel Walker, spoke briefly and encouraged congregants to get out and vote. “When we vote, we win,” he said.The post Pastor Jamal Bryant’s mesage to VP Kamala Harris: ‘You were born for such a time as this’  appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.