Pastor Barry has led the Church of the Messiah in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood for the past 17 years. Based on the spiritual belief that nothing is impossible, he has expanded the role of the church to meet the needs of his community in remarkable ways. While offering spiritual guidance and collective worship, he has uplifted his community by fostering multiple initiatives, such as housing development, medical care, job training for returning citizens, college preparation for high school students, and the incubation of several congregant businesses. Under Pastor Barry’s leadership, the Church of the Messiah has successfully sent 409 students to college, created over 200 units of housing, and is also its own internet provider, serving the entire Islandview community.
“Our mission is to bring people out of poverty. We have a motto here that ‘a Virgin had a baby.’ If a Virgin had a baby, we can lift people out of poverty. We can build houses. We can create businesses. We can do entrepreneurship. All of that comes from our belief in the impossible.”
