Sisterhood Spotlight

Can you tell us about your responsibilities at The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches?

As Executive Pastor of The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches, I have the overall responsibility of assisting the Bishop of the Fellowship with ensuring that his vision becomes reality. I have had overall responsibilities for supervising all staff except the ministerial staff that serves eight Mount church locations (in Virginia: Chesapeake, Yorktown, Virginia Beach, Western Branch, Portsmouth and Suffolk; in North Carolina: Elizabeth City and Charlotte).

In addition to the Mount church locations, we also have The Signet Event Center, which is a multi-use facility with a signature ballroom (used for banquets, weddings and other large gatherings), an eight-lane bowling venue, a regulation-size gym for athletic events, exercise facilities and classrooms available for training classes.

We also have a Youth Empowerment Center (formerly known as The Elder’s House) where we host weekend and week-long classes to train and teach youth in all aspects of becoming mature and responsible young adults ready to step into leadership positions, including finishing high school and continuing on to college, military or some occupational skill training.

My responsibilities also include supervising the staff of The Mount Operations, LLC which is a separate entity that provides all the financial and administrative support for The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches.

Can you tell us about your faith walk and how it has led to where you are today?

It has definitely taken a lot of faith to believe that God was directing our steps as we joined Mount Lebanon in 1990 with 75 members to now having all the Mount locations and other non-profits and over 14,000 members. I faced my biggest faith challenge in believing that God was instructing me to close my successful CPA practice to join my husband, Kim Brown, full-time in ministry. At the time, the church was still in its very first location (with minimal growth), and the only staff was a full-time secretary and my husband who was still bi-vocational, working part-time with the church and full-time with the government. I joined the ministry full-time as a volunteer, not being added to the payroll for ten years. 

However, I truly believe and history has proven, that God was moving and I was correct in closing my practice and bringing my financial, administrative and leadership skills to the Mount.

What is the biggest challenge facing today’s faith communities?

COVID-19 has presented the biggest challenge to today’s faith communities. The two years that the faith community struggled with how to stay connected with their membership has continued to be a challenge. During the height of COVID-19, the churches that thrived and survived had invested in online technology and were able to stay connected with their membership. However, staying home and watching services online has continued even now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. So, the challenge for the faith community is how to get the membership back in the building and/or continue to keep them connected through expanded online services.

The Chesapeake community has just experienced a terrible tragedy. You and your husband have exhibited tremendous leadership. What would you say to Virginians about how they can continue to show support?

We can allow moments to define us, or we can allow them to become defining moments. I would hope that the tragedy would become a defining moment. Our community has become so divided that I remind everyone that disagreement is not grounds for disrespect. We must be committed to fostering a spirit of unity and peace. The healing of our community is the responsibility of every citizen. The faith community must take the lead in modeling compassion and empathy. Morality cannot be mandated; it must be modeled. This should be a time of self-examination and reflection that pushes us to display a spirit of community that impacts the culture of our city. We cannot allow political, social and theological differences to create barriers to working together to remain Chesapeake strong. We must be compelled by the example of Christ. Simply stated, we must always ask, “Who is my neighbor?”

This New Year, what encouragement would you offer Virginia’s women and girls?

Every New Year is a chance at a new beginning. So, I encourage all women and girls who are looking for a new beginning to not look back at past failures, but to focus strictly on the future and continue to aspire to meet and exceed their goals. You are not a failure until you stop trying to succeed.

For women and girls who believe this past year was successful, I encourage them to continue to strive for more, be more and do more for themselves and the community.

About Dr. Valerie K. Brown

Dr. Valerie K. Brown serves as the Executive Pastor of The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches and holds a doctorate degree in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. She is well known in the community as a Certified Public Accountant who has assisted countless professionals, businesses, and churches in managing their resources. She is the author of three published books: “The Miseducation of the Christian: Your Guide to Financial Freedom” and “What’s in a Title: A New Leadership Paradigm,” both published by Creation House Publishers, and “You Can’t do What?: The Real Meaning of Your Salvation,” published by Spirit Filled Creations. Dr. Brown most recently received The 2017 Women in Business Award by Inside Business Magazine and the 2018 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Non-Profit Category.

Drs. Kim and Valerie K. Brown have been married since 1989. They are the proud parents of two children: James and Kimberly Brown, who both serve on the Board of K.W. Brown Ministries and The Elder’s House; one daughter-in-love; Keshia Brown, who serves on the Board of The Elder’s House, and two grandsons; James Emmanuel and Jaxon Emory.

The Browns love the community in which they live and desire to constantly give back. Kim Brown is a native of Portsmouth, VA, and Dr. Valerie K. Brown is a native of Chesapeake, VA. Their roots grow deep within the Tidewater community and The Elder’s House is one of the many ways they have given and will continue to give back to the community that nourished them.