Tell me a little about your background and how you came to pastor in Syracuse?
I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, but I came to Syracuse, NY to pastor a leading Baptist church (Bethany Baptist Church) in 1992, which is an American Baptist Church. My coming to Syracuse was a part of my assignment, as I understood it to be at that time, because I really didn’t know much about the area other than, it was cold, and it was the birthplace of Syracuse University.
I came to the City as a community activist. It wasn’t long before I got involve in the community, while at the same time, building a multi-million dollar church (the current Bethany Baptist Church). I served on the Urban League Board, CNY Community Foundation Board, Fleet Bank (Band of America) Community Development Board (Boston, MA), OnBank (M & T Bank) helping them recruit minorities by choosing Black College graduates, The Mayor’s Commission of Youth Violence, raised $250,000 to conserve underground railroad sculptings made by runaway slaves during the Abolitionist period and donated the 6 faces to the Onondaga Historical Association, started my own not-for-profit job development and placement agency, NESCO, and a housing corporation called Bethany Community Development Housing Corporation to name a few things.
In other words, I was the poster – boy for my denomination (American Baptist Churches, USA), and was one of the most visible community leaders in the City of Syracuse. This all began to change when a woman by the name of Salina Covington from Youngstown, Ohio came to the church in September 2000 and prophesied that God was going to do so things in my life that was so big, that I would hardly imagine what He planned to do with my life. Personally, I thought she was kind of “touched”, because I could not conceptualize what she was saying to me.
Bishop Dewberry, you are the founder and Senior Pastor of New Life Temple of Praise. What lead you to begin a ministry instead of embracing an established membership? What are the demographics of your ministry? Why Syracuse?
In the very next month, October 2000, I was invited to attend a conference at the Potter’s House in Dallas, TX. Being the educated person that I was, I never put to much stock in televangelist, or mega-ministries because of my educational background, a D.MIN candidate at both, Ashland Theological Seminary (Ashland, Ohio), and Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School (Rochester, NY); however, though I completed all of the required class work, I never completed by dissertation in either place.
The trip to Dallas, TX was a pivotal point in my life. On the 3rd day of the conference, Bishop TD Jakes was moved by the Spirit of God to change his message, and he preached out of 1st Samuel Chapter 3, about Samuel “hearing” a sound (the voice of God) calling him out of tradition. I, of course, knew no one in those circles, but though I was in the 3rd tear of the seating area, I knew the message was for me after 22 years of pastoral ministry.
I thought the trip to Dallas would be a vacation, where I might have a chance to catch with a few old college friends living in the area, but it became a life changing moment for me, because, Bishop Jakes did something out of protocol, He came out into the audience and started laying hands on people. There were over 10,000 Pastors there from all over the world. The Spirit of God suddenly moved me to leave my wife and my ministers who were with me, to go down on the floor, and Bishop Jakes came directly to me. He spoke some words to me in the midst of the crowd of people, and placed his hand upon my head and my belly. I was immediately slain in the spirit for the 1st time in my life. And though I fell into a crowd, nobody touched me or stepped upon me.
Before I realized what had happen, my wife and ministers and others around me picked me up, and I knew right then something had been deposited in me. I began to speak in tongues, which for a Baptist preacher, we just didn’t do then.
I came home to my church, which was steeply traditionally Baptist, speaking in tongues whenever the Spirit of God fell on me, and sometimes I would go out under the power of God unbeknown to me. The short of the long is that, this poster-boy for American Baptist Churches, who was a leader in his denomination, created a problem for the traditional folks in my church and my denomination. Their displeasure was carried out over the next 2 years by taking me to court (the Supreme Court) and accusing me of fostering myself as a Baptist, trying to change the church’s denominational affiliation, to lording over the elderly members. Coverage of this period stayed in the Post-Standard Newspaper for the next two years. All of my contemporary Baptist brethren abandoned me, and/or accused me of trying to change the Church.
They could not accuse me of being doctrinally ignorant, because of my education and years of experience, but all they could accuse me of is being affiliated with the preacher from Dallas called Bishop Jakes. I never told him about the court drama that cost the members who fought against me over $500,000 in legal fees, which was also supported by my denomination. He only heard about it in 2006, when he and I were ask to participate in the dedication of a mutual friend’s $13 million dollars church complex in Washington, DC. My friend, and Prelate of our fellowship, Temple of Praise International Fellowship of Churches, told Bishop Jakes about it, and it was then that He asked me and my wife to appear on his show called The Potter’s Touch to share our story.
In August 18, 2002, New Life Community Church of Syracuse was conceived, later in 2005 to be changed to New Life Temple of Praise. After the 3rd court hearing, God released me from the Baptist Church, it was only two 
weeks later that He put in my heart to start the new church. Only a remnant of people came with me, because though the vast majority sided with me, their family ties put heavily on them to stay there regardless of how bad or where the former church was. They were without a Pastor for 5 years, and the current Pastor was one of my Associates who stayed behind.
After reading your bio, I see that you wear many hats “… a theological academician, event organizer, mentor, under-shepherd and Kingdom practitioner.” Briefly (if you can) tell me how has each of these influenced your ministry?
Since my departure from the familiar to the unfamiliar, God has had me on a journey. He has brought me into relationships of great men and women, kingdom practitioners at best. God has stretched me now, after 34 years of ministry, and my best is yet to come. How so? In conducting national conferences in bring national speakers and singers to the market area. I think differently. I not only founded New Life Temple of Praise, but I am also the CEO/President of Ronald Dewberry Productions, LLC, an Arts & Entertainment business (which hosted the Praise Gathering on October 17th, 2014), The Center of Hope Intnl, a 501 (c) 3, agency with a mission of creating businesses, cultivating the arts, empowering youth and adults to become todays leaders for tomorrow. And a full-time Chaplain in the New York State Department of Corrections & Community Supervision.
With all the negative influences impacting our society how has your ministry changed to aid in kingdom building. How is your ministry reaching out to our youth? What changes have you made to incorporate more young adults into worship?
In all of these things because I believe the church was established to be the solution for the problems of the world, and we have the message–the message is that the Kingdom of God has come. And so, as we carry the message of the Kingdom into the various cultural moders that influence and impact the systems of this world; such as, arts & entertainment, education, government, business, family, religion, technology, and science, it is then that the kingdoms of this world can become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ can reign forever and ever.
When the church addresses these cultural moders and dominate then, the world will be a better place, and the losts (young people and families) will be won to the glory of God. I am committed to the assignment that has been handed me, though most traditional pastors may not agree; but for me, every round of God’s unfolding plan for my life gets brighter and brighter as the years go by.
