More Power to the People
By Dr. Ernest L. Reid, Jr
If you grew up in the Black community, chances are you’ve heard The Chi-Lites sing, “For God’s Sake, Give More Power to the People.” It was more than a hit song—it became an anthem. Released in 1971, during a season when African Americans were fighting for equal opportunity, justice, and dignity, it reminded us that the future of our communities could not rest solely in politicians or government. Real power has always been found in ordinary people who love their neighbors enough to serve them. More than fifty years later, that message is just as relevant because many of our struggles have changed names, but they have not disappeared.
There is a story about a little church sitting on the corner of a neighborhood where generations had been baptized, married, and buried. Every Sunday morning, the parking lot filled early. The choir sang the songs that had carried our people through hard times. The preacher proclaimed that God was still able, and the congregation left encouraged for another week.
Yet just beyond the church parking lot was another congregation. It gathered on front porches where senior citizens sat alone. It gathered at apartment complexes where grandparents were raising grandchildren. It gathered at bus stops where working mothers worried about stretching one paycheck. It gathered on neighborhood basketball courts where young men searched for hope while violence searched for them.
One afternoon, a little boy asked his grandmother, “If our church is right down the street, why don’t they ever come over here?” She looked at him and quietly replied, “Baby, they will…just as soon as they remember that the church isn’t just where we go. The church is who we’re supposed to be.”
Those words reached the pastor. The following Sunday he stood and declared, “Next Saturday, we’re going to be the church.” And they did.
Teachers tutored children. Nurses offered health screenings. Contractors repaired homes for elderly residents. Deacons delivered groceries and visited shut-ins. The youth ministry distributed school supplies. Business owners shared job opportunities. Even the choir left the choir stand and sang in the neighborhood park, bringing hope to families who desperately needed encouragement. At the end of the day, a reporter asked the pastor, “Who organized all of this?”
The pastor smiled and said, “The Gospel did.” Months later, every problem had not disappeared. But children had mentors. Seniors had visitors. Families found hope. The neighborhood no longer knew the church because of what happened on Sunday morning. They knew the church because it showed up the rest of the week.
That is what more power to the people really means.
The Black Church has always understood this. Long before government programs existed, our churches fed hungry families, educated children, cared for senior citizens, marched for justice, registered voters, buried the forgotten, and reminded our people that God had not abandoned them. Our greatest strength has never been our buildings—it has always been our willingness to serve.
Jesus showed us the same example. He walked where hurting people lived. He welcomed the rejected, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and proclaimed hope to the poor. His ministry was never confined to the synagogue. It happened in homes, along dusty roads, and in the streets where broken people lived.
Our communities need that spirit again. They need churches that serve beyond Sunday morning, businesses that invest in neighborhoods, leaders who listen, and neighbors who refuse to let one another struggle alone. The Chi-Lites pleaded, “For God’s sake, give more power to the people.” Perhaps the greatest power God has already given us is one another. When we choose to serve instead of simply watch, our neighborhoods become stronger, our families become healthier, and our children begin to believe again.
The power has never been locked away in city hall. God has already placed it in our hands. The only question is whether we will use it.