STORY OF SERVICE | a simple relationship becomes a ministry

Brian MacDonald was part of Leaders Collective’s eleventh church planter cohort. He pastors Oak City Church in Bartow, Florida. This is a bit of his story.

Nearly four years ago, I sat down in an ordinary barber’s chair, greeted by a big smile and a tattoo-covered hand. As he worked his magic on my ministry-tested white hair, Jovon did what every effective barber does, he asked questions: What did I do for a living? What was I interested in? Did I have a family? How I answered the first question would be telling. Would he politely shut down the conversation to avoid the awkwardness some people feel around pastors, or would he lean in with interest?

Thankfully, he leaned in. He shared about his dad, who is a pastor in the area, yet it quickly became clear their relationship was strained and that his family of eight had not been to church in some time. Later he admitted that their biggest obstacle was not theology or schedule but the stares. People did not know what to do with his head to-toe ink or with his wife’s face tattoos, which she often tried to hide beneath her curly hair.

With each subsequent haircut, I learned more about Jovon and his dreams. He and his wife, Rose, had been collecting used clothes in their shed, hoping they would one day find a place and platform to give back to their community. That was where our hearts connected. I told him about our church’s value of cultivating a “culture of care,” a commitment not only to shepherd within our church but also to serve those outside its walls. Eventually I handed Jovon our church invite card. Although he responded with enthusiastic appreciation, he never came. Still, I kept going back to have him cut my hair, and we continued our relationship, dreaming together about ways to love the poor in Bartow as he mastered his craft. Then came September 2023.

As we prepared to launch our Sunday morning services, we mailed more than 11,000 invitations to every home in the 33830 zip code, including the home of Jovon and Rose Winters. Something in Rose compelled her to scan the QR code, leading to our website, instead of simply tossing the bulk mail in the recycle bin. When Jovon came home, she showed him the site, and he took one look at my staff picture and laughed. He told Rose that I was one of his clients who had been inviting him to church for the past year. He later told me it was a sign from God, leading them to show up for worship a week before our launch, and they have barely missed a Sunday since.

Over the past two years, meeting with Jovon each Wednesday, I have come to believe he has been truly converted. God has given him a new heart and renewed the dream he carried for years. One year ago, our church helped launch a mobile shower and laundry trailer in partnership with a local mercy ministry. Twice a month, Jovon serves homeless men, women, and children there with the same detail and dignity he brings to every haircut he has ever given me. And the clothes he and Rose collected for years? Those are also long gone now…given out joyfully, as Jovon has led two FREE rummage sales on our church property!