ABOUT US
The Imani Community Church (Imani) is a progressive African American congregation called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve families, communities and the world. The word "Imani" is Swahili meaning "faith" and is a reflection of our belief that as an African American church we must have faith in ourselves, faith in our community, faith in our leaders and especially faith in our God. Imani is known for being a high spirited church that offers a range of music including spirituals, traditional hymns, and contemporary gospel. Imani was founded on December 1, 1996 as a Baptist congregation that has deep roots both in the land of our African ancestors, as well as, within the continued struggle for the liberation of African Americans.
3300 MacArthur Boulevard Oakland, CA 94602
phone: (510) 531.5411 email: admin@imanicc.org
PASTORAL TEAM
Rev. Jeremy "Pastor Jey" McCants, MDiv.
Interim Pastor
Rev. Jeremy J. McCants is a native of the little town of Senoia, Georgia. He is a 2013 Cum Laude graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, and he is also a 2016 graduate of The Divinity School at Duke University, earning a Master of Divinity Degree with a concentration in Baptist Studies. Rev. Jeremy first honors his call to ministry and the Black Church, and serves as the Minister of Prophetic Justice at the historic Allen Temple leading the work of preserving and proclaiming the faith of the people in areas of social justice.
On the professional side, he serves as a Faith Rooted Organizer for FAME (Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy), an interfaith component to economic justice campaigns led by EBASE (East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy. Rev. McCants also serves as the Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Oakland Branch of the NAACP and as the Community Liason on the Board of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Samuel Merritt College.
Lastly, Rev. Jeremy McCants defines himself as Southern Gent dedicated to the liberation of all God’s creation through the life, love and light of God expressed through Jesus Christ and his favorite Scriptures is Luke 2:52, “... and Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people (NLT).
Rev. Robert Newells
Associate Minister
Oakland native Rev. Rob Newells-Newton was licensed to preach the gospel at Imani Community Church in 2012 and ordained in 2018. Before becoming Director of Clergy Organizing for Faith In Action East Bay, he served as the Director of National Programs and Interim Director of HIV & Clinical Services for the Black AIDS Institute, and as Executive Director for AIDS Project of the East Bay in Oakland.
Rev. Rob was a 2015 fellow in the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary where he also earned a Certificate in Theology and Ministry. He is a contributing author to the book Struggling in Good Faith: LGBTQI Inclusion from 13 American Religious Perspectives for which he penned the chapter on “The Black Church.”
Rev. Rob lives in Discovery Bay, California, with his husband, Brandon, and their German Shorthaired Pointer, Nubia.
Rev. Jamal Hunter
Associate Minister
Rev. Gerald “Jamal” Hunter, Minister Rev. Jamal has been involved with Imani from its earliest beginnings. He accepted the call to ministry in 2000 and later earned a Master of Divinity from the American Baptist Seminaries of the West. Rev. Jamal oversees the Facilities Ministry and is the pastoral staff liaison to the Men’s Ministry. He teaches Sunday morning Bible Studies and Membership Development Classes. Rev. Jamal was ordained by the American Baptist Churches USA in 2016.
Min. Terrance Kelly
Minister of Magnification
Min. Terrance serves as Minister of Magnification directing the Voices of Faith and overseeing Kids for Christ (children's choir) and Imani Ya Watume liturgical dance ministry. He has garnered extensive musical credentials in both gospel and jazz music.and is a world renowned director, composer, and arranger.
Min. Terrance serves as Artistic Director for The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC). In 1995 he received an Emmy Award for his choral arrangement of OIGC’s KGO-TV public service announcement.
Min. Terrance has traveled as far as Australia and Israel to teach gospel music and, since 1982, has served as Gospel Choir Director for Jazz Camp West, hosted by Living Jazz. In addition to his other endeavors, he is a semi-regular member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus.
His father, the late Ed Kelly, was an esteemed jazz and gospel pianist. His mother, the late Faye Kelly, was a gospel choir director and pianist.