By Carmen Shea Brown
For decades Sean Edwards has lived his life in the service of others. He served in the Army (reserves and active duty) for nearly three decades, retiring as a Major, as well as serving the community as a Birmingham police officer for 21 years.
But his first call to serve occurred at the tender age of 11 and was the biggest of them all: he wanted to serve the Lord. He was saved at Westside Church of Christ under Pastor Robert Ivory. “The seeds were sewn into my heart at a young age,” Edwards says. “I just knew I wanted to follow Jesus Christ.”
He credits his grandfather for playing a big role in his spiritual journey. Edwards was born in Queens, New York, but his father, who was originally from the area, moved the family to Birmingham when he was six years old. His grandfather would come down to visit family and friends every year and often brought his young grandson along with him, not knowing the influence it would have on his decisions later on “He would hit everything from Old Testament to New Testament,” Edwards says. “I enjoyed reading about David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jonah and the big fish. I was like, wow, these are superheroes.”
In 2000, Edwards was serving full time in the Army in Petersburg, Virginia. By then, he had married his high school sweetheart, Lady Gwen, and they started attending Rock Church with their growing family. The pastor, Gerald Davis, brought in Kent Christmas, pastor and founder of Regeneration Nashville, and that was his catalyst for change. “One night he [Christmas] had a revival there, and in the midst of it I just thought, I believe the Lord is calling me to join the ministry,” Edwards says.
He started taking Bible classes, and in June of 2002, he preached his first sermon. By 2010, he had returned to Birmingham and was again working as a police officer, serving in various capacities including domestic violence officer, director of the police academy, and as public information officer. In June of that year he went back to his home church, Faith Chapel Christian Center in Wylam. This was when he felt led to start his own church. “I heard the voice of the Lord say, ‘You don’t have the privilege of sitting any longer.’ When I told Pastor Mike, he smiled and said, ‘I knew that already; you’ve always had a pastoral heart.’”
Edwards began training new members and doing baptisms, weddings and funerals, while following God’s lead to “get connected and get information.” Then, in 2013, he came across Chris Hodges on the Church of the Highlands website. “On their website I saw resources for people who wanted to start a church. Then I found Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church. I got a map at a gas station and just started praying.”
He soon secured a meeting space at North Shelby Library to start having a Bible study. “Six to nine months in, I heard the Lord say, ‘I didn’t tell you to start a Bible study. I told you to start a church,’” he says.
Edwards says when he began telling people that he and his wife were starting a church, it created a ripple effect. “I met a couple at WalMart, and when I told them, their jaws dropped, and they began to weep,” he says. “They said they had been looking for a church for two years.”
The first service was held on December7, 2014, at what was then Kingwood Christian School, and 154 people showed up. Today, the congregation has its own home on 1351 Royalty Dr. in Alabaster and has grown to 300 members and is still growing.
Edwards had another spiritual awakening when he and Lady Gwen recently traveled to South Africa for two weeks with an international group he has been with since 2018. He visited Johannesburg, went on a two-day safari in Pilanesburg National Park, and saw Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. However, he also witnessed the abject poverty in Kliptown and in Soweto, where 80 to 85 percent of its residents are unemployed and have no electricity.
“This trip changed me from a Christian, human, and servant perspective,” he says. “The people in Africa are a strong, resilient group with joy and smiles, just doing life. Prosperity is not always about money. Even if they’re suffering, they still have joy.”
On December 6, 2024, Empowerment Word Church celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gala at the Soiree Event Gallery. For more information, visit empowermentwordchurch.com.