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| Bishop Alvin Jackson of the Kensington Ward, Washington DC Stake. |
When twenty-year-old Grant Staking recently opened the letter that told him he had been called to the Utah Provo Mission, one of his best friends was right beside him to share the news—his own bishop, Alvin Jackson.
“It’s because of him that I’m going,” said Staking, who just got the letter February 9. “Brother Jackson has been my friend since I was 12, and he’s helped me discover things about myself that gave me the confidence to even think about a mission.”
That’s just the kind of comment that other members of the Kensington Ward, Washington DC Stake, expect to hear about their bishop, a 6’2” businessman and former collegiate baseball and basketball player who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just 13 years ago. A predominantly white ward, they have embraced Bishop Jackson, an African-American, for his leadership, spirituality, engaging personality, and caring nature.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that many of the youth think the 38-year-old looks like the movie star Denzel Washington.
The story of Bishop Jackson’s conversion is part of a series featuring African-American speakers at the Washington DC Temple Visitors’ Center during Black History Month. He and his wife, Juleen, will share their testimonies at the “Why I Believe” fireside February 19 at 7:00 p.m.
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| The Jackson family: Kayla, Alvin, Jr., Mary Alice, Alvin III, Juleen, and Franklin. |
Born in Buford, South Carolina, and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Bishop Jackson has a background in the aerospace industry. He has a BS degree in Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, where he played point guard for the Eagles basketball team, and an MBA degree from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
He has also won numerous awards, including The Distinguished Graduate Award of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in 1996 and the Embry-Riddle Graduate of the Last Decade Award in 2000.
Three years ago, he formed the Jackson Group, consultants on governmental issues who provide strategic counsel on matters involving national security, homeland security, aviation/transportation, foreign affairs policy, and corporate issues. Bishop Jackson has also been an executive with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Boeing Company, and another government relations consulting firm.
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| Looking into the cockpit of an F-18 jet. |
On His Conversion
Bishop Jackson’s initial contact with the Church came through his wife, a Mormon who was then a University of Utah student completing an internship in Washington. When he attended her church for the first time in the Washington DC Ward, he immediately noticed the diversity of the congregation. “They were all different colors, shapes, and sizes,” he recalls, “and I immediately felt welcome.” He agreed to help coach the Young Men basketball program, where he developed an association with LDS teenagers and youth leaders that changed his entire outlook on life.
“It was the youth program that drew me into the Church,” he points out, adding that it was the youth who also converted him. “I worked with these young people and learned the basics of the Gospel along with them. The more I became involved, the more I saw how the Church changed lives, especially among teenagers. It gave people hope.”
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| 1994 Washington Ward Young Men basketball team. |
One month after his baptism in December 1992, Bishop Jackson and his wife were married in a civil ceremony in their ward, which met in the National Press Club building. A year later, they endured the devastating loss of their first child, an experience that Bishop Jackson says deepened his conversion because he witnessed the power of the priesthood and felt the assurance that he would see his son again. Sister Jackson adds that the principle of eternal families gave both of them hope and comfort. “Now we all want to be worthy to be reunited with Preston,” she says.
In May 1994, the couple was sealed in the Washington DC Temple. As Bishop Jackson’s knowledge of spiritual principles increased and he developed a sharper sense of his eternal role, he says his view of the world and priorities changed. His parents, who were initially wary about their son’s interest in the LDS Church, saw this change and noticed that his new life was producing “good fruit.”
Part of that fruit is Bishop Jackson’s knowledge of the scriptures and his ability to teach gospel principles to others. “When he was on the High Council,” says Nolan Archibald, president of the Washington DC Stake, “Brother Jackson gave talks that were so uplifting and doctrinally sound that you would never know he had only been a member of the Church for such a short time.”
On the Power of Personal Testimony
Even now, as a bishop, Brother Jackson says he continues to learn and build his testimony. “The Book of Mormon has helped strengthen my testimony since I’ve become bishop,” he says, “because it answers so many questions and helps me understand the atonement. Plus, I’m learning how I can apply that knowledge to everyday life.” He has focused the members of his ward on three primary goals: to encourage the youth to go on missions, to encourage people to be missionaries every day, and to encourage regular temple attendance.
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| Bishop Jackson says his door is always open. |
But he also admits that it’s not easy to stay on the spiritual track when the world presents so many enticements. “You can’t turn on the TV and be sure you’ll find something wholesome. There’s so much that’s objectionable. Values have been watered down and the line is moving so that things are acceptable now that were once unacceptable.”
The answer, he believes, is for each individual to take responsibility for discerning good from evil by reading the scriptures, living the principles, and attending church.
In the face of such worldly pressure, Bishop Jackson says the youth of Zion “know the difference between right and wrong,” and that they are indeed the royal generation described by President Gordon B. Hinckley because they set such a good example. At a recent meeting with the youth, Bishop Jackson encouraged them to move forward by building their testimonies.
“You have to get your own testimony,” he counseled as he moved around the room and spoke directly to different class members. His style was personal but straightforward, reflecting the power and surety of his own convictions.
“It’s up to you to find the truth out for yourselves. Nothing in this life is free, and you have to put the time in and find out whether the Book of Mormon is true,” he said.
On Being a Member of the African-American Community
Bishop Jackson tries to bring his personal witness of gospel truths into the workplace as well. There, he says it helps him to “make the right decisions and keep things in perspective.” In his dealings with other members of the African-American community, he finds that such relationships are enhanced, not compromised, by his religious beliefs because he knows who he really is and is confident in his life’s work and purpose. He finds strength in Mosiah 7:33:
"But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."Sister Jackson believes that because her husband is African-American himself, he is in a position to inspire similar members who can relate to his background and life experience. But it is his conversion experience that Bishop Jackson says enables him to support and instruct others—Black and white alike—in their search for truth.
“I know what it’s like not to have the gospel, so I believe I can help others see the difference it can make in their lives,” he says. He also believes in “moving forward rather than looking back,” referring to the days before the 1978 Proclamation on the Priesthood that gave the priesthood to all worthy Black males. “I think of myself as part of the solution,” he stresses.
On Being a Husband and Father As far as Bishop Jackson’s wife and children are concerned, he definitely is part of the solution. “We love any time we get with him,” says Sister Jackson. “We know we come first and are very secure in his commitment to us. But he’s also committed to excellence, and he has high expectations of us.” She recalled that during their courtship Bishop Jackson never talked about himself, but was “a humble guy” who was genuinely interested in her. What most impressed her, however, was that he was “a man who could talk about God.” Sister Jackson believes her husband’s religious upbringing gave him a spiritual foundation built on Jesus Christ that made him open to discussion about the gospel. “He knew God before, but his understanding grew as he learned about our Church.”
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| Kayla Jackson’s baptism. |
On Being a Bishop
The youth in his ward are equally positive that Bishop Jackson is part of the solution. Ask the Primary kids who stop by his office after Sacrament Meeting and agonize over which piece of candy to select from the containers on his desk. Or just mention his name to a young man or woman and catch the expression in their eyes. The word among the youth is that Bishop Jackson “is there for you,” that kids can call him any time—even from school. “He just draws you in,” says sixteen-year-old Hannah Turner. “At the Bishop’s Youth Council, he really works with us and listens to us. He’s funny, but he’s also serious enough about the important things. We have some couples who just came here from Hawaii, and now he has us saying, ‘Aloha!’”
Her brother Grant agrees, adding that the bishop takes the time to ensure the youth reach goals they themselves set.
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| Youth of the Kensington Ward, Washington DC Stake. |
“He told me that God was waiting to bless me,” Staking recalled. “He helped me find my spiritual side, and I never knew I had one. I had gone to church all my life, but a mission just didn’t seem the thing for me. Other bishops and my parents had talked to me too, but maybe the timing wasn’t right. Bishop Jackson was able to make me understand that I didn’t need a perfect testimony to go on a mission, just enough faith.”
Initially, Staking worried about the reaction of his coach and teammates, who were about to begin spring training. “But when I told my coach why I was going, he wasn’t angry,” Staking said. “He wrote me a letter about the ‘mature decision’ I had made!”
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| Christmas with the missionaries in the Brightwood Branch, Washington DC Stake. |
For Bishop Jackson, this young man and all the other youth he is so committed to serving are what make his efforts so rewarding. “I feel connected to the youth, and my work with them is my way of thanking the Lord for the blessings he’s given me,” he says. “I have the chance to help someone else, including my own children, to find their personal success and happiness.”