Couzens, the child of crack addicted parents in Dayton, said not to judge him by his beginnings.
“You have to understand, it’s not where you start or how you start,” Couzens told close to 100 teens listening to his harrowing story. “It’s the end that makes the difference.”
Today, Couzens is a Bishop and will soon be the first member of his family to earn a Ph.D.
Couzens was the key note speaker for the closing ceremony of the 2011 Citywide Youth Conference, a three-day, multi-church convention of Middletown youth aimed to inspire, encourage and promote the word of God.
“To see the kids coming together in a positive atmosphere and enjoying each other is inspiring,” said the Rev. Gregory Hart, one of the conference’s organizers. “See how attentive they are. They are so eager to be here and be working together.”
The conference included a number of workshops about living better lives, but also included time for being a kid, such as a cook-out and games at the Middletown YMCA.
The two-hour closing ceremony Sunday featured a number of the children putting forth their own talents in order to praise God and inspire their peers to look at their own talents. Shanikwa Sinclair gave a stunning interpretive dance performance to a gospel piece while the two-member Belivas Mime Troupe performed to a separate piece.
Couzens related to the attendees the biblical tale of Joseph, who was hated and left for dead by his brothers, only to become a powerful member of the Egyptian monarchy and eventually save his family.
Couzens said his own experience was similar to Joseph. Couzens said he came from poor beginnings but was told by God in a dream at age 14 to begin serving Him. The message turned Couzens’s life around.
“Joseph never gave up dreaming,” Couzens said. “It’s not where you’re born or what you have or don’t have. It’s how you see yourself that makes the difference.”
The theme of the conference was “Getting it,” which organizers said meant for each teenager to “get” that God was good and should be the key to living a successful life.
“It’s been great,” said 15-year-old Tayler Bryant. “It was a very inspiring conference that let us open up to each other.”
For probably a rare moment in the teens’ lives, they were scolded for not being rowdy enough.
“Don’t sit down,” yelled Amber Hyman, the MC of the closing ceremonies as the attendees began to sit following the opening prayer. “This conference is for you. God doesn’t just stand. He walks with you, He carries you.”
Hart said he planned on making the conference an annual event. He said he hoped the children would carry the messages taken from the conference for the rest of the year.
“I pray that you not have sight but that you have vision,” Couzens told the teens. “Sight means you see things how they are. Vision means you can see how they can be.”
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