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. Robert Newells
Associate Minister
An Oakland native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Rev. Rob is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Communication Arts and Sciences and is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree and Certificate of Sexuality and Religion at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Rev. Rob was ordained in 2018.
Rev. Rob 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. 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.