Stop the Funeral!, Revised is a call to action to rise above the present culture of death and destruction. This revised edition will help resurrect our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Bishop Donald Hilliard Jr. makes plain the pathway needed to stop the funeral and recapture the sanity and peace that God wants us to experience. "Stop the Funeral!, Revised combines Scripture and testimonials to empower us to arise in our homes to regain control of our families, arise in our neighborhoods to help those in need, arise in our churches to welcome, encourage, and mentor those who feel lost, and arise on our jobs to reach a hand back and lift someone up. Stop the Funeral! is now a dynamic and inspirational stage play. "We, as a people of faith, must use the weapons God has provided to fight the forces of evil that have cast a shadow over our lives and buried us in hopelessness, pride, hurt, shame, and fear. At stake is our very future-and the future of our children and youth. Now is the time to ARISE and stop the funeral." -Bishop Donald Hilliard Jr. "Dr. Hilliard lets the air out of every excuse that would hinder our generation from experiencing a powerful resurrection. This book is a manual to the miracle we all need so desperately to see in our lives and the lives of those we love." -Bishop T. D. Jakes Sr., Senior Pastor, The Potter's House, Dallas, Texas "Bishop Donald Hilliard Jr., in Stop The Funeral!, Revised, reissues his prophetic and profound warning of the deepening disease of violence that chips away at the very fabric of our great nation. Alongside this warning, is the hope that comes from "faith" in God of the impossible, coupled with the hard "work" of mentoring, nurturing, loving, and guiding every child into the greatness in which God has created them." -Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, President, Skinner Leadership Institute; Co-Chair, National African American Clergy Network "Stop the Funeral! is an anointed alarm clock that is needed to wake families, churches, and communities up from apathy. It is relevant work that will prayerfully encourage us to raise our voices so that we can rescue a generation. Stop the Funeral! is more than a book: it's a mandate, a mission, and a movement." -Rev. Dharius Daniels, Senior Pastor, Kingdom Church, Ewing, New Jersey "I am personally inspired by this updated and expanded response to an ever-growing problem. I thank God that Donald Hilliard Jr. has committed his life and his ministry to solving the problem of violence and ending the scourge of pain that has gripped our nation." -Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr., Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset, New Jersey
About the Author: Bishop Donald is a Son, Husband, Father, Pastor, Painter and Professor. A true Renaissance Man who celebrates this year thirty years as Senior Pastor of Cathedral International. Reverend Hilliard was called to the pastorate of Cathedral International (formerly Second Baptist Church) in Perth Amboy in 1983. Church membership has grown from 125 members in 1983 to an excess of 5,000 today. Now, as "One Church in Three Locations," this vibrant ministry has grown to serving the specific needs of three locations of worship in urban areas of New Jersey: Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, Cathedral Assembly by the Shore in Asbury Park, and Cathedral Assembly in Fields in Plainfield. Bishop Hilliard also serves as President of the Pastor's Leadership Alliance Network, and travels the world as a renowned preacher, who is also a motivational speaker. In 2006 after a life-threatening illness, Bishop Hilliard reinvented himself by resurrecting his gift of painting by creating original pieces of art through his abstract expressionistic company, Pulpit to the Palate Art. His premier collections of over 70 original pieces include the recently exhibited "Let Go, Let Gesture: Abstract Ascension" series as well as "Divine Liturgy in Abstract" and "From the Pulpit to the Palate" series. Bishop Hilliard has earned degrees from Eastern College (now Eastern University) of St. Davids, Pennsylvania; Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey; and in 1990, a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, as a Samuel D. Proctor Fellow. He is the author of ten books on a variety of relevant topics including "Church Growth from an African American Perspective," "After the Fall: Resurrecting your life from Shame, Disgrace and Guilt," "Journal Your Journey: This Too Will Pass," "Faith in the Face of Fear - 10th Anniversary Edition," "A Lenten Journey -Lessons Learned in the Wilderness," "Pentecost: Real Power for Real Times," and most recently, "Midlife, Manhood, and Ministry" published in April 2013 by Judson Press. In April 2013, he will serve as Executive Producer of the play, "Stop the Funeral," based upon the book and featuring Grammy winner Marvin Sapp. "What you see over the last 30 years has been a divine leap of faith," said Hilliard, who partners in ministry with his wife, the Reverend Phyllis Thompson-Hilliard. They are the proud parents of three wonderful daughters: Leah, Charisma, and Destiny.