“Do I need to bring a towel?”
That was the question Jermaine Sullivan asked the missionaries when he decided to be baptized. I laughed when he told me and that let me know right away that I’d chosen the right “Mormon” to interview.
If you’ve seen the new, inspirational documentary Meet the Mormons you get the opportunity to step into the lives of 6 people who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The first person we “meet” is Jermaine Sullivan-The Bishop. He is married to his lovely wife, Kembe and they are raising their three children. He works as an academic counselor in addition to his service as a Bishop. Since the filming he has been called as a Stake President and was gracious enough to share his thoughts, advice and even the conversion story that wasn’t told in the movie.
I understand you attended the Baptist and Pentecostal churches? Can you tell me about your conversion story?
I attended those churches for a while and although I was learning things, I still had questions about why there were so many churches. I was up late one night and saw a commercial from the church offering a free “Lamb of God” video (an actual VHS). I just felt that I must call the number. The missionaries came a couple of days later. When they taught me about Joseph Smith and his concerns and questions about which church was true I was immediately intrigued. I felt a certain closeness to him and his struggle. I was baptized two weeks later. When they invited me to be baptized my only question was “Do I need to bring a towel?”
Was your wife a convert? Where did you meet?
Kembe is a convert as well. She joined with her mother when she was 14. We met at a singles ward in Atlanta. I joined the church in Alabama. My wife joined in Atlanta. The missionary who taught me was from Kembe’s ward in Atlanta. I was moving to Georgia to go to school so the missionary had his dad send my wife to the ward to meet me.
To read the rest of the interview click here
