{"id":5538,"date":"2024-01-02T10:31:54","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T16:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2024-01-02T10:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T16:35:28","slug":"frank-sossamon-the-pastoring-politician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2024\/01\/02\/frank-sossamon-the-pastoring-politician\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank Sossamon: The Pastoring Politician"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-5538\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-5538-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style ingpb-standard-row\" ><div data-full-row=\"yes\" class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-5538-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-5538-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-5538-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Frank Sossamon: The Pastoring Politician <\/h3>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cPastor\u201d and \u201cpolitician\u201d are not titles usually seen together, but North Carolina Representative Frank Sossamon defies stereotypes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Frank is a former pastor who served the IPHC in Cornerstone Conference for nearly 30 years. Cornerstone\u2019s Conference Superintendent Mike Ainsworth shares, \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Pastor Sossamon served the Cornerstone Conference IPHC in a number of roles over the years including pastor, Executive Council member, and Men\u2019s Ministries Director.\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> After deciding to retire from ministry, Frank thought he would fill his days helping his son with their funeral home business.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">However, God had other plans. \u201cI used to tell people, if they wanted to see change, maybe they were the ones to do it,\u201d Representative Sossamon shares. When he felt change was needed in North Carolina\u2019s government, he realized God was challenging <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">him<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to be the change.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Throughout his campaign, Frank stayed true to himself, running a \u201cgrass roots\u201d campaign. He did not have thousands of dollars available, so he took the time to speak with people face-to-face, and it paid off. Representative Sossamon leads District 32 (Vance and Granville counties) as its first Republican representative. \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">We know the Lord will continue to use Frank in this new capacity in the North Carolina House of Representatives for the state and the counties he serves,\u201d Superintendent Ainsworth adds.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Frank\u2019s time in ministry prepared him exponentially for his time in the House of Representatives. \u201cI do a lot of things other representatives don\u2019t do,\u201d he comments. Whether visiting people in the hospital, helping parents care for their disabled child, or supporting a young mom getting her GED after suffering injuries from a gunshot wound, Representative Sossamon continues to serve the people of his community.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bishop Beacham reveals, \u201cFrank Sossamon has been an unusually effective pastor. He has taken those pastoral caring skills and turned them to use for the larger civic good of North Carolina. The IPHC family is grateful for dedicated men and women like Representative Sossamon who serve in various civic duties doing good for all people.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Representative Sossamon is a unique example of what can happen when church and state are united. Loving people, whether as a minister or representative, is at the heart of everything Frank does. He shares how pastors can encourage civic duty among their congregations, especially voting, in an interview with Bishop Beacham. \u201cPastors are scared to talk politics from the pulpit, but the truth is that many issues are not political, they are biblical,\u201d Frank declares.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">We encourage you to view the entire interview with Representative Sossaman here. He is also more than willing to connect with anyone who has questions or concerns. His email is <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">frank.sossamon@ncleg.gov. His office address is 300 N. Salisbury St. Rm. 609 Raleigh, NC 27603, and his office phone number is 919-733-5824.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-5538-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style ingpb-standard-row\" ><div data-full-row=\"yes\" class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-5538-1\" ><div id=\"pgc-5538-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-5538-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_video-popup-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-video-popup-widget so-widget-video-popup-widget-video-popup-widget-style-d75171398898-5538\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\n<div class=\"gallery-video-single style-{$style}\\\"\">\n\t<div class=\"vid-img-container\" >\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/896623293?share=copy\" class=\"ing-video-popup\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.vimeocdn.com\/video\/1776769416-6d70956c2aa8225ba163ebbe14c80143fc45fa022e412047f697db4a9472b75b-d_1280?region=us\" alt=\"video image\" \/>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cover\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" id=\"Capa_1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\"\n\t\t\t\t\tviewBox=\"0 0 142.448 142.448\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 142.448 142.448;\" xml:space=\"preserve\">\n\t\t\t\t<g>\n\t\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M142.411,68.9C141.216,31.48,110.968,1.233,73.549,0.038c-20.361-0.646-39.41,7.104-53.488,21.639\n\t\t\t\t\t\tC6.527,35.65-0.584,54.071,0.038,73.549c1.194,37.419,31.442,67.667,68.861,68.861c0.779,0.025,1.551,0.037,2.325,0.037\n\t\t\t\t\t\tc19.454,0,37.624-7.698,51.163-21.676C135.921,106.799,143.033,88.377,142.411,68.9z M111.613,110.336\n\t\t\t\t\t\tc-10.688,11.035-25.032,17.112-40.389,17.112c-0.614,0-1.228-0.01-1.847-0.029c-29.532-0.943-53.404-24.815-54.348-54.348\n\t\t\t\t\t\tc-0.491-15.382,5.122-29.928,15.806-40.958c10.688-11.035,25.032-17.112,40.389-17.112c0.614,0,1.228,0.01,1.847,0.029\n\t\t\t\t\t\tc29.532,0.943,53.404,24.815,54.348,54.348C127.91,84.76,122.296,99.306,111.613,110.336z\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M94.585,67.086L63.001,44.44c-3.369-2.416-8.059-0.008-8.059,4.138v45.293\n\t\t\t\t\t\tc0,4.146,4.69,6.554,8.059,4.138l31.583-22.647C97.418,73.331,97.418,69.118,94.585,67.086z\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/g>\n\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"vid-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Frank Sossamon: The Pastoring Politician<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/progressive_redirect\/download\/896623293\/container\/601bf3df-0dbd-4685-ab73-271c24827e56\/0872db1a\/frank_sossamon:_the_pastoring_politician.mp4?expires=1776644445&loc=external&oauth2_token_id=1221423968&signature=9ddd57574218f93f796b2e8de78e444578c00ebe3f3a8564a157e0e12391dde6&user_id=4809310\" class=\"button download-btn\">Download Video<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":5541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"entry"},"title_es":"","content_es":"","author_name":"Kelleigh Knight-Whitten","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/01\/Quote-Watercolor-Background-Sketch-Doodle-Floral-Instagram-Story-Presentation-169-YouTube-Thumbnail-2.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-1rk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}