Tampa Adult Entertainment: Reverend’s influence extends beyond the pulpit
March 1, 2010Abe Brown has worries
Like Ann Porter, Abe Brown frets about the state of black leadership in Tampa. Not enough cohesiveness, he says, and a lack of humbleness among some who command attention.
At 82, Brown is among the last of the old guard. A beloved football coach at three high schools, Brown appealed for calm in 1989 after a black drug suspect died in police custody. His leadership helped prevent a riot.
He shares Favorite’s belief that the church’s best work is outside its four walls. He’s the founder of Abe Brown Prison Ministries and Pastors on Patrol, an initiative that encourages local preachers to go into at-risk neighborhoods and minister to drug dealers, prostitutes and drifters. Favorite is among the dozen or so who take part twice a month.