We recently connected with Marquese Dukes and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marquese thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

As a 17 year old kid, fresh out of foster care, with not much to show for myself but a gift and a dream, I stepped onto the campus of Morehouse College. With the anchorage of my faith, and the power of my purpose which came with it, I started The Way, a college and young adult ministry. In October of 2022, during my first homecoming at Morehouse college, I said the opening prayer for the homecoming service at Martin Luther King International Chapel. In attendance to this service, was Dr. E. Dewey Smith, senior pastor of House of Hope Atlanta, whose church I ended up attending a couple weeks later. I was sitting in the pews of the 9am Sunday morning service when Dr. Smith suddenly called me up to pray saying that he remembered me from Morehouse’s homecoming service. After I prayed he offered me a book scholarship of $1500 right there in the pulpit, and that was the start of what would become a long-lasting and fruitful relationship. For weeks Dr. Smith repeatedly expressed how much he would love there to be more young adult engagement at the church, especially considering how close the church is to the AUC campuses. Being a young person who has grown up in church and clung so closely to God through all of my life’s hardships, i understood how important having a church home that embraces and envelops you with the love of God truly is. I spent countless hours wondering and asking God what I could to do to make an impact in this new place that I now called home, and I came upon a vision, The Turn Up @ Midnight. I very quickly was overwhelmed with inspiration and ideas and I began to format and structure what I imagined would be the very largest young adult worship night, specifically geared towards the AUC. I had visions of young people dancing, singing, and learning about God altogether, in a safe and welcoming space. Anything that God has his hands on I know will succeed but I also knew that the traditional church presents God in a way that is not always digestible to young people, and I knew I could give something that my community had not ever seen before, or at least not seen in a very long while. I wanted to bring a contemporary twist to the long lived tradition of a “shut-in”, something more geared towards the young adult age and a little more mature.

Marquese, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Marquese Dukes and I am a 19 year old college pastor and preacher attending Morehouse College here in Atlanta. As a young child I was always a great orator, and I was often told by adults around me that they could tell that I had a calling to preach, lead, and minister, but I never believed them. When I was 13 years old, my pastor came to me and told me that there was a call of God on my life and he wanted to make sure that now that I had accepted it, I had the proper guidance and licensing. In December of the same year, I was licensed as a minister of the baptist faith. He then put me over the teenage Sunday School at my church and I believe that is where my connection with youth first became to grow. During this school year, in March of 2019, after months of bullying, I was physically attacked by group of school boys who ended up kicking me in my head causing me to retain life altering brain damage. This experience inspired my very first business venture, Love Over Loathe. This foundation was designed to empower, enrich, and inspire youth, especially those dealing with bullying in school environments. I developed a community of young people dedicated to the mission of the foundation who were also spiritually inclined and had a love for music like mine. With the help of these people I birthed my first organization for the support of the spiritual growth of youth in underserved communities, Fire on Friday. Through this ministry I worked for years, selflessly and tirelessly doing God’s work and reaching out to youth who felt alone, left behind, and looked beyond, like I once did. We took our musical gifts to anyone who would welcome them and worshipped God in all settings. As time continued to pass we touched more and more hearts, and though of course we lost people, we gained many many more. As I transitioned into higher level education I wasn’t able to maintain the magnitude of work that I was once doing in Fire on Friday all the way in Georgia, but I make sure to still keep my community in my heart and mind and doing outreach projects as often as possible. In Atlanta, with the same mission in mind, I developed and am presently developing The Way, a college and young adult ministry birthed from House of Hope Atlanta, under the pastoral guidance of Dr. E. Dewey Smith. “W.A.Y.” is an acronym standing for worship, authenticity, and yes. The ministry bridges the gap, connecting healing, love, and providing community for young adults and college students. It embodies a secure haven where students may worship freely and authentically, expressing their individual spirituality in a unique manner, and it strives to enhance the lives of college students as they face challenges with education and within their everyday lives. I also hope to one day found an organization that aides youth in their transition from unhealthy homes, to foster and lifelong success. Through leadership I have learned many things and I am grateful for all of the experiences I have had and will had. I like to leave people with the reminder that the harder their story gets, the stronger their testimony grows.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

At the age of 16, after years of living in a severely troubled and abusive home, meddled with constant and persistent discord, I was abandoned and left in the care of the Division (DYFS). On May 20, 2021, I walked into a shelter with a small suitcase, hardly any clothes, and one pair of sneakers. I felt alone, lost, and abandoned, but not yet defeated. The days got longer and harder as I was forced to fully provide for myself. From 8am-1pm I was a student sitting in front of a computer screen, “learning” virtually, keeping up appearances, and pretending that things were normal, but for the rest of the day, I was working tirelessly trying to make a living so I could afford basic necessities. I found myself asking, “Is this what ‘childhood’ is supposed to look like?” My family, who was supposed to look after me, deserted me and hasn’t looked back since. After finishing 11th grade in June of 2021, I spent most of my Summer working. I worked Monday through Friday as a camp counselor and my weekends were filled with rehearsals for Sunday worship services where I played the keyboard for 3 to 4 churches a Sunday. Amidst all of this, I was the spiritual leader of a community based ministry for youth which I founded, called Fire on Friday. At the early age of 16 I had to learn how navigate the labyrinth that was my needs and the needs of the young people who were relying on me for spiritual growth. After being released from the shelter I went through several living transitions. I was sleeping on blow-up beds, couches, and floors, dealing with having to pay rent from $150-$300 a month, commuting 2 hours to work and back by train, and so much more. I was always called a kid, but I had to live and provide for myself like an adult. My division worker, seeing all that I was dealing with, having to pay rent, work long hours, and still deal with so much emotionally, felt it was appropriate for the state to take legal custody of me. Eventually, I was placed in a safe resource home where I was able to finish my high school degree and ultimately be admitted to Morehouse where I am a student today.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The answer to this is simple, being able to impact the lives of others through Christ and His word and and through my own testimony, being able to encourage people to step into their authentic selves, and help people live out who God created them to be in spite of societal standards.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Mdukessamuels
• Facebook: Marquese Dukes-Samuels
• Linkedin: Marquese Dukes
• Youtube: Mdsamuels