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ID:
2025-06-20-tulsa-dinner-strategic-collaboration
Participants:

Strategic Dinner Convergence - June 20, 2025

Gary Sheng, Bishop Leon Benjamin & Darrel Frater - Tulsa, OK​

Executive Summary​

A pivotal dinner conversation bringing together three kingdom-focused leaders to discuss faith-based entrepreneurship, strategic collaboration, and men's leadership development. The meeting revealed significant alignment between Darrel Frater's Plaza 210 vision, Bishop Benjamin's Family Life Centers, and Dr. Alexander's 70-acre development plans, creating potential for unprecedented faith-based community transformation in Tulsa.

SECTION 1: DR. ALEXANDER'S 70-ACRE DEVELOPMENT REVELATION​

Major Land Acquisition​

Downtown Development: Gary revealed significant expansion of Dr. Alexander's operations:

"They're about to have 70 acres downtown... So, I need to connect you. It might be the case that you should just plug into the ecosystem."

Strategic Location: "Right next to the factory" - positioning for integrated community development approach.

Timeline Acceleration: Darrel inquired about development timeline with Gary indicating "Probably, I think this year" for land acquisition based on major project revenue.

Integration Opportunity Recognition​

Ecosystem Approach: Gary positioned Dr. Alexander's expansion as ecosystem rather than isolated development, suggesting natural integration point for Darrel's Plaza 210 vision.

Geographical Proximity: Bishop Benjamin's recognition of proximity: "You know how long I've been coming here and didn't know my hotel? It was right there... But God has a way."

SECTION 2: DARREL FRATER'S PLAZA 210 VISION​

Foundational Concept - Ephesians 2:10​

Biblical Foundation: "The Lord has put it on my heart in a mighty way to build a plaza. For pepper and sweet pepper [Ephesians 2:10]"

Core Mission: "The goal is to really catalyze marketplace ministry to where we're empowering entrepreneurs to start businesses that are successful and done with excellence, but really understanding how by running a successful business, it's a great vehicle for the gospel to be spread."

Dual Organization Structure​

Non-Profit Component: "The Center for Faith and Business" - resource hub, coworking space, book and merchandise store.

For-Profit Component: "Plaza 210" - faith-driven entrepreneurship incubator with dedicated buildings for different business types.

Incubator to Community Model​

Plaza Structure: "We'll have each building dedicated to a different entrepreneurial type. For example, we'll have a beauty studio. If you do hair, makeup, etc. and you want to start your first office or place to do your business, you can get an office space there. If you have a restaurant concept, we'll have our own food court."

Launch Strategy: "So the plaza serves as an incubator. We help you get started. We help you get mentorship, resources, and capital. And then hopefully you can actually get land and property outside the plaza."

Community Impact: "And hopefully you take those kingdom principles that we teach you throughout that journey. And now you have your own business that when people walk into your facility, it can be an opportunity for the gospel to be spread to your customers."

Scalability Vision​

National Expansion: "And if this model works well here in Tulsa, it could work in the city across the country."

Kingdom Business Culture: "Every business will be kingdom-wide in that plaza... We prefer a youthful system and community where they all thrive and serve each other and give. And uplift each other and have a culture."

SECTION 3: STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT WITH EXISTING INITIATIVES​

Bishop Benjamin's Family Life Centers​

Complementary Vision: Recognition of alignment between Darrel's vision and Bishop's Family Life Centers: "Cape Renoir Business Incubator. So, I hear what you're saying. You're ahead of the curve."

Shared Infrastructure: Both initiatives focus on comprehensive community development through faith-based business development, education, and workforce training.

Clay Clark Integration​

Business Conference Platform: Bishop Benjamin noted Clay Clark's quarterly business conferences: "He works with guys who make a million dollars. He just shows them how to enhance their system so they can make more money."

SEO and Digital Strategy: Recognition of need to adapt successful business strategies for faith-based initiatives.

Tulsa School System Connections​

Education Integration: Gary mentioned meeting with "head of the Tulsa schools today" indicating potential for educational component integration across all initiatives.

SECTION 4: MEN'S LEADERSHIP CRISIS AND BROTHERHOOD DEVELOPMENT​

Male Leadership Crisis Recognition​

Gary's Analysis: "I've been writing like journal entries about the male leadership crisis. And it's so real... There's absolutely also a woman yokeness crisis too. But like, I think men should be the ones setting the trends, right? Setting the culture. And I just see a bunch of weak men."

Biblical Ratio: Bishop Benjamin referenced: "The Bible talks about 10 women holding on to the skirt of Count Jude. It's the ratio."

Attraction to Strong Leadership: Gary's observation: "I'm going to be surrounded by women that are like, Oh, that's a pretty good one... All day."

Brotherhood Formation Needs​

Darrel's Question: "So what's being done to formulate a brotherhood to unite men that are committed to Christ."

Gary's Vision: "I'm thinking like there should be something like a new life school for men. Born again school... I think we need cohort based intensives... With like fellow men that like realize that they're kind of stuck in life."

Bishop Benjamin's Approach: Emphasized need for men to come together with different skill sets: "If it's mentorship, if it's innovation, you know, a lot of technology, AI. That'd be like different sections."

Spiritual Father Recognition​

Family Restoration Model: Bishop Benjamin shared his commitment to breaking generational cycles: "Like my dad, like my natural dad, he doesn't call me anything. I have no relationship with him. And I'm not doing that to my kids... You broke the cycle? Yeah. I had to."

Church Father Role: "I told all the kids in my church. I'm your father... If y'all know your daddy, I'm your father."

SECTION 5: SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND FAMILY DYNAMICS​

LGBTQ+ Spiritual Warfare Recognition​

Gary's Context: Referenced Dr. Alexander's family situation: "That whole sermon was very relevant because Lael's trans biological daughter, who is now a man, was with their girlfriend. And in the LGBT community, it's all love, love, love, love, love, but it's not the same love."

Bishop Benjamin's Response: "It's not the same love. It's not. It's a deception... That's not love. They want to say it's love. God is love."

Darrel's Clarity: "Anything that goes against God's word is not love. It's deception."

Enemy Strategy Understanding​

Divide and Conquer: Bishop Benjamin: "Now the enemy's desperate. So he'll throw anything at us. Against us... So that's the body of Christ. So if we don't come together, we're kind of like divides and conquers."

Attack Patterns: "Attack relationships. Attack families... When the enemy attacks us, he goes for the jugular. And he wants to take us out so that we can't outblow him efficiently."

Divine Protection and Support​

Gary's Testimony: "He prayed for someone like me to come into his life. And I came."

Divine Orchestration: Bishop Benjamin: "Well I like to think that God is just trying to look for the balance. Of what's getting ready to happen. It's like you guys are about to do something... And God's just bringing different people around that can comprehend it."

SECTION 6: RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS AND EQUALLY YOKED PRINCIPLES​

Victory Boyd Relationship Clarification​

Fellowship Focus: Gary shared conversation with Victory Boyd about relationship boundaries: "I want to be in a fellowship... I want to be her friend, I want to support her. I want to be one of the 11 or 12. And so we had a good conversation over lunch about that."

Boundary Setting: "We talked about how that's what friends do. We go back and forth. Not the guy always pays."

Previous Recognition: Bishop Benjamin: "I met her last year... When I heard her voice, I got a flashback. I said, oh, I know that voice. But I didn't know it was her."

Marriage and Partnership Principles​

Darrel's Testimony: Shared story of meeting wife in college 2014, reconnecting in 2019: "We're both just exploring the Lord and really getting closer to God... God kind of redeemed the time, expedited our relationship, our marriage, having kids, moving to Tulsa."

Kingdom Partnership: "Your partner will play an important role in your kingdom purpose. Because if your partner is not aligned with the goal and the assignment God has put in your life, there will be a detriment to it."

Gary's Dating Standards: Referenced breakup with ex-girlfriend: "She's very pro-LGBT... Very spiritual, but in a different kind of spiritual... I wanted someone that was easier to relate to."

Biblical Gender Roles​

Leadership Structure: "She has to follow your lead as the spiritual covering of the house, especially as you get into marriage."

Cultural Challenge: "What's very hard dating today is that the world teaches women to do exactly the opposite of what the Bible teaches women to do."

Market Dynamics: "Single guys that are on fire for Christ are a rare commodity."

SECTION 7: DIVINE STANDARDS VS. EARTHLY STANDARDS​

Dr. Alexander's Divine Standard Example​

Gary's Insight: "A lot of what you were saying about men turning. People spend too much time on earthly standards... Our earthly standards are so sunken. That being number one doesn't mean shit anymore... He didn't have to write a book on every element. To be... The most inspiring, like, you know, scientist today."

God's Downloads: "He's judging himself based on God's standards. Because God gave him these downloads, right? If he didn't do it, he'd be failing God."

Productivity Through Submission: Gary's analysis of Dr. Alexander's heart attack: "God struck him down last year... I think that he wasn't submitting... during that time though, he was very productive. He wrote like 80 books. Including a book on every periodic table of the elements."

Divinely High Standards Philosophy​

Alignment Recognition: "I think him and I... Very different skill set. But very aligned in... Not worrying about anyone else's standards... Literally just having what we call divinely high standards."

Men's Calling: "So I think that's what men are... Women too, in their own way. I'm not a woman, I don't know what it's like to be a woman. I don't wanna know what it's like to be a woman."

SECTION 8: GOVERNMENT INTEGRATION AND FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES​

White House Faith-Based Offices​

Comprehensive Integration: Bishop Benjamin: "Why not? Yeah, we need the faith-based initiative. What should we do with the White House? Faith-based initiative. Every department has a faith-based office... So Homeland Security, DOJ, Health and Human Services."

Funding Opportunities: Recognition of federal funding availability through faith-based office integration across all government departments.

Public-Private Partnership Strategy​

MOU Development: Bishop Benjamin: "We have everything. We have a free tennis game. We have an MOU, so we have to decide. We're just going after the PPP, so we're going private and public partnership."

Specialized Teams: "We got guys. All they do is really stuff. And we got guys already here to stem innovation. The AI stuff. Some guys are up here to the ground working with school systems."

Low-Hanging Fruit Strategy​

Targeted Approach: "We got to concentrate what we can first do, like when I ran for campaign, you know, low-hanging fruit... Low-potential areas."

Demographics Focus: Referenced "Anger Black" program targeting "black men between 18 and 34."

SECTION 9: CELEBRITY AND INFLUENCE MANAGEMENT​

Strategic Celebrity Integration​

Timing Wisdom: Bishop Benjamin shared insight about celebrity involvement: "I got a guy that told me, I wanna bring Shaq into this. I was like, hold up, don't bring him into it now. Shaq will tear our stuff up... Let's get it off the ground. So that his money will compliment and not intimidate you."

Humanitarian Focus: "I want it to be humanitarian. Anybody with any sense of a helpful cause that makes sense. That's humanitarian. Whether it be youth, foster kids, veterans, homelessness."

Network Connections: "I'm talking to guys that know Snoop Doggy Dogg, all these crazy people... I had a guy that called me... These guys work with the biggest boxing stars in the country. Mike Tyson, all these guys."

Platform Building Strategy​

Economic Opportunity: "That man has opened up this economy. He ran a place where no high school, no degree, no nothing could become a major in this economy."

Divine Timing: "I think God is just saying to us, if you can just live righteous and don't try to be nobody else. Be yourself... I'm not an anointing. Put all that oil on me."

SECTION 10: SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT AND HOLY SPIRIT PARTNERSHIP​

Anointing Recognition​

Sweet Spot Description: Bishop Benjamin: "You feel that weight. I can tell when you know you're in the groove. It's like nobody can shut you up. Nobody can stop you. You just know what you know... That's a sweet spot. That's a good place."

Holy Spirit Partnership: "And how we work with the Holy Spirit like that. He rests upon us. He feels. The word is dwell. He feels in hand. We want Him to feel in hand with us like we feel in hand with Him."

Prayer Strategy Framework​

Room Making: "I say, Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. And then I say, I make room for you, Holy Spirit. I make room for you. And then I tell the Holy Spirit to make room for Christ."

Divine Hierarchy: "Because it's the Holy Spirit that shows us the way to Christ. So I can't make room for Christ. The Holy Spirit makes room for Christ."

Supernatural Capacity Development​

Spiritual Capacity: "Start getting this capacity. Where like a sickness or something comes on you. I'm not saying you don't be sick. But the capacity of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit in your spirit. Just get that thing out of you."

Supernatural Recognition: Response to demonstration: "That was supernatural."

SECTION 11: PRACTICAL COLLABORATION PLANNING​

Immediate Next Steps​

Dr. Alexander Introduction: Gary offered to facilitate: "Maybe you can come over, either to the factory or to his house, and then just chat with him about your plans."

Location Flexibility: Darrel expressed openness: "I'm flexible in regards to where our center needs to be, so who knows? It might be a more appropriate location."

Boots on Ground: Darrel's commitment: "I'm boots on the ground here. Let me know how I can contribute. Happy to go in spaces where you guys need me to go and meet the people you guys need me to meet."

Resource Integration​

AI and Technology: Recognition of need for technology integration: "A lot of technology, AI... Angelic intelligence is more important... we don't want AI to control us, but we don't want AI to... manipulate us. But we want to get ahead of the program."

Educational Infrastructure: Connection to broader educational transformation initiatives.

Timeline Coordination​

Early Stage Development: Darrel's honest assessment: "Yeah, it's a very early stage one. It's only about two months in the making."

Divine Timing: Recognition of convergence timing as providential rather than coincidental.

KEY STRATEGIC INSIGHTS​

Faith-Based Entrepreneurship Ecosystem​

The conversation revealed potential for integrated faith-based entrepreneurship ecosystem combining:

  • Darrel's Plaza 210 incubator model
  • Bishop Benjamin's Family Life Centers
  • Dr. Alexander's 70-acre development
  • Clay Clark's business conference platform

Men's Leadership Development Framework​

Recognition of urgent need for structured men's development programs addressing:

  • Biblical masculinity training
  • Entrepreneurship development
  • Spiritual warfare understanding
  • Family restoration principles

Government-Faith Integration​

Sophisticated understanding of federal faith-based initiative opportunities across all government departments providing funding and policy support pathways.

Relationship and Marriage Standards​

Clear articulation of equally yoked principles and biblical relationship standards as foundation for kingdom advancement.

PROPHETIC AND STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE​

Divine Convergence Recognition​

All three participants recognized the divine timing of their meeting and alignment of visions as supernatural orchestration rather than coincidental networking.

Tulsa as Strategic Location​

Confirmation of Tulsa as uniquely positioned for faith-based community transformation due to spiritual receptivity and available resources.

Generational Impact Potential​

The initiatives discussed have potential for generational transformation through:

  • Faith-based business development
  • Men's leadership restoration
  • Family cycle breaking
  • Community-wide spiritual awakening

Economic and Spiritual Integration​

Sophisticated model for integrating economic development with spiritual transformation through marketplace ministry principles.

LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS​

National Model Development​

Success in Tulsa could provide replicable model for faith-based community transformation across America, addressing multiple societal challenges through integrated approach.

Men's Movement Catalyst​

The brotherhood development concepts discussed could catalyze broader men's restoration movement within American Christianity.

Government Partnership Template​

The faith-based initiative integration strategies could provide template for unprecedented faith-government collaboration during Trump administration.

Economic Transformation Potential​

The marketplace ministry approach could fundamentally alter how Christian business development occurs, creating sustainable economic transformation in underserved communities.

This dinner conversation represents a watershed moment where multiple kingdom initiatives converged to create potential for transformational community impact through faith-based entrepreneurship, men's leadership development, and strategic government partnership.