Rev. jeff obafemi carr ("Rev jeff")
Founder and Chief Spiritual Officer
@TheRevjoc on Twitter, IG, FB
Rev. jeff obafemi carr is a highly-regarded spiritual teacher, community activist, social commentator, writer, and artist who has traveled the various paths he teaches from on Sundays at Infinity Fellowship. The Spiritual Practice of Infinitude serves as the foundation of a new movement of Inter-Spirituality, where people who claim to be more Spiritual than necessarily "religious," can grow together in Community. Raised up in Historic Kayne Avenue Baptist Church in South Nashville, Tennessee, his early exposure to the world was through the lens of traditional church: He sang his first songs as a member of the children's choir; acted in Passion Plays from the pulpit as a member of the In God's Name Players Guild, and served as Secretary of the Sunday School and a youth teacher in Vacation Bible School. His questioning nature stayed with him, however, and somehow, he always knew he was a bit of a misfit, even though he would eventually be licensed and ordained as a Minister in the Baptist denomination.
Attending college at Tennessee State University, he was first exposed to the history and mysteries of Ancient Civilizations, particularly Ancient Kemet (Egypt), via the work of master historian and scholar Dr. Yosef A. A. Ben Jochannan, one of the few remaining members of the Ancient Craft that modern Freemasonry bases itself on. Upon graduation, he subsequently traveled with "Dr. Ben" to Egypt, and was initiated into The Craft. He holds the 90º designation in the Mysteries System Priesthood.
A dedicated student of the legendary late Babalawo ("Father of Secrets") Baba Medahochi Kofi Omowale Zannu, he received both his Elekes and his Ancestral name ("obafemi") as part of his entry into the world of what is popularly referred to as the "Yoruba Religion." More accurately known as Ifa, the belief system is a wonderful exploration of the checks and balances of nature. His middle name, "obafemi," which translates as "The King (Chief) loves me," is an indicator that he is a son of the Yoruba deity Obatala, the Chief of all Orishas. Rev. jeff was also a regular student of Olaosun Monifa Olakesi, whose work on the goddess principle of Oshun is widely recognized.
A seeker of connective, immersion experiences, Rev. jeff has met many souls along the way who share the vision of commonality. He has met them in the pulpit, while he is performing weddings or naming rituals for children and adults, side-by-side on yoga mats, or while he is pouring the Sweat Lodge in the Lakota Tradition--an experience he began under the guidance of Baba Nashid Koleoso Fakhrid Deen over 20 years ago. His gift of being able to see the common threads of faith traditions beyond the differences led him to found the Infinity Fellowship in October of 2014. Infinity is a safe place for people who see the journey itself as the destination.
Rev. jeff's unique calling to connect humanity through its diverse narratives has served him well in a long career as an award-winning playwright, producer, director, and media commentator. His opinions and counsel are highly sought after by individuals seeking direction in life as well as media outlets who value his opinions as an activist, social justice advocate, and institution-builder. He has served as personal spiritual adviser to corporate executives, professional athletes, and lay persons for over twenty years, while appearing on National Public Radio, TV-One, and 60 Minutes Sports. He is the author of three books to date, Black Stuff: Poetry and Essays on The Afrikan-American Experience, Leave God Alone: He's Tired of You Bothering Him, which explores our ability to act on the power inherent within us all and gifted to us by the God of our understanding, and Pledging Underground: The Secret Guide to the Culture of Pledging and Hazing in Black Fraternities and Sororities, an exploration and analysis of campus culture. His award-winning "joc-umentary" film, He Ain't Heavy: Pledging Underground, recently received international digital distribution on the Urban Movie Channel.
When he isn't actively instituting innovative community programming via IF, Rev. jeff volunteers with several organizations in Nashville, including Metro Schools and Second Harvest Food Bank, and he was recognized by USAToday for his work in building the community-based Amun Ra Theatre. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he organized an all-star musical benefit in Nashville that sent a tour bus full of needed supplies to an off-the-grid shelter in the city. He returned with a family of 17, and with a small coalition of grassroots volunteers, settled them into a new existence in Nashville. After the most recent earthquake in Haiti, he traveled as part of a 2-man mission with Dwayne A. Jones to build tent cities and water-collection systems at the Gradec Orphanage outside of Port-Au-Prince.
Providing HomeFULLness for the Homeless
Addressing the related issues of Homelessness and Affordable Housing, Rev. jeff led Infinity's visionary effort to launch Project "Infinity Village" a Tiny House community of 60 Square foot micro-homes designed to meet the needs of the residents of Nashville's legendary Tent City who were dispersed across the city after the Flood of 2010. Rev. jeff moved into a model micro-home to raise awareness and funds, and after 45 days, Infinity had crowd-funded the entire project, raising well above the $50 thousand dollar goal from contributors all over the world. Within just 10 days of raising the funds, the buildings were completed and delivered to the grateful residents of one of the largest remnants of Tent City, who had taken up refuge in a fenced church lot named The Sanctuary at Green Street Church of Christ. Each #InfinityVillage home, built by licensed contractor Dwayne A. Jones Construction, is fully insulated, wired for electricity, and has vaulted ceilings, laminate floors, and a custom murphy bed. The project, Nashville's 1st Micro-Home Community, has become a national model for addressing a pressing national issue and was featured in The Atlantic, on Al-Jazeera Network's America Tonight, Ebony Magazine and USA Today.
A highly-respected member of the Arts Community, Rev. jeff served as a mayoral appointee to the Metro Arts Commission and received a commendation for his researched-based musical play, Ordinary Heroes, which explored Nashville's unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. His plays have been featured around the country, and at venues including The Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre. He has lectured on Religious Pluralism at the Claremont School of Theology, The University of Delaware, and the Artist's Spiritual Process at the Kogod School of Business at American University, and served as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University, directing the first student theatrical play in the school's history that featured an African-American themed story, Lynn Nottage's "Crumbs from The Table of Joy." When Rev. is not actively pouring into people on their Purpose, he is a sought-after Consultant to organizations, nonprofits, and corporations who are seeking to maximize their success in leadership, community outreach, diversity, infrastructure, and media connectivity.
He is blessed to partner in life with Infinity's "Leading Lady," Kenetha carr, Infinity's Chief Operating Officer, who co-facilitates services, sings as one of the Voices of Infinity, and occasionally delivers morning messages. Together they have five children.
Rev. jeff's messages are aimed at exploring the intersection of Mind, Body, and Soul, tapping the doorway for entry into the sacred cycle of Meditation and Revelation. A 200-Hr RYT Yoga Instructor, his guided practices on #YogaSunday (or as he calls it, "the only place you can go to and do Yoga at a Church Service") are designed for all levels of people who want to truly experience the alignment of Body with Mind and Spirit.
To view a great interview on the concept of Infinity Fellowship, take in an early episode of News Channel 5's Issues of Faith. Watch both segments!
To book Rev. jeff obafemi carr for appearances, speaking engagements, or conferences, or to seek professional consultation on community initiatives, visit his online portal at thecarrwindow.com.
Founder and Chief Spiritual Officer
@TheRevjoc on Twitter, IG, FB
Rev. jeff obafemi carr is a highly-regarded spiritual teacher, community activist, social commentator, writer, and artist who has traveled the various paths he teaches from on Sundays at Infinity Fellowship. The Spiritual Practice of Infinitude serves as the foundation of a new movement of Inter-Spirituality, where people who claim to be more Spiritual than necessarily "religious," can grow together in Community. Raised up in Historic Kayne Avenue Baptist Church in South Nashville, Tennessee, his early exposure to the world was through the lens of traditional church: He sang his first songs as a member of the children's choir; acted in Passion Plays from the pulpit as a member of the In God's Name Players Guild, and served as Secretary of the Sunday School and a youth teacher in Vacation Bible School. His questioning nature stayed with him, however, and somehow, he always knew he was a bit of a misfit, even though he would eventually be licensed and ordained as a Minister in the Baptist denomination.
Attending college at Tennessee State University, he was first exposed to the history and mysteries of Ancient Civilizations, particularly Ancient Kemet (Egypt), via the work of master historian and scholar Dr. Yosef A. A. Ben Jochannan, one of the few remaining members of the Ancient Craft that modern Freemasonry bases itself on. Upon graduation, he subsequently traveled with "Dr. Ben" to Egypt, and was initiated into The Craft. He holds the 90º designation in the Mysteries System Priesthood.
A dedicated student of the legendary late Babalawo ("Father of Secrets") Baba Medahochi Kofi Omowale Zannu, he received both his Elekes and his Ancestral name ("obafemi") as part of his entry into the world of what is popularly referred to as the "Yoruba Religion." More accurately known as Ifa, the belief system is a wonderful exploration of the checks and balances of nature. His middle name, "obafemi," which translates as "The King (Chief) loves me," is an indicator that he is a son of the Yoruba deity Obatala, the Chief of all Orishas. Rev. jeff was also a regular student of Olaosun Monifa Olakesi, whose work on the goddess principle of Oshun is widely recognized.
A seeker of connective, immersion experiences, Rev. jeff has met many souls along the way who share the vision of commonality. He has met them in the pulpit, while he is performing weddings or naming rituals for children and adults, side-by-side on yoga mats, or while he is pouring the Sweat Lodge in the Lakota Tradition--an experience he began under the guidance of Baba Nashid Koleoso Fakhrid Deen over 20 years ago. His gift of being able to see the common threads of faith traditions beyond the differences led him to found the Infinity Fellowship in October of 2014. Infinity is a safe place for people who see the journey itself as the destination.
Rev. jeff's unique calling to connect humanity through its diverse narratives has served him well in a long career as an award-winning playwright, producer, director, and media commentator. His opinions and counsel are highly sought after by individuals seeking direction in life as well as media outlets who value his opinions as an activist, social justice advocate, and institution-builder. He has served as personal spiritual adviser to corporate executives, professional athletes, and lay persons for over twenty years, while appearing on National Public Radio, TV-One, and 60 Minutes Sports. He is the author of three books to date, Black Stuff: Poetry and Essays on The Afrikan-American Experience, Leave God Alone: He's Tired of You Bothering Him, which explores our ability to act on the power inherent within us all and gifted to us by the God of our understanding, and Pledging Underground: The Secret Guide to the Culture of Pledging and Hazing in Black Fraternities and Sororities, an exploration and analysis of campus culture. His award-winning "joc-umentary" film, He Ain't Heavy: Pledging Underground, recently received international digital distribution on the Urban Movie Channel.
When he isn't actively instituting innovative community programming via IF, Rev. jeff volunteers with several organizations in Nashville, including Metro Schools and Second Harvest Food Bank, and he was recognized by USAToday for his work in building the community-based Amun Ra Theatre. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he organized an all-star musical benefit in Nashville that sent a tour bus full of needed supplies to an off-the-grid shelter in the city. He returned with a family of 17, and with a small coalition of grassroots volunteers, settled them into a new existence in Nashville. After the most recent earthquake in Haiti, he traveled as part of a 2-man mission with Dwayne A. Jones to build tent cities and water-collection systems at the Gradec Orphanage outside of Port-Au-Prince.
Providing HomeFULLness for the Homeless
Addressing the related issues of Homelessness and Affordable Housing, Rev. jeff led Infinity's visionary effort to launch Project "Infinity Village" a Tiny House community of 60 Square foot micro-homes designed to meet the needs of the residents of Nashville's legendary Tent City who were dispersed across the city after the Flood of 2010. Rev. jeff moved into a model micro-home to raise awareness and funds, and after 45 days, Infinity had crowd-funded the entire project, raising well above the $50 thousand dollar goal from contributors all over the world. Within just 10 days of raising the funds, the buildings were completed and delivered to the grateful residents of one of the largest remnants of Tent City, who had taken up refuge in a fenced church lot named The Sanctuary at Green Street Church of Christ. Each #InfinityVillage home, built by licensed contractor Dwayne A. Jones Construction, is fully insulated, wired for electricity, and has vaulted ceilings, laminate floors, and a custom murphy bed. The project, Nashville's 1st Micro-Home Community, has become a national model for addressing a pressing national issue and was featured in The Atlantic, on Al-Jazeera Network's America Tonight, Ebony Magazine and USA Today.
A highly-respected member of the Arts Community, Rev. jeff served as a mayoral appointee to the Metro Arts Commission and received a commendation for his researched-based musical play, Ordinary Heroes, which explored Nashville's unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. His plays have been featured around the country, and at venues including The Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre. He has lectured on Religious Pluralism at the Claremont School of Theology, The University of Delaware, and the Artist's Spiritual Process at the Kogod School of Business at American University, and served as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University, directing the first student theatrical play in the school's history that featured an African-American themed story, Lynn Nottage's "Crumbs from The Table of Joy." When Rev. is not actively pouring into people on their Purpose, he is a sought-after Consultant to organizations, nonprofits, and corporations who are seeking to maximize their success in leadership, community outreach, diversity, infrastructure, and media connectivity.
He is blessed to partner in life with Infinity's "Leading Lady," Kenetha carr, Infinity's Chief Operating Officer, who co-facilitates services, sings as one of the Voices of Infinity, and occasionally delivers morning messages. Together they have five children.
Rev. jeff's messages are aimed at exploring the intersection of Mind, Body, and Soul, tapping the doorway for entry into the sacred cycle of Meditation and Revelation. A 200-Hr RYT Yoga Instructor, his guided practices on #YogaSunday (or as he calls it, "the only place you can go to and do Yoga at a Church Service") are designed for all levels of people who want to truly experience the alignment of Body with Mind and Spirit.
To view a great interview on the concept of Infinity Fellowship, take in an early episode of News Channel 5's Issues of Faith. Watch both segments!
To book Rev. jeff obafemi carr for appearances, speaking engagements, or conferences, or to seek professional consultation on community initiatives, visit his online portal at thecarrwindow.com.