Meet Melissa Cooper, Educator and Chief Executive Officer at Good Community LLC, an organization that seeks to bridge generational divides through faith-based curated community groups and socially conscious apparel.
Melissa Cooper is a woman of faith who serves others through her ministry, Good Community LLC with her husband, Jamal Cooper. She has been an educator for over 12 years with a background in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership and Sociology. The idea of the organization struck Melissa while she was on maternity leave after giving birth to their son. She wanted to get clear on her purpose in life and started reading “The Circle Maker” where she fasted for 40 days. This helped her realize the importance of prayer and inspired her to achieve greater things in life. Months later, they launched Good Community. Since then, the ministry has helped her grow and many other women alongside her. She has facilitated these community groups on topics such as comparison, racism, finding joy in motherhood, having faith, and more. It works as a therapy for Melissa and other women to be able to find a space to connect, communicate, and build relationships.
Although her initial years growing were tough, they taught her how she wanted to be as a woman, a wife, and a mom. She remembers learning about church and traditions in her youth, something which has stayed with her ever since. Earlier, she focused on a career that only brought monetary benefits but never thought of achieving a healthy balance in work. Now, she is inclined towards work that brings her joy and allows her to grow as a professional.
Talking about her organization, she says, “Good Community seeks to bridge historical divides, often characterized by racial, socio-economic, and other lines of differences by way of faith-based curated community groups and socially conscious apparel. Our community groups provide intentional opportunities for relationship building, resource exploration, intimate storytelling, and healing that increase awareness and promote social change on a diverse range of topics for both men and women”.
Melissa notes that it can get challenging to identify the next steps to grow the organization and support more people. They are constantly seeking coaching, resources, and funding to evolve and expand. She knows it takes time and patience for a business to prosper, and they are rooting for the Good Community to have a positive impact on the people related to them.
The Good Community members are pleased with their experience at the organization. They have launched over 30 community groups since June 2020 and have reached about 40 moms, dads, husbands, fathers, educators, single women, and single men. These members are based in the United States, Germany, and UAE. Cooper recently launched a 6-month Mommas Unite community group supporting moms everywhere.
Melissa has found salvation in faith and is trying to incite change in the lives of people, especially women through the Good Community programs. When asked to share what drives her for this purpose every day, she says, “My faith is very important to me, so I will share a message aligned to my beliefs in hopes that it will encourage at least one person. We all have a purpose in life to do something unique, different and to serve others. There are going to be people who say you can’t do something and will question your ability and worth. Don’t let people stop you and be very discerning of what role those people should play in your life. As you live your purpose out loud, there may be some self-doubt that creeps in from time to time. Don’t let your doubt keep you from living out your purpose. I remind myself of Psalm 139:13-16 that gives me so much motivation. I am reminded that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and created for a purpose. If I know God created me for good things, then I don’t need to be doubtful or focus on the opinions of others”.
