Mar 25, 2015 2 min read

Waynesburg University celebrated the 165th anniversary of its charter by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tuesday with a program in the university’s Roberts Chapel.

Introduced by Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee, Bishop Loran E. Mann, founder and senior pastor of Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ, served as charter day speaker.

During Mann’s charter day convocation address, “Get Out of the Boat,” he referenced Matthew 14:22-33, the narrative of Christ walking on water.

“In order to walk on the water, one must first get out of the boat,” Mann said. “That principle is basic to the success of any endeavor. Only those who shed the safety of containment do the impossible.”

Mann urged those present to commit themselves anew to “out of the boat, out of the box” thinking, methods and procedures.

“It begins when we become inspired by what we see. Sometimes it appears as opposition, but it’s actually God’s way of getting us where He really wants us – out of the boat,” he said.

Mann was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the university in 2010 for his desire and commitment to live out his dreams as they relate to his God-given talents and serving others.

Mann shared famous examples of “out of the boat, out of the box” thinking, including Wilbur and Orville Wright’s debut of the fixed-wing aircraft and Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.

Mann’s ministry spans more than 40 years and includes spiritual, educational, social and recreational components.

He is active in the worldwide ministry of the Church of God in Christ.

In April 2000, he was appointed commissioner of television for the denomination by Presiding Bishop G.E. Patterson.

He is a member of the executive committee of the general assembly, the legislative branch of the church.

In March 2005, Gov. Ed Rendell appointed Mann a member of the Pennsylvania Public Television Network Commission.

This commission establishes policy for all public television stations in Pennsylvania.

Mann began global ministry in 2005 when he established the Worldwide Gospel Network to provide religious programming via the Internet around the clock, seven days a week.

A respected former broadcast journalist, Mann received numerous awards over his 21-year career as news anchor/reporter for WPXI-TV, Channel 11, the Pittsburgh affiliate of NBC.