Contact: Brianna Smallwood, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 908-420-3745

SOMERSET, N.J., Sept. 23, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Tuesday, September 23, 2015, Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) in Somerset, New Jersey, launched the dfree® Financial Freedom Movement at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfield, California during their three-day Fall Revival. Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr., Senior Pastor and Vice President of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., Mount Calvary congregants were deeply inspired by Dr. Soaries' presentation of this transformational lifestyle strategy.

Dr. Soaries encouraged Mount Calvary congregants to take control of their finances by creating debt reduction goals and forming online support groups to help them reach their goals. Nearly 200 copies of Dr. Soaries' book, dfree®: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery (Zondervan) and workbook, dfree® Lifestyle: 12 Steps to Financial Freedom (UMI) were distributed to insure that members are well equipped to begin the process and 200-plus attendees were inspired to commit to join the dfree® Billion Dollar Challenge, a national initiative and free resource to help individuals and families communally pay down $1 billion in consumer debt. This commitment resulted in a corporate pledge from Mount Calvary members of $30 million dollars. "We are excited about participating in the Billion Dollar Challenge," stated Dr. Lea. "Dr. Soaries is provoking and propelling us toward economic freedom."

"I've had over 40 years of ministry in several different areas of ministry, but none of my work has been as significant as this," said Dr. Soaries. "Helping people move from financial bondage to financial freedom and from debts to deposits has been some of the most rewarding work of my ministry. I am humbled that dfree® has a nationwide reach of 500 churches."

Mount Calvary Baptist Church will pilot the dfree® Financial Freedom Movement launch for the Western Region of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. which includes over 8 million members. The three-day launch will culminate with the final service on Thursday, September 24, 2015, 10:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. PT) at Mount Calvary Baptist Church located at 1735 Enterprise Drive, Building 3, Fairfield, California. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend. For more information, call the church office at 707-425-1849.

About First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG)
Founded in 1937, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens is a vibrant community-focused, multi-cultural and historical African-American church located in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, NJ. The church's motto is "Faith in Action." FBCLG bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ for spiritual, educational, economic and community transformation. For more information, visit www.fbcsomerset.com.

About dfree®
dfree® is a financial freedom movement that includes a strategy that addresses the cultural, psychological and spiritual influences on financial wellness. dfree® was featured by CNN on a 90 minute documentary, "Almighty Debt" and the dfree® strategy is being used by hundreds of churches and organizations. For more information, visit www.mydfree.org.