Say a prayer: Churches offer support as school year nears

http://www.clarionledger.com/
LaReeca Rucker
lrucker@jackson.gannett.com
July 24, 2010

In less than a month, most Jackson area students will be back in school.

And the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board is encouraging churches to support them through prayer walks.

"Some schools will open their doors and actually let the folks walk in the classroom," said Kay Cassibry, executive director of the Woman's Missionary Union, a department of the Baptist board. "It's praying with your eyes open - praying for teachers' and students' safety - praying for learning that will take place and any needs they may have. It's to give encouragement to teachers. They have the toughest jobs."

Cassibry said many parents commit to pray throughout the school year.

"They are concerned about what happens in the school environment," she said. "They are just trying to surround the schools in a net of prayer. It's a great tool to tie the community in with the churches. Towns and churches all across the state are doing it."

Debbie Ivy, women's ministry team leader at Clinton's Morrison Heights Baptist Church, said the church has led a prayer walk for the past decade. It's an idea she brought back from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary campus.

The first year, Morrison Heights, First Baptist Church of Clinton and Clinton's Parkway Baptist Church united for a prayer walk.

Ivy said each church is assigned a school. Area private schools, Hinds Community College and Mississippi College are included. A date for this year's prayer walk is still being finalized.

"We just encourage people after church to go to the assigned school and do a prayer walk around the perimeter," she said. "It's an encouragement to the administration, teachers, support staff and families of the students to know the community cares."

Stacy Covey, director of preschool and children's ministries at First Baptist Church of Richland, will lead prayer walkers from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 7 through Richland Elementary, Richland Upper and Richland High School.

"We just felt it was an important thing to do," she said. "Anyone can come who wants to."

First Baptist Church of Brandon will gather to pray at 5 p.m. Aug. 8.

Parkway will hold a back-to-school retreat called "Launch" for grades 7-12. It will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 20 and end at 10 a.m. Aug. 22.

"It's something to refresh everyone, refocus the students and give them direction for the upcoming semester," said youth pastor Louis Zinc.

Zinc said it's important to pray about school because of the pressures students face. "If you're not praying, it's kind of like going into battle without weapons."

And, he added, teachers need support, too.

Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 1 Samuel 2:1 NIV

21 days benefit community

www.timesunion.com
By Pastor James Davis
Published: 01:00 a.m., Saturday, July 24, 2010


This month's free 21-day festival under the big tent in back of Christian Memorial Church of God in Christ is, I believe, the first of its kind for Arbor Hill and West Hill. The outreach highlights the spirit of camaraderie in our community with the goal of providing inspiration and education for positive change. We have brought in community services and health organizations. We've had Bible teaching, a manhood forum and spirit-filled services. Saturdays feature food, games, giveaways and live wholesome music. In the evenings, the family activities have included movies for all ages, complete with popcorn.

Our children enjoyed two weeks of activities, positive instruction, free lunch and fun for three hours a day. How refreshing it was to see neighborhood children participate in sack races and fill the air with laughter.

Today is devoted to women, and the theme is "It's All About Me, There's Nothing Broken, Nothing Missing." There will be two panel discussions: "Living the Life" at 12:30 and "I Heard That" at 5 p.m. One lucky woman who registered for the prize will receive a makeover including a hairdo and new outfit.

Regardless of the things that may separate us, there has been an atmosphere of togetherness. We overcame all sorts of challenges from bureaucracy to the elements. Last Sunday morning, we received a call around 7:30 , saying the storm had lowered the tent and it was barely standing. We didn't throw our hands up or get discouraged. We called the brothers together. Within a couple of hours the tent was back up and we continued on without interruption. Oh how bright the sun shown that morning and how clear the air was.

These 21 days of summer are about doing good in a community that has seen a lot of bad. We believe there is good in our community and we are in pursuit of it. We believe in a better tomorrow. There are men, women, boys and girls who are worth saving. All they need to know is that someone cares and there is hope and help.

Yes, if everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be. Yes, we are here to let our community know that we care and we are here to do whatever we can to make our community a place we can all be proud of.

Our outreach is about taking ownership of our community. We base it upon the saying of our beloved late President John F. Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." This is the beginning of good things that we can do for our community.

We believe in the principle that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Our hope and desire is that people will come to understand that we truly need each other to make our community a better place to live in.

Pastor James Davis was born South Carolina, grew up in Albany and has been the spiritual leader of Christian Memorial Church for 23 years.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35 NIV

Retired NFL players to sing gospel at Cowboys Stadium event

http://www.star-telegram.com/
By Kathy Vetter
vetter@star-telegram.com
Posted Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010


A select group of retired National Football League players will contribute their silky voices to September's XLV Countdown Live from Cowboys Stadium, the official start of North Texas' sprint to the 2011 Super Bowl.

The former players, who have yet to be named, will add gospel to a musical lineup that includes country star Tim McGraw, classical pianist Van Cliburn and the 92-piece University of North Texas symphony orchestra.

"It will bring a little more football into this concert mix," Kit Sawers, vice president of special events for the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee, said during Thursday's announcement.

The performance by the 3-year-old NFL Players Choir will preview a much larger event scheduled before the Feb. 6 Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, featuring current and former players and big-name gospel entertainers, will be held Feb. 4 at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas.

The concert is expected to feature current and former NFL players as well as big-name gospel entertainers from Dallas-Fort Worth. Tim Brown, a Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Bowl wide receiver, is among the former players who have participated.

"I was in a choir growing up in Dallas," he said. "That's something that I'm comfortable doing, especially if I'm in the back. No one expects football players sitting up there with robes on, signing gospel songs two nights before the biggest game of the year."

The Sept. 10 "Countdown" event, headlined by McGraw, will include Van Cliburn playing The Star-Spangled Banner and the UNT orchestra accompanying an NFL Films tribute to the five Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl victories and the team's 50th anniversary.

Emmitt Smith, fresh from his August induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will be honored.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, starting at $25.

I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. Nehemiah 12:31b NIV

Church's free lunches feed bellies and hearts

The Tampa Tribune
By MICHELLE BEARDEN
Published: July 30, 2010

TAMPA - She wanted to be a doctor, specializing in pediatrics or obstetrics. Big dreams for a girl who grew up in the housing projects in Sarasota.

"But our desires aren't always what God has in store for us," Patricia Hauser says now. "I always tell kids: Have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C. Then do whatever God decides for you."

Hauser, 53, is the founder and senior pastor of Potter's House Deliverance Tabernacle in Tampa, a non-denominational and multi-cultural church. In nine years, it's grown from a handful of members to about 250. The congregation meets in a modular building on its property on Harney Road. This fall, members will break ground for their new 20,000-square-foot Life Center complex, which will include a sanctuary, commercial kitchen and recreation center for programs that serve the community.

That's Hauser's other passion. After all, she tells the members, what good is a church that just takes care of its own?

With that mission in mind, she also serves as director of Potter's House Community Development, a nonprofit that provides outreach, assistance, counseling and mentoring programs through government grants and church volunteers.

"She's someone who genuinely cares about people. And it's not something she delegates to others. She's right there with us, hands on and very reachable," says Denise Jackson of her pastor. "After being here, I couldn't imagine going to another church. This is a place where I feel comfortable and challenged."

Here's just one example. When Hauser learned families were living in poverty in "every pocket of Hillsborough County," she looked for programs that could help meet their needs. She doesn't mind crossing those invisible lines and partnering with government. If church and state can work together to improve conditions, why not?

She found just what she was looking for.

For the second summer in a row, Hauser is fulfilling her vision to feed hungry children who get subsidized meals the rest of the year through their schools. Working with a state-sponsored program that provides federal reimbursement for breakfast and lunch, Potter's House is preparing, delivering and serving 300 meals a day at four sites in the Bay area.

Church staff and volunteers, who had to undergo training and certification through the state to participate, begin early in the morning, working in a kitchen provided by Living Faith Assemblies of God on East Sligh Avenue. They prepare nutritious breakfasts and lunches that meet the food pyramid standards, then distribute them at Living Faith and at three YMCAs, which run summer camps for children. The morning and mid-day meals are given out free to anyone under 18 years old.

"A good breakfast and a good lunch definitely equal a good day," says Brian Ordonez, a camp counselor at YMCA's Central City branch. "Without that, some of these kids would go hungry. They're not going to be able to do arts and crafts or play sports. They're going to have headaches, they're going to have fatigue, and they're not going to have a good day."

Hauser has an even bigger vision for next summer. She wants her church to run a feeding program seven days a week from the new commercialized kitchen. She hopes to expand it beyond children to others in need, such as the elderly and homeless.

"We live in a privileged country, yet there are so many underprivileged people," says Hauser, who is divorced and has no children. "But to make a difference, we have to be united together."

Though her life took an unexpected turn – from healing bodies to healing spirits, from science to faith – she knows this course was the right one for her.

After graduating in 1980 from the University of South Florida with degrees in zoology and psychology, Hauser set her sights on medical school. When she didn't get accepted, she went back to school to study computer engineering. She eventually started her own company, managing a three-tiered pharmaceutical firm.

All the while, a small still voice told her: Your true calling is ministry.

"I think God was always calling me. There were a lot of conversations early on, only I didn't realize it," she says. "When I chose to really listen, things fell into place."

Hauser went back to school again, this time for a master of divinity at Payne Theological Seminary, followed by her doctorate at United Theological, both in Dayton. Though she could have bypassed the schooling to lead a nondenominational church, that's not how Hauser operates.

"I'm always a student, always learning," she says. And credentials certainly help in a profession dominated by men. She recognizes that in some circles, a woman serving as senior pastor is downright blasphemous. That's a discussion she won't engage.

"I tell them there's enough work for all of us to do," she says. "If they have a problem with me in charge, go talk to God."

See the summer feeding program in action on Michelle Bearden's "Keeping the Faith" Sunday at 9 a.m. on WFLA-TV. She can be reached at (813) 259-7613.

Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." John 21:16 NIV

Smokie Norful at The Kingdom last night

Last night's service at Mt. Olive Kingdom Builder's Worship Center (http://www.thekingdomchurch.com/) was no ordinary P.H.A.T. (Praise, Healing & Anointed Teaching) Wednesday service!!! We kicked off our arts ministry weekend last night with the singing gifts of Pastor Jason Nelson of Greater Bethlehem Temple in Randallstown, MD (http://www.gbtonline.org/thevision.html) and the Word of God delivered by Pastor Smokie Norful of Victory Cathedral Worship Center (http://www.getthevictory.org/). The church was bustin' at the seams!!! The sanctuary was full, and about 150 chairs were set up on the church lawn in front of 2 huge speakers and a projector that streamed the happenings inside to those of us who showed up at 7 for a 7:30 service. It was cool as folk from the neighborhood stopped and watched a little bit of the program. Pastor Norful preached from Daniel 3: 14 - 25...the familiar story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with the subject "Who in hell stole your praise?" Now I love me some Smokie Norful CDs, but he just might be a better preacher than he is a singer....if you can believe that!!!! Believe me, I will be getting my CD on Sunday - there were just too many people and it was too late to fight that fight last night!!! Good thing for me that my daughter will be going to Northwestern in September. We might just have to check out Victory Cathedral as her new church home!!!!

Good News: Preteen church campers sew little dresses for girl in Africa

http://www.commercialappeal.com/
By Emily Greenberg
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted July 29, 2010 at 12:05 a.m.

When Ruby Jackson thinks of Africa, she hears singing.

As a Delta flight attendant for 33 years, Jackson spent weeks at a time in Africa during the 1980s and '90s. Now retired, she is working to help the African people she remembers so fondly.

Jackson and her friend, Louise Morris, are volunteering their time to teach preteen campers at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church in Cordova to stitch dresses out of pillowcases for Little Dresses for Africa, a Michigan-based Christian nonprofit organization, which will then distribute the dresses to African villages and orphanages.

Jackson, who lives in Eads, remembers scenes from Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania and Uganda. A grandmother sitting on a tree stump stirring a black pot of soup while her shoeless grandchildren run in the dirt. A woman begging her to take her infant to America. Families sleeping on grass mats. And she remembers children singing in an orphanage with dirt floors, many orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic, she said.

She said she couldn't figure out what they were singing about.

About 14.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS, according to a 2009 UNICEF report that reflects numbers from 2007. Although children in sub-Saharan Africa are orphaned for a variety of reasons, AIDS accounts for roughly 25 percent of the cases, said Catherine Langevin, editor of the UNICEF report.

At first, Jackson felt overwhelmed by the situation in Africa. But, after a friend told her about Little Dresses for Africa, she knew she could do something.

"When you're there, it's just too big. (With Little Dresses for Africa), everybody can do something. If you can just donate a pillowcase, that's something," said Jackson, who estimates she will have more than 100 dresses when the camp ends Friday.

The dresses are sleeveless with elastic necklines and straps that tie around the shoulders. No two are alike.

At Mt. Pisgah, there's a red dress with white polka dots and a bow. A floral print with a white, lacy ruffle. Striped dresses. Plaid dresses. One with a Pocahontas character on the front. Another with moon- and-star patterns. A gray dress with buttons. A brown dress with polka dot pockets.

One camper, Cortney Anderson, 10, designed a brown dress with floral straps. She reasoned that the flowers needed dirt -- the brown pillowcase -- to grow.

It's the individual quality of each dress that instills a sense of worthiness in the girls who receive them, said Rachel O'Neill, founder of Little Dresses for Africa. Unlike money, tangible items like clothing will go straight to the children and won't get "locked in bureaucracy," said O'Neill. The dresses are something they can hold.

"They'll wear this dress until it's just strings," said Jackson, holding up a light green one with black and white lace trimmings.

"We're not just sending dresses. We're sending hope," added O'Neill.

So far, Little Dresses for Africa has distributed quite a lot of "hope" -- approximately 67,000 dresses in 14 African countries, according to O'Neill. Dresses have also gone to Guatemala, Belize, Haiti and Indian reservations.

Recently, the organization started Britches for Boys, which distributes shorts to boys. In September, Little Dresses for Africa will distribute dresses in Malawi.

As for Jackson and Morris, they plan to continue making the dresses for many more summers. This is their third.

Jackson has heard from former co-workers that the situation in Africa has only worsened.

But for Jackson's campers, like Temple White, 11, the situation is really quite simple, as simple as making dresses from pillowcases:

"If other people aren't doing it, then somebody has to step up and do it," the girl said.

It's the same attitude that characterizes African culture, said O'Neill. She described it as an "upbeat society" -- a culture where people sing.

To learn more about Little Dresses for Africa, go to littledressesforafrica.org or call (734) 637-9064.

Donations of pillowcases can be dropped off at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church (1234 Pisgah Road, 754-3583) Fridays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and should be labeled for Ruby Jackson.

Waterford church adds to food pantry with garden goodness

http://www.sacbee.com/

By Kevin Valine
kvaline@modbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 - 7:51 am

WATERFORD — Twice a month dozens of people, from the working poor and single moms to seniors struggling on Social Security and men and women who've been laid off, gather at Community Baptist Church for homegrown food and down-home hospitality.

They show up on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month for the church's food pantry. They get the usual staples — canned goods and boxed food — but a lot more.

The church supplements the processed food with tomatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, onions and other vegetables grown in church members' gardens and in a community garden tended by church members in its grow-a-row program.

"We were concerned that all we were offering people was processed food, processed food and processed food," church member Bill Richards said. "We knew we could do better."

The food pantry typically helps 60 to 70 families on a Tuesday, said church member Ron Kimberling, who runs it with his wife, Jean.

Jean Kimberling said those families represent more than 300 people who live in the small communities of Waterford and Hickman. She said many of the families the church helps have extended family members, such as grandparents and cousins, living with them.

More than 80 families were helped Tuesday.

"It's good," Waterford resident Leticia Escobar said Tuesday as she waited in line for vegetables picked that day. She's a widow and makes ends meet on $800 a month from Social Security. "It's not enough. I need help."

People start showing up 90 minutes before the food is given out. They sit at tables in the fellowship hall and visit with one another and munch on snacks provided by the church.

On Tuesday, the snacks included homemade zucchini bread, strawberry lemonade, slices of watermelon and canteloupe, and brownies for the kids.

As their parents talked, the kids were busy with coloring and puzzle books and arts and crafts. The church also put out prayer cards for people to write down their concerns.

They pray for continued sobriety, a fast recovery from an illness, finding a job, paying bills and family members who are losing their homes.

Church members started the grow-a-row and hospitality program last year to augment the food pantry program. (It's called grow a row to let participants know their help can be as limited as that — growing one row of vegetables.)

Richards said the church wanted to give the people it feeds more nutritious food and to get to know them as people.

Church members running the food pantry said it felt "like they were just moving food and didn't know the people," he said.

Richards said the program is a tangible way for church members to live out Jesus Christ's teachings of taking care of one another.

"We have been given the opportunity to be Christ to our community," he said. "It's about living out our love."

He said that has been humbling as he and others have learned of the hardships faced by those they help and the strength and courage they bring to their lives.

Mike Mallory, chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank in Manteca, said he doesn't know of other churches that are growing fruits and vegetables along with their food programs.

"This is very new," he said. "I think it's in its infancy stage."

Second Harvest supplies food to 220 sites in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and five foothill counties, including Community Baptist Church's food pantry.

But Mallory said providing people with more fresh fruits and vegetables has taken root in the past decade among the big food banks in the state.

He said food banks in San Jose, Los Angeles and other big California cities distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to nearly all of the food pantries they serve, along with such staples as rice and cereal.

Second Harvest in Manteca distributes fresh produce to 30 percent to 40 percent of its clients, Mallory said, and is working on increasing that to at least 50 percent within two years.

Some area food pantries don't have refrigeration to keep fruits and vegetables fresh or worry that their clients may not know what to do with the food. Second Harvest is addressing the second concern by providing food pantries with recipes and nutritional information for their clients.

"When we get this going, you will see people changing," Mallory said. "We have an obesity problem in this society — weight problems and health problems. If we can get to 50 percent, it will make a difference."

Community Baptist Church feeds other hungers.

Waterford resident Phillip Onate, 52, showed up Tuesday with his former wife and a neighbor. He's been coming to the program for about two months.

Onate, who is out of work and has diabetes and high blood pressure, said he's "kind of a keep-to-myself person" but said he feels welcome at the church.

I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. Ecclesiastes 2:5 NIV

Harlem Helps Raise Coffee in Ethiopia

http://www.blogger.com/www.nytimes.com
By TRYMAINE LEE
Published: July 26, 2010


From a 542-square-foot office above a bustling intersection in Harlem, the Rev. Nicholas S. Richards is building what he hopes will be a 7,000-mile bridge to the eastern highlands of Ethiopia.
It is a bridge more than 200 years in the making.

In that modest two-room office off East 125th Street, the Abyssinian Fund, the only nongovernmental organization in Ethiopia formed by an African-American church, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, finally has a home.

Mr. Richards, 26, an assistant minister at Abyssinian under the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, is the president of the recently formed Aby Fund, as he calls it, an international aid and development arm of the church. It will soon be joining forces with a co-op of 700 coffee farmers in the ancient Ethiopian city of Harrar, with a mission to improve the quality of the farmers’ lives by helping them improve the quality of their coffee beans.

The Abyssinian Fund will pay for specialized training and equipment to help the co-op’s farmers produce a higher-quality product so they can be more competitive on the international coffee market. Once their income has increased, part of what they make will then be set aside in a fund to support local development projects, like much-needed roads, schools or clinics.

Mr. Richards, members of the fund’s board of directors and congregants of the church said the mission was as much about social aid and economic development as it was about the church’s desire to reach back and reconnect with its spiritual and ancestral homeland.

Read the complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/nyregion/27abyssinian.html


Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7 NIV

Darwin Hobbs: Gospel Singer Released From Hospital — Gastric Surgery Caused Blood Clots

http://www.blackvoices.com/
By Brennan Williams on Jul 27th 2010 1:11AM


After being treated for blood clots in his lungs and legs over the course of the past month, gospel recording artist Darwin Hobbs was released from St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta last weekend.

According to his spokesperson, the chart-topping singer and worship leader was initially admitted into St. Joseph's Hospital on June 15 following concerns from his wife, Traci Hobbs (with whom he is pictured with on the left).

"While traveling to the airport for a performance in the Mid-west with his close friend Yolanda Adams, he became really short of breath," she revealed to Jamie Foster Brown's Sister 2 Sister magazine.

"Something just didn't seem right, and I decided that we had better get this checked before we go any further."
Hobbs was released July 23. His unforeseen health scare is believed to stem from a recent gastric bypass surgery in which doctors believe segmented from a larger blood clot.

Looking forward to the future, the 'Beautiful To Me' crooner is planning on restoring his music career by resuming promotion of his latest project 'Champion' by conducting a series of phone interviews.

"This was in no way something Traci and I expected to walk through, but indeed we are walking through it," he said. "We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers, calls, emails, tweets, flowers and visits. The fact is I developed blood clots; the truth is that the blood of Jesus never loses its power and it never clots."

"I am so excited about all God has planned for my future," he continued. "The lyrics of many of the songs I sing have new meaning today. 'God Restores' is not only a song I sing, but it is the story of my life. He has restored my life to me. This temporary pain was the hallway to the door of my next dimension of powerful ministry."

On the heels of the release of his 2008 album, 'Free,' the Cincinnati native revealed that he was finally able to come to terms with the sexual abuse he experienced as a child.

"For years, I've been bound by the haunting reality of the past," he said at the time. "It's almost as if I'd been under the restriction of a gag order placed on me - as if I was walking through an earthly version of hell... But God's been faithful, He never left me. And just as He promised, 'If I walked in truth, He'll set me free.'"

Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. Jeremiah 33:6 NIV

Dove Awards for gospel music take flight to Atlanta in 2011; first time not held in Nashville

Associated Press
07/27/10 7:40 PM EDT

NASHVILLE, TENN. — Organizers of the Dove Awards are taking a leap of faith and moving the annual gospel and Christian music show to Atlanta.

This will be the first time the Doves have been held anywhere but Nashville. A statement from the Gospel Music Association announcing the move called it a bold step.

GMA board chairman Ed Leonard said the move was an opportunity to expand the reach of the awards, which have been held at the Grand Ole Opry House recently.

The 2011 awards will be held April 20 at the Fox Theatre in Midtown Atlanta. The statement makes no mention of where the awards will be held in subsequent years.

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." Isaiah 42:9 NIV

http://www.singersroom.com/
Date: 07/28/10
By SR Staff


Deitrick Haddon's long awaited film, 'Blessed & Cursed,' has been released.

According GC, Pain, Deceit and Triumph are just some of the plots twists that viewers will experience in this highly anticipated movie! A modern retelling of the dramatic Biblical account of Saul and David, “Blessed & Cursed” stars Deitrick as Dwight Hawkins an incredibly gifted young man who is in search of his purpose amid setbacks and unexpected surprises. Also starring are Sheryl Lee Ralph, Drew Sidora and a host of Gospel music stars including Karen Clark-Sheard, Damita Haddon, Kierra ‘Kiki’ Sheard, Dr. Bobby Jones and Rance Allen.

“I think that’s what people will really appreciate about this film, that it’s really transparent,” says Haddon. “It’s real to what happens in church. It shows church politics and the way people really are.”

Music from the film is also available at digital retailers, including contributions from Karen Clark Sheard and Bobby Jones.

"May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!" Numbers 24:9b NIV

Young People Abandoning The Black Church; They Say Message Isn’t For Them

July 28, 2010 by gospelnewswire

Sunday morning rolls around again, and I get the early wakeup call from my father. “Get up, Brandee. Get ready for church.” My first thought is to go right back to sleep, because I don’t want to go. It’s not a case of Sunday-morning laziness; I’d just rather not be there, and according to a study conducted earlier this year by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 agree with me.

Church isn’t appealing to me, and it never has been. I have vivid memories of sitting in the last pew as a child with crayons and a coloring book for some sort of entertainment. Since I’ve retired the Crayolas and coloring books and started paying closer attention to the sermons, I discovered that some of the messages in church are irrelevant to people of my generation.

Some of my closest friends are gay, but the pastor is telling me that “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34, but the pastor tells me that using condoms is a sin because it’s a form of birth control. I live in a world where women are the CEOs of successful businesses and hold high positions in the government, but within the walls of the church, female leadership is often absent. Only 10 percent of churches in the United States employ women as senior pastors. These sexist, homophobic and conservative attitudes of the church are what is causing young people to question their faith, causing Gen-Yers to abandon the church in increasing numbers.

Many church principles simply don’t reflect the views of young Americans. A recent study discovered that young people are more accepting of homosexuality: 63 percent of young adults believe that homosexuality should be accepted within society, versus 50 percent of adults in general. In most churches, discussing homosexuality is a taboo. “There’s denial about homosexuality in the church,” said Boyce Watkins, Ph.D., founder of the Your Black World Coalition. It’s “even to the extreme where you have people who believe that if you pray enough, you will not be gay anymore,” he adds.

We live in a society where open homosexuality is becoming common, but most in the church have yet to accept it. If God accepts us as we are, then why do some homosexuals feel unwelcome in church? Skepticism concerning church teachings about the Bible may be the reason 67 percent of young Christian adults say they don’t read it.

“It’s become more and more common on college campuses that people openly question who is God and how do we reconcile the question of evil?” said Jamila Bey, an African-American freelance journalist and atheist. After being a Roman Catholic for most of her life, Bey recently decided to divorce her religion and declare herself to be an atheist.

Sometimes, stepping into church feels to me like going into a time warp, with all of the old-fashioned and conservative views being enforced. In this day and age, gender roles have shifted, but sexism continues to linger in many churches. When I go to church, I can’t help noticing that there is a lack of female leadership. Women are confined to either being ushers or being in the choir.

"To some extent, sexism in the church is a reflection of sexism in our society, but I think it's even worse in church because the environment is certainly a little more conservative," Watkins said. It is this conservative environment that is causing young folks to stay home. Only one-third of young adults say they attend worship services at least once a week. "Young people who are finding their voices are more apt to say, 'I don't buy the church, it doesn't speak to me,' " said Bey, "and I think the logical progression is that they are going to find community with other free thinkers and non-believers."

Being a free thinker is just another thing to add to the list of taboos. "Leadership in the church doesn't encourage you typically to think freely. They believe their job is to tell you what to think and guide you to the truth," said Watkins. "Anybody who is open-minded about religion or questions things too much is certainly going to be turned off by the church or to some extent not invited into the church."

So is there any hope for bringing Gen-Yers back to church? According to the Rev. J. Lee Hill, a youth minister at Riverside Church in New York City, it won't be easy. In a recent interview with CNN, Hill stated, "Church is difficult because young people today want to engage actively; they just want to experience God." Young adults don't want to worry about judgment or limitations when it comes to faith.

The Rev. Dino Woodward of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem believes that convincing more young people that the church has something to offer starts with parenting. "Parents are allowing them [young adults] to discipline themselves. If parents are coming to church, they have to bring their children to church and show them that there is a better way of life through the Christian way of life."

But as we come into adulthood, we have to make decisions for ourselves. Maybe if the church focused more on helping youth build a stronger connection with God, and less on imposing social and political views, our generation would return to the pews.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 NIV

Israel Houghton returns August 31 with star-studded album

http://www.soultracks.com/
Posted July 26th, 2010 by administrator


Nashville, TN - Multiple GRAMMY, Stellar and Dove Award winner, Soul Train Award winner and double RIAA certified Gold-selling artist Israel Houghton highlights the greatest Gospel commandment with Love God. Love People. releasing August 31 on Integrity Music/Columbia Records. Featuring the musically masterful energy that has become synonymous with Israel Houghton recordings, the album also reveals special guest appearances by Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Take 6's Claude V. McKnight, III, Mark Kibble and Joey Kibble, as well as song co-writes with Meleasa Houghton, Aaron Lindsey, Tommy Sims and Michael Gungor.

As a worship leader, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Israel is also known for his work as a master collaborator, drawing out the best performances from all those around him. Having written or co-written 11 CCLI Top 500 favorites, creating a canon of songs that have become standards in houses of faith around the globe, Love God. Love People. follows Israel's acclaimed GRAMMY Award winning and Billboard Top 200 hit, The Power Of One, and promises to be an inspiration to all who listen.

"Love God. Love People. is a return to a simple, foundational Gospel command: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself," says Israel. "Virtually every song touches on this profound simplicity. It all comes down to ‘Love God, love people.' Period."

Israel co-produced the new album with longtime collaborator Aaron Lindsey, whose credits include Shirley Caesar, Martha Munizzi, CeCe Winans and many more, and with Tommy Sims, whose writing, recording and performing credits range from Bruce Springstein and Garth Brooks to Wynnona and Kelly Clarkson. The trio of producers also co-wrote five of the songs, including the first Gospel single, "You Hold My World." Three additional songs were penned by Israel and his wife Meleasa.

Love God. Love People. blends the musical genres of worship, rock, funk and power pop, and was recorded and engineered by Danny Duncan (India.Arie, Hillsong LIVE, Natalie Grant, CeCe Winans) at Abbey Road Studios in London.

"I was living out a dream come true recording at Abbey Road," says Israel. "The ‘stomps' on the famous staircase for ‘Name Of Love' were just absolutely special and unforgettable. And I wept several times while The London Session Orchestra played ‘Others' and ‘Hosanna.' I later spoke to some of the string players who were crying while they played... absolute presence of God was captured!"

Other album highlights include Israel singing "Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher)" with Take 6's Claude V. McKnight, III, Joey Kibble and Mark Kibble, who arranged the track. "Mercies" features the unmistakable voice of Kirk Franklin, while "Surprises" is augmented by the talent of Fred Hammond.

Special guest instrumentalists on the album include Akil Thompson (son of drum master Chester Thompson from Weather Report and Genesis) and Michael Gungor (who co-wrote "You Won't Let Go" with Israel) on guitars. On drums are Dan Needham (Amy Grant, Vanessa Williams, Michael McDonald) and Teddy Campbell (Seal, Celine Dion, Smokie Norful). Co-producers Tommy Sims and Aaron Lindsey handle the bass and keyboards respectively. Backing vocals on select tracks are handled by Daniel Johnson, Erica King and Charlin Moore, all members of New Breed, a music ministry organization founded and led by Israel.

The full Love God. Love People. track listing follows:

1) Love God Love People

2) Yahweh (The Lifter)

3) Love Rev

4) That's Why I Love You

5) Others

6) You Hold My World

7) You Won't Let Go

8) Our God

9) Mercies featuring Kirk Franklin

10) Surprises featuring Fred Hammond

11) Name Of Love

12) Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher)

Writing or co-writing all but one of the songs on Love God. Love People., Israel creates music that breaks down barriers and defies categorization. Israel uses his own multi-cultural upbringing as a reference point with a desire to draw people of all races, ages and cultures together. Israel laughingly describes himself as "black kid who grew up in a white family in a Hispanic neighborhood."

Active as worship leader in his local church, Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, Houston, Israel has served as worship leader at Hillsong conferences, Franklin Graham crusades, and is a featured CompassionArt songwriter and artist. Israel also ministers through concerts in the U.S. and around the world, has accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael's "Freedom '90," and has performed at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans.

In 1995, Israel and Meleasa Houghton founded New Breed Ministries, an organization they continue to run and that is comprised of noted musicians and singers who serve within their respective churches and together serve the Church at large. Since then, Israel has been featured on FOX, CBS, ABC, BET, CNN, TBN and CBN, and has amassed a legion of followers that crosses generational lines with popularity across African American, Latin and Caucasian listener lines. While blasting down barriers, he has been fittingly graced with 2 Gold-selling albums, 3 GRAMMY Awards, 6 Dove Awards, 2 Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Award.

Israel Houghton is signed to Integrity Music, distributed to Christian retail by Provident-Integrity Distribution and to the general market by Columbia Records/Sony-BMG Distribution. For more information, go to http://www.israelhoughton.net/.

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. Psalm 18:49 NIV

N.C. church youth help Fort Pierce residents dress up homes

www.tcpalm.com
By Alex Boerner
Posted July 27, 2010 at 12:29 a.m.

FORT PIERCE — Mary Brunson, 101, of Fort Pierce wanted her house painted pink.

That message was put into action Monday morning as a group of middle and high school students from the Flint-Groves Baptist Church in Gastonia, N.C., covered her house in a light shade of pink.

that matched the blooms on the hibiscus in her backyard.

The group of 41 students will be working throughout the week in Fort Pierce to paint four other houses as well. Their efforts are coordinated with help from Dawn and Joel Dramis of the Treasure Coast Community Changers, an organization started by the Treasure Coast Baptist Association.

“For us, it’s about this homeowner and this community and making a difference in it,” said Chris Howell, youth pastor at the Flint-Groves Baptist Church. Howell had done similar work on the Treasure Coast years ago with another organization and has recently led students to Alaska and Salt Lake City on trips organized through the church in Gastonia.

“We believe that Scripture calls us to go not only in our community, but nationally and internationally to go and spread the love of Christ by our works and by our efforts,” he added.

After completing their work, the students plan to visit the beach and attend a block party hosted by the Good News Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. in Fort Pierce.

because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Ephesesians 6:8

"Blessed and Cursed" Releases Tuesday!

What a powerful movie! Deitrick Haddon does an amazing job of delivering this powerful and moving message . Along with Haddon, the cast of all-star gospel musicians gives this movie a depth through music that otherwise would not be there.
The theme of this story is simply an expansion of the title: people have the power to bless or curse others around them. The story-line follows the main character, Dwight (Haddon), who is given the position of music minister at the church of a powerful bishop. Dwight's music ministry initially takes off, but jealousy in the church results in betrayal and eventual dismissal for Dwight. God still calls him to a life in music ministry, but this ministry is quite different from anything he expected.
How often in our lives do we feel God's calling for a specific ministry, but it ends up in betrayal and confusion? This movie reminds us that God is always in control, even though His plans may not be in line with our plans or expectations. The message of this movie brings to mind the truth of Jeremiah 29:11: 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD.' Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

Texas Mega-Pastors Joel Osteen and Bishop T.D. Jakes Got Together

http://www.blogger.com/www.examiner.com
July 25, 2:01 PM
Celebrity Headlines Examiner
Jodi Jill

July 25, 2010 -- Bestselling author and pastor of Lakewood Church in Texas has done something that has created positive shock waves across the universe. After developing a friendship with Bishop T.D. Jakes, he invited the Bishop to take the pulpit for the morning.

This unique passing of the message isn't something you might think about when it comes to meg-pastors in the church business. Only a handful ever consider bridging the gap, per se and allow others to come in as guest speakers. Usually the business of preaching on Sunday morning comes from such a strict focus that an opportunity like this is barely available to anyone who isn't from the same church in a more lineage way.

Being that Osteen met Jakes in a walk around for reviewing the church for a men's conference, the bond grew into a friendship of two people who have the task of leading thousands (actually millions if you count the people who watch on television.)

So what does this partnership hold in the future? Well, Joel Osteen is going to be preaching at Bishop T.D. Jakes house of worship and the two may find themselves in partnership with other projects in the future. As for the big picture, it is a stark reminder that friends can be found everywhere. Just as soon as we go over and introduce ourselves.

You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. Acts 20:20 NIV

The Book is taking shape

I have compiled dozens of testimonies from all over the country and am putting the book, Prove Me Now Herewith: Testimonies of Overflow Blessings from Faithful Tithers. This is the exciting, yet scary part. I'm trying to figure out how to categorized the testimonies that I have which will determine the number of chapters in the book. I am certainly listening to God for direction in this. Pray for me as I complete this single step in my journey with Christ. It's still not too late. If you have a testimony that you would like to share, feel free to submit it to submissions@provemenowherewith.com or visit our website - www.provemenowherewith.com. Keep an eye out for the book in November!!!

Merge Summit 2010 August 26, 2010 - August 28, 2010

Following the great success of last year’s inaugural conference, Relevé Entertainment announced today that THE MERGE SUMMIT 2010 will return to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, Thursday, August 26 through Saturday, August 28, 2010. THE MERGE SUMMIT’s founder, Dr. Holly Carter, serves as chairperson and Robi Reed as co-chairperson of the event. The three-day conference integrates faith and entertainment and provides a platform and educational forum for men and women of faith to interface and partner with executives and talent in the entertainment industry from New York to Hollywood (see full schedule below).

The multifaceted program will cover the spectrum of music, television, film, content, development, production, and management. General and focused breakout sessions are designed to educate and empower attendees in their respective fields. The Summit will also feature keynote addresses, presentations, and interactive panel discussions. Throughout the event, actors, directors, producers, writers, and industry executives will share insights and give feedback, as well as lend inspiration for the individual journey. Confirmed celebrity presenters include Suzanne de Passe, Pauletta Washington, Niecy Nash, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tia Mowry, Harry Lennix, Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker, Chrisette Michele, J. Moss and Brian Courtney Wilson. Entertainment executives include: Pearlena Igbokwe (Senior Vice President, Production, Showtime Networks); Devon Franklin (Vice President, Production, Columbia Pictures); Felicia D. Henderson (“Soul Food the Series”, “Fringe”); Leotis Clyburn (Senior Creative Director, East Coast Urban at EMI Music Publishing); Todd Black (“The Back Up Plan,” “Seven Pounds,” “The Great Debaters”); James Dubose (President, Dubose Entertainment); Ralph Winter (“X-Men,” “Fantastic Four,” “Star Trek”); John Dellaverson (“Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “In The Mix”); Zola Mashariki (Senior Vice President, Production, Fox Searchlight Pictures); Ava Duvernay (Writer/Director, President, The Duvernay Agency), as well as executives from top industry companies including Columbia Records, EMI Publishing, Creative Artists Agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, BET, ABC Networks, Lionsgate Entertainment, and more.

For additional information and registration for the event, please visit http://www.themergesummit.com/the_merge.php

N'burgh churches join forces to feed kids this summer

By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@th-record.com
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 07/23/10


CITY OF NEWBURGH — A lot of Newburgh kids live without steady meals, and a program that would serve them lunch this summer needs a lot of help.

The Rev. Rosey Andrews, pastor of the Northeast Gateway to Freedom Church in Newburgh, promised to provide 300 lunches five days a week when she learned just days ago the program was going to be canceled. But how she's going to do that isn't really clear yet, Andrews said.

"I'm trying to mobilize the community and a small army," Andrews said.

That's kept her on the phone the past two days, working connections and wrangling together a network of people to make it work.

Andrews founded the Northeast Gateway to Freedom and recently moved the nonprofit's operations to an old storefront at 104 Broadway. Four refrigerators sit in the back, stuffed with bread, frozen chickens and other food that volunteers distribute to more than 350 people in the Hudson Valley.

It's that organization that led city leaders to call on Andrews when people began to worry about what would happen without the summer lunch program.

The city and state used to fund the program that served lunch to 300 elementary and middle school kids each summer.

It cost the city $16,743 in 2009. Faced with massive tax increases and layoffs, city leaders cut it from the 2010 budget. Whether that was right or wrong doesn't matter, Andrews said; acting now does.

"We've got to make sure these kids get food," she said.

She's looking for donations of money, food, storage space, volunteers and places to serve the kids. On Thursday, she and the Rev. Edward Benson of the New Vision Church of Deliverance and Deacon Gene Reilly brainstormed ideas. Maybe each pizzeria in the city could donate pies one day, they said. Maybe there's an out-of-work chef with some extra time.

Maybe each church in the city could take a day to make and serve the meals.

Mayor Nicholas Valentine called Andrews "amazing," but said everyone needed to sit down at the end of the summer to coordinate a plan to keep the program running in the future.

Andrews hopes to serve the first meals of the summer on Monday.

How to HELP
To donate, contact the Northeast Gateway to Freedom by e-mail at NorthEastGatewaytoFreedom@verizon.net, by phone at 567-6959 or by mailing to Northeast Gateway to Freedom, P.O. Box 2187, Newburgh, NY 12550.

Red Bird's Antioch Fellowship church hosts free back-to-school immunization clinic

By ANANDA BOARDMAN / The Dallas Morning News
aboardman@dallasnews.com
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, July 18, 2010

Hundreds of families spent Saturday morning at Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Red Bird getting back-to-school immunization shots for their children.

Antioch's senior pastor, Karry Wesley, offered to let Dallas County Health and Human Services use the church's facilities for the free clinic after noticing long lines outside vaccination clinics last year.

"It's a little unconventional," the Rev. Abe Cooper, another pastor at Antioch, said of the church's decision to host the clinic. "Most places do food and clothes, but health is important, too. We look at it as another way to serve the community."

Families arrived for the clinic as early as 7:30 a.m., said Blanca Cantú, a spokeswoman for Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services.

"We want parents to know that the time to get immunizations is now," Cantú said.

Cedar Hill resident Erica Reliford arrived at 8:30 a.m. with her 12-year-old daughter, Arlandrea, who will be entering seventh grade. Reliford, who heard about the clinic from her mother and a friend who attends Antioch, said she was pleasantly surprised that the crowd at the church Saturday wasn't overwhelming.

"I thought it would be more [people] than this," Reliford said.

The department offered the clinic as part of its efforts to prevent a repeat of problems last year, when students across the state were sent home the first day of classes because they lacked the required immunizations. New state requirements and a shortage of vaccine caught many parents off guard.

Parents last year were given a month's grace period to get the needed shots. But no such extension is planned this year because there are plenty of vaccines, and parents have many chances to get their children vaccinated.

"Don't wait until the last minute," said Dr. Zachary Thompson, director of the health department.

As many as 25,000 students in Dallas County don't have current shots, Thompson said.

"It's all ages, but the delinquency is higher with the middle schools," he said.

Though the lines Saturday stretched out the double doors and down the steps at times, most people had no problem with the wait.

"I appreciate the patience," Thompson said.

After parents filled out forms and their children's shot records were verified, families were led to another area to wait for the shots. Twenty nurses were working at 10 stations.

"That's going to make a big difference, having those nurses," Thompson said.

Each child who was vaccinated got a bag of goodies, including a water bottle and some basic school supplies.

Police and volunteers were on hand to help with parking, lines and crowd control.

"We got seen pretty quickly through the process at the front," said Gail Turner. She drove her 14-year-old daughter, Jasmine, from Mesquite to get the last shot needed to enter the ninth grade at Mesquite High School. Turner, who is unemployed, opted for the clinic as an alternative to a doctor's visit.

"I'd recommend it to someone in my position," she said.

Dallas resident April Cisneros brought her 4-year-old daughter, Mizarey, to get shots before she enters pre-kindergarten. Cisneros heard about the clinic on the news. While Mizarey wasn't thrilled about the prospect of being shot with a needle, she was excited to start school.

County officials had hoped for a turnout of at least 300 at Saturday's clinic. By 1 p.m., Cantú said, 317 people had come through the clinic and received a total of 787 vaccinations.

"That's what we were expecting, and that's who we wanted to get taken care of today," Cantú said. "We're pretty happy and satisfied with who we served today."

Somerville St. Paul Baptist Church providing free lunches for children

By MARTIN C. BRICKETTO
STAFF WRITER
Martin C. Bricketto: 908-243-6609; mbricketto@MyCentralJersey.com
July 18, 2010


SOMERVILLE, NJ — Multiple bicycles parked on the lawn and against the wall at St. Paul Baptist Church on a recent afternoon were just one indication that it may be the hottest new hangout for neighborhood youngsters on summer break from school.


Officials at the church on Hamilton Street for the first time are running a free daily lunch program for children regardless of their religion.


Once the eating is done, the children are welcome to stay for board games, movies and other activities.


“We try to reach out to the kids in the community,” said Ena Fox, a trustee of the church, as children played around her in a downstairs area of the church. “We try to fill the need wherever there is one.”


Fox said the church, which was founded here in 1927, is trying to be proactive and not reactive. The church's pastor, the Rev. Pastor Reggie L. Hall Sr., describes the program as “progressive faith ministries,” she said.


Expected to run through the last full week in August, the program operates using the church's own funding as well as food donations from the community, Fox said. It serves about 30 children every day and typically runs from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., though some of the kids show up earlier, according to Fox.


“We don't want the kids to be misdirected in terms of being idle and having nothing to do,” said Betty Moore, a Sunday school teacher with the church. “We figure we can let them have games or otherwise occupy their time during the summer months, because kids can get into things they really shouldn't be involved with.”


Celeste Bell, Dee Davidson and Alberta Milligan also help run the program.


An aspiring drummer, William Wilkins, 9, said he enjoys the food at the church as well as playing games and watching television. Meanwhile, Quadier Collier, 10, said even though he isn't a member of the church, he feels welcome.


“We get to play games, we get to play with our friends,” Collier said. “It's a nice place to be.”


Fox said the lunches have included sandwiches and fruit and, while the goal is to provide a balanced meal, sometimes the children are treated to snacks such as ice cream. Chicken nuggets were on the menu Thursday.


Church member and borough resident Thomas Van Ness, 83, helps watch the children. He said it helps keep him young.


“It keeps the kids off the street,” Van Ness said about the program.

Churches Step In to Help Unemployed Find Jobs

www.thegospelnewswire.com
SOURCE: Charisma News
Adrienne S. Gaines


With unemployment at record highs, churches and Christian organizations are stepping in to help job seekers both practically and spiritually.

Ministries such as Florida-based Christian HELP and Career Solutions in Dallas began helping the unemployed find work long before the recession hit in 2008. But since the unemployment rate shot up from 6.6 percent in October 2008 to 10.1 percent the following year to 9.5 percent today, the groups say the ministry needs-and opportunities-are growing.

Career Solutions founder David Rawles, author of Finding a Job God’s Way, says jobs ministries can reach people at their lowest point. He knows of people who have committed suicide after becoming unemployed and others who came to faith after taking career classes at churches.

“Most people don’t realize just how deeply affected people are, and the church is not doing near what it could do,” says Rawles, a former human resources executive at GTE and Disney who developed career coaching curriculum for churches.

So far this year, Christian HELP has seen a 47 percent increase in Orlando-area job seekers over 2009. In addition to employment seminars, the ministry provides Bibles and food, as many families are left at the brink of homelessness after job losses.

“The counselors are trained to ask, What brought you here today?” says Christian HELP Executive Director Sandi Vidal. “It’s really opened a door to ask what people’s needs are and then to talk with them about what God wants for them and how that impacts their search.”

Madison and her husband were living in a hotel and had only a bag of rice left to eat when she walked into Christian HELP. After losing a $350,000-a-year job and having a heart attack that depleted her savings, the Washington, D.C., resident had moved to central Florida to take a position that ultimately fell through.

She found a job within two days of meeting Vidal, thanks to one connection that led to another, but she laments that many churches were insensitive to her plight. One ministry told her it was her fault she was unemployed because she hadn’t been attending church services regularly. “We need as Christians to take people in and look at the whole problem,” Madison told Charisma.

An outreach of Holy Cathedral Church of God in Christ led by Bishop C.H. McClelland, Word of Hope Ministries in Milwaukee has offered job placement services since 1996. Unemployment has long been high in its inner-city community, but the recession brought a wave of new needs.

“We understand that as the number grows we may have to develop other strategies because there are more people coming,” says Vice President Prentiss McClelland.

Charismatic entrepreneur Tim Krauss estimates that less than 40 percent of churches offer some form of employment ministry, but he hopes to change that through his Job Connection. The online service enables churches to list available jobs in their areas while weeding out scams.

It costs $195 to set up, with a monthly service fee ranging from $95 for churches of 6,000 or less to $245 for larger congregations. So far, more than a dozen ministries are on board, including Willow Creek Community Church and Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, and Second Baptist Church in Houston.

The Job Connection ministry at Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, Mich., got roughly 2 million hits the first two weeks after the website launched, says Geoff Brown, facilitator of the outreach. He estimates that roughly one-in-five of Resurrection Life members are unemployed, as Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

“At the very least [the ministry has] provided a better hope,” says Brown, who became the first to find a job through the ministry. “And I think that’s the biggest thing I needed after nine months of unemployment—hope.”

SOURCE: Charisma News
Adrienne S. Gaines

N.Korean killed for spreading Gospel: report

Tue, Jul 06, 2010
The Korea Herald/Asia
News Network

A NEWS report said Monday that a North Korean was killed for spreading Gospel.

The Associated Press said Son Jong-nam was reportedly tortured to death for spreading the Gospel with 20 bibles and 10 cassette tapes in the reclusive state in 2009, 11 years after living in the neighboring area of China in 1998.

The wire said it obtained the information from his younger brother Son Jung-hun, who lives in South Korea.

Little is known about the practice of evangelism in North korea and missionaries won't say how many defectors they have sent back, citing their safety and that of the defectors, the news report said.

"My brother said he realized the Kim Jong Il regime is hypocritical, and living in accordance with what the Bible says is what we have to do,'' the younger Son was quoted as saying."

"Christianity can come upon innocent people like my brother so fast.''

In January in 2001, the older Son was arrested by Chinese police for reportedly trying to convert North Korean defectors in China, the wire said.

In April, Son was deported home where he was detained and tortured, according to his brother.

The younger Son learned that his brother had died in 2009.


-The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:39 NIV