THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE ENGLISH EDITION (5/5/06)

Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor


1. AMERICAN MILITARY DEATHS IN IRAQ NOW 2400+:

American deaths in the war in Iraq have now passed 2,400, and thousands are wounded and maimed. Tens of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children have died. Three more soldiers were killed today (5/5/05)

2. BUS TRANSPORTATION FROM THE 12TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT TO THE GENERAL BOARD MEETING / BISHOPS’ COUNCIL:

The folks from the 12th Episcopal District are planning to saturate the General Board Meeting in support of their Episcopal Leader, the Right Reverend Richard Allen Chappelle. Folks are flying in on airplanes, taking trains, and driving automobiles. They want the Church to know that they love their Episcopal Leaders, the Right Reverend Richard Allen Chappelle and Episcopal Supervisor Barbara Jeanne Chappelle.

Not only are the folks coming in by planes, trains and automobiles, but also Sister Trina D. Jones, Pastor of San Hill AME Church in Little Rock, Arkansas has charted a 40-passenger bus to attend the General Board Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina on June 25 through 28. The cost of the round-trip will be $145.00.

Those who are interested traveling on the bus should immediately call Sister Trina D. Jones at 501-838-2992. Please leave a message if she is not available.

The General Board Meeting will be held in Charleston, SC on June 25-28 (Sun-Wed). The bus fare does not include hotel accommodations.

Submitted by Sister Jackie Weary

3. THE CONNECTIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF ITS NEW WEBSITE:

www.amechealth.org. Although in its infancy, the website holds the CHC Handbook, forms and links to several health sites. Soon the DVD's made available by the Council of Bishop's Living Well Program will be viewable on the site.

We are also extremely pleased to announce that the registration forms and agenda for the Annual Health Director's Training to be held, June 23-25, 2006 at the site of the General Board Meeting, are also available on the website.

Please visit the site, register and watch for new additions.

The Rev. Miriam J. Burnett, MD, M. Div., MPH
Medical Director
AMEC Connectional Health Commission
Turner Theological Seminary
702 MLK Jr Dr SW
Atlanta, GA 30314-4143
Office 404-614-6398
Fax 404-614-6369
Email: mjbamehealth@yahoo.com

4. THE AME LUNCHEON AT THE HAMPTON UNIVERSITY MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE RADISSON HOTEL:

The AME Luncheon has been an annual event at the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference for a number of years. The luncheon has grown significantly in the last several years. The Right Reverend John Bryant serves on the Board of the HU Ministers Conference and he has been instrumental in the luncheon’s growth. The luncheon will be held at the beautiful Radisson Hotel on Thursday, June 8, 2006. Last year about 200 persons attended the luncheon and an increase attendance is expected this year. The luncheon will be held at 2 p.m. and really, it is a heavy lunch. Five AME Bishops were in attendance at last year’s luncheon and it was a gala affair.

The Reverend Andre Jefferson, pastor of Bethel AME Church, Hampton, Virginia is the coordinator of the AME Luncheon. He and his committee are planning for an exciting luncheon. Entertainment will be provided. The Reverend Dr. Timothy Boddie, Hampton University Chaplain has been invited and is looking forward to attending the AME luncheon. Dr. Boddie is the Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the Ministers’ Conference

The cost of the luncheon (it really is a dinner) will be $20.00.

When you get to the Ministers Conference, please register your name, no money, for the AME Luncheon at the Hampton University Religious Studies Program booth in the Convocation Center. If Editor Sydnor is not at the table when you get there, just leave you name with the representative at the staffing the booth.

5. THE 92nd ANNUAL HAMPTON UNIVERSITY MINISTERS' CONFERENCE AND 72nd ANNUAL CHOIR DIRECTORS' ORGANISTS' GUILD:

The 92nd Annual Hampton University Ministers' Conference and 72nd Annual Choir Directors' Organists' Guild will be held June 4 - June 9 on the beautiful Hampton University. Once again, HU will host a variety of accomplished ministers.

Ministers' Conference President, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, marking her final year as the first female president in Conference History, announced the theme for this year's conference as, "A Call to Celebration and Consecration." The conference will focus on the various and diverse ways in which pastors and ministers celebrate and consecrate their ministries.

Hampton Ministers Conference Presenters include, Conference Preacher, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, Inglewood, CA; Morning Preacher, the Rev. W. Darin Moore, Mt. Vernon, NY; Early Morning Prayer, Bishop Ernestine Reems Dickerson, Oakland, CA; Hermeneutics, Dr. William Epps, Los Angeles, CA; Theology of Celebration, the Rev. Mack King Carter, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Practical Theology, Pastor Rita Twiggs, Dallas, TX; Theology of Contemplation, Dr. Robert Smith, Birmingham, AL; Theology of Consecration, Bishop Violet Fisher, Rochester, NY; Practical Theology, Dr. Dennis Proctor, Baltimore, MD.

Additional exciting presenters this year include the Rev. Jasmine "Jazz" Sculark, of York, PA; and Dr. Kevin Cosby of Louisville, KY. Another notable feature of the Conference will be the Father-Son team of Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., and his son, Rev. Otis Moss, III, addressing the question, "Can the Moses and Joshua Generations Meet?" The conference will also include a panel to discuss women in ministry.

The Reverend Dr. Timothy Boddie Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the Ministers’ Conference

For more information: http://www.hamptonu.edu/events/ministers_conference/index.htm

6. MISTAKES LEAD TO GREATNESS

S. Renee Smith

Attend any athletic event and you will hear the thunder of applause and shouts of excitement and pleasure when a player executes a play properly. In an instant, when a player fails at being perfect, the atmosphere shifts to disgust and disappointment as fans start calling the “star” names and causing chaos.

A teacher shows his or her approval when a student earns a “good” grade by marking the students’ paper in blue and adding a smiley face. When the student earns a “bad” grade, his or her paper is marked in red and he or she gets a sad face. What a message for our little ones.

If you do the right thing according to your mates’ standards, life will be peaceful. Make a mistake and suddenly life becomes stressful and, depending on what you did, nearly unbearable. Before we learned to talked, we learned that making a mistake is not a good thing. Our society teaches us to celebrate the winners and forget the losers. To support the good students and let the others fend for themselves. In marriage, we place unrealistic expectations on one another. We are expected to know and understand who we marry, how we should act at all times, how to meet his or her needs, and how to make the “right” decision every time.

Living in a society, which reveres perfection, physical and otherwise—according to its fictitious, predetermined standards—makes making a mistake or being less than Halle Barry’s twin quite a challenge to overcome. That is until we learn the truth about who we are and what our mistakes can and do mean to us.

Many people have become rich by turning their “mistakes” into huge businesses. I am definitely not saying that a plan is not important. What I am saying is that the mistakes that you make in the attempt to fulfill the plan is not a mistake at all. If you learn and grow from the mistake, it is life’s gift to you.

Did you know that cola, potato chips, cheese, popsicles and many other inventions were accidents? Potato chips were invented because a fussy, irritated customer wanted super thin potatoes. Cola came about because a doctor was working on a headache medicine that would taste good. Not every mistake will lead to a phenomenal invention, but it can lead to a phenomenal lesson.

In 1988, I ran in the Miss Delaware USA Pageant. I decided I would be a step ahead of my competition by presenting my introduction in Spanish. I diligently studied my open statements for weeks. I was confident and well rehearsed. The moment had come. I started out fine, but before I knew it, my mind went completely blank in an auditorium full of people. You could hear a pin drop.

As I stumbled and struggled to regain my composure, I realized that I did not know the language well enough to recover. Now, that was a mistake! Speaking Spanish was not the mistake. Trying to impress people was a mistake. In my mistake, life gave me the gift—without anyone dying or becoming emotionally damaged—of understanding the importance of being myself. Your mistakes do not have to hold you hostage until your next victory. You simply learn the lesson, change your direction, and thank life for the gift of learning.

© 2005 S. Renee Smith is a member of Emmanuel AME Church, Hartly, Delaware and an affiliated member of Byrd AME Church, Clayton, Delaware; and an Image Consultant, Motivational Speaker & Author of There Is More Inside. For booking information, visit her website at www.srenee.com or call (302)736-5131.

7. TWELVE THINGS THE NEGRO MUST DO FOR HIMSELF (HERSELF)

Nannie Helen Burroughs (Circa Early 1900's)

I. The Negro Must Learn To Put First Things First. The First Things Are Education; Development of Character Traits; A Trade and Home Ownership.

- The Negro puts too much of his earning in clothes, in food, in show and in having what he /she calls "a good time." Dr. Kelly Miller said, "The Negro buys what he WANTS and begs for what he needs."

11. The Negro Must Stop Expecting God and White Folk To Do For Him / Her What He / She Can Do For Him/Herself.

- It is the "Divine Plan" that the strong shall help the weak, but even God does not do for man what man can do for himself. The Negro will have to do exactly what Jesus told the man (in John 5:8) to do--Carry his own load--"Take up your bed and walk."

111. The Negro Must Keep Himself, His Children And His Home Clean And Make The Surroundings In Which He Lives Comfortable and Attractive.

- He /she must learn to "run his /her community up"--not down. We can segregate by law, we integrate only by living. Civilization is not a matter of race; it is a matter of standards. Believe it or not--some day, some race is going to outdo the Anglo-Saxon, completely. It can be the Negro race, if the Negro gets sense enough. Civilization goes up and down that way.

IV. The Negro Must Learn To Dress More Appropriately For Work And For Leisure.

- Knowing what to wear--how to wear it--when to wear it and where to wear it are earmarks of common sense, culture and also an index to character.

V. The Negro Must Make His Religion An Everyday Practice And Not Just A Sunday-Go-To-Meeting Emotional Affair.

VI. The Negro Must Highly Resolve To Wipe Out Mass Ignorance.

- The leaders of the race must teach and inspire the masses to become eager and determined to improve mentally, morally and spiritually, and to meet the basic requirements of good citizenship.

- We should initiate an intensive literacy campaign in America, as well as in Africa. Ignorance-- satisfied ignorance --is a millstone about the neck of the race. It is democracy's greatest burden.

- Social integration is a relationship attained as a result of the cultivation of kindred social ideals, interests and standards.

- It is a blending process that requires time, understanding and kindred purposes to achieve. Likes alone and not laws can do it.

VII. The Negro Must Stop Charging His /her Failures Up To His / Her "Color" And To White People's Attitude.

- The truth of the matter is that good service and conduct will make senseless race prejudice fade like mist before the rising sun.

- God never intended that a man's /woman’s color should be anything other than a badge of distinction. It is high time that all races were learning that fact. The Negro must first QUALIFY for whatever position he / she wants. Purpose, initiative, ingenuity and industry are the keys that all men /women use to get what they want. The Negro will have to do the same. He /she must make him/herself a worker who is too skilled not to be wanted, and too DEPENDABLE not to be on the job, according to promise or plan. He / she will never become a vital factor in industry until he / she learns to put into his /her work the vitalizing force of initiative, skill and dependability. He /she has gone "RIGHTS" mad and "DUTY" dumb.

VIII. The Negro Must Overcome His / Her Bad Job Habits.

- He / she must make a brand new reputation for him/herself in the world of labor. His/her bad job habits are absenteeism, funerals to attend, or a little business to look after. The Negro runs an off and on business. He /she also has a bad reputation for conduct on the job--such as petty quarrelling with other help, incessant loud talking about nothing; loafing, carelessness, due to lack of job pride; insolence, gum chewing and--too often--liquor drinking. Just plain bad job habits!

IX. He (She) Must Improve His (Her) Conduct In Public Places.

- Taken as a whole, often he (she) is entirely too loud and too ill-mannered.

- There is much talk about wiping out racial segregation and also much talk about achieving integration.

- Segregation is a physical arrangement by which people are separated in various services.

- It is definitely up to the Negro to wipe out the apparent justification or excuse for segregation.

- The only effective way to do it is to clean up and keep clean. By practice, cleanliness will become a habit and habit becomes character.

X. The Negro Must Learn How To Operate Business For People--Not For Negro People, Only.

- To do business, he / she will have to remove all typical "earmarks," business principles; measure up to accepted standards and meet stimulating competition, graciously--in fact, he /she must learn to welcome competition.

XI. The Average So-Called Educated Negro Will Have To Come Down Out Of The Air. He / she is too inflated over nothing. He / She Needs An Experience Similar To The One That Ezekiel Had--(Ezekiel 3:14-19). And He /She Must Do What Ezekiel Did”

- Otherwise, through indifference, as to the plight of the masses, the Negro, who thinks that he /she has escaped, will lose his /her own soul. It will do all leaders good to read Hebrew 13:3, and the first Thirty-seven Chapters of Ezekiel.

- A race transformation itself through its own leaders and its sensible "common people." A race rises on its own wings, or is held down by its own weight. True leaders are never "things apart from the people." They are the masses. They simply got to the front ahead of them. Their only business at the front is to inspire to masses by hard work and noble example and challenge them to "Come on!" Dante stated a fact when he said, "Show the people the light and they will find the way!"

- There must arise within the Negro race a leadership that is not out hunting bargains for itself. A noble example is found in the men and women of the Negro race, who, in the early days, laid down their lives for the people. The “latter-day leaders” have not appraised their invaluable contributions. In many cases, their names would never be recorded, among the unsung heroes of the world, but for the fact that white friends have written them there. "Lord, God of Hosts, Be with us yet."

- The Negro of today does not realize that, but, for these exhibits A's, that certainly show the innate possibilities of members of their own race, white people would not have been moved to make such princely investments in lives and money, as they have made, for the establishment of schools and for the on-going of the race.

XII. The Negro Must Stop Forgetting His Friends. "Remember."

- Read Deuteronomy 24:18. Deuteronomy rings the big bell of gratitude. Why? Because an ingrate is an abomination in the sight of God. God is constantly telling us that "I the Lord thy God delivered you" --through human instrumentalities.

The American Negro has had and still has friends--in the North and in the South. These friends not only pray, speak, write, influence others, but make unbelievable, unpublished sacrifices and contributions for the advancement of the race--for their brothers in bonds.

- The noblest thing that the Negro can do is to so live and labor that these benefactors will not have given in vain. The Negro must make his heart warm with gratitude, his lips sweet with thanks and his heart and mind resolute with purpose to justify the sacrifices and stand on his feet and go forward-- "God is no respecter of persons. In every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is" sure to win out. Get to work! That's the answer to everything that hurts us. We talk too much about nothing instead of redeeming the time by working.

R-E-M-E-M-B-E-R - In spite of race prejudice, America is brim full of opportunities. Go after them!

And, this was written in the early 1900's! The more things change the more they stay the same.

Received from the Rev. Dr. Ted Cunningham

8. THE CLERGY FAMILY INFORMATION CENTER ALSO SHARES JOYFUL MOMENTS OF GOOD NEWS:

The Clergy Family Information Center serves as a global notification system through which Clergy Families can today express words of comfort and sympathy to one another in a timely fashion, "ministering to each other in times of need." Feedback responses reflect that comfort is being expressed to those experiencing bereavement in a marvelous fashion. For this, we praise God!

We would also like to share your "Joyful" moments, the "The GOOD NEWS" of Clergy Family Births, Graduations, Weddings, and Wedding Anniversaries (25th, 50th, 75th). The Congratulatory Notices "The GOOD NEWS" received will be compiled and will be shared once each week.


9. PASTOR SHERRY MILLER HONORED BY THE KENTUCKY LAY ORGANIZATION:

Pastor Sherry Miller was honored as Pastor of the Year” by the Kentucky Lay Organization.

10. CONGRATULATORY NOTICE - PAULA CAMPBELL WILL GRADUATE FROM MIDWAY COLLEGE:

Paula L. Campbell (formerly Paula Rudd), Kentucky Conference Director of Public Relations will graduate from Midway College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Management at the Commencement Exercises on Saturday Morning, May 13th, 2006.

She attends St. Paul AME Church in Lexington, Kentucky and will celebrate her 40th birthday on July 17, 2006.

Messages of congratulations may be emailed to paulac@iglou.com

11. CONGRATULATORY NOTICE -STEPHANIE LYNN YOUNG WILL GRADUATE FROM HAMPTON UNIVERSITY:

Stephanie Lynn Young, (the daughter of proud parents, Bishop McKinley Young and Supervisor Dr. Dorothy Jackson Young, 11th Episcopal District) will be graduating from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism on Sunday Morning, May 14, 2006 at 10 a.m. The Commencement ceremony will take place in Armstrong Stadium. President William R. Harvey is the President of Hampton University.

Congratulatory messages may be emailed to:

supdjy@bellsouth.net

Or to

supdjy@11thdistrictamec.org

12. CONGRATULATORY NOTICE - CONGRATULATIONS: BIRTH OF TWIN GIRLS:

Baby Angel Joanne Bryant and Baby Adore Cecelia Bryant were born on Sunday evening, April 30, 2006, 7:30 PM to proud parents Reverend Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant and Lady Gizelle Bryant, Empowerment Temple AME Church, Baltimore, Maryland. Weighing in at 7 ½ pounds, 19 inches was Angel Joanne. Weighing in at 8 pounds and 20 inches, Adore Cecelia. ALL are doing well.

The Proud grandparents are Bishop John R. Bryant and Supervisor Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant, 5th Episcopal District.

Congratulatory messages may be emailed to:

Empowering1@aol.com

Or to
pastor@emplowermenttemple.org

13. CONGRATULATORY NOTICE - CONGRATULATIONS: IT IS A BOY - BABY ELIJAH LEROY ANDERSON:

Baby Elijah Leroy Anderson, was born on March 31, 2006, weighing 7lb. 11 oz. 20 inches to proud parents, Leroy and Angela Anderson.

The Proud Grandparents are the Rev. Deloris and 1st gentleman Earl A. Prioleau, Jr. and Rev. Shirley Anderson.

The Proud parents, Leroy and Angela Anderson, were to have been recommended for admission to the Washington Annual Conference, which convened on April 17th 2006.

The Proud grandmother, Rev. Deloris Prioleau, is pastor of Cornerstone AME Church in Washington, DC and Treasurer of the Connectional Women in Ministry.

Congratulatory messages may be emailed to RevDeeABP@msn.com

14. SERMON OF THE WEEK:

Preached by Sister Loretta Matthews at Shorter Chapel AME Church, Franklin, Tennessee. The Reverend Charlotte Ann Blake Sydnor is the pastor.

- “Who Wants to be a Missionary?”

Since retiring from my job a few years ago, I have been watching more television. I love game shows. When “Who wants to be a Millionaire” started airing it became one of my favorite game shows. It started with Regis Philbun as host and more recently as an offshoot of the show, Meredith Viera hosts just plain “Millionaire.”

Everybody wants to be a millionaire. My husband and I sit glued to the television answering as many questions as we can and somehow aspiring to become a contestant so that we may be come millionaires.

You are probably thinking what in world does have to do with Missionary Day and Missionaries? Well, as I thought about “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” it occurred to me that that would be a good question for this day.

Pray with me for a few minutes on the subject, “Who Wants to be a Missionary?”

The first thing we need to clarify is what or who is a Missionary? According to my dictionary a Missionary is one who is sent by the church to spread their religion among unbelievers, especially in foreign countries…one who chooses or is sent to do humanitarian or educational work, especially in foreign countries…one who advocates or works to gain support for some idea or cause.

Now, the Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church states the Mission of the Women’s Missionary Society as this, “We are called to strengthen our faith and sent to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ by service and witness to the world.”

The Missionaries have as their Purpose: “As women called to discipleship to grow in knowledge and experience of God through Jesus Christ, committed to support the mission of the church and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are challenged to help one another engage in ministry and action, and grow and respond in faith to God’s redemptive plan for the church, the society and the world.”

This is truly a noble purpose, but I must ask the question of you today, “Who wants to be a Missionary?”

We say we are called to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ…who wants to be a servant of the people? Jesus said in Matthew 20:27-28, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Who wants to go, clean, wash, and cook for someone who is sick and unable to do for themselves? Who wants to give a place to stay to some homeless person? Who wants to provide some clothes for someone in need instead of saying, “I’m praying for you?” Who wants to be a big brother or big sister to a child or young person who just needs someone to talk with? Who wants to visit someone in prison? Who wants to pick up the telephone and call someone just to say ‘I haven’t seen you lately and was thinking about you?” Who wants to encourage an elderly person who has lost their will to live or a young person who has gotten in with the wrong crowd and has given up hope that there is anything for them in life? Who can do these things without being judgmental?

Who wants to be a Missionary?

Who is a Missionary? A Missionary is one who is committed to lifting up their Sisters and Brothers…a Missionary is one who cares about their fellowman…a Missionary is one who finds ways to build up rather than tear down…a Missionary is one who walks in the Light of Christ…A Missionary is one who allows the Power of the Holy Spirit to rule in their lives.

I ask you, “Who wants to be a Missionary?”

How can we say, “I’m a good Missionary,” and can’t wait until service is over to spread gossip about our church members, your friends, your pastor and even people we don’t know! Oh, Yes! All it takes is, “Honey, I heard” and we take it from there.

Do you want to be a Missionary because you get to wear your beautiful, pristine white outfits? (And then you say to a fellow church member, “Don’t hug me, you might get make-up on my dress). Oh, but you see I am a good missionary! I pay my dues! I go to the meetings!

Maybe you enjoy your position. Do you want to get into a position where you can hog the limelight…so that you can be recognized, and everybody will see you and say, “Oh, that’s Miss Missionary!” Do you want to look down on those poor, weak, misguided people who don’t know anything about missionary work? Or maybe you are working toward becoming a life member…you have “paid your dues”…now it’s time to reap some rewards.

My Sisters, I ask you “Who wants to be a Missionary?”

Do you want to be a Missionary so that you can run for delegate to the Missionary Quadrennial? I’ll get a free vacation. “I’ve been waiting four years for this day and I am going to enjoy myself!” Not ‘I’m going to learn something to take back to my local Missionary Society. I don’t want to step on any toes, but you know where I’m coming from.

Is God impressed with what you do? Is He impressed with your Faith? Do you have the Faith of a Deborah who went out to fight not doubting that God would be with her and that everything would turn out alright? How many times have you just stepped out on faith?

Jesus said if we have Faith of a grain of a mustard seed, we could move mountains. How many mountains have you moved lately? Who have you really helped? Have you given to someone because they needed help and you did not look for anything in return from that person? Do you believe that God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory? He has it all, we say,” The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God,” but is our faith strong enough to trust God with all that we have and all that we are?

My Sisters and my Brothers, Missionaries have faith!

Who wants to be a Missionary?

So you have plenty of Faith…God calls Missionaries to do some work, too! James 2:14-18 plainly states, “What good is it, my Sisters and my Brothers, if a person claims to have faith and has no deeds? Can such Faith save him or her?” It goes on to say that if someone is without clothes or food and you say to them, “Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed,” but you do nothing to meet their physical needs, what good is it?” So, Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by deeds is dead. You see, you can’t have faith without working…without having a deep desire…to do some work. Work is a by-product of Faith. They go hand in hand.

God calls Missionaries to follow Jesus’ example—Jesus went about doing good! God calls Missionaries to work while it is still day, for when night comes, He says, “No one can work.” Don’t wait until you can’t do anything and say I wish I had. Do it now!

My Missionary Sisters and Brothers (I must include the brothers), how is your Prayer Life? Is God impressed with your prayers? You know that God is not impressed with every kind of prayer from every kind of person. According to the Word, the “The Prayer of a Righteous person is effective.” It doesn’t say anything about showboat praying…It doesn’t say anything about high-sounding words…It doesn’t say anything about eloquent praying…It doesn’t say anything about scholarly petition…It doesn’t even say anything about a well-tuned voice. The Bible says fervent—prayer straight from the heart: sincere prayer!

Who Wants to be a Missionary?

God also looks at the “Pray-er” too! Before we can pray right, we must start to live right. God is not impressed with your rooftop praying and your basement living. He wants uprightness every day of our lives. How effective are your prayers? Have you had any prayers answered lately?

If we are to be Missionaries for God, we must put our all on the altar for Him!

The hymn states it this way, “Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? You heart doth the Spirit control? "You can only be blessed and have peace and sweet rest as you yield Him your body and soul."

You must do His sweet will and be free from all ill, on the altar your all you must lay. “You see, Missionaries, you can’t go around hold grudges against anyone because forgiveness is in God’s plan. In the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, we ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

I am going to give you something else you need to be a real Missionary, and that is we must love our sisters and our brothers.

Every Sunday we hear and say the words, “Hear what Christ our Savior says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and prophets.”

When you hear those words, do you stop and think about them or have they become just some words that we hear and say?

I Corinthians 13 considered the “Love Chapter” in the Bible makes it even plainer for us. In essence, it tells us that all the things we do for others don’t mean a thing unless we do them with a Spirit of love! Hallelujah!

Romans 12:9-10 tells us, “Let love be without dissimulation. Hate that which is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…honor one another above yourselves.”

There is only one quality that characterizes all true Christians, those who truly have been born again…it is love! The one aspect that distinguishes the saved from the unsaved …it is love! (Everybody who goes to church is not saved, you know) Hallelujah!

The one factor that identifies the redeemed from the unredeemed…that is love. That identifies the converted from the unconverted…that is love! That identifies the saint from the sinner…it’s love! Love is what separates the Godly from the Ungodly!

Nothing remains the same if there is true love. Love will transform the plain to the pretty…love will change the common to the uncommon! …The worthless into the priceless.

The Word tells us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! He didn’t have to do it but He did it because of His love!

Now, I ask you again, “Who wants to be a Missionary?” You won’t have to die for anyone, but do you love as Jesus loved?

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a Missionary! Why! Because I want to demonstrate my faith…I want to help someone…I want to visit those in prison…I want to love my neighbor as myself…I want to be a prayer warrior for the Lord…oh, yes, I want to be a Missionary!

You see, I know I can be self-sharing instead of self-serving. I know that I can help make changes in our Connectional Church, in our District, and in our local churches by being faithful and doing God’s bidding.

He has no voice unless we speak; He has no hands unless we use ours; He has no feet unless we walk where He leads; He has no song unless we sing.

God can use all of us to build up His kingdom here on earth! He can use us to be the Missionaries who are willing to work with the other organizations and commissions to make a difference in the life of the of God’s Church!

If you have not really been involved in your Missionary Society here at Shorter Chapel, take the time to join and become an active member. Encourage someone who feels that they can’t do anything…let them realize that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Our young people need mentors…they need someone to teach them to be godly girls and boys…take responsibility to do what you can. If you are asked to teach a Church School class, or visit the sick, or minister to someone in prison, and yes, you must love your enemies…just do it through the Power of the Holy Spirit!

I would remind you that Jesus never called anyone who was not busy to do anything! Every disciple that He called was busy doing something, so you can’t get so busy that you can’t do the work that you are called to do!

My question to you today is Who Wants to be a Missionary?

We should be able to say in the words of an old, old song, “I’m going to work until my day is done; I’m going to work until the setting of the sun; I’ll cease from sorrow, there’ll be no tomorrow, I’m going to work until my day is done.”

In Conclusion, I will reiterate: Missionaries must love…they must have faith in God…they must be willing to serve…they must work NOW to build up God’s Kingdom…they cannot be judgmental…they must follow Jesus’ example…they must have an active prayer life…they must allow the Holy Spirit to guide their lives…they must be obedient to God’s will.

My Sisters and my Brothers, the question I asked at the beginning of my message, I ask at the ending, “Who wants to be a Missionary?”

Mrs. Loretta Matthews is the wife of the Rev. Dr. E. Holmes Matthews, pastor of Quinn Chapel AME Church, Lexington, Kentucky

15. THE PASTOR’S CORNER- THE ABUNDANT LIFE – A YIELDED LIFE:

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6: 12-13)


The Apostle Paul calls us to acknowledge a yielded life as the means to living life to the full. God directs us to choose to yield our lives to Him. Paul tells us to “offer ourselves to God…” (Romans 6: 13). To offer is to yield (Romans 6: 16). To yield is to give one’s self over to something or someone. We’re reminded whatever we yield to we become servants of that person or thing. Perhaps it is time to YIELD - Stop, look, listen, and consider what I am doing. To what am I yielding in life?

What is a Yielded Life?

What We Focus On – Colossians 3: 1-4 tells us the yielded life is what we now focus on. We are to become in experience what we already are by God’s saving grace. To yield is to set our hearts and minds on spiritual things (v. 1-2) – set my sights on the things of God and focus on Him. To say I will not think about a pink elephant is to ensure that I will. To think about a beautiful tiger in the wild will redirect my attention and pink elephants will not come to mind. By focusing on the things of God through taking in the word, praying, and enjoying positive entertainment, He fills my thoughts and heart. As He fills my thoughts and heart, He pushes other things out of focus and out of my life. To get your mind and heart off something, set them on something else.

When Practice Conforms to Privilege – I John 3: 6-7 tells us the practices of our lives are to conform to our position of privilege. Christ traded places with us on the cross (II Corinthians 5: 21). Our lifestyle is to reflect the righteousness we received from Him. The lifestyle of the believer (I John 3: 6) who “lives in Him” (keeps God’s commands) will be obedient and yielding to God. The believer who does what is right (I John 3: 7) reflects the righteousness of Christ. Sometimes this requires starting new habits or practices. During the Lenten Season, many of the readers of “The Pastor’s Corner” participated in the “Comfort Food Fast” or the “Secular Media Fast.” Those who participated, broke old eating habits, eliminated unhealthy viewing and took in healthy foods, Christian and family oriented viewing, and additional Bible reading. You can start new practices or habits that conform to your new identity. Don’t wait to “feel like doing it!” “Just do it!”

Christ’s life lived through me. Colossians 1: 27 tells us of God’s choice to make Christ known in us. The believer is made a new creation and we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ who died and was raised again. Christ now lives in us and our lives are to proclaim Christ. In a suburb south of Chicago, a group of believers purchased a nightclub. As unusual as this sounds, it was all for the glory of God. They quickly went about converting the establishment to a sanctuary for the worship of God. Today the place once used as a “watering hole” is now a place from which “rivers of living water flow.” The same holds true for believers. We are made new creations to the glory of God. God then uses our lives for the spread of His loving gospel. This is one of God’s ways of bringing others to Christ.

Finally, every believer MUST choose. We can choose to offer ourselves to sin and experience defeat in life (Romans 6: 13). Or, we can choose to offer ourselves to God by faith and enjoy the abundant life.

Prayer: “Lord, to what am I yielding in life? Please touch me that I would offer myself to you in every way. I choose you Father. I choose to live life abundantly. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

Pastor James Moody
Quinn Chapel AME, Chicago

16. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

The passing and funeral of Mrs. Olease W. Scott. She was the mother of Rev. William Scott - pastor of Chapel AME Church, Paxville, SC in the Central Conference. The family is receiving friends at 821 Rachel Road, Hemingway, SC.

Family Visitation:
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Bartell's Funeral Home
Highway 261 West of Hemingway
Hemingway, SC 29554

Funeral Services will be held:

1:00 PM
Friday, May 5, 2006
New Mt. Carmel AME Church
797 Tupperware Road
Hemingway, SC 29554
(843) 558-5053

Funeral services are entrusted to:

Bartell's Funeral Home
Highway 261 West of Hemingway
Post Office Box 125
Hemingway, SC 29554

(843) 558-3216 Phone
(843) 558-3216 - Fax (call before sending fax)
(843) 558-5700 Phone

Messages of condolence may be sent to:

The family of Mrs. Olease W. Scott
821 Rachel Road
Hemingway, SC. 29554-5633

From: Gwendolyn Brown

Please remember the family in your prayers.

17. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:

Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center

Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)

Please remember these families in your prayers.

18. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:

The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of the Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement

THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE ENGLISH EDITION (5/2/06)

Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor

1. THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH MOURNS THE PASSING OF ONE OF ITS BELOVED BISHOPS – THE RIGHT REVEREND HAROLD BEN SENATLE:

Harold Benjamin Senatle, the 102nd bishop of the Church, was born in Christiana, South Africa to William and Anne Senatle. He was the second South African-born bishop in the history of the AME Church. The first bishop was the Right Reverend Frances Herman Gow, who served from 1956 to 1964. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa.

He was educated in Christiana. Senatle completed his secondary education at Tigerkloof High School and later responded to the calling of the ministry. He was ordained in 1950 in East Transvaal, South Africa, he has pastored at Brandford, Orange Free State; Mt. Sinnah, Edenburg; Mt. Pisgah, Bethlehem; Mt. Nebo, Wikom; Mt. Zion, Gloemfontein, and St. Peter in East Transvaal.

He served as the administrative assistant to Bishops Harrison Bryant, Frederick James, G. Dewey Robinson, Donald G. K. Ming, and John Hunter.

Reverend Senatle was elected to the episcopacy at the 42nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in Kansas City in 1984. He served the 18th, 19th, and 15th Districts before retiring in 2000 at the 46th General Conference in Cincinnati. His legacy includes building the Episcopal Headquarters for the 19th District.

Bishop Senatle encouraged young men and women to equip themselves academically and he was a vocal opponent of the apartheid laws.

In 1980, the Wilberforce University (Ohio) honoured him with a doctorate in divinity.

His wife of almost 50 years, four children, 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren survives Senatle. One son, the Reverend Thabo Senatle is pastor at the Trinity AME Church in Evaton. Another son, Pitso, left South Africa in 1976 and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a mathematics lecturer at Morris Brown College.

The leadership, pastors, and laity of the African Methodist Episcopal offer its condolences to the Senatle family.

2. THE SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES MOURNS THE DEATH OF BISHOP HAROLD BEN SENATLE:

The African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Africa has lost one of its beloved bishops, the Right Reverend Harold Ben Senatle, at the ripe age of 79, spokesperson for the church, the Reverend Themba Mbambo announced this week.

A friend of the Ecumenical Movement in South Africa, Bishop Senatle, who was born on December 16, 1926, took an active role in both the affairs of the South African Council of Churches and of the South African Leaders' Religious Forum, distinguishing himself, according to Mbabo, "as a Pastor and presiding elder very vocal about the oppressive laws of apartheid". Said Mbambo: "He built schools, churches and the AME headquarters at Phillips Street, Johannesburg. As the church, we are proud of his contribution and the role he played in the struggle to bring education to African children, and in his own right, contributed meaningfully to the demise of apartheid in South Africa."

Senatle, born in the small town of Christiana in the then Western Transvaal, received his secondary education at Tigerkloof, and later responded to the call of the ministry of the AME Church, studying at the RR Wright Theological Seminary at Wilberforce, Evaton, Gauteng. In 1980, the Wilberforce University, Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, honoured him with a doctorate in divinity. In 1988, he held the distinction of being the second African person to have been elected bishop of the AME in its 92 years of existence in South Africa. His episcopacy covered Botswana, Free State, Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo, Cape Province, Namibia and Angola.

The General Secretary of the SACC, Mr Eddie Makue, said the Ecumenical Movement was greatly indebted to the leadership of Bishop Senatle. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and the AME Church of which he was the leader. In this difficult time, we trust that his wife and family will be comforted by the knowledge that we share in their loss," said Makue.
His wife of almost 50 years, four children, 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren survives Senatle.

For more details, contact: Reverend Teboho Klaas (082 412 2960)
http://www.sacc.org.za/news06/senatle.html
11 April 2006

3. FORMER MORRIS BROWN PRESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO EMBEZZLEMENT:

From The Associated Press – ATLANTA

The former president of Morris Brown College pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling federal funds that were intended to cover student tuition.
Delores Cross, 69, who was president of the 125-year-old college from November 1998 until February 2002, entered the plea in front of U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes at a morning hearing.

Monday's plea agreement dismisses 27 other counts Cross was facing in connection with the case. Had she gone to trial on the single count to which she pleaded guilty, Cross could have faced up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Instead, prosecutors are asking that Cross receive a sentence of 10 to 16 months in prison. Her attorneys indicted in court that they would seek a lesser sentence of zero to six months because of an undisclosed medical condition.

The prosecution and defense agreed she will pay $11,000 in restitution if it is imposed by the judge.

Cross' trial had been expected to begin Monday.
At one point in recent years, MBC enrollment plunged from 2,000 students to as low as 80. (http://www.ap.org/ )

Cross declined to be interviewed Monday but released a statement through her attorney, Drew Findling, "I will always regret what happened," Cross said. "And I apologize to the students, faculty and staff of Morris Brown College." (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/index.html)

4. BISHOP VINTON ANDERSON TO SPEAK AT SHORTER COLLEGE GALA:

The 12th Episcopal District family of the African Methodist Episcopal Church takes pride in demonstrating our support of Shorter College, North Little Rock, Arkansas.

A Benefit Banquet will be held on Friday, May 19, 2006 at 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel – Grand Ballroom, 11301 Financial Centre Parkway, Little Rock, Arkansas. The keynote speaker will be retired bishop, the Right Reverend Vinton R. Anderson, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop Anderson was the Editor of the A.M.E. Hymnal, and the past President of the World Council of Churches.

Proceeds of this event will provide educational opportunities for students at Shorter College.

The public is invited to attend. Tickets donations are $100.00. If you would like to purchase tickets or place an ad in the souvenir book please call the 12th Episcopal District Office – (501) 375-4310.

Editor’s Note: Bishop Anderson caught the Editor’s mistake in the article about the Delaware Annual Conference when it referred to Deaconesses being ordained. Deaconesses are consecrated, not ordained. Thank you, Bishop Anderson.

5. FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR MIKE BARTA

Congratulations to our Pastoral Intern, the Reverend Mercedes Tudy Hamilton who received an appointment as Pastor of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church in Great Falls, Montana from our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. John Richard Bryant, this past week. Rev. Mercedes will officially report to her new assignment on Sunday June 18th and will be working diligently in the mean time, to bring closure to her work and responsibilities here at Johnson Chapel. On Sunday June 11th at the 11:00 AM Worship, our Church Family will join together to celebrate this remarkable Woman of God and to sow seeds of favor and blessing into her life as she prepares to move out in faith and fulfill the calling that is so clearly on her life. Please keep Rev. Mercedes in your prayers in the days and weeks ahead as she makes preparations to take this very big step in her life and ministry.

Yours in the Joy of Jesus,
Pastor Mike

6. RACIST CLASSIC “BIRTH OF A NATION” ON RARE VIEW TUESDAY NIGHT (5/2/06):

By JIM AUCHMUTEY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 05/02/06

One of the most notorious films ever made is getting a rare national broadcast Tuesday night on Turner Classic Movies.

"The Birth of a Nation," D. W. Griffith's 1915 epic about the genesis of the Ku Klux Klan, depicts a lynching and two threatened sexual assaults on white women by black men. The major black characters are played by white actors in blackface. The title cards for the three-hour silent film include offensive dialect and the N-word.

7. MEDIA ADVISORY:

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Ernie Fletcher today (5/2/06) will announce an Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative in Louisville. The initiative is designed to bring economic opportunity and prosperity to individuals and communities in the Greater Louisville Area, particularly those in the Empowerment Zone.

WHO: Governor Ernie Fletcher

WHAT: Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative

WHEN: 11 a.m., Tuesday, May 2, 2006

WHERE: Quinn Chapel AME Church
1901 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Louisville, KY.

8. DOWNSIZING AMERICA’S FUTURE “ALONG THE COLOR LINE”:

Dr. Manning Marable

A quarter century ago, the United States embarked on an economic crusade to “downsize” its working class: to eliminate millions of jobs by outsourcing employment abroad, and to push millions more middle-class employees into low-wage jobs. The argument advanced by U.S. corporations was that in an age of global economic competition, American workers were simply “overpaid” and weren’t as productive as their European and Japanese competitors. By cutting salaries and benefits, terminating pensions, eliminating jobs, and forcing workers to pay for their own health care, U.S. corporations could stay competitive in global markets.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the vast majority of layoffs occurred within the working class, especially skilled labor and manufacturing jobs. Blue collar workers were pushed in the service sector, frequently earning less than one-half of what they previously had been paid. Airplane mechanics and factory foremen were counseled to learn basic computer skills in order to compete for $10 per hour jobs that couldn’t cover their home mortgage payments or children’s college tuition bills.

An important new book by New York Times economics writer Louis Uchitelle, The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences, fully documents the disastrous consequences of downsizing and mass layoffs. According to Uchitelle, between 1984 and 2004, approximately 30 million Americans were involuntarily “laid off” or fired. Millions more who feared losing their jobs either took early retirement, or agreed to accept significant cuts in their wages or benefits. Surprisingly, layoffs nationwide rose faster in the early 1990s than the early 1980s, as President Bill Clinton aggressively preached that labor had to lower its wage demands in order for American businesses to be competitive in global markets. As Uchitelle explains, “As much as anyone, [Bill Clinton] disconnected the Democratic Party from its past, specifically its New Deal concern for job security and full employment.”

Throughout the 1990s, the layoffs spread into the ranks of white-collar professionals – managers, technicians, information technology employees, and engineers. In the early 2000s, workers in manufacturing took another round of devastating layoffs, by which African-American workers were particularly hard hit. In 2004 alone, overall union employment in the U.S. declined by 304,000, and African Americans comprised 55 percent of that drop, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2000 and 2004, the number of black American union members plummeted from 2.5 million down to 2.1 million, a decline of 14.4 percent. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans who once held high-paying union jobs are forced into nonunion employment in food services, ground maintenance, and as security guards. And, increasingly, undocumented immigrants who can easily be exploited to accept even lower wages and no benefits are replacing thousands of black low wage workers.

In those few unions in which African Americans still comprise significant percentages – such as the American Federation of Government Employees, with nearly 25 percent of its 211,000 members who are black – federal jobs are being lost through the Bush administration’s policy of privatization. As the federal government outsources jobs and downsizes, African Americans lose out. Advances in automation at the U.S. Postal Service, primarily in the development of rapid mail sorting machines that require fewer workers, have also eliminated thousands of postal workers’ jobs, which have historically had a very high percentage of African-American employees.

The bitter irony of the downsizing, layoff mantra that politicians and corporate executives proclaim is that there is growing economic evidence that destroying jobs is actually bad for both the economy and for worker productivity. In The Disposable American, Uchitelle notes that many of the American corporations that show the highest rates of growth over the past decade have not downsized at all. Workers who have greater workplace satisfaction, flexibility and comprehensive benefits for health and their post-employment security are far more productive.

So, the great political question of our time is whether both Democrats and Republicans will mindlessly continue to permit the predatory corporations and privatizers in government to continue mass layoffs, downsizing America’s future. The government’s currently low “official” unemployment rate deceptively masks the fact that between 2001 and 2005 over one million Americans left the work force and aren’t even counted as “unemployed.” Another 4.2 million who are “part-time employees” today cannot get full-time jobs. As millions more are pushed toward unemployment lines, and elderly workers without pensions are coerced to seek toward fast food and Wal-Mart employment, how long will it take until the majority of America’s electorate explodes with anger about the disappearing promise of a middle class lifestyle? How long will it take even millions of white-collar managers and professionals, “yuppies” and “buppies” alike, to comprehend that they, too, are increasingly “expendable” in the brave new world of globalization and downsizing privatization?

Dr. Manning Marable is Professor of Public Affairs, Political Science,
History, and African-American Studies, and the Director of the Center for Contemporary Black Politics at Columbia University, New York City. “Along the Color Line” appears in over 400 publications internationally, and is available at www.manningmarable.net

9. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS HONOR NOTED BLACK JOURNALISTS:

WASHINGTON May 1, 2006 The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will induct a noted Washington post columnist, two icons of the magazine industry and a legendary media executive into the NABJ Hall of Fame this year, the association announced today.

At its spring meeting in Indianapolis last week, the NABJ Board of Directors voted to add the following legends into the NABJ Hall of Fame:

- Lerone Bennett Jr.: Writer and social historian who served as Ebony magazine’s executive editor for nearly 40 years. His written work deftly explores the history of race relations in the U.S. and his comprehensive articles have become one of the magazine’s literary hallmarks.

- Albert Fitzpatrick Jr.: Former assistant vice president of minority affairs for Knight Ridder from 1994 to 1985. Before joining Knight Ridder, worked for 29 years at the Akron Beacon-Journal, ending his newsroom career there as its first black executive editor. A former NABJ president, Fitzpatrick earned an NABJ Lifetime Achievement Award in (1984) and the Ida B. Wells Award in 1989.

- William Raspberry: Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist for The Washington Post and winner of NABJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Raspberry started as a columnist at The Post in 1966 and his work appeared in more than 200 newspapers before he recently retired.

- Susan Taylor: A name synonymous with Essence magazine, Taylor served as Editor-in-chief of the magazine from 1981 to 2000. Under her guidance, Essence experienced phenomenal growth, reaching black women worldwide. She remains editorial director and a voice with her “In the Spirit” column, which addresses themes such as family, faith, self-esteem and health. She continues to be a mentor for young people in crisis as well as a symbol of black beauty and inspiration.

The recipients will be inducted during a special ceremony at the 2006 NABJ Convention & Career Fair in Indianapolis, Aug. 16-20. The 15-member Board also awarded several distinguished journalists top honors in the organization’s annual Special Honors awards, to be delivered at the NABJ Awards Gala in October in Washington, D.C.:

- Cynthia Tucker, editorial columnist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as Journalist of the Year.

- Earl G. Graves Sr., founder, chairman and publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, as recipient of the NABJ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other Special Honors winners include:

- Lawrence Young, The Riverside Press- Enterprise, Legacy Award

- Trymaine Lee, New Orleans Times- Picayune and Errin Haines, Associated Press, Emerging Journalists of the Year

- DeMarco Morgan, WISN-TV (Milwaukee), Community Service Award

- Ruth Tisdale, Howard University, Student Journalist of the Year Award

- Kip Branch, Elizabeth City State University, Journalism Educator of the Year Award

- Deyda Hydara and the Gambia Press Union, Percy Qoboza Foreign Journalist Award

- The Indianapolis Recorder, Best Practices Award

Finalists for Chapter of the Year are the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, Las Vegas Association of Black Journalists, Houston Association of Black Journalists and the Bay Area Black Journalists Association.

The Carolina Association of Black Journalists and Temple Association of Black Journalists are vying for Student Chapter of the Year. Winners in those categories will be announced at NABJ’s 31st Annual Convention and Career Fair, Aug. 16-20, in Indianapolis.

Bennett, Fitzpatrick, Raspberry and Taylor will be inducted during the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the convention. Winners of the other Special Honors categories will receive their awards at either the banquet or at the 2006 Salute to Excellence Awards Gala, Oct. 14 in Washington.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with nearly 4,000 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.
http://www.najb.org/

10. MESSAGE FROM TYLER PERRY:

Okay here's the big news. Many of you may remember a few years ago I was going to do a TV show. I was very surprised to find out that in TV when you go the traditional route you really have no control over your show. They tell you what to say how to say it, and when to say it. God forbid you try to say Jesus. This didn't sit right with me at all. When it comes to me and us, I feel like I know what we want to see so if it doesn't feel right to me I have no problems walking away no matter how much money. I was not about to go on TV and have you all talking about me saying this show is terrible...what was TP thinking. It wouldn't have been because I didn't give my ideas, but because they shot it down and I was out of there on the next thing smoking.

With all of that said and because of your investment in me I was able to write produce and finance 10 episodes of my first sitcom called "House of Payne." Allen Payne (Jason's Lyric, New Jack city) plays a fireman named CJ whose wife has a drug problem and burns down their house to cover their mounting debt. So, they have to move in with his parents Cassie Davis, and Lavan Davis form "Madea Goes to jail." CJ has two kids and he and the grands have very different ideas about raising these kids.

I wanted this show to be what my movies are, funny but serious with life lessons in them. Like my plays, but for TV. Do you remember those shows like "All in the Family", "Good Times", "Rosanna", and "Cosby". The shows that everybody wanted to watch because they not only made you laugh, but they had some heart. Well, this is one of those shows with heart.

This was a huge gamble, but if I know anything I know my faith. And I know my folks, and that's why I did it. If you give it a chance I know you're going to love it. This has never been done before, not like this, but I know it will work. I'm always asking ya'll to do something, buy this book, pay to see my movie, buy a ticket to the play, buy the DVD. Well, now I can say this wont cost you anything, just a little of your time.

Now, these ten episodes will run only in ten selected cities. If I had my choice it would have been all over the country. I'm working with a company that needs to know that people will watch it if it goes to the rest of the country. So it airs in New York and Houston on May eighth, and eight other cities, soon to follow.

Here is the schedule as I know it. As we get closer to the release date of your city, I'll send you some reminders. I hope I don't work on your nervous by then. (smile) If you are not in these cities and you know people in them, please call them and ask them to watch.

Visit http://www.tylerperry.com/ to see TV listings / schedule.

P.S. - Maybe you can forward this email to other people in the area. We need every body to watch. I know you're going to love it.

Tyler Perry

Editor’s note: Tyler Perry’s new book, “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings” is #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers’ List. (ISBN: 1-59448-921-1). This first book from Tyler Perry is a confessional memoir in the voice of Madea, the beloved, sharp- tongued, worldly, pistol-packing grandma who is at the center of Perry's stage shows.

11. THE PASTOR’S CORNER - THE ABUNDANT LIFE:

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:9-10)

The “full life” Christ came for us to live is a quality of life that reflects the presence and nature of God in all we do. Porter Barrington, author of the Christian Life New Testament presents a wonderfully understandable introduction to the concept of abundant living. “All believers have eternal life through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Not all believers enjoy “life to the full,” abundant life, as described by Jesus in John 10: 10. If we are believers and not living the abundant life, we are living beneath our privilege.”

I recently read a story that vividly illustrates the importance of living the abundant life – life to the full:

There once was a country where only ducks lived. On a Sunday morning, all the ducks came into the church, waddled down the aisle into the pews, and squatted. The duck minister waddled into the pulpit and read from the duck Bible. “Ducks! You have wings and with wings, you can fly like eagles. You can soar into the sky! You have wings!” At the conclusion of the message the ducks said, “Amen” and all waddled home. (Daily Uplink – April 26)

Unfortunately, this is so frequently true of believers in Jesus Christ. God has given us all we need to live life to the full – abundant life. Yet, we continue “waddling” through life, never living at the level of our privilege.

John 10:10 – What is the “abundant life?”

The word used in this passage for life is the Greek word Zoë. It describes a quality of life that reflects the presence and nature of God in all we do. Am I living at or beneath my privilege? Do others see the presence and nature of God when observing my life? What do others see?

Jesus tells us He is this life, and as God Almighty, (John 14: 6) Jesus is the source of abundant resources. The abundant life is a life of abundant resources and it comes from the only unlimited source of life, Jesus Christ. Am I living at or beneath my privilege? What do I see as the sources for my living?

Jesus describes Himself as the vine to which all the branches must be connected to have life (John 15: 1-5). The abundant life is the life of the believer lived in dependence on Jesus Christ, so Christ’s life reflected through the life of the believer. Am I living at or beneath my privilege? On whom or what do I depend?

The abundant life is living “in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5: 22-24) It is life that bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Am I living at or beneath my privilege? What fruit does my life bear?

The Apostle Paul reminds us receiving pardon from Jesus for our sins is only the beginning of our new life in Christ (Philippians 2: 12-13). Abundant life is the salvation we received through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection being worked out in our everyday practices. Am I living at or beneath my privilege? Is the salvation from sin I now possess being demonstrated in my daily living?

Anything less than the abundant life is a life of defeat (Galatians 5: 19-21). We will soon yield to sin instead of reaping the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anything less than the abundant life is simply “waddling along.” We will be circumstance controlled (John 14: 27) instead of walking in the peace of Jesus Christ. Anything less than the abundant life is a life of isolation. We damage or destroy relationships God has established for our lives (Galatians 5: 26) when we could be enjoying the fellowship of others. Anything less than the abundant life is a life of “drama.” We bring trouble and discord into our lives (Galatians 6: 7-10) when we could be bringing a harvest of good. Our next several weeks will explore the meaning, value, and living the abundant life (life to the full).

Pastor James Moody
Quinn Chapel AME, Chicago

12. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

The Reverend Lloyd Staple, Pastor of Bethel AME Church & Grace Temple AME Church, Jamaica, died last week. His funeral will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2006.

Condolences may be emailed to his wife, Mrs. Lloyd Staple.Email to: daintydor@yahoo.com

Submitted by: Sandra Pyke-Anthony (16th Episcopal District)

Please remember the Staple family in your prayers.

13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

Dr. Curtis N. Adams, Sr. brother of Dr. Dorothy Adams Peck, immediate past Connectional President of the Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church passed on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. Dr. Curtis N. Adams was a retired dentist who practiced in Baltimore, Maryland.

Service Arrangements for Dr. Curtis N. Adams, Sr.Friday, April 28, 2006

Visitation:

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

March Funeral Home West
4300 Wabash Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215

Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wake: (Family will receive friends) 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Funeral: 11:00 A. M.

Heritage United Church of Christ
3110 Liberty Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD

(410) 542-1204 - Phone

Interment immediately following service at:

Woodlawn Cemetery
2130 Woodlawn Drive
Baltimore, Maryland 21207

Professional Services entrusted to:

March Funeral Home West
4300 Wabash Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215

(410) 542-2400 - Phone
(800) 456-8964 -Toll Free
(410) 542-4507 Fax

Condolences and expressions of sympathy may be sent to:

The family of Dr. Curtis N. Adams, Sr. (church or funeral home addresses).

Or to:

Dr. Dorothy Adams Peck
4001 Haden Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

(561) 845-1941 Phone)
(561) 842-9976 (Fax)

Email: DADAMSPECK@aol.com

14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

From: Presiding Elder Dennis J. Hampton, Muskogee District (12th Episcopal District, AMEC), Email: PastorHampton@aol.com

The Rev. Jessie "JC" Williams "went home to be with the Lord" on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. He served as Pastor of Peters Chapel AME Church, Muskogee, Oklahoma.

ARRANGEMENTS:

Thursday May 4, 2006 - 1:00 PM

Vernon AME Church
307-11 N. Greenwood
Tulsa, OK 74120

918-587-1428 - Office

The Rev. Michelle Moulden, Pastor
Eulogist: Rev. Dennis J. Hampton, P. E

Services Entrusted to:

Jack's Memory Chapel
801 East 36th ST, N
Tulsa, OK 74106

428-4431 - Office
428-4437 - Fax

Condolences may be sent to:

Mrs. Jacque Williams
6524 East 21st PL #113
Tulsa, OK 74129

Email: medisinwoman@cox.net

Please remember the family in your prayers.

15. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

The passing of Mrs. Malissa Nelson Tyson, the mother of Mrs. Linda T. Eason, First Lady of Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, Georgia and the mother-in-law of the Rev. Gregory V. Eason, Sr., Senior Pastor of Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta.

Celebration of Life Service for Mrs. Malissa Nelson Tyson:

Date: Saturday, May 6, 2006
Time: 11:00 a. m.
Place:

The Union Missionary Baptist Church
3900 Broadway
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

(561) 845-7320

Funeral Home:

Siders Funeral Home
1600 N. Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

(561) 820-1403 - Phone
(561) 820-1405 – Fax

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to:

The Malissa N. Tyson Scholarship Fund
P. O. Box 1162
Palm Beach, FL 33480

Messages of condolence may be sent to:

The Rev. and Mrs. Gregory V. Eason, Sr.
Big Bethel A.M.E.
204 Auburn Avenue, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

(404)827-9707- Phone

Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

16. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:

Mr. Robert Inkton, the brother of the Rev. Shirley Inkton Bowers, will be funeralized on Friday, April 28, 2006, 11:00 AM at the Riverview AME, 213 Glenview Lane, North Arkansas, Arkansas.

Services are being entrusted to:

Hubble Funeral Home
1213 Washington Avenue
North Little Rock, AR

Rev. Bowers and her family may be contacted at:

2300 Rebsamen Park Road, #201A
Little Rock, AR 72202

Sister Anita Brannon

Please remember all of the bereaved families in your prayers.

17. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:

Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center

Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)

Please remember these families in your prayers.

18. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:

The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of the Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement