Birmingham GMWA to Honor Andre’ Crouch with Concert
Birmingham GMWA to Honor Andre’ Crouch with Concert
by Donnell Adams
He was a songwriter beyond measure and one of the most talented gospel artists of all time; none other than the legendary and recently departed, Rev. Andre’ Edward Crouch. “Let the Church Say Amen”, “Soon and Very Soon”, “Take Me Back”, the theme song from the sitcom “Amen” and “God’s Trying to Tell You Something” from The Color Purple are only a few of his compositions. Born July 1, 1942, he is often referred to as the father of modern contemporary gospel music. He has a twin sister, Sandra Crouch, who is also a powerhouse in the gospel industry.
Rev. Crouch passed on January 8, 2015. Upon learning of his death, Dr. Prince E. Yelder, Minister of Music for the Birmingham Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) decided that the Chapter’s next concert would be a tribute to Rev. Crouch. “He has been such a powerful force in gospel music and has helped make it what it is today. We dare not ignore this man and the strides he has made in gospel music,” says Yelder.
One of Crouch’s songs that is often rendered by the choir is “My Tribute”, led by world-renowned soprano, Cleopatra Kennedy. Formed by the late Mary K. Elsaw and Rev. James Cleveland in 1968, the choir is now headed by Mrs. Eloise Ford Gaffney, who also serves as national chair for the Women’s Division of GMWA. “We want everyone to share in our celebration of this great man.” The tribute concert will be on February 22nd at 7 p.m. at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 3428 Maple Ave, SW Birmingham, Ala., Dr. Patrick Sellers, Pastor.
The Birmingham Chapter of GMWA also acts as the Birmingham Community Mass Choir. The choir has done tributes to other gospel artists such as Bishop Walter Hawkins, Thomas Whitfield, Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, Aretha Franklin, Charles Hayes, The Thompson Community Choir and others. For years, the choir was headed by the late Lawrence T. Sneed, one of the founding members.
In 2016, the Birmingham Chapter will host the 49th Annual GMWA National Convention. This will be the first time the convention has ever been hosted in Birmingham. Thousands of delegates from around the United States and as far away as Japan and Switzerland will be present. More information on the convention can be found on the website: www.gmwanational.net.
Church Women United Observed Black History Month
Church Women United Observed Black History Month
by Mrs. Elaine Thompson
On Friday Febuary 6, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, the ladies of CWU
participated in a program concerning Black History Month. Rev. Joseph R. Reid
is the Stated Supply Pastor.
First, everyone enjoyed a breakfast prepared by Mr. Johnny Wyatt.
Ms. Cathy Floyd, Moderator of Westminster Presbyterian Women was the Moderator
for the program. The Welcome was given by Ms. Jessie N. Williams, Invocation by
Ms. Eugenia Henry. The Music was provided by two Chancel Choir members,
Ms. La’ Dwenda Williams and Mr. Derry Howard. They were accompanied by
Mr. Earnest Reynolds, Music Director.
CWU President, Ms. Carolyn George gave an overview about the purpose of this Organization. CWU is a combination of Ladies from different churches and races.
Ms. Leola C. Smith introduced the speaker for the program, Dr. Yvette Richardson, Member State Board of Education. Dr. Richardson talked about how Blacks had contributed to our American Society. Appreciation was given by Ms. Regina Colvin.
The meeting was adjourned after an inspirational Solo by Mr. Derry Howard ‘Done
Found My Lost Sheep’.
Miles College Dean of Chapel to Speak at Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church
The men of Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church will observe Men’s Day on Sunday, February 22, at 11 a.m. The guest preacher will be the versatile Rev. Dr. Larry Batie, Professor of Religion and newly appointed Director of the Miles College School of Religion.
The theme for the program is “Moving Forward with God.” Music will be rendered by the Men of Payne and the Interdenominational Community Men’s Choir.
Brother P.W. Jones, II is the Program Chairman; Brother Michael Smith is the Co-Chairman. Rev. Percy W. Jones is the Pastor.
Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church is located at 1833 Center Way S in Birmingham. The Church’s telephone number is 251-3412.
The public is cordially invited to share in this observance.
SELF- ESTEEM
SELF- ESTEEM
What does self-esteem mean, and how does it speak to your heart? In part, the word means, self-respect, and confidence in oneself. Have you ever seen anyone seem to have low self-esteem, and particularly young people or a young person, and did it grieve your heart? Well, I have grieved a long time, and still do. The Almighty “EYES” Drug Awareness Alternative Preventative and Human Service Ministry is built on much compassion for our youth. To see so much enforcement upon young people who are innocent, which means they do not know anything about life, and to see an adult force themselves, their ways, upon the helpless and innocent is quite grievous.
Many years ago, my prayer to the Lord was to show me how to reach the young people. In a vision early one morning in early June, while my husband was sleeping, the Lord showed me a vision of an “eye”. I knew it was the “eye” of the Lord. “I knew in my spirit”. I rose from my bed, because the revelation of what I was to do was heavy in my heart. I hurriedly dressed and went to the two people I was told to go to and said what the Lord had impressed upon me to say. The program has been a reality over 31 years now and the state of the young people is worse now than ever before.
“I was-sent to give revelation about the “EYES”. I did what I knew to do. Watch for- SELF-ESTEEM- Part 2.
www.thealmightyeyes.com
Sharing a Taste of Heaven
Sharing a Taste of Heaven
“A cat and a mouse died on the same day and went up to Heaven. At the top they met God and He asked them ‘How do you like it so far?’ The mouse replied ‘It’s great, but can I get a pair of roller skates?’ God said ‘Sure’, and He gave him a pair of roller skates. The next day God saw the cat and asked him, ‘How do you like it up here so far?’ and the cat replied ‘Great, I didn’t know you had meals on wheels up here!’”
Like the cat many of us may be concerned even in Heaven about eating, but the food there is for the soul.
In columns past I have written about the power of salt. Throughout history this chemical made of sodium and chloride has been exceptionally important for thousands of years. Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of our civilization. Today, salt is almost universally accessible, relatively cheap and often iodized to prevent mental retardation.
In the Old Testament the Israelites where instructed to “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings,” In the New Testament, our saltiness was never to be left out if we are to be at peace with one another. But what, you might ask, does salt have to do with a taste of Heaven. Why does Jesus say at the end of the Beatitudes, “You are the salt of the earth?”
As we go through our everyday lives as Christians, we all look forward to Heaven when we die. Many of us would like a taste of it now. But what is paradise? Is it a land flowing with milk and honey and streets paved in gold? What good are milk, honey and gold in Heaven? Why is salt a metaphor for life in the world to come? Here is the problem. Many of us spend much of our time here on earth seeking after things that will not count in the end. The only way to avoid that is by becoming the essence of life on earth. There are two ways to become the spirit of creation. First by the utilization of the power of prayer for ourselves and for the world. Never has there been a greater need for the petitioning God to strengthen our life and the world He created. It should be clear to us by now that in this world “Murphy’s Law” is always in play. Murphy’s Law says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Look at what happened with Obamacare. Years later and many Americans still do not have insurance coverage. But the best insurance is to know and serve God. This is where prayer comes in. Our system of government needs prayer but our focus must remain on salvation for us as
Christians, we truly are the salt of Earth and Heaven.
Gospel Artists Tankard, Murdock Receive Gold Records
NASHVILLE /Christian Newswire/ – Gospel/Jazz pioneer Ben Tankard and R&B/Gospel sensation Shirley Murdock recently received RIAA Gold records for their 2006 hit Jesus Is Love for 500,000+ sales as part of the 2006 WOW Gospel collection. Originally written and recorded by Lionel Richie, Jesus Is Love was covered on Ben Tankard’s PIANO PROPHET 2006 Smoothjazz release and has been selling and receiving heavy airplay for a staggering eight years – WOW! Shirley says, “I am so excited to receive this Gold record. Working with ‘Tank’ was thrilling because he is a tough, hard nose producer but he makes you laugh while he is pulling the best out of you.”
Tankard and Murdock teamed up again on Ben’s brand new musical release, Full Tank 2.0 for a remarkable remake of the Staple Singers hit, I’ll Take You There. Ben says, “I have been blessed to work with some remarkable artists over my career including: Yolanda Adams, Gerald Albright and Take-6. Shirley Murdock is like family and such a monster of a talent. Her soulful voice was a great choice and she did an awesome job helping me take and old masterpiece to a new level.” The song is picking up steam at national radio.
Full Tank 2.0 also features Kirk Whalum on an instrumental rendition of another classic, Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand. Looks like another Gold record may be coming for these two…… Full Tank 2.0 released February 10th and is already the Amazon #1 Bestseller for jazz-fusion category.
Murdock will guest appear this week on Tankard’s hit Bravo / NBC reality show Thicker Than Water on Sunday night 8/9 EST. This episode features a VIP grand gala celebration for Tankard’s 25 years in the music arena. With a smile Tankard says, “I am thankful for the gift of music God gave me after I left pro basketball with an injury. Sometimes when one dream dies in your life, it is because God is planning something bigger. I have a great family, a hit TV show and multiple awards as a musician but zero NBA championships as a basketball player. I wanted to be a Portland Trailblazer but GOD wanted me to be a Kingdom Trailblazer. I’m glad I listened to him.”
Ben Tankard / Full Tank 2.0 is produced and distributed by BENJamin’ Universal Music / Central South Music and available on Amazon, iTunes, Walmart and stores everywhere.
‘Tithing’ as a ‘Sunday Morning Stickup’ Author Sues TD Jakes’ Potter’s House Church
By EURWeb
When David Lee Richardson wrote a book that essentially implied tithing is a rip-off, it appears he didn’t think the consequences all the way through.
Especially since the church he held a leadership position in, was none other than the Dallas, Texas mega-church, The Potter’s House, founded by public figure Bishop T.D. Jakes.
Now, after being stripped of his title and told that he and his family are no longer welcome at the church, Richardson has filed a lawsuit.
The church has a congregational attendance rate of 17,000 and is home to familiar names like Sheryl Brady, Joby Brady, and Mark Jeffries.
Richardson’s book, “Sunday Morning Stickup: What Your Pastor Doesn’t Want You To Know About Tithes,” – yep, that’s the title, is a self-published work.
Richardson took to Collin County Court on Jan. 27 in order to sue The Potter’s House. He claims that his book, published in March of 2013, made no specific references to The Potter’s House or any of the church officials.
Richardson, who says he held a position of leadership at the church and primarily attended the north campus in Parker, says he was summoned to a meeting with two of the church pastors after posting the cover of his manuscript on his Facebook page.
“Plaintiff was advised that he was being asked to resign as a leader in the church and was officially stripped of his ordination license which he held for more than 20 years,” the court complaint stated.
“Defendant Pastor Brady expressed to plaintiff that she had no respect for him due to him writing the book. She went on to express that she makes no promises that she would read the book and she also expressed that leadership’s decision was based on the cover.
“Plaintiff was advised that defendant, Sheryl Brady, had spoken with T.D. Jakes prior to the meeting and was asked if she could strip plaintiff of his license and T.D. Jakes told her ‘yes.’”
Though Richardson’s membership to The Potter’s House was not revoked, he was not allowed to hold a leadership position, and could only attend under certain conditions.
“Jeffries told plaintiff that if plaintiff continued to attend church at The Potter’s House North, plaintiff would have to sit in the back if plaintiff sat in the middle section of the sanctuary,” the complaint stated. “Jeffries also pointed out a pillar to plaintiff and let plaintiff know that if plaintiff sat on the right side of the sanctuary, plaintiff would have to sit 10 rows behind the indicated pillar.”
Richardson claims that on one occasion, on Jan. 27, 2013, he and his children were physically escorted out of the service by four police officers. The incident was a source of embarrassment and grief for him and his children.
“Once outside, plaintiff was told that earlier in the week the decision had been made to revoke his membership and he was no longer welcome at the church and if he returned he would be arrested for criminal trespass,” the document read.
Richardson is seeking punitive damages for negligence, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, assault, battery, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
THE DEATH OF BLACK HISTORY
THE DEATH OF BLACK HISTORY
By Aaisha Muhammad
Right before our eyes, Black History Month is being buried, phased out and
is written out of history. How is it done? By gradually not mentioning
Black History and having one to believe that Black History is bad, it is racist.
In the last 10 years the mentioning has gone from every second a spot over the
airways or newspapers/magazines, to a few times a day, to once a day, to now
sometimes, in the month of February. There were Black History events at
schools and churches, now dead. Even the idea and the mentioning
of a Black Holocaust is dead, even though it definitely happened. The idea and
mention of Reparation for all Black people, the payment for their forced free
labor, dead!
The same omission technique was put in place with The Honorable Elijah
Muhammad in 1975, after his death. Elijah Muhammad was and is the Leader
of the Nation of Islam, yet, there is only a paragraph or two that can be found
anywhere today about him. His works, ideas, memory is distorted. He is painted
in the minds of the people as a race hater and not a messenger of God.
Malcolm X is painted as his leader teacher and guide, which is the contrary.
The concerted effort to cease Black History Month may be a good thing, though.
The definition of History is his story, the truth needs to be told. Black History does
not tell the exact truth, but tells mostly made up stories.
In these days of Sodom and Gomorrah and Revelation (the revealing) there will
be no stone unturned. A promise from God based on the Bible and Holy Quran,
the truth is Black People are the descendents of the African People who were
taken against their will and brought to America, beginning in the 1500s. Whether
their cousin, uncle or brother were involved in the plot for them to be taken against
their will is irrelevant. The false claim that the African People who were taken
against their will are cursed, is absolutely a lie. No human being should or ever have
been mistreated as they were/are. To say that any child who is kidnapped or taken from home to never return home again and then remade and renamed are cursed, whether a relative assisted with the plot, is absolutely insane. Black People in America today, whether they like it or not are the descendents of the African people who were taken over 500 years ago and taken 9,000 miles from home, packed thousands at a time (packed like sardines) shipped over the Atlantic ocean, from Africa (home) are the same people.
The Africans were Remade and Renamed by their masters.
Henry Berry, while speaking in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832 describes the situation as existed at that time in many parts of the south, “We have as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light may enter the slaves’ mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete; they would then be on a level with the beast of the field and we should be safe. I am not certain that we would not do it, if we could find out the process and that on the plea of necessity.” (see, Brown Americans, Edwin R. Embree, printed in 1946, page 54)
The African names, religion, culture all gone replaced with their master ideas. They were
given the name, Coon and were made to build America and do any bidding of their masters. Mulatto is the name given to the African children who were produced by forced rapes and impregnated by their masters. Mulatto is one of mixed Black and white ancestry. Colored is another name given to Black people. Negro is the name given to them in the 1900s. In the mid 1900s and again in 2000 they were given the name African American. Black man and woman is the only name they gave themselves which they no longer want. There is no resemblance of Africa displayed in this generation of Black People today. The Barbie Doll that the Old School children played with in the ’50s and ’60s is the look of this generation of African people today; the false straight long, long hair, false eyelashes, false boobs, butts, altered thinking. Everything is false, nothing is real. The physical level is the level of consciousness of African descent young people. Mulatto people did not begin in this generation; they were first produced by forced rapes during slavery time, the mixing with the slave and his/her masters. Practically every Black person in America today has both white and Black ancestors. Their white ancestor side can be traced back to a family name but only the
tribe can be traced back on the African side, never, ever knowing a family name because they were renamed by their white master when brought to America..
The Africans were remade and reduced to property, remade to 3/5 of a human being.
In the 22nd century wonder what name will be given to Black people? The white man has kept his name throughout all the name changing he has given to Black people. Black people need to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves, “Who am I? I have been turned inside out.” If the truth will set us free, why is the truth kept secret? Why no one wants to hear or believe the truth. Most people today function on the physical level; it is all about pleasing the physical (self)…rise up to the Spiritual level of life and please God and you in return will be pleased, guaranteed, a promise from God!
