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Feature
Black World War II Veteran Honored by White House
As the nation prepared to celebrate Memorial Day, the White House recently honored 11 citizens who are committed to helping veterans, including an African American who founded an organization to assist unemployed, disabled and homeless vets. In a ceremony May 24, the White House Office of Public Engagement honored the citizens as “Champions of Change.” Five of the honorees served in the military. In a statement, Rosye Cloud, the White House director of Veterans, Wounded Warrior and Military Family Policy, said the veterans “represent some of the best of their generation, those who served with dedication and courage.” “These American patriots continue to serve in their communities today, improving the lives of their fellow veterans and military families,” Cloud wrote. “As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, we are reminded of their unwavering commitment to their country yesterday, today and tomorrow.” Among the vets honored was Stephen Sherman, 91, one of the few surviving Black World War II veterans. Sherman, who was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942, founded the Dorie Miller Memorial Foundation, named for the Black U.S. Navy mess attendant who performed valiantly aboard the USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. The ceremony included [...]
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Feature
East Brooklyn Congregation Leaders assemble for Change
BCN- Brooklyn – Close to 1,000 religious leaders and community members assembled at the St. Paul Community Baptist Church (SPCBC) on Sunday, May 20th, 2012 to discuss plans for improving East Brooklyn, NY. Led by the East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC), an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation-the nation’s first and largest network of multi-faith community organizations, attendees were briefed on topics such as: education, public safety, housing, transportation, senior services, and ways that the community can hold their political leaders accountable. “What drives down crime is when EBC and citizens get together and sit down with the commanding officers all around Brooklyn; and inform them on hotspots and high crime areas. It’s when the police department works well with the community and relates to us.” said Rev. David K. Brawley of St. Paul Community Baptist Church. With NYC public schools closing their doors at a rapid pace, attendees were eager to hear what future plans the NYC Mayor Bloomberg administration has prepared for their community. “Our work to bring high quality schools across the city is more important than ever. 78 new schools including 23 right here in Brooklyn, will open for the first time in September. That brings the total number of new schools [...]
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Feature
McDonald’s Gospelfest 2012 Rocks The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
BCN-Brooklyn – This past Saturday, May 12, 2012 Newark residents got a chance to witness the moving of the Holy Spirit at the McDonald’s Gospelfest. Over 18,000 people came out to celebrate God, sing praise and worship songs, and enjoy live entertainment as the McDonald’s Gospelfest celebrated it 29th Annual Gospelfest performance. If you’ve never been to Gospelfest, you certainly don’t know what you’re missing. It’s an exciting, action packed day filled with phenomonal star-studded performances, competitions, and best of all the Word of God! And, this year was no different, with the theme of “Honor Thy Mother”, the Mc Donald’s Gospelfest definitely set the tone for Mother Day. This year’s line-up included performances by Inspirational Psalmist Donnie Mc Clurkin, Contemporary Gospel sensatition Mary Mary, Powerful Worshiper Fred Hammond, Electrifying Vocalist Vicki Winans, Shirley Caesar, & more. Steve Harvey brought down the house with his special Mother’s Day comedy set. History of The McDonald’s Gospelfest McDonald’s Gospelfest originated in 1983 by the McDonald’s Corporation and the McDonald’s Tri-State Owner/Operator Association, and over the course of 29 years the Gospelfest has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships. The family-oriented Gospel competition segment of the show is a fundraiser to gain additional support for these scholarships and [...]
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Feature News
Across country, African-American pastors weigh in on Obama’s same-sex marriage support
Addressing his large, mostly black congregation on Sunday morning, the Rev. Wallace Charles Smith did not mince words about where he stood on President Barack Obama’s newly announced support for same-sex marriage: The church is against it, he said, prompting shouts of “Amen!” from the pews. And yet Smith hardly issued a full condemnation of the president. “We may disagree with our president on this one issue,” Smith said from the pulpit of the Shiloh Baptist Church here. “But we will keep him lifted up in prayer. … Pray for President Barack Obama.” And Smith said there were much bigger challenges facing the black community — “larger challenges that we have to struggle with” — bringing his full congregation to its feet, with many more “amen”s. Days after Obama announced his personal support for same-sex marriage, pastors across the country offered their Sunday-morning opinions on the development, with the words of black pastors — a key base of support for Obama in 2008, that is also largely opposed to gay marriage — carrying special weight in a presidential election year. But black pastors were hardly monolithic in addressing Obama’s remarks. In Baltimore, Emmett Burns, a politically well-connected black minister who said he supported Obama in [...]
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Feature
FOCUS: Race, religion collide in presidential campaign
How unthinkable it was, not so long ago, that a presidential election would pit a candidate fathered by an African against another condemned as un-Christian. And yet, here it is: Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney, an African-American and a white Mormon, representatives of two groups and that have endured oppression to carve out a place in the United States. How much progress has America made against bigotry? By November, we should have some idea. Perhaps mindful of the lingering power of prejudice, both men soft-pedal their status as racial or religious pioneers. But these things “will be factors whether they’re explicitly stated or not, because both Obama and Romney are minorities,” said Nancy Wadsworth, co-editor of the anthology “Faith and Race in American Political Life.” Mormons are 1.7 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center; African-Americans are 12.6 percent “Americans like to obsess about ways that people are different,” said Wadsworth, a political science professor at the University of Denver. Voters of all types say that a candidate’s race or religious beliefs should not be cause for bias, “but Americans are really conflicted about this, and they talk out of both sides of their mouth.” In an October 2011 Associated Press-GfK [...]
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Events Feature
Bishop T.d. Jakes’ 2012 International Pastors & Leadership Unveils New Expert Panelists & Session Speakers
The International Pastors & Leadership Conference announces an all-star lineup of industry experts and releases a comprehensive list of sessions and content aimed at pastors, their families, church executives and their administrative support staffs. The conference will be held this May 3-5, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Just Announced- Leaders of Special Sessions: — Pastor Sheryl Brady, The Potter’s House of North Dallas A pastor, conference speaker, lecturer and recording artist, Pastor Brady has traveled around the globe for more than 25 years. She is well-equipped to present Morning Worship — Pastor Corey Brooks Sr., New Beginnings Church of Chicago An international ministry supporter who teaches church planting strategies and leadership development locally and nationally, Pastor Brooks will present Building an Urban Ministry — Bishop Clifford L. Frazier and Co-Pastor Pamela Frazier, Co-Founders of the Battle for the Family Organization that offers national and international seminars, the Fraziers will present My Lover for Life: Building a Solid Relationship. — Bishop Eric D. Garnes, Tabernacle of Praise Cathedral Presiding Bishop and General Overseer of the United Covenant Churches of Christ, comprised of more than 20,000 members globally, Bishop Garnes will present Senior Pastors Only: Business Strategies for the 21st Century Ministry. [...]
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Feature
New York Radio Rivals Kiss-FM and WBLS to Merge
In a stunning change for New York radio listeners, Kiss-FM and WBLS — longtime rivals in the R&B format — have become one. The two stations began simulcasting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, and through the weekend are scheduled to celebrate the three-decade legacy of Kiss (WRKS, 98.7 FM), a bastion of black music that has been one of the most highly rated stations in the market. At midnight on Monday, the stations will merge on WBLS (107.5 FM), according to a joint announcement made Thursday. Shaila, Kiss’s midday personality, and its nighttime disk jockey, Lenny Green, will join WBLS. Other employees of WRKS, which is owned by Emmis Communications, will receive what the company called generous severance packages, the trade publication Inside Radio reported on Thursday. Emmis has sold WRKS’s intellectual property to WBLS’s new parent, YMF Media. The merger is part of a complicated shuffle involving three broadcasters. Disney obtained a long-term lease for 98.7 FM from Emmis, and will bring its ESPN sports franchise — currently at 1050 AM — to that frequency on Monday. In September, 1050 AM will become a Spanish-language sports station, ESPN Deportes. ESPN’s move to a stronger FM frequency will help it compete with the sports format [...]
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Feature
Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day Movie Review
BCN- Brooklyn- Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day is the second installment from Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Woman Thou ArtLoosed! film franchise. Starring Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, & Pam Grier this suspense-thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat. Set in New Orleans, Louisiana, Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day follows the life of a successful couple (Blair Underwood & Sharon Leal) whose young daughter is kidnapped; and their struggle to keep their faith as their lives begin to unravel. Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker, Neema Barnette, whose worked on projects such as The Cosby Show, A Different World, and the film Heaven Ain’t Hard To Find, Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day, depicts a story that many will find relatable. Mrs. Barnette a veteran in the business, expressed her joy and excitement for the opportunity to be able to work on a film of this magnitude. When asked about what led her to choose the city of New Orleans to shoot this film? Neema replied, “It was extremely important to me to shoot there, because I wanted to bring life there after Katrina. Mostly everyone that was on set was African- American, and we got to see areas of [...]
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Feature
Pastors and Churches Proclaim ‘Blue Sunday’ April 29th as National Day of Prayer for Child Abuse and Neglect Victims
Evangelical pastors and ministry leaders who belong to the Christian non-profit Shepherding the Next Generation are calling on their fellow pastors to set aside April 29 as Blue Sunday, a day of prayer and reflection for the nearly 700,000 children who are abused and neglected each year and for the heroes who have dedicated their lives to rescue them. “We are proud to join others across the country in participating in Child Abuse Prevention Month,” said Renee Pettinger, a spokesperson with Shepherding the Next Generation. “Many of our members have witnessed the horrible consequences of child abuse among families in their own congregations, and we believe it is necessary to take positive steps to help address this epidemic. It’s incredible when you think that every six hours in America a child dies from abuse or neglect.” Shepherding the Next Generation has set up a special website,www.1560reasons.org, offering evangelical leaders more information on how they can participate in Blue Sunday, which was started more than ten years ago by Janet Magee, of First Christian Fellowship Church in Harlingen, Texas. The number 1,560 represents the number of children who died from abuse and neglect in 2010. The website also features comments from Magee, Romanita Hairston, World Vision [...]
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Feature
Christians Marching for Justice
It is so great to see how churches and Christian leaders are being that “city that’s set on a hill” recorded in Mathew 5:14 where Jesus told his disciples not to hide their faith or the Gospel but to be that example, a light that everyone may see and eventually glorify or acknowledge the Father (God) that performs good works in His children. Because of the controversy, unresolved, unfairness and injustice over Trayvon Martin’s case, the 17 year old boy-Florida high school student, who was shot by a neighborhood WATCH-man George Zimmerman who was said to be self-appointed, and was not charged, many political and Christian leaders are raising their voices in various communities. In Queens, many congregants from The Greater Allen Cathedral Church of NY will be marching for justice to be served on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 10:00am. Even the pastors and many members of the church wore hoodies during last Sunday’s service in remembrance of Trayvon Martin. The march will begin in Saint Albans Queens on Francis Lewis Boulevard and Linden Boulevard along with some politicians and anyone in the community who wants to join in are also welcome. The church should not be silent and passive and these are the times [...]
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