THE
. mu n i't'ij I ns'fi'f utic
In Our 25th Year Issue No. 1956 November 2007
Associate Consultants
Ser> ing the Triad
GOD’S MAN IN TIMBUKTU
by Debra S. Boyd, Ph.D.
Entertainers, Entrepreneurs
and Super Kids Make A
Winning Team
Timbuktu, referred to as the
City of 333 Saints by Muslim mys
tics, is the home of a 2C* Century
apostle of Jesus Christ, Pastor Nouh
(pronounced “Nock”) Ag Infa Yat-
tara. During the
month of June
2007, while I was
on a Fulbright con
sultancy at the Uni
versity of Mali, 1
was finally able to
realize my long
time dream to reach
Timbuku (Fr. Tom-
bouctou). The fact
that I was received
and hosted by Pas
tor Nouh, who em-
Pastor Nouh Ag Infa Yattara
Mali is classified by the
United Nations as one of the poorest
countries in the world and lists Tim
buktu as one of the most impover
ished regions in the country. Pastor
Yattara refers to
the region as the
“Belt of Misery”
and yet, in his
ministry he la
bors to decon-
struct the poverty
I paradigm by
modeling
through his own
life the power of
God’s grace in
the midst of en-
By Ninashay
bodies the reality of the living Christ
in a region anchored in Islam, was an
honor that far surpassed my expecta
tions. Whilg I had heard stories
about Pastor Nouh, his election as a
visionary-warrior who spreads the
Good News about salvation through
Jesus Christ, it was a great moment
in my Christian experience to wit
ness the anointing on his life. One
would have to be chosen and also
have a word from God to establish a
church in Timbuktu.
economic adversity.
To walk with Pastor Nouh
around his hometown is to be ab
sorbed in a rich visual and oral narra
tive of Timbuktu’s religions history.
He is a professionally trained tour
guide. However, what distinguishes
him is his ability to underscore the
genesis and evolution of Christianity
in Timbuktu. Although Catholics
were the first to set up a mission in
Timbuktu, Pastor Nouh Yattara is the
first Timbuktu convert to the mes-
Continued on Page 15
Dedrick Robson, Theodore Howard, P. Diddy, and Christian Combs
The phenomenon tearing up
the turf at Calabasas High School
these days isn’t the home team Cala
basas Cougars, it’s a group of tal
ented 9 and 10 year old boys and 1
girl, whose perfect season record of
8-0 led them to the 2008 PYFL
(Pacific Youth Football League)
Playoffs.
The team Bantam Black, of
the Calabasas Raiders, is first seed in
the Bantam South-Central Division
Support Center Names
Paula McCoy As CEO
The transition of leadership
for an organization is usually a time
of nervous tension. In the case of the
NC Minority Support Center
(Support Center) in Durham, NC, the
board has confidence in its new
CEO, Paula McCoy. McCoy took
over the leadership of the Support
Center, bringing her more than two
decades of experience in community
organization management and direc
tion with her.
The Support Center has
helped North Carolina’s community
development credit unions (CDCUs)
meet the needs of underserved, low-
income people for more than 16
years. Through its technical assis
tance and critical investment pro
grams, the Support Center has helped
credit unions serve nearly 35,000
people. The organization’s business
loan fund has helped to generate over
1,400 jobs in the state. In the last
two years, it has assisted CDCUs in
providing over 6,568 loans in the
sum of $71 million for housing and
consumer financing to individuals
and families whose only other alter
native would have been sub-prime
lenders.
As the Support Center’s new
CEO, McCoy will continue to ensure
that the mission is carried out and
expand its reach as an intermediary
for small credit unions. “This mis
sion requires tenacious leadership
and compassion to help less fortunate
individuals,” says Maurice Smith,
Support Center Board Chairman.
“Paula’s background has equipped
her with the means to help promote
Paula McCoy
economic development for low-
income members and their commu
nities.”
McCoy will also serve as
CEO of Generations Community
Continued on Page 7
covering Ventura and Los Angeles
Counties which include Camarillo,
Burbank, Thousand Oaks and
neighboring cities. Their current re
cord is 9-0, winning their first play
off game and ending the regular sea
son with 8 wins, 4 shutouts and 216
total scoring points. A dynamic and
diverse group of kids, they are from
the nearby rolling hills of Calabasas,
California, home of Hollywood Elite,
Continued on Page 7
INSIDE...
SASSY SHOE PARTIES - -
Get FREE Shoes! 2
Start Leading A Healthier
Lifestyle 12
Dr. Rehab 13
How I Beat Cancer!
By John Raye 13
Equal Opportunity Day.. 14
Val’s Views
byValJones 19
Top Priority Care and
Community Outreach
Services, Inc. Goes
International and Reaches
Out To Jamaica 27