Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 16, 1989, edition 1 / Page 15
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Religion Bishop Charles Hash leads 'Children's Church' to maturity By ROBIN BARKSDALE Community News Editor Th<? Jonesville community used to refer to it as "The Children's Church." It happened upon that nick name because its pastor and his wife were spotted each Sunday driving a bus around the community transport ing children to and from church services. That was back in 1975, and many of those young children who trav eled to church with Bishop Charles Hash and his wife, Nancy, have grown into adulthood. But the church's pastor said that his church, Refuge Temple Church of God Apostolic. has mairtlained its focus on young peo Mi 9Good churches minister to the spirit, the soul and the body. A good church minis ters to the total person. The first part is the spirit. If a church is a good churchy it deals not only with the spirit but with the whole man. We're living in a time when there's so much rejection that it's got to be dealt with on a spiritual basis.99 ? Bishop Charles Hash pie. "At first, we had no adults. We've always had chil drerv," said Bishop Hash. "We used to drive a bus aroundihe-town and pick up-every-cfrild we could pick up and take them to churcfTaruTBring them back. We wholesome environment. The children loved it. They looked forward to it every week. Now they're adults and they're members of the church. Our church is grow ing now because of our ministry to young people. When they got to be adults, they remembered our min istering to them as children and they joined our church as adults." Bishop Hash, part, of a family heavily entrenched in the ministry, said it took him a while to fully realize that he was being called to the ministry. His father, Bishop R. K. Hash, is general overseer of the Church of God Apostolic and retired pastor of St. Peter's World Outreach Center. His brother, Elder J. C. Hash, is St. Peter's current pastor. "As a child coming up, one thing I can remember is always being proud of my mother and father and their work with their ministry. I never realized my call ing until the year I got out of school," said Bishop Hash, who attended Shenandoah Bible School in Vir ginia. "Even then I didn't know if I was going to be a minister. Later on, I realized that it had always been in me somewhere deep inside. I have always loved the church. I haven't always done everything 1 should have done, especially as a teenager." Bishop Hash considers himself fortunate to have recognized his calling and pursued his ministry. But he said, too, that there are many young people who arc not as fortunate. Many young people, he said, arc so wrapped up in material interests that they are ignoring their spiritual well-being. He said that too few churches are focusing on the problem with young people and helping them build spiritual roots. "We're going through a period of time when so much emphasis is on the material," he said. "Churches need to help young people go back and find their spiri tual roots." ~ Bishop Hash said tharas he hartravclcd around-the~ country, he has noticed that churches arc beginning to again be concerned with their congregations' spiritual health as well as their physical well-being. But he said he hopes that more and more churches will follow suit. "Good churches minister to the spirit, the soul and the body. A good church ministers to the total person. The first parriTlHrspirit. tf a churchis a guud rhuich, it deals not only with The spirit but with the whole man. We're living in a-*tme when there'^ -so-mtteh-rejeeHon that it's got to be dealt with on a spiritual basis," he said. "In times past, people dealt with it on a social basis. The church is at that place now when it is realiz ing that there are things that only can be addressed from a spiritual standpoint. People are looking for that which can satisfy them from within." Bishop Hash has seen a gradual return among min isters to more spiritual ministries. He said that during the 1960s, ministers tended to be "social preachers," oftentimes at the expense their Hocks. "Fifteen years ago, there was a lot of pressure to be a 'social preacher.' But that left people so empty," said Bishop Hash. "Now we're coming back to the spiritual. The church has always been a source of strength for the black man especially. In limes past, however, the church has let the black man down. I'm seeing that CHURCH ? CALENDAR THURSDAY, NOV. 16 ? The congregation of Reynolds Temple CME Church will celebrate its 72nd church anniversary through Nov. 19. The Rev. Ronald P. Davis and St. John CME will render service at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Rev. Earl C. Carroll and Hanes Memorial CME Church will render the service Friday evening at 7 and the celebration will conclude Nov. 19 during morning worship. Dinner will be served at Holiday Inn North. Pastor Simmons is the host minister. \ ? The Forsyth Ministers' Fellowship will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Crisis Control Building. A representative of Hospice will be the speaker. SATURDAY, NOV. 18 ? Emmanuel Baptist Church will hold a fall bazaar from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 1075 Shalimar Drive. To display your craft or other items, table rentals are available for $20. During the bazaar, fish and chicken din ners will be sold. You may eat in or take oul Every order of four to six dinners will be delivered free. For more information and details con cerning the bazaar, call Clarice Rhyne at 788-7023. ? St. John CME Church Missionaries wiH hold a workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dr. Thelma Dudley of Orlando, Fla., president emeritus of the Missionary Council, will convene the activities. The theme is "Bridge Builders for Today and Tomorrow." Missionaries from across the Carolina Conference will be in attendance. Dr. Dudley will be the speaker for the Sunday morning worship service. Fosiina West is presi dent. The Rev. Ronald P. Davis is host pastor. SUNDAY, NOV. 19 ?" The Nurses^oarcfof St. Mart Baptist Church, 1100 Manfey St., will cclebrate its anniversary at 4 p.m. The Rev. James Fulwood is host pas tor. ? Wayside CME Church's Laymen's Council will present the Christian Men's Chorus of Hanes Memorial CME Church in concert at 4 p.m. Randy Butler is Lay Council leader. Others involved with the program are Jubar Garcia and Edward Duren Sr. Mr. Butler will preside and is program commiuee chair. ? The Senior Choir of Zion Memorial Baptist Church will celebrate its anniversary at 4 p.m. The guests will be the Friendly Five of Walker town and the Inspirational Gospel Choir of Morning Star Baptist Church. The Rev. Joseph Jones is host pastor. St. Paul United Methodist Church in Kcmersville will celebrate the ? > Please see page B6 ?I ~~photo by Mike Cunningham? Bishop Charles Hash, pastor of Refuge Temple in Jonesville, says he has learned to deal with the challenges of pastoring a small, rural church. change more and more among the churches across the "We're a rural church so we basically have people country." who don'i have high-paying jobs. You know you need Bishop Hash said that he faces special challenges to get a certain quantity of people to make your finan as pastor of a small.ruralchurch^ Because his congre- cial budget. That's not always true in ITcIt^ church, gation is small and working-class, its coffers are not Sometimes rural churches have to be limited," he said. ovcrfTc)wTng as Tftcy are at someofltie churches llT the "But we have people who lov6 their church and lhey~~ larger cities. That limits the types and quantity of out- love this ministry and they support it. It feels more like rcach programs that his church can offer, he said. He a family. You know everyone and they care about you." said, ux), that the charismatic nature of his church is not Bishop Hash said he has had offers to preach in familiar to a lot of people, and, therefore, there is some foreign countries, and he spends much time serving as skepticism about the ministry in the community. an evangelist at other churches. He feels that his per "Thcrc is an old saying that if you don't understand sonality and interests lend themselves to evangelism, it, reject it," he said. "We're charismatic and some peo- but he said that, for now, his place is with his church pie don't understand what lhat is. But more and more and that's where he'll be until he's called elsewhere. people arc understanding it. And as they understand it, "I've been invited to foreign countries to minister," they are becoming more and more accepting." he said. "Sometimes, I think I'm a better evangelist than His congregation is not drawn exclusively from pastor. But now I put my church first. That's my first among the residents of Jonesville. Bishop Hash himself priority. When I go out of town to speak, I'm always lives in Winston-Salem, and several members of his back at my own church on Sunday. I think I'm more of congregation commute weekly from the Twin City to an evangelist than a pastor, but I have to be a pastor attend his church. Other members, he said, live in until the Lord says, 'Okay, I'm going to let someone Wilkcsboro and in other places surrounding Jonesville. else take your place.'" CHURCH NOTES New Bethel Baptist takes closer look at race progress From Chronicle Staff Reports There can be no discussion of race progress as long as the Afro American male continues to face a dismal future, said the keynote speaker at last weekend's Race Progress Day at New Bethel Baptist Church. Nick Jcralds, a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, said that Afro-Americans have advanced but that those gains appear small when placed along side the problems that arc devastat ing Afro-American males. "We have a problem in trying to save the black male. Unless we address that problem the race will not progress," said Mr. Jcralds, vice chair of the Committee on Families, Children and Youth. "We have to teach them to love themselves. Wc must constantly re-enforce their successes to make them feel gcxxi about themselves." Mr. Jcralds said that lifung the black male from his plight will require a collective effort within the Afro-American community ^nd it will require some candid discus sions with young Afro-American males about their responsibilities as men. "Wc need to make them aware that the ability to make a baby docs not make a man," nc sairt. "trr needs lo know that commitment to something and someone makes a man." Mr. Jeralds issued a challenge to the black church and to success ful Afro-Americans to give young black men the attention and encour agement they need to survive. "There are our young black men. They are calling from the wilderness for a helping hand," said Mr. Jeralds. "The call of young black men beckons on the other side of the stained glass windows. Until we answer them, Race Progress Day will have little mean ing." Mr. Jeralds said that, placed in a very general perspective, Afro A\mericans have made much progress in the past 25 years. But he said that when certain areas of life arc examined on a more specific level, the true picture shows that there have been setbacks within the minority population. "What progress have we as a race truly made? And progress compared to what?," Mr. Jeralds said. "We can look at the 1964 Civil Rights Act and say, Thank God, we have come a long way.' Should we look at race progress in the long term we can find reasons to rejoice. And certainly if we look at the events of last week, with the elec tion of (David) Dinkins and (Duug) To The Point Dr. (5harles R. Solomon, founder and president of Grace Fellowship Interna tional in Denver, was the special guest speaker for the Southeastern District Confer ence of the Church of God Apostolic held last week at St. Peter's World Outreach Center. Other speakers included Bishop C.O. Reld, Bishop George Morgan, Elder Barbara Reld, Dr. Ronald Hash, Bishop Charles Has* and Bishop R.K. Hash. photo by Mike Cunningham Rep. Nick Jeralds was the keynote speaker at last Sunday's Race Progress Day at New Bethel Baptist Church. Wilder, wc should be shouting in the 65th anniversary celebration of the streets. But that would serve to New Bethel's Effort Club, whose obscure the true progress wc have purpose is to support each of the made as a racc. Though wc arc church's major endeavors. It is the making major strides and making 38th year that the club has spon big salaries, wc still have a long sored the racc progress program, way to go. Wc must continue to rcdig the wells or wc shall perish at Ann Hancs is the club's prcsi thc hands of our society." dent. Dr. Jerry Drayton is pastor of ~ Race Progress Day also marked the church. Sweet Honey in the Rock concert set Sweet Honey in the Rock, a American cxpcriencc. Bcrnicc quintet of Afro-American female Johnson Rcagon founded the group singers, will appear in conccrt at in 1973 and is the group's leader. Winston-Salem State University's Currently the group includes K.R. Williams Auditorium Sunday, Ms. Rcagon, Yamccn Bhcti Gra Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. ham, Nitanju Boladc, Aisha Kahili The original group was pari of and Ysaye Maria Barnwell, the vocal workshop of the D.C. The group's name is taken from Black Repertory Theatre Company, an old spiritual that tells of a land Its sound is rooted in the tradition so rich that honey pours from stone, of Afro-American unaccompanied. "Our sound is the black con choral singing. grcgational sound...There is no The group sings of being fight- holding back. It's a very open, up crs, taking their audicnccs through front kind of sound," said Ms. the historic struggle of the Afro- Rcagon. - *v
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 16, 1989, edition 1
15
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75