Prayer for
Prisoners Program Brings Inmates, Volunteers Together
B> V FRO MCA C1.EM0NS
Ch'ontcU Staff Writer
The Prayers for Prisoners cele
bration. sponsored by the Forsyth
County Correctional Center Prison
Ministry, recently gave inmates and
chaplains a chance to show appreci
ation to those who have supported
the ministry this year.
The Forsyth Prison Ministry is
a full-time, non-demoninational
ministry involving chaplains serving
the county jail, county youth deten
tion center and the prison unit.
Senior Chaplain Rodney Stil
well awarded certificates to those
Prisoners program, wherein volun
teers pray for a particular initiate
who is in the program for the entire
year.
The program started with about
12 people, but has grown to about
150 participants. An inmate
designed the certificates.
Stilwell said the program
beneficial to the entire community.
"It increases the awareness of
people who are incarcerated," he
said.
"It's not just for the people and
their families and the inmates and
their families, we pray for the entire
system;
"I'm proud to see the commu
nity unite across denominationaT
and racial lines to do something
positive," he added.
The New Bethel Baptist Church
Male Chorus provided music for the
event and speakers offered words of
encouragement to the audience
mixed with inmates and community
members. <
Dennis O'Magdin. one of the
speakers, Jold inmates he was not
looking to give something to them
but receive something from them.
He reminded them of some citizens
who had been imprisoned only to
come out and be leaders, like Nel
son Mandela, imprisoned for much
of his adult life and now is the first
'black president of South Africa.
He also mentioned that Melissa
Hines^ held captive for 41 days by
guerillas in Cambodia, still vsants to
go back and finish her mission
work.
"Forget about all the inequities
and sufferings and rise above these
things and come back into the com
munities and lead us." he said.
Richard Doub. an inmate,
expressed his appreciation tor the
various prayers he has received
while in prison and how prayer has
helped him.
The ministry , started in 1977. is,
the first one in the state solels sup
ported by the religious communis .
"The business of helping people
change their lives, finding im-jue
ness and stopping certain things is
the business of the church, pot the
state v Stilwell said.
Now. there are no more than 10
ministries like this one. Stilwell.
said Ntosl ot'lhem are supported by
state funds ? : ?
T he ministry will be seeking
even more assistance from area
churches to help increase staff to go
along with the growing number of
prison inmates.
The need for more ministries
will be extremely great once^the
new i a 1 1 is built. It will have a
capacity for about I .()(K) inmates.
Chaplain Sandra Thigpen said
the nu:ustr\ has experienced some
growth alread\ With the addition of?
a part time Chaplain, but thj.e min
r>on become?
full-time and another chaplain can
join the staff.
The ministry has two target
areas for this year, Stilwell said,
women and young men. * ^
Since women have entered the
workforce, the number of those
incarceraed has grown and the
amount of young men between the
ages of 18-23 has grown at an
alarming rate, he added.
People can get involved in the
Prayers for Prisoners program by
contacting the ministry or sending a
donation. Volunteers are then
matched with an inmate who has
requested to be a part of the praver
program.
Memorial Day Finds Veteran Reliving Wounds frprrTKorean War
from page 1
Brown was wounded the first
time during. combat on a hill called
Vegas.
"1 woke up and found out they
had taken me to "E" Medical Hospi
tal .suffering from a concussion and,
lacerations on the right arm, chest,
head and skull," he said. "I was also
wounded in the neck."
That first incident occurred in
March 1 953. Brown was wounded
again, this time from shell-shock,
July 1953. ?
But Brown faced obstacles '
before he saw any war action. Presi
dent Harry Truman had integrated
the armed forces, but blacks still
faced prejudice, especially in the
Marine Corp. which was considered
an elitist group for whites. Brown
said.
"I was called a lot of names, but
I stayed there and toughened It out,"
he said. "I had to do twice as much
as whites, but 1 passed the tests so
they couldn't throw me out."
The only friend Brown has left
from his marine squad is the white
doctor, -"Doc" James Ferris, who
brought Brown in when he was
wounded the first time and stayed
with him all night until he awoke
from the concussion.
Ferris and Brown remain good
Spends and enjoy reminiscing about
tie war days.
' "Sam is about a good a person
as you're ever going to see." Ferris
said. "And he was a good marine."
Brown said there were many
times he thought that he might not
get to come home, but the thought
of a daughter he had never seen kept
him determined to return to his fam
ily.
."I -told the Lord that I wasn't
going to stay here. I was going
home and I was going to see my
newborn baby." He said. "I'm thank
ful because everything I've asked the
Lord for he's given it to rtie. 1 said I
wanted to go to the marines and
said 1 wanted to come home <wi1h
medals. It all has come true." /
In addition to the Purple/Hearts.
Brown received a Gol^ Star, a
Bronze Star for Bravery/the. Korean
Service Medal andMhe United
Nations Service Medal.
When the war finally ended.
Brown came home a changed man;
not only did be wear the scars from
the wounds/he suffered in combat.
he bore deep mehjdf wounds -
wounds that led/Kim to drink and
wounds that said cost him his
family. / r;
He /did return t o wurk at
Reynolds for a few years, hut in
1968 doctors labeled him totally tiis
aoled due to post-traumatic stress
sustained through his injuries
Nowadays, if he is not watching
television, he goes out in hi^
light-green Caijillac he has owned
for 14 years. Many times those dri
ves lead him to Wake Forest to par
ticipate in the cardiac program so
his heart can be monitored while he
walks two to three hours a da\ . he
has had four hejart attacks Brown
said he also reads his Bible and goes .
to church as much as he can.
A bitter taste from that war still
- ' * e
(lV^
in all those medals, being seriously
wounded twice during the war and
being tola II \ disabled because of
those 'injuries lor the past 25 years,
he fs still righting to get the veteran
henel its he deserves.
\fter all I went through, fight
ing and being wounded. 1 dtfserve
1 00 percent benefits." he said.
Brown's ca\e is in Washington,
D C waiting among a backlog of
veterans' claims to be reviewed. In
jfrddnion toVecords from the military
and doctors reports. Brown ;has
recent l\ added to his evidenAe a
signed statement b> Ferns veritling
Bro^vn s injuries I
Brown said part of the re*on
he's probabl.) not getting total bene
fits is because he didn't know any
Thing about applying for benefits.
"They didn't tell you anything,"
he said, "especially with me being
black. I was still having headaches,
but 1 didn't know the government
would pay you for them."
Brown said he and other sur
vivors from the Korean War suffer
also because they feel unappreciated
? like the government has written
off that war as insignificant. 6ut,
Brown said, more people died in the
Korean War than in Vietnam and he
feels Korean War soldiers deserve
recognition as well.
"Nearly as many of us died in
the 37 months of Korea as the 10
years of Vietnam and some people
today dismiss it as the forgotten
war,' " Brown said. "But those of us r
who fought there have not forgotten.
Church Makes History with hirst Women Ordained as Deacons
from page 1
Winston-Salem 24 years ago and
has been a member of Emmanuel
for 18 years.
All of the women said they felt
honored to be nominated and
accepted as deacons.
"1 feel great about it." Jenkins
said. "I felt the Lord must have
something more in store for me."
"It's a privilege and a humbling
experiences' Watkins added. " I've
been chosen to do more of God's
will than I've been doing."
Watkins. a nurse at Baptist
Hospital who has. lived in Winston
since 1960, plans to get more theo
logical education^ "I want to to
know more to be more equipped to
handle what may come up."
Mendez said since the deacon
nominations came about 18 months
ago. the candidates have been
reviewed, tested and recommended
bv deacons. A show of hands from
Emmanuel members Sunday gave
unanimous approval for the new
deacons. ? *
Despite the show of approval
from church members. Brown said
the women deacons may still have
some obstacles to face.
"We still have some barriers to
overcome," she said. "A lot of men
do not recognize women as deacons
or ministers."
Mendez reminded the congre
gation of biblical women such as
Phoebe and Tabitha who held
offices in the church.
He also encouraged alhr>f the~
new deacons to work to keep har
-mony in:- the churchr
"Whenever the deacons and pastor
work together, it. brings about
greater harmony in the church," "he
said "For 1(F years I've been proud
of us working together."
He added that all of the deacons
must know what the needs of the
people are so they can combat prob
lems such as teen-age pregnane),
families breaking up and violence
among young people.
I
The three history-makers said
the> me looking torward to the task
as deacon:*
It's a big responsibility and an
awesome ..task Blown said.
Because it deacon is really a ser
vant and you otten wonder it' you
can liw up to vshat will be required.
I'm thankful that the church mem
bers here had enough belief and
faith to nominate me."
"I've always seen myself as a
servant, "Watkins added, "and if I
lean and depend on God I know he
will direct my path." >.
IN OUR SCHOOLS
Academic Scholarship
Latasha D. Barr has r
received a full academic
I scholarship to attend
North Carolina Central
University in Durham. She
will he pursuing a major in
Biology. She is a senior at
North Forsyth High
School and is the daughter
of Lewis and Denise Barr
of 52D5 Sunrise Terrace,
Winston-Salem.
Latasha D. Barr
a>
Author's Conference
Ibraham Elementary School will participate in a
Young Author's Conference "Writing: Your Magic
Carpet Ride" on Friday at 9:15 a.m. Special guests
will he Joe Yukish from Clemmons University as sto
ryteller and the West End Chamber Orchestra Wood
wind Trio.
Holiday for Students
Monday will be a holiday for students and a pro
fessional day for teachers. 1
Board Meets
The Winston-Salem/FOrsyth County Board of
Educatibn will meet June 2 at 6 p.m.
High School Graduation
All high-school graduations will be on June 3,
except for South Park, which will be on June 2.
Project Graduations
rr ? ;? ' - # . ' . _
The "Project Graduation" celebration will be held
at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds for ail graduating
seniors on June 3.
SAT Test
On June 4, there will be SATI Wd SAT II sub
ject tests. \
? " * . . T' ;
Year-Round School
The last day of school for year-round school will
be on June 8.
Traditional Day of School
The last' day of school on the traditional calendar
will be on June 9.
A Learning Odyssey
The 5th grade students at Konnoak Elementary
will graduating with the theme "2001 A Learning
Odyssey" on June 3 at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
Guest speaker will be Bernard Faulk, football coach at
Parkland High School. Parents, family and friends of
the 5th grad students are invited to attend.
Handicapped Training
~~ The Tidinable -Mentally handicapped (TMH) stu
dents of Konnoak Elementary will graduate on June 7
at 1:30 p.m. in the gymtorium. Konnoak Core 1 stu
dents are graduating to Core II program at Jefferson
Elementary. A program honoring graduates consisting
of musical selections, slides presentation and presenta
tion of certificates. The guest speaker will be Camillie
Blackburn, program specialist.
Family and friends of the students, school board
members, exceptional children/mentally handicapped
administrators are invited to attend.
Cultural Diversity
Konnoak Elementary School will explore new
worlds in terms of cultural diversity and celebrate
authorship on "Starship Konnoak" on Friday, May 27
at ID a.m. The celebration will involve the sharing of
books, food, fellowship and voyaging to space sta
tions that feature multicultural themes. .
Parents, relatives and friends are invited.
"to Our Schools" is a weekly calendar of events
that chronicles going-ons in our local schools. If you
would like your event information included send them
to: "In Qur Schools", The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636,
Winston-Salem, N.C.,'27102. You may also fax it to
723-9173
Announcing Extended Hours.
Our Northside and Main Office banking centers are not only
full-service, they're now full-time. ? *
Beginning May 1. our new hours will be from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Thursday and until 6:00 p.m. on Fridays.
So come see us. We can take care of all your banking needs when it's
convenient for you.
Northside Banking Center
3567 North Patterson Avenue
Winston-Salem, NC 27105
(910) 721-4017
Main Office Banking Center
102 W. Third Street
Winsto4;Salem, NC 27101
(910) 721-4080
J 9
NationsBank
> h n i '!? ( i.ihmtj \ \ Mrinhfi- h'l)l( ? Sutiort.sBnnk Corporation