p^fturch congregation looking for new home after controversy
i BY T. KEVIN U/Ai vcd
{ I HE CHRONICLE ?
i , Grace Baptist Church is once
] again without a place to call
? home.
The small congregation
! heard its last sermon preached at
| 927 Cameron Ave. on Dec. 31.
Last Sunday, and for indefinite
J Sundays to come, the congrega
| tiorr-will meet at off-hours in the
i sanctuaries of other churches to
! ?yorship.
J r* Founded less than two years
| hgo, Grace moved into the large
i brick house on Cameron. The
] church had a short honeymoon
J in the residential area. When
> some neighbors saw a pulpit and
! pews being moved into the house
' rather than bedroom sets and
i <urfas, they voiced concern to
; local news organizations and to
J the owner of the house, Frank
t Stafford.
? ? The Rev. gloria gerald (she
\ does not capitalize her name)
J has been embroiled in a court
? battle with Stafford for more
rhan two months now. She
; claims that her landlord wanted
; fier out of the house once neigh
I
bors started to complain.
According to gerald, the church
has fought to keep its home,
while Stafford fought to evict
them on the grounds that he did
not know that he was renting to
a church, a charge that gerald
vigorously denies.
Calls to Stafford's residence
in Winston-Salem were not
returned.
Although city officials
recently confirmed that the
property was'zoned for small
churches, gerald gave up her
fight somewhat last week. Dur
ing a court hearing she turned
over the keys. The church's
organ and other items now sit in
the living room of her apart
ment. She now says she will sue
Stafford because she lost min
istry and members because of
the controversy and because
needed repairs were not made to
the structure.
"Some members were afraid
to worship in there with the dis
pute because they did not know
what would happen," gerald
said.
If it wasn't for what gerald
calls a faulty heating system in
the house and other repair
issues, the Grace family would
still be worshiping in the house,
gerald said. "Right" is on the
church's side, she added.
"I believe in right and I will
fight for right," she said.
She said many neighbors
were sad to see the church leave.
The perception that all the
neighbors wanted the church
gone is a false one, gerald said.
"One lady did not want the
church close to her house., and
she, of course, had supporters,"
gerald explained. "It only takes
one person to yell 'fire' and you
have people running."
Most of the neighbors, ger
ald said, were glad to see a
church in the community. They
called the church, gerald said, to
welcome the congregation to the
neighborhood and some even
donated money to the church to
show their support.
Grace will not move into
another property that it does not
own, gerald said. She hopes that
the church will finally have a
home of its own by this summer,
"Nothing compares to having
your own," gerald said.
Photo by Kevin Walker
The sign that stood in front of Grace Baptist Church has been taken down.
r' ?u'u / baptist \
V {// .? /?? 46 IIHMI ? I" m
sundtt. ? |rU Sundays m
<:"""";:":;;:.,!in; wed.. ?**?>? 7 *>? p ?< m
/j',V.?,/./ '/-'//. ? w<<< "??'' ' ","'ion < l-,ssl" M
?/?//</./?- ?'??"' "" i' "' 4
OI I H I : 607-H533 M
/ \//AY/ SSOK) I'R\YI R I.INK: 607-8534 H
OFFICE HOI RS; \
t/OX/JM - hRHXW 9:30 A.IM. - 5:00 l\'Mi M
Stoityjif' a/ A ./ t/tfr ,// (, m/ \ pn:*ratv /'// fAc Hor/ff (.ml so loir A"
///<? Newrcml l)r. gloria ?iral<l, I'a i
Former chief justice joins Greensboro law firm
I SPECIAL TO THE CHRONIC! F
GREENSBORO - Former
HC. Supreme Court Chief Justice
Henry E.
Frye has ,
joined one of
North Car
olina's oldest
and most
prominent
law firms,
Br oaks,
Pierce,
McLendon,
?- -Humphrey
& Leonard, Frye
, LLP, with
i offices in Greensboro and Raleigh.
"Henry Frye is one of the
nation's most respected jurists and
leaders of the bar, and we are truly
honored to have him join our
; firm," said Brooks Pierce partner
Hugh Humphrey. "Justice Frye
has a distinguished record of ser
vice to North Carolina as a prac
' tiring attorney, as a businessman,
as a member of the General
Assembly, and as a justice and
'1 Chief justice of the North Carolina
Supreme Court," Humphrey
"iadded.
Frye, who will become Of
^'Counsel to the firm, said, " I've
known and respected many of the
lawyers in the Brooks firm for a
1 long time, both professionally and
through civic involvement. I am
excited about joining the firm, and
I look forward to a mutually
rewarding association."
In 1983, Frye became the first
African American to serve on the
? Supreme Court of North Caroli
na, and in 1999 he was appointed
i by Gov. Jim Hunt to serve as chief
justice. In 1968, he became the first
African American to serve in the
N.C. House of Representatives in
the 20th century, serving six terms
as a representative of Guilford
County. He later served in the
N.C. Senate.
A native of Ellerbe, in Rich
mond County, Frye graduated
summa cum laude from N.C. A&T
State University. He graduated
with honors, from the UNC
Chapel Hill School of Law, where
he served on the board of editors
of The N.C. Law Review. He was
commissioned as a second lieu
tenant in the U.S. Air Force, rising
to the rank of captain. He served
as a munitions officer in Japan and
Korea.
Frye practiced law in Greens
boro for 21 years. During that
period, he organized and served as
the first president of Greensboro
National Bank.
Frye received honorary doctor
of laws degrees from Shaw Univer
sity, N.C. A&T State University,
Fayetteville State University and
Livingstone College. He is the
recipient of the Charles D. Mclver
Medal from the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro
and the Distinguished Alumnus
Award from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In
1986, he was named Lawyer of the
Year by the Association of Black
Lawyers and later received the
N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers'
Appellate Judge Award.
In 1983, the National Bankers
Association gave Frye the R.R.
Wright Leadership Award for
community leadership. The
National Conference of Christians
and Jews presented its coveted
Brotherhood Award to Justice and
Mrs. Frye, and the N.C. NAACP
chose Frye to receive the Kelly M.
Alexander Humanitarian Award.
He has also been active in national
judicial and professional organiza
tions and served as chair of The
American Judicature Society.
While chief justice, Frye estab
lished the Chief Justice's Forum
on the Media and the Courts and
completed the organization of the
Chief Justice's Commission on
Professionalism.
Frye and his wife, Shirley Tay
f"""
lor Frye, who is vice president of
WFMY-TV, have two sons, Supe
rior Court Judge Ffenry E, Frye Jr.
and Harlan E. Frye. and three
granddaughters.
Brooks. Pierce. McLendon.
Humphrey & Leonard was estab
lished in 1897 and is one of the
state's larger law firms with some
70 lawyers in Greensboro and
Raleigh. The firm has a diverse
jtational and regional practice.
representing individuals, business
es, and public and private institu
tions. The firm's lawyers have a
history of active involvement in
the public, political and civic life
of the state.
Program
, from page . w
a Phi Bela Kappa graduate of the
University of North Carolina at
? Chapel Hill and holds master's
and doctoral degrees from Har
' vtird.
In his distinguished 27-year
career at Harvard, he has served as
director of the Harvard Center for
Middle Eastern Studies, chair of
the Committee on the Core Cur
riculum at Harvard College, and
chair of ^die Committee on the
, Study of Religion.
Recognized internationally as a
leader in his field, Graham Is
author of "Beyond the Written
Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in
the History of Religion" and
"Divine Word and Prophetic Word
in Early Islam." In addition, he
has written 43 articles in major
academic publications and serves
as associate editor of "Encyclope
dia of the Qur'am."
In addition to teaching ethics
at Howard, Sanders serves as
senior pastor at Third Street
Church of (h}d. She holds the
master of divinity degree from
Howard and the doctor of theolo
gy degree from Harvard. She is the
author of'ftve books: "Ministry at
the Margins, The Prophetic Mis
sions of Women, Youth and the
Poor," "Saints in Exile," "Living
The Intersection: Womanism and
Afrocentrism in Theology,"
"Empowerment and Ethics for a
Liberated People," and "Slavery
and Conversion."
A stimulating and widely
respected preacher, Sanders will
fijl the university's Hayworth
ChapeJ pulpit on several occasions
and deliver the Finch Lecture dur
ing her residency in spring 2002.
Her sermons appear in several
published collections, including
"Prophetic Voices: Black Preach
ers Speak on Behalf of Children."
Parks, who will lead the semi
nar in 2003, is best known as co
author of "Common Fire: Lives of
Commitment in a Complex
World," which focuses on the lives
of more than 100 people with
long-term commitments to the
common good. Her latest book,
"Big Questions, Worthy Dreams:
Mentoring Young Adults in Their
Search for Meaning, Purpose and
Faith," is slated for publication
next year.
She is also author of "The
Critical Years: The Young Adult
Search for a Faith to Live By." She
co-wrote "To Act Justly, Love Ten
derly, Walk Humbly: An Agenda
for Ministers" and "Can Ethics Be
Taught?"
MLK celebration planned
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Birthday Celebration will held
Jan. 12 from 4 p.m. to 5:30
p.m. at the Martin Luther
King Jr. Community Center,
2001 Pittsburg Ave. in the
Kimberly Park community.
Refreshments will be served
after the program. For more
information call 727-2740.
The Chronicle
il (fy' ^ A w w w <sJ
ft) G.
1/ Service
*/Vw^rt>s
nj&mUL ^ -?*nam** n immi h ?
j Submit your candidates Today!
THE CHRONICLE invites you to help in the selection
of this year's recipients for the "Man and Woman of
the Year," "Community Service Award" and the
| "Lifetime Achievement Awards." Recipients will be
chosen by THE CHRONICLE staff and advisory team.
| Judging will be based as follows: "Man and Woman of
the Year" will be persons who have demonstrated out
standing character and serve as role models for others.
The man or woman of the year should be someone who
has triumphed over a personal tragedy or someone who
has helped an individual to overcome an obstacle in
| order to obtain a better standard of living. The occur
rences should have taken place during the past year. The
recipients of the "Community Service Award" will be
judged based on contributions to the African American
community. The individual must have demonstrated a
commitment through affiliation with community-serv
ice agencies, community-oriented projects or communi
ty institutions, schools, churches, etc. The recipients of
the "Lifetime Achievement Awards" will be a long
time Stewart in the African American community. He or
she will be someone who has, over the years, epitomized
what "role model** " means. Nominees should be
Piedmont Triad residents. The winners will be recog
nized in February 2001 Community Awards Special
Edition. The recipients will receive commemorative
plaques at the 18th Annual Awards Banquet in March.
Please print legibly and be as specific as possible in
describing your nominees' accomplishments. Use addi
tional paper if necessary.
Nominations must be received by
THE CHRONICLE
no later than 5:30pm
on Friday, January 19, 2001
Deliver your form to:
THE CHRONICLE
617 N. Liberty Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-722-8624
Last Year's
Awards
Recipients
?
Dr. Charles Kennedy
j Man of the Yedar q
Mose Helton-Brown
Woman of the Year
IRrtnda l>iKgs
Volunteer irf the Year
Celistine (tree
Community Service
Calvin Bell
Community Service
r ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? "i
!? MAN OF THE YEAR ? COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD J
" ? WOMAN OF THE YEAR ? LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
i Nominee's Name ^ i j
I I i
I I
' Nominee's Address M
| Nominee's Phone# j
i i
! Work # ^ >= ?
J Occupation i Jj
1 1 J
[ Activities, memberships, affilfsrtions {j
i i
i i.
i i
, Please explain briefly your candidate's community service achievements ? (
I I
i i
i ?
I c |
I 1
I
i i;
i *
i i
i
1?
i i
| Your Name j
i Your Address I
! Your Phone: (Home) !
| (Work) r 12 !
i Your Signature j