Committee Members Ruben Gonzales and JoAnn Allen.
CDC gives coats
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
In the spirit of the holi
day season the Liberty
Community Development
Corporation is continuing to
support the greater Liberty
Street neighborhood with a
variety of initiatives both
large and small.
This past weekend, the
CDC held a coat give-a-way
at its 1713 N. Liberty Street
headquarters for neighbor
hood residents. The Liberty
CDC Board collected coats
and distributed them to
more than 50 families in the
area.
The CDC and Liberty
Street businesses like the
new Exxon Station and
MediCap Pharmacy are
demonstrating that no need
is too great or too small for
attention.
"The Liberty Community
Development Corporation
' Coat give-a-way ... was a
100 percent success," said
CDC Committee Member
Jo Ann Allen. "Those stop
ping by from the community
to receive a free coat or
jacket were very thankful
that Liberty CDC was there
to give back to the commu
nity of their time, effort and
patience."
The Liberty CDC invites
everyone interested in help
ing to revitalize Liberty
Street to join them. Call
336-721-9020 for more
information.
Rites
from page B9
strength, confidence & per
sistence)."
The students embarked
upon their journey in
February of this year. They
received their African names
* in ceremonies held at the,
church and the school. Dr.
John Mendez, Emmanuel's
pastor, and Ruth Hopkins,
the head of Carter G.
Woodson, had the insight
and the wisdom to bring this
opportunity to students.
The Whole Village
Program was embraced the
first time Mendez and
Hopkins met with Nana Vee
Terry, the founder and direc
tor of the program and an
Emmanuel member.
The Rites of Passage
Crossing-Over Ceremony
will begin at 4:30 p.m. The
Ruth Hopkins
free celebration is open to
the community.
0 For more information
about the program, contact
Nana Vee at 336-293-7810.
Calendar
from page B9
For more information, call
336- 725-7390.
Watch Night at Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Full Gospel
Baptist Church. 651 Akron
Drive, will have a New
Year's Eve Celebration and
Watch Night Service on
Dec. 31 starting at 10 p.m.
Breakfast will be served fol
lowing the event. The public
is welcome to attend the
free event.
For more information,
call 336-744-9293, ext. 105.
Watch Night at New Birth
New Birth Worship
Center (NBWC) Will
observe Watch Night
Service on Dec. 31st. from
10:30 p.m. -12:00 midnight.
Everyone is cordially invit
ed to attend. The pastor at
NBWC is Rev. Dr. James
L.E. Hunt. The church is
located at 1033 New Birth
Dr. in East Bend. For addi
tional information, call the
church at 336-699-3583.
Aiken^.
from page B9 |
a complete surrender to God, Aikin passionately sings:
"Here I am on bended knees, with outstretched arms, crying
Lord, not my will but your will; less of me and more of
you." ,
Also included on the CD, is the resonating "What If," a
thought stirring song of what if God said no to miracles and
blessings; while the jazz-inspired "Lord You Reign Forever"
and "Turn To Him" are impassioned reminders to trust God
and believe in the power of prayer. The energetic "He's So
wortny is a
favorite of
Aikin,>, who
calls the song
a "Gospel
joint,
"adding,
"He's worthy
of all the
praise and all
the glory. It
provokes
you, no mat
ter what you
might be feel
ing at that
moment;
vou're like
'Umph! He's so worthy!"'
Powerful vocals, complimented with a bubbly personali
ty, Aikin delivers a fresh sound to Gospel music.
"My desire for my album is that people will be inspired
to bless God and worship God. I want them to get the
Crystal artistry, but have the God experience."
Lesson
from page V)
with Herod the tetrarch rul
ing in Galilee. During the
high priesthood of Annas
and Caiaphas, John begins
to preach his message.
Isaiah, the prophet said that
he was a voice crying in the
wilderness to prepare the
Way for the Lord. John is a
direct, in-your-face guy. He
doesn't pull ^y punches.
"Oh you brood of vipers
(malicious or spiteful) who
warned you to flee from
God's coming wrath? He is
confrontational towards
them. He questions their
motives and behaviors. If
they are so good, he asks for
the fruits of their repentance
(change of mind to do good
instead of evil). The crowd
is cautioned not to rest on
their ancestry for that isn't
enough! Urgency is in the
air because the axe (judge
ment) is on the root now.
Every root that is cut down
will be destroyed - the
judgement. Even though
hundreds of years have
passed since the Babylonian
Captivity (Old Testament)
the crowd is well aware of
this implication. They ask.
"What needs to be done?"
John's response covers
three areas of sin. First of
all, if a person has two
tunics (cloak) , give one to a
person who has none. This
exposes greed at the sim
plest level. When a person
has more than enough, why
not share? Secondly, John
states to the publicans (tax
collectors), known for their
corruption, to collect only
what is required. This covers
the "get over" mentality of
people. The soldiers who
come for baptism are told to
be content with their wages
and to stop bullying and
falsely accusing people as a
way to elevate themselves.
In simple terms, true repen
tance sparks a "do the right
thing" attitude in believers.
His statements are direct and
simple. As the crowd listens
and participates (some) in
baptism they begin to won
der if he's the One.
Recognizing their concern,
he tells them about the One
who will baptize with the
Holy Spirit and fire. John
proclaims that he isn't wor
thy to untie the One's san
dals. His reference about a
winnowing fan represents
Christ separating the good
from the bad. The bad are
the chaff that will be burned
up. John continues to preach
the Good News to the peo
ple.
Application: The com
mitment in today's lesson is
twofold. First let's consider
the commitment of the
leader - that's you! John
wasn't concerned about pop
ularity or the opinions of the
elite. He was committed to
his Call. Are you that type of
leader, or are you concerned
T
with being friendly? A com
mitted leader will at times
stand alone even in the face
of rejection. John's person
ality was direct and con
frontational. All of us will
not be like him, but our level
of commitment should
match his. The other com
mitment covered in this les
son is the challenge to turn
from evil to good. True
repentance changes a per
son's attitude and behaviors.
This isn't always easy, but,
believers are expected to act
righteously (having right
relationship with God and
others). Stop being greedy,
slack on the job, having a
different face at home, ?
exploiting others and the
like. The challenge to
change is staying the course
- don't go back. The change
is worth the challenge as
others notice the difference
in you. $ay our level of
commitment to God be
strengthened in the coming
year. Happy New Year!!!
1
f?>
TIME WARNER CABLE MM
THE POWER OF YOU
re you ready tor
No? We are. Stop by our Hanes Mall Store for a
FREE DTV Workshop. Have all your questions
answered face to face. Workshops are held
Wednesdays at 2:00 P.M. & 4:00 P.M.
Now, through February 11, 2009
, P3&I I ' ?
Digital TV Transition will take place on
February 17, 2009
The Time Warner Cable Store is located lower
1 level at the food court entrance.
WE CAN HELP
? lint WafOji Cjte M Hm I
H? ^werrf W s 3ttdr?k of TireifeaerCaEfe 1a;