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8B
Cl^arlotte $ogt
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005
RELIGION
Life 1B
Guidelines
for giving
Matthew 6:1-4
Take heed that ye do not
your alms before men, to be
seen of them: otherwise ye
have no reward of your
Father which is in heaven.
The ancient Jews are fre
quently instructed to give
alms, which are charitable
gifts for poor people
(Deuteronomy 15:11). People
who have plenty are to share
with people in need (e.g., Acts
9:36; 10:2; 24:17; 2 Corinthi
ans 9:6, 7), Handicapped peo
ple would lie beside the public
thoroughfares, waiting for
someone to take pity and give
them money (Acts 3:2). In a
day with no welfare depart
ment or chaiitable foimda-
tions, this one-on-one
approach to giving is vital.
It is easy, however, to do the
right thing in the wrong way
A very righteous person may
innocently think that person
al giving should be a good
example for others to follow.
Such a person may think of
himself or herself as simply
modeling the godly life. Even
tually, however, a person’s
real reason for public act of
righteousness may be so that
he or she can be seen by oth
ers. People may praise such a
person for his or her good
ness, but that person will
have congratulations from
God.
Therefore when thou doest
thine aims, do not sound a
trumpet befoi*e thee, as the
hypocrites do in the syna
gogues and in the streets,
that they may have glory of
men. Verily I say unto you.
They have their reward.
If a very righteous person
decides that his or her gi\’ii^
is a good model for less right
eous people to follow, then it
stands to reason that such a
pei'son should call attention
to what’s being done. (After
aU, if very righteous deeds go
unnoticed, how will others
leaiTi?) So the pompous Phar
isee perhaps rationalized to
himself that it is appropriate
to make ostentatious displays
when inviting beggers to
leceive his generosity
Jesus ridicules such timn-
pet-blowers as hypocrites. A
hypocrite is a pretends. Peo
ple who pretend to be reli
gious but seek the glory of
other people are phonies in
God’s eyes. They are nothing
but playactors. When they
receive the applause of peo
ple, they already have all the
reward they wiU ever get.
B. Right Way to Give (w.
3, 4)
But when thou doest alms,
let not thy left hand know
what thy right hand doeth.
Common courtesy should
teU the donors that a gift to a
neefy person should be given
quietly If nothing else, this
respects and protects the
recipient’s dignity This land
of giving also help protects
the givers own character and
integrity
By saying that the left hand
should not know what the
right hand is doing, Jesus
means that the gift should he
given without attracting
attention. We do not need an
audience, taking smug satis
faction in our righteous act.
The audience is not others,
nor self—the audience is (Jod.
Though to Remember:
“For if I yet pleased men, I
should not be the servant of
Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
mmo
PHOTOCALVIN FERGUSON
Robert P. Mathis gives the children a Bibie lesson. Studies show children raised in church have fewer
probiems.
A child will lead them
There are advantages to raising kids in the church
By Janell J. Lewis
VIE CH.ARLOnE POST
Katerra Riggins has been
attending Weeping Willow
AME Zion Church since she
was 5 years old. She said
her mother hasn’t ever had
to threaten her to be in the
house of the Lord.
“I go to church voluntari
ly,” Riggins said. “My mom
never has to di-ag me out of
bed to go to church.”
For Ri^ins, 17, going to
church has become almost
innate. But she doesn’t sim
ply go on Sundays. Riggins
is highly active in her
churdi as well as her school
and community At church,
she’s a summer camp coun
selor, participates with Sun
day School, sir^s in the
junior choir and is on the
usher board.
At sdiool, she is a cheer
leader, yearbook editor, a
part of DECA, National
Honor Society and National
Tbchnical Vocational Honor
Society
In the community she is a
delegate and president of
the youth council for the
Charlotte district usher
board.
Statistic^, studies and
experts say that these
are all advantages of
being raised in a reli
gious environment.
Dr. Harold Koenig,
professor of psychiatry
and behavioral seduces
at Duke University
Medical Center, has per
formed numerous stud-
See THERE/7B
Church asks to ban baggy pants, gold teeth
VIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -
A church has asked for a
dtywide ban on low-hang
ing pants and gold-capped
teeth, saying they promote a
thuggish image.
(Changing the image of
yoimg people could help
Jacksonville cut unemploy
ment, racisJ profiling and a
rising per-capita murder
rate now the highest in the
state, said Richard Burton,
deacon of Epiphany Baptist
C^hurch.
The 250 member indepen
dent Baptist church
approved the resolution last
month.
“They w«:e tired of seeing
k4^’ underwear,” said Bur
ton, who serves on the
NAACP’s national board.
Jacksonville city ofiBicials
have yet to take up the mea
sure, although Coimcil-
woman Elaine Brown said
she was willing to discuss it
with church members.
Others were less encour
aging.
“I think it’s unenforce
able,” Councilman Daniel
Davis told The Florida
Umes-Union for Sunday’s
edition.
Duval County ’ pubhc
schools have banned sag-
Righting a wrong, black chaplin is dismissed
. VIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANDOVER, Md. — For the last 10
years of his life, Henry Vinton Plummer
stru^ed to overturn the dishonorable dis-
chaige that forced him out of his post as
the Army’s first black chaplain.
He wrote a torrent of letters to politi
cians, the military even presidents, plead
ing his case and asking to be reinstated.
He even offered to serve in the Spanish
American War to make amends. Yet Plum-
mei*’s finiitless efforts died along with him
in 1905.
More than 100 years later, he finally got
his wish. Wfith an honor guard, 21-gun
salute and the playing of‘Taps,” the Army
formally overturned Piiumner’s 1894 dis
honorable discharge Friday, presenting his
great -grandchildren with discharge
papers, a tightly folded American flag and
the mess^e that an injustice committed
long ago had been righted.
“It seems like it’s been so many years of
our family trying to vindicate him," said
his great-granddaught^, Olga Plummer-
Talley of Aurora, Colo., who stood quiver
ing with emotion after a solider handed
her the flag. ‘It finally has happened.”'
Plummer’s descendants petitioned the
Army last year to overturn the dishonor
able discharge and court martial the chap
lain received in 1894 for allegedly drinking
with enlisted men and swearing in fixjnt of
a woman. The appeal claimed the decision
was made on little evidence by an all-white
judicial panel that convicted him because
of his race.
In February, the Army Board for Correc
tion of Military Records upheld the court
martial, saying modem legal standards
couldn’t be applied to a century-old case
and would set a bad precedent. But the
board did reverse the discharge, allowing
Plmuma* to have a military memorial ser
vice at National Harmony Memorial Park
in handover.
Maj. Gen. David Hicks, diief of Army
chaplains, said the service and decision to
reverse Plummer’s dismissal is symbolic of
Please see AFTEFV7B
Giant
Chicago
church
opens
VIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ging pants and exposed
imderwear, but not remov
able gold or silver teeth
caps.
Dentists say the caps can
help breed tooth-rotting bac-
t^a.
A proposal to ban exposed
tmderwear died in the Flori
da Legislature this spring.
Lawmakers in Louisiana
and Wrginia have also failed
to ban exposed underwear.
THE STOCK MARKET
CHICAGO - The new
House of Hope looks more like
a superstore or sports stadium
than a church. Instead of a
steeple, it has a 30-foot neon
marquee that on Sunday
flashed the woi*ds “It’s time to
celebrate!” as nearly 10,000
people streamed 'in for the
inaugural s«*vices.
Inside, two large video
screens flank the giant stage
so parishioners seated on the
far bleachers could see the
preacher. Strip away the thou
sands of chairs and floor cover
ing and three regulation-size
basketball courts — with lock
er rooms and concession
stands—are ready for games.
It’s so big, the CSiicago Bulls
plan to use it for basketball
camps later this month, and
the church hopes to raise
money by renting it out for
concerts and conventions.
“This is a great day,” church
member Lakesha Milsap, 30,
said as she attended one of the
first services there Sunday
“We’re so blessed to have this
church.”
The 203,000-square-foot,
cream-colored House of Hope
on Chicago’s South Side
replaces the* Salem Baptist
(Dhmx^h’s old house of worship,
a brown brick building with
twin steeples that still stands
nearby
The congregation and it’s
leader, the Rev James Meeks,
have been an anchor for a
neighborhood pocked by eco
nomic struggle.
Boarded-up storefix)nt lines
several streets, and derehet
factories form a skjhne, but
, the church has campaigned to
turn things around. It started
a tutoring program for nei^-
borhood children, created a
prison ministry and plans to
use the new church for a
neighborhood activity center.
When Salem Baptist was
founded in 1985, the congrega
tion had fewer than 200 mem
bers.
Tbday it has some 22,000
and is among the nation’s
largest, said Michelle Pullen,
its membership director. Hous
ton’s giant Lakewood Church
is larger, boasting more than
25,000 worshippers, and the
New Life Chufch in Colorado
Springs, Colo., is also large
.with 11,000.
“The congregation was grow
ing too quickly and the other
church was just too small,”
said Salem Baptist member
Mamice AUen, 47. “Anyway
too big is better than too
small.”
Thou^ not everyone agrees.
A few blocks away at the tiny
brovmstone Paradise Ifemple
C^iurch, Gloria Gregory was
among the fewer tiian a dozen
other ‘^parishioners who
climbed the crumbling con
crete steps Sunday morning.
Please see CHICAGO/6B
Church News
The deadline to have your church announcement
added to the calendar is 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Ongoing
Chappell Memorial Baptist (Thurch wiU open its
CUothit^ (Dloset to families, in need every first and
third Saturday of the month. Families can come to
the church, which is located at 110 Bradford Drive,
from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
For more information, caU (704) 394-5615. There
is no charge for the clothes. •
July 9
Trinity Park Baptist Church, located at 9115
Trinity Road, wiU host a Community
Chitreach/Cook-out and Health Fair fix)m noon to 3
p.m
There wiU be fi-ee blood pressure, cholesterol, glu
cose and hearing screenings. Also information c*i
HIV, diabetes, stress management, fi:ee refi*esh-
ments and much, much more.
• Pleasant HiU Baptist (Dhurch wUl host a com
munity health fair in the Ch^ry Community fiom
11 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information, caU(704)
376-1201.
• University Park Baptist Church wiU sponsor its
annual Prayer Cbnference. Breakfast wiU be served
at 8 a.m. and the conference b^jns at 9 a.m. The
theme is “Enter the throne room, ignite your pas
sion for prayer.” The church is located at 6029 Beat-
ties Ford Road. For more information caU (704)
392-1681.
July 17
A Gift of Love Ministry wiU host its semi-annual
Gospel Festival beginning at 3p.m. The event wiU
be held at Hoskins Avenue Baptist Church, located
at 101 S. Hoskins Road.
• Trinity Park Baptist Church wiU hold its annu
al Woman’s Day Celebration at 4 p.m. The guest
speaker wiU be Minister Dorothy WaUace, associate
minister of Christian Family Baptist Church.
The church is located at 9115 Trinity Park Road
July 16
BET Gospel Explosion wiU be held at Para-
moimt’s Kings Dominion throu^ July 17. Fea
tured artists include Kurt Karr, T^e Tribette and
others. For more information, call (804) 876-5000.
Kings Dominion is located in Richmond, Va.
July 18
Maryland based King’s Apostle Church World
Ministry will hold its 95th Holy (Convocation in
Charlotte through July 22 at the Adam’s Mark
Hotel. On si^t registration is $70 for KA members
and one day registration is $15 for non members.
John P. Kee and the New Life Community (Choir
Please see CHURCH/6B