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8B
Ci^arlotte
RELIGION
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2005
Ufe 1B
Minister
accused in
Ga. sex
scandal
Bishop files
countersuit
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DECATUR, Ga. - A
megachurch minister has
been accused by one of his for
mer employees of coaxing her
to have sex with him and oth-
CTs in the church, telling her it
was “the will of Giod” and “her
only route to salvation.”
Bishop Earl Paulk of the
Chapel Hill Harvester in
Decatur has denied Mona ^d
Bobby Brewer’s allegations
and is countersuing the cou
ple for libel and slander.
WAGA-TV reported last
week that the Brewers filed
the lawsuit in DeKalb Superi
or Court. In the lawsuit, Mona
Brewer also names Paulk as
her former spiritual adviser
and her husband, Bobby, was
a pastor in Paulk’s church and
looked up to him as a spiritu
al mentor. They have both
since left the church.
Mona Brewer claims that
Paulk began “a patten of con
duct” around 1989 that led to
the relationship and that oth
ers in the churdi knew of
Paulk’s conduct and did noth
ing to prevent it. The Brewers
are seeking damages fix>m the
church, its related corpora
tions and Paulk’s brother, Don
Paulk, who is affiliated with
the church.
Earl Paulk’s court filing said
the Brewers’ claims were
“false and malicious.” In addi
tion to seeking compensation
for emotional distress and
harm to his reputation, he
asked the court to award him
punitive damages because of
the Brewers' “willful miscon
duct.”
By Chens F Hodges
cherts Jtodges®thecharhnepo5tx:om
Christian fiction is
becoming one of the
hottest genres of Afiican
American literature these
days.
According to a report by
Target Market News,
black readers spaid nearly
$301 million on books each
year.
Since 1997, Walk Worthy
Press, a division of Warner
Books, has been publish
ing Christian-based fic
tion. This new market for
fiction also means that
new writers get a better
chance at getting pub
lished.
Cheirlotte author
LaTbnya Mason received
the benefit of the burgeon
ing market. Her novel
“Good to Me” will be
released next month fix)m
Walk Worthy Press.
‘1 really didn’t think the
book was good enough to
be published,” she said.
But the powers that be at
Walk Worthy did. Two
wedcs after Mason sent
her manuscript, she
received a letter saying
that she would be pub
lished. The news couldn’t
have come at a better time
for Mason, who had been
going through financial
difficulty
Six weeks later she
received her advance
check.
Mason said she wrote
because she was a lover of
fiction, particularly Tferry
McMOlan.
‘T wanted to read some
thing without the profani
ty” she said. “I really didn’t
know that Christian fic
tion edsted.”
That is until Mason’s
father seat her a newspa-
p^ clipping about D^se
Stinson, the publisher of
Walk Worthy Press.
Cfjrisita
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Charlotte author LaTonya Mason is a newcomer to Christian fiction.
Readers are apparently
hungry for Stinson’s books.
In her first year, she pub
lished two books. This year
she’s publishing 20.
“Church Folk,” by
Michelle Andrea Bowen,
another Walk Worthy
imprint, has sold over
100,000 copies.
Bowen, who lives in
Durham, is also the author
of “Second Sunday”
When she wrote “Church
Folk,” Bowen said there
wasn’t a market for these
types of books at all.
“There were books out
there that targeted white
Christians, but nothing
that talked about black
Christiaris,” she said.
Once she finished her
novel and began making
appearances, Bowen said
readers began labeling her
as a black Christian fiction
writer, so she went with
the flow.
Writing isn’t just about
selling books. Bowen said
she writes the book that
Please see CHRISTIAN/7B
Statue of black Jesus unveiled in N. J. city
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMDEN, N.J.-The Sacred
Heart Church in Camden now has a
black Jesus statue showing crucifix
ion wounds on its wrists and feet.
Rev Leonard Carrieri, a 91-year-
old sculptor, created the statue
because he said he wanted it to
reflect the population of Camden.
“The theme of this statue is “My
heart goes out to you,”’ said Carrieri,
in the Courier-Post of Cherry Ihll for
Simdays newspapers. “That’s why
the heart of the statue swells out of
his chest.”
A native of Naples, Italy, Carrieri
only began sculpting at age 58, when
he took a sculpture class in Atlantic
City after the painting class he
signed up for was full.
He has also created another statue
for the churdi, Our Lady of Camden;
Carrieri had a Puerto Rican girl
serve as his model.
Elliot Johnson of Pennsauken, who
stopped to see the statue outside the
church, said he thinks the children
will get something out of the new
black Jesus statue.
“The kids who go to school here, not
many of them are Caucasian. I think
theyll look at this every day and see
themselves,” Johnson said.
Little Rock AME Zion pastor feels spirit
By Dianne Commander
SPECIAL TO THE POST
The Rev. Dwayne Antho
ny Walker invokes the
presence of the Holy Spirit
through sermons and
songs.
Walker, the newly-
appointed pastor of Little
.Rock AME Zion Church,
has already led the return.
of former members while
new members are joining.
Walk^ was bom in Rock
Hill and moved to Chicago
as a child. He is a graduate
of Livingstone CoUege,
where he earned a badie-
lor’s degree in political sd-
ence. He ^iroUed at Wes
ley Theologi
cal Seminary
in Washing
ton, D.C.,
and served
as assistant
pastor for
youth and
young adult
ministry at
John Wesley AME Zion
Church. He earned a mas-
t^’s in divinity in 1989
and was appointed pastor
of Metropolitan AME Zion
Walker
Rev. Walker with wife
Geneva and daughters.
Church in Detroit.
In 1994, Walker was
appointed pastor of Jones
Tabernacle AME Zion in
Indianapolis, Ind. In May,
Walker earned a doctorate
of ministry degree.
Walker’s vision for Little
Rock is simple: ‘We will do
all that we can to strive for
excellence in ministry I
am blessed to have
received this appointment
to serve as.. .pastor. We are
called to be disciples and to
make disciples.”
Walker is the son of
Bishop and George
Walker Sr, who have also
moved to Charlotte. He is
married to the former
Geneva Moore and father
of four.
Winfred Cross
‘Youthful,’
traditional
and
today
Youthful Praise
Live! The F^raise...
The Worship
James Robinson and
James Hariston, produc
ers
Evidence/Artemis Gospel
Youthful Praise’s second CD
didn’t compare with its first,
“Awesome God.” Director
James Hariston could have hid '
in defeat, but instead released
a third CD that rivals the first.
“The Praise. . .The Worship”
puts the group back into the up
and coming category This is a
must-have CD that mixes a bit
of traditional with lots of con
temporary flair, and does so
successfully
The songs are relatively sim
ple and repetitive. But the atti
tude in which each is presented
lifts the material well above the
mundane. There’s some gcxxi
singing on this recording. Even
when this choir sings some
thing as sinrple as “The Pres-
^ce,” it puts a lot of effort into
the message. You feel the
words.
Hariston op^is with ‘You Are
so Awesome,” a very Kirk
Franklin-sounding song. The
choir is up to this rousing call-
and-response song of praise.
The praise party continues
with “He Reigns.” This is the
kind of song that made “Awe
some God” so successful. The
harmony is incredibly tight.
This choir can swell at the flick
of a wrist.
There’s not a bad song on this
CD, so picking a favorite is
hard. “Shift This Place,” a
Jonathan Nelson composition,
is a great candidate. Its bouncy
music lifts the words. The
singers ask God to lift the cloud
of doubt by placing His weight
of mercy and compassion in the
situation. “Shift this place with
your weight,” has to be one of
the best lines in a gospel song
this 5'ear.
Ratings
commie,
EliceOmt
Good
Fair
Why? it
No atAni -Ammo
Church News
The deadline for announcements is 5 pm. on Fri
days. Fax your announcements to (704) 342-2160 or
e-mail your announcement to
cherisliodgesi&thecharlottepostjcom.
Ongoing
Chappell Memorial Baptist Church will open
its Clothing Closet to families in need every
first and third Saturday of the month Fami
lies can come to the church, which is located at
110 Bradford Drive, fix)m 10 am to 12 p.m.
For more information, call (704) 394-5615.
There is no charge for the dothes.
• Plaza Baptist Church, 3321 The Plaza, will
host an eight-week video study by Bruce
Wilkinson designed to show how the Prayer of
Jabez can rdease God’s favor. The series
b^ins ni^tly at 7 p.m. For more information,
caU (704) 334-3913.
October 2
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 3001
Beatties Ford Road, will host its annual Home
coming Harvest Festival at 3:30 p.m. The
guest speaker will be the Rev. Timothy
Baldinger of Messiah Lutheran Church
• Reeder Memorial Mass Choir presents a
pre-revival conc^ at 5 p.m The church is
located at 3725 Beatties Ford Road.
• Catawba Presbyterian Church, 11401
McChy Road, Hunt«^ville, will host its annu
al fall revival Wednesday Services begin ni^t-
ly at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker for Sunday
and Monday ni^ts will be the Rev. Darrell
Van Pelt fiom Davidson Presbyterian Chunh
Sunday night will be Youth Ni^t. On Thesday
and Wednesday ni^ts the Rev. Byron Davis
fium Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Himtersville
win be the guest speaker.
October 3
Reeder Memorial Baptist Church will host
its annual revival throu^ Thursday Service
begins nightly at 7 p.m. Guest speaker for the
week is the Rev Steven Sullivan, pastor of
(^thsemane Baptist Church, Chicinnati.
• St. PhilHp Missionary Baptist Church, 400
Dellwood Drive in Himtersville, will host its
annual revival services through Thursday The
guest speaker will be the Rev. Gregory K. Moss
of St. Paul Baptist Church. Service b^jn
nightly at 7p.m. Sunday the church will cele
brate its 129th homecoming service.
October 8
Memorial Presbyterian Church will host a
dass titled “Who Has The Checldxx)k7’ Money
Matters in the Marriage. The dass be^ns at
10 a m.
The church is located at 2600 Beatties Ford
Road. For more information, call (704) 392-
4752.
October 9
Plaza Baptist Church, 3321 The Plaza, will
host its annual homecoming, this year’s theme
is “Proclaim the Power of (jod.” Services
include Sunday school, which begins at 9:30
a.m. Worship service begins at 10:45 a.m
Covered dish dinner following the morning
service. The guest speaker will be Pastor Glen
Johnson of Benton Heists Baptist Church in
Monroe.
• The Original Gospel light Chorus will cel
ebrate its 67th anniversary at 3 p.m The event
will be held at Greater Fdlowship Missionary
Baptist Church, located at 2300 McClintock
Road
• Catawba Presbyterian Church, 11401
McCoy Road Huntersville, will host its annual
homecoming celebration. There will be no
morning service.
The schedule indudes: Dinner on the Green
1 p.m. Afternoon service begins at 3 p.m. witii
Please see GOLF TOURNAMENT/7B
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