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http://www.thechar1ottepost.com 8B tE^e Cliarlotte $o!(t RELIGION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2005 Life IB Bible |l,.essonl Cornelius a devout follower Acts 10:1-8 In the days following Pente cost, believere in Christ were being added to the Church by the hundreds. By this time, even Saul (Paul), the dreaded persecutor of the Christians, had experienced a personal encounter with Christ on the Damascus Road. The times were exciting as the Spirit of the (jod moved among people and changed their lives for all eternity During this great move of God, Cornelius, a Roman cen turion, was responding obedi ently to (jod’s leading and the Holy Spirit’s persuasion of his heart. Cornelius probably wit nessed many iiyustices direct ed toward the Jews, who were under Roman jurisdiction. Caesarea served as the capi tal of the Roman province of Judea. Four significant aspects of Cbmelius’ charac ter are noted in Acts 10:2. First. Scripture says he actively sou^t God. Cemelius is a great example of how God rewards those who “diligently seek him” * (Heb. 11:6, KJV). Second, Scripture says he revered, or had respect for, God. Third, Scripture says Cbmelius was generous in meeting the needs of other people. The Bible is clear about this com passion toward those in need and how he provided Bum his - personal resources. His atti tude and actions not only influenced his family because he also developed a favorable reputation as a devout man. Fourth, Acts 10:2 says Cor nelius “prayed to (jod always,” CJod saw Cornelius’ heart and moved to supply his needs. Unlike “religious” people, Cornelius recognized “reli gion” was not enough to satis fy to save him. Cornelius was hungry for more than knowl edge of God; he desired to know the Gcxi he prayed to and the (5od he feared. Even in the midst of (Christians bdng persecuted because of their belief in God, Cornelius was willing to give God his heart. God already desired for Cbmehus to come to the full knowledge of him as much as Cornelius desired to know Him. God has placed the need to know Him in Cornelius, and he was responding to (3rod’s gentle wooing. By way of divine messenger, God began to shape history time and circumstances so Cornelius could have a divine appointment with Him The fact the angel of God appeared to Cbmelius about the ninth hour, 3 p.m., is not coinciden- See CORNELIUS/7B Young at heart University City pastor connects with inclusive message The Rev. Michael Stevens church. By being real, he By Cheris F. Hodges cheris hedges® thecharlottepostcom The first thing you notice walking into University City Church is the number of young people involved in the ministry The next thing you’re sure to notice is the con gregation’s energy What you won’t be able to miss is the smile of the church’s pastor, the Rev. ^chad Stevens. The 36-year-old pastor started UCC with two members 11 years ago. Now the church has nearly 1,000 members. Charisma, a national Christian magazine, voted of University City Church ranks as one of the young motivates the young and the old. Stevens one of the 30 voic es under 40 to lead the American diurch. According to Churchcen- tral.com, the future of the U.S. church is in trouble. The website reports that thousands of churches are on the precipice of closing. The conventional wisdom was that churches were tenaciously stubborn, and could keep going for years. But those churches were led by the Builder (jenera- tion, those bom before 1946 and they attended out of loyalty and tradi tion. They would often remain loyal to a church despite deteriorating qual ity and attendance. But Boomers, Busters/Gen Xers, and Bridgers - those bom between 1977 and 1994 - have no such loyalties. They see no need to remain with a church that «dsts out of tradition and with little care for the quality of the ministries. However this is not the case at UCC. Stevens said that because he takes the Bible Uterally and makes it relevant to members and the community “Our church is'known for being raw and relevant,” he said. “There are no big Vs and little U’s, we just keep it really real witli people. This is the mosaic PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON voices to lead the generation, what young people want is absolutes.” Stevens cam witness to the grace of (Jod. In 1996 a man held him at gunpoint in an attempted robbery Stevens turned his assailant over to God and to this day, the man is an active member in the church. And Stevens never called the police. ‘We want you to ply your hands to something that brings value,” he said. Joel Ford, who has been a member of the church for ei^t years, said Stevens’ excitement for Jesus and the church is what keeps him involved and coming Please see PASTOR/7B Number of Latino Muslims on the rise THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI—Ask Melissa Matos why she converted to Islto, and you’ll likely get an answer that spans 13 centuries. She may refer to seventh century Arabia, where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad received the Koran from the angel Gabriel. Or she might describe Islam’s golden age in medieval Spain. Or she’ll recall Sept. 11, 2001, when fear and curiosity drove her to read about Islam on the Internet. Matos, who comes fix>m a family of Seventh Day Adventists fium the Dominican Repubhe, has answ«^ the question countless times since converting to Islam in April. She now covers her hair, prays five times a day, and is observing Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer and reflec tion. “Sometimes it does get a little diffi cult,” said Matos, a 20-year-old politi cal science student at Florida Inter national University who lives with her parents in Miramar. “I feel ali^- ated fix)m my family and my old fiiends, but Islam is so beautiful, it’s woiih it. And with Ramadan, I’m just doing it by myself, just me and God.” Though they make up a small fi'ac- tion of the nation’s 6 million Muslims, Hispanic women converting to Islam Please see LAT1NO/7B California university host first God blogging THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LA MIRADA, Califor nia—What would Jesus blog? That and other pressing questions drew 135 (Chris tians to Southern Califor nia this weekend for a national conference billed as the first-ever for “God blo^CTs,” a growing com munity of online writers who exchange information and analyze current evaits fiom a Christian perspective. The three-day confer ence at Biola University marked an important benchmark for Cliristian bloggers, who have woiked behind the scenes for years to spread the Gospel and infuse politics with religion Tbpics included (Cod bloggers’ relationship with the traditional church, their growing influence on mainstream politics and how to manage outsiders’ perceptions. Some predicted blc^gers could play a role in reform ing the modem church by keeping televangelists and other high-profile Christ ian leaders honest. Joe Carter, author of evangelicaloutpost. com, compared blowing to the 95 Theses posted by Mar tin Luther nearly 500 years ago that laimched the Protestant Reforma tion. “It’s hke putting 95 blogs out there,” said Caiter, who previously said God bloggers offer an “imcen- sored and unadulterated” view , of contemporary Cliristian thou^t on poli tics and organized religion. \ Many bloggers are now writing about religious oppression, poverty and world hunger, instead of hot-button issues such as abortion, homosexuality and assisted suicide, said the Rev. Andrew Jackson, a seminary professor and pastor at the Word of Grace Cliurch in Mesa, Arizona. ‘With blogging you tend to break out of those circles and you see other points of view,” Carter said. “There’s a bigger world out there See CALIFORNIA/6B Yohe belts out a solid second album Vicki Yohe He’s Been Faithful Sanchez Harley, Geron Davis and AyRon Lewis, pro ducers EMI/Puresprings Gospel Vicki Yohe’s “I Just Want You” CD caused a few people to pause. Is that a white woman singing like that? Yep, sure was and still is. She’s got an expres sive voice that’s more gospel than contemporary Christian. That’s about how Fd sum up her latest CD, “He’s Been Faithful” - her first for Cece Winans’ Puresprings (jospel label. While not pure gospel, there’s a lot of punch in Yohe’s delivery and song choices. The title song was originally done by the Brooklyn Taberna cle. Choir, a mixed denomina tion choir that straddles the fence between gospel and con temporary Christian. Yohe gets tile choir to back her up on this endearing testimony Yohe gives this song a loving makeover, making the lyrics live. It’s one of the better Carol Cymbala (Brooklyn Tab’s direc tor) compositions. Yohe borrows a Brooklyn Tab alumnus, Alvin Slaughter, for “Increase Me,” based on the Prayer of Jabaez. Slaught^ and Yohe are a for midable pair, hfling a some what mundane song into some thing special. *• Yohe has seva*al moments on her own. She anoints V. Michael McKay’s “Deliverance Is Available.” She’s singing the life out of these lyrics. On "Here In This House” Yohe combines th6 text with “Come Thou Toimt of Every Blessing.” It’s a near-knockout performance, building to a swelling chorus. Yohe shifts gears on “In The Sanctuary” (not the Kurt Can- song) adding a bit of uptempo flavor to the recording. Yohe seems to be right at home on her new label. This is a solid recording tiiat should gamer a larger group of fans while satisfying her core audi- Ratings dsMsic; Excellent Gocxl Pair "k'k Why? Noetars-AmeM Church News The deadline to have your church annoimce- ments added to the calendar is 5 p.m on Fri days. Fax your announcements to (704) 342- 2160 or e-mail your announcement to cheris. hodgesC" thecharlottepost. com October 21 Macedonia Baptist (?hurch of (Hiarlotte, 1300 Hatteras Ave, will host the Queen Q,ty Music Workshop “Called to Praise and Designed for- Worship.” Hie event begins at 6:30p.m. There will be a (Concert (Celebration Saturday Octoba* 22 at 5p.m. Guest clinicians include Rev. hfichael Smith and Ricl^ Collins. For more information call (704) 392-8496. October 23 The Women’s Ministry of TabOTiacle Baptist Cliurdi presents “Making the Shift: Moving 0«0 fium self-confidence to God-confidence.” On Sunday, the Rev. Richetta Daniels will lead the Woman’s day service. The women’s revival begins Monday at 6:30 p.m For more informa tion, call (704) 568-2374. October 29 Greats* Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Cliurch will host its sixth annual golf tourna ment at Renaissance (jolf Ckiurse, 1525 West lyvola Road. For more information, call (704) 376-8806. October 30 Divine Praise and Deliverance Ministries is hosting a Youth Fellowship Explosion at 5 p.m The theme is (jod has broken the unbreakable chains - Acts 16:26. Hie ev^t will be hdd at the Embassy Suites Hotel, located at 4800 S. TVyon St. Hie speak- er for the event will be Prophet Lorenzo A. Moore of New St. Luke Church in Monroe. For more information call Prophet Nathan McDaniels at (704) 492-2566. November 2 University Clity Church will host “Dwelling In His Presence” Music & Worship Arts Ckai- ference 2005. Worship Service will take place ni^tly Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m and Sunday at 10 a.m and 7:30 p.m. Guest speakers for the conference include singer and songwriter Evangelist Kim Ruther ford, Kingdom International Ministries, Sher man Oaks, Calif, and author Bishop George Bloomer of Bethel Family Word Chmch, Duiham Hiis event is fi-ee. University C5ty Church is located at 7829 Old Concord Road November 4 Reeder Memorial Women’s Ministry will pre sent an evening of pamp^ing featuring a fadal-nails and fashion show. Registration is required and the cost is $10. The church is located at 3725 Beatties Ford Roeid November 5 The Pineville Church of the Nazarene will host its fourth annual Christmas Arts & Crafts Festival. Hie event will take place fixmi 9 a.m to 3 p.m The church is located at 8614 Pineville-Matthews Road For more informa tion, caU (704) 542-3618. • Reeder Memorial Women’s Nfinistry will present “A Olebration in the Midst of Wom anhood” workshop beginning at 9 a m. Hie church is located at 3725 Beatties Ford Road • HiomasbOTO Church of Christ, 216 Brad ford Drive in Charlotte, will be hosting an Please see THRIVE/5B
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