ECTION b
[ghesda issueFpl^
)r more volunteers
IoBIN BARKSDALE
Licie Staff WrItCT
I In 1986, a local Task Force on ihe Homeless estimated that there are
^xiniaicly 150 to 300 homeless persons in the community. The staff at
■of the city's centers, which deals with the homeless on a daily basis, say
■estimate is conservative at best.
JAitita Chaffee, the pubic relations director at the Bethesda Center, said
■number of homeless persons is increasing rapidly and that a larger pool
loluntcers is desperately needed to help attend the needs of those who
no home.
I There are going to be more and more homeless people come winter
V" she said. "There are several homeless families here now. There are a
Lore people migrating to this area because they've heard it's a nice area
)d that they can get jobs. But when they come and don’t get jobs or can't
jd anywhere to live, they become homeless and we’ve got to find homes
fcjobs and food for them."
J The Bethesda Center, located in an old church building on the comer
loth Street and Patterson Avenue, has undertaken the task of getting the
peless off the streets and into jobs and houses. Workers at the center get
jielcss individuals identification, help them fill out job applications, find
fcing and offer them reading and Bible classes. It's an awesome task,
til of which is accomplished by volunteers. BuL Ms. Chaffee, said, the
lllenge of assisting the clients at the center is large, and more volunteers
S^needed to help make a dent in eliminating some of the city's homeless
Iblem.
^/'■i ulhr \tin miuiile tw'/A ilwm for actinic,
\.'i li.tiiit \»}mc of ihrm Motiy oj thun Jhii^hvtl
•rf >•>•!. ^Inny oj thrm ate ioohiiiiito/ Johs. Ilh'} 'tr nut
I hr lommnnils nrrds /« look upon ihvni as /rs'
' fuoplr. Jht'y'w lrs\Jtolu/nii crratiitn\ uj (ouC
- Dr. //, Krmhcrl Malloy
\ There currently are six volunteers at the Bethesda Center - three Afro-
■ericans and three whites. But the clients who frequent the center far out-
pber the volunteer pool.
[I 'If we can get about five or six more volunteers, we'd be able to get so
more done and to offer more things for our clients,” Ms. Chaffee
L "Retired teachers can teach classes to our clients or people can offer
laiever time and abilities they have. There are a variety of ways in which
unieers can help us out."
I Dr. H. R. Malloy, a retired surgeon, is one individual who has commit-
Isome of his time to helping the homeless people of the city. He, along
il) other committee members, is in the process of establishing weekly
I services at the center on Suhdays. Malloy said that it is incum-
iiiMiarea churches to help get more people from their congregations to
volunteers.
F T think that churches have the people whose hearts may be turning the
Ihi way," Malloy said. "The people who profess to be serving God are
pily church-oriented. The appeal needs to come basically from the
mh."
CHURCH
CALENDAR
FRIDAY, JULY 22
iThe Total Women's Ministry of Mount Olive Baptist, 1301 Belews St.,
^ hold their monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. The sp^er will be La Maret-
■alley. Her topic will be "Sacrifice and Praise." The Rev. Charles Gray is
it pastor.
iResurrection Day Camp will hold its closing program at 7:30 p.m. at
lllabrook Presbyterian Church. The camp students will present "God-
lU" as part of the closing activities. The performance will be directed by
^er Gary Orr from Philadelphia.
pe Mighty Wonders will present a free gospel concert at the Outta the
\ SM-ies at Winston Square Park from noon to 1 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 24
I Dr. Jerry Savelle, an evangelist, teacher and president of Jerry Savelle
tnistries, wiH speak at St. Peter’s Church God of Apostolic, at 6 p.m.
Ivelle is well known for his biblical teaching and has conducted seminars,
Psades and conventions for a number of years. For more information call
^'2285.
I The Senior Usher Board of First Calvary Baptist Church will celebrate
l®th anniversary and the 11 th anniversary of its president, Henry Saxon,
W p m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Charles E. Gray, pastor of
Olive Baptist Church, He will be accompanied by the choirs and
Pgregation of his church. Minnie Bell Floyd is program chairman; Dr.
•Wilson is host pastor.
[ Rising Ebenezer Baptist Church will hold its annual "100 Women in
N." The guest speaker will be the Rev. James Ledbetter, associate pas-
I of Temple Memorial Baptist Church in High Point. The pastor is BJ,
[lion.
I The General Baptist State Convention will be held in Winston-Salem
^8 the week of July 24-27. All Baptist churches are invited to partici-
'f m the mass choir for the pre-musical that will be held Sunday, July 24,
0 Benton Convention Center. Rehearsals will be held at Zion Memorial
ptst Church each Tuesday night from 7 to 9. For more information caU
ps Kinchen at 969-2270, 750-2521 or Dolly K. Mack at 767-8268.
MONDAY, JULY 25
Quincy A. Caldwell and members of Greater United Progressive
‘“I Church, 1122 Quincy Caldwell Circle, will hold their summer
■'al through Friday July 29 The evangelist for the week will be the
'*utael King, pastor of Garden of Prayer Baptist Church in Greens-
'■ Mrvices will be held nightly at 7:30. Dr. Quincy A. Caldwell is host
— Please see page B7
Winston-Salem Chronicle
Religion
JULY 21, 1988
photos by Mike Cunningham
Volunteers John R. Smith and Dr. H. Rembert Malloy spend some time getting to know one of the Bethesda Center’s clients. The
two are among the center's pool of volunteers. Staff members say more volunteers are needed to maximize the center's potential
for helping the community's homeless population.
Malloy, who said he has found his volunteer experience at the center
"rewarding," also feels that there is a misconception in the community with
respect to individuals without homes.
"There are homeless people and there are street people," he said.
"Street people are those individuals who are in the streets during the day
but who have a home to go to at night The homeless have no place to go.
They sleep in the streets and under bridges at night. But people think that
all of these individuals are derelicts. It's amazing, after you mingle with
them for awhile, the intelligence some of them have. Maiy of them fin
ished high school. Many of them are looking for jobs. They're not derelicts.
The community needs to look upon them as less fortunate people. They're
less fortunate creations of God.”
P.J. Williams, a member of First Presbyterian Church, which was
instrumental in establishing the Bethesda Center, helps out at the center as a
receptionist and in other capacities. She said she became a volunteer
because she realized that without the center many more homeless people
may perish.
"We offer services to these people. If it were not for the center, some of
them would not have jobs, food, housing or medical services," said Ms.
Williams, a local school teacher. "If not for the center, some of them would
just fall by the side. The center offers them services to help them out in
some way.”
The Bethesda Center opened in September of last year and serves an
average of 58 homeless inviduals each day. The center's clients receive a
snack in the morning, medical screenings ^d, perhaps most importantly,
Ms. Chaffee said, the feeling that they have a place to call their own even if
just for the daytime hours.
CHURCH NOTES
"I think that they know that this is a place where we accept them,
where they can feel accepted," she said. "There's a world out there that is
not very accepting of homeless people. Many of them come in here dirty,
with dirty clothes and smelling and we hug them. We accept them uncondi
tionally and we love them unconditionally just as the Lord did for us. We
love them unconditionally. That's why they keep coming back. They know
that we accept them just the way they are and we encourage them. That
gives them a willingness to do better. The Bethesda Center is a place where
a yrurltl oiii Hurt' thaf A not vny atcrjuini* of
honules^ people. Man\ of them eorne in here dirty, \tith
dirty ilofhe\ and smellint> and wt hufj them. Hi.* aerept them
unconditionully and Kf hie them unLonditionaUy just as
the lord did J or us. W#* l„\e tium unvondiiionaUy. ’/hat's
why they keep comin}> hack."
— 'Xiiita Chaffee
Uiey can feel a sense of peace.
Although it is situated in the heart of the Afro-American community,
the Bethesda Center has a melting pot of clients. During one hour's time at
the center, there are Afro-Americans, Native Americans and white Ameri
cans passing through the Bethesda Center’s doors, although Ms. Chaffee
said that the majority of the center's clients are Afro-American homeless
individuals.
Ms. Chaffee said that she is hoping to expand volunteer recruitment
efforts for the center and plans to tap some of the volunteer resources of
Please see page B7
East Coast Pentecostal Women to convene in Twin City
The Fifth Annual East Coast
Pentecostal Women's Convention
will convene on Wednesday, July
20 through Sunday, July 24 at
Ambassador Cathedral, located at
1500 Harriet Tubman Drive.
Bishop F.D. Patterson is the
host pastor.
First lady Dorothy Patterson is
anticipating a spiritual renewal for
all women during this very special
session of the Women's Conven
tion. She honestly desires the spiri
tual and social growth of women
everywhere. She said that it is her
sincere prayer that women in gener
al and especially black women,
would stop putting themselves
down. She has taught the women of
Ambassador Cathedral to have
pride in their appearance, pride in
their devotion and worship to God,
and pride in their chosen careers.
A church member said that
Mother Patterson is best described
in Proverbs 31 (25-31).
"She is a woman of strength
Patterson
and dignity, and has no fear of old
age. When she speaks, her words
are wise, and kindness is the rule
for everything she says."
First Lady Dorothy Patterson,
the Ladies Guild of Ambassador
Cathedral has extended to all an
invitation to come and share in
these spirit-filled and uplifting ser
vices and seminars.
First lady Dorothy D. Patterson
will preside over the 1988 session
of the convention. The following is
the itinerary for the services to be
held throughout the convention.
Guest speaker for Wednesday,
July 20, evening will be Dr. Paula
Newsome of Charlotte. She will
present her address at 7:30.
Services will be held Thursday,
July 21, at 8 p.m. The services will
take place at the Ambassador Tem
ple, located at 8 Church Street,
Thomasville. Elder Edward L.
Allen is host pastor. Guest speaker
will be Evangelist Charlesetta
Lawrence of Los Angeles. Music
will be provided by the Ambas
sadors for Christ Choir.
Friday, July 22, through Satur
day, July 23, there will be a special
Women's Retreat at the Holiday Inn
West on Silas Creek Parkway.
A Banquet Celebration will be
held Friday at 7:30 p.m. The guest
speaker will be Sister Evelyn Hol
land of Asheboro.
Brunch will be held Saturday at
10 a.m. The guest speaker will be
Hazel Mack, a local attorney.
The conference will take a
shopping spree to Burlington at 2
p.m.
There will be a worship experi
ence Sunday, July 24, at Ambas
sador Cathedral at 11 a.m.
The guest speaker will be Evange
list Charlesetta Lawrence.
Music will be provided by the
Women's Convention Mass Choir.
There also will be a worship
experience at 7 p.m. The guest
speaker will be Evangelist
Lawrence.
Communion Service will be
conducted by Bishop F.D. Patterson
Sr. The service will conclude the
1988 session.
For further information please
call the church office at 725-0901
or 723-1965.
New black United Methodist bishop wants to be role model
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (AP) -
- As the second black bishop elect
ed to the 48-year-old Southeastern
Jurisdictional Conference of Hie
United Methodist Church. Joseph
Bethea says a priority will be to
encourage minorities to come back
to the church.
"The most important things in my
life are the Lord, my family, the
church and people," Bethea said in
an interview Thursday.
Bethea, 55, was elected on the
12th ballot late Wednesday night by
the 588 delegates attending the con
ference, which represents United
Methodists from nine southeastern
states.
"I think my election will make
yourjg people of all races say, 'I can
be like that,"’ said Bethea, the dis
trict superintendent of the North
Carolina Conference of the United
Methodist Church in Raleigh.
He could be the only minority
candidate to be elected at the five
jurisdictional conferences being
held this week across the country,
said Bob Lear of the United
Methodist News Service.
'This (election) says the church is
concerned," Bethea said. "The
image of the church is very impor
tant. Who are the leaders? Who are
the bishops? I see me serving as a
kind of mode! for young people of
all races."
Bethea said he was prepared for
the election process to drag on
throughout the week. The confer
ence concludes Saturday.
"Four years ago it was a severe
loss," he said. "That only makes
what happened last night all that
much better."
Bethea, a second-generation
Methodist preacher who grew up in
Dillon, S.C., has served as pastor at
churches in South Carolina and
North Carolina.
Bethea, who is married and has
one daughter, also served as super
intendent of the Virginia Methodist
District in Richmond, Va., from
1965-68. He served in the same
capacity in the Rockingham District
of the N.C. Conference for seven
years beginning in 1977.
Before that assignment, Bethea
was director of the Black Church
Studies Center at the Duke Divinity
School in Durham from 1972-77.
In 1986, he was named superin
tendent of the North Carolina Con
ference of the United Methodist
Church in Raleigh. For five years,
he was administrative assistant to
the resident bishop of the Raleigh
area.
"I love the church," he said. "I
guess I have to love it because,
except for a very short period, I
haven't lived anywhere else but a
church parsonage,"
Bethea becomes the second black
bishop in the jurisdiction's history.
Four years ago, the conference
elected Ernest Newman to the
Nashville, Tenn., post.
Seven bishops were elected at the
conference, the last two Thursday
being Clay F. Lee of Jackson, Miss,
and Charles W. Hancock, of
Please see page B5