Unity Revival will unite churches D 1 IUUULU.X THE CHRONICLE Church congregations of various dom inations and races from all over Winston Salem will gather next Saturday, June 2, for the fust ever Unity Prayer Gathering at the M.C. Benton Convention Center. The gathering is designed to break down the barrier* that normally divide churches and unite Christians together in prayer for the city, the nation and the world. As of last Friday, approximately 100 churches had signed up to participate in the revival. The event is the brainchild of the Rev. Sir Walker Mack Jr., pastor of Union Baptist Church, who feels there is a real need for both prayer and unity right now. "The Unity Prayer Gathering is designed to accumulate churches for wor ship, prayer, and a time for us to get together and realize that we all have one thing in common, and that is that Christ is the center of all our churches," said Mack. During the three-day event - which will start Thursday, May 31 and is called the Unity Revival - churches will take part in special events such as joint prayer or worship services. Several guest ministers have been booked as speakers for the event. The June 2 culmination event will start with a Unity Parade at 10 a.m. from Corpening Plaza to the convention center, where the prayer gathering will begin at 1 1 ajn. The first hour of the gathering will involve singing and worship, while the second hour will focus on prayer. Mack said the event is multicultural and will incorporate the traditions of many of the churches involved. He also said all are welcome to participate in the march and the^pra^er gathering, regardless of if he or she has\A:hurch affiliation. Mack said that aside from the sheer size of the endeavor, his biggest challenge has been the resistance some churches, both black and white, have had to crossing the racial divide and worshipping together. Mack said that the divide that keeps Christians in churches that are predomi BW5 The Rev. Sir Waller Mack Jr. nately one race is a cultural one. People want to worship in a culture that resembles theirs, he said, but what everyone needs to realize is that Christ transcends all cultures and all races. He said any resistance he's gotten to the gathering has validated his conviction for it. "I grew up in the city so I know the history of how our churches have been so divided. And you know on one side of town you have your black churches, the other side of town your white churches and now your hispanic churches. So, as our city continues to grow, it's just going to become more evident that we all need to come together and begin to impact the community together," said Mack. More than 40 predominately white churches and about 10 predominate!) Hispanic churches have signed up. Mack said more churches are signing up every day and that he is pleased with the response so far. One predominately while church par ticipating is Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Francis Smith. Redeemer's mis sions and mervy pastor, is on the steering committee for the event. He said his church plans to hold prayer services with Goodwill Baptist, a predominately African- American church. He hopes the service shows people that, even though they may have different worship styles, they can all still worship together. "And as we get to know each other better, we tear down walls of ignorance and begin to understand and appreciate and affirm each other that we're all in this together." said Smith. Smith hopes to see real relationships built between pastors and between mem bers of the different churches because of this event. He said, on a personal level, he's already befriended pastors, some from East Winston, that he wouldn't have met otherwise. He said he's already gained a great deal in friendship and insight from being a part of the gathering. "It's really uniting churches and pas tors in a way we've never done before," said Smith. Mack said that he hopes that churches come together more after the gathering with a stronger alliance of pastors and peo ple to make for a stronger community. He's hoping to see a large, diverse turnout next Saturday. "Let's for one day put aside Highway 52, let's for one day put aside the commu nities we're so accustomed to worshipping in and praying in and come together and see that all of us confess to the same Christ," said Mack. Any pastor who wants to participate in the Unity Prayer Gathering, can call 724 9305 extension 223. Go to wwwitnionbap tistwsncx>rg for more information about the event. Photo by Layla Faniwt Residents and city leaders pose beneath the sign. Sign from paRr A I dents can be proud to say they live. The family -friendly environment has attracted many home buyers over the years, and it continues to be a great place to live, work and raise families." she comment ed. "I would like to acknowl edge the Castle Heights Neighborhood Watch ... for their efforts in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for many young and senior citizens." The Rev. Waymon Monroe, pastor of the nearby Solid Rock Baptist Church, extended words of support and encour agement to inhabitants of Castle Heights, detailing a tra dition of collaboration between the church and the community that existed under his predeces sor, the RevXharles Leak. "Solid Rock has been a supporter of this community for over 20 years," he said. "We just thank you for allow ing Solid Rock to serve this community and we pray that if there's anything we can do to be supportive, we want to con tinue to open up our doors and let you know that . . . Waymon Monroe supports this commu nity as well as the Solid Rock Baptist Church family." The Castle Heights neigh borhood serves as a model for many fledgling communities today. Burke said. , "This is a fine, decent place and it can be used for other folks when they want to come into the city to look and say, "Well, we can live in Winston; we can develop ourselves," she related. "It gives me a boost so when 1 speak in city govern ment, I can say that Castle Heights neighborhood is a neighborhood where people can work together with pride, dignity and have self-esteem that's high. I'm as happy as I can be." Johnson says that he has seen many changes take place in Castle Heights ovjr the four decades he has lived there, and_ not all have been positive. "We have (more) people that are renting, and we have children that are just walking around unsupervised and that presents a lot of problems," he remarked, "But we love our neighborhood We're not going to give it up without a fight." Lawrence 'prom page A4 Lawrence worked with well-known minority-owned companies including Johnson Products, Johnson Publishing, and Soft Sheen Products, as well as mainstream companies such as McDonald's and Sears, Roebuck. At McDonald's, he was the first African-American regional advertising manager in the history of the company. He was responsible for the development and implementa tion of marketing and promo tional strategies for 300 stores 'In a four-state region and $200 million of sales in the nation wide rollout. 1 He has left a lasting impression in the $5 billion multi cultural beauty busi ness, where h e served in vari o u s execu < i v e Lafayette Jones capaci 'ties: promotion and advertising manager at Johnson products (Gentle Treatment, Ultra Sheen and other brands), marketing director for Supreme Beauty Products, the hair care sub sidiary of Johnson Publishing Company (Ebony, Jet, and Fashion Fair cosmetics); pro motion director for Soft-Sheen Industries (and Soft-Sheen products); and business direc tor for the American Health and Beauty Aids Institute (AHBAI), the trade association of minority-owned hair and beauty care companies which display their Proud Lady sil houette of a black woman on products and advertising. His ?30 years experience in market ing, advertising and promotion served him well in meeting the ?challenges of SMSi's Fortune 50 clients, including Procter and Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and General Motors. Lawrence was laid to rest May 16 at Piedmont Memorial Gardens after a funeral service it St. Peter's Church and World Outreach Center. He is survived by his wife. ?Sharon, a 13-year-old son. ^Christopher and adult children JCrystyn Johnson. Marshall ?wile and Harold Johnson. ? In lieu of flowers and other Commemorations . the family r ks that memorials be made to scholarship fund for his son, 5 Christopher Rodney Lawrence. ?hecks should be made ?payable to the Joseph Rodney tLawrence Scholarship Fund %nd mailed to the Truliant federal Credit Union, Victory ?Member Financial Center, 889 North Liberty Street, Winston - Salem. N.C. 27101. Why wouldn't you get your Free Checking from the bank rated, #1 in Customer Satisfaction six years in a row? 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