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Vol. XXXV No. 8
21 110868 1 ??????
NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
660 VU5TH ST
WINSTON SALEM NC 27101-2755
r'/ny >
5-DIGIT 2710!
THURSDAY, October 23, 2008
Prominent pastor
is leaving his pulpit
Rev. Runnels says challenges of family and career hard to
juggle with duties at First Calvary
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
After eight years at the helm of First
/i.i *-? t_ . l _ n
accident, and served as interim pastor for
two years before officially assuming the role
as pastor.
"(At first) I was, -not interested
calvary eapusi ^nurcn. me ?.ev.
Calvin Runnels is stepping down
from the pulpit for good.
Runnels, who works full time
as a faculty supervisor in the
Department of Pastoral Care at
Wake Forest University Baptist
Medical' Center, has cited the
demands of his day job and new
responsibilities at home as rea
sons for his departure.
"It was a difficult decision to
make because there are some
Searcy
wonderful relationships that I have formed
at First Calvary," Runnels said. "But it was
a decision for my own self care."
Runnels came to First Calvary almost by
in pastoring," he admitted. '(But)
I went over there and preached.
They ... kept inviting me back. I
think our spirits connected in the
ministry."
Once a prominent congregation
in the Winston-Salem community,
First Calvary faltered after the
death of its first pastor, W.O.
Wilson, who occupied the pulpit
for more than 40 years.
Subsequent leaders showed less
longevity, and the church lan
guished for two years without a leader prior
to his appointment, Runnels reported. The
population had shrunk to a fraction of its
See Runnels on A4
Photo by LayU Farmer
The Rev. Calvin Runnels will soon preach his last sermon.
Photo by Layla Farmer
Rev. Darryl Aaron with his daughter, Noami, and her
friend, Sarah Pranikoff.
Walkers take
notice of plight
of the hungry
An Artist's Touch
Photo by Felecia P. Long
Artist Derek
Stallings show
cases his immense
talents last week
in a hallway at
Carter G.
Woodson School
of Challenge. He
was among dozens
of local artists -
from singers to
violinists - on
hand to help the
charter school
raise money. Read
more about the
event on page B7.
Women's
Fund
opens up
its purse
Grants awarded to
local agencies
BY LAYLA FARMER
THi: CHRONICLE
The Women's Fund of
Winston-Salem, one of the
Winston-Salem Foundation's
fastest growing initiatives,
has announced the recipients
of its grants for the 2008
2009 season.
Formed in 2005 by five
women, Michelle Cook,
Lynn Eisenberg, Sarah
Holthouser, Mary Jamis and
Janie Wilson - known as
lhe rab
Five" -
the fund
promotes
women's
p h i 1 a n -
thropy at
all levels I
of the I
socioeco- |
n o m i c
system,
Cook
through individual and group
memberships.
Its inaugural grants,
awarded last year, totaled
more than $140,000 for pro
grams tailored specifically to
suit the needs of local
women and girls.
"We wanted to get at the
root causes of of the prob
lems that affect women and
girls in our community,"
Cook explained. "We've
been really pleased with the
outcomes that we've had."
The Fund's secondary
season has proved to be even
more ambitious.
"We've increased (our
grant awards) substantially
since last year," Cook
remarked. "We are building
our endowment as well."
After reviewing more
than 20 proposals for fund
ing, the more than 600 mem
bers of the Fund selected
nine agencies to receive
grants.
See Fund on A4
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
More than 500 people took
to the streets of Winston
Salem on Sunday to fight
hunger as part of the annual
CROP (Communities
Responding to Overcome
Poverty) Walk.
raised (75 percent) goes to the
international organization
Church World Service, while
the other 25 percent is split
between Crisis Control
Ministries and Sunnyside
Ministries, two local agencies
that provide food, clothing and
other services to struggling
families.
In all, more than
1 ,000 Forsyth
County residents
took part. There
were simultaneous
walks in
Kernersville and
Clemmons as well.
The two-mile
Winston walk
began and ended in
Corpening Plaza
downtown. The
event is meant as a
Hinds
"Your walking
might mean a bag
of groceries, or gas
money for someone
to drive to work, or
might mean feeds
and tools for a
farmer in Haiti or
Kenya," said Mary
Catherine Hinds of
Church World
Service. "Your walk
makes a tremen
dous difference- it
way tor all citizens 10 snow
their solidarity with people in
developing countries who
walk long distances every day
for their basic needs like food.
It is also a fundraiser. Walkers
solicited donations from
friends, co-workers and church
members. Most of the money
brings help and it brings
hope"
Church World Service pro
vides sustainable self-help,
development services, disaster
relief and refugee assistance in
80 countries around the world.
The organization relies heavily
See Walk on A13
Gabriel comes full circle at YMCA
New executive director at Winston Lake grew up
at his local Y branch
BY LAYLA FARMER
1HE CHRONICLE
Summer camp. Saturday night dances. Learning to
swim.
These are among Shawan Gabriel's most treasured
memories. In fact, Gabriel says he can scarcely think of
his childhood without thinking about the YMCA.
Growing up in Charlotte, Gabriel says he participated
in virtually every program the 'Y' had to offer. Not to
mention the time he put in playing basketball, football
and baseball at his local neighborhood facility. He even
met his wife, Keisha, while working at the Y as a college
student.
So perhaps it's fitting that Gabriel is now the execu
tive director of a facility much like the one he visited as
a youth.
The 31 -year-old has wasted little time getting accli
mated to the storied history of the Winston Lake Family
YMCA, which has changed locations and names over the
decades but has remained steadfast in its commitment to
the well-being of the people of East Winston.
Gabriel has contacted former excutive directors of the
See Gabriel on A6
Ptooto hy Ltyta Firmer
Shawan Gabriel has lofty goals for the Y.
In Memory of
Charlene
Russell Brown
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
ffiusseli 3f utter at ffiottte
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
Cat Martin Luther King Dr.)
Winston-Salem , NC 27101
(336) 722-3<4S^
(336) 631-8268
rusfhomc @ liellsnnth Jiet