Religion
Calendar
Happening Now
After school program registration
Pincy Grove Baptist Church
After School Care Program will
offer homework assistance, cre
ative arts and crafts, a computer
lab and afternoon snacks. Contact
Audrey Warren at 336-923-2860
or Karen Oliver at 336-744-5759
for cost and/or t>ther information.
Fine Arts Camp
Covenant Presbyterian Church
will host a Fine Arts Camp for
grades 5-12 from Monday, July 6
- Thursday, Aug. 13 (on Mondays
- Thursdays only). The camp,
which will offeV piano, voice,
strings, drawing/painting and pho
tography, will be from 9 a.m. to
noon. The church is located at
3627 Konnoak Drive. There are
no fees for the camp, and lunch
will be provided. Call 336-788
7511 for more information.
Anniversary events
Elder Robert Edmond Jr. of
Kimberiy Park Holiness Church,
1640 SM Caesar Drive, will wrap
up his 23rd minister's anniversary
and his 15th pastoral anniversary
today (Thursday, Aug. 6) at 7:30
p.m. with Bishop James Ijames,
pastor of Mt. Zion Holiness
Church of Mocksville and Vice
Bishop of the Holiness Churches
of God, Inc., as the guest speaker.
Back-to-school events
Holy Trinity Full Gospel
Baptist Church, 651 Akron Drive,
will host a Youth Conference and
Back To School Jam, August 6 - 7
at 6:30 p.m. each evening. A
Block Party is planned for
Saturday, Aug. 8 at 11 a.m., and
on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 10:30 a.m.,
free bookbags and supplies will be
given to the first 100 students who
arrive. For more information, call
the office at 33fP? 44-3393*.
Beginning Aug. 7
Youth Summit
Mount Sinai Full Gospel
Deliverance Center, 2721
Manchester St., will host a Youth
Summit, Aug. 7-9, 2009. This
event will begin on Friday at 7:30
p.m.; on Saturday at noon; and on
Sunday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Guest participants include Elder
Charles Johnson of The Well
Church of Raleigh and Minister
Isaiah D. Thomas and Elements of
Praise of Fort Washington, Md.
All sessions are free and open to
the public. For additional infor
mation, contact the church office
at 336-722-2624. The Rev.
Yvonne H. Hines is the church's
senior pastor.
Aug. 7
Dillard concert
Singer Ricky Dillard will be in
concert on Friday, Aug. 7 at 10
p.m. at Macedonia Worship
Center, 500 Kinard Drive. The
Daughters of Miriam and Dionn
Owen & Renaissance will also
perform. Those interested in being
in the Dillard workshop choir
should attend rehearsals on
Saturday, Aug. 1 at 4 p.m. and
Thursday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. For
more information, call Bishop
Tim Jackson at 336-725-2190 or
Dionn Owen at 336-918-9437.
Aug. 8
Awards program
The Steward Board of
Reynolds Temple Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church is
sponsoring an Awards Ceremony
on Aug. 8 at the St. John CME
Church Life Center, 650 Crawford
Place. The ceremony will recog
nize women who have made out
standing accomplishments within
the community. A buffet dinner
will be served and musical enter
tainment will be provided. An
invitation is extended to family
and all friends. Tickets are avail
able for $20 each. Contact Ruth
Oree at 336-650-9144 for more
information.
Back-to-School Giveaway
Greater Cleveland Avenue
Christian Church, 5095 Lansing
Drive, will have a Back to School
See Calendar on B5
First Lady Michelle Obama
inspires church to grow garden
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Whole Man Ministries started a
garden earlier this year, answering
a call from First Lady Michelle
Obama, who encouraged
Americans to grow gardens as a '
The Washingtons
way to
beautify
communi
ties and
provide
h e a 1 1 h > .
nutritious
food. "
"This
got us
thinking
about how
we could
ill .ike a
differ*
e n c e , "
Pastor Barry Washington said of
the First Lady's garden challenge.
The church cut out a plot of 6.5
acres and designed and designated
it for a community-based gar
den. Church member Keith
Stamper headed the venture. .
"Being in the garden is the
closest things to bejng with God."
Stamper says.
The church's garden has
sprouted corn, squash, cucumbers,
green peas, okra, watermelons,
cantaloupes, onions and toma
toes. Whole Man Ministries says
that it has fed more than 1 ,000
families with food from the gar
den. and each Sunday, church
goers are given fresh produce.
"This has been a golden oppor
Keith Stamper holds some of the 'fruits' of the garden.
tunity tcf minister by providing*
food for the hungry, homeless; and
elderly, as well as Church mem
bers," said Washington. "The good
thing about planting a garden, it
continues to reproduce itself, thus
providing harvest well unto the
month of September."
Co-Pastor Camilla Washington
wrote First Lady Obama to thank
her for inspiring the church to start
the garden. Co- Pastor Washington
is praying that one day the First
Lady herself will come to visit the
garden.
"1 know it's a long shot, but
you have not; because you ask riot:
and we have asked, and our faith is
expecting her to come." she said.
? Ssil
Whole Man Ministries will be
pres-enting an outreach event. Aug.
21-23. For more information, call
3 36-785 -20K0.
McCarter receives
new appointment
Greater Cleveland Avenue pastor also
set to celebrate his anniversary
S PECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE _
Bishop Sheldon M. McCarter, the senior pastor of
Greater Cleveland Avenue Christian Church, is the
newly appointed assistant presiding bishop of the
United Covenant Churches of Christ International.
UCCC is a non-denominational fellowship of
churches throughout the United States, the Bahamas,
Africa and India with a primary agenda to "declare the
name of Jesus, restore the historical nature of the
church, lead the church back to unrestrained praise,
and loose the women who have a call of Christ."
A conclave of bishops with affiliations to UCCC
met recently in Florida to set a new agenda for this
fellowship, now led by Bishop Eric Games of
Brooklyn. New York. It
was Bishop Games who
selected Bishop
McCarter to hold the
number two position in
UCCC. which he will
hold for seven years.
In this position,
Bishop McCarter will
be responsible for over
seeing all of the
churches in the refor
mation and assisting
Bishop Games in carry
ing out the duties relat
ed to the fellowship.
Bishop McCarter will
be officially ordained
into his new position on
Friday. Oct. 30 at 7
p.m. at The Elm
International
Bishop McCarter
Fellowship in Brooklyn. New York.
For those who will not be able to travel to
Brooklyn to witness this sacred event, a ceremony
will be held at Greater Cleveland on Nov. 3.
Bishop McCarter is a visionary who considers
himself a teacher/preacher. Because of his reputation,
he has preached all over this nation. Under his leader
ship. Greater Cleveland has increased its membership
to more than 3.000 members. Earlier this year. Mayor
Allen Joines recognized Bishop McCarter for his
contributions to the city by renaming a portion of
Lansing Drive, including the block where the church
is located, as S. M. McCarter Drive.
McCarter will celebrate his 21st year as senior
pastor of Greater Cleveland Avenue from Aug. 8 - 16.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, the church will supply school
supplies to children in the community. On Sunday.
Aug. 9. two of McCarter's siblings will preach.
Pastor Audrey McCarter Hedgepeth of Greater Love
Christian Center in Rocky Mount, will preach at the 9
a.m. service, and Pastor Tiffin McCarter of Greater
Joy Baptist Church of Durham will preach at the
1 1 :30 a.m. service.
Other 7 p.m. guests will be: Bishop J. C. Hash,
senior pastor of St. Peter's World Outreach Center,
who will preach on Monday, Aug. 10; Tuesday, Aug.
II, Pastor Tejano Hanchell of Mt Calvary Holy
See McCarter on B5
Complain Less ;
Thank God More
Lesson Scripture: Numbers 14:1-12
Lesson Aims: To examine the causes of
complaining and grumbling: to recognize that
they lead to rebellion;
and to always thank
God for His blessings
and be confident.
Background: The
lesson today records a
turning point in the
Israelites' desert experi
ence. Chapters 13 and
14 go together in that
they chronicled the peo
ple's rejection of God
and Moses. They left Egypt two years ago.
They were in Kadesh Barnea, just south of
Canaan when God told Moses to choose 12
men (one from each tribe) to explore the land
and give a report. The scouts penetrated the
Mildred
Peppers
Sunday
School Lesson
land for 40 days and brought back samples of
rich produce. All twelve agreed that the land
flowed with milk and honey. Ten of the scouts
however felt that the people were giants and
couiun t ne aereaieu.
They discounted the
power and faithfulness
of God. The other two
spies (Joshua and
Caleb) disagreed by
telling them that they
could take the land.
Notice that they don't
deny the size of the peo
ple in Canaan but their
faith led them to believe
that conquest was possi
ble through God. The people ignored Joshua
and Caleb and chose to be fearful based on the
report of the ten.
Sec Peppers on. Bid
Kentucky pastor to speak at Shiloh Baptist
SPECIAl TO Till CHRONIC I I
Shiloh Baptist Church,
which is led by Pastor Paul A.
Lowe Jr., will begin
its 1 1 7th Anniversary
on Saturday. Aug. 8
at 10 a.m. with a pic
nic at Little Creek
Park. Worship
Services will be held
on Sunday. Aug. 9 at
8:30 a.m.' and 10:45
a.m. featuring the
Kc\ A. . Russell
Awkard, pastor of
New Zion Baptist
Church of Louisville, Ky.
Awkard has been the pas
tor of New Zion Baptist for
Rev. Awkard
more than 36 years. Prior to
moving to Louisville, he
served four years as Pastor of
Shiloh Baptist Church of
Fredericksburg. Va.
where he was a
member of the
city's school board.
Several months
before he came to
New Zion. the
church's sanctuary
was destroyed by
fire.
Upon his
arrival. Rev.
Awkard led the con
gregation to erect a new
building and to liquidate the
mortgage in five years. In
1986, an expansion project
enlarged the educational
space of the facility!- TCevv
Zion's services have been tel
evised locally for 30 years
Awkiird grew up in the
Maryland suburbs of
Washington. D C. He attend
ed Howard University.
Wesley Theological
Seminary and Virginia Union
University's School of
Theology. In 1984. he mar
ried the former Ann Long
Benboe. He has two daugh
ters. Alicia and Alma: a step
son. Clarence Benboe
(Venita). and four grandchil
dren.
Big crowd attends Mt. Pleasant cookout
SPKC'IAl TO I HI CHRONIC I I
Bishop S. T. Davis Sr. and
Ml. Pleasant Baptist Church
hosted a Community Day
Cookout last Saturday, draw
ing a crowd of more than 5(K)
people.
The crowd filled the
church's parking lot to enjoy
a menu of fish, barbecue,
burgers, hot dogs and assort
ed desserts. Among the high
lights was the distribution of
more than 2(K> bags filled
with school supplies for area
children. There were also free
screenings for diabetes, cho
lesterol and high blood pres
sure. Attendees also took part
Kids enjoy the day of fun.
in a Meet and Greet with can
didates running for City
Council. Mt. Pleasant coor
dinated the event as an out
reach to re-connect and re
establish a greater relation
ship between the church and
community.