CHA) L< ITTE P< 1ST p=
___Mark (Community- -_
THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, November 22, 1984 Price* 40 Cents
Sheila Whitaker
.....Legal secretary ' — - —
Sheila Whitaker Likes
Charlotte
Other interests include reading,
music and writing poetry. “I write
down my thoughts and sometimes
they turn out to be a poem,” Sheila
smiles. She also enjoys cooking.
Sheila claims she experiments with
natural foods.
Since leaving her hometown
church, Mt. Calvary Baptist in
Enfield,, Sheila conducts
' independent bible study in her home
inviting friends over to read along
with her.
She is the mother of a nine year old
son, Marvin. To be a single parent is
—sometimes iutrd, admits- Sheila, hut
she says Marvin has grown up to be
a very good child. “He’s
independent,” she reporttr^ft’sa lot
like he’s raising me sometimes. He
takes the daddy position,” she
laughs.,;
Charlotte Churches To Celebrate
Thanksgiving With Special Services
By Audrey C. Lodato
and Teresa Simmons
Post Staff Writers
Thanksgiving has its roots deep in
the early religious history of this
country. The Pilgrims, history books
tell us, fled England in search of
religious freedom and, finding it,
remembered to give thanks to the
God in whom they trusted. The
Indian partakers of that first
Thanksgiving feast, too, were mind
ful of a Creator.
To this day, that tradition con
tinues for many Americans. Here in
Charlotte, churches celebrate the
holiday with special services and
many help needy families as a way
of saying “thanks.”
Following is a partial listing of
what area churches are doing to help
the poor this Thanksgiving, as well
as a listing of some of the special
services that are planned.
‘ The United House of Prayer plans
to give away 50 dinner baskets to
needy families, mostly in the com
munity surrounding the church on
Beatties Ford Road, according to A1
Cloud, director of the church’s Coali
tion of Concerned Citizens in the
Community. Cloud noted that local
grocery stores have helped tre
mendously by donating food for the
baskets. “What we didn’t get frorti
the stores, we contributed our
selves,” Cloud added. Each box or
basket of food will include a turkey,
dressing, greens, sweet potatoes,
rolls, celery, cranberry sauce, and
possibly pumpkin pie. In addition to
the donated food baskets, the church
is hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner for
its senior citizen members following
the 11 a.m. service Thanksgiving
Day.
The missionaries at Greater
Bethel AME Zion will be giving
away food baskets to the needy in
the community. Spokeswoman
Sarah Scofield noted that the
church members average 15 to 20
baskets each Thanksgiving. In
addition, some checks-are sent out,
as well as greeting cards to shut
ins.
The Greenville Memorial AME
Zion Day Care Center is giving two
baskets, made up of food brought in
Rev. Dr. George E. Battle Jr.
.Helps needy families
by the children who attend the
center.
According to Rev. Preston Pen
dergrass, pastor of Antioch Baptist
Church, a special collection will be
taken up at the Wednesday evening
service on the 21st. This collec
tion will go to Central Orphanage
Home in Oxford, N.C.
Gethsemane AME Zion is putting
together boxes of food for needy
families'in the community Geth
semane’s pastor, Rev. Dr. George
E. Battle Jr., explained, “We try to
make their Thanksgiving one of
thanks and, in so doing, feel good
ourselves.” Pastor Battle indicated
that the congregation normally
helps 10-12 families during the
Thanksgiving season. They’ve been
doing this for about 10 years.
Members of First Baptist-West
traditionally bring food bundles to
the Wednesday service the night
before Thanksgiving, and then
distributes the food to sick and
Rev. William Lee
Conducts Thanksgiving services
shut-ins that they know of, not only
in the church but also in the neigh
borhood.
Vada Kearns, moderator of the
deacon board at First United Pres
byterian Church, related that her
church is giving fruit baskets and
cards to members who are sick,
shut-in, or hospitalized.
Silver Mount Baptist Church will
hold its Pre-Annual Thanksgiving
Service, November 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Rev. Willie Crank, pastor of First
Corinthians Baptist Church, will de
liver the sermon. Music will be
rendered by the choir of First Co
rinthians as well as other choruses
and choirs.
Fully baked turkeys with all the
trimmings will be given away. A
repast will be served free to all at
the close of service.
Rev. William Lee Jr. is pastor of
Silver Mount, located on Old Pine
ville Rd.
There will be a pre-Thanksgiving
and baptismal service November 21
at Faith Memorial Baptist Church,
211 Lakewood Ave.
Those services will be spon
sored by the Deaconess and Mis
sion Group No, 2. Services will begin
at 7 p.m. Rev. W H Caldwell,
pastor.
There will be an Interfaith
Thanksgiving Service Wednes
day November 21, at First Pres
byterian Church, 200 West Tradp-Str
beginning at 7:30 p m
This event is sponsored by the
National Conference of Christians
and Jews in cooperation with the
Charlotte Area Clergy Association.
Some of the denominations parti
cipating in the service include:
Baha'i, Friends, Catholic. Episcopal,
-Presbyterian, Sufi, Jewish, Unita
rian, Lutheran, Baptist and AME
Zion. Mayor Harvey Gantt will
present Charlotte's Proclamation
for Thanksgiving The public is
cordially invited to attend. There
will be a reception following the
service.
Also Temple Chapel will observe
Family Day with a Thanksgiving
Breakfast to be served at 7 a m.
Rev J. T Scott will be the 8 a m
speaker. The entire family is invit
ed. Temple Chapel, pastored by
Rev. Gene E. Gilmore, is located at
900 September Lane, Call 393-5113
for more information. f
Kilgo United Methodist Church
and Belmont Park United Metho
dist Church joined for a Thanka^
giving Service at Kilgo United
Methodist Church, 2101 Belvedere.
Ave., Tuesday, November 20. Rev.
Dale G. Groh was the speaker
The Ethyle T. Haynes Mission
ary Society of Adams-Metropolitan
AME Church presented ‘‘A Cele
bration of Thanksgiving" at Great
er Bethel AME Church, November
18.
November 30 Is Deadline To Apply
For Energy Assistance Program
Special To The Post
Raleigh - The North Carolina
Department of Human Resources
reminds citizens that November 30
is the deadline to apply for the
federal Low-Income Energy Assist
rial Baptist Church To
or Apartment Complex
By Teres* Simmons
Post Managing Editor
• Mayfield Memorial Baptist
Church'! dream of building a 60
apartment structure for senior
citizens and physically handi
capped has materialized. Applica
tions will be taken for occupancy
November 20 and 28 at the May
field Church, located at 700 Sugar
Creak Rd. West, corner of Argyle
from noon until a p m
The church, in cooperation with
Housing and Urban Develop
ment (HUD), will offer M apart
menu for senior citizens, age <2 and
over and six apartments for the
handicapped of any age.
J Rev. Dr. H. 9. Diggs, pastor of the
Mayfield Memorial Baptist Church
(sponsors of the complex), stated, “I
am quite elated...thU U one of the
things our church is interested in...
helping the elderly. _ ‘
Dr. HA Dig*. JT'. '": ’
• • • * • Dreamt come true
for the complex H. Scott Neely,
Property Manager, will be aided by
an assistant in acrepting appliro
tiono for the apartment November 28
and 29
Subsidized by ftUD, apartment
dwellers in the Mayfield Memorial
Apartments, Inc. will pay no more
than » percent of their incomes
towards rent. Water will be included
The apartments are structured for
energy efficiency and will be ready
for occupancy by the latter part of
January, IMS, according to Rev.
Diggs.
"I can’t stress enough (hat resi
dents must be capable of indepen
dent survival," Neely pronounced
"The apartment will not be a nurs
ing home and residents must main
tain an independent living style. "
When applicants apply Neely and
his associate will try to discern a
general feeling about the person(s).
Applicants will be able to apply at
Mayfield or take the application
with them. They will be interviewed
by Neely or an assistant; Neely will
secure income expenses of the
applicants (in order that the ap
plicant can receive any subsidy
credit); and all applicants must give
their current addresses and must
sign a release form Through this
form Neely’s job will then be to write
a letter to each source to find out
income information about each ap
plicant
Senior citizens will have 54
apartments alloted to them For the
physically handicapped six apart
ments will be available Handi
capped individuals of any age may
apply for residence
There will be apartments for the
handicapped They, as well, must be
capable of taking care of their daily
needs with a minimal amount of
assistance.”
Apartments for the handicapped
will be specially equipped with
needed fixtures such as bars for the
occupants’ convenience as well as
the luxuries to be found in all of the
apartments.
According to Rev. Diggs and
Neely, the apartments will possess a
living room, one bedroom, a bath
room and a kitchen. The range and
refrigerator will be furnished and
the apartment carpeted. The
apartment will be energy efficient
and air conditioned
The apartments are private
dwellings There will be an on
See MAYFIELD Op Fage HA
ance Program.
The program provides a one-time
payment to help eligible low
income households pay their heat
ing bills this winter It is not de
signed to pay all of a household’s
heating bills, but to provide some
relief from the high cost of energy
It is estimated that some 180,000
low-income households across the
state are eligible foF the Low
Income Energy Assistance Pro
gram this year, according to
Bonnie Cramer, assistant director
for program administration in the
Division of Social Services
“With the application period more
than half complete, we feel there are
eligible people, including the elderly
and disabled, who have not yef
applied,’’ she pointed out “I hope
families will apply as soon as
possible at their county department
of social services "
Cramer said that elderly or han
dicapped individuals may send a
representative to apply for them or
call their county department of
social services to make other
arrangements
To be eligible for the Low-Income
Energy Assistance Program, house
holds must need help with their
heating bills, have incomes at or
below the 1981 poverty level, and
have financial resources of $2,200 or
less
The size of the payment a fa- j
mily receives will depend upon the ■
number of people in the house
hold, their combined incomes, the
region of the state where they live,
and the type of heating fuel they use.'!
Cramer said a one-time payment j
will be made in early February after ,1’
all low-income households have .
applied and eligibility has beev
determined.
Local residents may apply fat the
Energy Assistance Program at the
following locations: the Chariottgy
Mecklenburg Youth Council, 13%*
Clay Ave - off Tuckaseegee Rd. (tBj
old Enderly School); OMhgMu^l
AME Zion Church, SSI Campus Sts
and the Belmont Regional Center?
700 Parkwood Are."