Clje Cljarlotte ^os!t
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1996
12A
RELIGION
Joyous
psalm of
praise
Sunday
School Lesson
In Yucatan, Mexico, stand the
remains of an ancient temple
{md altar. On this edtar a young
maiden would be placed; then a
priest with a stone knife would
rip her heart from her body and
hold it aloft, as a sacrifice to the
Mayan god.
Archaeologists excavating the
ancient city of Carthage in
North Africa uncovered hun
dreds of small urns near a tem
ple to one of the gods. When the
excavators opened these urns,
they found charred bones of tiny
babies. It is quite evident that
this was the final resting place
for the remains of babies sacri
ficed in the temple.
We shudder as we realize how
brutal many of the ancient reli
gions were. Yet we are forced to
give grudging respect to the
devotion of these ancient people
who were willing to sacrifice
their most precious possession,
a child, to their gods. Are we
equally devoted to Jehovah.
God? We are not for a moment
suggesting that we engage in
human sacrifice, but we are
insisting that we ought to wor
ship with the same whole-heart
ed devotion that these Eincient
pagans did.
The truth is that many of us
enter worship rather casually.
We go through certain cere
monies in a perfunctory way, or
we fail to concentrate on what
we are doing. Psahn 96 can be a
healthy antidote to some of
these weaknesses in our wor
ship.
Psalm 96 is a joyous song of
praise and worship of Jehovah.
It heis none of the soul-wrench
ing agony of Psalm 51 or the
systematic tribute of the law
found in Psalm 119. It is a
happy song, the type of song one
would sing in a worship service.
It is longer and more detailed
than a contemporary "praise
chorus," but is similar in some
respects.
Many years ago a man was
visiting a small town in eastern
Pennsylvania. When Sunday
came, he wanted to attend
church. The only church in town
was that of the Quakers, so he
went there.
In the old-fashioned Quaker
meeting everyone sat quietly
until someone was "moved by
the Spirit" to speak. The visitor
entered the building and sat
quietly with the others. After fif-
,teen or twenty minutes no one
had spoken. The visitor turned
to a man sitting beside him and
asked, "When does the service
begin?"
"Right after the benediction."
Exactly! Service in the name
of God ought to follow worship.
If worship does not result in
Christian service, then some
thing is lacking in the worship.
Psalm 96 envisions a joyous
time of worship when the name
of God is exalted, but the
psalmist is also concerned about
what happens when worship
ends. Worshippers are told to
"declare his glory among the
, heathen" (v.3), "bring an offer-
; ing" (v.8), and "say among the
heathen that the Lord has
reigneth" (v.lO).
The mandate for Christian
service is not limited to the pro
fessional clergy. Each one of us
has an obhgation to use his or
her talents, time and resources
to glorify the Lord. Most of us
will not be called to serve as
missionaries on some distant
shore, nor to proclaim the mes
sage from the pulpit. However,
one may teach a Sunday School
class, serve as a nursery atten
dant, or direct traffic in the
church parking lot. We may
visit the sick, counsel the dis
couraged, or share our faith
with non-Christians. Most of us
can witness in the school, work
place, or even at home.
Zionites’ Wellness Center
Service
& Wlness
Center
ftnsions
Atoaa .WeiWM ii* ("tarek
m
r-:.
African Americans are extremely
susceptible to numerous illnesses,
including diabetes, hypertension,
and certain forms of cancer.
PHOTOS/SUE ANN JOHNSON
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The African American
Episcopal Zion Church has
expanded its ministry to
include the physical.
Situated on 86 acres in
the heart of the Derita
Community, the Wellness
Center, is the first of its
kind for the church.
Falling under the aus
pices of the church's
Department of Brotherhood
Pensions and Ministerial
Relief, the opening of the
center marks the beginning
of a church movement
aimed at taking care of the
entire person from the
spiritual to the physical.
Headed by Celesta
Shropshire-Miller, the cen
ter offers low cost medical
care for residents of the
area as well as church
members.
Pastors can also take
advantage of courses
offered geared toward help
ing them deal with the
many social problems that
affect today's diverse con
gregations.
“Health, wellness and
inner healing eventually
leads to total self actual
ization,” Shropshire-Miller
said. “I want to devote
myself to helping people
realize this essential
aspect of growth and devel
opment.”
The center opened by the
almost two million member
denomination earlier this
year, features three exam
ining rooms where doctors
volunteer their time and
services to examine
patients in need.
Currently, the center has
several local doctors on
staff - Drs. Gary Miller,
Beverly Lassane and Dean
Lassane, along with his
colleagues at Southern
States Chiropratic.
The church has tradition
ally been concerned with
health issues. It offers
ministers, church employ
ees and members numerous
health benefits, including
insurance and a magazine,
Vision Focus, which focus
es on lifestyle and health
issues.
The center could not have
come at a better time.
Recent studies show that
African Americans are
New Wellness Center will provide much needed
health treatment and education for Derita area.
extremely susceptible to
numerous illnesses, includ
ing diabetes, hypertension,
and certain forms of can
cer.
“So many members are
experiencing wellness
issues,” said Shropshire-
Miller. “No one is respond
ing.”
To meet the needs of the
congregation and area
denizens, the center circu
lated a survey that focused
on Derita residents needs,
education level and age.
According to Shropshire-
Miller, the Center will
address many of the major
health problems that affect
African Americans.
Hypertension, obesity and
immunizations for children
are already being
addressed through educa
tional literature and class
es offered by the center.
Eventually, the church
will expand the center to
include other facilities, but
for now. Miller is content
with what she sees. The
wellness center just gradu
ated its first group of min
isters trained on how to
address parishioners with
drug addicts.
Still Shropshire-Miller
hopes other community
members will join the
growing number of volun
teers at the center.
“We have a need for doc
tors,” she said. “We need
more doctors who practice
internal medicine, as well
as podiatrists. This is just
the beginning.”
Interested in attending
classes or volunteering time
to the Zion Health and
Wellness Center? Contact
Celesta Miller 599-4630.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, S.C. - More
than $20 million in public and
private funds is available to
churches that have been burned
and want to rebuild, says
Andrew Cuomo, assistant secre
tary of the U.S. Housing and
Urban Development
Department.
“Our burned-out churches
have become shameful monu
ments that show what we can
be at our worst," Cuomo said
Saturday. “Together, we will
build new monuments that will
show what we can do at our
best."
The daylong workshop was
the first of several planned by
the National Rebuilding
Taskforce. The group is made
up of officials from HUD, the
Justice Department, the
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the
National Council of Churches
and the Congress of National
Black Churches.
Many churches have been
burned in recent years across
the Southeast. Some of those at
predominantly black churches
have been linked to the Ku Klux
Klan.
“If the intent of the arson was
to divide people, this seminar
and all of the many diverse
groups participating will show
that it had the opposite effect _
it didn't puU us apart, it brought
us together," Cuomo said.
HUD will guarantee $10 mil
lion in private-sector loans to
churches, mosques, sjmagogues
or other nonprofit oiganizations
to finance rebuilding of facilities
damaged by arson or terrorism.
Organizations seeking assis
tance must first ask a bank or
other financial institution for a
loan.
More than $8 million in grants
and in-kind donations are avail
able through the Burned
Churches Fimd, and $2 million
more in below-market-rate
loans has been promised by the
nonprofit Enterprise
Foimdation.
Habitat for Humanity and
Mennonite Disaster Services
are volunteering labor and tech
nical help, and some members
of the American Institute of
Architects are offering design
and plemning assistance.
The reported damage to
churches humed between 1993
and 1996 is only around $11
million.
“We don't want to merely
replace these churches," Cuomo
said. “We want to build bigger,
better churches."
EYE ON GOSPEL
Big Guns Rule At The
Annual Gospel Music
Workshop: As usual, it start
ed off with a bang, the
Savoy/Malaco Music Group
pulling out their big guns with
their annual showcase which
traditionally kicks off the
Industry (or Gospel
Announcers track) of the
annual meeting of the (jrospel
Music Workshop of America,
held Aug. 10-16 in Pittsburgh.
The five-hour long showcase
offering the best of the com
bined label's current and
forthcoming product, featured
live performances from
XaShun Pace, Dorothy
Norwood, Willie Neal Johnson
& and the Gospel Keynotes,
the Williams Brothers, the
Mississippi Mass Choir, and a
rousing selection from the
Georgia Mass Choir, with
none other than Kirk Franklin
at the helm. And
Malaco/Savoy wasn't the only
label with their big guns
drawn. A Word Records show
case featured Shirley Caesar
and Helen Baylor; Verity's
afternoon reception showcased
Richard Smallwood and Daryl
Coley; a combined Star
Song/Crystal Rose/Alcho
Rev. Clay Evans
showcase offered the GMWA
Women of Worship and Ricky
Dillard; and Fred Hammond
& Radical For Christ jammed
at a luncheon showcase spon
sored by Benson Records,
which while being hosted by
Hezekiah Walker also fea
tured a performance from
Commissioned. BET-TV host
Bobby Jones emceed the
(JospoCentric's showcase lun
cheon which doubled as the
25th Anniversary Announcer's
Guild limcheon eind featured a
video presentation offering the
latest from Kirk Franklin,
Kurt Carr and A-1 Swift,
while featuring live perfor
mances from its sister label B-
Rite Record's newly launched
female vocal unit, Trin-I-Tee,"
which drew raves from the
SRO crowd. Other acts people
couldn't stop raving about
included B. Chase Williams
and his Shahach Choir who
thrilled an SRO crowd at a
Manufacturer's Showcase
sponsored by Intersound; and
the new Muscle Shoals act,
"Men of Standard," a four-
man vocal unit spearheaded
by Isaac Caree and Lowell
Pye, who once sang lead
vocals with John P. Kee's New
Life Community Choir. Their
first vocal effort is due for
release next month. Overall,
attendance seemed to be down
(from the 15,000 earlier pro
jected) at the Convention. And
Daryl Coley
while some major labels like
Warner Alliance, Atlanta
International Records and
Sparrow kept a lower-than-
normal profile, many of the
smaller independents includ
ing Meek Records, Born
Again, In Sync and Marice
Records beefed up their pro
files hosting key events to
showcase their wares to the
nation's largest group of
gospel announcers. Seminar
highlights included the imple
mentation of a retail panel
aimed at finding ways to
enhance the union between
retailers, manufacturers and
artists to strengthen the
industry. Meanwhile, shopper
favorites at the meet's famed
"Midnight Madness" sale
included Broderick E. Rice,
Rev. Clay Evans, the GMWA
Women of Worship, Gerald
Thompson & Tennessee Full
(jospel Choir, Walt Whitman
& the Soul Children, Fred
Hammond & Radical For
Christ, Richard Smallwood,
Pulse recording artist Craig
Hayes, and of course Kirk
Franklin & the Family.
Meanwhile among those kej
speakers featured on th|
GMWA's newly launched mir
istry track were Bishop Pac
Morton and the controversid
Rev. A1 Sharpton.