http://www.thecharlottepost.com
®J)e Cljarlotte
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2003
8B
RELIGION
A Time to be
thankful
Ecclesiates 3:1-11
Ecclesiastes 3 1-11
There is a time for every
thing,
And a season for every
activity under heaven:
A time to be bom and a
time to die,
A time to plant and a time
to uproot,
A time to kill and a time
to heal,
A time to tear down and a
time to build,
A time to weep and a time
to laugh, a time to mourn
and a time to dance, a
time to scatter and A time
to gather them,
A time to embrace and a
time to refrain,
A time to search and a
time to give up,
A time to keep and a time
to throw away,
A time to tear and a time
to mend,
A time to be silent and a
time to speak,
A time to love and a time
to hate,
A time for war and a time
for peace.
What does the worker gain
for his tod? I have seen the
burden God has laid on men.
He has made everything,
beautiful in its time. He has
also set eternity in the hearts
of men; yet they cannot fath
om what God has done form
the beginning to end.
Study Questions
1. What are some of the
things a believer should
give thanks to God for?
2. Is God a God of order? If
so, or not back your answer
up
3. What ministry is God
trying to birth in your life?
4. What pain or misfortune
is God trying to kill in your
spirit?
5. What hurt are you stdl
carrying that God wants to
heal?
6. Is there a wall in your life
that God must break down?
7. Why is it important to
know what season you’re
in?
8. When is it appropriate to
remain sdent?
9. When are you required to
speak on unholy things?
Places of
worship in
Nigeria
burned
By Glenn McKenzie
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAGOS, Nigeria - Church
es and vicarages were
torched and one person kdled
during reUgious riots sparked
by an argument between
Muslim and Christian stu
dents at a girl’s college in a
northern town, witnesses
and police said Wednesday.
The mayhem began Ties-
day following a "misunder
standing” between girls at a
local college in Kauzaure,
Jigawa state, said Yusuf
Lumu, a Chiirch of Nigeria
priest who gave refuge to res
idents fleeing the fighting.
"Muslim students were
abusing Jesus and Chris
tians also insulted their
prophet. The words became
threats and then acts,” Lumu
said.
Around dusk, a mob of
young men surged through
Please see NIGERIAN/5B
How sincere are we in
giving thanks?
By Artellia Burch
arte Ilia, burch @ thecharlottepost.com
Normally, this time of year we reflect on things
we are thankful for.
But, what if God took our actions instead of our
words as proof of our Thanksgiving.
Would God think we are thankful at all?
We say thank you to God when we acknowledge
him in everything we do. Looking at my actions I
can’t say God was acknowledged in all of my
actions because if God were acknowledged there
would have been less sin and more obedience.
If I had truly been thankful to God there would
have been less lies in my life and more truth. I
wouldn’t have returned to old ways that have only
caused confusion in my life.
If I had truly been thankful for the finances God
had given me I wouldn’t have mismanaged my
money. Looking at the debt of the country I’m not
the only one spending money I don’t have.
Peace is always a good sign of how much we’re
acknowledging God and obeying him.
Peace is something our country doesn’t have at
this time. The stock market is going crazy, people
are continuing to be laid off although the presi
dent keeps saying everything is getting better.
The rich have received ridiculous tax breaks as
the gap between the haves and have-nots has
increased.
Let’s look at some of the things that have
occurred in our country since last Thanksgiving.
• The Episcopal Church has consecrated the
first openly gay bishop into a Christian denomi
nation.
•Massachusetts’s highest court ruled last week
Please see HOW/5B
Catholic
bishops
share
concerns
By Rachel Zoli
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
At a meeting with Ameri
ca’s Roman Cathohc leaders,
Archbishop Simon
Ntamwana of Burundi
recounted an aU-too-familiar
litany of Afiican woes: Crush
ing poverty. War. AIDS.
AfHca needs help fi^m U.S.
Catholics tackling all those
problems, he said. But that’s
not all. He was just as con
cerned about getting assis
tance to meet the spiritual
needs of his continent:
Cathohcism is exploding
there, he . said, as it is
throughout the developing
world.
“Africa is a very young con
tinent,” Ntamwana said at
the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. “We want
the world church to pay
attention to our youth.”
The bishops, who gathered
last week in Washington,
took time firom their talk of
diocesan budgets, liturgy and
other issues critical to the
American church to consider
the challenges to Catholicism
in Afiica and Asia.
Cardinal Theodore McCar-
rick of Washington, D.C., pro
posed that American dioceses
move toward holding a regu
lar collection for Afiica, call
ing the continent "the poor
est in the world, but also
potentially the richest in
terms of the future of the
church.”
The central Afidcan coimtry
of Burundi is 70 percent
Catholic. Its neighbor, Congo,
formerly known as Zaire, is
50 percent Cathohc.
Overall, Afidca has more
than 130 mflhon of the 1 bil-
hon members of the world
church. The numbers on the
continent are growing even
as church membership is
shrinking in many parts of
Europe.
“These are crucial times for
the hfe of the church and the
peoples of AfHca,” McCarrick
said. “Opportunities missed
now may never come again.”
Ntamwana was among a
delegation of bishops finm
Africa that included Cardinal
Frederic Etsou, the Archbish
op of Kinshasa, Congo, and
Bishop Nicholas Djomo of
Please see BROADCAST/7B
Davidson’s Tull Circle’ a lively concert CD
Keith Davidson
& The Voices ■
Full Circle Live
Roderick Vester
and Percy Gray, Jr. producers
New Haven Records
Live recordings come and go in pop music
but remain the staple of gospel and Contem
porary Christian. You have to be able to repro
duce the same soimd live as on record., If not,
your career is short-lived.
So, a good live recording shouldn’t be a big
deal, but in most cases it is. Keith Davidson’s
new recording is live, alive and good.
Davidson and his ensemble the Voices are a
joyous bimch. Most of this recording is peppered
with infectious uptempo songs that make you
move, shake and praise. In fact, the first three
will keep a congregation on its feet throughout.
“Praise The Lord” starts the CD with a
vengeance, sounding much like Richard Small
wood’s “Anthem Of Praise” with a slightly more
urban twist. “Bounce Back” is pure urban
gospel with an inviting near-dance floor beat.
The lyrics give the hstener a reason to praise
and be hopeful. “God Specializes” is ol’ school
church, complete with a choppy, 'memorable
chorus and robust soprano solo.
The group is just as effective on more melodic
pieces. “Grateful” is slower, but intense. Lead
singer Cheryl Dodson puts a ton of emotion in
her solo.’ She works the song with the fervor of a
blues singer closing down a club.
Davidson and crew jump back into the fray
with “Millionaire” another sparkling uptempo
song lead by Davidson and his daughter Kierra.
The song is more cute than worshipful, but that’s
OK
Praise and worship and contemporary stuff
round out the CD, giving it good balance. This
CD covers a lot of emotional territory and spiri
tual situations. It does so in a very earnest and
fulfilling way. Job well done, Mr. Davidson.
Ratings
Classic;
Excellent;
T:
Good
Fair
Why?
No stars — A mess
Church News
Church Women United
recently honored Audrey
Wall as Valiant Woman of
the Year.
The ceremony was held
during the group’s annual
Leader’s Council held at
Camp Caraway in Ashe-
boro.
November 27
East Stonewall AME
Zion Church will hold a
free Thanksgiving Day
Lunch at 12 pm.
November 30
Silver Mount Baptist
Church at 501 West
Arrowood Road wfll hold its
Praise Extravaganza
“Where The Spirit Is” at 4
pm.
December 6 and 7
The Pineville Church of
the Nazarene Worship
Ministry will present a
musical ‘111 Be Home for
Christmas.”
For more information call
(704) 542-3618.
December 7
Mount Calvary Holy
Church Family Worship
Center at 401 Lincoln
Street will honor its co-pas
tor Darlene Mickens at 5
p.m.