http;//www.thecharlottepost.com
Clje Cljarlotte
THURSDAY APRIL 15, 2004
8B
RELIGION
Faithful
in His
service
I Thessalonians
1:2-10; 3:6-10
To the church of the Thes-
salonians in Grod the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ:
We always thank God for
all of you, mentioning you in
our prayers. We continually
remember before our God
and Father your work pro
duced hy faith, j^ur labor
prompted by love and your
endurance inspired by hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brothers
loved by God, that he has
chosen you, because our
gospel came to you not simply
with words, but also with
power, with the Holy Sprit
and with deep conviction.
You know how we lived
among you for your sake. You
became imitators of us and of
the Lord; in spirit of severe
suffering; you welcomed the
message with the joy given
by the Holy Sprit. And so you
became a model to all the
believers in Macedonia and
Achaia. The Lord’s message
rang out from you not only in
Macedonia and Achais-your
faith in God has become
known everywhere. There
fore we do not need to say
anything about it, for they
themselves report what kind
of reception you gave us.
They tell how you turned to
God form idols to serve the
living and true God, and to
wait for his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the
dead-Jesus, who rescues us
from the coming wrath.
But Timothy has just now
come to us from you and has
brought good news about
your faith and love. He has
told us that you always have
pleasant memories of us and
that you long to see us, just as
we also long to see you.
Therefore, brothers, in all our
distress and persecution we
were encouraged about you
because of your faith. For
now we really live, since you
are standing firm in the Lord.
How can we thank God
enough for you in return for
all the joy we have in the
presence of our God because
of you? Night and day we
pray most earnestly that we
may see you again and sup
ply what is lacking in your
faith.
Aery to
pastors
By R. Lynn Moore
SPECIAL TO THE POST
What’s in your life? Are you
truly falfiUing the call that
God has given you? Is there
more that you should be
doing?
Are you taking the time to
_ feed on the
Opinion word and
minister it
effectively to the flock that
God has placed in your circle
of influence? Is the word you
are ministering a lesson or a
lifestyle? Do you'truly realize
that God is holding you
accountable?
God has given you an awe
some task. He has placed you
in a position of authority. A
position where you are going
to be held accountable. It is
such an awesome task to
undertake. When you answer
the call of pastor, you in
essence say to God that you
are taking on the responsibil-
Please see PASTOR’S/5B
Church leaders see
more young people
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -
The spirit is apparently
moving young people along
the Grand Strand.
Church leaders in this
resort area say they are see
ing children, teens and
twenty-somethings worship
in a surprising revival of
faith.
Some beheve the condition
of national and world
affairs, like the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11 and the
continuing war in Iraq, have
left youth with many ques
tions.
"We have seen more
young reaching out because
they have been touched by
what is going on in the
world,” says the Rev. Fred
Johnson, pastor of Sandy
Grove Missionary Baptist
Church in Myrtle Beach.
"They are troubled, and
they are turning to God for
help.”
A study of 3,000 teenagers
done in 2002 by the Califor
nia-based Bama Research
Group, which studies cultur
al trends and the Christian
Church, showed that they
are among "the most spiri
tually interested individuals
in the nation.”
Myrtle Beach Community
Church has about 350 chil
dren out of 1,350 members.
About 200 of the children
attend church each Sunday.
At Living Faith Church in
Myrtle Beach, youth mem
bership increased from 12 to
60 in about a year’s time.
While world events play a
part, many church leaders
believe the real reason rests
Please see YOUNG/5B
To learn your life’s meaning, let go
and tmst God to provide purpose
How far are you willing to go and what
are you willing to sacrifice to truly be
happy?
When I say happy I mean getting to
the point where you feel satisfied that
something is right or has been done
right.
A few years ago I could say that I was
n’t willing to go far to be happy. There
were times I would sit in church and
squirm when preachers would speak on
how God required us to sacrifice things
in order to follow him and find true hap
piness.
I never really understood why state
ments about sacrifice would bother me
so much because in my mind I had noth
ing to give up.
However, I was wrong. I did have
something I needed to sacrifice -myself
I couldn’t see it but I was the vei^ thing
that was something standing in my way.
I was letting my past successes, failures,
fears and my ideas about life block me
from finding peace and developing a
deeper personal relationship with
Jesus, my Lord and Savior.
I wanted to hold on to what I believed
I needed in order to be happy versus let
ting go of eveiything to ti-uly find happi
ness. For the first time in my life I am
willing to walk away from everything I
have worked for in order to be happy
and to find peace of mind.
I believe for some time God was trying
to show me the way to happiness but I
wouldn’t listen. A couple of years ago the
passage in Matthew 13:45-46 surfaced
in my spirit. The verses read “Again the
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
looking for fine pearls. When he foimd
one of great value, he went away and
sold everything he had and bought it.”
The scripture and its meaning
remained oblivious to me until today.
Today I know that I have spent my
entire life trying find out my life pur
pose. Now I know I can never truly
understand what my purpose is until I
give up eveiything I have created to find
out why I was created.
In that scripture the merchant was
looking for something veiy valuable just
like every man or woman who is actual
ly seeking their divine purpose.
When the man found what he was
looking for he went away and sold
eveiything he had and bought it. Now I
have found my precious pearl, which
symbolizes purpose and freedom to me.
In order for me to purchase my precious
pearl I have to release all of my ideas,
walk away from all my achievements so
I can obtain what I have been looking
for - purpose and a peace of mind.
Dillard
provides
pure
energy
Ricky Dillard & New G
Unplugged...
The Way Church Used to Be
Ricky Dillard & Michael
Taylor, producers
Crystal Rose Records
Ricky Dillard has long been
the favorite of many youth
ministers across the country.
His high energy-style of
directing usually will keep
the young folk on their feet
throughout a performance.
But Dillard is digging deep
er into his church roots these
days. “Unplugged... The Way
Church Used Tb be” is as
energetic as anything he’s
done, but it will appeal to
those more grounded in tra
ditional gospel music.
Indeed, many of these
songs dip back to the ‘80s and
90s when mass choirs Were
gaining popularity. Dillard
has taken these songs and
adapted them to his ensem
ble New G (shortened from
New Generation).
He’s picked some great
ones. Nikki Ross Turnley
sings the mess out of Percy
Badys “There Is No Way.”
New G swells to rafter-rais
ing levels as Tumley soars
above them. It’s a heart-
wrenching performance that
may prove to be the most
popular song from this
recording.
LaVanga Hubbard gives
Tumley stiff competition on
Timothy Wright’s “Let Us All
Go Back,” a foot-stomping,
shout-inducing song with
enough energy to keep the
saints on their feet forever.
Then there’s LaShun Pace
killing, repeat, killing Myma
Summers’ “Oh, How Pre
cious.” What else can be said
about this woman’s voice.
She could sing the Yellow
Pages and make it sound
good. “How Precious” is
something much more than
that, however. Pace puts an
update for the ages on this
song.
Heck, pick any of the 13
tracks and your soul can’t
help but be touched. If Dil
lard’s own ‘Take .Me Back”
doesn’t get you going, check
your pulse.
This is the best gospel
album so far this year. Some
one is going to have to bring it
to do better.
Ratings
■P
Classic;
Excellent;
Good
Fair
Why?
No stars — A
mess
PPPP
PPP
P
P
Church News
Christian Women of Ele
gance is,sponsoring a 100-
word essay contest on ‘Why
Your Mother Should Be Con
sidered The Greatest Mom of
Charlotte.”
The writers’ age categories
are ages 5-9, 10-17 and 18
and older. All essays should
be mailed or faxed to Christ
ian Women of Elegance,
Water Oak, Pineville 281344
or fax to (704) 889-1209. The
winners will present the
awards to their mothers at
the Gospel Day In The Park-
“A Day lb Celebrate Women”
May 1 at Independence Park.
For more information call
(704) 493-2536.
April 15-16
The Youth of Pleasant Hill
Baptist Church at 517 Bald
win Avenue will hold its
annual Youth Revival at 7:30
p.m. The Junior Choir will
hold a musical program at 4
p.m.
April 17
Morehouse College Men’s
Glee Club will hold a concert
at Friendship Missionary
Baptist Church at 7 p.m.
April 18
Greater Bethel AME
Church will hold Women’s
Day at 10 a.m. The speaker
will be Rev. Valerie Jackson
of Augusta, Ga.
April 22-24
Transfiguration Ministries
vrill hold “Rise, Shine For the
Light Has Come” at 2707 Lit
tle Rock Road at 7 p.m.
April 22-25
The O’Zion AME Zion
Church at 13921 Hamilton
Road will hold its Music Min
istries 2004 gospel music
Please see ECONOIV1IC/6B
o#o