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http://www.thecharloftepost,com 5B Wl)e Clbarlotte ^osit THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006 RELIGION Life IB A day to always remember Some older Americans wiD remember where they were and what they were doing on December 7, 1941-the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. The memory of the events of such a tragic day is impossi ble to erase. A more current example of an unforgettable day would certainly be Sep tember 11, 2001. Who can forget what he or she was doing or the emptiness that was felt upon hearing and seeing the Twin Ibwers in New York City being attacked? Whatever you feel inside when such events occur, it may be quite similar to how the people of Jerusalem felt as they witnessed the Baby lonians ravaging their holy city and setting Solomon’s magnificent temple on fire. We should not miss what the rehgious implications of this action were at the time it took place. The Babylonians’ destruction of the temple of the God of Judah implied that their pagan gods were mightier than Judah’s God. After all, so the thinking went, if the Lord were stronger, wouldn’t He have intervened to protect His sacred dwelling place? If He failed to do so, then it must be because the Babylonian gods were superior. Of course, that was not at all the case. Prophets such as Jeremiah repeatedly empha sized that the Babylonians were not conquering Jerusalem through their own might; the Lord was giving Jerusalem into their hands as punishment for the sins of His ipeople (Jeremiah 27:5-7; 34:2). Even some Babyloni ans (Chaldeans) recognized this truth (see Jeremiah 40:2, 3). The destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of God’s people did not signal the absence of the Lord; on the contrary, these events provided evidence of His con trol. The events validated His prophets as authoritative messengers who conveyed His truth. Lesson Background Conditions in Judah deteri orated rapidly following the death of Josiah in about 609 b.c., the last godly king in that coimtry. Here is a sum mary of the reigns of Judah’s last four kings: Jehoahaz, also called Shal- lum, was a son of Josiah. He reigned over Judah only three months. He was taken captive to Egypt, where he died (2 Kings 23:31-34; Jere miah 22:11,12). Jehoiakim was put on the throne by the Egyptians after they had removed Jehoahaz from power. This was another son of Josiah. He ruled for 11 years (609- Please see A DAY/8B Fire destroys one of most historic black churches THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON—A lightning strike ignited an overnight ■fire that destroyed one of Houston’s oldest black churches. Pastor Floyd N. WiUiams II was one of five people in the Friendship Baptist Church Monday night when they said lightning struck the rear of the church about 7 p.m. Monday. “I heard thunder, and then I heard a pop soimding like lightning had struck the transformer. We lost all power,” 'Williams said. By the time firefighters arrived, “it was engulfed in flames,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jack Williams. The church’s walls and roof collapsed as about 150 firefighters battled the tow ering flames, which destroyed the 60-year-old church sanctuary in Hous ton’s predominantly black Fourth Ward. A neighboring duplex owned by the church also was damaged. The church was founded in 1903 as one of the original nine churches in what was ' then Houston’s Freedmen’s Tbwn. Sing, earn $10,000 By Chens F. Hodges che!i5.hodges@thecharlottepostc Want a chance to win '$10,000 for your gospel choir and a chance to sing in New York? Then the Pathmark Gospel Competi tion is for you. In celebration of Black History Month, the contest draws singers from all over the country to compete with Metro New York choirs. This year’s competition takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The World Financial Center Winter Garden, West Street between ■Vesey and Liberty Streets in Lower Manhattan. For more information about either of Pathmark’s Black History Month events or to enter, call (866) 893-1812 or log on to Gospel5000.com. Competition Youth Division Choirs, for members age 18 and under, sing first, beginning at 10 a.m. From 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Open Division com petition takes place. Last year’s Open Division top choir, the Mount Vernon Gospel Knights, will perform a medley, including “Lift up Your Voice,” during intermission. The entire da/s'event is being taped to air on XM Satellite Eadio’s Spirit Channel. Inspirational bands, fine soloists and sweet harmonies add to a tremendous day and an opportunity for choirs, famous in their own communi ties, to be heard Coast to Coast. Praising Jesus on line THE ASSOCIATED PRESS YORK, Pa.—It may be hard to imagine the disciples of Jesus Christ at a keyboard trying to download an encore pre sentation of the sermon on the mountain, but if the way churches do their jobs today is any indication, it might have happened if they were aroimd today. At the Zion Lutheran Church in Manchester Ibwoship, Patrick Dye, the parish administrator, said it only takes min utes to download the church’s digitally recorded service to the World Wide Web. ‘We make it available for users of both broadband and dial up Internet service,” Dye said. The broadband service is almost as crisp and clear as being there. The dial-up is a little grainy and choppy but does not require the more expensive broadband connection. In this day and age, churches have to be technically savvy. Dye said. That’s why his chxirch has a technology committee. In addition to ensuring services are made available online, they also make certain that the service itself is glitch-free before the first word is spoken. Zion Lutheran refiss heavily on its technology committee to prepare its services’ slide show presentations, graphic dis plays, soimd for th ' music performers and lighting effects, if needed. And the techies , re stiU thinking of what to do next. One idea that could be unveiled early next year is to make services available for downloading to iPods or other portable digital players. The church is also going to add a link to a service called Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This service will help parishioners set up their tithing electronically. Rather than deal with checks, envelopes and collection plates, a preset amount of money will be withdrawn from a parishioner’s designated bank account and deposited into the church’s account. At the New Life Assembly of God church in East Berlin, Pas tor Joel Everhart said his services are broadcast in real-time, meaning as they happen. His son, Josh Everhart, set up the feature two years ago. The service is ideal for people who work late and have trou ble getting up. Some church members have said they have used their laptops to go to church while on vacation. “One man in Washington, D.C., invites fiiends over to his apartment to watch our service there,” Everhart said. For those wanting to find New Life from D.C. or anywhere else, the Web site can provide directions door to door fi'om any where via a link to Mapquest. The site even has a digital prayer chain. Like the service offered by Zion Lutheran, New Life church Please see PRAISING/6B Hammond at best on ‘Worship’ Fred Hammond Free To Worship Fred Hammond and Bobby Sparks, producers Verity/Zomba Records I didn’t think Fred Ham mond could top “Something “Bout Love,” but he’s done it easily with “Free Tb Wor ship.” Hammond doesn’t have the best voice. It can get a bit whiny but he’s always known how to sing. Sometimes he doesn’t seem to want to sing, but his last two CDs have brought his vocals back up to the level of his suburb song writing abilities. It’s Hammond’s writing ability that make this CD stellar, He’s dipped irto every subcategory of gospel - con temporary, praise & worship, r&b and traditional - all of which he does with ease. No matter the style, his lyrics seems to hit home. He’s a great storyteller, writing for the everyday worshiper. That’s not to say his songs are simple. Hardly. But Hari' mond’s songs do flow easiK and linger in the memoi; “My Heart Is For You” stark the CD with nearly a swing beat, weaving choruses, vamps and verses through the bouncing beat. “This Is The Day" is a contemporary take on a classic hymn with a touch of hip-hop. Hammond shows his versa tility on “More Of You” and “Every Time I Think,” which could fit easily on R&B radio, despite the overtly religious lyrics. But Hammond’s best work is on the slower songs and mid tempo songs that build. Hammond is refresh ingly simple on “There Is No Place” a haunting exhorta tion of God’s grace. “Thank You (I Won’t Complain)” is a testimony on which Ham mond pours his soul into his words. You get the feeling this is something he lives, not just sings about. The CD also comes with a bonus D'VE with live versions of a few songs. That’s gravy. The real meat is the great songs and stylish production job that brings them out. Hammond has got himself a winner. Church News The deadline for annoimcements ismooh on Fridays. Fax to (704) 342-2160 or e-m'ail your announcement to cheris.hodges@thecharlot- tepost.com. Please put “church, hews” in the subject line. Ongoing We Empower Women For Life At Women of The Harvest Bible Study Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 6636 Suite L Hickory Grove Business Park. • Steele Creek AME Zion Church, 1500 Shopton Road, will have noon day Bible study from 12 to 1 p.m. • Join Scouting at Steele Creek AME Zion Church, 1500 Shopton Road, Charlotte, NC 28217. Boy Scout and Girl Scout troop meet ings are held each Wednesday night at 6:30 p. m. Call (704) 523-6552 to register or to obtain additional information. • Hearts and Hammers, a construction min istry of Independence Hill Baptist Church is currently collecting application for its 2007 project. Hearts and Hammers assists non-prof it oi^anizations by providing expertise and labor. The deadline to submit an application is Dec. 31. For information or to obtain an appli cation, call (704) 596-2124. November 17 Pastor Valari Logan and Women of the Har vest present a Women’s Fall Retreat, “Listen ing to (jod with our Tbtal Mind, Body, and Soul.” The event runs through Saturday and registration is $85. "lb register, send cash or money order to Kingdom Fellowship-Women of The Harvest, PO Box 444334, Charlotte, NC 28215. The retreat will be held at The White Oak Conference Center in Wihnsboro, S.C. For more information, call (704) 531-2246. November 18 First Presbyterian Church, 302 E. Windsor St., Monroe, will host its third annual Com munity Jubilee from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more o®o Please see FIRST/6B •I'lilrV'
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 16, 2006, edition 1
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