Category Archives: Church

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Forging Forward From Ferguson…Attorney General Eric Holder Comes to Atlanta…

Hello World,mike brown

As of tomorrow, it will be a week since St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced a St. Louis County grand jury’ s decision to not to indict a white police officer Darren Wilson for killing unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Every day since then, this decision continues to reverberate in Ferguson and across the country…Below are some of the most poignant stories and perspectives I’ve seen about the fallout from Ferguson…

1. “The Baptism of Michael Brown Sr. and Ferguson’s Baptism By Fire” on thedailybeast.com – Michael Brown’s father recommitted his life to Christ at Flood Christian Church, a storefront church, and was baptized a few miles away at Calvary West Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis a day before the grand jury decision was announced…A day after the grand jury decision was announced, ashes marked where the Flood Christian Church once stood…

2. CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviews Pastor Carlton Lee, pastor of Michael Brown Sr.’s church, which was set on fire during protests in Ferguson…

3. “Pregnant St. Louis Woman Praises Jesus After Losing Eye: Vows To Get Justice After Police Fired Bean Bag Through Car Window During Riots” on christianpost.com

4. “Ferguson Protesters Celebrate Thanksgiving in A Church, Actively Boycott Black Friday” on huffingtonpost.com

5. “Local Church Leaders Organize ‘Black Lives Matter’ Candlelight Vigil and Black Friday Boycott” on eastcountymagazine.org

6. “NFL Player Benjamin Watson’s Ferguson Post on Facebook Goes Viral” on khq.com

7. “Attorney General Eric Holder Will Visit Ebenezer Baptist Church for ‘Atlanta’s Ferguson Forum'” on v103.cbslocal.com…V-103 and WAOK will join Pastor Raphael Warnock and Ebenezer Baptist Church at “The Community Speaks ATL” service/forum on Monday, December 1 at 7 p.m.

Any thoughts?

 

 

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Church of England’s First Female Bishop May Be Black & Jamaican…

Hello World, rev rose

Yesterday, all 50 states (yes, including the Aloha State) experienced freezing temperatures, and this morning, I’m still cold…not good for a girl with Jamaican blood…I was too cold 20 degrees ago…but then again, it is November…anywho, on to today’s post…

Big things are happening across the pond…On Monday, according to The New York Times, the Church of England solidified its decision to appoint female bishops with a final vote after initially agreeing to this change in July. This decision marks the first time that female bishops will be appointed!!! And the first female bishop may be appointed by Christmas!!! There are seven women that are being considered for the first appointment, according to itv.com.

One of those women is the Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is already the first black female chaplain to the House of Commons and was the first black female chaplain to the Queen! She was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica before coming to the UK in 1985.

Below is a video of Rev. Hudson-Wilkin speaking with The Telegraph about the miracle of the appointments of female bishops in the Church of England…

Below is her bio from the Church of England website:

The Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin was appointed to the role of Speaker’s Chaplain in June 2010 by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP. She is the Vicar of the United Benefice of Holy Trinity with St Philip, Dalston, and All Saints, Haggerston, in the London diocese. Rose combines this parish role with the position of Speaker’s Chaplain and as Priest Vicar at Westminster Abbey.

Rose was born and grew up in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Commissioned as a Church Army Officer in 1982, her theological training took place at the West Midlands Ministerial Training Course at Queens Theological College.

She was ordained Deacon in 1991, and Priest in 1994. In 2007 she was appointed a chaplain to the Queen, making her one of only a few who are occasionally invited to officiate and preach at the 400-year-old Queen’s Chapel beside St. James’ Palace.

She is a member of the General Synod of the Church of England and has served as one of the Panel of chairs. During her time on the Synod she was one of the CofE’s delegates to the World Council of Churches meeting in Zimbabwe & Porto Allegre.

She has served as Chair of the National Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (CMEAC) and of the Worldwide Committee of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). She has also been a member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC).

According to Wikipedia, she is married Ken Wilkin, a chaplain to Holloway Prison, and they have two daughters and a son.

Any thoughts?

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Ex-Con’s Art Featured in United Methodist Church National Prison Summit

Hello World,

I love a good redemption story. Isn’t that the whole point of the Bible? To redeem us from our sins and set us on the right path…

That’s why I have to share the story of Leonard “Rusty” Medlock, who I read about on the Dallas Morning News website. A former drug dealer, he began dipping into his supply…

“Even in my darkest hours, I was praying,” Medlock said. “I was the only one sitting in a drug house, using drugs and praying out loud. I’d say, ‘Lord, please don’t let me die in this sin.’”

freeAlthough he eventually went to jail, God still heard his prayer…

“When I was in elementary school, my art teacher told my mom I had a real talent,” Medlock said. “And Mama said, ‘I know. He’s doing it all over my living room walls.’”

Behind bars, he started sketching again. He learned how to strip the bright colors off of Skittles candy and turn it into brilliant paint. He even used toothpaste to paint.

But another creative idea — drawing portraits of those featured in newspaper obituaries — got him noticed. He mailed them to funeral homes and asked them to pass the images along to survivors.

“All of a sudden … I started getting money on the books,” he said, referring to the cash — as much as $150 — that folks sent him.

To read his how art eventually freed him from jail physically, mentally and spiritually and see his artwork, go here…

Medlock’s art will now be featured in the National Prison Summit on Incarceration held at Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas this Friday through Sunday. hamilton

According the summit website, the National Prison Summit on Incarceration is a weekend designed to bring national, statewide and local experts together to share strategies and best practices to those who work in prison ministries. The goal for the summit is three fold. First, providing information about the need for community and faith-based volunteers to do ministry inside the prison walls that will transform the lives of persons incarcerated; Second, learn from experts about evidence-based practices on starting and growing your prison ministry; and finally how to be more effective and develop successful re-entry programs.

Any thoughts?