Category Archives: Church

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New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Jamal Bryant Supports Black Officers Being Charged for the Death of Tyre Nichols But Says White Officer & Others Should Be Charged Too…

Hello World,

I hate to start off Black History Month writing about the death of another black person at the hands of police, but black history does include black people being more likely to be targeted by police…Peace to the family of Tyre Nichols who was the latest target of the unjust treatment by the faction of police officers who deem themselves judge, jury and executioner of citizens they encounter in the street. And I absolutely agree with all that has happened to the Memphis police officers who committed this latest injustice. And so does Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, but he had more to say on the matter. See a snippet of his Sunday sermon, which he delivered in front of life-sized images of the five black police officers, below…

“We got to ask what was broken in these men that they found satisfaction in hurting another brother…And of those five men, three of them are college-educated. I want to say to you thugs are not always on street corners. Sometimes we’ve got thugs in suits, and we’ve got thugs in uniform. And if we believe that black lives matter, we don’t care what color you are, we’ve got to hold our entire community to a standard of what is right. The other question is, these five police officers were charged, they were arrested, they were fired, and I believe that all of them should be fired, all of them should be charged, but I want to say to you on record, where is the white officer holding the taser? How come his picture is not on the news and how come his name has not been called? Not only him, I want the emergency medical technicians who sat around and did nothing for 23 minutes while our brother died. I want all of them charged. I want all of them persecuted. And I want all of them investigated. It is not just taking place in Memphis. It is taking place in Atlanta. It’s taking place in Baltimore. It’s taking place in Chicago. And all of these units that are really gangs with badges have got to be disarmed immediately!”

What say you? Do you agree with Pastor Bryant’s statements?

I know that policing is a hard job, and it takes a certain type of individual to be a police officer. And I am certainly not equipped nor do I want to be equipped to be one. However, policing needs to be reformed in a countrywide and clearly demonstrative manner. And if that does not happen, unfortunately this tragedy is likely to take place yet again.

Any thoughts?

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Georgia’s First Black Senator, Raphael G. Warnock, Releases Children’s ‘Book Put Your Shoes On & Get Ready!’

Hello World,

As a new mother, I am most definitely on the hunt for imaginative and informative children’s books! So I was excited to hear that Senator Raphael G. Warnock, Georgia’s first black senator who is also the senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church here in the A, recently released a children’s book Put Your Shoes On & Get Ready! Below is the description of the book:

From Georgia’s first Black Senator Raphael Warnock comes an inspiring picture book about finding your dreams and making your mark in the world.

Before Raphael Warnock became a pastor and the first Black senator from Georgia, he was a little boy whose father told him to get up, get dressed, put on his shoes, and get ready! So that’s what he did, along every step of his journey. From his work boots to his marching band shoes to his shiny lace-ups, Senator Reverend Warnock found the right shoes to fit his feet and to carry him toward his dreams.

This inspirational story, with bold, brilliant art by TeMika Grooms, follows Raphael Warnock’s journey from Savannah, Georgia, to the United States Senate and shows young readers that they, too, can find the power to be themselves and make a difference when they have the shoes that fit their feet.

About the Author

Raphael G. Warnock was elected the first Black senator from Georgia in 2020. He also serves as the senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta. Senator Reverend Warnock went to Morehouse College and Union Theological Seminary and is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is the eleventh of twelve siblings, and has two children, Chloe and Caleb. You can find out more about him at warnockforgeorgia.com.

TeMika Grooms is an Atlanta-based artist and art activist who illustratedSave The Crash-test Dummies by Jennifer Swanson and Nana’s Favorite Things by Dorothy H. Price. She is the Founder and Program Coordinator for KidsLitATL, a grassroots organization to support a diverse group of creators in Atlanta, Georgia, where she lives with her cat, Nina Simone, and her two daughters, who she affectionately calls Thing One and Thing Two. You can visit her online at www.temikatheartist.com.

And below is Senator Warnock sharing why he wrote the book on ABC’s The View:

 

To buy a copy, click HERE.

Also, I imagine if you request it in your local bookstores, it can be made available at those locations as well.

Any thoughts?

 

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‘Just Mercy’ Author & Attorney Bryan Stevenson To Deliver the Keynote Address at the 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service Tomorrow, Jan. 16…

President Biden Delivered Sunday Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church TODAY!

Hello World,

The King Center will host the 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service tomorrow, Jan. 16, on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, at 10 a.m., at Ebenezer’s Horizon Sanctuary, 101 Auburn Ave., Atlanta. The service will broadcast live on FOX 5 Atlanta and livestream on Facebook, YouTube, fox4atlanta.com, and thekingcenter.org.

The 54th Annual Commemorative Service is the hallmark of the King Holiday Observance.  The Rev. Natosha Reid Rice and Pastor Sam Collier will preside over the event. The King Center CEO, the Rev. Bernice A. King, will give the Call to Commemoration. This year’s keynote speaker is Bryan Stevenson, lawyer, social justice activist, law professor at New York University School of Law,  founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (which was made into a movie starring Michael B. Jordan) U.S. Senator and Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, will give pastoral and city greetings, respectively. Several special guests will give tributes to Dr. King including:

  • Leo Smith, CEO, Engaged Futures Group, LLC
  • Rick West, founding director and director emeritus, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
  • Renee Montgomery, co-owner and vice president of the Atlanta Dream
  • Pastor Dennis Rouse, author and founding pastor of Victory Church
  • Veronica Maldonado-Torres, president and CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Somalia Gilliard, a senior and Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, will give a special tribute to Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

The commemorative service will feature performances by musical guests: Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard, Justin Schultz, Morton, Minister Angella Christie, Ashling Cole, Uzee Brown, and Bishop William Murphy. The Commemorative Service Choir will perform, accompanied by The Covington Regional Ballet. There will be an international musical performance by the Far East Broadcasting Company Korea Children’s Choir.

Additionally, President Biden delivered the Sunday sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of Dr. King,  TODAY! Read more about what he said HERE.

I’m forever grateful for the sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family. God has truly used them in a mighty way…

Any thoughts?