Category Archives: Church

Posted on

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles Remembers Kobe Bryant’s Faith in God, Kobe & Daughter Gianna Attended Church Before the Helicopter Crash…

Hello World,

I cannot pretend that I’m a huge sports fan, but I cannot imagine that anyone who lives in the United States doesn’t know Kobe Bryant. I’m still in shock after learning about his death at a mere 41, the death of his 13-year-old lookalike daughter Gianna (known as Gigi) and the death of the other passengers on that tragic helicopter crash on Sunday. I was encouraged when I read this article about his faith in Catholic Courier. See an excerpt below…

As the world mourned the loss of basketball great Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others killed in a tragic helicopter crash Jan. 26, many recalled how Bryant gave much credit to his Catholic faith for seeing him through the bad times and strengthening his marriage and family.

A shooting guard, Bryant was drafted into the NBA at age 17 and played his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. He retired at the end of the 2015-2016 season.

News of Bryant’s death quickly prompted tributes on social media. On Twitter, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said “he was sad to hear the news” and offered prayers for him and his family.

See the rest of the article HERE.

Also, Kobe and his daughter went to church that morning before they boarded the helicopter. See an excerpt of a Daily Mail article below…

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi prayed together at Catholic mass at their local church hours before they both died in the tragic helicopter crash, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The basketball legend and 13-year-old Gigi went to the 7am service at the Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach. They both received Communion.

The father and daughter left the church and soon afterwards boarded the S-76 Sikorsky helicopter piloted by Ara Zobyan which was taking them to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for Gigi’s basketball practice.

See the rest of the article HERE.

Saints, let’s pray for all of those who loved all nine of the people who lost their lives in that deadly helicopter crash on Sunday. This is a sobering reminder that our lives and time are utterly in the hands of God. I pray that we use our lives and time wisely and to His glory…

Any thoughts?

 

Posted on

The Alfred Street Baptist Church Foundation with Facebook Partners for the 18th Annual HBCU Festival on Saturday, January 25 at the National Harbor!

Hello World,

I love sharing positive news so here’s something positive for parents and soon-to-be high school graduates!

Facebook and The Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) and its Foundation are partners for the third consecutive year; supporting the 18th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Festival (Festival). The 2020 Festival will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Once again, this event will enable African- American youth to connect with over 70 representatives of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), while providing information on college admission, financial aid, academic disciplines and other areas of college life. Most schools in attendance will offer instant admission, conduct on-site interviews and may even waive application fees.  New this year, there will be a $5.00 per person fee to attend. However, everyone must register online at alfredstreet.org to enter the event.

Alfred Street Baptist Church and its Foundation are committed to higher education for African American youths and, since 2003, have connected more than 40,000 students – many of whom are first generation college students – and their parents to academic institutions through the Festival. Since inception of the Festival, participating HBCUs have awarded more than $30 million collectively to Festival attendees in the form of academic scholarships and/or waived fees.  During the 2019 Festival, over 10,000 were in attendance; [e1] more than [CW2] $11.6 million in scholarships were awarded; and 1,886 offers of admission were made to high school seniors.

“We are more than pleased that for the third year in a row that Facebook, which has a commitment to education and diversity, has partnered with us to support this worthwhile event,” said Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Alfred Street’s senior pastor.

“We are grateful that Facebook has signed on as our title partner for the third year in a row, as we host the HBCU College Festival,” said Pat Wallace, Alfred Street Baptist Church Foundation President. “Facebook as a partner allows us to expand our reach to impact the lives of our future African American leaders.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the ASBC Foundation again to invest in the education of African American students,” said Erica Woods, Community Engagement Lead, and Facebook DC. “Facebook has always invested in the physical infrastructure across the country, but we are also investing in the social infrastructure of our communities. We are proud to have facilities in so many states that are home to HBCUs, and hope that students look for opportunities with Facebook when the time comes to pursue their career paths.”

In addition to Facebook being the title sponsor, Alfred Street Baptist Church and its Foundation are delighted to announce that McDonald’s has joined as a first time partner as well as the U.S. Intelligence Community. ASBC and its Foundation are enthusiastic that the following companies and organizations as sponsors: Google/WAYMO, Ernst and Young, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Our Daily Bread, Deloitte, Converse, Footwear Distributers and Retailers of America (FDRA), Thompson Hospitality, Christopher Consultants, PNC Bank, Burke and Herbert Bank, PepsiCo, all for this rewarding and worthwhile event.

The Alfred Street Baptist Church and its Foundation are also thankful for Radio/Urban One; who continues to serve as our media sponsors.  Google/WAYMO, will be providing information about their CSSI-HBCU initiative at the Festival. Designed specifically for high school seniors; this program promotes equitable representation in tech by hosting high school seniors at a three-week summer residential program connecting them to incoming HBCU students with like-minded peers, Google engineers, CS professors, HBCU alum in CS, and Black technologists in the local tech ecosystem.

Visit alfredstreet.org for more information.

Any thoughts?

Posted on

Will Pastor of Dr. King Jr.’s Church, Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Leave Pulpit for Senate Race?

Hello World,

The New Year is a time for new direction and from what I’ve heard, the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was once the pastor, may be heading in a new direction.

According to the AJC, “the Atlanta pastor is expected to soon announce a challenge to Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and his stemwinder of a sermon at this week’s Martin Luther King Jr. ceremony may as well have been a preview of his campaign message.

What the Democrat hasn’t said yet is whether he plans to remain on the pulpit of the historic church that serves as King’s spiritual home. But if the last time he pondered a Senate run is any guide, he’s likely to serve double-duty as both a candidate and a clergyman. “

While Pastor Warnock could theoretically do both, here’s the issue, according to the AJC:

“But Warnock would have to steer clear of overtly politicking on the pulpit and using church resources for his campaign. The church could not endorse Warnock or collect cash for him. Any political activity such as forums or get-out-the-vote efforts must be done in a nonpartisan way.

Violating those rules would risk penalties from the Internal Revenue Service, which classifies churches as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that don’t pay federal income tax but also can’t actively engage in political campaigns. “

Read the rest of the article HERE.

As we just celebrated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday on Monday, Pastor Warnock’s potential announcement and all that it entails is definitely news.

What do you think he should do if he runs?

Any thoughts?