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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1984)
Portland Observer, October 10,1984, Page 9 The Greater St. Stephen M issionary B aptist Church Telephone: 287 8881 or 888-1577 "The Church on the Grow" II Patera 3:18 Paator A. Bernard Devers. I 3924 N. W illiam s Ave. Church work challenges young Sunday Worahip. 1 1 0 0 a m «Sunday Evanmg. 7 0 0 p m Wadnaaday Evanmg. 0:30 p m Come We Have a Piece Where You Can Serve by Caroline A. CarroU Etolls Curry of Morrow's Nut House talking to Tamora Phillips, 10years old. (Photo by Richard J. Brown) Students learn about the world o f business by Robert Lothian Fifteen boys and girls from the Chapter One program at St. Andrew and Immaculate Heart schools took an afternoon o ff from school recent ly to learn about the world o f w ork. They visited Lloyd Center stores, learning how they operate and ob- erving workers. They also asked de tailed questions o f store managers about job requirement. “ Besides gaining some valuable in formation about careers, I would like the students to see that what they are learning in their reading and math classes will also benefit them in their job w orld,” said their teacher, Denice Skreslet, who organized the career afternoon. Chapter One makes available fed eral fund for extra help in reading and math for the Sth through 8th grades, she said. Ten-year-old Tam ara Phillips, a 5th grader at St. Andrew, visited M o rro w ’s Nut House and talked with owner Etoile Curry. Phillips said her favorite subject is malh, and Curry responded that math knowledge is essential for the most important tasks in her store — weigh ing out the nuts and candy, figuring prices, and giving change. “ You’d be surprised how many of them can’t learn how to operate the scales,” said Curry o f former em ployees who didn’t work out. Phillips asked Curry about the training required for store employees. “ W e train all o f our employees be cause our store is the only one of its kind,” Curry replied. Employees must be able to take in structions and accept criticism, "and you have to abide by the health rules,” she added. “ One thing I look for no matter if it’s a boy or a girl, is their fingernails and their hair.” And a friendly attitude is essen tial, she said, “ because ihen I know they're going to be that way to the customer. . that is the most im por tant thing. You smile and make them feel good so they’ll come back.” Responding to more o f Phillips' questions, Curry said store em ployees, many o f whom are high school age, receive the minimum wage, no fringe benefits and two ten minute breaks per day. “ How did you get your job?,” asked Phillips. “ I started working as a high school student working downtown after school and learning the retail busi ness,” said Curry. She explained how she became a partner with her husband, a candymaker, in the store they started 26 years ago. "T hat's all I know, is the candy business,” she said. "W h a t do you do? ," asked Phil lips. “ I ’m a manager and an owner, and I do everything that is required in the store. I ’m a chief flun ky.” “ Do you like your jo b ? ," queried Phillips. “ 1 love it," Curry replied. “ I t ’s in teresting because I meet all kinds of interesting people.” But Curry added that she dislikes the long hours that managing the store requires. Curry said later that Phillips’ sensi ble questions and awareness made her a good prospect for a future em ployee. “ I f she can do this at age ten, she’ll be good,” she said. “ I like her very much.” Although Philips plans to become a doctor, she said she might like to work at the store after school when she turns sixteen. Skreslet said the students will share what they learned with classmates, and appear before parent-teacher as sociations for the two schools. * ALLEN TEMPLE CME CHURCH Corner of 8th and Skidm ore Sunday School 9 30am Sunday Worship 11 00am Christian Youth Fellowship 6:00pm I second and fourth Sundays) Elonza J. Edwards (Pastor) t N E W Y O R K C IT Y — A peson’s concept o f the church changes when he i * she is working for it, claim four Black students of their summer ex periences as ministry interns in United Church o f Christ urban parishes. Sponsored by the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries, the summer urban internship program helped "surface, challenge, and refine (he interns' innate gifts while simul taneously aiding them in acquiring new skills essential for performance o f urban parish ministry,” explains Henry T . Simmons, the Homeland Board's church development secre tary. Tw o interns were placed in Chica go, Barbara Essex at Lincoln M e morial Congregational United Church o f Christ and Sue Williams at Trinity United Church o f Christ. A native Chicagoan, Ms. Essex preached; visited sick, shut-in and hospitalized church members; devel oped programs for youih. particu larly for teenage girls; attended church board meetings, and assisted with administrative duties. She praises the internship for giving her "a chance to understand how a church really operates” which she had not had in her large home church. Sue Williams o f Detroit was en couraged to perform all the duties a parish minister would. She visited the SKk and consoled the bereaved; winked on the church newspaper and taught adult Bible study and Black religion classes; preached; helped with counseling and crisis intervention work; led devotions for the 140-mem- ber choir, and wrote a course de scription manual for the church school. People’s Congregational United Church o f Christ in Washington, D .C ., had one o f its own members, Larry Murchison, Jr., as an intern. M r. Murchison was involved with neighborhood programs, youth work, vacation church school and ad ministrative duties. The thrust o f his work was with the church’s 18-22- year olds, for whom he organized film showings, led vacation Bible school and developed programs. " M y internship,” he reports, "has made me aware that the church is not a Sunday thing, but that it operates every day.” THE M O U N T OLIVET BAPTIST CHURCH N.E. First B Schuyler • 284 1964 John H Jackson Minister. M Ed . M 0 9 30 A M Church School 11 00 A M Conyregetionei Worship 5 00 P M Veeper Service 10 00 A M Baptism Fourth Sunday 11 00 Communion Each Frat Sunday The American Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches of Oregon: Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention: National, Oregon. Portland Ecumenical Ministries, American Bible Society, M & M . Board 84 N.E. Killingsworth • 281 0499 "A warm spirit of fellowship always" «*• This workshop will revolutionize leashing. One unit o f college credit will be given. Charge for the five sessions will be $60.00, $36.00 for audit. Reg istration will be one-half hour be fore the class hour the first night of each class in the Records Office. T u i tion must be paid in full at this time. For more inform ation, phone 581-8600, Ext. 133. Choir director tells commitment ~ 7 30pm 7 00p m Sunday School 9 15a m Morning 11 15e m Worship 8 30p m UP w w Evangahstic 8 00pm Worahip MV The Ark oT Safct; Chi _ the fliUc soys-r Tuaaday Friday fo llo u ’ peate iviìb Noon Day Prayat Friday "Tha Pallor Spaak» ’ 7 30 p m mon shall sec I be Saturday e p X LO T Ü Now teaching systematic techniques in Bible study Five weeks o f practical and inten sive study of teaching strategies de signed for Bible study groups and Sunday School will be held Oct. 13- Nov. 10, V a .m .-12 noon. The instructor, Joan Frankin, has had 20 years teaching experience and is associated with the Tacoma public schools. Each participant will gain hands on experience, with practical study skills and systematic techniques. Tuaaday Bible Band Thursday Chorr Reliaaraal YOU ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT m a* * Morning Prayer 9 00a m Prison Ministries, Inc. Kcuching the Total Man Body . Mind . . . & Spirit Prison M inistries, Inc. 4042 N. M ic h ig a n Ave. Portland, OR 97227 284 7563 • Prison Ministries provides: Chapel services, counseling end visitation •Prison Ministries Is: A non-profit, religious, tax deductible, organization (IRS 5101738231 •Rnenclal support: Churches, indivKluak., buaineaaea and foundations. •Prison Ministries. Inc. member of: APt CA American Protestant Correc tional Chaplain Association, Associate member of: ACA American Cor rectional Association P R ISO N M IN IS T R IE S , IN C . My faith promise to Prison Ministries Outreach N am e__ Address What makes a church choir great? Opinions vary — as do the voices which sing church songs. The Rev. Dr Floyd Massey Jr., Los Angeles, California, believes it takes total church backing to inspire a choir — especially when the minister makes plain his appreciative support. "There are so many choirs just singing,” D r. Massey says. “ But a choir must do more than sing. What it's singing must be felt and under stood by singers who are mature, grown-up Christians." Choir director Olivette Evans Hester believes it requires Christian affection to motivate a choir to great ness - affection among the choir members themselves. “ That flow o f love leads to undying commitment," Mrs. Hester says. "Then you have choir members who never miss a rehearsal." Noted choir robe maker Henri O ’Bryant believes it lakes extraordi nary sounds to make a choir unusual. He's been manufacturing extraordi nary robes for unusual choirs across the country for nearly 40 years. “ A cross section o f voices makes a choir good,” O ’ Bryant says. “ The greater the number of native sounds and expressions, the more unusual the sound of the choir.” He points to Mrs. Hester’s 100- voice Inspirational Choir in Watts, California, as one o f the most unusu al he's ever heard. D r. Massey is pastor o f 2,000- member Macedonia Baptist Church, the sanctum where Mrs. Hester's choir performs. And perform ii does One observer describes the Inspirational Choir of Macedonia Baptist as a mass o f voices "w ho march into the church like cadets, precise and uniform in move ments and sways and turns, file into their choir stance before the congre gation and sound like they sing with the Philharmonic.” The choir has travelled extensively throughout Southern California. Last year, along with Macedonia's two other choirs, it was asked to perform at the Los Angeles Convention Center when D r T . J. Jemison, president of the National Baptist Convention, U.S A ., gave his principal address. This year, the choir’s accompanist, Byron Smith, became one of only two black musicians selected to play baby grand pianos in the 1984 Olympics. A so-called “ inter-mediate” choir between Macedonia's junior and senior ensembles, the Inspirational group performs every fourth or fifth Sunday during the main service. It began in 1971 with 25 voices. Three years ago. Mrs. Hester was awarded a citation by the City of Los Angeles in recognition of her 30th anniversary as a musical director at Macedonia — and for dedicated serv ice in contribution to the youth o f the city. She is a former office manager with the city Board o f Education. " I ’m a Virgo and I'm a perfection ist," she says o f her unending drive. " I don’t play.” Her father, the Rev. S.O.J. Evans, was pastor o f Mace donia from 1951 to 1965. Hester began playing church or gans 42 years ago in her native Texas, where her father also pastured. Until the Inspirational Choir was started, she accompanied all the choirs at Macedonia. Five years ago, she became solely the conductor o f that choir. Her desire now, she says, is to see the Inspirational devel op into a 200-voice chorale which goes on concert across the nation. What makes it so special? "O ne special thing is that there is so much love between my choir and me,” Mrs. Hester says, seated on a comfortable sofa in the plush recrea tion room o f her ranch-style COmp- ton, California, home. (Nearby sits an efficient telephone answering device her choir members bought her last year when she became a full-time student in public adminis tration at California State Univer- sity-Dominguez.) “ There’s been a family-like atmo sphere at Macedonia since my father took over the church in 1951 until now,” Hester recalls. " T h a t’s really the basis o f it. And since Dr. Massey came in 1965, that family atmosphere has continued. City ___ Date ___ In response to God s great commission and the overwhelming world need, in faith, I promise beyond my regular financial stewardship • ________________________ per week □ per month □ per year D i “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of ' things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) I make this promise with the understanding that If for any reason I am unable to fulfill it, I will tall God about it. If He accepts my reason, my obligation is cancelled. "T hen, too, most o f my choir members are "young” Christians. M any have just come to Christ in their later years. That gives them more dedication, more commitment — as nearly as possible, in fact, to total commitment. T h a t’s why so few of my people ever miss rehearsal ” She allows her choir members to suggest song titles and even perform ance styles. “ I'm always open for sug gestions," she grins. "B ut I let them know, you know, that I have a last w ord.” I
