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Page 6 Portland Observer DECEMBER 13, 19X9
Scripture
o f the ‘We eh.
Strengthen fo u r ‘f a i th ‘Through ‘P rayer Sind ‘R egular Church ‘Worship
KWANZA:
St. John: Chapter 1 & 2
Time To Celebrate African-American Roots
11 Hl a
In (Remembrance O f . ..
(Continued From Page One)
Ethiopian and Egyptian roots (The New
Testament was first written in Greek
and J. A. Rogers lists three Black Popes
from 189 A.D. to 496 A.D.: Victor,
Melchiades and St. Gelasius).
The religious holiday of Pentecost
was originally named “ The Feast of
the First Fruits” (Num. 22:26). Devel
oped many, many thousands of years
ago in Ethiopia, Nubia and along the
understanding of man and his universe-
Knowledge that the European has hid
den or denied to the spiritual detriment
and salvation of us all? Let us examine
this treasure trove of wisdom and spiri
tuality that comes forth in a documented
wellspring of seminal contribution-
the festivals, the sacraments, the con
secrations, the ceremonies of rebirth
and resurrection. For the following I
draw upon the religion section of my
library, scores of historical texts, Bibles,
and concordances with the original
African historicity-purchased here and
abroad over a period of thirty years
(Diop, Budge, Ramy, Breasted, Smith,
Soper, Asimov, Spencer, Butz and many
others). It is to be kept in mind that
much of the structure and sacrament of
the early church was designed by Greek
speaking African church fathers-whose
culture without question evolved from
Upper Nile, the celebration began as a
harvest festival (still practiced), and
was incorporated into the Christian
church by the early Black Popes whom
we have mentioned. Now the custom
was restated to symbolize G od’s spiri-
ARANATHA
are Black?” In France at Boulogne-
sur-mer, at Clermont in Avvergne; In
Einsienden, Switzerland where tens of
thousands from Barvaria and Alsace, to
tual harvest of souls. The Jews retained
the African agricultural concept; Pen
tecost is the 50th day from Passover,
“ The people having at first Passover
presented before God the first sheaf of
the harvest, departed to their homes to
gather it in” (Smith, Dictionary of the
Bible, 1865).
Another significant example of Af
rican tradician and practice is the holi
day of Christmas. The Africans, docu
mented as great astronomers, correctly
aligning the Pyramids with the stars,
were able to correlate the great annual
cycles and precessions o f the heavens
with the corresponding cycles of vege
tation below. They accurately predicted
the rise and fall of the great rivers and
therefore the proper times for allocat
ing labor for planting and harvest. Beau
tiful and intricate festivals and ceremo
nies were developed over thousands of
years to reinforce their practices of
honoring nature’s ann ual cycle of death
and resurrection of her bounty. We
stand raped and ashamed that so much
of this has been incorporated into Euro
pean religion and culture without one
iota of Black attribution.
Now, Plutarch the renowned an
cient historian tells us that “ Osiris,”
the African god of vegetation, was bom
on the 26th of December, the 361 st day
of the year (shown here as the Jolly
Green Giant; an Anglo Saxon advertis
ing image for food products. But the
National Geographic Magazine always
shows him as the original African figu
rine which was colored green to repre
sent vegetation). Ancient paintings show
Osiris at his annual December 26th
birthday festival accompanied by a
symbolic tree cut to represent the resur
rection of plant life-very similar to our
Christmas tree. We note that it was
Pope Julius I (fourth century) who fixcd
December 25th as the birthday of Christ.
The Black Madonnas whose stat
ues are revered and worshipped all over
Europe should receive even more at
tention from contemporary American
eyes with the political upheavals in the
Eastern Bloc making more cathedrals
and .African icons available to visitors.
“ Why is it,” Rolland the noted French
writer asks, “ that the majority of Vir
gin Mary’s honored in the pilgrimages
Egyptian Ark.
( 'ommunity Calendar
o f Events
and Rome. The Greeks claimed that
their oracle at Dodona was founded by
two Black women from Egypt (por
trayed as black doves) who also founded
the Temple of Amon in Libva on the
islands of Cyprus and Crete, the great
Mother Goddess of these people was
always attended by two black doves.
Heredotus the Greek historian also
connected this tradition with the Col-
chians, a people whom he said were
Black and occupied an area by the
Caspian Sea, now a part of Russia. It
was from the Greek oracular centers
that their religions developed and where
the African gods were transformed into
Apollo, Zeus, Hermes, Atlas, Hercu
les, Mercury, Aphrodite, Andromeda,
etc. America did not expect her slaves
to learn these things.
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue
Portland Oregon
Sunday Services
iT 5
9:00 A.M.
Morning Workshop
10:30 A.M.
Maranatha School of Ministry
6:30 P.M.
Mid-Week Services - Wednesday
7:30 P.M.
zT
Rev. Wendell H. Wallace
Senior Pastor
Jesus Loves You!
Bonnie Dean Joe
Born - February 13, 1953
Died - December 10, 19X9
worship; at Montserrat in Catalonia;
And at scores o f other locations in
Italy, German, France, Russia, Bul
garia, Greece, Chezkoslovaki, Roma
nia and elsewhere. This should not be
at all surprising since the noted archae
ologists of the world have been un
earthing statues and paintings in Africa
and Asia of a Black Virgin and Child
(Isis, the wife of Osiris, mentioned earlier,
and her child Horus). This was a stan
dard concept and icon from Europe to
China and from India to Arabia.
Equally pervasive in the religions
and iconography of the world is the
imagery of two black doves a tradition
which began in Ethiopia (Isaiah) and
spread through Egypt and then to Greece
HURCH
Sunday School
(W ilkinaoa, Anc. Egypt.)
Desmond Smith To
Speak at St. Philip
The Deacon
Desmond Smit, an Afrikaaner who was
jailed for his involvement with the African
National Congress, will address Portlan
ders at St. Philip The Deacon Episcopal
Church on Sunday, Dec. 17th at the 10 a.m.
service.
Mr. Smit and his wife and two young
children left South African after spending a
month in a refugee camp in Botswana seek
ing sponsorship to enter and live in the
United States.
If you have any questions or wish to
interview Mr. Smit, please feel free to call
Vivian Childs at 281-1672. Thank you!
--------
C H R IS T M A S W A S N O T M E A N T T O BE
Christmas was not meant to be—
Giving gifts and such.
W e're giving all the wrong things
and asking much-too-much.
W e’re stacking up our presents
while poor folk everywhere
Are naked and they’re hungry.
When will we start to care?
Christmas is to celebrate
The Christ C hild’s virgin birth--
Sing "G lory Hallelujah”
Let there be some peace on earth.
That's what Christmas means to me!
by Rev. Clay D rayton
[perm ission to rep rin t
Christmas was not meant to b e -
The cutting down of trees
Decking them with tinsel, gold
and lights all in-between
Christmas was not meant to be—
With toys and mistletoe.
Reindeer, elves and Santa
Saying "H o , ho, ho!”
Christmas was not meant to b e -
The way we earry-on;
Parties mixed with drinking
All day and all night long.
Some folk never make it
from the party to their home.
See just where we’re headed
and where w e’re going wrong.
«a
Bonnie Dean Joe passed on December
10, 1989 in Yakimja, W ashington after a
short illness. Bonnie was bom in Portland,
Oregon on February 13,1953. She attended
Boise and Highland Elementary schools
before completing her education at Jeffer
son High in Portland, Oregon.
Bonnie w as a true friend to those whom
she came to know and she will be truly
missed by friends and family.
She leaves behind to mourn her pass
ing, her mother Mrs. Ellen Joe and daughter
Yolanda Irving. Brothers Charles Joe of
Oakland, CA, James Joe of Los Angeles,
CA, Raymond Joe of Oakland. Sisters Bobbie
Ridgeway of Willgate, Texas, Dorothy
Malone, Mary Lee Stoglin, and Shirley
White of Los Angeles, CA. and Annette
Sue Parker Judy Kent and Vemetta W il
liams of Portland, Oregon. Also mourning
Bonnie are a host of nieces, nephews and
friends throughout Portland and the North
west.
Behold The King!
The Chancel Choir will present their
annual Christmas Cantata on Sunday, Dec.
17, at 6:00 P.M. The Cantata will be nar
rated by Dr. James E. Martin and his wife
Mrs. Lynetta Martin.
Come early to get a seat, due to an NBA
game at the coliseum.
Mrs. Geri Ward, president; Mr. Carl
Harris, conductor and director; Mr. Walter
Scott Harris, organist.
M t. Olivet Baptist C hurch
116 N ortheast Schuyler Street
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 284-1954
by Cl A T AM PRODUCTIONS!
—
Drug Ministry at
Church Reaches
Outside Community
to Feed Homeless
The Christ Memorial Church in North
east Portland very active in feeding, cloth
ing and drug outreach; will feed the Home
less on Dec. 16th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Each year the church uses vans pro
vided by Bryan Rickmore Dodge of Beav
erton. Drivers make several trips to the
Burnside area transporting people to and
from the church located at 1552 N.
Killingsworth in North Portland. At the
church people are fed, given shoes, clothes
and even toys for homeless children. Rev.
Tate says * ‘many of our homeless are drug
and alcohol offenders. Our ministry to reach
out to those as well as other homeless
people allows us to minister to two needy
groups simultaneously!”
Christ Memorial Church homeless
feeding is financially sponsored by the 700
Club and its community outreach program
called Operation Blessing.
Keep Living
The Dream
A Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute will
be held at the Jefferson High School in
1990.
The rehearsals are scheduled as fol
lows:
SAT., 1/6/90 -11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; WED.,
1/10/90 - 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; SAT., 1/13/90 -
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Alt persons who are interested in par
ticipating in this event should contact the
program coordinator - Ken Berry at (503)
665-3930.
..............
4236 N.E. E ighth A ven u e
(corner of 8th & Skidmore)
Portland, O regon 97211
(503) 287-0261
Phillip S. Nelson, Pastor
Albina Church of God
Psalm 34:3
• "i...... i........i.....
With A Bold New Vision . . .
Reaching Out Until lie Comes . . .
Going Back When He Comes . . .
= 2/
&
, -
‘A Eeaching Church ‘With A (Reaching (Ministry.'
MT. OLIVET BAPTIST
CHURCH
Dr. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
116 N.E. Schuyler • (503) 284-1954
7:45 A.M. - WORSHIP SERVICE
9:30 A.M. - SUNDAY SCHOOL
10:45 A.M. - WORSHIP SERVICE
6:30 P.M. - WORSHIP SERVICE
BIBLE STUDY:
10:30 A.M. -1 2 NOON - WEDNESDAY
6:30 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. - WEDNESDAY
“ Before You M ust’’
— Make a Decision —
Sunday School - 9:45 A.M.
Sunday Service •• Morning 11:00 A.M.
Sunday Service - Evening 6:00 P.M.
Tuesday Teaching - 7:30 P.M.
Thursday - Moments of Deliverance 7:30 P.M.
"The Friendliest Church In The City"
Senior J ’astor Rev. Samuel M j Irving
“ Inquire about the services we offer’ ’
Cox Funeral Home, Inc.
24 Hr. Service
281-4891
We are interested in your problems
Ä.I
Radio Ministry Each Sunday, 8.-00 A.M. - KRMS
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