August 1, 1990—The Portland Observer- Page 3
Portland Observer
RELIGION
By A. LEE HENDERSON
You will have a marvelous time ex
pressing yourself as a Christian and a
member of the African Methodist Epis
copal Church if you grant yourself the
gift to know your church and to know
your self.
What better way to accustom your
self to the full warmth awaiting you
from the African Methodist Episcopal
Church than to accept John Wesley, the
founder of Methodism, at his word.
“ If your heart is as my heart, give
me your hand,: invited Wesley.
This doctrine ran contrary to the
Roman Catholic Church who claims there
is no salvation outside their circle and
bans its members from attending other
denominational services.
They are apt to look at split-off
demonstrations as renegades. They are
the targets who cry, * ‘They drew a circle
and shut me out.” They see themselves
as targets. But the democratic arms of
Protestantism respond, “ God and I have
the wit to win. We draw a circle and take
them in.”
The Greek Orthodox, also known
as the Eastern Orthodox Church has
maintained an attitude of working with
the state government contrasted to the
Roman Catholic Church which main
tains domination above it, and the Prot
estant churches which seek separation
between church and state. Yet as God
works in mysterious ways, the Greek
Orthodox position has kept the doors
open in Russia to good relations; and we
now see that with glasnost, the great
churches in Russia are still serving the
very people who have been discouraged
from accepting Christianity as “ The
opiate of the people.”
Jesus established our separate way-
to-come when he foretold that “ I am the
vine, ye are the branches.” It is not for
us to diminish someone who practices
another religion. It is for us to glory our
own! Perhaps, we shower understand
ing upon the multitudinous denomina
tions while professing our chosen affili
ation. The threat, however, to shrinking
Christian practices, no matter how ver
bal and loudly vocal they have been,
even through televangelism, comes from
the anti-Christians. They are the “ intel-
lectuals,” the atheists, the agnostics who
build their strength on materialism*.
Too often they poke fun at those who are
Christian. Their weapons are belittle-
ment, arrogance, self-smugness and they
give themselves permission to attack
you for the pleasure of their own
perversities.They demand logical re
sponses to illogical demands. They are
able to prove nothing and insist that you
should be able to prove everything. Like
a power source yourself, there are limit
less expressions available to you for
showing the world, by example, that
you are plugged into the Master’s switch,
a living demonstration of His love and
His works!
Some of the top professional and
material successes build their power base
on spiritual belief and Christian faith.
You can do the same. There is still room
at the top, and you don’t have to be bom
with a silver spoon in your mouth to
achieve it. No one knows better about
this than Ronald M. Supancic, a certi
fied family law specialist based in
Woodland Hills, California, who has
represented some of the “ zillionaires
and celebrities” as well as the ordinary
people, too, who seek him out for his un
usual tactics. These unusual tactics are
rooted in his Christian principles. Like
Christ, he is an instrument for healing,
not just severing marriages and sick re
lationships! Like Christ, he is an instru
ment to confront and chase the money
lenders from the temple. He is a formi
dable adversary for his clients, a bastion
for single parents, for those who would
prevent separation and divorce, and for
those whose situations have gone be
yond repair and must create separate
lives for themselves by leaving toxic re
lationships through the divorce and
separation process.
Ronald M. Supanic wrote the book
“ When All else Fails... The REal Cost
of Ending A marriage,” * presenting
himself to the public as a professed
Christian. He makes himself visible and
expresses himself as a Christian, profes
sionally and personally. Even his auto
m obile’s license plate echoes a state
ment for all to see and to remind them
selves as they pass on their individual
ways...’’Kids 1st” is on that license
plate!
What is the message you would put
on your license plates, theoretically if
you were able, to spread a word of
concern or a message of love to those
who pass your way? The concentrated
focus of your feelings and their expres
sion under the roof consecrated to God
is within your Church. Indeed, from the
first meeting with Jesus in the upper
room in Jerusalem where the first Chris
tian service began, we have built many
spires and rooftops towards God. They
are but pan of the testimony, for you...what
you say, plan, and do arc the major part
of testimony.
An effective church must be able to
touch the need of its people, its commu
nity, responding to all their hopes and
problems. You then, are required to bring
to your church the true expression of
these contemporary needs. Share them
with god, but also share them with the
pastor and church members to the extent
that you will be keeping each other
informed about vital needs. John Wesley
emphasized the church’s role in Eng
land by recalling to the church and its
members, the need to put Christ at the
center of their lives and helping others
to do this, too. Be alive to god’s direc
tions. Only then can you carry out His
full plan for your life in your unshackled
ambition to surge forward and accom
plish miracles! From the tending of a
flower garden to the building of an in
dustrial empire, all is under the loving
sponsorship of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church under god!
The founder of our church family
established our “ rock” as the founda
tions of the human race, a non-exclu-
sionary Kingdom of souls undivided by
racial pigmentation.
We express ourselves courageously
through Christ. We are to be effective in
seeking social change and human bet
terment under this umbrella of the Gos
pel: “ A new commandment I give unto
you. That ye love one another; as I have
loved you, that ye also love one another.
“ By this shall all men know that ye are
my disciples, if ye have love one to an
other.” (St. John: 13:34,35)
*1-Materialism is the outlook that
matter and material process are the sole
constituent of reality. It is also a preoc
cupation with money to the exclusion of
intellectual or spiritual things.
*2-Published by Fleming H. Revell
Company, 1986.
Continued Next Week.
Whenever or wherever there is a
social group or community, whether if
be of the insect I ingdom, animal king
dom of the human family, the process of
Role Modeling is a powerful and deter
mining factor for the development and
destiny of that group society.
Portland Oregon, a city with a popu
lation of approximately 29,000 blacks
mostly concentrated in the North and
Northeast section o f the city, aches with
the need to magnify positive role models
for the growth nnd development of the
community.
I emphasize the act of MAGNIFI
CATION because there seems to be a
concerted effort by unidentified forces
to blind the people or hide from them the
many positive role models that exist in
our community, who walk among us
everyday and work constantly with us
twenty-four seven.
It is an apparent truth, that drug ad
diction and alcoholism exists and affects
our community in an negative way, it is
a problem that demand our attention and
energy, but as we move through this life
we have our won attributes and we can’t
always give our attention to problem
that exist but God in his wisdom has
always sent a messenger to his people
when they are in dire need whose lives
are dedicated to solving and eliminating
problems for us.
It is this same wisdom that sent us
an answer to our problem by inspiring
Don McMillan with the will and the
vision to from INSIDE OUTSIDE
PEOPLE, role model of the self help
concept that thrives today even though
IOP no longer exists.
STAY CLEAN INC. is such an in
stitution and the men and women who
took control of INSIDE OUTSIDE
PEOPLE INC. are the real ghostbusters,
they are heroes, they are positive role
models and they should not be hidden or
desire anonymity.
For if in truth, Stay Clean Inc.
magnifies the vision of Don McMillan,
then all of those involved in this pro
gram are a manifestation of the original
vision which God gave Don McMillan
and without this there would be no role
model, no inspiration for a Stay Clean
Inc., and those who are in a leadership
role would be relegated to prison, drug
addiction or hell here on earth.
-Woody Breadnax
Beauty &
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Wigland
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,
MESSAGE TO THE
COMMUNITY
THE ROLE MODEL
Expressing Yourself as a Christian
□ An Excerpt from Chapter
Three of Y o u r C h u rc h a n d You
S c rip tu re o f the ‘l/V eef
231 N. Lombard
Suite 200
Portland, OR 97217
Peggy Sumner
Owner
(503) 289-0205
James 1:19-20
Amani A. Jabari:
June 6,1948 - July 22,1990
Amani A. Jabari, of Northeast Portland, died of complications arising
from AIDS. He was 42 years old.
Born (Hal E. Holt) in Portland, he is survived by his mother, Cynthia
Holt; sisters Joanne Davis, Sandra Holt, and Florence Stephens, brother Billy
Holt, aunt Inez Walls and a host of friends, relatives, and loved ones.
Since the early eighties, Jabari has championed the cause for HIV/
AIDS prevention education to People of Color in the Pacific N orthwest. He was
a founding member of "People of Color United Against AIDS" and the founder
and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Oregon Minority AIDS
Coalition. Amani was a member of the "Oregon AIDS Task Force" and active
with the Multnomah County and State Health Division. He was one o f the
original organizers of the Metropolitan Community Church AIDS Vigil, and
trainer with the Clark County AIDS program for health care providers.
Amani was an activist for Social Justice; before returning to Portland
ten years ago he worked in Washington, D.C. in Fair Housing and Tenants'
Rights. Also, he served on the Board of McKenzie River Gathering Foundation
and the Urban League Youth Service Center Advocacy Board.
Services will be held Friday at 1p.m. at Maranatha Church, 4222 NE
12th, officiated by Billie Johnson.
1
LEE O W EN STONE COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOL |
Current Openings Avail able
For Summer & Fall
Tuition From $30.00
Scholarships A vailable
For Information Call the School
281-5802 or Kate Darling 281-0591
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PORTLAND, OREGON 97212
God Bless You!
JOHN OR VIVIAN PARKER
For information Call: (503) 284-7563
ÑEW TESTAMENT
CHURCH
1237 NE Failing
Sunday School
Morning Worship
9:30 am
11:15 am
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7:00 p.m.
Evening Worship
8:00 pm
Tuesday Prayer and Bible Band 7:30 pm
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E ld e r L e o n B re w e r
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Call
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W e teach the Bible
We reach out and care for people
284-7594
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