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O ctober 1 0 ,1 9 9 0 -T h e P o rtla n d O b server - Page 3
• Portland Observer
RELIGION
GROWING IN GRACE AND WISDOM
tJ a ta rlitc
S c rip tu re o f the ‘Weef^
Matthew Chapter 10
(/n u d i
"The chureh where everybody it somebody end ¡esut Christ is all"
BY MATTIE ANN CALLIER-SPEARS
So often we find that as people grow
older they tend to desire less of the
world’s influence and begin to praise
God more. But that’s only if they are
born-again into the family of God.
As I’ve traveled through the various
communities of Portland and other states,
I have had occasion to find not one but
many senior citizens who evidently never
really understood the true meaning of
growing in grace and in wisdom.
I shall share a few of those stories
with you. This is the first: There was
once a young and beautiful girl, in her
early teens, who no longer lived with her
mother but now resides with her great
aunt. Her great aunt actually began car
ing for the girl when she first began
walking.
The mother of the girl is in in and out
of prison because of drugs, theft and
prostitution. The mother sells drugs and
she uses drugs. Even she was once as
beautiful as her daughter but now the
drugs have erased her beauty. Her face is
scarred from the drugs and fights. Her
eyes are yellow and blood-shot. Her hair
is barely covering her scalp because of
the drugs in her system. The mother is
frequently seen walking the street at late
hours and during the evening hours ped
dling her wares.
The last time I saw her she had on an
old cruddy wig. I didn’t recognize her. I
had stopped at the intersection ,on Union
and Alberta streets, when she came to
my car. She didn’t know it was me. She
asked me for a ride. As I turned my face
toward her, she was ashamed to find out
it was me she had flagged down. She told
me “ Never mind” and walked off.
It really doesn ’ t matter how she gets
the money for her stuff. The mis-use of
her body, to her, has become a valuable
commodity. When that doesn’t yield
enough cash, she walks into a store, any
store, and removes part of its merchan
dise. She later sells it on the street cor
ners, in grocery store parking lots, in
front of a church on S undays, at the coli
seum during large events or any place
she feels she can operate unnoticed. When
her daughter or her aunt needs or wants
something, she’ll just go out and steal it.
No big deal!
In the meantime, the daughter is ex
periencing a life that is unlike that of a
normal child’s growth, development and
environment. The elderly aunt did all
she could to raise the child but die mother
was also living there. In and out. In and
out. Each day she witnessed her mother
with other men. She heard and saw things
that is ordinarily shield from our young
ones.
The elderly aunt died and the young
girl is then subjected to a life, alone, with
her m others life style. She’s sold to a
‘john’ at a very high price-bccause she’s
a virgin. And she is very young, 10 years
old.
One night there was a raid and the
young girl was placed with the paternity
grandparents because the mother has been
placed in police custody, again. I spoke
to the paternal grandparents. Their
comments were “ We just don’t know
what to do with her. When she’ around
her little boy cousins, she can’t be left
alone. She acts so-o-o differently from
the other children.” Well, I would sup
pose so. This child has not been experi
encing a NORMAL childhood. If the
father had exerted more concern and
care... If the mother had been reborn into
God’s family... If! If! If!
STORY #2: As I was driving down
Union Avenue, last year, on my way to
church, there were girls on every corner.
On some corners, they stood in clusters.
I had my children in the car with me and
together we witnessed the display of
flesh-on parade. The ages ranged front
teens to the early 3O’s-it appeared. One
of the boys shouted out the window ‘ ‘Go
Home!” His brother said, “ Man! They
don’t even have respect for Sunday” .
Then, we saw her. As we continued our
drive, we saw a female; who must have
been in her 60’s or 70’s. She was clad in
a red after-five dress, a fur coat, gloves,
a long cigarette holder in her hand, high
heels and a frilly hat. Everyonein the car
exclaimed, “ Oh, NO! W hat’s that?”
'n iE FELLOWSHIP MISSIONARY RAI’T IS T CHURCH
4 0 0 9 NOIMH MISSOURI AVLMJE
PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 1 7
( 5 0 3 ) s 2 4 9 -6 8 3 4
REV. JOHNNY PACK IV
PASTOR
My response was “ I guess she’s showing
the young ones ‘the right way’ to be a
streetwalker” . At that mom enta feeling
of sadness and disgust came over me. the
saying goes” ...With age comes wisdom.”
But here was somebody’s grandmother
or great aunt or whatever. Anyway! You’d
think after all these years she would have
had a time to learn about the ways of the
world and how evil allures you. Don’t
you think?
There is no wonder why the young
people don’t respect their elders-whcn
you sec this kind of an example. It makes
you wonder how prevalent this kind of
moral decay has spread.
I discovered that 40 to 50 years ago
when there were few blacks in Portland
a a very few jobs available, Portland was
well known for its prostitution and
gambling. It was a way of life. I’ve also
been told that many well-to-do black
families, here in Portland, secured their
wealth from their prostitution and gam
bling ventures from the 30’s and 4 0 ’s.
They did so well, at what it was that they
did, they were able to invest their money,
secure property and are living quite
comfortably...they think.
Unless you repent and ask the Lord’s
forgiveness; then, receive Christ into your
hearts-your souls shall never find peace.
Yeah! Yeah! You may think that
you are doing ‘OK’ and just as long as
you don’t upset anyone, kill anyone, just
stay to yourself, lead an honorable life in
the community and just all-around ap
pear to be good...Do you know that that
is NOT gonna work? You must go to
God. Ask him to forgive your sins. Claim
him as yopr own. Change your walk.
Change your language. Just because you
have been “ cussin” all your life-it doesn’t
make it all right. Once you’ve accepted
Christ in you life, you must study the
WORD, practice living a life of humility
and praying daily. God will change your
talk, your friends, your interests, the
places you go and your walk. Seek ye
first the kingdom of God and His right
eousness and all these things shall be
added unto you.
4735 N. C om m ercial P ortland, O regon 97217
Reverend Robert C. Hill, Pastor
Res. 287-5680
Office 287-9493
NEW TESTAMENT
CHURCH
Revival
1237 NE Failing
When — Beginning Sunday, October 28th, 1990
10 a.in. Morning Service
Through November 2,1990 - 7:30 pan. Nightly
Good Preaching and Singing
Sunday School
9:30 am
Morning Worship
11:15 am
Y.P.W.W.
Evening Worship
7:00 p.m.
8:00 pm
Tuesday Prayer and Bible Bmd 7:30 pm
Thursday Pastoral Teaching 7:30
You are invited to worship with
The New Testament family.
Elder Leon Brewer
Pastor
Where we preach Jesus Christ
We teach the Bible
We reach out and care for people
Guest Evangelist - Rev. A. Bernard Devers I
I’aslor of I'rogicssivc Baptist Church of Seattle Washington
Theme: Bringing in the Sheaves
Luke 15-4
Musical
K Pre-Revival Musical
featu rin g I he Progressive Baplisl Church Choir of Seattle,
W ashington • Kev. A. B. Devers I, Pastor. All choirs, singers,
groups «»re invited to come and sing God's praises with us.
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4735 N . Cim iniere m l I ’.n llu n .l, (b eg an ‘J 7 2I7
Re v a end Roheit C . Ih ll, P«4<«r
Ren !37-'adkl
U H k t 237 W W
‘Troud/cd Waters
Is your head bowed down in sorrow,
As you come to the end of the day,
Is there no one you can turn to,
And somewhere you have lost your way?
‘“Let not your heart be troubled,
Neither let it be afraid,"
Joys awaiting you tomorrow
Have merely been long delayed.
And whether you voice your problem,
Or just meet Him in silent prayer,
God hears and He oft times answers
In a way that we know He cares.
Come what may, you can endure it,
II you will pray your way through it.
Last Day to Register
to Vote fo r th is election
is O ctob er 16
Laura Baker Haynes
‘St. John's 15 Verse 27.
C a ll
284-7594
Prison Ministries
PRISON MINISTRIES, INC
P.O. BOX 12396
PORTLAND, OREGON 97212
God Bless You!
JOHN OR VIVIAN PARKER
For information Call: (503) 284-7563
ALBINA MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE
Presents:
THE 2ND ANNUAL
AMA MUSICAL
EXTRAVAGANZA
Saturday, October 20th - 7:00PM
At
NEW HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH
11731 S.E. Stevens road
Clackamas, Oregon
Rev. Dale Galloway, Pastor
Special Gust artist
CELEBRATES
I T ’S THIRD YEAR CHURCH ANNIVERSARY
ARANATHA
HURCH
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue
Portland Oregon
Sunday Services
P h il a n d B rend a N ic h o la s
and the N ic h o la s S ingers o f Los A n g e le s C a lifo rn ia
Sunday School
w ith
N ew H ope C o m m u n ity chu rch C hoir
Bethel AME C h u rch C hoir
Mt. O livet B aptist C h u rch C hoir
D isciples II of M aranatha C h u rch C hoir
9:00 A.M.
rv, rs.i-H.
SCHLDULL 0 Ï tV E A lS
Morning Worship
keveriw johnny pack
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C/III4 t u e t ton
Hen, Johnny P u d
P a tio n
10:30 A.M.
Maranatha School o l Ministry
6:30 P.M.
Mid-Week Services - Wednesday
Rev. W endell H . Wallace
Senior Pastor
7:30 PM.
---------------------------------- ----
Heu, L a u tem t lu n n es
Ca-CjuuApeAAon
CAJ) 7 W - i J b ' t
$5.00 or m ore d o n atio n
Received the night of the concert
R equested to
su p p o rt the p ro g ram s of A.M .A
1425 N .E. D e k u m , P o rtla n d , O re g o n
503/285-0493
MT OLIVET BAPTIST
CHURCH
Jesus Loves You!
WE ARE MOVING
SUNDAY SERVICES
TO
Stone Tower Church,
N.E. Sandy Bird. & 30th
4236 N .E . E ig h th A v e n u e
(corner of 8th & Skidmore)
W o rs h ip Services 8 :0 0 A .M . & 1 1 :0 0 A .M .
C h u rc h S chool 9 :3 0 A .M . to 1 0 :3 0 A .M .
B ib le S tu d y . W ednesdays, 116 N .E .S c h u y le r
10:30 A .M . a n d 6 :3 0 P.M.
P o rtla n d , O re g o n 97211
(503) 287-0261
Phillip S. Nelson, Pastor
“ B efore You M ust
— M ake a Decision —
Place your advertisement in the
P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r
Office# (503) 288-0033
Fax# (503) 288-0015
“ In q u ir e a b r
th e s e rv ic e s w e o ffe r
Cox Funeral Home, Inc.
24 Hr. Service
R adio M in is tr y each S u n d a y. 8 :0 0 A .M .-K B M S
A T e a ch in g C h u rc h W ith A R e a ch in g M in is tr y
D r. Ja m e s E. M a rtin , S e n io r P a sto r
281 4891
W e are interested in your problem *
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Church Office 116 N.E. Schuyler,