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The Risks Of M inistry
S amuel K. A tchinson
One o f the attractions that prison
chaplaincy holds for me is that it
provides an opportunity to serve on
the “ fro n t lines” o f Christian m in is­
try; to assist and gain the respect o f
those who otherwise w ould have no
regard fo r the church.
However, acceding to this appeal
is not w ithout its risks. I received a
phone call at my home last weekend
from a form er inmate. This event
alone caused m y heart to race, fo r 1
never give client access to my fam ily
By its nature, prison m inistry can
be dangerous, particularly in the in ­
ner-city. M ost o f the people I serve
have extensive drug histories, either
as users, dealers, or both. M oreover,
many lack the education and em ploy­
ment skills necessary to earn a decent
liv in g upon their release. As a result,
most o f them are destined to return,
albeit reluctantly, to the streets.
As a result, my approach to serv­
ing such persons upon their release
has been to direct to a neutral site
(norm ally m y church) and use that as
my base o f operations. In that way, I
am able to remain accessible to my
flo ck, w hile simultaneously protect­
ing m y w ife and children.
However, in the case o f the man
who called m y home, such a p ro v i­
sion was impossible to arrange. He
had been shipped to another fa c ility
several moths earlier, and I had lost
track o f him u ntil last Saturday.
Sensing my concern over the fact
that he had called my home, he ex­
plained that he had run across my
name in the telephone book, w hile
looking for someone else’ s number.
He believed this to be a godsend,
because, as he put it, he and I “ were
cool” w hile he was in prison.
He claimed that, fo llo w in g his
transfer, he had gotten out on bail, but
had been unable to secure a job. In
order to earn money, he subsequently
got involved in a drug traffickin g
scheme in which his accomplices were
arrested. N ow .outon bail themselves,
they had lodged threats against his
life and those o f his fam ily members,
believing that he had “ dim ed” on
them. W ould I, he asked, loan him
some money to help him get out o f
town?
Listening to his story, I was
plagued by c o n flic tin g emotions:
shock and betrayal, because he had
invaded my fa m ily life , thus violating
a sacred but unwritten rule; concern,
because I wondered whether my fam ­
ily was now at risk; skepticism, be­
cause the tale he wove d id n ’ t add up;
disappointment, because, in contrast
to many o f his colleagues, this man is
articulate and well-read; and loyalty,
because, as he pointed out, we had
developed an excellent rapport dur­
ing his incarceration.
A fte r whispering a prayer for
guidance, I told my friend that I would
only help him i f I could buy him a bus
or train ticket and remain at the sta­
tion u ntil he departed. I made it clear
that under no circumstances w ould I
give him cash. As is typical o f street
people who have been caught lying,
he sputtered, stammered, attempted
to use g u ilt and invoked sympathy in
an attempt to change m y m ind. I was
unmoved.
F ina lly, after nearly 40 minutes
on the phone, he agreed to meet me at
the train station. First, however, he
had to arrange to get a ride, because it
wasn’ t safe fo r him to w alk the street.
He promised to call me back w ith in an
hour.
I ’ m s till waiting.
First Woman Called As Pastor
Of First Congregational Church
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F irst C ongregational C hurch,
U nited Church o f C hrist o f Atlanta,
has c a lle d the R ev. D r. Susan
Newman, the first woman to serve as
senior m inister, exactly 100 years
after calling its first A frica n -A m e ri­
am ong its 450 m em bers a sub­
s ta n tia l n um ber o f p ro m in e n t c i t i ­
zens, in c lu d in g fo rm e r A tla n ta
M a y o r A ndre w Y o u n g ,w h o serv ed
as am bassador to the U n ite d N a ­
tio n s in the C a rte r A d m in is tra ­
can as pastor.
D r. N e w m a n , 37, leaves the
p o s itio n she has h e ld since 1992
as re lig io u s c o o rd in a to r fo r the
C h ild re n ’ s Defense Fund (C D F ),
a W a s h in g to n , D C based n o n ­
p r o fit research and c h ild -a d v o ­
cacy o rg a n iz a tio n . She served as
C D F ’ s lia is o n w ith the b la c k r e li­
tio n .
“ D r. Newman begins a new era
fo r F irst Congregational,” said A m ­
bassador Young, a member o f the
m inisterial team. “ I am sure that,
w ith G o d ’ s g u id a n c e and o u r
congregation’ s support. D r. Newman
w ill meet w ith the same success that
our church’ s firs t black pastor en­
joyed a century ago.”
A m in is te r fo r 19 years, D r.
N ew m an is in dem and as a p u b lic
speaker and has preached in m ore
than 40 states. H er e c u m e n ic a l
g io us c o m m u n ity .
L ike other urban churches na­
tionwide, D r. Newman and First Con­
gregational face a range o f challenges,
such as expanding missions and out­
reach w ork and rejuvenating youth
m inistries.
“ As h is to ria n John F ra n k lin
and o the rs have w arned us, the
A fric a n -A m e ric a n c o m m u n ity is
fa cin g the w o rs t c ris is since s la ­
v e ry ,” D r. N ew m an said. “ B la c k
churches n a tio n w id e m ust reas­
sert th e ir tra d itio n a l ro le s as ca ta ­
ly s ts fo r change in the A fric a n -
A m e ric a n c o m m u n ity - and F irs t
C o n g re g a tio n a l is w e ll-p re p a re d
to serve as such a c a ta ly s t.”
Founded in 1867, F irs t C o n ­
g re g a tio n a l C hu rch h is to r ic a lly
has p la ye d an in flu e n tia l role in
m e tr o p o lita n A lta n ta and the
c it y ’ s A fric a n -A m e ric a n c o m m u ­
n ity . T h e c o n g re g a tio n counts
b a ckg ro un d in clu d e s assignm ents
as assistant m in is te r at Peoples
C o n g re g a tio n a l C h u rc h , U C C ,
and m in is te r o f e d u c a tio n at
S h ilo h B a p tis t C h u rc h , b o th in
W a s h in g to n , D C . D r. N ew m an
has served a lso as a y o u th m in is ­
te r, h o s p ita l c h a p la in , and c o l­
lege c h a p la in . H e r a d m in is tra tiv e
e x p e rie n c e in c lu d e s p o s itio n s
w ith the U n ite d C h u rc h B oard o f
H om ela nd M in is trie s in C le v e ­
la n d , O h io , w ith A m e ric a n B a p ­
t is t C h u rc h e s , R e g io n o f th e
S outh, in V a lle y F o rg e , Pa., as
w e ll as w ith C D F .
Dr. Newman earned a bachelor’ s
degree in journalism and speech com ­
munications from George W ashing-
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Lombard Chapel
3018 N. I-ombard
Portland, Oregon 97217
503-283-0525
Killingsworth Chapel
430 N. Killingsworth
Portland, Oregon 97217
503-283-1976
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Mt Olivet
Baptist Church
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Has moved Sunday services to
Family Life Center, 8725 N.
Chautauqua Blvd., at Willis Blvd.
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W orship Services 8:00am & 11:00am,
Church School 9:30 to 10:30am,
Bible Study. Wednesdays, 116 NE Schuyler, 10:30am & 7:00pm
Radio M inistry each Sunday, 8:00am on KB M S
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A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin. Senior Pastor
Church Office 116 NE Schuyler St. • (503) 284-1954
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4.
P ortland O bserver
m
H
by
29,1994 • T he
ton U niversity, and a masters o f D i­
v in ity from the United Theological
Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Her doc­
toral dissertation is entitled, W e Have
a Story Too: The A frica n T radition in
the U nited Church o f Christ. She
holds a certificate from the Ecum eni­
cal Institute Chateau de’ Bossey in
Geneva, Switzerland.
D r. Newman is a member o f the
advisory board o f P u lpit Digest, and
many o f her sermons have been pub­
lished in that journal. Her book. W ith
Heart and Soul: The Black Church
W o rkin g to Save Black C hildren,
w ill be published this year by Judson
Press.
D r. N ew m an , w hose a p p o in t­
m ent is e ffe c tiv e June 15, was
selected a fte r a 14 m o n th , n a tio n ­
w id e search. She succeeds Rev.
G eorge T ho m as, w ho su b m itte d
h is re s ig n a tio n in D ecem ber 1992
a fte r six years as pastor. The R ev.
D r. N orm an K ates, p ro fe s s o r o f
re lig io n at S pelm an C o lle g e , has
served as in te rim se nior m in is te r
since A p r il 1993.
The church, located at the corner
o f John Dobbs Avenue and Courtland
Street in Atlanta, has plans underway
to renovate its b uilding which is listed
on the National Register o f Historic
Places. The structure was b u ilt in
1908 under the leadership o f Rev.
Henry Hugh proctor, who in 1894
became the first African-Am erican to
serve as pastor o f First Congrega­
tional Church, UCC Atlanta.
¿St.
Trinity
Episcopal
Cathedral
Announces
A Retreat:
“Being Christian And
Being Gay”
On Friday evening, August 5
and Saturday, August 6, The Cathe­
dral w ill be offe ring a retreat for
Gays, Lesbians and others who wish
to focus on what it means to be a
C hristian as w ell as a homosexual
person. The Friday evening session
w ill be held at T rin ity , 147 N. W .
19th Avenue at Everett Street, and
the Saturday sessions w ill be held at
The B ishop’ s Close Chapel and Gar­
dens at 11800 S. W . M ilita ry Lane in
Portland.
T h e re tre a t c o n d u c to r w i l l be
T he R ev. P aul W e s s in g e r, fo rm e r
S u p e rio r and c u rre n t m e m b e r o f
T h e S o c ie ty O f S t. Jo hn T h e
E v a n g e lis t, A M o n a s tic C o m m u ­
n ity O f T h e E p is c o p a l C h u rc h , in
C a m b rid g e , M ass. F r. P a ul is a
n a tio n a lly k n o w E p is c o p a l M o n k
w h o has in itia te d m a n y n ew re ­
tre a t p ro g ra m s fo r a v a rie ty o f
people.
The fee o f $30.00 w ill cover the
cost o f supper on Friday evening, and
a continental breakfast, as w e ll as
lunch, on Saturday.
Reservations must be made in
advance by calling the Cathedral o f­
fice at 222-9811. Spaces are lim ite d
to 20 retreatants.
The M aude K e rn s A r t C en te r presents an e x h ib it title d “ Saints
and S inners” fro m June 10 to J u ly 23. D ou gla s A n de rson , L a u rie
B a lm u th , Jane G rim m and M a ry C athe rin e L a m b w ill be featured
a rtis ts . W h ile u sin g ve ry d iffe r e n t m edia and styles, th e ir w o rk
intersects in the p la y fu l use o f them es th a t relate to icon s and
sacred im a ge ry as w e ll as concepts o f good and e v il.
Douglas Kerr Anderson is an Assistant Professor and Gallery Director
at the Eastern State College in La Grande, Oregon. His w ork has been
exhibited nationally and he has been the recipient o f numerous awards.
Using the medium o f egg tempera and resembling medieval frescoes, this
body o f w ork is “ an exploration into the precarious nature o f livin g in a
dynamic and ever-changing w o rld .”
L a u rie B a lm u th c u rre n tly resides in P o rtla n d , O regon. H er
w o rk has been e x h ib ite d across the c o u n try and has appeared in
several p u b lic a tio n s . T h is c u rre n t w o rk in c o rp o ra te s p hotography
and p hoto process, fa b ric a te d m eta l, and co nsu m e r p ro d u cts, w h ic h
h ig h lig h t her co n c e p tu a l use o f a p p ro p ria tio n , n o n tra d itio n a l m a­
te ria ls and fo u n d o b je c ts in a rt m a k in g . F o r B a lm u th , m a k in g a rt
w ith these o b je cts opens a w in d o w o f in s ig h t in to the tru th o f liv in g
in a w o rld a lm o s t w h o lly fo rm e d by hum an in te rv e n tio n .
Jane G rim m is a C alifo rn ia native and ceramic artist. The cupid series
o f ceramic columns was created w ith the idea o f monumentalizing duality
w ithin human nature and experience. External beauty can mask the
ugliness o f entrapment, pain, and isolation. The sym bol o f the cupid is used
because o f its associations to the viewers, and it is known as the deliverer
o f pain and pleasure. The colum n represents a precarious strength and
permanence.
M a ry C a th e rin e L a m b was b orn in O a k la n d , C a lifo rn ia , and
she c u rre n tly resides in P o rtla n d , O re g o n . She uses C h ris tia n
ic o n o g ra p h y taken fro m the “ h o ly c a rd s " she re c e iv e d as a c h ild in
p a ro c h ia l school in the 1 95 0 ’ s, and she recreates th is im a g e ry in
fra c tu re d , d is jo in te d d e p ic tio n s in the fo rm o f q u ilts fo r the w a ll.
I t is her in te n tio n th a t the aggressive s p lin te rin g o f a fa m ilia r
sacred im age and the jo y o u s in te rp la y o f ta c tile and unexpected
m ate ria ls, w i ll c o m b in e to co nve y her c o n tra d ic to ry em otions
about the icons o f her y o u th .
Gallery hours fo r this exhibitare Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and
Saturday, 1 to5 p.m. The gallery w ill be closed on Sundays u ntil September.
A $2 donation is requested at the door.
ti
A Celebration
For Pastor
Johnny Pack IV
F e llo w s h ip M is s io n a ry B a p ­
tis t C h u rch w i ll be c e le b ra tin g
th e ir P a s to r’ s Seventh P astoral
A n n iv e rs a ry on F rid a y , J u ly 15 at
7 :0 0 P .M . w ith G uest Speaker,
D r. Joe S. H a rd ie , P astor o f the St
M a rk B a p tis t C h u rc h . A n d on
S a tu rd ay, J u ly 16 at 6 :3 0 P .M . a
B a nq u et w i ll be held in h o n o r o f
Pastor Johnny Pack IV , w ith G uest
speaker, Sis. O .B . W illia m s o f
the V a n c o u v e r A ve n u e F irs t B a p ­
tis t C h u rch . A n d on S unday, J u ly
17 at 3 :00 P .M . the “ C ro w n in g o f
the C e le b ra tio n w i l l be h e ld w ith
G uest speaker, R everend D orsey
M c C u llo u g h , Pastor o f The B ethel
A M E C h u rc h . A l l are c o r d ia lly
in v ite d to jo in us fo r th is grand
c e le b ra tio n . F o r B a nq u et tic k e t
in fo rm a tio n o r any o th e r in f o r ­
m a tio n , please c o n ta c t the C hu rch
S e creta ry, Sis. M a re th a K . H a rt
at (5 0 3) 2 4 9 -0 37 7 o r (5 0 3 ) 2 5 2 -
TiiHES-FCINT SHOOT-CUT COHTSS'i
128 PiE Russell,
Saturday, July 9, 1994
from 2:00 p.m . to 5 :0 0 p.m .
FESS 3 a r-b -C u e C h ic k e n & h a m b u r g e r s
:
S p e a k e r: R cz_ S r o n s k i
S o n g o f H o p e C h u rc h
G .y
T re a tie s a r d
O.S.U. Football Movie
l e u e fo r a fu n tim e
Ai
ages 9 - 2 0 p lu s
for info, call Danny at 249-5750
ail participants must stay for
complete program .or bar-b-cue
Sponsored by Grace Collins Memorial Community Center
Play It Safe On Independence Day, the Fourth o f July!
2901.
£ fëafikiit (2fiuza/i
103 NE Morris St., Portland, OR 97212
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Sunday School - 9:30am
Sunday M orning W orship Service - 11:00am
Sunday School Teacher’ s M eeting Tues - 6:30pm
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Bible Study Wednesday 6:00pm
Prayer Meeting Wednesday - 7:00pm
Church Phone Number
287-7457
We Invite You To Come And Worship With Us.
The Church Where Everybody is Somebody And Christ Is All.
Dr. Joe S. Hardie, Pastor
M allory Avenue
Christian Church
"Come to me all you who ore weary and heavy laden
and I will give you rest."
9:45a m
1 1 :00am
7:30pm
"Saints And Sinners"
Sunday School
Morning Worship
Tuesday Bible Study and Prayer
Inter-racial Congregation
126 NC Alberta Portland, OR 97211 (503) 288-5173
Denise Bell, Pastor
iflîaul
lajrttsd ( í l | « r c l |
8101 N. Fiske Avenue • Portland Oregon 97203
Church Phone: 289-0147 • Study Phone: 289-1911
Sunday Service 10:45
Sunday School 9:30
Bible Study 6:00
Evening Service 7:00pm
Pastor, Re. James C.E. Faulkner
We Welcome You to The
G reater Jsüaínt JsÜtepljen
¿flUíssítmarij ¿¡Baptist CUptrclf
“Serving The Lord With Gladness” Psalm 100:2
Sunday School 10am
Morning Worship 11:05
Wednesday
Prayer & Bible Study 7pm
Rev. G.L. Black I Pastor
3605 N.E. Mallory Ave.
(503) 281-8117 Portland, OR 97212
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