Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, August 21, 1996, Page 14, Image 14

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    ,7-î s
t •
’ :'.t
:
I
' , ■
JR
•
> > .. . • r ti*.
•
'
•
-
* r . ♦ J r ' ' r ..<<
--K y
* ?
•
P age B4
Cat fio [ies offer to p ic [
9dony %png header
The Roman C atholic C hurch
in Hong K ong said it was w i ll ­
ing to help select the te r r ito r y ’ s
leader once sovereignty reverts
from B rita in to China in 1997.
The Chancery O ffic e o f the
Roman C a th o lic D iocese o f
Hong K o ng revealed its view s,
endorsed by the Bishop o f Hong
K ong C a rd in a l John B a p tis t
Wu, in notices posted in Hong
Kong parishes.
“ The C a th o lic C hurch, i f so
in vite d by the preparatory com ­
m ittee fo r the special a d m in is­
tra tive region, w ill nom inate
some members to sit on the se­
lection com m ittee, but they are
expected to elect the firs t c h ie f
executive-designate o n ly ,” the
notice said
The B e ijin g -p ic k e d prepara­
tory com m ittee responsible fo r
tran sfo rm ing Hong K ong into a
special adm inistrative region o f
(Bíac^cíturcít markets fiexdthpían
ic e s ” ^
African American Church
&
E co n o m ic
S e rvices In c.
(“ ACHES” ), also known in New
York as “ ACHES Insurance Broker­
age,” announced recently that it has
been approved by the Department o f
Insurance o f New York to broker
health plans in the state.
A C H E S s im u lta n e o u s ly a n ­
nounced U S. Healthcare as the
health plan they w ill be marketing.
ACHES w ill in itia lly market to
consumers p rim arily through the
African American church network
in New York.
ACHES w ill launch an educa­
tional, grass roots campaign empha­
sizing the importance o f preventive
care such as mammography, in flu ­
enza vaccines, and fitness and n utri­
tion in maintaining good health
"W e are very serious about mak­
ing sure that African Americans are
focusing on illness prevention and
health maintenance as a way to show
marked improvement in their health
status,” said Rev. Dr. Elgin Watkins
o f Bethany Baptist Church in Brook­
lyn, and president o f ACHES-East.
China next year is to assemble
a 4 00-strong selection c o m m it
tee to choose the firs t p o s t-c o ­
lo n ia l leader, or c h ie f execu­
tive
V a rio us professional groups
and grassroots o rg an izatio ns in
Hong Kong are nom inating can­
didates to the selection co m ­
m ittee, w hich is expected to
start w o rk in October.
In a move s till h o tly disputed
by many in Hong Kong, the
selection c o m m itte e ’ s pow ers
were extended to cover selec­
tio n o f a p ro v is io n a l le g is la ­
ture w hich China plans to in ­
stall at the handover at m id ­
n ig ht on June 30, 1997.
The provisional legislature is
due to replace the present elected
chamber which w ill be dismantled
because it was elected under dem­
ocratic reform s which B e ijin g
strongly opposed.
A r u p e U" í amen,al
° f the
ACHES program is to provide qual­
ity health coverage, which includes
comprehensive benefits and broad
networks o f physicians and hospi­
tals, to the African American com­
munity.
Im proving the health status o f
A fric a n A m ericans and others
throughout New York state is the
first step in improving the economic
outlook o f the community.”
U S. Healthcare was selected af­
ter a rigorous review o f the best
national managed care plans in the
New York area, according to Ernest
A Bates, M .D., chairman o f the
board, A t HES. U.S. Healthcare was
chosen based upon the quality and
breadth o f services offered under its
Medicare plan, including prescrip­
tion coverage, inpatient and outpa­
tient hospital care, vision care and
reimbursements on purchases o f pre­
scription lenses and hearing aids.
“ U.S. Healthcare’ s New York
H M O was recently honored by the
Sachs Group as being one o f six
plans nationally to make the Sachs
M inister repays investors
A minister who claimed he got
investment tips from God has agreed
to repay more than $ 188,000 to the
low-income investors government
investigators say he bilked.
The Rev. Rufus Jackson reached a
settlement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by promis­
ing to return money to at least 145
people who borrowed on cred it cards
or withdrew their life ’ s savings to
invest with him.
A t “ success seminars” he held at
the Zoe Tabernacle church in the
Bronx, Jackson told investors he
would lead them to the promised
land o f 60 percent returns on their
m oney by in ve stin g it in real
estate.
The church is now closed.
Jackson told seminar participants
that God advised him to gather a
group o f 1,000 people and have them
each give him $1,000, according to
the SEC complaint.
Jackson said they “ could prosper
and be blessed by the Lord” by in­
vesting in his company, Kingdom
Corp., the SEC said.
But in fact, Jackson diverted the
funds to pay expenses at his daugh­
ter’s beauty parlor and to finance
TJ’s Southern Gourmet, a Chambers
St. restaurant he still owns, the SEC
said.
Jackson raised over $300,000 in
the scheme, which he promoted from
his pulpit and during his weekly ra­
dio broadcast in New York and north­
ern New Jersey.
He repaid some o f the partici­
pants, not with real estate proceeds
but by raising additional funds from
unsuspecting new investors, said Eric
Schmidt, the SEC’s assistant region­
al director.
“ It was Ponzi scheme,” he added.
As part o f the settlement with the
SEC, which was announced yester­
day, Jackson did not admit or deny
wrongdoing.
But Schmidt said the commission
stands by its earlier contention that
Jackson defrauded the investors.
“ Most o f the investors lost sub­
stantially all o f their investments,”
he said. “ For many o f them, it was
their life 's savings.”
U nder yesterday’ s settlement,
Jackson has 10 days to make a
$15,000 payment to the group o f
investors. He must then pay $ 15,000
a month until all the money is re­
turned.
I f he fails to meet the schedule, the
SEC can either seize his assets or
take him to court, Schmidt said.
Jackson could not be reached for
comment.
Schmidt said the SEC received
reports a few months ago that Jack-
son was conducting church services
in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
“ One o f his ex-investors sent us an
advertisement he ran in a newspa­
per,” Schmidt said.
When the SEC filed its complaint
against Jackson last year, it had asked
a Federal Courtjudge to impose fines
and also demand that he repay his
victims.
But the commission dropped its
effort to collect fines “ because his
financial statements show that he
doesn't have the money,” Schmidt
said.
The agency opted to settle on the
repayment plan.
Church o f S ciento [oyy claims discrimination
Y *h r i f
t.ir
The Church
o f Scientology I n Inter
national accused the German gov­
ernment ofdiscrim inating against its
members there and said it had asked
the United Nations to m onitor the
situation.
In a statement issued by its world
headquarters in Los Angeles, the
church said it had also asked the
O ffice o f Security and Cooperation
in Europe to investigate the claim.
The United Nations and the OSCE
“ have been asked to m onitor reli­
g io us d is c rim in a tio n against
scientologists in Germany and take
effective action to restore their rights
and the rights o f other religious m i­
norities which have suffered under
___ I I
i
*.
iz
i i ,
.
Chancellor Helmut K o hl’s govern­
ment,” the statement said.
The Church o f Scientology, which
was formed by the late American
scie n ce -fictio n n ove list L. Ron
Hubbard, said the request followed
support expressed by leading U.S.
politicians for “ Mission: Impossi­
ble” star Tom Cruise and Grammy
award-winning jazz musician Chick
Corea who, as scientologists, “ have
been targets o f religious discrimina­
tion instigated and fueled by Germa-
ny’ sgovemingCDU(Christian Dem­
ocratic Union) party and its under-30
youth faction.”
The statement also noted that
“ Mission: Impossible” was a box
__ / “M
■
r-» •
To Advertise In
(¿he ^Inrthinh (iDhsmwr
( all 503-288-0(133
Twice receiving television expo
sure nationwide, she attained nation­
al exposure again in 1994 after w in­
ning first place in the female vocalist
category in a contest sponsored by
T r in ity B ro a d ca stin g N e tw o rk
(T B N ), Leon P a tillo’ s television
show and being interviewed on the
700 Club in 1996.
In an effort to not only be a sayer
o f the word but a doer o f the word as
well, Karen has also been involved in
an outreach youth program by local
radio station V101 along with come­
dian Louis Dix and Marvis Frazier,
son o f heavyweight Champion Joe
Frazier.
Says Karen Domino-White, “ I ’m
grateful where God has put me. Inthe
past, I could have been doing secular
Mt Olivet
Baptist Church
Insurance-Funded
M.G. Insurance Services
Group-Life
Group-Medical and Health
Group-Disability
Annuities
ofdiscrimination sanctioned and pro­
moted at high levels o f K o h l’s gov­
ernment, in particular by Federal
Minister for Family Affairs Claudia
Nolte and Norbert Bluem, Federal
M inister o f Labor.”
“ By remaining silent while his
ministers and his party’ s Young
Union trample the rights o f m inori­
ties, Kohl is sanctioning Germany’ s
return to fanatic extremism,” it add­
ed.
supports our decision in choosing
U.S. Healthcare.”
ACHES w ill act as a broker for
health plans, and through a non­
p ro fit foundation established by
ACHES, the company w ill reinvest
51% o f the profits earned through
this agreement in local community
programs and services.
“ New York, which has a w ell-
organized network o f African Am er­
ican churches, is a key market for
AC H ES,” said Rev. Watkins.
“ We w ill work with seniors to edu­
cate them on the benefits o f man­
aged care. We believe it w ill be very
satisfying to help a large number o f
people gain access to better health
care.”
ACHES, a subsidiary o f San Fran­
cisco-based American Shared Hos­
pital Services, is a licensed health-
insurance carrier whose mission is
to improve the health and economic
status o f African Americans and oth­
er m inorities through the delivery o f
high quality health care services.
“ We are
pleased to work with
ACHES in the state o f New Y ork,”
said Sal Uglietta, U.S. Healthcare’s
regional manager o f health plans for
the northeast market. “ We believe
that through the ACHES program,
we w ill be able to have a positive
impact on the health care o f resi­
dents o f New Y o rk.”
U.S. Healthcare provides man­
aged care services through HMOs in
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jer­
sey, Connecticut, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Dela­
ware, M aryland, V irg in ia , North
C arolina, South C arolina, Ohio,
Georgia and the D istrict o f Colum­
bia.
The company also provides a va­
riety o f other managed health care
services to self-insured and other
employers, including workers com­
pensation managed care, coordina­
tion and administration o f multiple
health plans for multi-state employ­
ers and quality measurement and
improvement programs and data
analysis systems fo r providers and
purchasers o f health care.
Cardinali see[s diatoaue
by
A ndrew S tern
Cardinal Joseph Bemardin o f
Chicago, troubled by what hecalled
the “ increasing polarization” and
“ meanspiritedness” dividing Amer­
ican Catholics, said Monday he
would oversee a conference to open
dialogue on Church issues.
The first o f a series o f conferenc­
es, which Bemardin termed “ a call
to find common ground,” was
planned for sometime in the spring
o f 1997 on the “ relationship be­
tween the Church and U.S. cul­
ture.” It may be held in Chicago, the
second-largest U.S. archdiocese,
where Bemardin, the nation's long­
est-serving prelate, has served as
cardinal since 1983.
Lay Catholics w ill be offered an
opportunity to air views on issues
dividing the Church such as bans on
contraception and the ordination o f
women, strict Vatican edicts on
priestly celibacy, the growing short­
age o f priests, the organization o f
religious education and the mean­
ing o f the liturgy.
“ W orking within the boundaries
o f authentic Church teaching, these
conferences w ill address with fidel­
ity and creativity the myriad chal­
lenges that we face as a Church and
as a society,” Bemardin said.
Our invitation is extended to
those who are interested in a dia­
logue,” Bemardin said. He was
joined at a news conference by sev­
eral members o f a 24-person com­
mittee ofboth official and lay Church
leaders from around the country
He said the conferences would
not result in recommendations to
change church policy or teachings
but he hoped the dialogue would
address an “ increasing polarization
within the Church and, at times, a
meanspiritedness (that) have hin­
dered the kind ofdialogue that helps
us address our mission and con­
cerns.”
A t least one liberal Church group
praised the effort. “ Call to Action
has for many years called for such
an ‘open and honest airing’ o f these
critical issues in our church,” the
group’s president, Linda Pieczynski,
said in a statement.
Some o f the roughly 15,000 mem­
bers o f Call to Action, who support
changes such as married priests,
women priests and reversing the
birth control ban, were recently
threatened with excommunication
by the bishop in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Bemardin said the conferences
grew out o f a five-page statement,
“ Called to be Catholic; Church in a
Time o f Peril,” prepared by the Na­
tional Pastoral Life Center. The idea
for the conference was his and he
said he received approval from the
Church hierarchy both in the United
States and in Rome.
music. But because God has devel­
oped me, my purpose is to share what
God has done.” And Karen has had
her faith severely tested. While film ­
ing her video for the title track, “ Open
Our Eyes” , her home was lost to <
fire, still her faith in God and hei
career went unwavered. Three day:
later she performed a free concert ir
Philadelphia’ s Paramount Park.
MISSING
Lennon Drew Smith (known as Len)
Abdul M. Hasan
385 5 S.W. Hall Blvd.
P.O. Box 5 67
Beaverton, OR 97075
•
•
•
•
•
.
Karen Domino-White, daughter
o f the legendary Rock and Roll Hall
o f Famer Fats Domino, is set to launch
a musical career o f her own.
Possessing a 7 octive vocal range
along w ith a determination she be­
lieves is heaven sent, Karen’s album
is appropriately titled “ Open Our
Eyes” on Sacred Voice Recordings,
which is due in stores on September
3, 1996.
Karen’ s first professional debut
was in Baltimore, Maryland, open­
ing for the Winans, singing at differ­
ent church related affairs along with
various gospel groups around the
New Jersey area, also having per­
formed at the opening ceremonies o f
the Philadelphia Convention Center,
as well as the 1993 Black Expo.
Bass, Darin Clenderin on Piano
and Pastor Mark Knutson.
Augustana Lutheran Church is
located at 2710 NE 14th Ave (C or­
ner o f 15th and Knott, a few blocks
from the Lloyd Center and Broad­
way)
For more information call 288-
6174.
Prearranged-Funeral
Programs
.
the only pla
in New York. This type o f ranking
(Domino-tVftite reieases¿¡ospetalbum
‘Worship w itt be hebd every Sunday
A l i n i i l l l P V l./» r c n in
A
unique worshipexperience that
combines the music o f Jazz, the
Gospel, and current issues o f peace
and justice, is held every Sunday at
Augustana Lutheran Church at 6:00
p.m. Leading the services are well-
known Portland Jazz musicians
M arilyn Keller - Lead Vocals, Trip
Hardin on Drums, Kevin Deltz on
.
office smash during its open ing week­
end in Germany, showing that “ the
German people are refusing to go
along w ith the extremism and fanat­
icism o f CDU politicians.”
The statement said documenta­
tion sent to U.N. High Commission­
er for Human Rights, Jose Iyala Las­
so, and to other human rights direc­
tors at the United Nations as well as
to OSCE officials “ contains chilling
evidence o f a systematic campaign
» M O Honor Roll, and the only p l a n ^
8501 N. Chautauqua Blvd.
at Willis Blvd.
Abdul M. Hasan
Advance Planning
Counsler
Worship Services 8:00am & 11:00am.
Church School 9:30 to 10:30am,
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 10:30am & 7:00pm
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00am on KBMS
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
(503) 240-PRAY
Res. (503) 286-8671
Pager(503) 818-7138
Toll Free (800) 526-9608
Fax (503) 646-5855
1
Son o f Marie Smitth, Brother o f Diann Washington-
Woods, and Jessie Ray Burns.
6’0"--130 lbs.
Medium Complexion (Black)
D .U .B . 1-26-61
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black/Wavy/Short Cut
Last seen in Eugene and Portland driving a white Chrysler
New Yorker—Newer model 4 dr. ’84.
His other car is here in Portland and has been seen around
town, a ’85 Olds. 4 dr. Line. #BVB-I95. Tan in color all over.
A.P.B.—Contact Portland Police or 497-8427 ask for Diann.