J A N . 14, 1998
P age B4
(Elje lîo rtü u th (Observer
G o d ’s W o r d
One w om an using the seven
graces found in G o d ’s w ord has
created a system that w ill m ake
the playing field so lev els th at
w elfare reform ; affirm a tiv e a c
tio n , u n e m p lo y m e n t and e c o
n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t w ill no
longer be used as a P o litical ball
ag ain st the d ise n fra n c h ise d or
eco n o m ically deprived.
In N ovem ber o f 1998, G o d ’s
will I g aran tee, there will be m il
lions o f poor people p a rtic ip a t
ing in the p o litic a l p ro cess. T he
can d id ate, who gets th eir vo tes,
will no lo n g er need to spend m il
lion o f d o lla rs to be e le c te d , the
c a n d id a te s w ill be men o f in te g
rity. T h eir w ords will be th e ir
bond.
‘The man hire us to w ork on a
jo b , if we d o n 't pass the test we
lose the jo b ." “W ell why do we
thin k that p o litic ia n s are any d if
fe re n t.” We hire the p o litic ia n s
to w ork for us for “ x” nu m b er of
years and if they d o n ’t keep th eir
w ords, we fire them and hire
som eone e ls e .”
Mai H en d erso n , is a w ell read
and m ature w om an, w ith a m ind
that rem em b ers history in d etail
for d ecad es. M ia is a p o litic a lly
active com m unity o rg anizer, fo r
m ally A n ti-p o v erty Program d e
v e lo p e r M ia ’s jo b in the six tie s
w as g e ttin g people on the w e l
fare system . “ I ’m ju s t as a d a
m ant about g e ttin g them o ff."
T hree great p re sid e n ts are to be
co m m en d ed for th eir e ffo rts to
reach out to the poor. (F ran k lin
D R o o se v e lt’s G reat S ociety in
the 1930’s John F K ennedy and
L inden B. Jo hnson in the 1960’s,
h o w ev er we refuse to e n te r the
tw e n ty -first cen tu ry depen d an t
upon a system that offers us a
h an d o u t for a short tim e. Mai
H enderson w ill he re co g n ized as
(J o h n n ie M ae M c H e n ry ) f o r
m erly o f M ulberry and T am pa,
F lo rid a a very e x itin g b u sin e ss
w om an w ho b e lie v e s that a p e r
son sh o u ld go to school to learn
how to c reate jo b s ra th e r than
find one.
A ll in te re ste d p e rso n s m ay
reach Mai at the fo llo w in g lo c a
tion. M on. through Fri. from 8 to
5 P acific T im e Phone (209) 357-
3716) a fte r 5 (209) 7 2 5 -3241)
F ax ( 2 0 9 ) 7 2 5 -3 2 4 1 E -M a il
jo h n m a i@ th e rg rid .n e t. A ddress:
PO B ox 3 5 7 4 , M e rc e d , C a.
95344.
Poverty Figthts In West Oregon
The Campaign for Human Devel
opment (CHD) is the program of the
United States Catholic Bishops to
fight the root causes of poverty in the
United States. Established in 1970.
CHD has given life to messages of
justice and hope. In the past twenty
seven years the Campaign for H u
man Development has given over
$2(X) million to more than 3,lXX)com-
munity-based projects. It has awarded
$8 million in national grants for the
1997 - 1998 funding cycle.
The mission of the Campaign for
Human Development is to address
the root causes of poverty in America
through support of community-con
trolled, self-help organizations,
which seek to empower the poor and
change unjust structures, and to pro
vide education about these issues for
the non-poor. Grants are given on the
basis of need, not religious affilia
tion. The Campaign seeks economic
development through efforts that;
* seek to empower the poor to
participate in the economy in a mean
ingful manner;
Vessels O ffers Free
W edding W orkshops
Planning a wedding can he an
overwhelming task, with loo many
things to consider, and many that
could get overlooked! Vessels will
try to make the process a bit easy
with a series of wedding planning
workshops, titled "Before Jum pin’
the Broom."
Brides and grooms to-be are in
vited to attend one of these quick
courses on wedding planning sched
uled at Vessels during the next three
months Dates are on Saturdays from
1-3 p m.: January 31, February 28
and March 21.
The workshop will feature details
on wedding invitation etiquette and
offer many helpful do’s and don’ts to
follow to make this essential prelude
to your wedding day a success. In
addition, the workshop will include
ways to enhance your wedding by
blending cultural elements into the
ceremony. From decorate a jum pin’
broom to examples of other cultural
touches, the session is an event not to
miss.
“Before Jumpin’ the Broom” will
include a presentation by Barbara
Taylor, president of Positive Gather
ings, a meeting planning and con
sulting services business. Co-spon-
sored by Albina CoffeeHouse, the
workshop will offer discounts and
door prizes. Seating is limited; regis
tration is required by calling Vessels
at 24 9 -1952 to reserve a space or for
more information.
“Once Upon A Time When We
Were Colored”
A Special Evening of Negro
Spirituals
Sunday, February 22,1998,
4:00pm
Bethel A.M.E. Church
“Peace Trek”
- The Family Reunion-
today’s rising num berof trans
portation accidents and prob
lems.
Fear, usually, is the result of
emotionally-negative intense-
anticipation of the unknown.
As a rule, the more you edu
cate yourself about your fears,
the less significant they be
come!
Going Home to be with the
Lord is magnificent-beyond
imagination, plus its eternal!
M any C h ristia n s d w ell
much too long on the journey
through the... manifestation
A family reunion should
be a wonderful fellowship of
relatives. Throughout the
planning and preparations,
there are, at times difficulties
involved in preparing to at
tend, and in commuting to
such an event. You long, with
great anticipation, to see
loved-ones you’ve missed
over time.
Sometimes, a person might
experience a reluctance, or a
phobia, of one type or an
other, usually in regards to
transportation especially with
A.J. Bradford
Twenty-Five years o f Roe V. Wade:
Reflections From an African-American Minister
educational opportunities that were
unavailable to most African-Ameri
cans of my generation. In the legisla
tive arena, the landmark Civil Rights
Act of 1964 once and for all opened
the doors of schools, restaurants,
hotels, and voting booths, forever
changing the lives of my family.
Back then, religious activism for
social causes extended far beyond
the civil rights movement and reli
gious support for legal abortion was
better known than today. Clergy and
lay members of the Clergy Consulta
tion Service on Abortion were well
known for risking arrest to help
women to obtain safe abortions.
Moved by the suffering and deaths of
women resulting from unsafe illegal
abortions, they felt morally com
pelled to do something. In addition
to their direct services to women,
members of Clergy Consultation and
other similar groups supported legis
lative and legal efforts to reform abor
tion laws.
Since that time, the well-funded,
media-savvy, and sometime violent
January 22 will mark the 25th
anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Su
preme Court decision that legalized
abortion in the United States.
Growing up in Memphis, Tennes
see, I witnessed the pain and suffer
ing of black women who risked their
lives to get illegal abortions. In fact,
during my thirty-three years of min
istry in W ashington, DC, I have sup
ported many women who had abor
tions or miscarriages, adopted chil
dren, and used family planning ser
vices. After the Roe decision, the
lives of many women I counseled
were greatly improved, especially
for those who needed an abortion
and could afford one.
Like many Black ministers, I came
to social activism through the civil
rights movement. Ot the many Su
preme Court decisions that have af
fected me like in the past several
decades. Roe v. Wade is certainly
significant, but hardly the most influ
ential. Because of Brown v. the Board
of Education, my son, daughters, and
grandchildren have had access to
opponents of choice have convinced
themselves, much of the media, and
the American public that the only valid
religious position on abortion is to
oppose it. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
When I joined the staff of the Reli
gious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice almost two years ago, I called
many of my colleagues to discuss my
new job. Like many clergy, I rarely
discussed the subject of reproductive
choice, so I had no idea how they
would react to my working at an orga
nization that supports family planning,
contraception, and legal abortion. Most
of them were supportive.
Surprised by their support, I de
cided to conduct an informal survey
at the annual conference of the na
tional Baptist Convention, U.S.A.,
Inc., to determine the attitudes about
abortion, sex education, family plan
ning, and other reproductive health
issues. I was pleased--and a little
surprised-to find that more than half
of the clergy and lay leaders sup
ported the right to a legal abortion,
and an overwhelming majority felt
the Black Church has a responsibil
ity to discuss a wide range of repro
ductive health
20 years
Of Exceptional Service
A Total Family Service Agency
Specializine in Restoration and Reconciliation
P A G IN G & C E L L U L A R
New DEBIT PHILIPS FIZZ PHONES for only
$159.00
That includes:
The Philips Fizz Phone, 33 minutes of
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Cf Sffwcss Pwovofo •*
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-Marriage, Family, Individual
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-S pecial NeedsChildren
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* Adoption
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Call now for more details
Beeause...If Families Are Whole,Then Communities Are Healthier!!!
503.288.9180
For More Information Call Us at (503) 335-0845
or come visit us at:
3213 N.E. MLK Jr. Blvd.
CoMMMOat Mrrwoo S uvkb . ik
Portland, OR 97212
MAVWOH, OM6O*
5828 NE 8th Avenue - Portland, OR 97211
This special presentation depicts a world which vanished in the
wake o f integration...the world o f living colored.
Behind the painful and sometimes humiliating harriers of racial
segregation, there existed a totally black milieu in which a people
nurtured, protected each other, and enjoyed together. This evening
is an effort to remind a people not to forget w here they came from
or for their children to never forget the world that gave them their
fathers and mothers...and how they survived with their pride and
courage intact. It depicts a way o f life from the cotton fields, to
our way of having church, to the fish fries, to the times we walked
down the aisle of the colored coaches on trains to find a seat hy
the window, where we could look out and see familiar faces
waving as the train slowly pulled away. Remembering and
clinging to the promises we had heard all o f our lives from those
who had nurtured us Once Upon A Time When We Were Col
ored!!!
A history o f "Our" times seen through the eyes, music, dance
and storytelling performed without a trace of humility by the
Bethel A.M.E. Church. Cathedral Choir and friends.
Written and Directed By: J. Rochelle McElroy. Director. Bethel
A.M.E. Cathedral Choir, and Rev. Dorsey McCullough. Pastor
will be directing featured selections.
The Lord will be there, and
is expecting you!
Just for the re c o rd .th e re
has n ev er been a failed
flight, to a w ell-planned,
sch e d u le d , reu n io n w ith
God!
So, don't be reluctant to go
to the reunion, especially if
you’ve already been planning
and looking forward to being
there!
See you at the gathering
Lord, “thank you for the invi
tation.”
zone instead of the celebra
tion after arrival.
The commute is the meta
m o rp h o sis or “tre k ” into
peace! A nytim e your desti
nation is Eternal Peace via
the manifestation zone, you
can be assured of guaranteed
safe passage.
If you are experiencing pain,
our loving Father will release
you from it at the right time.
Do not be afraid to take the
journey.
Going to the reunion should
be anticipated with great joy.
(Community (Cfjurclj of (Boh
VI friendly Church"
6oa> FFu/ieral
TTna.
2736 NE Rodney
Portland, OR 97212
503-251-4591
8
This Is you r community based funeral home supported
b y you.
•Brown
•Pastor and Counselor
We Extend Our Hand To Everyone
Services Sunday 11 A.M. and 6 P.M.
Sunday School 9:45 A.M.
Community Church of God
202 N.E. Skidmore
281-5678 Church
We make the toss o f your loved ones caster to hear.
Let us guide you through our facility and explain about
pre arrangements with you.
C. Cox Tanner
Owner
Jerome Cox Tanner
Funeral Director