Page B3
FEB. 10, 1999
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Statewide Religious Group Installs Board Leadership
Portland Parks and Recreation
DirectorCharles Jordan was installed
Feb. 4 as president o f Ecumenical
Ministries o f Oregon’s Board of Di­
rectors.
Jordan, who is a member o f Bethel
AME Church in Portland, will lead
the statewide association in its pur­
suit o f unity and justice through theo­
logical education and dialogue, pub­
lic policy advocacy and community
ministry programs. He will lead the
43-member Board o f Directors made
upof denominational leaders and oth­
ers from across the state.
Jordan was elected by the Board to
serve as leader during 1999 as it
begins implementation o f a strategic
plan following a two-year process of
listening and evaluating programs,
services and organization. Jordan has
enjoyed a long history in public ser­
vice, stemming back to his appoint­
ment in 1974 as a city commissioner
to his current role as respected leader
o f the city’s Parks and Recreation
department.
At first, Jordan said he was sur­
prised to be elected to the Board of
mostly clergy and people in full­
time ministry. “W hen I was ap­
proached about becoming president.
I had to think and pray on whether or
not to accept,” Jordan said. “W e’ve
got some exciting things ahead. In
this process o f strategic planning,
w e’ve paused to take a look at who we
were when we started, who we are
now and who we should be in the
years ahead.”
The “we” Jordan refers to includes
16 Christian denominations includ­
ing Protestant, Roman Catholic and
Orthodox bodies from across the
state which represent more than
1,200 congregations. In 1973 the
Oregon Council o f Churches and the
Portland Council o f Churches—
. . ■
i
whose combined efforts date back to
1917— merged as Ecumenical Min­
istries o f Oregon. Since that time,
EMO has been involved in public
policy advocacy on a variety o f is­
sues including securing food stamps,
supporting farm workers, and raising
the minimum wage, and has offered
community ministry programs in­
cluding the NE Emergency Food Pro­
gram (in inner-NE Portland), the Par­
ent Mentor Program which matches
women in recovery with mentors who
support them in parenting, Shared
Housing and Old Town Clinic.
Jordan said he is looking forward
Guitarist Tim Bowman and Others
Are M aking J a zz Feel A t Home In The Gospel Arena
G o sp el star V ickie W in a n s’
brother Tim Bow m an and other
sm ooth jazz m usicians are lead­
ing a new revolution in gospel
music. First Kirk Franklin brought
the funk, now an alluring array o f
se c u la r and g o sp el a rtists are
bringing the bebop to Bible-based
music and it’s catching on. G ui­
tarist Tim Bow m an recently re­
leased his second sm ooth ja z z
gospel album , paradise (InSync
M usic) w hich debuted at #28 on
G ospel Today m agazine’s Top 40
album chart. W hile the album is
being p layed on the c o u n try ’s
leading smooth ja z z stations, the
unique m atter is that the record is
also gaining play on gospel sta­
tions that play harder, m ore tradi­
tional gospel styles o f music.
B ow m an recru ited G ram m y-
n o m in a te d ja z z s a x o p h o n is t
A ngella C hristie and instrum en­
tal duo A lle n & A lle n . K irk
W halum , who has toured w ith
W hitney Houston and produced
an arm ful o f secular jazz album s,
recently released his first gospel
album The G ospel A ccording To
Jazz Volum e 1 (W arner B roth­
ers).
The album was nom inated for a
S te lla r A w ard and b ecau se o f
W halum ’s stature and respect in
th e s e c u la r m u sic in d u s tr y ,
brought a lot o f attention to gos­
pel jazz. W halum is so pleased
with the warm response from gos­
pel enthusiasts that he is planning
to record another gospel album
later this year.
W hile there are now a handful
o f horn-blow ers to serve the gos­
pel audience, Bow m an is the only
prom inent guitarist in the gospel
field right now. A fter a decade o f
playing for the G ram m y w inning
gospel group, The W inans, Bow ­
man released his first album Love
Joy P e a c e (In S y n c M u sic ) in
1997.
The album was a bona fide hit,
peaking at #19 on the prestigious
G av in sm ooth ja z z ch arts and
spaw ning four sm ash radio hits.
His new album Paradise (InSync
M usic) has already produced four
big hits in c lu d in g the upbeat
“ F re e ,” a rem ake o f A ngie &
Debbie W inan’s “ Light o f Love.”
And the Q uiet storm -styled “The
Only O ne” and “ I’ll N ever F or­
get.”
Many critics o f gospel jazz com­
plain that since there are no lyrics
to the music, there is nothing to
d istin g u ish it from other jazz.
“That’s the miracle,” Whalum has
said. “You are able to go through a
pair o f ears and connect to a soul
that’s sensitive to that which is spiri­
tual. You are able to communicate
on a higher level.” Bowman agrees
and is happy that gospel jazz is de­
veloping an audience. “W e’ve been
playing this kind o f music in the
church for years before there was a
format called smooth jazz,” he re­
cently told the Philadelphia Daily
News. “Now that there’s a market
for it, I consider it a blessing to
have what w e’ve been doing come
out in the mainstream.”
Tim Bowman
Happy
Birthday
Q layuana
Washington
What is your church/group
doing for
Black History Month?
New ideas and resources for a spiritual celebration
Are available at
North Portland Bible College Library
And the
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have the potential ofproviding a strong
She is a noted expert in church-state
leadership role,” Jordan said. "I truly
and clergy privilege issues and previ­
believe that we have a leadership void
ously served on EMO’s Board of
in this country, it’s not accidental but
Directors.
by design to give church the chance
Other executive members o f the
to move to the forefront, be not
Board include Immediate Past Presi­
conformed, but be transformed.” ’
dent The Rev. Stephen Schneider, of
Also inducted into Board leader­
Grace Memorial Episcopal Church
ship as president-elect was Lori Lee
in northeast Portland, Secretary
Brocker, General Counsel and Di­
Mary Jo Tully, Chancellor o f the
rector o f Government Affairs for
Roman Catholic A rchdiocese o f
Oregon Newspapers, Inc. Brocker
Portland in Oregon, and Treasurer
served as Associate pastor o f Trinity
Tim V olpert o f D avis W right
Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New
Tremaine..
York, before attending New York
State Religious Bodies
To Partner For Interfaith
Advocacy Day
A new partnership among reli­
gious-based service organizations
in Oregon will have its day at the
Capitol March 9. Organizers from
Ecumenical Ministries o f Oregon
and Catholic Chanties, Jewish Fam­
ily and Child Service, The Jewish
Federation o f Portland, Lutheran
A dvocacy M inistry o f O regon,
Lutheran Family Service and the
William Temple House are inviting
people o f faith from across the state
to take part in the joint Interfaith
Advocacy Day.
The day-long event will begin at
First Presbyterian Church in Salem
and includes sessions on theologi­
cal reflection on advocacy and the
role o f the faith community in pub­
lic policy, policy briefings on focus
issues and how to affect change
through advocacy, and the chance
for individuals to meet individually
with their legislators.Ecumenical
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Lillian Jenkins Resource Center,
During office hours and evening class times.
At N/NE Portland Own Inter-Church Bible College,
Where Biblical Studies and Ministry training
Are offered
M inistries o f Oregon Executive
Director David Leslie said, "Our
power as a community o f faith lies
in our collaboration in bringing about
morally just change.” Presenters at
the event include some o f the state's
leading advocates and religious lead­
ers, including: the Rev. D. LeRoy
Haynes, Jr., o f Allen Temple CME
Church, the Rev. Jim Mosier, direc­
tor of Community Youth Develop­
ment, Inc., the Rev. Patricia Ross of
First Congregational Church, Port­
land and Rabbi Joseph W olf o f
Havurah Shalom.
The Interfaith Advocacy Day be­
gins at 8:30 a.m. in Salem and will
conclude at 4 p.m. Anyone inter­
ested is encouraged to attend the
Interfaith Advocacy Day. Cost is
$10, which includes lunch and all
materials. To register or for infor­
mation, call Ecumenical Ministries
o f Oregon at (503) 221-1054.
CfMp$$eCfiimes
430 N. Killingsworth Street
Portland, Oregon 97217
(503) 283-1976
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