Page
December 8, 1999
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b Metro/Religion
Beaverton church hosts
old English program
CONTRIBUTED.STORY
for T he
P ortland O bserver
A city block o f Beaverton is turning
back the clock to the tum-of-the-
century Old England. During the
second week o f December Allen
B o u le v a rd in B e a v e rto n w ill
experience a tim e change. This
alteration is not done with a clock, but
with the senses.
Beaverton Christian Church, 13600
SW Allen Boulevard in Beaverton is
calling over six hundred o f the
congregation’s2000memberstobake,
to paint, to sing, to act, to host, to
share a segment o f this Old English
C h ristm a s p ro g ra m w ith the
community. The event is Celebrate
the Joy, and will be presented at
B e a v e rto n C h ristia n C h u rch
December 10 through December 13,
7 :0 0 p .m ., w ith an a d d itio n a l
performance at 3:00 p.m. Saturday,
December 11.
“W e w ant guests to experience
England as it was in the days o f
Charles Dickens” states Jim Lacy,
creator o f the program, and Pastor o f
Ministering Arts at the Beaverton
Church. Lacy, who has served in this
capacity for three years shares the
concept o f the program. “Guests will
be greeted by valets dressed in top
hats, gloves and capes. A horse-
drawn carriage will be available to
give rides to those entering the church.
O n ce in sid e, c h ild re n w ill be
encouraged to sit at the feet o f an old
English story lady for a Christmas
story. The story lady will be seated
on the front porch o f a life-size
gingerbread house, and various
rooms o f a traditional Old English
home will be postured throughout
the spacious atrium. Scenes o f an Old
English kitchen, a library, and a parlor
that would be found in an English
hom eofthe 1800’sw illb ep arto fth e
“ sig h ts” o f this transform ation.
Artists will be drawing hand made
Christmas cards and will entertain
guests as Old English street vendors
peddle their goods throughout the
atrium.
Jim Lacy continues, “As guests enter
the auditorium Old English lanterns
will line the walkways. Costumed
characters including a seven foot
g in g e rb re a d m an, F ro sty the
Snowman and his wife, Mrs. Frosty
and toy soldiers will serve to add to
the magic o f the moment."
“ W e w ant this event to be an
experience for the entire community”
states Clark Tanner, senior pastor o f
Beaverton Christian. "W e recognize
th e
need
for
w h o leso m e
entertainment, and we are striving to
provide the finest program possible
to c e le b ra te the b irth d a y o f
birthdays.”
The main program is an original two-
act musical, featuring a 130-voice
costum ed choir as w ell as full
orchestra. The story line shares the
events o f a typical English town,
Portland Manor, at the turn o f the
century. The community is anxious
about the unknown elements o f the
new century, the consequences of
not being prepared for the changes
that will come in the year 1900, and
how the town can prepare for these
changes.
Lacy states, “There will be music that
will appeal to practically every musical
taste, from the traditional to the
contem porary, both secular and
sacred m u sic .” S tate-o f-th e-art
technology will be incorporated in
the two hour program, and during
intermission guests will enjoy samples
o f wassail, a traditional English drink
and gingerbread cookies.
The program has an added appeal to
the community in that the church will
be hosting several charity groups o f
the community at the event. These
groups will include The House of
Ruth, Letty Owens Center, Albertina
Kerr Center, and Parry Center for
C h ild ren. C lark T an n er states,
“members o f these organizations will
receive VIP treatment, complete with
a reception and preferred seating for
the program. Beaverton Christian
Church recognizes the impact these
groups have on the com m unity
through the year. It is our desire to
say thanks to these Organizations.”
The work o f pregnancy Resource
Center will be recognized as well.and
the o rg a n iz a tio n w ill have an
Information booth in the atrium.
Beaverton Christian church isanon-
denominational fellowship that offers
a sty le o f music, worship and teaching
that is culturally relevant and focuses
on theChristian life. Worship services
are held at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Complimentary tickets for this event
areavailablebyphone, 503-646-2151,
ext. 237, or by web, www.bcc.org
George Walter
Age 62. Survived by his significant other, Ginger Weis; son Stephen, wife
Julie, grandson Matthew Robert and almost-grandson Jonathan Water;
daughter Susan; daughter Kristin Brennan-Padden, husband Chris, and
soon-to-be Baby Padden; daughter Kelly and finance Doug Feick; sister
Mary Brennan Williams and family; sister Margaret Brennan Shaw,
husband Jack and family; and many friends. Memorial Mass was held
Friday, December 3, at The Mission Church, University o f Santa Clara. The
family prefers donations to Santa Clara University Alumni Family
Scholarship Fund, c/o Jerry Kerr, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, Ca 95053
Announcing a free Christmas haircut
for Boys & Girls!
Professional Haircuts!
M onday, Dec. 20,h
10:00 A M -3:00 PM
♦First come, First served. *Ages 16 & under
at The Salvation Army
Moore St. Corps
Community Center
5325 N. Williams
call 493-3925 for information
Mathis & Winans celebrate the season
r
L
„1
Johnny Mathis & CeCe Winans 'Listen! It's Christmas
Singers celebrate
with Hallmark's
“Listen! Its Christmas”
______ CONTRIBUTED STORY_______
for T he
P ortland O bserver
Johnny Mathis and CeCe Winans,
recall fond memories on Hallmark
Christmas album.
Legendary vocalist Johnny Mathis
and gospel’s leading female voice
CeCe Winans have come together for
the first time to record a Hallmark
Christmas album entitled “Listen! It’s
C h ristm a s” w hich is availab le
exclusively at the more than 5,000
Hallmark card shoos that dot the
globe. Both singers come from large
families and cherish their holiday
memories.
“I come from a large family, “says
Johnny who has six siblings. One of
his fondest memories was Christmas
1950 when he was 15 years old. “We
got very practical things like clothing
or shoes. The little kids got a lot of
junk like foodstuffs and stocking
sniffers. But mostly 1 remember my
mom would make sure 1 had a really
nice sweater to wear. I started singing
on stage when I was twelve or thirteen
and I really didn’t have any stage
clothes. The look was just a pair o f
khakis and a nice sweater. I do
remember a green cashmere sweater
that blew my mind. It was the hippest
thing at the time that could happen to
me and I couldn’t believe that my
mom went for the cashmere sweater
because I was accustomed to much
less. But she always made sure that I
had something really nice to go on
stage with and that’s the thing I really
remember at that particularChnstmas
was a speckled green cashm ere
sweater and I think I wore it to death.”
With nine siblings, CeCe’s parent
couldn' t afford a lot o f presents either.
“Since it w asn’t possible to buy gifts
for all ten o f their chi ldren, my parents
decided that rather than spend money
on toys that would be broken by
February, they would put on a holiday
concert for gospel lovers,” CeCe
recalls. “There was always much to
do for the concert: we had to leam
how to pull o f a concert on a meager
budget. Things like finding music,
rehearsing until the wee hours o f the
morning, renting sound equipment,
running off programs, and buying or
having mom make inexpensive outfits
kept us too busy to bicker or to stay
mad at one another. W e had to
cooperate in order to meet our goals.
Sponsoring those concerts was the
ereatest ci ft Mom and Dad ever save
us”
One thing the Mathis and Winans
household shared was a love for the
Christmas meal. “We w eren’t poor,”
Johnny smiles. “We just didn’t have
any money was the main thing. So
food played a big part o f what we did
at the holidays. My mom and dad
were professional cooks so all my
brothers and sisters and I learned to
cook at an early age. Out o f the seven
ofus there are three really good cooks
and the rest are passable,” he laughs.
H e’s one ofthe three. “I’ve had more
practice because I started cooking on
the road because when I started to
travel to the foreign countries and the
United States some 40 odd years ago.
The foodjust wasn’t that spectacular.
So I used a lot o f my guiles as far as
getting hot plates and things like that
to cook in hotel rooms and over the
years its becom e d e fin e d and
redefined. Finally, they have a few
chains ofhotels that have kitchens in
them, s o l’ve been practicing over the
years and it’s gotten very good.”
Mom Winans would spend hours in
the kitchen and the family would go
to church to celebrate Christmas.
“ Some o f my fondest m emories
involve food,” CeCe laughs. “Fried
ch ick en , m acaroni and cheese,
homemade rolls, dressing, gravy,
green string beans, and ice cream for
dessert were all a part ofthe feast. The
great food and great people made
church a wonderful and safe place for
me as a child.”
As for the new album, Johnny &
CeCe have a mutual adm iration
society going. CeCe gushes, “What
can I say? The man is a legend and he
does not age! He is such a gentleman
and such a pleasure to work with.” As
for Johnny, he says, “The thing that
really excited me about making the
recording was I got a chance to record
with CeCe who has been over the last
ten years one o f my favorite singers.
When they said she would be a part
o f the production I said, let’s go,
let’s do it.’ And she was absolutely
delightful. I’ve been fortunate over
the years. I made my first duet with
Deniece W illiams and then Jane Olivor
who are both beautiful voices. Then
I want on to sing with people like Patti
Austin and Gladys Knight. Regina
Belle and Dionne Warwick. But with
CeCe it just kept getting better and
better and better so it was a joy to be
with her and to be a part o f this
recording. I was just so happy to meet
her and we had a lovely tim e
together.”
Lanterns: A memoir of mentors
by
M arian W right E delman
for T he
P ortland O bserver
O God, I thank You forthe lanterns in
my life who illumined dark and
uncertain paths calmed and stilled
debilitating doubts and fears with
encouraging words, wise lessons,
gentle touches, firm nudges, and
faithful actions along my journey of
life and back to You.
I was bom in the sturdy white wood
parsonage at 119 Cheraw Street in
Bennettsville, South Carolina as the
last o f five children o f Rev. Arthur
Jerome and Maggie Leola Bowen
Wright. My birth house is now a
Children’s Defense Fund office.
I have always felt so blessed to be
bom who I was, where I was, when I
was, and with the parents I had. As a
Black girl child growing up in a small
segregated southern town, I could
never take anything for granted and
never for a moment lacked a purpose
worth fighting, living, and dying for,
or an opportunity to make a di fference
if I wanted to. I was richly blessed
with parents and community elders
who nurtured me and other children
and tried to live what they preached.
They believed in God, in family, in
education, and in helping others.
I did not come into or get through li fe
alone. Neither did you. Our mothers
had to push to get us here. And our
fathers had to help too. My parents
needed and got help in raising me and
my sister and three brothers from
neighbors and friends in theirchurch
and co m m u n ity . T h ey tried
unceasingly to protect children from
the unfair assaults o f southern racial
segregation and injustice by weaving
a tight family and community fabric of
love around us.
The challenge faced by Black parents
when I was growing up was daunting.
They had toaffirm and helpus children
internalize our sanctity as children of
God, as valued members ofour family,
o f the Black community, o f the
American community, and o f the
entire human race
Leading military power, cannot keep
its own children safe. We have to
make this a top priority o f our national
agenda.
CDF’s report shows that the number
o f children dying from gunfire has
declined, but still 4,205 children and
teens lost their lives in the latest year
for which figures are available. That
means that in America a child dies
every two hours from gunfire - nearly
a dozen children a day and a classroom
full every two days.
Ac a nation we have been horri fied by
the events in Littleton, Colorado;
Conyers, Georgia, West Padueah,
Kentucky; and elsewhere. But these
statistics show that these highly
publicized tragedies are simply the
latest wake-up call for what has been
happening in America every day for
a very long time.
O f the states studied that have
en acted C hild F irearm A ccess
Prevention (CAP) laws since 1989,
there was a 23% drop in accidental
shootings o f children. Seventeen
states have now adopted these laws,
and all states must do so.
It is time for every adult to take
responsibility forprotecting children
instead o f guns. Local, state, and
federal officials mustsupportcommon
sense gun safety measures that will
keep firearms out o f the hands of
children. Parents, grandparents,
educators, and religious leaders must
speak up for children, provide them
positive alternatives to the streets,
and be better examples by not acting
violently against children or others.
Fora copy o f the report, please contact
the C h ild re n ’s D efense F u n d ’s
Publications Department at 202-662-
3652(fax: 202-628-8331).
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