Page
December 22, !999------------------------------------------------------------Ç n r t U u t h
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Metro/Religion
llo rtlan ò
(p b » rru rr
The gift of giving has
roots in volunteerism
Emmanual
Temple fa ll
Gospel
Pentecostal
Church in North
Portland is close
to competition.
Once the $3.5
million facility is
finished, it will
join the ranks o f
several other
mega-churches in
the Portland
metropolitan
area.
CONTRIBUTED STORY
This is the season w here the spirit is m auled at far too m any m alls M ore people
are seeking an alternative to the blatant com m ercialism so prevalent at far too
m any shopping centers.
O ne alternative that helps reclaim the spiritual essence o f m any holidays is the
sim ple gift o f giving o f ourselves.
The U rban Portland Interfaith V olunteer Caregivers w orks to assist the elderly,
the isolated; these volunteers help the disabled, the frail, the im poverished.
V olunteers, by giving the gift o f them selves for very few hours a week, m anage
to provide transportation, shopping, light housekeeping, m eal preparation,
visitation, telephone chats and even respite care.
In 1984, the Interfaith V olunteer C aregiver Projects form ed to serve m any w ho
w ere even then falling through the cracks o f the usual social service agencies.
The only requirem ents for the volunteers are that the dignity and confidentiality
o f the person being helped is to be m aintained: and, no evangelizing or
proselytizing is to be done.
This season, rather than be spiritually m auled at the overly com m ercial m alls
take a m om ent to give o f y o u rself now and for the new year. Call the U rban
Portland Interfaith V olunteer Coalition offices near St. V in cen t’s H ospital at
21645435.
On our way to beautiful
A Gift
Priceless
by
That’s
Y olanda Y oung
M y friend, Charise and I are in Barnes
and N oble brow sing through fashion
m a g az in es w h en she asks, “ For
Christm as, w hat w ould you lik e ....”
Before she can finish her sentence, I
begin to run dow n m y list for Santa:
A strand o f M ikim oto pearls so long
Awards
they fall all the w ay dow n my back; a
pair o f M anolo Blahnik four inch
stilettos; another little black dress;
and a w eek at the M orel European
Spa in Florida to m ake sure m y little
dress fits......
“O kay,” C harise says, “but I d idn’t
finish my question. W hat would you
like to give this C hristm as?”
“G iiw e e ,” I shriek. Hey, after buying
all those gifts for m y s e lf cau se
nobody loves me that m uch. I’ve got
no m oney to spend on anybody else.
“W ell, how about giving som ething
priceless w ithout spending a dim e?”
C harise asked.
M inm m , give som ething w orth more
than m oney can buy w ithout spending
any o f m ine? Sounds tricky, but I ’ll
give it a try.
Ten P riceless G ifts T hat C ost M e
N othin’!
1. A n apology to som eone to whom
it’s long overdue.
2. A thank you note to som eone
w ho does so m uch, but asks for
so little.
3. A pint o f blood.
4. A one-m onth pledge o f a tithe o f
m ytim etoaw orthycause. T hat’s
two and a hal fhours a day or 1 i ttle
o v e r to w fu ll d a y s on th e
weekend.
5. R ead a b o o k to a kid.
6. R ecycle o ld n ew sp ap ers and
bottles (a g ift to m other earth).
7. Be 100 percent agreeable for an
entire day.
8. A n d th in k o f o th e rs b efo re
thinking o f self.
9. O ffer an em pathetic ear w ithout
offering judgm ent or w ords o f
wisdom.
10. V olunteer to b e the designated
driver on D ecem ber 31,1999.
from page 1
com m unity.” Tow nsend and C am pbell are second generation publishers w ho
now carry the torch passed from their fathers, w ho founded their respective
new spapers. T ow nsend w as recognized at the A w ards D inner w hich was
sponsored by Philip M orris M anagem ent Corporation, Philip M orris, USA and
K raft Foods. Joining the W est C oast publishing group on the dais was
N ational President, John O liver, o f the N ational N ew spaper Publishers
A ssociation (N N PA ) along w ith T erry Jones, vice president. O liver brought
special greetings to the delegates. H is com m ents w ere w ell received as he
presented his national agenda for the betterm ent o f the B lack com m unity.
Shaw n Rivera, popular m em ber o f the singing group A zY ET, led the N egro
N ational A nthem and added to everyone’s enjoym ent w ith his expressive
readings. Im m ediately follow ing the dinner gala was the D essert Party hosted
b y M iller B rew ing Com pany. Prior to the A w ards D inner, Schieffelin &
S om erset hosted its products at the A w ards Reception.
“ B uilding C oalitions for the N ew M illennium ,” was the appropriate them e
w oven throughout the convention presentations as know ledgeable speakers
shared their experiences and w isdom . T he political w orkshop participants
included: form er C A A ssem blyw om an G w en M oore, O range County Assessor
W ebster G uillory; Percy Pinkney, state president o f the Black A m erican
Political A ssociation o fC A , and A rizona State R epresentative Leah Landrum.
T he business and finance w orkshop, sponsored by W ashington M utual,
included the participation o f Ernest Fountain, president o f N ew Capital
D evelopm ent Com pany; C om er Cottrell, C hairm an and CEO o f Pro-Line
Corporation, Patrick Harris, C h ief O perating O fficer o f the Los A ngeles Urban
L eague and Peter V illegas, V ice P resident o f W ashington M utual.
T he A frica/A frican Am erican T ow nhall M eeting was m oderated by M elvin
Foote, executive director o f C onstituency for A frica. The panelists included:
Edith G race Sem pala, A m bassador o f U ganda to the U nited States; James
Burks, director ofthe W illiam G rant Stills A rt C enter and founder o f the African
M arketplace in los Angeles; A yuko Babu, executive director o fth e Pan African
Film Festival; and D w ayne G athers, director o f the C alifornia O ffice ofT rad e
and Investm ent in South Africa. It w as a special opportunity for continued
netw orking and learning about he needs o f Africa.
A nheuser-B usch Com panies w as the corporate sponsor o f the Salute to the
Political Leaders Reception at which African Am erican politicians were honored
for their stalw art dedication to continually im prove the econom ic and social
conditions o f m inorities.
T he B lack press is the voice o f the A frican A m erican com m unity. It is the
drum that beats out the truthful m essages about its hardships and struggles;
yet, at the sam e tim e the Black press sends a m essage o f hope and positive
stories. T he B lack press is the better choice for its people as a pow erful entity
w ithin the com m unity because the Publishers are involved in all aspects o f
daily living and they care. T he purpose o f the W C B P A is to objectively report
the new s about the issues that w ould otherw ise go unnoticed in the m ajority
press.
San F rancisco Supervisor A m os B row n, w ho is also the prom inent Pastor o f
the T hird B aptist C hurch, brought a pow erful m essage at the Black Press D ay
L uncheon, hosted by Saturn C orporation. T he tw o institutions have a warm
bond because the Black press began in the Black church in 1827 because the
B lack Press in A m erica said, “ W e m ust speak for ourselves.”
O nce again, the Youth D ay w as a big hit w ith Las V egas seniors. M ore than
250 high school students attended the all day sessions w hich began with
breakfast, sponsored by C arol H. W illiam s A dvertising; the Y outh Day
Sum m it, sponsored by C oca - C ola USA and M acy s W est, and the Youth Day
Luncheon, hosted by T oyota M otor Sales U SA and N ordstrom . A rizona City
Councilm an cody W illiam s was a susperb M oderator and Poet Peter H am s was
insightful, all o f w hich provided the students w ith unique insights as they face
the future to becom e contributing citizens o f society.
Pacific Bell and D aim ler-Chrysler co-sponsored the Cultural Arts Show that
featured dance, poetry and conversation. M aura O w ens T ow nnsend w as the
artistic director for the show w hich featured Peter Harris, m usician D erfR eklaw ,
and songstress Judy R. A rnold. M aura was lauded for her choreography and
execution o f the production.
A dditional participating com panies included; A uto-N ation, N orthrop-
Grumman, Seagram Am ericas, RJ Reynolds, host o fth e D iversity Breakfast and
Saturn Corporation. T he conference began w ith the P resid en t’s dinner
sponsored by State Farm Insurance and w as rounded out w ith a g o lf outing
sponsored by N IK E at the A ngel Park C ountry C lub in Las V egas.
The 16lh A nnual W est C oast Black Publishers A ssociation convention w as
coordinated by the Public R elations Firm o f A lescia B uford & A ssociates.
Yes 2 the King “2000”
celebration
(O NTRIBUTEDSTORY
H ighland U nited C hurch o f Christ
presents the Y es 2 K ing “ 2000”
C e le b r a tio n , a c o l le c tio n o f
w orkshops and fellow ship program s
for all. H ighland U nited C hurch o f
C h r is t is b rin g in g to g e th e r an
anointed group o f C hristian Leaders
from v ario u s co n g re g a tio n s and
denom inations to run the w orkshops.
The program kicks o ff with a powerful
new
C h r is tia n
p la y
c a lle d
“ U nentitled” by playw right Travis
W est. There are sessions on; H ealthy
Eating, C hristian D ating, Surviving
in a D ysfunctional W orld, the A rt o f
P reaching, W orshipping in song,
C h ristia n S tep p in g , M o rals and
V alues and there are also Fun and
Fellow ship opportunities w ith roller
skating and a trip to Snow Bunny
Lodge. T he celebration finale is Feet
w ashing at 12:00 AM on January 1,
2000. This is a spiritual and truly
uplifting event, and is an opportunity
for those w ho are saved to grow in
their faith, and those w ho are not
saved to learn w hat it m eans to be
saved. Start the year 2000“ in the right
place” by attending this Y es to the
K ing “ 2000” Celebration during the
last w eek o f the year 1999.
The w orkshops are free o f charge,
but there are fees for the Fun and
F e llo w s h ip e v e n ts th a t h ap p e n
outside o f the church. D inner is
provided after all the evening services,
except D ecem ber 31". D onations are
welcomed.
I f there are any questions about this
Y es 2 the K ing “ 2000” C elebration,
please call (503) 2879567.
A reminder during
the holiday season
B y M arias W hich I E delmas
T he C hristm as and K w anzaa season is upon us again and the shopping m alls
are crowed. T he evening new s tells us that consum er confidence is up and so
is consum er spending. As w e m ake our lists o f presents to buy and things to
do, w e m ight throw a few coins in the kettles outside the stores and think w e ’ve
done our part for the poor. A fter all, this isn’t the D epression; this isn ’t
D ickens’ London w here Bob C ratchit w orked long h o u r every day and still
d id n ’t have enough m oney to feed his fam ily on C hristm as. T here’s no real
hunger in A m erica today, is there?
T he tragic and horrifying answ er is, yes, there is. M any A m ericans w ork hard
every day but it sim ply isn ’t enough. W orking at a jo b , som etim es tw o jobs,
that d o n ’t pay a living w age, they find them selves am ong the alm ost 15 m illion
people in the U nited States w ho are am ong the w orking poor. Thirty-nine
present o f em ergency food recipient fam ilies-that is, those w ho have to resort
to soup kitchens, food pantries, or em ergency shelters to keep the w o lf o f
hunger aw ay - have at least one adult w orking. O f the 21 m illion people seeking
em ergency food assistance today in the U .S., m ore than eight m illion children.
O ver the past. H unger stalks o u r cities and suburbs as well. Today, one-third
o fp o o r people lives in the suburbs. Sixty percent o f em ergency food recipients
have a high school diplom a but cannot find a jo b paying a decent wage.
A m erica’s Second H arvest, a w onderful organization w orking to end hunger,
reports that the thirty m illion A m ericans in our county are hungry. W hile
politicians report that w elfare caseloads are dow n because o fth e 19996 welfare
law changes, organizations that feed the hungry know that m any o f those
forced the w elfare rolls are often unable to find a jo b that pays enough to feed
their fam ilies Catholic C harities report that three-fourths ofC atholics parishes
in the country have experienced an average o f 38 percent in increase in the high
school dropout rate, teen pregnancy, p o o r health care, and early death.
Poverty and H unger isn o ta n a c to fG o d . H unger and poverty are acts o fh u m an
beings and results o f p olitical choices — w e can and m ust influence w ith our
voices and our votes. T he bountiful earth produces enough food to feed
properly every person alive. W e can choose to invest in children and fam ilies
or w e can choose tax breaks for the w ealthy, corporate w elfare, and other non-
needy but pow erful groups in our society w ho drain o u r ch ild ren ’s needs.
Let us rem em ber the hungry this holiday season w ith our contributions to
charity but also w ith our feet. L et’s m obilize to achieve an attitude and cultural
change am ong our federal, state, and local political leaders and officials. L et’s
re-educate them to provide rather than deny services and benefits to hungry
and poor children and w orking fam ilies L et’s rem ind them that their jo b is to
help people, not to deny them help, to inform them, not to keep inform ation from
them , and to save lives and fam ilies and not ju st save money. A nd le t’s rem ind
our fellow citizens that it w ill cost a lot m ore in taxes later to deal with problem s
the country w ill face if w e do not invest in children earlier.
Let us as a nation in the last election year o f the 20 the century forces on ending
poverty and not ju st w elfare, as w e know it. L et’s think ofw ays to m ake it easier
rather than harder for all o f our children to get enough to eat, a place to sleep,
quality education, affordable health care, and the high-quality ch ild ’s care
w orking parents need.
Let us m ove from talk to action, from voicing anger to m aking a difference.
Election politics will flood our m edia in the next year. L et’s make them put aw ay
their rhetoric and com m it to policies that w ill ensure children have enough to
eat and a place to sleep, health care, early childhood education a n d c h ild c a r e
and protection from violence, drugs,
polluted food, air an d w ater, and
hopelessness. W e can do it, and we
m ust do it now!
A u g u sta n a
Lutheran Church
N E 15th & K nott
{ l o i r to I J o r d C r n tr r /B r o r d ir r r
Christmas Eve
7:0 0 p m Candlelight Jazz/
Gospel Caro, Service
Marilyn Keller, Kevin D eitt, and
Brian Ward, with the Ditciplu In Song
St. Philip the Deacon
Episcopal Church
120 NE Knott at Rodney - 281-5802
Sun. 8am & 10am Eucharist, 10am Sunday School
Christmas Eve 9pm Carols & Eucharist
The Reverend Alcena E. Boozer, Rector
10:30 pm Christmas Concert
11 :OO p m Candlelight Service
with Choir & Bells
Music Team: Mark Huth,
Beverly North, Beverly J. Kindschuh
l
“A Savior Is Born"
Rev W alter J. "Mark’ Knutaon
Celebrating 93 years
3 8 8 - 6 1 7 4 w w w augustana.org
1 1 /9 6 10 am Carol Service