Page B4 February 9, 2000 -------------------------<£tje ÇoriUub ©hseruer-------------------------- /Religion Augustana Lutheran Church calls Native American for Associate Pastor CO M HIBl fEU STORY KMt T u t P oh r n - S u O f c H » t u At their annual m eeting on Sunday, J a n u a ry 3 0 , th e m e m b e rs o f A ugustana Lutheran Church voted unanim ously to extend a call for the p o sitio n o f A sso c ia te P asto r to Ram ona Soto Rank, a m em ber o f the Klamath Tribe. T he call has been accepted, and her O rdination and Installation will take place at 4:0 0 p.m . on Saturday, February 26lhat A ugustana(27 IONE 14 ,h A ve.) The public is invited to this historic event. Ms. Soto Rank will be the first N ative A m erican ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in O regon; and the 17'h nationw ide in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ram ona Soto Rank is an enrolled m em ber o f the Klam ath Tribes o f Southeastern O regon. Ramona has served as the Secretary to the General C o u n cil, on the K lam ath T ribes Executive Committee and as a member o f the T ribal R estoration Com m ittee. In addition to her w ork with the K lam ath T ribes, Ram ona served as th e E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r fo r th e Affiliated Tribes ofNorthwest Indians (ATN1), as organization representing th e v o ic e o f th e 49 f e d e ra lly recognized tribes in W ashington, O regon, Idaho, M ontana and SE Alaska. Ramona is a graduate o f Pacific Lutheran Theological Sem inary in Berkeley, C alifornia and has ju st accepted a call as A ssociate Pastor at A u g u sta n a L u th e ra n C h u rch in Portland, Oregon. She has served as the Inter Lutheran N ative A m erican Concerns Coordinator for Oregon, as th e M u ltic u ltu ra l M in is try Chairperson for the O regon Synod, ELC A and as a m em ber o f the ELC A N ational C hurch C ouncil, She is c u r r e n tly th e P re s id e n t o f th e A m erican Indian and A laska N ative Lutheran A ssociation. Ms. Soto Rank has w orked with Luther Sem inary in St. Paul, MN and with Pacific Lutheran Theological S e m in a ry in B e rk e le y , C A on curriculum and experience that help train church professionals in the context o f American Indian and Alaska N ative perspectives. Ms Soto Rank w as one o f the founders o f the "O n e 1 In The Spirit” gathering that brings [ together clergy and lay people w ith A m erican Indian and A laska N ative theologians. Ms. Soto Rank was bom on the K lam ath Reservation in K lam ath County, O R and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. A ugustana Lutheran C hurch is a grow ing m ulticultural congregation in the heart o f Portland. Beginning as a Sw edish congregation in 1906, today A ugustana has m em bers w ho are A frican A m erican, H isp an ic/ Latino, N ative American, A sian, and E uro p ean A m erican , as w ell as m em bers w ho are gay and lesbian. A u g u s ta n a is a 9 4 - y e a r- o ld c o n g re g a tio n w ith a h isto ry of com m unity outreach and service. Today A ugustana has 400 m em bers with over 200 people in attendance each Sunday. O ver 100 m em bers are children below 8lh grade. Four services are offered each week: Contemporary, Traditional, Open Circle, and G ospel/ Jazz. For more inform ation, contact Ram ona Soto Rank, or Lead Pastor Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson, at 288-6174. On record: ‘I can help people overcome anyone or anything blocking their prosperity’ CONTRIBUTED STORY for T he P ortland O bserv er T hese incredibly pow erful w ords com e from T haddeus M uham m ad, one o f the nation’s leading personal growth and developm ent trainers and author o f the now popular book, Set Y ourself in H eaven A t O nce and the upcom ing book, The G od o f the Living. “It’s not about w hat the good old b o y s n e tw o r k , d e m o c r a ts o r r e p u b lic a n s , c o n s e r v a tiv e s o r liberals, foreigners or anybody is doing to you— it’s about w hat you are doing to yourself,” said Thaddeus w ho has helped thousands o f people, from all w alks o f life im prove their lives. “ It’s tim e to m ove aw ay from the era o f protest and blam e into a new era o f p ro-action, building, grow ing and establishing our place in the sun by learning universal principles that apply to all regardless to class, religion, or color.” T haddeus has received critical acclaim from his audiences in a variety o f religious institutions, colleges, m entoring program s, and various m edia outlets throughout the country w ith his unique brand o f spiritual, self-im provem ent tips developed through years o f practical application. The Chicago-based author is a superb interview w ho will fill your audience with inform ation that will be o f value to them today and for the rest o f their lives. His new book, The God o f the Living (galley copy) w as published by Em erging Light International and is available for review. Publication date is Feb. 24,2000. To schedule an interview call (773)536-2699. Thaddeus M uham m ad honed his skills as a peak perform ance trainer, lecturer, and m otivator w hile serving for over 15 years as a top lieutenant and the First O fficer o f the N ation o f Islam under the leadership o f the H onorable Louis Farrakhan. A s First O fficer he w as directly responsible fo r th e te a c h in g , tr a in in g an d m otivation for the men know n as the F .O .I. at th e N a tio n o f Islam headquarters in Chicago. Known for his strong work ethic, principled leadership and sincere co n cern for th e w e lfa re o f th e individual, he has helped thousands transform theirliv esfo rth e better. He has worked w ith everyone from high school dropouts to college students, from th e u n e m p lo y e d to p ro fe ssio n a ls, d ru g a d d ic ts and entrepreneurs. In addition, he has served for over five years as dean o f Boys at M uham m ad U niversity o f Islam where he acted as guidance counselor, m entor and disciplinarian. He currently lives in C hicago’s Hyde Park com m unity w ith his wife. Chata Addy and Susuma in concert COSIRIBITEDSIORY r or T he P ortland O bserver Sunday, February 13, at 3 :00 p.m.. Rose C ity Park U nited M ethodist Church will present C hata A ddy and Susum a in concert. This concert is the seventh o f tw elve concerts in the 1999-2000 concert season. C hata A ddy, a local recording artist, com es from a long tradition o f master drum m ers and dancers from Ghana, W est Africa. H e leads the group Susum a with his highly-acclaim ed, unfo rg ettab le th ree -C o n g a drum playing, and perform s as w ell on the talking drum and other percussion instruments. Susum a plays music w hich Chata calls “A fro-R eggae, Funky Highlife” - an upbeat blend o f traditional African and contemporary world music styles with a rhythm that makes people want to move. The band consists o f eight pieces including bass guitar, drums, keyboard, guitars, hom s and flute as w ell as vocals. Black History Month Susum a has ju st released its first CD, “This is W hat I Feel.” Rose City Park U nited M ethodist C hurch is located at 5830 N .E. Alam eda. A dm ission to the concert is a free w ill o ffe rin g tak en at interm ission with net proceeds to benefit tw o local agencies, FISH and Loaves & Fishes. Free child care is available. The church is located on Tri-M et bus lines # 12 and #71 and is h a n d ic a p p e d a c c e s s ib le by an elevator. LOCATION CHANGE NOTICE* I n p f M em bers o f the Shiloh B aptist church in the M ontavilla neighborhood. This w eek's observation o f B lack H istory M onth cover the yea rs o f ¡900-1950. A t the beginning o f the century, there were fo u r large, B lack churches in N ortheast Portland. O ne o f the churches was m oved to F irst a n d Schuyler and rebuilt at the sam e location in ! 912. The lum ber used to construct the building was d o n a t e h" n tn ra l branch o f the Klu K lux Kian. Can yo u nam e that church that currently exists? A nsw er: M ount O livet B aptist Church. give yourself life's g re a te st gift for V alen tin e's D ay! it's better than chocolate, and better th an roses it ' s your health ! O n Feb. 14, Planned Parenthood is offering FREE breast and cervical cancer screenings a t all our clinics to any women who have not had pap sm ears in the last three years. Appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis! Call 1-800-230-PLAN now for a free exam at the Planned Parenthood clinic nearest you! □ Planned Parenthood « of the Columbia/Willamette Home Loans you can Finally Qualify for! Rates as Low as Purchase: 6.5% * 0% Down 7% APR * VA Loans * 1st Time Home Buyers Refinance: *Debt Consolidation *Cash for Equity Community Budget Forum for the FY 2000-02 Budget * Every Type of Real Estate * Every Type of Credit Grade M ayor V era Katz and the Portland City C ouncil invite you to jo in them at the last in a series o f forum s to gather input about the com m unity priorities. * Every Type of Loan Program Thursday, February 10 6:00 - 8:00 PM * Scottish Rite Center. 709 SW I Slh Contact: Otus Denson Otus Denson Form ore information: 823-5288, TTY: 823-6868 If you have special needs, please call 823-4519 in advance, 998-2867 AIM 3990 SW Colins W *y Lake Oswego. OR »7035 w ebsite: w w w .ci.portland.or.us »