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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2000)
August 16,2000 Page B3 (Hj* ^ìortlanò (Obseruer Church-based family shelter program plans major sale Ricky Dillard proves himself limitless tQRllit±URlL,<MJ.ÜBiLR\LR CONTRIBLTEDSTORY R e a re d , ra ise d a n d re sid in g in Chicago, Gospel m usic’s most flashy show m an Ricky D illard is hoping to experience lim itless success on his new C D “N o L im it” (Crystal Rose Records). Coming from a broken home in C hicago’s M ason Court projects, D illard and his three siblings alw ays w ent w ithout som ething, but one thing they had w as their m other’s faith. She alw ays told them that they could take the family out o f the ghetto, m oving them into a racially diverse, m iddle-class neighborhood by their teen years. D illard has kept that can-do, lim itless dream spirit ever since and his new C D (his first in four years) is entitled “N o Lim it” because he w ants his G ram m y-nom inated, Stellar-aw ard w inning choir to act on to sam e principles that m oved his fam ily out o f the projects and on the better things. H e’s been rew arded already. The CD debut at #17 on Billboard m agazine’s gospel charts two w eeks ago and then, last w eek m oved into the #11 position on the chart. A big C hicago concert celebrating the new C D and the C h o ir’s tenth anniversary w as standing room only at the 2,000 seat Sweet Holy Spirit church a couple o f w eeks ago as well. D illard’s last three CD 's all hit the Top 10 o f B illboard’s gospel charts. His choir had a huge role in Steve Martin ’ s hit film “Leap ofF aith” and for the last . th r e e y e a r s th e y h a v e to u r e d e x te n siv e ly th ro u g h o u t E u ro p e M oreover, D illard’s ensem ble has perform ed three years in a row at the prestigious A spen Jazz festival. T h is y ear th e y o p en e d for p op superstar Bonnie Raitt. “No Limit” is m ore thanjust a title. I f s a revelation o f the sin g e r-c o n d u cto r him self. “There is no lim it to the pow er o f C hurch-based Fam ily Shelter Program Plans M ajor G arage Sale T he 26 churches o f M etro East Portland Interfaith Hospitality N etw ork (M EP1HN) are hosting a H uge M ulti-Church G arage Sale, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8& 9 ,9 am - 5PM at Tim othy Lutheran Church, located 14500 SE Powell in Portland. A ll m em bers o f the participating churches have been invited to clean out their basem ent and attics to help provide item s for sale. M etro East Portland Interfaith H ospitality N etw ork is a growing volunteer coalition o f 26 congregations from various spiritual traditions, with support from several com m unity service organizations. O ur program began in O ctober o f 1999 to provide temporary shelter, food, transportation and professional counseling support to hom eless families as they look for housing and em ploym ent. W e host as m any as fourteen children and parents around the clock in o u r various facilities seven days a week, and can provide several significant success stories Earth-Service Lawns - $25 Extra with tall grass Weeds - $7 Depends on bed size Bush - $7 And up Hedge - $4 And up Trim - $ 11 And up Edging - $9 And up G o d ,” D illard says in a h u sh ed baritone. “W hen I look back over the years and think o f the trials and trying tim es this choir had been through, I have to recognize G o d ’s favor to us. W e’ve been through hell, but we w ere not burned. W e’re still here and G od show ed us that w hen w e w ere ready to give, there is no limit to w hat w e can do as a group. W hen we thought w e co uldn’t take it, G od said w e could.” D illard has been involved in m usic ever since his childhood. O ver the years, he w orked w ith a num ber o f local groups and even had b rief stints as a disco vocalist (he c o lla b o r a te d w ith D J F ra n k ie K nuckles) and radio announcer. He founded the N ew G eneration Chorale in 1998. They have released a h alf d o ze n h it alb u m s an d rec eiv ed Grammy nomination and won GMWA Excellence and Stellar awards. Dillard was also a consultant on W hoopie G oldberg’s “Sister A ct IF’m ovie and has shared TV stages w ith Patti La belle and C hicago gospel queen A lbertina W alker. W ith the highly anticipated release o f ‘N o Limit,” it’s probably safe to say that there is “No Lim it” on the future success o f Ricky Dillard& the New Generation Chorale. Hauling, Tough Task, and Odd Jobs Open 7am-7pm Phone 504-7292 fridav s plus: ginny owens, _ miguel angel guerra oodnevrs saturda chapma: 1 ** flagrir* W» * y I plus: skillet, relient k, aurora and a special fireworks display J io n e l children's area Proud of Bt iiifi Lx’<dh O in u d f5? churches helping our world" bring non-perishable foods to help those in need presented by wb32 petting zoo, clowns, balloon creations, face painting, inflatable bouncers, a special kids stage, and > nu nation •skateboard demonstration sponsored by ¿ O k TV & APPLIANCE produced in cooperation with: 2000 1 SM O w w w .p f2 0 0 0 .o rg •Enjoy the city's best food at the Thriftway Food Court or 5 0 3 .6 1 4 .1 5 0 0