Comm itted to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
(Eltr ^ o rtla n h (©bseruer
We give them life skills and spiritual weapons.
- Victory Outreach Church Pastor RoMn MayflsM
Women’s History
Celebrated
The PortlandchapteroftheO lder |
W om en’s League will hosta free,
open m eeting and discussion
o p p o rtu n ity
to
c e le b ra te
W om en’s History Month on Sat
urday, March 8 from 9:45 a.m. to
noon at the Portland Impact Cen
ter, 4704 S.E. Hawthorne. Those
interested are invited to come for
[
March OS. 2003
SECTION
Civil Rights
Leader
Plans Visit
|
Distinguished
Congressman to speak
at peace conference
I
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coffee and refreshments to share i
stories or listen to women tell sto
ries about women who made a
difference in their lives. For more I
information, call 503-721 -0848.
Spirituality and Healing
Workshop
Join speaker and prayer-based
healerCindy Neely at Reflections,
446 N.E. Killingsworth, on Satur
day March 8 at 4 p.m. to explore
how to replace stress and depres-
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|
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sion with hope, peace and cer
tainty. Neely will also talk about I
how a spiritual perspective im
proves relationships, health, ca- [
reer and community. For more in
formation, call 503-288-6942.
Rep. John Lewis
Discover Jupiter and
Saturn
Civil rights leader and distinguished
Georgia Congressman John Lewis will be
the featured speaker during a peace con
ference in north Portland.
Lew is will present a talk entitled
“W alking with the Wind: the Civil Rights
M ovem ent - Then and N ow " during the
annual “ Peace-ing It T ogether" co n fer
ence on Saturday, M arch 15 at 10 a.m. at
Holy Redeem er C hurch, 25 N Portland
Blvd.
Lewis has dedicated his life to protect
ing human rights, securing personal dig
nity and building what he calls “The Be
loved Community.”
Bom the son o f sharecroppers in 1940
outside o f Troy, Alabama, Lewis grew up
I on his family’s farm and attended segre
gated public schools in Pike County, Ala.
He holds a Bachelor o f Arts degree in
religion and philosophy from Fisk Univer-
| sity and is a graduate o f the American
Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville
Tenn.
He has been awarded numerous honor
ary degrees from colleges and universities
throughout the United States, including
[ Clark Atlanta University, Duke Univer
sity, Howard University, Brandeis Univer
sity, Columbia University, Fisk U niver
sity, Morehouse College, Princeton Uni
versity and Williams College.
Lew is is the recipient o f num erous
aw ards, including the prestigious M ar
tin L uther King, Jr. N on-V iolent Peace
Prize and the N A A C P S pingam M edal.
He is also the recipient o f the John F.
K ennedy “ Profile in C ourage A w ard"
for lifetim e achievem ent and the N a
tional Education A ssociation M artin
Luther King, Jr. M em orial Award.
He continues to serve the greater At
lanta area, as its representative in the U.S.
House o f Representatives.
A book signing and reception will fol
low the conference.
Learn about the two largest plan-1
ets in the solar system at the Mt.
Hood Com munity College P la n -!
photos by D avid P lechl /T he P ortland O bserver
etanum Sky Theater on Saturday,
M onica S p isa l (top) a n d R o b ert R o ss (bottom ) are m o v e d b y th e pow er o f th e S u n d a y m orning se rv ic e a t Victory O utreach
March 8 and Sunday, March 9 at
Church. 3 0 1 2 NE A lberta. B oth are turning their lives around through th e su p p o rt o f th is tight-knit Christian com m unity.
2 p.m .‘Giants in the Sky ’ will show
visitors how to find and observe
Jupiter and Saturn. Planetarium
D irector Doug McCarty will also
{joint out prominent constella
tions, star clusters and galaxies
using the star projector in a 45-
by D avid P lechl
“I wanted to get into a ministry that was
minute live presentation. Admis
helping people,” Mayfield said. “The spirit o f
sion is $ 1. For more information, | T he P ortland O bserver
Almost everyone at Victory Outreach
God led me to fellowship with them.”
call503-491-7297.
Church has a story to tell.
Victory Outreach goes into the streets,
SprlngGardenlng Lecture
Hispanic, black or white, no group holds
down Burnside and into penitentiaries and
Barbara Blossom Ashmun, mas-1 a majority at this Northeast Alberta Street
jails to reach the drug addicted, alcoholic and
ter gardener and author o f five
congregation. Color is not the common de-
homeless, those most in need o f a helping
books, will present ideas and tips
nom inatorof the church faithful, survival is.
hand and a guiding light.
on how to design spring gardens
Sanford Washington found this lively
“We feel ifa guy comes out ofjail he needs
on Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. in
chapel just five years ago when he was
a clean and safe environment to live in,”
addicted to drugs and living on the streets.
the Beaverton City Library Audi
Mayfield said.
He knew he had to turn his live around so
torium, 12375S.W.5thSt.Formore |
A 12-month in-house program is designed
information, call 503-644-2197.
he tried turning it over to God.
to get parishioners back on their feet. The
Washington said the light from the Lord
recovery home is in Battleground, Wash, and
Wellness Check-up
has positively affected him and he shares the
can house up to 50 men and women. It’s
Stop by the Community Learning I experience each Sunday with others at Vic
almost always full.
Center, 4212 N.E. Prescott, on
tory Outreach.
“We give them life skills and spiritual
Sunday, March 9 from 1 p.m. to
“You don ’ t ha ve to rely on the idea o f God
weapons so that they can fight this battle out
3:30 p.m. for free diabetes, blood
around you. God is inside you,” W ashing
there,” Mayfield said.
pressure and vision screening. A
ton said. “ It means turning your wheel into
Classes and 12-step programs deal with
disaster preparedness presenta
his. When God steps in your soul, the wheel
forgiveness and anger management. Bible
tion by the American Red Cross
is strong and you can't help do what he asks
studies twice a day and church every day,
will be held at 3 p.m. and refresh
o f you.”
keep the faithful focused on the task at hand.
ments w illbeservedaflerthe pre- I
Washington ’s words are not taken lightly.
The church is part o f a growing network o f
paredness meeting. For more in- [
Nor are they intended to be - much o f the
Victory Outreach. What started as a street
formation, call 503-281 -8596.
congregation share similar stories o f recov
church for drug addicts in the 60s has blos
ery. This is a church dedicated to turning
somed to more than 500 churches worldwide.
Cover the Uninsured Week lives around.
Pastor Max G arza started the A lberta
M onday, M arch 10 through F r i - 1
Pastor Robin Mayfield has been with the
day, M arch 14 a series o f events
continued
on page B2
church for three years.
w ill take place around Portland
to raise aw areness and spark a
p u b lic d isc u ssio n ab o u t the
m illions o f A m ericans w ithout
health insurance. A Tow n Hall
M eeting w ill be held on M on
day from 10 a.m. to noon at the
Billed as a story about love and relation
C en ter for S e lf Enhancem ent,
ships, the script actually works to dissect
3920 N. K irby Ave. Tuesday
each union in order to question the faith o f its
from noon to 1 p.m. an C am pus
characters and to test their feelings on homo
Forum w ill be held at OHSLI in
sexuality and AIDS.
the O ld Library A uditorium. On
“It questions how deeply ingrained our
W ednesday a health fair will
BY W v NDED y ER
prejudices are," said director William Earl
take place in Pioneer Courthouse
T he P ortland O bserver
Ray. “They are so deeply rooted in our per
Square from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. On
The curtain rises on PassinArt’s upcom sonal beliefs, but when the tables are turned
T hursday there will be an inter
ing production o f “Deceptive Love’ with a how do we deal?”
faith breakfast from 7:30 a m. to
proposal
o f marriage But the real question
“Deceptive Love’ is the story o f Deon
9 a m. at the H oliday Inn P ort
the play proposes is one for the audience - Smith, a young African American with a play
land C onference C enter, and on
how closely married to your prejudices are boy past. He moves away from his hometown
Friday from noon to 1 p.m. small
you?
to find love and religion. Six months later
and large business leaders will
Written by an African American play Deon takes his new fiancé, Marie, on a trip
discuss the issue at the Port
wright, directed by a black director and per back home to break the good news. But bad
land C ity C lub Forum at the
formed by a cast o f minority artists, ‘ Decep news from his past promiscuity is following S io u xsie Suarez, who plays Marie in D ecep tive L o v e ,' laughs a s Brian S a n c e .
M ultnom ah A thletic Club. For
m ore inform ation on any o f I tive Love’ is a play that hopes to challenge close behind.
who plays her lover's brother Mark , a s k s if s h e h a s any s is te r s for him . The play
the way audiences think about a long list o f
these events, call 503-225-7207
o p e n s a t th e In tersta te Firehouse Cultural C enter on Friday a n d c o n tin u e s all
continued y ^ on page BS
pertinent issues.
m o n th a n d into April.
photos by W vde D yer / T he P ortland O bserver
Turning Lives Around
Church reaches
out to those most
in need
Theatre Company Tackles Tough Issues
‘Deceptive Love’ is
play by African
American group