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 I 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- I | I [ 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