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A p ril 25. 2007
Church Help Comes in All Ways
Morning Star
still in need
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bslrv er
When tragedy befalls a commu­
nity, ordinary items can suddenly
be put to extraordinary use.
Take, forexample, the role of an
ordinary barbecue sandwich in the
devastating fire at Morning Star
Missionary Baptist Church last
February. When local grocery chain
New Seasons Market set out to
raise money for the church by sell­
ing barbecue meals, they turned
out $1O,IXX) in a single day.
A special ceremony to present
the money to the church took place
April 20, with members of the Albina
Ministerial Alliance and MayorTom
Potter gathered at the New Sea­
sons Concordia site in northeast
Portland. $7,5(X)wasgiven to Morn­
ing Star, with the remaining $2,5(X)
going to New Generation Revival
Church, which operated out of the
church. Locally owned Hometow n
Buffet also presented a $500 check
to Morning Star.
The ministers spoke about the
privilege of watching the commu­
nity rally around the church.
“Since this happened, all w e’ve
seen is the best of PortlJId,” said
P a sto r M att H en n essy o f
V a n c o u v e r A venue B aptist
Church.
Barbecue benefits are standard
Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church pastor Albert Wayne Johnson stands outside o f New Seasons Market in northeast Portland.
The local grocer held a benefit for the church, raising $10,000 in a single day.
for New Seasons, who hosts them
10 times a year, but what made this
particular event special was the
speed at which $6 dinners turned
into ten grand. New Seasons chief
executive officer Brian Rohtersaid
that previously, the most they'd
raised for an organization was
$ 10,000 over an entire weekend.
“There is something about this
that really resonated in the commu­
nity,” he said.
Morning Star is more than a Sun­
day meeting place, the congrega­
tion hosts men’s and women’s min­ Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
P astor Rev. A lbert W ayne
istries, Sunday school and outreach
services. Right now members meet Johnson said he continues to be
for church services each Sunday at overwhelmed by the outpouring of
Rose City Chapel at 5623 N.E. Fre­ support, but one of the first mo­
mont, while their administration ments of relief came w hen fire in­
office and ministries are located at vestigators concluded foul play
was not the cause of the fire.
"The mere fact that it was not
determ ined arson tells me there is
love in the com m unity,” he said.
A fter the investigation, crews
com pleted the site’s dem olition,
which was an expensive excava­
tion that Johnson said took most
o f the co m m u n ity d o n a tio n s
th e y ’ve received so far. The
church hoped to salvage what
was left of the historic bricks, but
Johnson said theft has been a
problem, and many of the bricks
disappeared overnight by the
wheelbarrow load.
But the com er o f N.E. Rodney
and Ivy is now em pty, appearing
as a blank canvas. Johnson says
the next step is to plan a new
building, adding that while they
d o n ’t yet have concrete ideas,
the goal is to have a new building
within a year.
Two local unions are stepping in
to help with that phase of the re­
building process - International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
L ocal 49 and P lum bers and
Steamfitters Local 290 said they will
offer apprenticeships for young
individuals interested in learning a
trade while working on future
church construction.
For more information about the
apprenticeship or for other ways to
help Morning Star, contact the
church at 503-284-0200. Donations
can also be made to the Morning
Star Catastrophe Relief fund at any
branch of Wells Fargo Bank.
Only African Americans Cited in Recent Curfew Sweep
When Portland police cracked
down on curfew violations over
spring break under a pilot project
aimed at making parents account­
able, all seven citations issued went
participate in a federally funded
to African American mothers.
Cited parents must appear be­ anti-gang program.
Deputy District Attorney James
fore a juvenile court judge, who
may suspend a sentence for first Hayden said the intent was to cite
offenders but order the families to parents whose children 14 and
younger were out after the curfew
as part of a program to educate
parents and protect young people.
Police say they targeted north­
east and downtown neighborhoods
If parents are cited a second time,
because that’s where crowds of
young teenagers have congregated a Multnomah County Circuit Court
in the past. But they said they ex­ judge could sentence them to com­
pect to expand the curfew enforce­ munity service or a fine of up to
$720.
ment citywide over time.
Obama Offers World View
opinion.
"America cannot meet the
threats of this century alone,
but the world cannot meet
them without America. We
(AP) — Democratic presidential candidate
must neither retreat from the
Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that Presi­
world
nor try to bully it into
dent Bush has fallen short in his role as leader
submission
— we must lead
of the free world, and the 2(X)8 election is a
the
world
by
deed and by
chance to change that.
example,"
he
said.
This president may occupy the White
The theme is a popular
House, but for the last six years the position
one
in the D e m o c ra tic
of leader of the free world has remained open.
p
re
s
id
e n tia l c a m p a ig n .
And it is time to fill that role once more,"
Obama
rival John Edwards
Obama said in a speech to the Chicago Coun­
re
p
e
a
te
d the se n tim e n t
cil on Global Affairs.
Monday
evening, saying,
The Illinois senator was in his hometown
"The
world
prim arily sees
to deliver a foreign policy address that was
Sen. Barack Obama
A
m
erica
as
a
bully.”
rescheduled last week after the shootings at
In
an
address
to
the
National
Jew
ish D em o­
VirginiaTech.
Obama said the world is disappointed in the United cratic Council in W ashington, Edwards said, "We
States, but it would be a mistake to "cede our claim of should be leading in a way that dem onstrates our
moral authority so that the rest o f the world wants
leadership in world affairs" because Americans might
to be like America."
be tempted to turn inward in the face of negative world
Says Bush has fallen
short as leader
State Equality Bills Advance
The commitments we make are commitments we intend to
State Legislatures in Oregon and accommodations won final approval
Washington have moved forward Thursday and now goes to Gov. Ted
on laws protecting gays and lesbi­ Kulongoski, who plans to sign it.
ans from discrimination and giving
In W ashington, Gov. Chris
them some of the state-level rights G regoire signed into law a do­
and responsibilities of marriage.
mestic partnership bill on April
In Oregon a law to protect gays, 21. W hen the law takes effect
lesbians,
b isexuals
and July 21, W ashington will join
transgendered people in employ­ California. C onnecticut, Hawaii,
ment, housing and access to public Maine, New Jersey, Vermont and
the District of Columbia in grant­
ing same-sex couples some of
the state-level rights and re ­
sponsibilities of marriage.
Still aw aiting an Oregon Sen­
ate vote is a House-passed "do­
mestic partnership" bill. That
measure also is also expected to
win Senate approval and the
governor’s signature.
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Classroom Dedicated to Reservist
A passion for providing knowl­
edge and tools for tomorrow's Air­
men has led one of the top enlisted
men in the Air Force Reserve and a
former Portland resident to be rec­
ognized in a way that has been
done for few before.
C h ie f M aster Sgt. R euben
Evans, a form er939th Air Refuel­
ing W ing Reservist at the Port­
land Air Base, will have a class­
room named after him at the facil­
ity where all air force m echanics
are trained.
O fficials from Sheppard Air
Force Base in Texas said one of
their classrooms will be dedicated
to C hief Evans for his selfless
efforts and d edication to the
Reuben Evans
A erospace G round Equipm ent
career field.
“This was the right thing to do
for someone like C hief Evans
whose impact truly has been felt
Air Force w ide," said Howard
M cKellip, 361st Training Flight
chief a, Sheppard.
The 2005 Base Realignment
and Closure decision to downsize
the Air Force Reserve mission in
Oregon required C hief Evans and
other 939th members to find em ­
ployment elsew here in order to
continue their military careers.
The chief is now settling into
his new job as an aircraft m ainte­
nance supervisor for the Reserve
wing in M inneapolis.