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September 19, 2007
Page B5
R eligion _________
Congratulations
Metro Assembly Celebrates Diversity
Louise
&
Darrell Cox
Has long history
serving many
cultures
Y ou’ve heard the old saying
about Sunday m ornings being the
most segregated tim eo f the week in
A m erica. There may be more truth
to that than many people w ould like
to adm it.
But in the heart o f Portland,
th ere's a church that has attracted
mem bers o f many backgrounds and
colors and has been em bracing its
diversity for years.
"I g u e s s w e ta k e th a t fo r
granted," said John M arvin, pastor
o f Portland M etro Assembly o f God,
which meets at 5(X)4 N.E. Sixth Ave.
"W e d o n 't tend to see the color.
W e tend to see people. It is not that
we are colorblind but we celebrate
diversity in our congregation."
M arvin said the mix o f people
from such heritages as Jam aican,
A frican, C aucasian and A frican
A m erican "just adds richness ... a
certain flavor you do n ’t usually
find in many churches. I think di-
M arried
A ugust 5, 2007
NORTHWEST VOICE OF CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
“The Voice Speaks”
Rev. ILL. Hodge, Ph.I). Pastor/Tieacher
Rev. Jo h n a n d S a ra h M arvin o f th e P ortland M etro A s s e m b ly o f G od church.
versity helps you to learn more
about the K i ngdom o f G od since all
cultures are needed to reflect the
im age o f God."
The church blends music of many
styles to reflect the tastes and back­
grounds o f the congregation. C on­
tem porary m usic, G ospel songs
and m ore are part o f Sunday m orn­
ing w orship services.
In Loving Memory
N elso n Z a p a ta
N elso n E d u ard o
Zapata, 60, died Sept.
13,2007, in San Anto­
nio, Texas, after a brief
illness.
He was preceded
in death by his father,
Eli Z apata Inostroza.
Survivors include his
wife, Lisa Elizabeth Z apata; children,
D ebbie Eurich, David, Danny and Derek
Z ap ata; six g ra n d c h ild re n ; m other.
G uillerm ina Q uinones de Zapata; sisters
and brother, Elizabeth Roll. David Zapata
and Susan Zapata.
A service was held Saturday, Sept. 15
at Porter Loring M ortuary North Chapel
in San Antonio. Interm ent follow ed in
Hill Country M emorial G ardens, New
Braunfels, Texas. M emorial contribu­
tions may be made in N elson’s nam e to
Parkhi 1 Is Baptist Church, 17747 San Pedro
Ave., San A ntonio, Texas.
A new door has been opened. Northwest V oice For Christ
Com m unity Church is now w orshipping in the N ew Jerusalem
building at a new time.
"W e are racially d iv e rse , but I w here we are more com fortable.
think w e are cu ltu rally to g eth er," O nce we get to know one another
said M arvin. "W e 're fam ily; we then the w alls o f division tend to
are b ro th ers and sisters. T h ere is com e dow n."
a cu ltu re that tran sc en d s all c u l­
For inform ation about Portland
tu res, the cu ltu re o f the K ing­ M etro A ssem bly o f G od, visit the
dom .”
w eb at portlandm etrochurch.org or
He attributes the dividedness at e-m a il P asto r Jo h n M arv in at
many churches on people fearing pastor@ portlandm etrochurch.org.
"things we d o n ’t know, and we go orcall him at 503-287-4825.
"T he Faithful C hurch" (Revelations 3:7-13)
"K eeping It Real Jesus' W ay’
Join us each Sunday!
Time: 9 A.M.
1637 N E K illin g s w o r th St.. Portland. Oregon
You are welcom e to join us in w orship and praise; we are the
obedient, faithful church speaking the W ORD- G o d 's way!
Nebraska Senator Sues God
(AP) — T he defendant in a N e­
o f m illions upon m illions o f the
braska state senator's lawsuit is ac­
Earth's inhabitants."
cused o f causing untold death and
T he O m aha senator, who
hoiTorand threatening tocause more
skips m orning prayers during
still. He can be sued, the legislator
the legislative session and of­
claim s, because He's everyw here.
ten criticizes C hristians, also
State Sen. Ernie Cham bers, an­
says G od has caused "fearsome
gered by another lawsuit he consid­
flo o d s... horrendous hurricanes,
ers frivolous, says he’s trying to
terrifying tornadoes."
m ake the point that anybody can fde
He's seeking a perm anent in­
a lawsuit against anybody.
junction against the Almighty.
C ham bers says in his lawsuit that
Chambers said the lawsuit was
G od has m ade terroristic threats
triggered by a federal suit filed
against the senator and his con- _ .
against a judge who recently
, ,
,
. Ernie C h a m b e rs
stituents, inspired tear and caused
barred words such as "rape" and
"w idespread death, destruction and terrorization
"victim' from a sexual assault trial.
T erry
5 0 3 -2 ^ - m s
PMHHMMMNN
Law Enforcement Sunday
A local chapter o f the N ational O rganization o f
Black Law Enforcem ent Executives invites the
com m unity to join them with law enforcem ent,
crim inal justice and elected officials for a special
T erry
service on Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. at M aranatha Church,
4222 N.E. 12th Ave. Law enforcement and criminal
ju stice officials are asked to w ear their uniform s or
court attire with their badges. For inform ation, call
Vera Pool o f the M ultnom ah C ounty Sheriff’s
Office at 503-988-3442.
2337 N. W illiam s Ave.
Portland. O R 97227
Available 24 hours a day
Families Make Lents Home
continued
f r(tm Metro
barbeque a couple days before.
Jeffery Wood was one o f the
residents solidifying his own
ideas about the nature of low-
income housing at the event,
as he rem inisced on the nega­
tive impression he had previ­
ously had.
The area had been nicknamed
“Felony Flats," but, as they ate
grilled food in their new court­
yard, they challenged anyone in
the city to see a real felony in the
shortage of responsibly man­
aged, low-income apartments.
“The neighborhood barbeque
is really going to encourage
people from the neighborhood
to come in and see that these
are who their neighbors are, not
an idea that they have in their
head of who they think that they
are going to b e ,” says
M ackendree T hom pson, a
ROSE coordinator. “ In an orga­
nization such as this that does so
much work with low-income
people in a community where
people tend to have a negative
impression of who that commu­
nity is, it is important toencour-
photoby
R aymond R endleman ZT he P ortland O bserver
Their p a r e n ts h a v e n 't y e t m e t, b u t F a tu m a Kabiri a n d E liza b eth
W ood q u ickly b e c o m e frien d s on th e n e w L e a n d e r C ourt p la y­
g ro u n d in L en ts.
age everyone on both sides to
meet each other and to under­
stand that really what we’re
talking about arc people, some
of them single mothers, and all
of them, especially in this com­
plex, are families who need a
place to live."
Designed expressly for the
5 0 3 -2 4 9 -1 7 8 8
needs of working families with
children, the complex consisting
primarily of three- and four- r 1
bedroom apartments at 4620 SE I
122nd includes two daycare fa­ I
cilities and a large outdoor play I
I
area.
Standing for Revitalize Outer I
South East, the 15-year-old or­ I
ganization strives to build and I
I
acquire affordable homes and
I
rental units for those who would
I
otherwise not be able to afford
I
their own home.
I
“W e’re making the entire
I
neighborhood better by provid­
I
ing them a home that’s safe and
I
secure,” Thomson says. “Pro­ k.
viding a home for somebody is a
first step towards helping them
become a more constructive
member of society."
Phone
(5 0 3 ) 2 8 6 -1 3 3 9
503.286.1339
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