The Faith Connection

 

From Real to (movie) Reel in Raleigh

 

Can a movie turn a troubled neighborhood around?  Raleigh police officer Robert Wagner thinks it can – and he’s putting his heart, time, and talent into the project. 

“Basically, I want to call all the churches together and say, let’s stand up together and do this,” he told me, “and let’s show the power of God together.”

In my blog last week I told you about Bragg N East, the faith-based motion picture Wagner has in development, set in Raleigh’s South Park community.  Now, some more details about it.

The movie tells the story of Dae’Quan, a young boy growing up on the rough streets of the inner city.  His life is impacted by drugs, gangs, and violence – until he reaches a crisis point as a young man that compels him to turn his life around. 

Officer Wagner, who now serves on the Raleigh PD’s Community Policing Squad, believes Dae’Quan’s fictional story can be an inspiration for those whose similar stories are all too real. 

“If it’s a person that’s contemplating going that route in life, I hope it's motivation not to.  For a gang member or someone already in that lifestyle, just giving them hope and motivation to say there’s an opportunity for me to change and there’s a way out.”

Wagner emphasizes the movie is an independent production with no connection to the police department.  To that end, he hopes to raise $750,000 and use mainly volunteer labor, with plans to begin filming in August.    

“When we’re down there,” he says, “we’ll put up roadblocks and bring all the churches and community resources out there into the street.  Flood it full of positive pressure, pushing that negative pressure out, ministering to people.  And we won’t be there for one or two days.  It’ll take six to eight weeks of filming.  We’ll feed the homeless while we feed everyone else.”

And there’s more:  “Some of the people in the neighborhood who don’t have jobs will come and work on the movie set.  But in order to work on the movie set we’re going to make sure they go through the proper training so that when they’re done with this movie set they’ll have the opportunity to go out and get another job.”

Earlier this month, an informational meeting about Bragg N East was held at First Baptist Church of Garner and brought out nearly a hundred people eager to hear about the project and to volunteer.  Wagner hopes to get other churches and individuals involved – and to pour the movie’s proceeds right back into the neighborhood.

“We’ll have the potential to reinvest in that community 3 to $15 million dollars, which can go in there and buy some of these boarded-up crack homes and build new homes for people, possibly owner-finance for them.  We’ll be able to just change the face of that community.”

Wagner hopes to have Bragg N East ready for release by fall of next year.  Check back here for updates. 

A Policeman's Dream; a Neighborhood's Hope

 

Raleigh police officer Robert Wagner has high hopes for an area of town where hope can be in short supply.  Hope in the form of a movie.

“The community is excited about it," he told me.  "I don’t want to just film a movie, but I want to make it a ministry."

RPD Officer Robert Wagner

What Officer Wagner has in mind is making a movie in and about one of Raleigh's toughest neighborhoods.  He calls the film Bragg N East, named for the intersection of Bragg and S. East Street in South Raleigh, an area he knows well from his days "on the beat" there.

"I’ve seen a lot, I’ve experienced a lot," he says.  "A lot of hurt and pain.  I’ve taken all these stories and I thought someone needs to see these stories so they can motivate people to change, and want to change.  And motivate people who don’t know about these areas in their own city to go out and help.”

So, he wrote a faith-based movie about it, a fiction film inspired by real-life events.  (Here’s a promotional teaser for the film at this link)

But first, here’s a little about Wagner himself.  The 28-year-old grew up in New Bern and got caught up in the film and TV industry after high school.  He worked as an actor and crew member on a number of productions -- History Channel re-enactments, small-budget movies and the like – before coming to Raleigh and joining the police department in 2007.

“I’m a man of strong faith," he told me.  "I think God has a reason for everything.  I think for some reason God led me to join the police department.  I don’t really call them valleys in life, I call them training grounds.”

When he graduated from the police academy, Wagner asked to be assigned to a "challenging" part of town.  That turned out to be the South Park community, where the Bragg/East intersection is located.  And a challenge it was.  He says he found the residents to be deeply suspicious and openly hostile to him – until he changed his attitude towards them.

“And from that day on I would drive down Bragg Street -- a place that people would stick their middle fingers up at you and cuss at you and spit at your car -- I would just start driving through there, smiling, waving, and saying hello, how you doin,’ are you doing alright?  And I would do it every day.  It slowly broke down those walls of mistrust.  Gang members, drug dealers, prostitutes.  I’ve been able to create a connection with a lot of them to the point that, today, I have prostitutes flag me down and say, officer, thank you for your prayers.  At times I’ve even had gang members give me a hug. That’s a huge breakthrough.”

And he says those times he’s had to send folks to jail they often seemed more concerned about what he thinks of them than the charges they face.

So now, Officer Wagner is creating a movie on his own time and independent of the police department with the goal of bringing hope -- and funds -- to a neighborhood that could desperately use both.  And he’s gathering an army of church groups and volunteers to help with the project.  More about the movie, and the volunteers behind it, in my blog next week.

***

Speaking of church volunteers, there will be thousands of them doing hundreds of good deeds on Saturday from Raleigh-based Hope Community Church.  Hope is having its church-wide Day of Service on May 19^th.  Its members will be doing everything from yard work to serving meals to sorting through donations for the poor.  The service opportunities will be spread throughout the Triangle.

***

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL…another church’s members?  A new collaborative ministry outreach in the Queen city (Charlotte ONE) has the goal of attracting hard to reach 20 & 30-somethings across denominational lines without “sheep-stealing.”  Read about it here.

Oldies but Goodies at Local Church

 

One of the area’s most colorful and entertaining church outreaches to the community is coming up again this Friday. The youth and adults of White Plains United Methodist Church in Cary will turn back the hands of time for their annual Oldies Drive-in. They’ll transform the church parking lot into a 1950s style drive-in restaurant -- something they've been doing for 17 years now.

"It's basically the American Grafitti or Happy Days-type of culture and music they they're trying to recreate," says Rob Phillips, the Director of Youth Ministries.

They’ll serve classic “diner” food (with curbside service at your car), and have live music from the 50s and 60s. You’ll also see vintage cars and plenty of poodle skirts and biker jackets. 

"People can actually eat at their car like a classic drive-in," Phllips says, "and then they can get out and walk around to see the entertainment and classic cars."

Even "Elvis" (impersonator Wayne Tindle) will make an appearance.

   Elvis impersonator Wayne Tindle entertains at the Oldies Drive-in     photos courtesy White Plains UMC
 

The event is from 5 to 9 p.m., at a cost of 3 bucks a carload. Pre-1970 vehicles will be allowed in for free! Proceeds will benefit the church's various ministries -- but the emphasis is on fun.

"We call it an outreach event, because we don't really make a lot of money on it," Phillips told me. "It takes easily a hundred volunteers to pull this off. It's an outreach because it brings in a lot of people from the community and it shows the church can be a fun place and a fellowship place."

***

It’s been quite a week for Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Raleigh Catholic Diocese. The Bishop and other Catholic leaders from the region have been at the Vatican for what’s called an ad limina visit. The trip is required at regular intervals for every diocese in the world, so that a status report can be presented to the Pope. You can read more about Bishop Burbidge’s visit with Pope Benedict XVI – and see photos – at this link.

***

Durham’s Sanctuary United Methodist Church is planning something extra special this Memorial Day. The church will present a long overdue honor to a World War II hero. PFC Joe “Reece” Lyndon Jr. landed at Omaha Beach in the D-Day invasion, fought across France, and ended up a wounded prisoner of war. Although he earned a number of awards for his service and valor, PFC Lyndon never received the Bronze Star that was awarded retroactively to all the recipients of the Combat Infantry Badge.

 

That will all change on May 28^th. Sanctuary UMC and the Combat Infantrymen’s Association will award the Bronze Star to Lyndon’s son, Joe Lyndon III of Durham. It will be part of a service to honor all those who’ve paid the ultimate price in service to their country. The program will run from 1 to 2 p.m.

 

***

What matters to former UNC stand-out and future NBA’er Tyler Zeller more than basketball? His faith. Zeller gave an interview recently with his pastor, J.D. Greear of Durham’s Summit Church, before the congregation. Here's the link to the video clip.

 

Day of Prayer, Day of Barbecue, and More

 

Hundreds are expected this Thursday at noon at Halifax Mall, north of the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh, for the National Day of Prayer.  It will be the 61^st observance of the Day, with the Governor’s proclamation read and area pastors and community leaders leading the prayers.  The rain location is Edenton Street United Methodist Church.  If you won’t be near downtown Raleigh that day, you can go to this link to find an event near you.

 

***

 

Previous Bar-B-Q event at Apex UMC        (photo courtesy Apex United Methodist Church)

The men at Apex United Methodist Church are at it again:  they’ll be cooking up more than 1,000 pounds of pork and 700 chicken halves – plus 1,500 desserts.  The church’s 20^th annual barbecue event will take place this Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with proceeds going to various missions projects.  Eat in or take out.  Call the church office at (919) 362-7807 for more info.

                                             ***

The Duke community will say goodbye to a beloved couple this coming Sunday at noon.  The Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel, and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Jo Bailey Wells, are returning to England.  Sam Wells will become the vicar of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London.   Mrs. Wells will continue in priestly ministry in a still-to-be determined post in London.  The couple both teach at Duke Divinity School, and have been there since 2005.  A public send-off for the family will take place Sunday from noon to 2:00 pm at Duke Chapel.

                                               ***

Don’t be alarmed if you see Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht with a pistol in his hand at Bond Park this Saturday morning.  Mayor Weinbrecht will be the honorary starter for the first annual Purple Cloth 5K and 100-yard Kids Dash, sponsored by Genesis United Methodist Church.

"This is a family-oriented event," says Mo Percy, race coordinator. "We have a 5K race in a pleasant environment, a kid's 100-yard dash, food, music and even a bounce house for the kids!  We hope many people from the community join us.  Participants can walk, run, or stroll."  Proceeds will benefit Dorcas Ministries. 

                                             ***

After 22 years of military service – including a harrowing “Black Hawk Down” mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993, Jeff Struecker says one of his most unnerving experiences wasn’t on the battlefield at all.  He says it was in seminary.  Strucker talked about his experiences earlier this month at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he’s now pursuing his doctorate.  You can find the story here.

                                            ***

A Charlotte-area church made hundreds of friends earlier this month when they gave away thousands of gallons worth of gasoline to drivers.  There were plenty of “smiles per gallon” as a result.  You can see how WSOC-TV covered the story here.

 

 

Church Service Features Music of U2

 

 

Rock music will meet the Rock of Ages next Sunday evening at First Reformed Church of Cary. The church will host a “U2charist,” a traditional Communion service with a non-traditional accompaniment: the music of U2.

 “It is not a concert or U2 appreciation night,” says Nola Boezeman, First Reformed’s Intern Pastor. “The central focus of the worship service is the Eucharist. The Communion table will be at the front and center of the sanctuary the entire evening and formal Communion liturgy will be used. Just as with our traditional worship services on Sunday mornings, our chief end for the U2charist is to glorify God.”

 The music will be performed live by U2FX, a local band which has played at a number of similar services in recent years. Songs will include Beautiful Day, Where the Streets Have No Name, and Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

 Says Boezeman, “The songs of the evening center on these themes: desire for God, God’s love for the poor, and God’s call for justice for the exploited and oppressed.  A love offering will be collected and given, in its entirety, to Dorcas Ministries of Cary.”

Dorcas Ministries provides emergency assistance to people in desperate need in the Cary, Morrisville, and New Hill areas. The U2charist is open to the public and will take place April 29^th at 6:30 p.m.

***

Speaking of helping folks in need, few organizations do it better in eastern North Carolina than Catholic Charities, and they’ll be celebrating that fact next Saturday night (April 28^th). The Second Annual Celebrate God's Gifts Gala, hosted by Raleigh Diocese Bishop Michael Burbidge, will take place at the Hilton North Raleigh.  Last year, the seven regional offices of Catholic Charities served 16,000 families, providing them with everything from emergency assistance to long-term counseling and support. 

ABC11’s Tisha Powell will emcee the Gala, which will take place from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.  "I'm hoping to raise much needed funds for so many wonderful programs," Tisha told me.  "I'm sure it'll be a night of fun and fellowship and I'm honored the Diocese of Raleigh asked me to fill such an important role for the evening."

***

Raleigh’s Providence Baptist Church is throwing a little party for some friends -- 650 of them!  The church is hosting its semi-annual Joy Prom, a terrific event for the local special needs community.  Geared for those 16 and older with developmental and/or physical impairments, the prom will feature food and dancing, along with hair and make-up attendants -- and even paparazzi!  It'll take place this Friday night.  Registration for guests is already closed, but the church could still use some volunteers to help out.  More info about that here.

***

Holocaust survivor Jay Ipson will be the keynoter Sunday for the 30^th annual State of North Carolina Holocaust Observance, taking place at Raleigh’s Temple Beth Or.  Ipson is the founder and executive director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Ricmmond.  More details about the annual commemoration at this link.

***

They’ll be lacing up their racing (and walking) shoes Sunday afternoon at Edenton Street United Methodist Church. The church’s 2012 Race of Grace will raise much-needed funds for Urban Ministries of Wake County and the Women’s Center of Wake County.  Registered participants will do a 5K run/walk in downtown Raleigh.

***

And congratulations to First Baptist Church of Chapel Hill, which is celebrating its 147^th anniversary this week.  Events are scheduled April 25th through the 27th at 6:30 p.m., culminating with a special service Sunday morning at 11:00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local Pastor has "20/20 Vision"

 

What do you do when your congregation meets on seven campuses – and you want to bring them all together?  You rent out the Durham Performing Arts Center, of course.  

Looking ahead to the next 10 years:  Durham-based newhope church

That’s what they’re doing at newhope church this coming Sunday, as the church celebrates its tenth anniversary.  Says Pastor Benji Kelley:  “We were looking really hard for a place that could hold everybody since we really wanted to worship under the same roof at one time, and there aren't that many places in this area that can hold us anymore.  So, DPAC was just the perfect venue.”

They call it “Vision Day,” a time set aside to reflect on newhope’s past decade and to look ahead to the next.  Average Sunday attendance at the church’s campuses now tops more than 3,000 – quite an achievement for a church that’s barely been around ten years.  And Dr. Kelley has even bigger plans:

“Multi-site is definitely something that God has been blessing us with great favor these days,” he says, “so I will lay out a vision on January 22nd that by the year 2020 -- and I'm calling it a 20/20 vision -- we hope and pray we can be a church with 20 campuses, a church with 20 locations.”

Twenty campuses?  Perhaps not so unbelievable when you consider that newhope began its “multi-site” approach just two years ago -- and is now up to seven.  Last year alone the church added 335 members, including 213 baptisms.

newhope’s tagline is “Where reverence meets relevance,” reflecting the staff’s goal to teach biblical concepts in a contemporary light.  The church’s services – called “worship celebrations”  – feature casual dress and a band.   And Kelley’s preaching?  He tells me he likes to “keep it real.”

“I've often said I think it's the greatest sin in the world to take the most exciting news the world has ever known, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bore people to death with it.  So we work really hard to keep it relevant, where it connects with people, where it’s applicable to how they're living.  How to get through life, how to raise families.  We try to read the scripture through the lens of, how do we apply this today in the 21st century?”

newhope’s Vision Day begins at 9:30 this Sunday morning and is open to all.  They’ll also be collecting coats and cans that day for a charity drive. 

“We're just going to keep focusing on our vision, which is to reach people for Christ, teach the Bible and release fully devoted followers. You see (these words) on the front of our building:  Reach, Teach, and Release.  Try to give people new hope.”

***

The January 27^th Shabbat (Sabbath) service at Raleigh’s Temple Beth Or should be a memorable one, as two milestones are marked.  The Temple is celebrating its centennial year, and the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary is turning 25.  The Federation will use the occasion to honor Temple Beth Or, along with local leaders and volunteers who have helped strengthen Jewish identity in the community down through the years.  The service starts at 6:30pm.

***

The celebrated Women's Voices Chorus performs at not one, but two Triangle churches this weekend.  The group’s winter concert, entitled “America the Beautiful Mosaic,” will be performed at Durham’s First Presbyterian Church Saturday at 4pm, and University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, Sunday at 3pm.  The concert will feature a diverse collection of music styles, from jazz standards to Jewish-American and Native American traditions.   There is a fee for admission.

***

No more sectarian prayers at Forsyth County Commission meetings – and by implication, at county and municipal meetings across North Carolina.  The US Supreme Court this week refused to hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling on the issue.  As a result, the lower court’s ruling – that prayers to a specific deity could not take place at public meetings – will stand.  You can read more about the 5-year long battle over the prayer controversy at this link.

Big, and getting bigger

  

Big changes are coming to Durham’s World Overcomers Christian Church – again. The church, which began in 2003 with fewer than a dozen people, now has more than 7,000 and is bursting at the seams in its services.  So this coming Sunday will mark a major expansion.

 "It's really us going from approximately 50,000 square feet to over 100,000 square feet of space,” says World Overcomers Senior Pastor and founder, Andy Thompson.  “When we moved here (to our current location), we went from a sanctuary that sat about 400 to a sanctuary that seats about 1,400.  And we started with just two services.  But within a year, we were at three services again."

The church is currently worshiping in space it leases at a business park on S. Miami Boulevard.  “Pastor Andy,” as he’s known, told me the original plan to deal with the growth was a traditional one:  buy land and build a new sanctuary, or buy an existing large building and renovate it to accommodate the crowds.  But then the recession hit, money got tight, and a new idea emerged – why not just continue leasing, but in a much larger space?

Pastor Andy Thompson at the Y. E. Smith Elementary School library, which his church helped to renovate                      

 Photo courtesy World Overcomers Church

"It has caused me to re-evaluate my definition of what it means to be a church,” he says.  “Am I really called to be in the land real estate development business?  Is that what I'm supposed to be doing?  Is that the most effective use of the church's resources?  Do we really want to put all of our eggs in one basket -- multiplied millions of dollars in one building, or would it be smarter for us to lease the space?  Then we can put development dollars more into the community."

He told me one building they had their eyes on would’ve cost more than $20 million dollars to renovate and still may not have been large enough. But moving into contiguous space next door will cost only a fraction of that and will provide room to seat 3,000 people.  Additionally, World Overcomers will greatly expand its youth facilities, adding a full gymnasium and a rock climbing wall.

“My youth ministry has just exploded,” Thompson says.  “I've got a really dynamic youth pastor over here and I'm probably averaging 500 teenagers."

This coming Sunday’s services will be a “soft opening” for the new facilities, with an official dedication coming in February or March.  Pastor Andy credits God for his church’s rapid expansion – plus years of hard work and planning.

“I've been in the ministry since I was 15 years old.  I'm 43.  I've been preaching for 27 years.  I've spent 20 years helping other people in their ministries, so I'm not a novice.  When I came here (to Durham), I knew what I wanted to do.  I had a strong idea of what worked what didn't work."

***

Raleigh’s Edenton Street United Methodist Church has a huge project planned for this Saturday (December 17^th). They’re signing up volunteers to package 60,000 meals for hungry children through the locally-based charity Stop Hunger Now.  Interested?  More details here.

***

What would the Christmas season be without a drive-thru Nativity?  You can check out the one at Raleigh’s Longview Baptist Church December 16^th through 18^th, 7 to 9pm.

 

***

How are the changes to the Roman Catholic Missal going over?  The Washington Post interviewed parishioners after the first Sunday featuring the new translation (November 27^th), and found a relatively smooth transition.  Here's the video clip.

***

The folks with North Carolina Baptist Men knew their gigantic disaster relief unit Manna One was impressive.  But now they can call it a “Modern Marvel.”  The 40-foot long 18-wheeler can convert into a fully operational kitchen in just three hours.  It was recently featured in an episode of Modern Marvels on the History Channel.  You can read about that in this article.

***

Hanukkah begins December 20^th at sundown. And to get the faithful into the spirit, the Orthodox Jewish a capella group the Maccabeats has a new Hannukkah song/video out that tells the story of the ancient miracle in a new and catchy way.  Here's the link.

***

And speaking of music, a New Jersey church is soliciting submissions from around the globe so it can create a “virtual Christmas choir.”  They want folks to sing and record a version of “Silent Night” so they can assemble all the videos and make one massive internet choir.  Should be impressive if they can pull it off.  Here are the details.

 

A Prayer "Tiger by the Tail"

 

They were expecting perhaps a dozen people -- and five times as many showed up.  Don Rayno has seen prayer meetings before, but this one has him really excited.

"It was wonderful," he told me.  "Actually, we ran out of space.  We packed as many people as we could.  I've done this a long time, John, and it's been a while since I've been at a prayer gathering like that."

This particular prayer gathering took place last Monday (November 14th), not at a church, but in a conference room on the 16th floor of the CapTrust building in north Raleigh.  It was the first in what's scheduled to be a monthly gathering for people to pray for the Church, the city, and the nation.  The hour-long prayer services are being organized by Raleigh-Area Concerts of Prayer, a parachurch organization with the goal of giving spiritual support to local pastors, congregations, and ministries.

"We just prayed the whole time," says Rayno, the long-time director of the Concerts of Prayer.  "We were really praying prayers of repentance for the Church, which is not being what it ought to be right now.  That was really heavy on our hearts.  There’s obviously a lot going on in the marketplace that we want to pray for, too, and a lot of these people (who came) were from the marketplace.  It was just a wonderful spirit of unity among the group."

Plans call for the interdenominational prayer gatherings to take place each second Monday at noon.  The sessions are open to ministers and lay persons alike.  The next gathering will take place December 12th at a location yet to be determined.  If you'd like to get on the email list for the Concerts of Prayer, Don Rayno says you can email him at DRayno55@aol.com. 

"It was a very good start," he says.  "We just feel like we’ve got a tiger by the tail here.  All we did was say, 'Here’s where we’re gonna be, and here's when,' and the people came. "

***

I admit I don't get to Clinton very much. But when the call came in asking if I could make a special appearance there this month, I couldn't say no.  It's not often you get to honor a man celebrating his 54th year preaching in the same pulpit.

That man is the Rev. Dr. Herman Cogdell, who is 85 years old.  Pastor Cogdell, a Fayetteville native, came to Clinton's Lisbon Street Missionary Baptist Church on the second Sunday in November, 1957 -- and never left.  Just think about that for a moment.

Pastor H.R. Cogdell receiving his certificate     Photo courtesy La'Won D. Williams

"I didn't have any intention to go over there when I went, really," he once told me.  "I was satisfied with the churches where I was at the time.  I wound up there and I haven't been able to get away since!"

Well, now the time to get away has come.  Dr. Cogdell is retiring.  This November 27th will mark his final Sunday in the pulpit.  Back on November 13th, Lisbon Street held a special service to honor Dr. Cogdell's pastorate and years of ministry.  Hundreds came out, including many pastors who counted Dr. Cogdell as a friend, a mentor, or both.

I was asked to come and present Dr. Cogdell with the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the highest civilian honors given out in the state of North Carolina.  He was delighted to receive it.  And so, congratulations and farewell, Dr. Cogell.  Job well done.

***

One of the biggest changes in Roman Catholic worship in generations is about to officially roll out this Sunday in English-speaking parishes:   a new translation of the Roman Missal, the ritual text and prayer instructions for celebrating Mass.  Orientation sessions have been going on for months across the country, but for millions of the faithful, the changes in long-familiar words and phrases will take some getting used to.    The Vatican-directed changes are designed to bring the Missal closer to its Latin roots.  Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Raleigh Diocese has issued a letter thanking the local Church leadership and parishioners for their diligence in preparing for the big change.

***

Catholic Parish Outreach is celebrating a $10,000 grant from IBM -- and one that couldn't have come at a better time.  Known as the IBM Community Impact Grant, the funds will be used to improve the Outreach's presence on the internet, and make its internal office operations more efficient.  CPO, which provides needy families in our area with food and children's clothing, is seeing huge numbers of people right now.  In September, they served a record 9,461 people.  CPO operates the largest food pantry in Wake County and is a program of Catholic Charities.

***

American Idol Scotty McCreery has never been shy about sharing his faith or his love for his hometown church, First Baptist Church of Garner.  Scotty is prominently featured in the church's new video promoting Operation Christmas Child, its outreach to impoverished children overseas.  Check it out here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too Many Angels?

 

There are going to be a lot more angels in Wake County this Christmas season. But don’t think of that is a good thing. "We saw a huge jump last year as well,” says Haven Sink.

 

Sink is the spokeswoman for the Salvation Army of Wake County. And the angels I’m talking about are children from economically challenged families. The kids will be represented by angel symbols on Christmas trees in the local malls. As we move into the Salvation Army’s busiest season of the year, the faith-based agency’s Angel Tree program is up and running again.

“Last year we went from 5,600 kids (in 2009) to 7,200 kids, just because the economy went south,” says Sink. “And we know it's really not gotten any better this year."

In fact, the Salvation Army says 7,782 children ages 12 and under will be represented by angels this year -- an increase of more than 500. The Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for those children. Qualifying families are registered to receive a stocking and new clothing, and to visit the Salvation Army’s Toy Shop. The gifts are distributed in mid-December. But those items first have to be donated by the public -- by you.

"We have volunteers who help people choose an angel off the tree," says Sink, "and then those same volunteers can accept the donations that come back, right there at the mall. So people can shop for a child while they're out doing their holiday shopping, and bring those items right back to the Angel Tree location in the mall."

The Salvation Army will need more than 24,000 new toys, clothing items, and stocking stuffers to be donated in November and December. Additionally, the agency will rely on hundreds of volunteers to help with set up and distribution. If you’d like to help, visit their website at www.keepthebellringing.org, and look for the Angel Trees at Crabtree Valley Mall, Triangle Town Center, and Cary Towne Center.

“We do see a huge response from the community every year,” Sink told me, “but with the increase in children registered the past two years, it has been very difficult for us to meet the needs. We provide something for every child that is registered in our system but we do have a hard time making it a very meaningful gift sometimes since we have so many children. It's hard for the community to keep up.”

There are a lot of compassionate people in our area. Let’s see if every “angel” is covered this year.

***

Speaking of compassionate people, folks in Carthage are showing their support for a young man who’s fighting a very serious illness – and now that support has gone international. 12-Year-old Cooper Ellington suffers from a genetic condition called VHL disease. Last summer he underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove a tumor on his brain stem, and he’s now involved in intense rehabilitation therapy.

Cooper Ellington and his dad, NC State Trooper Reid Cooper

A Facebook page has been set up --"Praying for Cooper Ellington" -- to help the family with prayers and support. In a short time it’s picked up members from all 50 states and seven other countries. Supporters have also distributed 2,500 "Praying for Cooper" bracelets.

***

What’s it like being a Muslim in North Carolina today? Members of the Muslim Student Association at Duke University fanned out across the state to find out. Eight students used their fall break to visit Muslims in several cities and towns, and to record their experiences. You can read about it in their blog at this link.

***

I can taste it now. On Friday (November 4^th), Raleigh’s Hayes Barton Baptist Church is having its 4^th annual Barbecue Dinner Missions fundraiser. There’ll be music, fellowship, fun – and of course, lots of ‘cue. Drive-thru, pick-up, and delivery. You can find the details here.

***

In a case that could have national implications, the Forsyth County, NC, Board of Commissioners has appealed to the US Supreme Court in their effort to overturn a judicial ban on sectarian prayers at Commission meetings. The issue hit the courts when some citizens objected to the name of Jesus being mentioned in opening prayers at meetings. You can read more about the case here.

***

Congratulations to Salvation and Deliverance Church of Tarboro, winner of Verizon’s 2011 "How Sweet the Sound" national choir competition. That’s right – national competition. This past Friday in Los Angeles, that smalltown church choir won top honors against singers from across the country and was given the title, “Best Overall Choir.” What makes them so good? You’ll see what wowed the judges in a video clip from an earlier regional competition they won. I promise you, you’ve never heard Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus quite like this.

 

Walking (and building) by Faith

 

The congregation at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill has big plans.   Make that BIG plans.

"We believe that this is St. Paul's season," says the Rev. Thomas O. Nixon, St. Paul's pastor.

Rev. Thomas O. Nixon  next to an artist's conception of one of  St.Paul Village's buildings

This past Friday, the church held a kick-off banquet for a major multi-stage project in the Rogers Road area on the north side of town.  Church leaders envision a sprawling complex on 23 acres, featuring mixed-use affordable housing, a day care, athletic fields, senior citizen assisted living, a multicultural center, and more.  The centerpiece will be a new worship sanctuary and fellowship hall for the church.  It will all be designed to be environmentally sensitive, preserving areas of natural beauty.

"One of the desires of this vision was to provide a holistic ministry for the congregation," says Rev. Nixon.  "That we not only meet the spiritual needs but the mental, educational, and economic needs, and to deal with every age group of the congregation.  We have a very diverse age group in our congregation."

The church purchased the land for St. Paul AME Village several years ago.  Rev. Nixon told me that they hope to break ground on the first phase, which will feature the new sanctuary, fellowship hall and day care, by the end of the year.  The cost estimate for that is 3 to 4 million dollars.  Church leaders plan to spread the entire project out over ten years. 

But wait a minute.  Isn't there something called an economic downturn going on right now?

"I don't preach or believe that the God that we serve is in an economic crisis," says Nixon.  "I tell people, the one person you never see in the unemployment line or worrying about the economy is the drug dealer.  So, the money is here.  The challenge is, do we come out of the comfort of our stained glass windows and sanctuary to go re-direct those funds into Kingdom building?"

It's a huge undertaking.  But when your church is 147 years old -- having started during slavery days -- St. Paul's members know what it is to "walk by faith." 

***

Update:  I reported in my last post about plans to make the faith-based movie Secrets in the Snow in Raleigh if enough seed money could be raised.  Well, guess what:  they reached their goal.  And co-producer  Brittany Goodwin emailed supporters that "every amount over the goal will go towards our final goal to cover costs of editing, marketing, etc."   Filming should take place next month.

***

North Carolina’s most famous religious figure releases his newest book –- his 30^th -- this week.  The Rev. Billy Graham turns 93 next month, and appropriately enough, the book is about aging.  You can read an excerpt from Nearing Home:  Life, Faith and Finishing Well  at this link.

***

They say music is the universal language.  And I can think of no greater example than the Heritage Mass Choir.  This group from South Korea loves African-American gospel music.  I can't understand what they're saying -- but I can understand what they're saying!  Check 'em out here.