Akettes Youth Group Now Certified Tutors

Flint Michigan
INSIDE:
Religious
Notes
We will run your
RELIGIOUS NOTES
for 2 week before
the Event
Unreported Child
Abuse Can Land
You in Jail
FREE
Page 2
Around
Town
Page 3
Dean Turner Hartfield
Sunday School
Lesson
For Sunday
April 10, 2011
Remember
The Warnings
Page 6
Cynthia W. Edwards
Social
Security
Issue
Page 7
Pastor David A. Galbraith
Rev. Floyd Fuller
As pastors we like to keep our
families’ problems in-house. However, the law in Michigan is very
clear about failing to report child
abuse: if you have knowledge of
child abuse and do not report it, you
could he arrested and spend time in
jail. While prison ministry is a wonderful thing to be part of, it is much
better to be involved from the outside rather than from the inside according to David A. Galbraith pastor
of the Peace Presbyterian Church.
In order to make sure that the faith
community is aware of this child
abuse laws, and to help us understand what the signs and symptom
of child abuse might be, the Weiss
Advocacy Center is offering a pro-
gram for the faith based community
on April 7th at Peace Presbyterian
Church located at 1521 N. Elms Road
in Flint. Pastor Galbraith currently
serves as chaplain for the multi-disciplinary team at the Center and will
be the host for this conference.
Highlights from this conference
include presentations from the
Genesee County Prosecutor David
Leyton, DHS Child Welfare Director
Stacie Bowens, and Clayton Township Police Chief Mike Powers. There
will be presenters from the Weiss
Advocacy Center, Foster Hope, the
Genesee Intermediate School District, and others. Participants will be
given both practical tools and inspiration on how to get involved in the
fight against child abuse.
“While you may be aware of the
requirements placed upon clergy in
this area, many of our associates and
other child care workers may not be.”
This conference is open to anyone
in the faith community. There is a
nominal fee for registration to cover
materials and a light lunch.
Pastor Galbraith is urging all
Pastors and anyone on their staffs
who works in the ministry of child
care to attend this conference as
well. For more information about
this conference you can call 810 238-3333 or register on line at
www.weissadvocacycenter.org.
Akettes Youth Group
Now Certified Tutors
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109 WelchBlvd.
Flint, Michigan 48503
PHONE NUMBER:
810-234-8770
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Georgia Terrell McCall
Members of the Akettes Youth Group are now certified tutors. The young
ladies completed eight (8) hours of training on Saturdays, February 26 and
March 5. The training was conducted by the Genesee County Literacy
Coalition and made possible by a grant from Wal Mart. The Akettes are now
prepared to both individually and collectively tutor elementary and middle
school students. Their advisor, Lynn Peterson, realized the need for the
training before the young ladies embarked upon their project to volunteer
as tutors at Scott Elementary School until the end of the year.
The Akettes Youth Group is sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Inc. Zeta Beta Omega (President, Barbara Johnson) and Ivy House (President, Barbara Wesley). They keep the young ladies involved in life skill
activities which include workforce development, etiquette, and college preparation workshops. Akettes are involved in other community service projects
which include: Volunteering at the Women’s Shelter, Eastern Food Bank of
Michigan, North End Soup Kitchen, and making blankets for senior citizens.
The members of Akettes Youth Group are in a unique position as being
one of the first youth groups to be trained by the Genesee County Literacy
Coalition. Congratulations to the following members: Ariel McCollum, president; Ryan Cooper, ShamBriea Daylove, Victoria Pleasant, Anyrah Moffett,
Aiyana Calvin, Mya Stevens, Bakiya Taylor, Shaquise Prince-Jones and
Bria Graham.
Michigan Democrats to
Intro Bill that Restores
Unemployment Insurance
Proposed legislation would help jobless
survive until they can get back to work
LANSING - State Representative
Jim Ananich (D - Flint) and State
Senate Democratic Floor Leader
Tupac A. Hunter (D - Detroit) announced today that they are working on legislation that would restore
the weeks of unemployment insurance cut by the bill Governor Snyder
signed this week. The new law
pushed through by Republican-controlled majorities in the House and
Senate would make Michigan, which
has been hardest hit by joblessness
in the past decade, the only state in
the country to reduce unemployment insurance for their families.
“Getting people back to work
right away must be our top priority,”
said Ananich. “But while they are
trying to find a job or being trained
for new positions, we have to make
Restores
Continue On Page 7
Volume 35, Issue 14 April 3, 2011
Memorandum
nity and had served as a chairman for the March of Dimes. He
held leadership positions in Concerned Pastors for Social Action
and the NAACP, was a member of
the city housing appeal board
and had worked extensively with
the Red Cross.
Along with the numerous organizations he belonged to Reverend Russell also worked to help
rehabilitate prisoners.
A community memorial service
was held for the Rev. Reuben
Russell, Pastor Emeritus, Vernon
Chapel AME Church, on Saturday,
April 2, 2011, at 2pm. He retired as
Vernon pastor in 1990. Reverend
Russell went to be with the Lord
on March 6, 2010 in Mobile, Ala.
at the age of 97. Funeral services
were held in Mobile.
Reverend Russell had been a
social activist in the Flint commu-
Rev. Reuben Russell
Flint Journal photo
Mayor Dayne Walling and
Chief of Police Locke Meet
With Flint Branch NAACP
James Milton
The last 10 years have been very
challenging years for the city of Flint.
At this time Mayor Dayne Walling
does have a friend in Washington in
President Obama. The city faces
challenges to secure resources to
increase the number of law enforcement officers, give residents a better
quality of life, and to help small businesses. The challenge for the city is
to provide more law enforcement officers to address the increased number of calls they receive. The challenge is to do this at a time when the
state is reducing revenue sharing
funds.
Some of the challenges are to provide families with a better quality of
life, MTA infrastructure and
brownfield development are challenges that need to be addressed.
The city under Governor’s Snyder’s
revenue sharing plan will reduce the
funds the city received last year from
$55 million in state funds to $48 million from the General Fund.
The Flint Branch NAACP heard a
special meeting with Mayor Walling
and Chief of Police Alvern Locke on
Friday March 25, 2011. The Mayor
and the Chief Locke took questions
from those in attendance.
Mayor Walling will not let Governor Snyder take over Flint as Governor Engler did. The last Emergency
Financial Manager closed recreation
centers, reduced trash collection in
the city, cutting salaries of the city
council members which resulted in a
court action by council members.
The present city council has already
decided to reduce its salary’s 10%
on its own. The city is negotiating
with union employees on contacts
are going forward. There may be
some city departments that will face
reduction in employees but there will
not be any further law enforcement
officer’s reductions in the future.
One challenge that the city is looking provide an answer to arrests by
law enforcement officer is to put a
millage on the ballot to reopen the
city lock up. At the present, a person arrested for a criminal act does
not have a place to be lodged unless
that crime is a felony. We should have
a jail with consequences to put those
people. At this time we are handing
out appearance tickets without putting a person in jail unless there is a
felony committed.
At the present time the Genesee
County jail is overcrowded and two
options are possible. That is paying the Midland jail to house some
less dangerous inmates who do not
have health problems or mental issues or emergency releases ordered
by a judge. A city jail which was
closed in 2008, cost $1.2 million dollars to operate and the city decided
it needed more officers on the street
instead. The administration is looking to ways to increase the number
of officers on the streets. The Mott
Foundation has helped in providing grants with have been used to
fund every city of Flint Ward with
police protection.
The city’s Community Economic
Development Grants have helped in
Witherbee’s Market, Metro Medical
who is opening offices on Clio Road
and a fuel cell battery company partnership with Dr. Joe Barry from
Kettering University. Smith Village
will create new jobs. The project because of the funds requires that
some jobs will have to hire people
from the city. The Smith Village
project has had difficulties for years
NAACP
ContinueOn Page 7
Gov. Rick Snyder Cuts
Aid to Public Schools
MALIKA.
SHABAZZ
The current Democratic leader in the
Senate, Sen. Gretchen
Whitmer of East Lansing, has called Gov.
Rick Snyder’s budget
proposal
which
would not diverts
some $895 million in
funding for K-12
schools to support
state aid for community colleges and the
state’s 15 public universities an “outright theft that violates the principles
of Proposal A, the 1994 school finance change which traded higher
state-collected sales taxes for lower
property taxes.”Those sales taxes, a
6-mill statewide property tax and
higher cigarette taxes are earmarked
by law for the state’s school aid fund
for K-12. But the constitution says
the funding can also be used for
higher education, so Snyder is tapping it for that.
Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget, which
cuts per-pupil funding $470 per student, takes a projected $670 million
surplus in the school aid fund and
cuts some more on top of that to help
solve a $1.5 billion deficit in a general fund budget for discretionary
state services.
Sen Gretchen Whitimer states
that “The money intended for education should actually go to our
schools, because that is where the
people wanted, expected and demanded, that is where their tax dollars be spent. That’s why they dedicated and restricted the fund from
the Legislature’s grasp.”
Whitimer also said at a news conference, that Senate Democrats
would introduce a constitutional
amendment clarifying that school aid
revenue generated by Proposal A be
restricted to K-12 district operations.
Snyder’s budget director John
Nixon, has said that $170 in per-pupil aid funded with federal stimulus
dollars was one-time money. The
additional $300 cut amounts to less
than a 5 percent reduction that can
be re-couped if districts require employees to pay 20 percent of their
health insurance premium.
Budget Director John Nixon also
said “it makes little fiscal sense to
wall off 60 percent of state tax revenue that Proposal A generates, if
that means still deeper cuts for other
state programs such as
Medicaid health care
for the poor.”
The political problem which Snyder
faces is that school
funding is a non-partisan issue and that
there are plenty of predominantly Republican
school districts who
already felt they were
being shortchanged
by Proposal A.
Randall Davis, superintendent of Marshall Public
Schools, said the $470 cut, additional
costs for retirement and the proposed elimination of state aid to
schools with declining enrollment
adds up a $2.1 million cut, or $875
per student.
“We all had to live by the rules of
what Prop. A required and we have
watched the pot grow smaller,
smaller, smaller.” said Elizabeth
Lykins, a parent with two children in
East Grand Rapids Public Schools.
“We had to shave another $3.5 million out of a $28 million budget. In
the next two years all of our social
workers, all of our libraries, all of our
sports, all of our arts, music, and
drama will be gone. “That’s in a suburban, excellent school district,” she
said. “I don’t even want to think
about what’s happening in the urban districts.” Flint Public Schools
are in an “Urban District.
CPSA Courier - Page 2
April 3, 2011
2
Religious Notes
Any and all religious notes must not exceed 2” to 2 ½”in length when printed that is approximately 50 to 65 words. This does not include the Name of the Church ,
Church address or Pastor’s name. All religious notes that exceed the measurements will incure cost at the churches expense.
Agape (God’s Love) COGIC
3641 Wyoming Ave.
Pastor Tony C. Richmond
Agape (God’s Love) Church of
God in Christ, would like to invite
you to attend the Northeast Michigan (Historic First) Jurisdiction,
Bible Conference Women’s Night for
Faith District where Superintendent
Booker T. Williams is District Superintendent, District Missionary
Brenda Richmond is District Missionary. Bishop PA. Brooks, First
Assistant Presiding Bishop Jurisdictional Prelate. Mother Norma Burrell,
State Supervisor of the Department
of Women. This blessed event will
take place Tuesday, April 4th at 7:00
pm, held at Agape (God’s Love)
COGIC. For more information contact the church at 810-250-0733. District Missionary Brenda Richmond
will bring the word of God.
Bountiful Love Ministries COGIC
3432 W. Pasadena Ave.
Supt Kevelin B. Jones Sr
Shabach Fest 2011 April 22nd at
9pm @ Bountiful Love Ministries
COGIC 3432 W. Pasadena Ave. Flint
mi. Supt Kevelin B. Jones Sr. Host
Pastor many choirs, solos, groups,
and mimes. The James & Eloise
Kennedy Memorial Scholarship
Fund. Freewill offering. Call Min.
Doremus M. Kennedy, Founder for
more information 989 492 2318 or
[email protected].
Canaan Baptist Church
910 E. Gillespie Ave.
Pastor Charles E. Roots
On Sunday, April 10th at 4:00
p.m. Canaan Baptist Church Will be
celebrating Pastor Charles & Margaret Roots anniversary as pastor of
Canaan Baptist Church. We will be
celebrating their 17th year. Our guest
will be New Life Church, (Saginaw,
Michigan) where Rev. Rufus Bradley Sr. will deliver the message. All
are welcome!
First Trinity MB C
1226 Beach St.-Flint, MI 48502
Rev. Dr. F.O. Hockenhull, Pastor
It is time to pray. 1st
Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.” The First Trinity
Church family invites you to come
to their daily prayer service that is
being held at 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
You may not be able to stay for the
whole hour, but you are welcome to
come and spend as much time as you
can. Remember it is time to pray. For
more information, please call 2342653.
Christ Fellowship M B C
317 E. Hamilton Ave.
Dr. M.A. Jones, Sr., Pastor
Christ Fellowship Missionary
Baptist Church Missionary Ministry
and Christian Women United will be
celebrating their Annual Day on Sunday, April 3rd at 4:00 P.M. The
Speaker for this Spirit Filled Worship
Service will be the Reverend Carlos
D. Williams, Pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle. Reverend
Williams along with his congregation
with be in attendance. We are looking forward to a high time in the
Lord. If you have any questions
please contact the Church Office at
810-238-9605.
Eternal Life Ministries SDA C
G-3453 W. Pasadena Ave.
Dr. Paul H. Musson, Pastor
Eternal Life Ministries SDA
Church invites you to our 2011
Weekly Free Life Series Monday
from 6:00-7:00pm—Revelation
Prophecy Seminar/Bible Study
Wednesday 7:00-8:00p.m.
First Union Baptist Church
7004 Fleming Rd.
Rev. Archie Powell Jr., Pastor
We welcome and invite all of you
to come out and join the First Union
Baptist Church, Sunday, April 3rd.
We will be celebrating Our Annual
Family and Friend’s Day Program all
day. Antioch Missionary Baptist
Church, Rev. Lewis Randolph, Pastor will be our special guest at the
3:30 p.m. service. Sunday, April 10th
We will be celebrating Our Annual
Choir Day at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Our guest will be The King
Solomon Missionary Baptist
Church, Rev. Seldon Williams, Pastor.
Foss Avenue Baptist Church
1159 E. Foss Avenue
Creating Confident Caregivers
utilizes the Savvy Caregiver Program, a university tested program for
family members caring for a loved
one with dementia at home. Two
hour sessions are held once a week
for six weeks and lead by dementia
care specialists. This program provides participants with information,
skills and attitudes to manage stress
and increase effective care giving
skills. A program for family members
caring for a loved one with dementia
and/or memory loss. Attend FREE! 2
hour session once a week for six
weeks Tuesdays April 5th thru May
10th at 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Foss
Avenue Baptist Church For further
information or to register for the class
contact: Central Michigan
Alzheimer’s Association (800) 2723900 or (989) 839-9910
Gethsemane M.B. Church
1258 E. Humphrey
Rev. Terry Randolph, Pastor
The Gethsemane M.B. Church
Annual Men’s Day Program will be
held on Sunday April 10th at 3:30
pm. We cordially invite all to come
worship with us on this blessed occasion. Call the church at 810-7894131 for more information.
Jackson Memorial Temple
G-3155 W. Carpenter Rd.
Bishop H.J. Williams, Pastor
The Men’s Department of Jackson Memorial Temple COGIC will
present “The Seven Last Words of
Christ on the Cross” Monday, April
18th - 7:00 P.M. Speakers Are: Elder
Melvin Price, Elder Carl Hawkins,
Elder Kiyuan Thompson, Elder Robert Powell, Elder James Bowie, Elder
Charles Knox Sr., Elder Ricky
Callaway. Everyone is welcome to
come and enjoy this service. For
more information, please call Elder
George Colter 810-785-1578.
God’s Tabernacle of Truth
Church
4056 North Saginaw Street
Pastor Richard W. Mosley
Easter Cantata (music and scripture) by the church choir. The Easter
story, the Greatest love story Ever
Told in the 1 1AM service.
Greater Bible Way CO G IC
1602 Montana Avenue
Elder Allan Davis, Pastor
The Young Women’s Christian
Council and Christian Women’s
Council of Greater Bible Way Church
of God In Christ present a Spiritual
Cake service, Sunday April 10th at
4:00 p.m.
Speakers include: Edith Brown –
Faith Gospel Temple COGIC; Katrina
Smith – Deliverance COGIC; Jamilah
Lynn – Faith Gospel Temple COGIC;
Mary Williams – Jackson Memorial
Temple COGIC; Annette Price –
Kingdom of Heaven Ministries;
Sonya Miller – Jackson memorial
Temple COGIC; Renee’ Blythe –
Greater Bible Way COGIC; Mozella
Bogan – Victorious Believers Ministries COGIC; Tia Douglas – Refuge
Temple Church ; Barbara Taylor –
New Fellowship COGIC; Dorothy
Gill – Greater Bible Way COGIC;
Linda Faye Scott – Greater New
Bethel COGIC; Cynthia Manuel –
Greater Bible Way COGIC. For more
information phone (810) 235-9264.
Refuge Temple Church of Flint
G 4400 W. Carpenter Rd.
Pastor Seon Thompson
First Lady Angela Thompson
High Impact Teen Movement
(H.I.T.M) “Speak Life” Christian Poetry Night at Refuge Temple Church
of Flint on Friday, April 8th. Contact: Kevin Winn (Youth Pastor) Refuge Temple Church of Flint at (810)
720-9071. The teens of Refuge
Temple Church of Flint along with
special guests will take the stage to
express themselves through spoken
word. Erica Thompson of Refuge
Temple will emcee the youth event.
This is a free affair. A meet and greet
along with light refreshments will be
served immediately following the
event. Come support the voices of
the next generation, as they take the
stage to speak their mind. For more
information,
go
to:
www.refugetempleflint.com
Mt. Hermon M.B.Church
G-5283 Clio Road
Pastor K. D. Yarber
April 17th at 7:00 P.M. through
Wednesday April 20th, begins our
nightly revival services with our
guest evangelist, The DYNAMIC,
Rev. J.R. Hatney, Pastor of Good
Hope M.B. Church, Augusta, Georgia. Join us for a spirit filled service
nightly.
Pastor K. D. Yarber and the Mt.
Hermon Baptist Church invite you
to Sunday Late Night 2nd and 4th
Sundays at 9:00 p.m. -10:30 p.m.
Finally, a Worship Service for the late
night crowd. Saints and Sinners are
welcome to the Peak, where Worship
is real relevant, and refreshing.
Missed worship at your own
Church? Try Sunday Night Late
Night Service. Hear soul stirring
music and dynamic preaching.
Macedonia M B C
G-5443 N. Saginaw Street
The Macedonia Women’s Ministry Will have a Rummage & Bake
Sale on April 8th and 9th from 9:00
a.m. until 4:00 p.m. For more information, call the church office at 810787-1561 or Sis. Pat Elerson at 810736-8494. Please contact the Church
office- at 810-787-1561 or Pat
Elerson@ 810-736-8494 or Lawrence
Curry @ 810-230-1709 or Valarie Britt
@ 810-787-5549 or Gloria Releford @
810-789-3865 or Benita Smith @810908-3384
Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle
930 East Myrtle
Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle
will celebrate 73rd Church Anniversary Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 3:30pm.
Theme: “Moving, Making, Marking, Maturing” Matthew 28:19-20
Our Special Guest is Rev. Reginald
Flynn and the Foss Avenue Missionary Baptist Church. All are Welcome to come out and help us celebrate 73 years of Service. For more
information call the church office at
810-787-9731
The Promise MBC
1058 E. Bundy Ave.
Rev. Robert L. Blanks, Jr.
The Promise M. R. Church would
like to invite everyone to their Second, “Ole Time Revival Service.” The
revival will start April 11th – April
15th. The service will start each night
at 7:00 p.m. The revival will start off
Monday night with Rev. G. L. Girley,
Tuesday night, Pastor Floyd Fuller,
Wednesday night, Dr. Henry L.
Fuller, Thursday night, Pastor
Freelon Threlkeld, and Friday night,
Pastor Robert Rushing. We’re asking all to come and join us in our
Spirit filled services. Please don’t
miss out on the devotional services
before the preaching of God’s Word.
Sunday, April 17th, we’re celebrating our, “Seventh Church Anniversary.” Guest churches are to include,
First New Life M.B.C, New Israel
Baptist, Northeast M. B. C and Faith
Temple Baptist. Pastor Freelon
Threlkeld will be bringing the sermon
of the hour. Please feel free to contact Pastor Robert. L Blanks Jr. (810)
610-5510 with any questions or comments
Mt. Nebo Baptist Church
8266 N. Vassar Rd.
Pastor T. J. Lee Jr.
April 17th Victory Sunday One of
the high days on our church calendar. This program is in
appreciation of the great Victory God
wrought in the church history of Mt.
Nebo. An open invitation to all to
come share in the blessed hope has
done and able to do. Time 4:00pm.
Rev. James Waldon, pastor of Gospel Temple and congregation will be
our guest church. Rev. Waldon will
be bringing the message for this service. April 24th The Mt. Nebo Youth
department will put on an Easter program immediately following morning
service.
Mt. Pisgah M B Church
G-6415 N. Clio Rd.
Rev. Wallace Hill, III - Pastor
Sunday, April 3rd - Baptism &
Communion. Family Movie Night Saturday, April 16th - Featuring
“The Passion of the Christ” and
children’s movie “Veggie Tales’ Twas
the night before Easter”(children
movie separate from adult movie).
Doors open at 3:00pm...Movie starts
at 4:00pm. Presented by the Mt.
Pisgah Youth Ministry Department.
Join us for a family night of fellowship!! Sunday, April 24th - 9:15 am
Youth Ministry Easter Program
11:00 am Morning Worship Service.
For more information, please call
(810) 687-2437.
“The Village...of Mt. Pisgah MBC”
Church Ministry for ages 1-6, available for morning worship service.
Youth
Ministry,
every
Monday 5:30pm-7:30pm, ages 5-18.
Wednesday Night Bible Study,
6:00pm - 7:00pm. For more information, please call (810) 687-2437.
Greater Paradise MB Church
4236 Beryl Road
Greater Paradise MB Church 16th
Annual Church Anniversary on
April 10th at4:00 pm Guest Speaker,
Rev. Kenneth Stewart, House of
Prayer. Simultaneously Revival on
April 18th-21st at 7:00pm nightly.
Guest Speaker, Rev. CL Taylor, Morning Star B. C., Grand Prairie, TX.
Everyone is cordially invited to attend these special events.
Mt. Sinai M BC
1215 E. Downey Street
Rev. M. A. Collins Sr., Pastor
April 10th We will have our Annual Ushers and Nurses Day at 3:30
p.m. Our guests will be Damascus
Holy Life where Rev. Ira Edwards is
Pastor and will be bringing the message.
April 24th We will have our Resurrection Day Service at 3:30 p.m.
We invite you to come out and fellowship with us. If you have any
questions, you may contact the
church office at (810) 787-7099.
Mt. Zion MB Church
2109 Dr. M L King, Jr. Ave.
Rodney Ellison, Pastor
Mt. Zion presents its 3rd “Marriage Checkup” 2011. The conference will start off with dinner at the
Brick Street Restaurant 1223 E. Grand
Rd. in Grand Blanc, Ml Fri., April
15th. @ 6 p.m., with Dinner Live
Entertainment and a Comedy Show.
Then Sat. the 16th in the morning, at
the Holiday Inn Gateway in Grand
Blanc, Ml will be Guests speakers Pastor Rodney and Sis. Alexis
Murphy of Victorious Word Church,
and Sis. Kathy Barton - Brown from
Family Worship Center. To purchase
your tickets, please contact the
church office, Tues. - Fri, from 10a.m.
-4p.m. Also, a block of rooms have
been reserved from those wanting
to stay overnight on Friday at the
Holiday Gateway. This is for all of
our Married couples and for our
Singles anticipating Marriage.
New Heaven MBC
G-3184 W. Pierson Rd.
Rev. Dr. Fred S. White, Pastor
New Heaven MBC cordially invites the community to share with
us in our Food For Your Soul Conference on April 9th at 10:00a.m. until
?. Public is welcome to come and fellowship with us. We are serving
Spiritual and Physical food.
Quinn Chapel AME Church
2101 Lippincott Blvd.
Rev. Stanley U. Sims, Pastor
Quinn Chapel Women’s Day
Committee and Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc., Flint Alumnae Chapter presents “Spring” Into Good
Health! A Health Fair, Saturday,
April 16th from 10AM-2PM.
Free: ”Ask the Doctor”, Blood Pressure Screening, Glucose, Spine, Massages, Spinal Alignments and Prizes.
We will run you
RELIGIOUS NOTES
for 2 week before the event FREE
April 3, 2011
CPSA Courier - Page 3
Laser Rock Shows at
Longway Planetarium
in April
Kids Korner!
Did You Know??????
Thought For The Week~ Read Romans 12:12
Are you brave enough to pray in public? Or are you sometimes
embarrassed to talk to the Lord in front of your friends? Talking to God
is a very special privilege, and it may be an encouragement to other
Christian kids. It will also be a testimony to those who don’t know Jesus.
Sometimes it’s easier to pray publicly if two or more pray together . Do
you know another Christian in your school? Have a conversation with
them about this. Then perhaps you can eat and pray together. DARE TO
PRAY IN PUBLIC.
Louis Hawkins, Community Relations Administrator for HealthPlus
Applications Available
to Community
Organizations for
HealthPlus Grants
Applications are now being taken
for HealthPlus of Michigan’s annual
Rainmaker Awards Program.
The program was named after the
“Rainmaker” in the Native American
culture who made good things happen in the tribal community,” according to Louis Hawkins, Community
Relations Administrator for
HealthPlus.
As part of its social mission and
vision to build healthier communities, HealthPlus provides funds to
nonprofit organizations that make
good things happen in priority health
areas in the community.
The priority health areas for this
year are: Health of the Elderly Aging/Keeping healthy as we age;
Health literacy/understanding
health problems and recommended
treatment; Prevention (diabetes,
stroke, heart disease, arthritis, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease,
falling, etc,); Promotion of regular
physician visits; Mental/emotional
health;
Programs/projects that reduce unnecessary readmissions to the hospital. Health and Nutrition of Children School based initiatives to improve health and nutrition for children, Mental/emotional health of
children, Health literacy/understanding health problems and recommended treatment, Use of pediatric
primary care medical homes, Infant,
children and youth health issues
Since the inception of the Rainmaker Awards Program in 1994,
HealthPlus has awarded grants totaling more than $700,000. Grants
generally range from $3,000 to $7,000.
Requirements: Applicants must
be nonprofits and their application
must deal with a project or program
that addresses one or more of the
above priority health areas. Additionally, the project or program must
be directed at residents in some part
of the HealthPlus service area.
The HealthPlus service area includes the counties of Arenac, Bay,
Clare, Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston,
Macomb, Oakland, Saginaw,
Shiawassee, St. Claire, and Tuscola
and/or parts of the counties of
Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella,
Midland, Montcalm, Sanilac, and
Wayne.
To apply online, visit the
HealthPlus
Web
site
at
www.healthplus.org and click on the
“Rainmaker” link. Organizations that
would like a paper copy of the application mailed to them should contact Carrie Treder at (810) 230-2139.
For additional information, contact Louis Hawkins at (810) 230-2088.
Completed applications and supporting documentation must be received by 4:00 p.m., April 29, 2011.
Laser Rock Shows at Longway Planetarium will amaze your senses on
Fridays and Saturdays throughout April. Each show combines hit music
with choreographed multicolor laser imagery for a sensory experience unlike any other.
These shows have been enjoyed by audiences worldwide. Show times
are 8pm and 9pm. Tickets are $5 for one show or $8 for two shows. For more
information, call 810.237.3400 or visit SloanLongway.org
Laser Rock Show Schedule for April 2011:
April 1st-8pm Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, 9pm Pink Floyd’s The
Wall;
April 2nd-8pm Jimi Hendrix, 9pm Queen; April 8th- 8pm Metallica, 9pm
Tool; April 9th-8pm Led Zeppelin, 9pm Pink Floyd’s The Wall;
April 15th-8pm SOLD OUT; 9pm SOLD OUT; April 16th-8pm Radiohead,
9pm Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon;
April 22nd-8pm Metallica, 9pm Tool; April 23rd-Led Zeppelin 9pm Queen,
April 29th 8pm SOLD OUT; 9pm SOLD OUT.
April 30th-8pm Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon; 9pm Pink Floyd’s The
Wall
“A Spring Gala”
The New McCree Theatre will be presenting “A Spring Gala’ on Saturday,
April 9th from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Stonegate Banquet Center, 1084 N. Irish
Road, Davison, Mich. 48432.
There will be an Art Exhibit, A Silent Auction, An Awards Presentation.
Entertainment, Hor d’oeuvres and more, Semi Formal Attire.
Tickets may be obtained by calling The New McCree Theatre at 7872200. Proceeds to benefit The New McCree Theatre Programs and Activities.
Mott Community
College Announces
Registration for
2011 Spring, Summer,
and Fall Semesters
Registration for classes offered
for the 2011 Spring, Summer and Fall
Semesters at Mott Community College opens April 1. Students are
strongly encouraged to register as
soon as possible to get the classes
they need, at the times they prefer.
The first day of classes for each
session follows: the first day for
Spring Session (including the Spring
through Summer Session) is
Wednesday, May 4; first day for the
Late-Start Spring Session is Monday,
May 16; First day for Summer Session is Monday, June 27; and the first
day of class for the Fall Semester at
MCC is Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Mott Community College offers
a broad range of more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs, giving students a direct path
to a variety of career opportunities.
Some of the programs available at
MCC include accounting; air conditioning, heating and refrigeration
technology; automotive technology; baking and pastry arts; building and construction technology;
business management; computeraided drafting and design (CADD);
cosmetology; criminal justice; dental assisting; dental hygiene; early
childhood education; engineering;
graphic design; hybrid technology
and repair; interpreter education in
American Sign Language; leadership
development; manufacturing simulation technology; marketing management; media arts and entertainment technology; nursing; occupational therapy assistant; physical
therapy assistant (OTA-PTA); phlebotomy; photographic technology;
quality assurance; robotic programming and control; small business
management; social work technician;
web development and many more.
For more information about registration, courses and programs offered at Mott Community College,
please call (810) 762-0200 or visit the
MCC website at www.mcc.edu.
CPSA Courier - Page 34
April 3, 2011
CHURCH DIRECTORY
April 3, 2011
CPSA Courier - Page 35
Herman Cain Plays the Race Card:Really?
Dr. Boyce Watkins
It appears that Herman Cain, who
is expected to be a black presidential
candidate, has the race card locked
and loaded for his sprint toward the
White House. Recently, Cain was
asked about race during a New
Hampshire campaign speech. When
asked about this controversial topic,
Cain had this to say: “Now people
are over this first black president
thing,” he said. “But there are some
people who will say, ‘I’m not going
to vote for another black guy because this one didn’t work out. And
my response is, ‘Well, what about
those 43 white guys you put in there?
How did they work out? Don’t condemn me because the first black one
was bad.”
There was another interesting
episode when Cain was asked on his
radio show why he speaks so
highly of the founding fathers,
even though they owned
slaves. “They set the bar high
when they said all men were
created equal,” Cain said.
“They could have set it where
they were that day. They set it
high so this nation could work
up to that ideal.”
One thing that people can
say about Herman Cain is that
he was a successful businessman. As the CEO and part
owner of Godfather’s Pizza, Cain has
accumulated enough wealth and
success to consider himself to be a
serious candidate for the presidency.
With that said, Cain also has a set
of views that are reflective of the diversity of opinions within the African American community, present-
President Barack Obama
ing an interesting contrast to those
who want to put all black people into
a nice, neat, little “liberal” box.
Let’s be clear, I don’t agree with
Herman Cain. I have a difficult time
appreciating any African American
who panders for votes by effectively
GOP hopeful Henry Cain
saying, “I stand with you in your disdain for the way black people behave. I assure you that I’m different
from the rest of them.” Such a divide-and-conquer political strategy
has been used since we had the
house negro/field negro divide dur-
ing slavery (there is no faster
route to the top of the political
heap than by becoming a black
Republican). Rather than using hatred toward President
Obama as a weapon for his own
political advancement, Cain
might be more respectable if he
simply stood on his own credentials (as his fellow conservative Colin Powell might do).
Being a black conservative
presidential candidate doesn’t
mean you have to disrespect
the first black president.
With that said, many of Cain’s
views reflect a peculiar paradox
within the black community: the fact
that black people are actually incredibly conservative.
When it comes to views on gay
marriage, abortion, the separation of
church and state, etc., African Americans have quite a few viewpoints that
align more closely with the Republican right than with liberals who’ve
come to “save us.”
The problem for Republicans,
however, is that they insist on advocating for programs that hurt the
poor, which has a disproportionate
impact on the African-American
community.
Their opposition to Affirmative
Action and constant attacks on President Obama don’t help their cause
very much either.
While the existence of men like
Herman Cain represents a stomachchurning example of how the disease
of racism continues to affect our society, the truth is that Cain also represents the very best of what
America can possibly be.
I won’t vote for Herman Cain, but
I am glad that there are black politicians who allow African Americans
to jump outside of predefined stereotypes given to us by the media
and our political leaders.
There’s no one way to be black,
and both Herman Cain and President
Obama reflect the diversity of the
black experience in America.
CPSA Courier - Page 36
April 3, 2011
S UNDAY
S CHOOL L ESSON
watching TV. It takes time, time alone
Dr. Turner Hartfield
April 10, 2011
Remember
the
Warnings
Jude 17-25
Golden Text: Now unto him that
is able to keep us from falling, and
to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our
Savior be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and
forever. Amen Jude 24, 25
Lesson Outline
I.Saving from False Ones:
Jude 17-19
II. Saving with Fear
Jude 20-23
III. Saving from a Far:
Jude 24,25
Lesson Introduction
When my daughter was just learning to walk, I had her with me at my
church one afternoon. We were out
in the hall, and I was talking with a
church member just before leaving
for the day. I suddenly noticed that
my little daughter had toddled down
the hall, out of my sight. I knew that
there was a flight of stairs around
the corner. After I retrieved her, my
friend said, “I have never seen you
move so fast!” My reply: “That’s
my daughter, Man!” I had saved her
from a tumble, perhaps a deadly fall.
The last half of the book of Jude,
our text for this week, is concerned
with saving Christian brothers and
sisters from a fall from their faith. How
fast do we move in these cases? How
much do we care? While we trust in
God for our salvation, Jude issues a
call that we can hear today: let us do
all we can to save our beloved fellow believers from a disastrous fall.
And let us trust God for our salvation, no matter what danger threatens us.
Lesson Exposition
I.Saving from False Ones:
Jude 17-19.
17.But, beloved, remember ye the
words which were spoken before of
the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18.how that they told you there
should be mockers in the last time,
who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19.These be they who separate
themselves, sensual, having not the
Spirit.
Jude begins to offer a cure for the
problem he has been discussing up
to this point. The problem is the presence of dangerous, unrepentant,
false teachers who have come into
the fellowship.
These are pretenders, not contenders (Jude 3). Jude has already
said that in the end this is God’s issue, and we cannot completely solve
the dilemma of charlatans in the
church (Jude 14,15). Yet this is no
excuse for a lack of diligence. That
diligence must include remembering
the words which were spoken before
of the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ (compare 2 Peter 3:2).
Verse 18: Mocking involves ridicule. Mocking may include imitation
of speech or mannerisms in a way
designed to embarrass the one being mocked. It is an intentionally
cruel, cynical act (compare Genesis
21:9)
One of the shameful details of
Jesus’ trials and crucifixion, is the
mocking He endured from the Roman sokiien (Matthew 27:29), from
Herod (Luke 23:11), and from the
Jewish leaden (Mark 15:31).
The mockers of Jude’s day are
ridiculing the serious and faithful
teachers of the church. This is
shown by an immoral lifestyle, an
indulgence in ungodly
lusts.
Verse 19 says the core problem
with these false teachers is that they
are not authentic Christians, for they
do not have the presence of the Holy
Spirit in their lives (see l4om. 8:9).
To be sensual means that satisfying various worldly appetites is their
primary purpose in life. They are controlled by the human appetites for
money, sex, power, fame, etc.
Jude also warns that the false nature of these charlatans may be seen
in the divisions they cause within
the church.
II.Saving with Fear:
Jude 20-23
20.But ye, beloved; building up
yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
21.Keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22.And of some have compassion, making a difference.
23.And others save with fear, pulling them out of the lire; hating even
the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jude now turns his attention away
from the false brothers to focus on
those who are listening attentively
to his message, the true believers.
He urges them to continue building
up their lives of faith (compare
Colossians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
This process of personal reformation has three aspects as presented
by Jude in this verse and the next.
First, they are to continue praying in the Holy Ghost. The marvelous promise of Romans 8:26 is that
we don’t have to be perfect in prayer.
The Holy Spirit, sent to us by our
Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, help
us pray as we ought. He is our advocate, our counselor, our comforter.
But this happens only if we let Him.
Most of us don’t pray in the Holy
Spirit very well on a crowded bus or
while we are in freeway traffic.
It is hard to do so while we are
with God or with a prayer partner or
two.
Verse 21 says the second aspect
in the process of personal reformation is for Jude’s readers to keep
themselves in the love of God. They
do this while looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At first glance, these may seem
to be curious expressions, but they
are not hard to understand. The
meaning is that we accept the love
of God, and we love Him back. We
never take the love of God for
granted. We do not abuse it. We do
not neglect it.
If we are to continue building our
faith, we must keep ourselves immersed in the love of God. Third, we
are called to anticipate eternal life.
This, of course, is the bottom line,
our ultimate fallback position. No
matter how bad life gets we have an
assurance of salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ, and no one can
take this away from us.
In verse 22 Jude exhorts his congregation to love the indecisive ones
back into fellowship. We have no
way to compel anyone to attend our
church. We cannot do it! Any church
that exists by Christ’s ideal is a voluntary organization.
Verse 23 says those who are fifing
away can be restored. Thus Jude
calls his readers to become spiritual
firefighters, rescuing those who have
broken fellowship. We are called to
be pulling them out of the fire, saving their eternal lives. God himself is
a spiritual firefighter (see Amos 4:11;
Zechariah 3:2) and so must we be.
No Christian should be indifferent when a brother or sister drifts
away from the church and abandons
the faith. We should not be complacent when people don the garment
spotted by the flesh as they resume
an immoral and ungodly lifestyle.
III.Saving from a Fall:
Jude 24, 25
24.Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy.
25.To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever.
Amen.
Jude ends his letter with a prayer.
It has been called both a benediction (“word of blessing”) and a “doxology” (“word of praise”). Whichever term we use, we should see the
marvelous way it celebrates our relationship with God through Jesus
Christ.
Jude directs a confident heart to
God as the one who can keep us from
falling.
First, God will present you fault-
less. The idea of faultless means that
we are without blemish(compare
Jude 23). That is not talking about
skin problems, as if God will finally
clear up our acne. It means, rather,
that we no longer have the stain of
sin on our souls (Philippians
1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Second, we are allowed into the
presence of his glory. We are in the
presence of a Holy God, and we do
not burn up because of our sin.
Third, we are to be overwhelmed
with joy. We stand spiritually before
the judgment throne of God, in the
very presence of the Almighty, the
Creator of the universe, and we do
so free from the stain of sin! We do
not need t cower and hide. We do
not need to cower our shame with
fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). We stand in
the unhindered presence of the Lord,
filled with a joy provided by the Holy
Spirit.
Verse 25 asks How Is God able to
keep us from falling? Jude presents
six ways. First, God is our Savior; He
can save us through Jesus Christ our
Lord (see 1 Corinthians1:18).
Second He is able to save by His
glory. The glory of God has the sense
of overwhelming brilliance, of powerful, blinding light. We glorify God
(see Psalm 66:2; Matthew 5:16), but
we do not add to His glory by doing
so. God is already complete in His
glorious power (compare Exodus
15:6,7).
The third factor in God’s majesty.
This is a strong word based on the
root from which we get our prefix
mega. We might say that God’s majesty is His :mega-ness.” God is the
biggest, and there is no close second.
Fourth, God preserves us because
of ills dominion. This is the same root
word from which we get the biblical
term Almighty (See Revelation 1:8).
The term gives a word picture of
controlling something by having it
within one’s grasp.
Fifth, we are presented faultless
because of God’s power. This is a
term derived from the political sphere
and is used to refer to the authority
of a king or a government official
God’s power is not political, however. There is no checks and balances
with God.
Sixth, God empowers us because
of Ills eternality, both now and ever.
God’s not pressed for time, not limited by days or years.. God is the
one “which is, and which was, and
which is to come” (Revelation 1:4).
Thought to Remember
Seek out those who
are falling away.
Who’s in Hell? Pastor’s
Book Sparks Eternal Debate
AP
When Chad Holtz lost his old
belief in hell, he also lost his job. The
pastor of a rural United Methodist
church in North Carolina wrote a note
on his Facebook page supporting a
new book by Rob Bell, a prominent
young evangelical pastor and critic
of the traditional view of hell as a
place of eternal torment for billions
of damned souls. Two days later,
Holtz was told complaints from
church members prompted his dismissal from Marrow’s Chapel in
Henderson. “I think justice comes
and judgment will happen, but I
don’t think that means an eternity of
torment,” Holtz said. “But I can understand why people in my church
aren’t ready to leave that behind. It’s
something I’m still grappling with
myself.”
The debate over Bell’s new book
“Love Wins” has quickly spread
across the evangelical precincts of
the Internet, in part because of an
eye-catching promotional video
posted on YouTube. Bell, the pastor
of the 10,000-member Mars Hill Bible
Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., lays
out the premise of his book while the
video cuts away to an artist’s hand
mixing oil paints and pastels and
applying them to a blank canvas. He
describes going to a Christian art
show where one of the pieces featured a quote by Mohandas Gandhi.
Someone attached a note saying:
“Reality check: He’s in hell.”
“Gandhi’s in hell? He is? And
someone knows this for sure?” Bell
asks in the video.
In the book, Bell criticizes the
belief that a select number of Christians will spend eternity in the bliss
of heaven while everyone else is tormented forever in hell. “This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’
message of love, peace, forgiveness
and joy that our world desperately
needs to hear,” he writes in the book.
For many traditional Christians,
though, Bell’s new book sounds a
lot like the old theological position
of universalism — a heresy for many
churches, teaching that everyone,
regardless of religious belief, will ultimately be saved by God. And that,
they argue, dangerously misleads
people about the reality of the Christian faith.
“I just felt like on every page he’s
trying to say ‘It’s OK,’” said Southern Baptist Seminary President
Albert Mohler at a forum on Bell’s
book held at the Louisville institution. “And there’s a sense in which
we desperately want to say that. But
735 E.
Wagner Ave.
Flint, MI
the question becomes, on what basis can we say that?”
Bell argues that hell has assumed
an outsize importance in Christian
teaching, considering the word itself
only appears in the New Testament
about 12 times, by his count. “For a
1st-century Jewish rabbi, where you
go when you die wasn’t the most
pressing question,” Bell offered.
“The question was how can you
enter into the shalom and peace of
God right now, this day.”
Bell denies he’s a universalist,
and his exact beliefs on what happens to people after death are hard
to pin down, but he argues that such
speculation distracts people from an
urgent point. In his telling, hell is
something freely chosen that already exists on earth, in everything
from war to abusive relationships.
The near-relish with which some
Christians stress the torments of hell,
Bell argues, keep many believers
needlessly afraid of a loving God, and
repel potential Christians who might
otherwise be curious about the
faith’s teachings.
“The heart of the Christian story
is that God is love, but when you
hear the word ‘Christian,’ you don’t
necessarily think ‘Oh, sure, those are
the people who don’t stop talking
about God’s love.’ Some other
things would come to mind.” Bell
said. About the only thing everyone
agrees on is that this is not a new
debate in Christianity. It stretches to
antiquity, when Christianity was a
persecuted sect in the Roman Empire, and the third century theologian Origen developed a theory that
contemporary critics charged would
mean that everyone, even the devil
himself, would ultimately be saved.
Church leaders eventually condemned ideas they attributed to
Origen, but he has had a lasting influence across the Roman Catholic,
Orthodox and Protestant traditions.
Those traditions often disagree,
even internally, on what awaits souls
after death. The Catholic Church,
which has a formal process for identifying souls in heaven through canonization, pointedly refrains from
saying that anyone is without a
doubt in hell. Protestants reject the
concept of purgatory, in which sins
can be atoned for after death, but
disagree on other questions. The lack
of consensus is enabled partly by
ambiguities in the Bible.
Evangelical opposition to Bell is
exemplified in a succinct tweet from
prominent evangelical pastor John
Piper: “Farewell, Rob Bell.” Page
Hell continue page 7
Pastor James A. Waldon
& Sis Dorothy Waldon
Church
(810) 785-8191
Sunday School ................................................... 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship .............................................................. 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship ................................................................. 6:00 p.m.
Midweek Service ............................................................... 6-8:00 p.m.
Tuesday Bible Study Morning 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday Bible Study Evening ............................................. 6:00 p.m.
Our Motto
“A friendly Church Exalting Our Lord And Saviour, Jesus Christ”
April 3, 2011
CPSA Courier - Page 37
Democrats to
Governor: Michigan
Can’t Wait Until Next
Year for Job
Creation
Lansing – Senate Democrats today took serious issue with Governor Snyder’s assertion at a public
event yesterday when he said “Next
year, my main issue is, let’s start the
job creation process” and questioned the results of the Republican
agenda pushed through in the first
three months of 2011, stating that
GOP lawmakers had done nothing to
help the state’s ailing job market
while creating serious concerns for
workers with legislation that would
allow contracts to be broken and jobs
eliminated.
“What happened to ‘Job One is
Jobs,’” said Senator Bert Johnson
(D-Detroit). “Those same people
whose unemployment benefits you
just cut can’t wait until ‘next year’
for you to focus on job creation.”
Johnson pointed out that none of
the 15 bills signed into law by Governor Snyder so far this year would
create new jobs. Several bills, including the Emergency Manager legislation and the elimination of
Michigan’s item pricing law, would
likely lead to additional jobs being
eliminated, while Public Act 3 actually depletes money from the 21st
Century Jobs Fund. A full listing is
attached.
“When Michigan and Detroit
have lost population by the droves
and everyone knows its jobs that
create and attract people, it is not
only mind boggling but almost inhumane that he would focus on anything other than jobs,” said Senator
Coleman A. Young II (D-Detroit).
“There’s a disconnect between Governor Snyder’s campaign promises
and his actions. The people of Michigan will hold him accountable for
breaking his promises.”
Democrats also cited recent comments from experts in both political
parties criticizing Governor Snyder’s
budget and tax reform proposal because his nearly $2 billion corporate
tax giveaway offers no guarantee for
job growth.
“While I don’t often agree with
the Senate Republican Finance Committee Chair, I completely agree with
his characterization that the
Governor’s budget and tax reform
plan is a $900 million money grab for
business tax cuts that have no guarantee for job growth,” said Johnson.
“Perhaps sooner or later we can actually negotiate meaningful solutions that expand job markets in
Michigan and don’t raise taxes on
seniors, students, and the middle
class.”
Hell
reconcile his belief that Jesus
Christ’s death on the cross redeemed
the entire world with the idea that
millions of people — including millions who had never even heard of
Jesus — were suffering forever in
hell. “We do these somersaults to
justify the monster god we believe
in,” he said. “But confronting my own
sinfulness, that’s when things
started to topple for me. Am I really
going to be saved just because I
believe something, when all these
good people in the world aren’t?”
Gray Southern, United Methodist district superintendent for the
part of North Carolina that includes
Henderson, declined to discuss
Holtz’s departure but said there was
more to it than Rob Bell’s book.
“That’s between the church and
him,” Southern said. Church members had also been unhappy with
Internet posts about subjects like
gay marriage and the mix of religion
and patriotism, Holtz said, and the
hell post was probably the last straw.
Holtz and his family plan to move
back to Tennessee, where he’ll start
a job and maybe plant a church. “So
long as we believe there’s a dividing
point in eternity, we’re going to think
in terms of us and them,” he said.
“But when you believe God has
saved everyone, the point is, you’re
saved. Live like it.”
Continued From Page 5
Brooks, a professor at the New
Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, thinks Bell errs in a conception
of a loving God that leaves out the
divine attributes of justice and holiness. “It’s love, but it’s a just love,”
Brooks said. “God is love, but you
have to understand you’re a sinner
and the only way to get around that
is through Christ’s sacrifice on the
cross.”
Making his new belief public is
both liberating and a little frightening for Holtz, even though his doubts
about traditional doctrines on damnation began long before he heard
about Rob Bell’s book.
A married Navy veteran with five
children, Holtz spent years trying to
Restores
Continued From Page 1
sure they can still put food on their
table. Restoring these resources will
help families stay in Michigan and
help our local businesses that depend on people to buy their goods
and services.”
The Governor indicated in several
interviews that he was forced to cut
the benefits because Republicans in
the Legislature added that piece to a
bill needed to secure immediate help
for those out of work now. In another report, he was quoted as saying he may revisit the cut to 20 weeks
“later in the year.”
“This is not the time to cut unemployment benefits for workers who
lose their jobs due to circumstances
beyond their control,” said Senator
Hunter. “Restoring these six weeks
of benefits will ensure that workers
have all the assistance they need
while they are searching for employment.”
NAACP
Continued From Page 1
in building its homes west on University Park. This spring will have
sections of Saginaw Street’s business association on Carpenter Road
with have new street scapes. Getting
sections of the city in all wards
cleaned up and creating more jobs
like the Diplomat Pharmacy expansion is the goal of the Mayor’s ad-
S
D
E
I
F
I
S
CLAS
810-234-8770
Priceless Farm
Sausage Introduces
All Natural
Gourmet Products
Our farm was started in 2008 with
a simple thought, to raise our food
naturally like it was by our forefathers more than 100 years ago. Here
at Priceless Farm’s we began raising
our own chicken and pork because
we wanted a healthy food that contained no growth hormones, steroids, gmo’s and etc. Most commercial farms use these and other items
to enhance the size and weight of
the animals used in our food supply.
There is a direct link between the
foods we eat and our personal
health.
Our mission is to raise all our food
naturally. We don’t use any enhancers to promote growth and therefore
have a slower growth process but
one that is much healthier. We don’t
use salt to cure our pork. We cure
our hogs naturally and this process
produces a much sweeter and
healthier meat.
We raise purebred Berkshire hogs.
This is the highest quality of pig you
can raise. These hogs date back to
the mid 1800’s in England and was
the only hog used by the royal fam-
ily because of the lean meat and delicious taste.
Our sausage is hand made using
the finest cuts of meat. We have a
gourmet sausage of the highest quality and considered to be the tastiest
most have ever Md. There is no
shrinkage or grease when our sausage is cooked because of the fine
lean cuts of meat used when making
the sausage. We pride ourselves on
every hog raised and even sausage
made to be the best on the market.
All sausage is handmade and packaged with the upmost care and respect.
Priceless Farm Sausage carries
bulk sausage, breakfast links,
bratwurst and bacon. These products are available in many flavors to
suit your personal taste. We also
offer hog roast as a healthy alternative to the traditional meal for large
gatherings. We are a community
based business with an excellent
product to be enjoyed by everyone
in the family. Visit us at our website
www.pricelessfarmsausage.com to
find out more about us.
SOCIAL SECURITY
ISSUES
By Cynthia W. Edwards
Public Affairs Specialist
Fast Medicare Coverage Even
When You’re Not Retired
You’ve made your decision: although you’re eligible to collect Social
Security payments, you’re going to keep working and delay receiving your
retirement benefits.
But don’t forget about Medicare.
Even if you decide to wait until after you are age 65 to apply for retirement benefits, most people should apply for Medicare coverage at age 65.
If you’d like to begin your Medicare coverage, you should apply within
four months of reaching age 65.
There’s a fast, convenient, and simple way to apply online for Medicare
in as little as 10 minutes — even if you’re not ready to receive retirement
benefits. Just visit www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.
At the website, you’ll find more than just the online Medicare application. You’ll also find information about Medicare, and have the opportunity to watch a short, fun video reuniting the cast of The Patty Duke Show
to tell you about the ease and convenience of filing for Medicare online.
It’s important to note that people who already receive Social Security
retirement or disability benefits do not need to apply for Medicare; they
will be automatically enrolled.
There is no additional charge for Medicare hospital insurance (Part A)
since you already paid for it by working and paying Medicare tax. But
there is a monthly premium for medical insurance (Part B). If you already
have other health insurance when you become eligible for Medicare, you
should consider whether you want to apply for the medical insurance. You
may want to consult with an insurance specialist. To learn more about this
and other Medicare considerations, read our online publication, Medicare,
at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10043.html.
Zero Percent Financing
Pros Vs Cons
Zero percent financing deals are
popping up left and right these days,
with interest rates at historic lows
and retailers desperate to boost
sales. A friend of mine from college
recently wrote to me, asking for some
advice on whether to go for this kind
of deal. He asks:
I’m thinking of buying a new television and noticed that there are
zero percent financing options
available. I have the cash in my savings to buy the product outright, but
at zero percent I can easily pay it off
in a year without dipping into savings. Are there any cons to this? I
don’t have many revolving accounts, but I suppose it could hurt
ministration. A business center is in
the works. The Mayor’s administration is working to have the Office of
Urban Initiatives to be located in
Flint instead of Saginaw. The Office
of Urban Initiatives was proposed
by Governor Snyder in his State of
the State address in January.
The city is at the beginning of a
Master Plan which is a long range
plan to stabilize our property values,
to attract new jobs and development
and to make improvements in infrastructure. There has been no such
plan since 1960. The city attempted
a Master Plan in the 1970’s but it was
never adopted. A Master Plan for the
city of Flint was a grant of $1.57 million in federal funds. A Master Plan
will coordinate the housing and business needs as identify needed
changes to the present infrastructure, roads, codes and ordinances.
my credit score.
The good news is, zero percent
financing is like free money for 12
months. But there are numerous
downsides that can make these offers a bust from a credit perspective.
I tapped my friend and colleague
John Ulzheimer, the credit guru at
Credit.com, for some added advice.
Here’s the scoop:
Zero percent financing offers from
retailers can adversely affect your
credit score mainly due to the following:
• You could be ramping up your
credit “utilization” percentage.
When you finance a purchase from
a retailer, they may open a store
credit card in your name for the exact amount of the purchase. The
store then charges up the newly
opened account, maxing out the
credit limit. Not good. Thirty percent
of your FICO score is based on data
that include your utilization ratio,
according to myfico.com. This is
equal to the amount of unpaid credit
card balances as a percentage of the
credit card limits in your name. You
want to keep this utilization under
10% if your goal is to keep your
score well into the 700s. In fact, according to FICO, consumers who
have scores above 760 have an average credit card utilization of just
7%. If you pay off the debt in full in
month one this won’t bang up your
score for more than that month. But
psychologically we may be tempted
to let that balance sit for 11 months
(since there’s no interest) and pay it
in the final month, during which time
this “stagnant” debt can cause a
continued drag on your score, says
John. “Having a maxed out credit
card on your credit report for 11
months doesn’t do you scores any
good,” he says.
• You’re applying for new credit.
A credit inquiry by a retailer can hurt
your credit score, especially if you
are requesting new credit several
times in a short period of time. The
inquiry will stay on your report for
up to 2 years and can hurt your score
for the first 12 months, according to
John.
• You’re opening up a new account, which will eventually be re-
ported to the credit reporting agencies. “This lessens the average age
of your credit file,” says John. The
length of your credit history is about
15% of your credit score.
A better alternative? Since my
friend has the money (and I would
add that he should only make this
purchase if he can afford to dip into
savings), he may want to pay for the
TV using a rewards card that’s already in his wallet. And of course,
he should pay off the debt in full
when the statement shows up. This
way, as John says, “You can leave
your credit report and score out of
the equation.”
CPSA Courier - Page 84
April 3, 2011
Shared Sacrifice – Revisited
Gerri Hall
Governor Rick Snyder is launching his own version of “Shock and
Awe” in his attempt to “Re-invent
Michigan ” on the backs of deprived
citizens. Snyder is attempting to balance Michigan’s budget on the
backs of labor unions, senior citizens, low income tax payers, revenue
sharing to poor cities like Flint, struggling school districts and thereby,
affecting our public safety. Governor Snyder, who likens himself to a
‘Nerd’, is surgically taking away the
rights and privileges of tax paying
citizens to use collective bargaining
relative to their local contracts. He is
also attempting to tax senior citizens,
(people who can afford it the least)
and take away the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) from low wage earners. He also is proposing reducing
Revenue Sharing for struggling cities, while showing no compassion
for the needs of the poor school districts or for public safety.
Governor Rick Snyder’s form of
governance is known as “Plutocracy”. The definition of Plutocracy
means “government by the wealthy”;
they are the wealthy elite. Rick
Snyder believes in what he called
Governor Rick Snyder
“Shared Sacrifice” to the degree he
demanded that he would receive one
dollar for his salary. Nevertheless,
Snyder’s idea of “Shared Sacrifice”
is the same as most other plutocrats,
including most of the 261 millionaires
in our United States Congress. It is
now clear to the people of Michigan
, that “the low income and the middle
and working class, will share an inordinate large portion of the sacri-
fice”.
Fact Check: Michigan ’s tax system is already regressive, meaning
that poorer people pay a higher tax
rate than the wealthy. In fact, right
now Michiganders making between
$17,000-$32,000 per year pay 9.9% of
their income in taxes — almost twice
as much as the 5.3% paid by the top
1%, who make over $335,000 per year.
Nevertheless, Governor Rick
Snyder has decided, that’s just not
regressive enough. So in the name
of “shared sacrifice,” he wants to
hike income taxes on poor and working Michiganders, while barely
scratching the richest. If Snyder and
the Michigan Republican-controlled
legislative body succeed, the largest income tax increase by percent
of income will be levied against the
poorest Michiganders — eleven
times as much as the increase for the
top 1%.
To the average Michigander, Rick
Snyder and the GOP run House and
Senate has become the most dangerous threat to the State of Michigan
in our state’s history. The goal of
Rick Snyder’s push for Emergency
Financial Managers appears to give
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the authority to the Emergency Financial Managers to abolish the will
of the people and to allow our cities
and states to be run by corporatelike CEOs – and there’s no telling
where it will go from there.
Governor Rick Snyder, who believes in limited government, has
signed into law an Emergency Financial Management bill, which will hand
total control of local governments
over to “Emergency Financial Managers”, who are appointed by the
governor and his administration.
Mark Gaffney, President of the
Michigan State AFL-CIO, is quoted
as saying, “It takes every decision
in a city or school district and puts it
in the hands of the manager, from
when the streets get plowed to who
plows them and how much they are
paid. In the schools, this manager
would decide academics or if you
have athletics. This is a takeover by
the right wing and it’s an assault on
democracy like I’ve never seen.”
Sacrifices should be made by all
residents of our state, not just the
low income and middle class Michiganders!! Let’s tell our governor,
Enough is Enough!!!