2013 Summer - The Way of the Cross Church of Christ, International

The Way of the Cross Church of Christ, International
www.wotcc.net
National Youth for Christ
www.wotccyfc.org
69th Annual Holy and 59th Annual National Youth for Christ Convocation
We’ve Come
Too Far To
Turn Around
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:20
THE MESSENGER
69th WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIST, INTERNATIONAL
59th NATIONAL YOUTH FOR CHRIST
ANNUAL HOLY CONVOCATION
IN THIS ISSUE:
Greetings from the NYFC President, Eld. Travell Travis, Esq.
Page 3
National YFC President Ministers to the Masses
Page 4
National YFC 2012-13 Leadership Team
Page 5—6
The Jesus Name Centennial, by David K. Bernard
Page 7
Two-Day Mid-Day Revival Guest Speaker, Elder Mark Moore, Jr.
Page 8
Intermediate YFC Worship Speaker, Bishop Eric L. Cannady
Page 8—9
Evening Worship Experience Guest Speaker, Elder Tyquan Sparks
Page 9
Young Adult Worship Service Speaker, Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr.
Page 9—10
Evening Worship Experience Guest Speaker, Pastor Joel Urshan
Page 11
Abundant Life WOTCC, Elder Tommy L. Shaw, Pastor
Page 11
Shiloh WOTCC, 2nd Vice Presiding Bishop Earley Dillard, D.D., Pastor
Page12 –14
Bethel WOTCC, Bishop Darnell Easton, Pastor
Page 14—15
Jerusalem WOTCC, Elder Cleive Adams, Pastor
Page 15—16
Miracle WOTCC, Elder John Govan, Pastor
Page 16—17
Shiloh Temple WOTCC, Bishop Darrell Hairston, Pastor
Page 17—18
Nesmith WOTCC, Bishop Joe T. Gamble, Pastor
Page 18
Burning Light WOTCC, Elder Marlon Fitzgerald, Pastor
Page 18
Triumph WOTCC, Elder Christopher S. Hairston, Pastor
Page 18—19
New Beginning WOTCC, Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr. Pastor
Page 20
City of Refuge WOTCC, Elder Travell Travis, Pastor
Page 21
Lighthouse WOTCC, Elder Steve Dukes, Sr., Pastor
Page 22
Evangelistic Temple WOTCC, Bishop Roosevelt Fulton, Pastor
Page 23
Greater Ransom WOTCC, Bishop Johnny L. Alston, Pastor
Page 24
New Dimension WOTCC, District Elder Elijah Page, Pastor
Page 25
Christ Church WOTCC, Bishop Ronald Frazier, Pastor
Page 25
Open Heart WOTCC, District Elder Troy Carter, Pastor
Page 26
2013 NYFC Election—Candidate Profiles
Page 27—30
2013 NYFC Ambassador Awards
Page 30—32, 39—40
2013 NYFC Essay Contest Participants
Page 33—39
2013 NYFC Fall Jubilee Information
Page 41
Convocation Recreation Information
Page 42
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The Way of the Cross Church of Christ, International
NATIONAL YOUTH FOR CHRIST
NATIONAL OFFICERS:
Elder Travell Travis, Esquire
PRESIDENT
Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Bishop Eric L. Cannady
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Elder Eric Jackson
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
Sister Keevie W. Hairston
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Deacon Tony Williams
TREASURER
Mother Isabell B. Ford
NYFC FOUNDER
Bishop Alphonzo D. Brooks
NYFC ADVISOR
Bishop Leroy H. Cannady, Sr.
PRESIDING BISHOP
Bishop Henry C. Brooks
FOUNDER
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Office of the President
P.O. Box 453
Hampton, VA 23669
757-726-2442
757-726-0194 Fax
www.wotccyfc.org
SOCIAL MEDIA:
July 31, 2013
Greetings to you and yours in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ!
It is indeed an honor and privilege to welcome you to the 59 th
Annual National Youth for Christ Convention here in the great city of Atlanta, Georgia. With much prayer and planning, our staff has worked hard to create a convention that we hope you will find to be refreshing and empowering.
In returning to Atlanta, I must admit to having mixed emotions. It was only five
years ago that we came to Atlanta for our first convention, as your president, with a
brand new staff of executive officers. The Lord met us in a tremendous way with a
great outpouring of His Spirit. Ironically, in returning to Atlanta, I must say goodbye
to 4 out of 6 of those executive officers – first vice president, Bishop Bennett B.
Gamble, second vice president, Bishop Eric L. Cannady, third vice president, Elder
Eric V. Jackson, and treasurer, Deacon Tony Williams.
For the last six years, I have had the wonderful privilege of working with these outstanding men of God to lead this National Youth for Christ. During this time they
have sacrificed much of their time and resources to participate in monthly conference calls, attend national meetings, and work with their staff to ensure that the
youth had great national meetings. Often our conference calls became bible studies,
prayer services, and ministry support group sessions. Over the years we have grown
from being, in some cases, only mere acquaintances, to becoming true brothers in
Christ and co-laborers in the Gospel.
I ask that you join me throughout the convention, in expressing our love and appreciation to them for their years of service and sacrifice for the NYFC. As well, I salute
all the committee chairs and staff who have worked with them during this time and
whose official service to the NYFC will end at the conclusion of the convention. I bid
you all Godspeed as you move to new and higher levels of ministry and work for the
kingdom God.
Over the next two days we have a great program planned with powerful preaching,
insightful teaching, dynamic worship, wonderful fellowship, and exciting youth competitions and awards. This year, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Jesus
name message in America, we are honored to have as our guest speakers, ministers
who are either 4th or 5th generation apostolic preachers – Elder Mark Moore, Jr.,
Elder Tyquan Sparks, and Elder Joel Urshan. We know that the Lord has sent them
here to deliver a powerful word to this generation of Apostolic youth. As our convention theme states, “We’ve Come Too Far To Turn Around.”
May the blessings of the Lord be upon you this week and always!
Because He is, I am,
Elder Travell Travis, Esq.
National Youth for President
“This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face…”
Psalm 24:6
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National Youth for Christ President Ministers to the Masses
With pastoral and professional obligations, over the last year our National Youth for Christ president continues to travel throughout the WOTCC to support our local youth departments.
Friday, August 24, 2012 – Guest speaker at Cornerstone WOTCC, Charlotte, NC, District Elder Moses McKever.
Saturday, August 25, 2012 – Guest speaker at Triumph WOTCC, Roanoke, VA, Elder Christopher S. Hairston for Back-toSchool Revival.
Friday, October 19, 2012 – Guest Speaker at Solid Rock WOTCC, Eden, NC, Elder T.L. Hairston for Pastor Appreciation
Month Service.
Saturday, October 20, 2012 – Guest Speaker at Jerusalem WOTCC, Rocky Mount, VA, Elder Cleive E. Adams for Youth
Harvest Festival Service.
Friday, February 8, 2013 – Guest MC at Gates of Praise WOTCC, Hampton, VA, Bishop Carl W. Miller for Youth Friday
Night Live Service.
Sunday, February 17, 2013 – Guest Speaker at Refuge WOTCC, Baltimore, MD, Presiding Bishop Leroy H. Cannady, Sr.
for YFC Service in honor of Lewis Family.
Friday, March, 8, 2013 – Guest speaker at Christ Church WOTCC, Cheverly, MD, Bishop Ronald A. Frazier for 12th
Church & Pastor Anniversary Service.
Sunday, April 28, 2013 – Guest speaker at Mount Calvary WOTCC, Landover, MD, Bishop Willie J. Davis for YFC Service.
Sunday, June 2, 2013 – Guest speaker at Shiloh WOTCC, Martinsville, VA, Vice Presiding Bishop Earley Dillard, Pastor’s
Week Service.
Friday, June 14, 2013 – Guest speaker at Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, Virginia Western Diocese, Youth Convention,
Petersburg, VA, Bishop Thurman Hargrove, Diocesan.
Since becoming NYFC President in 2007, Elder Travell and First Lady Travis, together, have visited over 90% of
the churches in the WOTCC with plans to visit the remaining churches in the next few months. In October,
Elder Travis, First Lady Travis, and several other pastors and youth officers will be travelling to Anchorage,
Alaska, to be with Bishop Eugene McCrae and the saints of Praise Temple WOTCC as they celebrate their 19 th
Pastor and Church Anniversary. Please continue to keep Elder and Sis. Travis in your prayers as they continue
to travel to serve our local youth departments!
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National Youth for Christ Leadership Team
2012—2013
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS:
President: Elder Travell Travis, Esq.
1st Vice President: Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr.
2nd Vice President: Bishop Eric L. Cannady
3rd Vice President: Elder Eric V. Jackson
Secretary: Elect Lady Keevie W. Hairston
Treasurer: Deacon Tony O. Williams
ADVISORY BOARD:
Bishop A.D. Brooks, Chairman
Elder Robert Eugene Dargan
Bishop Earley Dillard
Bishop Bennett Gamble, Sr.
District Elder Melvin Easley
Elder O’Brien Echols
Elder Eric V. Jackson
Deacon John Kearney
Elder Chauncey Lancaster
Bishop Keith Nesmith
District Elder Richard Simon
Elder Travell Travis, Esq.
EXECUTIVE STAFF:
Audio/Visual: Elder O’Brien Echols
Bible Bee Challenge Coordinator: Missionary Aneisa Simon
Chaplain: Minister Isaiah Long
Council of YFC Presidents: Minister Kevin Easton (Chair), Deacon
Earl Dodson (Advisor)
Executive Assistant: Sister Joy Miller
Fellowship Activities Coordinators: Sister Yolandas Alston and
Brother Jeff Long
Financial Secretary: Deacon Brian Flower
Health and Nursing: VACANT
Hospitality: Sister Sherissa Dorsey
Housing Chairman: Elder Henry C. Lancaster
Logistics Coordinator: VACANT
Minister of Music: Minister Allen Lewis, Jr.
Newsletter: Elect Lady Keevie W. Hairston (Editor) and Sister Joy
Miller (Designer)
Parliamentarian: VACANT
Photography: Brother Mays
Recording Secretary: VACANT
Registration: Sister Marita Nichols
Safety Ministry: Brother Baron Gamble, Sgt. of Arms
Trophies and Awards: Elect Lady Keevie W. Hairston
Ushers: VACANT
WOTCC DIOCESE YFC PRESIDENTS:
Mid-Atlantic Diocese: Sister April Crutchfield
New England Diocese: District Elder Elijah D. Page
North Carolina Diocese: Elder Michael Alston
South Carolina Diocese: Minister Latiff Timmons
Virginia Diocese: Elder Eric V. Jackson
JUNIOR YOUTH FOR CHRIST COORDINATORS:
Elect Lady Tonia D. Cannady
Elect Lady Latisha Carter
Sister Sonia Lewis
NATIONAL JUNIOR YFC OFFICERS:
President: Sister Lincia Cannady
Vice President: Brother Vaughn Nesmith
Secretary:
Treasurer: Brother Ethan C. Hairston
NATIONAL INTERMEDIATE YFC OFFICERS:
President: Sister Carlisa Simon
1st Vice President: Sister Cierra Cannady
2rd Vice President: Brother Montez Thompson
3rd Vice President: Sister Amber Hairston
Secretary: Sister Tiana Barnett
NATIONAL YOUNG ADULT YFC OFFICERS:
President: Brother Daniel Millner
1st Vice President: Brother Andrew Hairston
2nd Vice President: Sister Victoria Clements
3rd Vice President: Brother Stuart Hairston
Secretary: Sister Jacqueline Barlow
Treasurer: Deacon Jason Flores
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
Deacon Audi Hicks
Deacon Brian Fowler, Financial Secretary
Deacon Michael Henderson
Deacon Jonathan Flores
Deacon Brian Richardson
Deacon Tony Williams, Treasurer
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE:
Sister Beverly Williams, Chair
Sister Bertha Gamble
Sister Rayanne Carter
PROGRAM COMMITTEE:
Sister Keisha Johnson, Chair
Sister LaVatry Pickard (Youth Showcase)
Sister Bertha Gamble (Youth Showcase)
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE:
Elder Christopher S. Hairston
Sister Joy Miller
Bishop Carlos Simon
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE:
Pastor Vincent Allen, Ph.Dc
Sister Emiko Brown, M. Ed.
Sister Sonjia Davis, M. Ed, Chairperson
Brother Marvin Goodly
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National Youth for Christ Leadership Team (cont’d)
2012—2013
Minister John Green, M. Ed.
Sister Vicki Lucas, S. Ed.
Sister Yolanda Miller, M. Ed.
Missionary Rachael Williams, Ph.D.
Sister TimMarie Williams, Ph.D.
Elder Joshua Wilder
District Elder Elijah Page
Deacon Tony Williams
BIBLE BOWL CHALLENGE
Sister Laura Thomas, Coordinator
Sister Yolanda Alston
Minister James Henderson
Brother Bryant Blackwell
DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY
Sister Latosha Chew
Elect Lady Keevie Hairston
Elect Lady LaRon Howard
Elect Lady Wanda Mintz
Elect Lady Myeesah Page
Elect Lady Sherina Travis, Chair
ESSAY AND ORATORY CONTEST COMMITTEE:
Sister Angela Andrews-Cannady
Elect Lady Latisha Carter
Sister Tyret Fisher
Elect Lady Keevie W. Hairston
Minister Allen Lewis, Jr.
SONS OF ZION:
Pastor Vincent Allen
Pastor Bernard Howard
Elder Isaiah Long
Elder Johnathan Mintz
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The Jesus Name Centennial
Published on
by David K. Bernard
Thursday, January 10, 2013
In 2013 we celebrate one hundred years of the restoration of
water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We find
examples of this practice throughout church history, but key
events in the early twentieth century led to the greatest revival
of this message since the third century.
of God for some time, so McAlister’s comments were especially
intriguing to him. Ewart invited him to his home, where they
discussed the theological implications of using the name of
Jesus in water baptism. They concluded that when the apostles
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they properly
fulfilled Christ’s command to baptize in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).
The Jesus Name message was renewed in the modern Pentecostal movement, which originated with a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, in January 1901 led by Charles Parham and with the
Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California, from 1906 to
1908 led by William Seymour. Based on the examples in Acts,
some early Pentecostals began to baptize in Jesus’ name, including Parham (1901), some in Los Angeles during the Azusa
Street Revival (1907), and Andrew Urshan, a Persian immigrant
in Chicago (1910).
After the camp, Ewart began working in Los Angeles with McAlister and Glenn Cook, a noted evangelist who had been the fulltime business manager of the Azusa Street Mission. These men
continued to study the name of Jesus and the doctrine of God.
After several months McAlister returned to Canada and shared
their thinking with ministers there, particularly Franklin Small.
At some point they also included in their discussions G.T. Haywood, a ministerial friend and a prominent African American
pastor in Indianapolis.
The practice did not yet have strong doctrinal significance,
however. Two notable events led to the development of the
Jesus Name message as a distinct movement: the Worldwide
Camp Meeting in Arroyo Seco in April 1913 and the rebaptisms
of Frank Ewart and Glenn Cook in April 1914.
In November 1913 at a convention in Winnipeg, McAlister
preached the first sermon on the name of Jesus in water baptism. Small had charge of the baptismal service and baptized
thirty new converts in the name of Jesus Christ. These were the
first Jesus Name baptisms to result from the Arroyo Seco
meeting.
The Worldwide Apostolic Faith Camp Meeting was organized
by R.J. Scott and George Studd and held at Arroyo Seco near
Los Angeles, on a campground used by the Azusa Street Mission. The month-long meeting began on April 15, 1913, and
perhaps two thousand people attended.
Back in Los Angeles, Ewart and Cook concluded that, following
the apostolic pattern, water baptism should always take place
with the invocation of the name of Jesus. They also concluded
that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not three distinct persons
but three manifestations of the one God, and Jesus is the revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The reason why there
is such power when believers preach, pray, and baptize in Jesus’ name is that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus.
To proclaim this message, Ewart and Cook pitched a tent and
began meetings in Belvedere, California, just outside Los Angeles. On April 15, 1914, Ewart preached his first sermon on Acts
2:38. He proclaimed that the full message of salvation consists
of repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and
the baptism of the Holy Ghost; and he associated Jesus Name
baptism with the oneness of God in Christ. Then Ewart baptized
Cook in the name of Jesus Christ, and Cook baptized Ewart.
The main speaker was Maria Woodworth-Etter, a well-known
Pentecostal evangelist. Expectations were high, and 364 people
received the Holy Spirit. Many miraculous healings occurred as
Woodworth-Etter prayed “in the name of Jesus.” At a baptismal service Robert McAlister, a Canadian minister, explained
that single immersion was the proper mode for baptism, not
triple immersion. As proof he cited the baptismal accounts in
Acts. The apostles baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ; they never baptized using the words “Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost,” as triple immersion requires.
McAlister’s observation planted a seed in the minds of several
people. A man named John Schaepe was so inspired that he
spent the night in prayer. Early the next morning he began running through the camp shouting that he had received a revelation of the power of the name of Jesus. Quite a few campers
were greatly stirred as Schaepe fervently explained his newfound understanding.
This action—the first rebaptisms in the name of Jesus Christ—
decisively identified Oneness Pentecostalism as a distinct
movement. As the Jesus Name message was preached, a great
revival broke out in Los Angeles. Many were miraculously
healed and many received the Holy Ghost in the waters of baptism. Soon the Jesus Name message began to spread around
the world.
Another man who was deeply impressed was Frank Ewart, originally from Australia, where he had been a Baptist bush missionary. In 1903 he immigrated to Canada, in 1908 he received
the Holy Spirit in Portland, Oregon, and in 1912 he became
pastor of a Pentecostal mission in Los Angeles founded by William Durham. Ewart had been studying the name and oneness
David K. Bernard is the general superintendent of the
United Pentecostal Church International.
7
Mid-Day Youth Revival
Thursday, August 1
Guest Speaker, Elder Mark Moore, Jr.
Faith Covenant Church - Atlanta, GA
Elder Mark A. Moore, Jr. resides in Atlanta, GA, where he is a graduate of
Morehouse College, having obtained his
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. He
is blessed to serve as the Pastoral Assistant of Faith Covenant Church under the
pastorate of his father, Bishop Mark A.
Moore, Sr. as well as the National Youth
President for the Apostolic Assemblies of
Christ, Inc. He has also been honored by
The Youth Gospel Choice Awards as the
Chosen Youth Pastor of the Year.
In addition to these responsibilities, he
is emerging as one of his generations
premier thought leaders in the areas of
ministry branding and strategic social
media and he is passionate about the
opportunity to share with others. He
has hosted two successful Young Leader Retreats with attendees from the
United States and Canada, and is growing his International scope.
Born to a legacy of preachers five generations deep, and having received the
Intermediat e YFC Ser vice
Speaker, NYFC Second Vice President Bishop Eric L. Cannady
Atlanta Metro Way of the Cross Church - Stone Mountain, GA
Pastor Eric Cannady is a man of God
with a vision for the future. God has
placed him in leadership in the Body
of Christ for such a time as this. Even
as a very young child, the call of God
was evident in his life. He was born
in Baltimore, MD and was a member
of the Refuge Way of the Cross
Church. Our current Presiding Bishop, Leroy H. Cannady, was his pastor.
At age 11, his father relocated the
family to the metro Atlanta area and
he has resided there ever since. The
family joined the Bible Way Church
of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the
leadership of Bishop Matthew Norwood, the current Presiding Bishop
for the Church of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. Pastor Cannady accepted his
call to the ministry at the age of 22
and worked diligently at Bible Way.
He served as Youth President, lead
trumpet player, instructor for both
the Sunday School Department and
Bible Institute, member of pastor's
cabinet and ministry staff, and a
member of the leadership team.
Pastor Cannady has also worked
with Bishop Earley Dillard of Martinsville, VA. Bishop Dillard has given guidance and instruction on the
intricate details of developing a
ministry. God has given him the
honor and privilege of working with
three very fine Bishops who have
provided a wealth of knowledge
and wisdom.
On June 9, 2002, by the leading of
the Holy Spirit, Pastor Cannady
opened the doors to the Atlanta
Metro Way of the Cross Church. For
the first nine months, the church
used a meeting room for worship
services on Sundays at 11 am. On
March 23, 2003, the doors to a new
sanctuary were opened. The church
was located on 4600 Rockbridge
Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30083.
Then, on December 6, 2004, God
blessed Atlanta Metro to close on a
new sanctuary. The address is 781
Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA
30083. The first service was held on
Sunday December 19, 2004. This
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Friday, August 2
12 noon
gift of the Holy Ghost at age six, he
acknowledged his call to the ministry at
the age of 18. Since that time, God has
used him to travel across the country
preaching and teaching the unadulterated Word of God across denominational
lines resulting in the lives of countless
souls being touched. God has blessed
him to preach with an unquestionable
anointing while delivering thought provoking, timely messages that transcend
age, color, or denominational background.
Thursday, August 1
6 pm
church building has a sanctuary that
will seat 400, chapel, fellowship hall,
offices, restrooms, computer lab, and
more. Worship and educational opportunities include Sunday School,
Sunday morning and evening service,
early morning prayer and a Wednesday night bible study. God has also
opened the doors to a radio ministry,
Apostolic Impact, that is broadcast
every Sunday at 3 pm on WAEC Love
860 am. To God be the glory!
Pastor Cannady earned a B.S. Degree
in Finance from the University of Delaware and a M.B.A. degree from
Brenau University. He has taken
courses at the Apostolic Christian
College and the Academy of Christian
Counselors. He is currently in pursuit
of a doctoral degree in Organizational
Leadership.
Pastor Cannady was ordained an Elder in the WOTCC in August 2001 at
the 57th Annual Holy Convocation in
Norfolk, VA. In August 2007, during
the 53rd National Youth for Christ
Convention, Pastor Cannady was
elected to serve as the 2nd Vice President for the National Youth for
Christ of the Way of the Cross Church
of Christ, Int’l. In August 2008, he was
elevated to the position of District
Elder over the state of Georgia
churches. On August 3, 2012, during
the 68th Annual Holy Convocation
in Arlington, VA, Pastor Cannady
was consecrated to the sacred
office of Bishop. This is the Lord’s
doing and it is marvelous in our
eyes!
NYFC Evening Wor ship Experience
Guest Speaker, Elder Tyquan Sparks
National Evangelist, Household of Faith Church, Inc.
Youth Pastor, Victory Praise & Worship Center - Columbia, SC
Where is the word of the Lord?
Arise and go down to the potter's
house and there I will cause thee to
hear my words. Then I went down to
the potter's house, and behold, he
wrought a work on the wheels. And
the vessel that he made of clay was
marred in the hand of the potter: so
he made it again another vessel, as
seemed good to the potter to make
it. Jeremiah 18:2-4
Every now and then, God allows us to
observe and hear some of his unique
vessels he has marveled and shaped
from their youth. Tyquan SparksChambers was born February 27,
1986, at McLeod Hospital in Florence, SC. He was reared by his greatgrandmother the late Mother Gertrude Davis. He is the grandson of
Bishop G.W. Chambers and the son
of Bishop P.F. Chambers.
Tyquan is a fourth generation
preacher. Tyquan was called and
anointed at an early age to preach
the gospel. At the toddling age of
five years old, this gifted young
child was dancing to the glory of
God. At the impressionable age of
six, Tyquan enrolled in school and it
would be at this time that God
would work the first of many miracles through this young boy. His
teacher had tried many doctors, but
the painful migraine headaches
were persistent. Tyquan asked if he
could pray for her. After telling him
yes, she was so astonished that she
wrote a letter to the church telling
what God had done through him.
Called into the ministry by God, he
has been preaching for 15 years.
He accepted Christ in the year 1995,
and in the year 1996 he received
the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is the
national evangelist of the Household of Faith Church under the tutelage of his grandfather who is the
Presiding Prelate of the Household
of Faith Churches, Inc. In 2011, God
placed and transitioned Tyquan to
the position of Youth Pastor at Vic-
Pastor Cannady is married to his love,
the former Tonia Dillard of Martinsville, VA. They have three beautiful
children, a daughter Lincia Brooke,
11; and two sons Christian Dillard, 9;
and their newest addition, Ashton
Dillard, 2 months.
Thursday, August 1
8 pm
tory Praise and Worship Center under the leadership of his father Bishop P.F. Chambers. Tyquan was also
ordained Elder in the Lord’s church
by his father Bishop P.F. Chambers
on January 15, 2012.
Through the power of God, Tyquan
has evangelized all across the United
States. In 2010, God used Tyquan
during a revival in Newburgh, NY,
that was slated to last one week.
The power of God moved so heavily
through the city that the one week
revival ended up lasting for over a
month. During that month, many
lives were saved and many were set
free from the bondages of drug addiction, gang affiliations, and other
satanic yokes. Through his ministry,
bodies have been healed, delivered,
and set free from the bondage of sin.
Tyquan's goal for ministry is to impact the Kingdom of God by empowering youth globally. Tyquan is an
anointed young man with a great
zeal for God.
Young Adult YFC Ser vice
Speaker, NYFC First Vice President Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr.
New Beginning Way of the Cross Church—North (DC) & South (MD)
Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr. is a
native of the District of Columbia and
the eldest of five children born to the
late Benny Joe and Bernetha Gamble. He obtained his education
through the D.C. Public School System where he was an honor student and very active in the performing arts, graduating from Dunbar
Senior High School. Awarded a full
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Friday
August 2
6 pm
academic scholarship to Morehouse
College in Atlanta, GA; he chose to
remain close to his family and continued his studies at the University of
the District of Columbia and Howard
University prior to obtaining a degree
in theology from the Apostolic Christian College.
A member of The Way of the Cross
(Mother) Church for more than 30
years, his commitment to church and
the Kingdom of God has been evident
from an early age. Bishop Gamble
was baptized in 1979 and received
the gift of the Holy Ghost in 1981,
during January revival. He preached
his first sermon at age 12 and taught
his first Sunday School class, “Class 4
Boys,” at age 14. As a teenager, he
accompanied his godfather, Bishop
Walter Thompson, Sr., visiting and
praying for those confined to nursing
homes and hospitals, and attending
funerals. Under the leadership of
Bishop Alphonzo D. Brooks, Bishop
Gamble accepted his call to minister
the gospel at age 16.
His pastoral leadership came to light
upon a call from one of the city’s pioneering Apostolic preachers. He was
sought out to be the successor of
New Beginning Evangelistic Church of
Christ at the demise of its former
pastor, Bishop Leroy Cousar. This call
would bring to fruition the prophecy
given to him by the late Naomi
Brooks Postell. Her exact words
were, “You are going to be a pastor
one day, and the name of your
church will be ‘New Beginning’.” Ordained an elder in August 2001, and
being installed pastor of New Beginning Way of the Cross Church of
Christ in October 2001, he began applying the God-given vision of establishing the church. Bishop Gamble
has served as National Minister of
Music, elected NYFC First Vice President for three consecutive terms and
elevated to District Elder in the Middle Atlantic Diocese of the Way of
the Cross Churches of Christ, International and overseeing six churches in District Three. And in August
2012 at the 68th Holy Convocation,
he was blessed to be consecrated to
the office of Bishop in the Way of
the Cross Church of Christ.
Under Bishop Gamble’s leadership,
New Beginning established various
ministries and some of the most
notable accomplishments include:
burning the church mortgage within
the first three years; establishing
the Memorial Scholarship Ministry
that awards at least $1,500 to graduating high school seniors; Watch
Night Service held at the Historic
Lincoln Theater; purchase of a bus
and two vans for the transportation
ministry; annual live Christmas productions to benefit the scholarship
ministry; community outreach services, and last but not least, the
adoption of the Unique Residential
Care Center and the Shepherd’s
Cove Men’s Shelter as a part of the
Outreach Ministry. Bishop Gamble
has visited and held services at the
DC Jail/Correctional Facility. He has
been blessed to baptize more than
200 souls – many confessing the
Holy Ghost shortly thereafter.
A founding sponsor of the National
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, in
2011, Bishop Gamble participated in
a national forum discussion on employment that provided the opportunity to meet and dialogue with
Martin Luther King, III. Most recently, he was privileged to attend Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action
Network Conference, held in Wash-
ington, D.C., and was also recently
recognized for 25 years of civil service at the U.S. Department of Labor
with the 2012 Secretary’s Distinguished Career Service Award.
Having shared 18 years of marriage
with Tonya S. Gamble, together they
continue to co-parent the blessings
God has given them through Bennett
Jr. ("BJ"), Brandon, Brandi, and Dion.
Bishop Gamble is committed to raising his children in the fear and admonition of God, and being faithful
and dedicated to all they set their
minds to accomplish. His children are
active in ministry leadership in both
New Beginning Way of the Cross and
District Three – BJ serves as local YFC
President and Minister of Music;
Brandon is Bishop’s Trustee and Adjutant; Dion serves as Facilities and
Audio/Visual Assistant; and Brandi is
an aspiring psalmist and proudly fulfills the role of Bishop’s little leading
lady in ministry.
Believing that faith causes change,
Bishop Gamble’s desire is to continue
to build a purpose-driven, five-star
ministry that transforms lives, heal
hearts, and win souls for the Kingdom.
We are grateful to God as Bishop
Gamble and New Beginning Way of
the Cross recently celebrated the acquisition of a new church edifice located in Fort Washington, MD. Establishing New Beginning Way of the
Cross Church—North (Washington,
DC) and New Beginning Way of the
Cross Church—South (Fort Washington, MD) ~ they are now ONE church
in TWO locations!
Are you a rising high school senior and have plans to attend college next fall?
Did you know that the National Youth for Christ and other families within our organization
award scholarships ranging from $250—$1,500?
All you have to do is go online to the National Youth for Christ website and learn how to apply.
10
NYFC Evening Wor ship Experience
Guest Speaker, Pastor Joel Urshan
Friday, August 2
First Apostolic Church - Cincinnati, OH
Pastor Joel Andrew Urshan is the
great-grandson of the early twentieth century Apostolic pioneer, Andrew David Urshan, who was born in
Persia, modern day Iran. His greatgrandfather preached this Apostolic
message in Russia at the beginning of
the Russian Revolution. There are
saints and churches in Russia today
who call themselves “Urshanites” in
respect to Brother Andrew who was
the first one to preach this Apostolic-
8 pm
Pentecostal message in Russia.
Pastor Urshan comes from a long
line of Apostolic preachers. His
grandfather, Bishop Nathaniel A.
Urshan, pastored for over twentyfive years at Calvary Tabernacle in
Indianapolis, IN, before answering
the call to leadership of the United
Pentecostal Church, International,
as the General Superintendent. His
father, Elder Nathaniel Paul Urshan
pastored for many years in Kokomo,
IN, where Joel served
as co-pastor before moving to Cincinnati, OH.
Pastor Joel Urshan preached his first
sermon at the age of eleven and he
has been preaching the Apostolic
message for the last twenty years.
He is the pastor of the First Apostolic
Church in Cincinnati which was
founded by Bishop Frank E. Curts in
1925. He and his wife, Heidi, and
their two daughters, reside in Mason,
OH.
ABUNDANT LIFE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Sumt er, SC
Pastor, Elder Tommy L. Shaw
Abundant Life WOTCC celebrated its 4th Church Anniversary in
January 2013.
Sis. Tomesha Shaw is a Junior studying to be an RN. She has
taken a CNA certification class this summer and will be working
at McCleod Regional Memorial Hospital in Florence, SC. She
plans to further her education in Phlebotomy and will be
attending Medical School to become a Certified Nurse Midwife.
Pastor Tommy and Lucinder W. Shaw celebrated their 23rd
Wedding Anniversary on June 30, 2013.
Pastor Tommy Shaw has graduated with honors and received
an Advanced Associate of Theology and is now pursuing his
Bachelors. He will also be blessed to celebrate his 50th birthday on September 21, 2013.
Bro. Tommy Shaw, Jr. has completed a challenging year of 7th
grade. He has received a Superintendent Writing Award from
the District of Williamsburg County for an essay that was clear,
unique, and had an influential message. Tommy will also receive an Ambassador’s Award for his outstanding works in the
ministry as an anointed and innovative musician.
We commend Missionary Lucinder Shaw, Mother Joanne
Cooper, Mother Mary Walker, and Sis. Christine Cunningham
(committed and dedicated to Missionary outreach), Bro. Michael Cunningham (Armor Bearer in training), Bro. Bernard
Tisdale (soul-winner of the year), and Sis. Lakesha Meredith
(coordinator of the Sisterhood of Abundant Life).
Sis. Alona Jones and Brianna Cunningham both graduated
from 4K and will be attending Kindergarten.
11
SHILOH WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Mar tinsville, VA
Pastor, Second Vice Presiding Bishop Earley Dillard, D.D.
Blessings and greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ! God
has really been good to the Shiloh WOTC
Church family!
Our prayers are with the families who
have lost loved ones since our last
meetings. Praying you will find strength
and courage in the thought that God is
with you always. May God comfort each
of you, blessing you with endearing
memories that you will always treasure.
We are praying for you as you travel the
road ahead.
STUDENT NEWS....
“Congratulations to all of our Students”
Sis. Jessica LeAnn Scales graduated on
May 10 from Appalachian State University with her Master’s Degree in Clinical
Mental Health Counseling with a Marriage and Family Counseling concentration and a certificate in Expressive Arts
Therapy. Jessica was chosen to be a Diversity Research Associate where she
was given a $9000 grant to perform research about the need for bilingual counselors in today’s helping profession. As a
part of this research, she had to interview local community figures and give a
presentation to raise awareness in her
graduate program. Jessica gave a presentation at the annual North Carolina Counselors Association about the effects of
play therapy in child and adolescent
counseling. In the summer of 2012, she
participated in the study abroad program
in Cochabamba, Bolivia where she studied Advanced Multicultural Counseling.
Jessica had the opportunity to be immersed in the local culture through tours,
cultural experiences, and working with
the local orphanages and group homes.
The program, with which she traveled,
provided books, clothing, and monetary
donations to the local orphanages and
libraries. Jessica worked as a peer mentor
during the 2012-2013 school year. She
served as a mentor to 14 first-generation,
low socioeconomic status freshmen students. Jessica was also inducted into Chi
Sigma Iota, the international professional
honor society for counseling students.
Her current GPA is 3.97. She is currently
finishing her internship at Mountain
Youth Academy in Mountain City, TN,
where she is working with troubled
youth and adolescents. Jessica works as
a clinical intern during the day and provides counseling to the students, documents, case-notes, and fulfills the other
duties of an intern. During second shift,
Jessica works as a Mental Health Associate where she provides supervision of
facility students and documenting behavior through implementing treatment
plans and providing crisis intervention
as necessary. Jessica passed her Comprehensive Exam and her National
Counseling Exam, which approved her
to be a Nationally Certified Counselor.
Jessica is currently working on receiving
her Licensed Professional Counselor
Associate in the state of North Carolina.
Bro. Brenton Cabiness received his
Bachelor’s of Information Technology
degree from American National University.
Sis. Kirsten Alexandra Martin is pursuing a degree in Biology at Radford University in hopes of becoming a physical
therapist. She is presently classified as a
second semester sophomore with a GPA
of 3.4. She made the Dean’s list the second semester.
Bro. Dexter O’Brien Dodson, an upcoming senior at Randolph-Macon University, has a 3.12 GPA majoring in Mathematics and Physics, and has been accepted as a Resident Assistant. Dexter
played on the Randolph-Macon Football
team. He also was a member of “One
Change At A Time” Club, a volunteer
club that provides lawn service for the
handicapped, gives out blankets at
Thanksgiving, and gives gifts at Christmas to the less fortunate kids. Dexter
organized the food committee for Community Day. The Club also won the
dodge ball contest that had the largest
turn out for “Relay-4-Life”. They won
money for each, which was donated to
12
a self-created mentoring program for a
local elementary school.
Sis. Kimberly Wooten is a Patrick Henry
Community College Culinary Arts Career
Studies Student that has made the
Dean’s list twice, has a 3.4 GPA, and has
received the Culinary Arts Career Studies
Certificate.
Sis. Ebony Martin, cum laude/honors
graduate from Magna Vista High School,
has been accepted into the College of
William and Mary with a full scholarship
and has received over $2,000 in other
scholarships to study Psychology with a
minor in Sociology with an ultimate goal
of attending Law School. In addition,
Ebony received the Gold Award for Girl
Scouts completing 80 hours of community service, was nominated and won ambassador title for 2013-2014 4-H cabinet,
and awarded 4-H All-star membership for
life.
Sis. Ciera Stockton graduated from Martinsville High School with plans to attend
Patrick Henry Community College in the
fall with a major in Early Childhood Development and Culinary Arts.
Sis. Kristen Moore graduated with an
Advanced Diploma from Martinsville High
School. She has been accepted into Johnson & Wales University for the Baking
and Pastry Program. She will attend Patrick Henry Community College for her
General Studies and transfer to J & W as
a Junior into the Baking and Pastry Program.
Bro. Javarron Stockton, upcoming Senior
at Martinsville High School, is the current
SCA President, has a 3.6 GPA, and has
been inducted into the Technical National Honor Society and Who’s Who Among
American High School Student.
Bro. Bryan Scales, student at Magna
Vista High School, is a member of the
National Society of Black Engineers, has a
3.8 GPA, honor roll for the year, passed
all SOL’s, selected for membership in the
National Society of High School Scholars.
Bro. Adrian Teon Hylton received his 5th
grade completion diploma from Rich
Acres Elementary. He scored advanced
for writing SOL with score of 523, scored
Advanced for reading SOL with score of
565, scored a perfect score of 600 on
Math SOL and the History SOL. Adrian
received a medal for perfect attendance
for not missing a day in all 5 years, received Principal Scholar for all year, received the Cleo B. Wickham Award trophy which was voted on by faculty and
students for outstanding citizenship, received the F.J. Bullins Award trophy
which is the highest award given by the
school. Adrian was the first person to win
this award twice. On the SRI (Scholastic
Reading Inventory Test) with a grade 5
target range of 700-1000, Adrian scored
1466, which was the highest score by
over 400 points. He is very athletic and
has won numerous awards and gifts in
various areas ranging from football to
track.
Bro. Chandler Bryson Norman maintained all S’s for the third grade year. He
received a certificate for completing all
summer requirements for math and
reading, a certificate for completing all
requirements for the 3rd grade PYP program. He performed his student action
duties in his community by running/
walking 3-4 miles for the March of Dimes
this year. He is a member of the Carlisle
birthday book club donated over 50
books to the library, erasers and composition books to Operation Children International, for children in Iraq. Chandler
helped design a T-shirt for himself and
his classmates that said “Be Thankful for
today, Be Thankful no matter What!” He
passed all IOWA test, received Carlisle
Reading Award, National Physical Fitness
Award Certificate. Chandler was a bear
cub scout with numerous badges and
certificates and is now a WeBeLo scout.
He will enter 4th grade in the fall.
Sis. Alivia Marie Millner received EHonor Roll three of four nine weeks,
Good Citizenship Award, Good Attendance Award and E-S honor roll award.
She raised over $30 for Hoops for Heart,
participated in accelerated reader program, and is reading on a 4th grade level.
She advanced to the 3rd grade at Rich
Acres Elementary.
Bro. Tayemar Hodge was given the Pho-
nological Awareness Literacy Screening
(PALS) grade level for first grade with
expectation is 39, he scored 61, made
the honor roll for each quarter and Principal Scholar for second quarter, received a certificate in AR-Reading,
award for Good Citizenship, and will
enter the 2nd grade at Axton Elementary
this fall.
Sis. JaKira Redd completed the 1st grade
at Stoneville Elementary with a certificate of achievement, reading incentive,
and perfect attendance for the 4th and
5th six weeks and will enter the 2nd
grade in the fall.
Bro. Jonaven Millner attended school at
Rich Acres Elementary receiving the SHonor Roll two of four nine weeks, the
good citizenship award, and good
attendance award. He raised over $20
for Hoops for Heart. He received the
best handwriting award out of his class
of 24 students. Jonaven started with a
28 in English and ended the school year
with a 98! He advanced to 1st grade.
Sis. Jacinda Henry received a Citizenship
Award, made the Honor Roll and will
enter the 1st grade in the fall.
Bro. Denyiran Hodge, Morehill Head
Start School, completed 2 years in the
Head start program and graduated in
May. He was beyond Kindergarten expectations, social-emotional, physical,
language, and cognitive development.
Beyond Kindergarten expectations in
learning literacy and math, he will enter
Kindergarten at Axton Elementary in the
fall.
Sis. London Norman completed testing
and in-class evaluation for admittance
to pre-school 3. She will begin in the fall.
Born premature weighing 2 pounds 8
ounces, a walk was sponsored on behalf
of London with the theme “London’s
Bridge” and $170 was collected and
donated to the March of Dimes on her
behalf. She is a healthy 3-year-old now.
To God Be The Glory!
We thank God for all our Youth for
Christ and their endeavors academically and in Christ Jesus. May God bless
you.
Some Highlights of recent events at
Shiloh: Bishop Dillard and congregation
traveled to Lighthouse WOTCC in Flor13
ence, SC to render service on March 9
where Elder Stevie Dukes is the pastor.
We had a glorious time in Jesus name.
Some saints from St. Peters WOTCC,
Miracle Temple WOTCC, and Greater
New Hope St. Paul WOTCC joined us in
this service. The Youth enjoyed an Easter Cookie Prayer with a day filled with
Bible puzzles and games, food, egg coloring and an egg hunt. Elder Chris and
First Lady Keevie Hairston and their
sons, Ethan and Israel, from Triumph
WOTCC came to be with the youth on
this day. On April 14, Don Hild of High
Point, NC presented a workshop on
Medicare and Healthcare Reform here
that was very informative. On April 20,
our bus and van load of saints traveled
to the Virginia State Diocese Convention
hosted by Bishop Carl Miller and the
Gates of Praise WOTCC in Hampton. We
had a glorious time. Elder Alphonzo
Jones and New Vision Ministries WOTCC
rendered service here on April 21. The
bus and some cars traveled to Charlotte,
NC on June 22 to the Southern Region
Conference hosted by Bishop Darrell
Hairston and Shiloh Apostolic Temple
WOTCC. It was such a joy to see and be
in service with the saints from the south
and Washington, DC. Our Academic/
Awards program was held on June 30
with numerous students receiving recognition. The Puppet Ministry presented a
skit entitled “Got Wings.” A certificate
and monetary gift was given to each
recipient from Bishop Dillard. Youth Fun
Evening was held July 19 filled with
games, food, gospel Karaoke, and other
fun activities. “To God be the glory for
the things He has done and is going to
do!”
CONGRATULATIONS BISHOP DILLARD
on your 28th Pastoral Year!
The Celebration Week began on June 2
and concluded on June 9 with a Pastor’s
Banquet. The week was filled with great
preaching and glorious singing. Guest
included two of his sons in the Gospel:
Elder Travell Travis, our National YFC
President and Pastor of City of Refuge
WOTC, Richmond, VA and Elder Christopher Hairston and Triumph WOTC, Roanoke, VA. Bishop Terry Hicks, Pastor of
New Hope WOTCC, Teaneck, NJ rendered a two-night Revival, Pastor Mark
Price and Greater New Bethel Apostolic
Church, Martinsville, VA, and Bishop Darrell Hairston, Pastor of Shiloh Apostolic
Temple WOTCC, Charlotte, NC. What a
GLORIOUS Holy Ghost week it was! We
thank God for filling a soul with the Holy
Ghost during the week’s noonday prayer.
To God Be The Glory! Our Pastor’s Banquet was held at the Quality Dutch-Inn,
Collinsville closing out the celebration.
We were honored to have celebrate with
us District Elder and First Lady Alfred
Jones of Jesus Center WOTCC, Appomattox, VA, Elder Alphonzo Jones, Pastor
of New Vision Ministries WOTCC, Martinsville, VA, Elder Cleive Adams and
some members of Jerusalem WOTCC,
Rocky Mt., VA, Elder and Sister Charles
Hairston of Jerusalem WOTCC, Bishop &
Lady William McCollum of Martinsville,
and Elder & Mrs. Ernest Farmer, Jr. also
of Martinsville. A special guest appearance and music rendition was by twelve
-year-old violinist Khadim Mbacke,
grandson of Sister Tulani Abdul, who
dedicated two selections “I Believe I
Can Fly” and “Break Every Chain” in
honor of Bishop Dillard.
Bishop and Sister Dillard recently returned from a five-day trip to San Jose,
CA. Places visited were Carmel, Monte-
rey, 17 mile Drive, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Muir Woods, and Napa Valley.
They enjoyed beautiful weather during
their travels. They also recently returned
from Anchorage, AK, where Bishop
Dillard drove over 1300 miles in three
days visiting North and South of Anchorage. Places visited were Fairbanks, North
Pole, viewed Denali (picture perfect
weather) Mirror Lake, Cooper Landing,
Kenai, beautiful Homer, Whittier, Portage
Glacier, and Alyeska in Gildwood. Beautiful weather was enjoyed every day.
We love you all…Keep the faith, never
give up, and…Be Blessed in Jesus Name.
BETHEL WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Huntingt own, MD
Pastor, Bishop Darnell Easton
We send you greetings from the Youth
for Christ Ministry at Bethel Way of the
Cross Church, Inc. We are elated and
thrilled about what God is doing in our
midst. There are great things happening
and taking place in city of Huntingtown,
MD:
Over the past few months, Bethel’s
youth have been engaged in several services, accomplishments, and various
church activities.
Church Services/Activities:
Our youth department has been very
busy in the last couple of months. It has
been such a blessing for our young people. We are growing and progressing,
working for the kingdom, and striving to
please God in all that we do. Please be
praying for our youth body as a whole,
for we wrestle day to day with the enemy and his tactics. Pray that we stay unified and continue to hold up the bloodstained banner. Bethel’s youth, as a
whole, will continue to pray for you.
The teen ministry at Bethel has planned
several events over the last few months.
Let’s take an inside peek as to what they
have been up to:

The Teen Ministry and Young Adult
Ministry partnered together on March
17, 2013, and presented a service of empowerment on the topic of “What’s Go-
ing on in the Social Media World?” The
facilitators brought forth a great message and they included topics on:
 Respecting your spouse on social
media
 Liking inappropriate posts/pictures
 Hiding inappropriate things from
news feed
 How does it affect your employment/education
 Responding to personal attacks
 Spring cleaning your friend list
This service shed some light on various
media sites such as Twitter, FaceBook,
Instagram, and YouTube, etc.
On March 29, 2013, the teens sponsored the Holy Ghost Impact Zone. This
service is geared toward our youth, but
everyone is welcome. It is a service
where everyone comes together for a
power-packed experience, to be in the
presence of the Most High!
My True Identity, was an event hosted
by the Teen Ministry on April 5, 2013.
Facilitated by our very own Sis. Cayla
Chase. In this workshop, they asked the
youth “What is your true identity?”
exploring who you are in Christ and
what is your purpose. This event also
included a chance for the youth to
spend time, bond, and talk with one
another. They also had a recreation
14
hour where they got a chance to bond
more. This event was very successful and
the teens were blessed by the ministry
that night. Keep it up teens!
The Teen Ministry had a fellowship with
the topic “Where Does Your Strength
Lie?” On June 15, 2013, they explored
how strong you are spiritually and naturally. To the natural man they ministered
by enjoying food, fun, and fellowship.
Bethel Young Adult Ministry (Y.A.M.) is
on the move. Inspiring our young adults
to stay fired up for the Lord. As we continue to go higher in the Lord with more
word, Holy Ghost explosions, and fellowship, the Lord shows Himself strong in
our midst.
Young adult took time to fellowship in
May with bonding and fellowship while
bowling. A lot of the youth got a chance
to show their skills, while others participated in fun. They also fellowshipped
with other surrounding youth ministries.
In June, Y.A.M. sponsored a cookout and
the fellowship was awesome. The laughter, smiles, and game participation was
fun. Volleyball, kickball, UNO, badminton, etc. It was time well spent with our
college students home for the summer
break as well. We even had special team
names—team AARP and team Bengay. It
was filled with fun and fellowship. The
them the understanding they need to
walk this Christian walk.
Upcoming Events
Our annual Homecoming Celebration is
November 15-17, 2013. Our guest speaker for Friday and Sunday will be Elder
David Hollis from Gary, IN. More information to come with guest artists and
more. Stay tuned.
ministry had a great time.
We want to congratulate our 2013 high
school, college/university and trade
school graduates. On Sunday, June 9,
2013, we honored and recognized our
graduates.
High School Graduates
Bro. Jeff Long Jr.—Huntingtown High
Bro. Tyrell Jones—Calvert High
Sis. Brianna Quarles—Calvert High
Sis. Brianna Willet—Calvert High
Bro. Desmont Jones—Leonardtown High
Bro. Brandon Mason—Calvert High
Bro. Joshua Easton—Old Mill High
College/Universities/Trade School
Sis. Felisha Morsell—Bowie State University
Sis. Teairra Jones—University of Maryland University College
Bro. Brennan James—Johnson & Wales
University Culinary School
Baptisms
Battles of the Mind, amusement parks,
Break-out session “What’s On Your
Mind,” laser tag, and much more presented by the Young Adult Ministry.
God is adding to His kingdom daily, and
we are happy to report Sis. Priscilla
Jackson was baptized on June 2, 2013.
From our Young Adult Ministry, two
young people went down in Jesus
Name! Continue to pray for these souls
that God directs their path and gives
Please continue to keep our youth department, youth leaders, and youth directors in your prayers. The enemy
knows the good work that is going on
here in Huntingtown, MD, and we want
to pray that God continue to keep us and
work through us for there are souls who
are lost and need to know they can find a
friend in Jesus. May God continue to
bless and keep all of you in Jesus Precious Name. God Bless!
JERUSALEM WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Rocky Mount, VA
Pastor, Elder Cleive Adams
Praise the Lord from Jerusalem Way of
the Cross! We are excited to share what
the Lord has been doing in Rocky Mount!
The 3rd Sunday of each month is designated as “Youth Sunday” at Jerusalem
WOTCC. The youth are encouraged to
participate fully in every aspect of the
service on this day and are in charge of
opening up Sunday school devotion, rendering the music for the service, giving
the morning welcome, assisting with the
offertory part of the service, and much
more! The youth always arrive with excitement on Youth Sunday and continue
to do a great job with giving God their all
on “their” day.
th
Every 6 Saturday, the Youth of
Jerusalem participate in the
monthly rotation
for
cleaning
God’s House. The
youth come out early
in the morning to help
do their part in keeping the House of the Lord clean and in
good condition!
The Youth Department hosted a fundraiser event during the month of June.
The projects for this fundraiser included
a car wash, bake sale, yard sale, lemonade sale, and fish fry! The community
came out in large numbers to support
this event, helping the youth raise additional funds for the Convocation! This
was a very exciting and successful event
for the youth and the community as a
whole!
Our annual Youth for Christ Student
Recognition Service/Academic Awards
Ceremony was held on Sunday, June 16.
A total of 14 students were recognized
and honored during this ceremony for
their accomplishments this school year.
15
Those students were:
Bro. Samir Elliott
Bro. William Hairston
Bro. Zykerian Taylor
Bro. Nicholas Hairston
Bro. Seth Kane
Bro. Tyrese Clark
Sis. Olivia Mitchum
Sis. Desirae Jamison
Sis. Patricia Jamison
Sis, Miranda Jamison
Sis. R’Necia Clements
Sis. Adrianna Williams
Sis. Levernia Williams
Sis. Khadijah Grogans
Sis. Khadijah received special recognition
on this day as she successfully completed
her senior year at Franklin County High
School. Sis. Khadijah plans to further her
education in the fall at Ferrum College in
Ferrum, VA. We thank God for blessing
and watching over our students during
the 2012-2013 school year and we pray
God’s continued blessings upon them for
another successful school year during
the 2013-2014 academic season.
The Youth Department presented a
youth summer camp on the evenings of
Wednesday, July 17 through Friday, July
19. The theme for the camp was
“Summer Fun!” On Wednesday evening,
the activities included a youth bible
study on “Noah and the Flood” in addition to a stage play movie titled “NOAH!”
On Thursday evening, the youth traveled
to Roanoke, VA for a Youth Gospel Skate
Outing at the Roanoke Skating Center
and on Friday evening, the Youth put on
a “Youth Showcase” at the church where
the young and old were invited to show-
case their various talents for the Lord!
Bro. Larnell Starkey and the Spiritual
Seven Gospel Singers will be in concert
at Jerusalem WOTCC on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at 5 pm. This concert will
be sponsored by our Minister of Music,
Eld. Charles Hairston, Sr. and the Music
Department of Jerusalem WOTCC. All
are welcome to attend!
Our three night Youth Revival is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, August
28 through Friday, August 30, 2013.
Our guest speaker for each night will be
Bishop Carl Miller, Pastor of Gates of
Praise WOTCC in Hampton, VA. Music
will be rendered by guest choirs each
night. All are welcome to attend!
God has been and still is doing great
things with the youth of Jerusalem
WOTC. Continue to keep us in your prayers. God Bless!
MIRACLE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Camer on, SC
Pastor, Elder John Govan
Praise the Lord!
It gives Miracle Way of the Cross Church,
Cameron, SC, great pleasure to announce the following academic and leadership excellence for our youth!
The following youth made the elementary, middle school, and high school AB
Honor Roll and promoted to the next
grade level:
4th grade-Calhoun County K-8
 Iyonna Blacks—proud parent Tony
Blacks
 Dontrell Ishme proud parents— Sis.
Shantrell and Dorly Ishme
5th grade-Elloree Elementary
 Bre'Asia Imani Haynes—proud parent Sis. Melissa Haynes
 Daneisha Seawright. Daneisha was
a member of the Good News Club at
Brookdale Elementary—proud parent Pamela Randolph
6th grade-Brookdale Elementary
 Marieta Mitjans (band member,
saxophone section, member of the
Girl Circle Club) - proud parent Sarah
Haynes
 Tiana
and
Tijani
Randolph
(members of the Good News Club)—
proud parent Pamela Randolph
7th grade-Calhoun County K-8
 Christian Rashid Haynes—proud
parent Bro. Damien Haynes
8th grade-Calhoun County K-8
 Alexus Shy'deria Void—proud
parents Sis. Shantrell and Dorly
Ishme
Marvin Nakoumbe Gomala Goodly
graduated from Orangeburg-Wilkinson
High School and was ranked 3rd in a
class of 316 students with a 4.8775
GPA. In his final year of high school, he
has received many awards and held
several leadership positions including
the 2012-13 Student Council and Future Business Leaders of America
(FBLA) president, International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate, and National Honor Society. He also was reelected to his third term as president
of the Orangeburg Youth Council of the
NAACP. Marvin placed first at the HIV/
AIDS Peer Educator Regional Act-So
Oratorical Competition. He is also the
recipient of the Orangeburg County
Branch NAACP Student Youth Leadership Service Award, Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce Student
Leadership scholarship, and Life schol16
arship. Marvin was one of four students
in the state of South Carolina to be recognized as a Distinguished Finalist in the
2013 Prudential Spirit of Community
Award. Students were selected based on
their service to the community. He
earned the honor for his work in coordinating last year's Safe Sex Awareness
Walk in cooperation with the Orangeburg NAACP. He decided to get involved
in the project after learning that Orangeburg County is one of the state's top
counties in cases of AIDS and HIV. Although Pastor Govan teaches young people to abstain from sex, but looking at it
realistically, Marvin realized not everyone goes to church and has a family that
teaches these positive morals and values. "So what do you do for these people? You want them to be safe, so you
teach them to protect themselves and
their partners." He recently coordinated
the 2nd Annual Safe Sex Awareness Walk
in May. Marvin was also an invited Junior
Counselor at this year's Palmetto Boys
State in Anderson, SC. Marvin will be
attending Howard University this fall
majoring in Political Science or Economics, minoring in International Business.
After receiving his degree, he desires to
attend Law School. Proud parent and
grandparent, Bro. Marvin Goodly and
church mother, Mother Betty Goodly.
Sis. Alena Govan studied abroad this
past spring in Germany. She is enrolled
in the MBA program at the University of
South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Sis. Alena
is the daughter of our pastor and First
Lady, Elder John and Merle Govan. Congratulations to Shakema Brooks on completing her first year at Orangeburg
County Technical College, majoring in
Nursing—proud parent Sis. Virginia
Brooks.
Miracle also would like to congratulate
and recognize Morgan Haynes on being
crowned Little Miss Starlight. She is the
daughter of Bro. Dytwan Haynes.
We ask that you all continue to keep
Daneisha, Alexus, Bre'Asia, Dontrell,
Iyonna, Marieta, Marvin, Tiana, Tijani,
Morgan, Shakema, and Alena and all of
our youth in your prayers that God will
continue to bless them with the talents
they have and that they may use them to
glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Also continue to pray for and with the
Miracle WOTCC family as God continues
to bless us with the vision of the Late
Bishop Harold K. Clarkson as well as the
leadership of our awesome, dynamic,
loving, caring, anointed fireball Pastor,
Elder John Govan.
SHILOH TEMPLE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Charlott e, NC
Pastor, Bishop Darrell Hairston
We bring you greetings in the precious
name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
from the great city of Charlotte. God has
been doing marvelous things
here at Shiloh Temple WOTCC.
First, we must give praise and
thanks to the Lord for protecting
our church during a horrendous
fire. The two buildings that
were adjacent to our church caught on
fire and were completely destroyed;
however, the Lord was a shield of protection around our church! We know
that God has “fire-proofed” our church
and Satan cannot defeat us! We will
continue to serve the Lord with gladness!
Second, the Lord has blessed the YFC of
Shiloh Temple WOTCC to have a successful school year.
Darius Robinson competed in the 2013
Special Olympics Multi-State Aquatics
Invitational in Raleigh, NC on Saturday,
March 23. He completed the 25-yard
backstroke in first place (38.11 seconds),
25-yard freestyle in first place (28.60
seconds), 50-yard freestyle in first place
(1 minute and 17 seconds), and the 4x25
-yard freestyle race in first place (2
minutes and 31.74 seconds). We are
extremely proud of Darius and we pray
that God continues to bless him.
Daniel
Robinson
was promoted to
the twelfth grade at
Central
Cabarrus
High School. Daniel
is an excellent trumpet player in the
marching band. Daniel along with the
Central Cabarrus Marching Band competed at North Forsyth High
in the State Band Competition. They were very successful.
They received
Grand Champion Band,
Overall Grand Champion,
and Best Band of All Bands. Way to go
Daniel! May God continue to bless Daniel in his upcoming senior year!
Aaron Seward, the son of Dr. Michael
and Sis. Francine Seward, graduated
with a 3.17 GPA from Davidson Day
School. Aaron was very successful in
track and football while attending Davidson Day School. He had a 22-3 Varsity record as a starting wide receiver and
led the team to two state championships in 2011 and 2012. In track, he
competed in the 300 M hurdles, as well
as the 4x200 M relay and the 4x400 M
relay. This fall Aaron will be attending
Carson Newman University in Jefferson
City, TN on a Football and Track Scholarship. We pray that God will continue
to bless Aaron during his freshman year
in college.
The Williams children
have also had a very
successful school year.
Faith and Olivia were
both inducted into the
National Junior Honor Society for Walkertown Middle School! Along with
great academic achievement, Faith also
received the “Most Improved” award in
17
basketball. Makenzie was awarded the
WFU Reading Award at Middle Fork Elementary, while her younger brother, Bernard was awarded the “Best Classroom
Behavior and Academics” medal. The
Williams children are on a roll and we
pray blessings upon them for the upcoming school year!
We welcome Cquila Singleton to Shiloh
Temple WOTCC and to the city of Charlotte. Cquila and her father have recently
moved to Charlotte from Pennsylvania.
She graduated from the eighth grade and
will be attending high school during the
upcoming school year. We are excited to
have Cquila be a part of our YFC department and pray that she has a blessed
school year.
Adam Hairston, an Economics major at
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, completed his second year of college. Adam received a 3.0 GPA for his
sophomore year. He was inducted into
the National Society of Leadership and
Success. Adam has continued to be faithful to the church while attending college.
May God continue to bless Adam in his
upcoming school year!
Kimberly Hairston has completed the
graduate certificate program for Secondary Education English at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte and received
her professional teaching license for Secondary Education English. She completed the program with a 4.0 GPA. Kimberly
was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi
International Honor Society in Education
on May 1, 2013. She will begin teaching
10th grade English in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System this August. We
pray blessings upon Kimberly as she
teaches!
Tory and Kelly Stockton celebrated their
fourth wedding anniversary on June 20,
2013. Tory completed a successful HR
internship with the Charlotte Bobcats,
while Kelly continues to be a wonderful
asset to the Chiquita Brands International as a successful accountant. We are
blessed to have Tory and Kelly be a part
of Shiloh Temple WOTCC. May God continue to bless their marriage!
Brandon and Stassia Martin celebrated
their second wedding anniversary on
March 1, 2013. We welcome the Martins along with their children Charity,
Raphael, and Angel to Shiloh Temple
WOTCC. The Martins have been a
blessing to our church and we pray that
God continues to bless their family.
Last but certainly not least, we have our
watch-care YFC member Tiara Reynolds. Tiara is visiting our church from
Bethel WOTCC while studying at Charlotte School of Law. She successfully
completed her first year of Law School.
We are extremely proud of Tiara and
look forward to
having her back in
the city of Charlotte
soon!
We thank God for
all of our Youth for
Christ! We believe
that God is going to
continue to bless
His young people
both spiritually and
academically! We know that all of the
glory belongs to God and that all things
will continue to be possible through Him!
NESMITH WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Nesmith, SC
Pastor, Bishop Joe T. Gamble
The Nesmith Way of the Cross Church
would like to thank the Lord for our student achievements. Sis. Dorthea J.
Nesmith received an Associate of Science degree from Horry-Georgetown
Technical College. Princeton A. Nesmith
received his high school diploma from
Hemingway High School.
Pray that God will continue to bless our
pastor and church as we continue to
strive for greater things in Him. Bishop
Joe T. Gamble became pastor on June
17, 1973, and is currently celebrating 40
years of ministry. To God be the glory!
Sis. Florrian Gamble with be 70 on September 18, and Bishop Gamble will celebrate his 70th birthday on November 22.
We thank God for his continued blessings
on Bishop’s ministry and his family as
Bishop and Sis. Gamble will celebrate 50
years of marriage on December 25, 2013.
BURNING LIGHT WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Baltimore, MD
Pastor, Elder Marlon Fitzgerald
The Burning Light Way of the Cross
Church is proud to congratulate its graduates for the school year. Sis. Jada Langley received her high school diploma and
will be attending Morgan State University in the fall. She will be studying to
become a pediatrician. The church
would also like to applaud Sis. Cashriel
Washington on her high school graduation. She currently attends Open Heart
WOTCC and plans on continuing her
studies in community college this fall.
TRIUMPH WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Roanoke, VA
Pastor, Elder Christopher S. Hairston
At Triumph, we are still growing and
learning in kingdom work and would like
to share with you our journey since the
winter jubilee.
On Sunday, March 3, the saints traveled
to Waynesboro, VA, to be in service with
another young ministry, Rehoboth
Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, under
the leadership of Pastor Kevin Scott. We
truly had a joyous trip and
a blessed service. We look
forward to continued fellowship with Pastor Scott
and Rehoboth COOLJC.
March 27—29, Triumph commemorated Holy Week with prayer, fasting, and
teaching each night on what our Savior
committed himself to as our sacrificial
18
lamb. Eld. Hairston was
also asked to speak on the
annual program for the Roanoke Interfaith Alliance,
held this year at Celebration
Church. He was given the
scripture, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?
Which is, being interpreted, My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?” taken
from Mark 15:34. On Sunday, we con-
cluded our Easter services with Sunrise
Service, breakfast at the Hotel Roanoke,
and Resurrection Celebration, serving
the Lord’s Supper. We thank God for the
visitors at each of these services! Prayerfully something was said to prick their
hearts. The Kingdom Kids did an interesting project for Easter this year. They
created the empty tomb. We were all
very proud to watch this project progress
over a 2-3 week period. It required
much care and patience. And in the end
they accomplished the goal that was set.
Here are some pictures to show the progress of the Empty Tomb Project.
In May and June, as we do each year, we
bless the mothers and the fathers, as
well as visiting mothers and fathers, with
a small token of appreciation and words
of encouragement to continue living a
godly life in front of their children.
On Sunday, May 26, Triumph hit the
streets and broke from the norm of Sunday morning worship. We visited a
neighborhood nearby and went door to
door for just a couple hours to talk, distribute outreach materials about Triumph, and to introduce ourselves to
another community. We encountered
varying responses, including one gentlemen whom our pastor pretty much
preached a Jesus name message on his
front lawn. It was a blessing to witness
God work through him against opposition of the name Jesus! We were also
encouraged by many to keep doing what
we’re doing, because this is what the
community needs! What a mighty God
we serve!
On June 2, Eld. Chris and
Triumph traveled to Shiloh
WOTCC in Martinsville,
VA, to minister on the
program for the 28th pastoral celebration for Bishop Earley
Dillard, the 2nd Vice Presiding Bishop of
the WOTCC. The Sanctuary Voices of
Praise rendered one and the Triumph
Praise & Worship Team rendered two
beautiful, uplifting selections. Our pastor preached a powerful message and
many were touched and blessed as he
ministered at the altar afterwards. May
God continue to anoint our pastor to
preach God’s unadulterated word
wherever he is asked to speak. We
pray God’s blessings on this continued
fellowship in the future as well.
On June, 23, the Lord blessed
Tabernacle of Praise church
family and Pastor Jeff Hairston
to be in fellowship with Triumph. We truly enjoyed the fellowship and words of encouragement as
well as the beautiful selections rendered by the choir. The church was
filled and we are grateful to everyone
who supported!
We are proud of our students at Triumph and we ask you to help us pray
and fast that in the day and time which
we live, God will keep his hand upon
them each and every day as they travel
and are in their respective educational
institutions. If God does not keep us,
we cannot be kept and neither can our
children. Following are the Kingdom
Kids accomplishments for the 2012-13
academic year:
Bro. Ethan C. Hairston
has been promoted to
the fourth grade. Ethan
completed the school
year receiving certificates
for the A Honor Roll, Outstanding
Attendance, Award of Excellence for
learning to play the recorder, and Art
Achievement Award. Athletically, Bro.
Ethan played his first year in the minors
baseball league on the Vinton Cardinals
at second base. The team ended the
season with 11 wins, one tie, and one
loss. Ethan was then chosen out of 72
players in Vinton to be one of the
twelve players on the Vinton All Stars
team. Ethan again played second base.
The team did not make it to the championship, but gave a
good fight.
Lastly,
Ethan continues to be
faithful playing the
drums and helping
around the church.
19
Bro. Israel Hairston has
been promoted to the
second grade. Israel made
all S’s on his report card
for the year and received
awards for best overall
boy in his class, Outstanding Attendance, and a star
student certificate for a free meal at
Country Cookin’. Athletically, Bro. Israel
played his first year in the Machine/
Coach Pitch League for the Vinton Royals.
Eld. Chris was his coach. Israel played
first base. The team did good for their
first year, being a team of first year players mostly. He is excited about the possibility of moving up early next year to play
with his brother on the Vinton Cardinals!
Bro. Israel continues to participate in
Kingdom Kids functions around the
church and lend a helping hand when
asked. He and Ethan can’t wait to put
up the flag each Sunday at the entrance
to direct passers by of our location!
Bro. Guerson Desir has been promoted
to the seventh grade at James Madison
Middle School. It is a joy having Guerson
in Kingdom Kids.
Sis. Enaya Carter has been promoted to
the 6th grade and will be going to James
Madison Middle School. Enaya won the
5th grade spelling bee this school year at
Wasena Elementary School. We are glad
to have her in Kingdom Kids as well.
God bless the children and their future
endeavors!
We are thankful to have Sis. Kirsten Martin visit Triumph while attending Radford
University. It is a blessing to have her
worship with us and the Kingdom Kids
thoroughly enjoy her company! Sis.
Kirsten is a member of Shiloh WOTCC in
Martinsville and the daughter of Deac.
and Sis. Curtis Martin. We would like to
encourage any student in the WOTCC
attending a college or university in Roanoke, Blacksburg, or the New River Valley
to contact us if you desire to be in God’s
house on Sundays and need transportation. We would love to have you under
our watch care during you college career.
Keep Triumph Church in your prayers as
we strive to build up God’s kingdom!
NEW BEGINNING WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Washington, DC and For t Washington, MD
Pastor, NYFC First Vice President Bishop Bennett B. Gamble, Sr.
God continues to move throughout our
ministry in a marvelous way. We are
quickly approaching the one year anniversary of our SOUTH location Fort
Washington, MD, in October 2013. We
have completed the majority of our major renovations and improvements; and
we are extremely excited about our final
phase which will include newly built
office space and a work center. These
projects are expected to be completed
by late-July.
October 2013 also marks the 12th Pastoral Anniversary for Bishop Gamble. We
are grateful and blessed to commemorate this remarkable achievement. Plans
for celebratory services; and a banquet
are currently underway.
Check our website in the near future for
pictures of our completed renovation
and 12th Pastoral Anniversary updates
(www.nbwotc.org).
“AND THE LORD ADDED TO THE
CHURCH DAILY….”
We are happy to announce and welcome
fifteen new members to our ministry in
the last ninety days. All members have
been baptized in Jesus’ name and professed to have received the gift of the
HOLY GHOST! Each of our new members
come equipped with special gifts and
talents that are sure to be a blessing to
our ministry and the KINGDOM. To GOD
be the Glory!
POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE
Standing firm on our belief, “Salvation +
Education” we are overjoyed to highlight
several youth who achieved great milestones this school year.
Naomi McIlwain – graduated from
Suitland High School on June 3, 2013
with a 3.6 GPA. She plans to attend
Bowie State University majoring in
Vocal Performance.
Sis. Elvaughnya Brunson graduated from
Everest College in Arlington, VA on Janu-
ary 13, 2013. She received her Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Anton Gamble graduated
from Savoy Elementary
School on June 17. An
extremely talented young
man with God-given gifts, Anton continues to bless us within our ministry and
also in his external groups: Capital City
Kids and the Savoy Players. He has performed at the White House on numerous occasions and for events attended
by celebrities such as: First Lady
Michelle Obama and Kerry Washington.
This summer he will join the DC Street
Theatre’s summer program. We anxiously await his next performance!
What better gift can a son
give his father on Father’s
Day than walking across
the stage and accepting his
high school diploma? It is
with great enthusiasm and
pride that we announce
Brandon Gamble did just that. On Sunday, June 16, at the Trinity Center in
Washington, DC, Brandon accepted his
high school diploma from McKinley
Technology High School, also in Washington, DC. He was inducted into the
2013 National Honor Society and is also
this year’s New Beginning Memorial
Scholarship winner. Between academics, church activities, and other responsibilities, he was able to showcase his
athletic abilities on the varsity football,
basketball, and baseball teams. Brandon will join his big brother Bennett
Gamble, Jr. (BJ) at Bowie State University where he will pursue studies in
Sports Management.
We wish all of your graduating
youth continued success in their
future endeavors.
COLLEGE STUDENT REPORTS...
We continue to pray for and receive
praise reports from our college stu20
dents. A few have already completed
their spring semesters, have returned
home, and continue to be active in our
youth ministry. We are always pleased
to hear reports from Chicago where Bro.
LaRob Payton attends DePaul University.
In July, LaRob will be travelling to Italy for
a month for language and culture studies. He will also perform in several scheduled concerts.
MARCH MADNESS!
The month of March kicked off our series
on various topics from a biblical aspect.
We started the series with, “Managing
My Money”. Facilitated by Bishop Gamble, New Beginning was at full capacity
each Wednesday night, for seven continuous weeks. We learned the importance
of establishing and maintaining a budget
and the importance of tithing and giving.
Following that two-part series, we
moved into our March Madness series on
relationships, “Why Get Married?”.
These “real-talk” open forum sessions
covered a variety of dating and marriage
information. Topics included: finances,
communication, pre-nuptial agreements,
and God’s initial plan for man and woman as found in the book of Genesis. From
this 5-week series, we were blessed to
close out on May 29, 2013, uniting Bro.
Larry and Sis. Harmonica Barkley in holy
matrimony. Bishop Gamble officiated the
wedding ceremony that was hosted by
our Hospitality Ministry.
The New Beginning
church family along
with family and friends
of the happy couple
were in attendance to
witness this very special
and sacred moment.
New Beginning remains a ministry determined to win the world for Christ. We
solicit your prayers that God will continue to bless us to follow and support our
Bishop’s vision of reaching unsaved souls
and empowering the saints of God to be
evangelists of the gospel.
CIT Y OF REFUGE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Richmond, VA
Pastor, NYFC President Elder Travell Travis, Esq.
In March, City of Refuge
hosted its first, Covenant Keeper’s Marriage
Conference. The conference began Friday,
March 1, with guest
speaker, District Elder
Alfred Jones, from Jesus
Center WOTCC, Appomattox, VA. Following the opening service, the church held a
family fellowship outing at Laser Quest.
On Saturday, March 2,
we were blessed by
wonderful seminars
on communication,
time
management,
and romance from
Pastor Alfred and First
Lady Judy Jones, Bishop Carl and First Lady Pamela Miller, Pastor Travell and Lady Sherina Travis. The
Saturday sessions concluded with a special breakout session for our men and
women entitled Barbershop and Beauty
Shop. The conference concluded on Sunday, March 3, with a marriage Sunday
service in which we celebrated and affirmed traditional
biblical marriage. Join us
next year March 7-9, 2014
for our Covenant Keeper’s
Marriage Conference.
In
May 2013, City
of Refuge held
its annual Teens
in Jeans service
followed by a
fellowship
cookout at R. Garland Dodd Park. The
weekend events were held in celebration
of First Lady Travis’ birthday on Memorial
Day.
During the month of June, City of Refuge
held its first Y.E.S. (Youth Empowered to
Succeed) Conference. The conference
began on Friday, June 7, with guest
speaker, Elder Zeb Talley, III, from the
United Holiness Worship Center, Pelham,
NC. On Saturday, June 8, our youth were
blessed with enriching seminars from
Elder Zeb Talley, III, author, Saved,
Sanctified, and Professional and Dr.
Milondra Coleman, author, Equipping
them to Lead. On Sunday, June 9, we
concluded our Y.E.S. Conference with our annual
Academic and Professional Recognition Service.
Join us next year for our
Y.E.S. Conference, June 68, 2014.
During our academic and professional
recognition service, the following members were recognized for their outstanding academic and professional
achievements:
Sis. Heaven Cannady, daughter of Sis.
Angela Cannady, completed the 3rd
grade at G.H. Reed Elementary School.
Heaven, was on the honor roll every 9
weeks. In addition, Heaven placed 2nd
in the Delta Sigma Theta oratorical contest, Go Green winner in the Continentals Essay contest, and 1st place in the
VATE contest.
Bro. Benaiah Jones, son of Sis. Erica
Jones, completed the 4th grade at Laburnum Elementary School. During the
school year, Benaiah was on the honor
roll the entire year and was tested for
the gifted and talented program.
Benaiah was baptized in Jesus name on
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013.
Sis. Tyzhaya Jones, son of Sis. Erica
Jones, competed the 5th grade at Laburnum Elementary School. During the
school year, “Kayla” was on the honor
roll the last 9 weeks and had art work
selected and placed in Virginia Center
Commons Mall. Kayla was baptized in
Jesus name on Easter Sunday, March
31, 2013.
Bro. Dominic Lewis, son of Min. Allen
and Missionary Sonia Lewis, completed
8th grade at L. Douglas Wilder Middle
School.
21
Bro. Christopher Bailey, son of Sis. Chantell Mohmood, completed 11th grade at
Meadowbrook High School. During the
school year, Christopher participated in
the following volunteer programs: Youth
Ambassador, The Giving Heart Thanksgiving Feast; VCU Health System, Health
Career Explorers Learning for Life; and
VCU School Dentistry, Dental Scholars
Program. Christopher will be participating in the Virginia State University,
Department of Agriculture, Enrichment
Program.
Sis. Cierra Cannady, daughter of Min.
Allen and Missionary Sonia Lewis, competed her first semester at J. Sergent
Reynolds Community College.
First Lady Sherina Travis, daughter of
Deacon Dennis Mason and Missionary
Cynthia Mason (Philadelphia WOTCC),
wife of Pastor Travell Travis, is in graduate school at Liberty University. She
completed the spring semester with a 4.0
GPA and 3.76 overall GPA. This semester
she was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi
International Honors Society in Education.
Pastor Travell Travis, son of Sis. Cassandra Travis (Shiloh WOTCC), husband of
First Lady Sherina Travis, was honored for
competing his 10th year of teaching at
Hampton University. During the school
year, Pastor Travis had the opportunity
to serve in the following capacities: guest
speaker, Apostolic Student Union at
North Carolina A&T State University,
Greensboro, NC; guest speaker, Chapel
Services at Regent University School of
Law, Virginia Beach, VA; and baccalaureate speaker, Patrick Henry High School,
Ashland, VA.
Sis. Sharon Lewis, mother of Min. Allen
Lewis, completed another semester of
studies at University of Phoenix in pursuit
of her Bachelor’s degree in Human Service.
LIGHTHOUSE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Florence, SC
Pastor, Elder Steve Dukes, Sr.
POETRY CORNER
Youth Accomplishments
Chelsea McBride is a 2013 Honor graduate of Wilson High
School. She has been awarded the SC Life Scholarship and has
been accepted at a number of colleges. She is still considering
which college she will attend this fall, but plans to pursue a career as a medical professional.
Sparrow Road
by Christian D. Dukes
Two Roads
One Way
Shall I go or
Shall I stay
TaShya McBride has been promoted to 4th Grade at WallaceGregg Elementary School. She was on the A-B Honor Roll for
the fourth nine-week grading period.
Wait, I remember
These two roads
The roads the Bible spoke of
Big and Bold
th
Christian D. Dukes has been promoted to the 5 Grade at Kenneth Gardner Elementary School. He was recognized for being
on the Superintendent’s A Honor Roll for each of the four nineweek grading periods during the 2012-2013 school term. He
also received awards for perfect attendance, accelerated math,
and participation in the school chorus. Based on his academic
performance and standardized test results, he was chosen as an
academically gifted and talented student by Williamsburg County School District.
The Broadway Road
Big and thick
Obviously, it’s the devil’s trick
The Sparrow Road
Nice and thin
Surely that’s where
My journey begins
Stevie T. Dukes, Jr. has been invited to join the Sigma Alpha
Lambda National Leadership and Honor Society, based on his
academic achievement as a student at the University of South
Carolina-Columbia.
The Broadway Road
Filled with lots of population
With all these people
Hell will be the size of the Nation
Chanze McDaniel was featured in a news article in the
(Florence) Morning News for his role in helping to establish a
reading garden at Southside Middle School. For several
months, he and other students worked to plant the garden and
decorate it as a place to go outside and read. The project is
entitled “Planting the Urge to Read”. Chanze has been promoted to 7th grade at Southside Middle School.
Order of Services
Sunday School
Sunday Morning Worship
Bible Study
Every Sunday
Every Sunday
Thursday
Christian Education Videos
Youth Day
Concerned Citizens
Missionary Service
Missionary Fellowship
Every 1st Thursday
Every 3rd Sunday
Every 3rd Monday
Every 4th Thursday
Every 4th Sunday
On the Sparrow Road
No one seems very lost
Now I know the way
I’m getting closer to the cross
Now I know the way
It was a piece of cake
So I am gonna take the road
That less followers take
10:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
For surely I was right
I knew I would pop the code
Now I will call that little pathway
The Sparrow Road
The Sparrow Road
The Broadway Road
22
EVANGELIS TIC TEMPLE WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Kingstree, SC
Pastor, Bishop Roosevelt Fulton
Jaclyn Fulmore, daughter of Bro. Jack & Missionary Debra Fulmore: Superintendent Honor Roll, Beta Club member, Academic Challenge Team and scored Exemplary on PASS state test,
sang at the Santee Electric Community Meeting and the school
district Scholarship Gala, top ten of her class, Gifted & Talented, received Certificate of Merit from Duke University for Duke
Tip, and she won the title of Miss Kingstree Middle School promoted to 8th grade.
Victoria Rutledge: attends JC Lynch Elementary School, was
awarded Perfect Attendance and was promoted to the first
grade. Des'Quan plays baseball for Coward Dixie Youth Small
Fry and received a trophy. He also holds the title of “Little Mr.
Evangelistic Temple" where he was the winner of the Baby Contest for his age group.
Navarro Page, grandson of Sis. Patricia Page & son of Sis.
Chiquita Page: Honor Roll, member of high school marching
band, and promoted to 12th grade.
Jessica Fulmore, daughter of Bro. Jack & Missionary Debra Fulmore: 1st runner up to Junior Miss Kingstree Middle School, 2nd
runner up to Junior Miss Evangelistic Temple, promoted to 7 th
grade.
Kaysia Dukes, daughter of Missionary Eureka Staggers: received certificate for being President of the Junior class, a
member of the Student Council, and promoted to the 12 th
grade.
Corey Green, son of Min. Louis & Missionary Mary Green: Certificate Awards in Art for Exceptional Artist of the Year, Certificate of Award for Superintendent Honor Roll, Medal for Academic Excellence, and promoted to 11th grade.
Jesseria Scott, daughter of Missionary Jessie Scott: received
certificate for being Secretary of the Junior class, Junior Class
Queen, a member of the Student Council, Most Improved in Art
Level 3 from Art Department, and promoted to the 12th grade.
Kyra Green, daughter of Sis. Alisha Green: Superintendent
Honor Roll Certificate and Medallion, Vice President of the
Class, and promoted to 12th grade.
Robin McFadden, daughter of Sis. Beverly McFadden: member
of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Dean’s List at Williamsburg Technical College.
Sherlise Green, daughter of Sis. Alisha Green: Honor Roll Certificate, Medallion trophies for "Best Military Appearance,"
"Staff Performance," and "Instructor's Award" in JROTC program, awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for participation in
FCCLA, acknowledged for being a Gifted & Talented student,
and promoted to 11th grade.
Da'quan Fulton, son of Bro. Taurrance Fulton & Sis. Lydia Fulton; grandson of Bishop Roosevelt and Elect Lady Maggie Fulton: Manpower leadership, Book challenge award reading 245
books, was recognized for excelling on MAPS testing, promoted
to 4th grade.
Jeremiah Page-Cochran, son of Shawandia Page-Williams:
Most Impact player of the year and promoted to 10th grade.
Da'Shuan Fulton, son of Bro. Taurrance Fulton & Sis. Lydia Fulton; grandson of Bishop Roosevelt and Elect Lady Maggie Fulton: Manpower Leadership, recognized for excelling on MAPS
testing, and promoted to 4th grade.
John Curtis Scott, son of Missionary Jessie Scott: received the
following Certificates of Merit - Highest Map score in Math,
Highest average in Science, 1st place in Science Fair, and promoted to 7th grade.
Brittney Fulton, daughter of Bro. Taurrance Fulton & Sis. Lydia
Fulton; grandson of Bishop Roosevelt and Elect Lady Maggie
Fulton: received Certificate in Music/Dance, certificate for Awesome Project Award, certificate for reading highest number of
books in class, BETA Club Member, Junior Miss Evangelistic
Temple WOTCC, and promoted to 7th grade.
2013 Graduates of Evangelistic Temple WOTCC:
Darius Dukes: son of Missionary Eureka Staggers
Kiaddarius Fulmore: son of Bro. Lawrence & Sis. Priscilla Williams
Jawan Madison: son of Bro. Willie Wilson & Sis. Marcie Wilson
Denesha Cooper: daughter of Sis. Helen Cooper
Brandon Porchea: son of Min. Rickey & Missionary Deloris Porchea
James McClary: son of Min. James and Missionary Chanetta
McClary
John James, grandson of Sis. Patricia Page & son of Sis. Chiquita Page: Honor Roll and promoted to 6th grade.
Brittany Wilson, daughter of Sis. Ruth Staggers-Wilson: Honor
Roll, made cheerleader team at Timberland High School, and
promoted to 7th grade.
Jyheem Rutledge, son of Min. Ronald Rutledge & Missionary
Victoria Rutledge: attends JC Lynch Elementary School, Superintendent Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, and was promoted
to the 5th Grade, plays basketball with the recreation department, and was awarded Best Sportsmanship for the team.
Des’Quan Rutledge, son of Min. Ronald Rutledge & Missionary
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GREATER RANSOM WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Hender son, NC
Pastor, Bishop Johnny L. Alston
The Youth for Christ Department of the Greater Ransom
WOTCC sends greeting in the wonderful and blessed name of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The conclusion of this YFC Pageant included a Talent and Fashion Show on July 20, 2013 at 3 pm. These youth the will be
featured in a Next Generation Memorial booklet. Our Youth
are excited about working for Jesus and being able to attend
our Youth Convocation to be uplifted and blessed in fellowship.
“Let no man despise thy youth.” 1 Timothy 4:12
We are “Living in Expectancy.” We expect God to bless and we
know God will deliver. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.“
St. John 15:7
Academic Achievements:
Sis. Rachel Compos-Jaimes - graduated from Southern Vance
High School. She will attend Vance Granville Community College in Henderson, NC. She loves residential construction and
designing. Her professional goal is to major in architectural
construction and design.
Since our last meeting, we have continued to hold on to the
blood-stained banner and give God the praise and continue to
prepare to be Rapture Ready. Our youth continue to be encouraged to hold fast and seek the Lord daily.
We praise God for what he has done and what he is going to
do. We expect great things. For great is our God. Continue to
hold fast to the professions we have been taught. No man
knows the day nor the hour when he shall appear, but we are
waiting for his appearance. “Saints let’s be Rapture Ready.”
Bro. Kevin Alston- graduated from Powell Elementary. He will
be attending Ligon Middle School in Raleigh, NC this fall. Bro.
Kevin plays the trumpet at Greater Ransom and is a member of
the YFC Children’s Choir.
Sis. Sarah Kristina Evans- graduated from L.B. Yancey Elementary. She will be attending Henderson Middle School in Henderson, NC. Sis. Kristina sings on our YFC praise team and is a
member of the YFC Children’s Choir.
Our youth have been developing in Christ. Our president, Bro.
Audie Hicks held a youth service based on character: definition
of a person’s attributes, traits, and abilities. The purpose of
this service was to instill in our youth the knowledge of how
special and unique they are and to address issues that our
youth are facing on a daily basis. Youth described what qualities they should show at school and at church. It is our responsibility to pour into our youth and to help them build positive
self-esteem. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” 1 Peter 2:9. Youth
expressed their feeling about themselves and youth were able
to ask questions about anything that was important and issues
facing them on a daily basis. This elicited great responses and
discussions from our youth. Youth were then provided biblical
answers to address their current issues. Youth were encouraged that whatever problems we face Christ is the answer.
Sis. Shekina Green- graduated from Louisburg Elementary
School. She will be attending Terrell Lane Middle School in this
fall in Louisburg, NC. Sis. Shekina is a member of the YFC Children’s Choir.
Sis. Joyce Williams- graduated from Franklinton Elementary
School where she completed the D.A.R.E. program. She will
attend Franklinton Middle School this fall in Franklinton, NC.
Sis. Joyce is a member of the YFC Children’s Choir.
Bro. DyRon Evans- graduated from Henderson Middle School.
He will attend Southern Vance High School in Henderson, NC
this fall. Bro. DyRon is a member of the YFC Children’s Choir.
Youth, under the direction of Sis. Tammy Bullock, Youth for
Christ Vice-President, have been preparing for the Bible Bowl
competition. Sis. Tammy held a Bible Competition to give all
youth a chance to win cash prizes on the study of the book of
Matthew.
Jordan Thomas- graduated from Henderson Middle School. He
was elected as President of the National Jr. Honor Society and a
N.C. Academic Young Scholars Award recipient for top percent
in math and reading. He will attend Oxford Preparatory Academy this fall. Bro. Jordan is a member of the YFC Children’s
Choir.
The Youth for Christ Department at Greater Ransom WOTCC is
currently and has been working vigorously to send our youth to
the National Youth for Christ Convention. The Youth for Christ
Department are sponsoring a Youth for Christ Pageant where
youth will have a chance to obtain the title Mr. & Miss Greater
Ransom WOTCC and Junior Mr. Greater Ransom WOTCC and
Junior Miss Greater Ransom WOTCC. The pageant is also to
help our youth build positive self-esteem and to invoke confidence as they strive to live holy. Children have been raising
funds through yard sales, bake sales, dinner sales, and services.
John Eric White, Jr.- graduated from Henderson Middle where
he received awards in football and track. He will attend Southern Vance High this fall in Henderson, NC. Bro. Eric plays the
drums for Greater Ransom and is a member of the YFC Children’s Choir.
We would like to commend our youth for their academic accomplishments. We are very proud of them.
24
NEW DIMENSION WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Ir vingt on, NJ
Pastor, District Elder Elijah Page
Jalen Page graduated from preschool. Jahki Page graduated from preschool. Onree McGee graduated from 5th grade, received a
certificate for perfect attendance, and also a certificate for honor roll.
CHRIS T CHURCH WAY OF THE CROSS CHURCH OF CHRIS T
Cheverly, MD
Pastor, Bishop Ronald Frazier
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
per the marriages of Andre and Tamara Chapman, Robert and
Alexandra Gopie, and Timothy and LaShanda Adams.
The Lord has truly blessed our church as we continue to
achieve our mission of “winning the world for Christ” in many
ways. Bishop Frazier was an honoree at the 1 st Wind Beneath
My Wings Award by the Way of the Cross Mother Church. In
March, we celebrated our 13th Church and Pastoral Anniversary with esteemed guest speakers such as 2 nd Vice Presiding
Bishop Earley Dillard, the National Youth for Christ President
Eld. Travell Travis, and Bishop Darnell Easton.
During June, we also had the pleasure of honoring the academic achievements of all of our students, but particularly those
who have graduated this year. Our youngest graduates this
year were Nylayah Frazier and Destinee Wiggins who graduated from kindergarten. Joseph Ewings, who will be going to
middle school next year, was chosen to be the speaker for his
5th grade promotional ceremony. Kyle Clayton and Dejonna
Victor are both going to high school next year.
Christ Church has been blessed with many other guest speakers including Pastor Victor Ehana from Lagos, Nigeria, and Pastor Manuel Ahimas from India. During Pastor Ehana’s visit, we
hosted a Day of Liberation service where various speakers and
artists, such as Brian Spriggs and Nu Worship, were in attendance. During Pastor Manuel’s visit, we learned about the 70
new churches in India that have been chartered into the Way
of the Cross Church of Christ, International. Since joining, over
5,000 souls have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Christ Church honors Bishop Eugene McCrea for his missionary
work in India.
This year we were blessed to have two high school graduates.
Mikiah Mitchell graduated from Duke Ellington School of the
Arts and will be attending Catawba College in North Carolina in
the fall. She plans to major in music. Shanice Chisley graduated from LaPlata High School and will be attending the College
of Southern Maryland. She plans to work as a medical assistant.
Janel Frazier graduated Magna Cum Laude from Stevenson
University. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education: Liberal Arts & Technology with a minor in English. Janel was hired to teach 1st grade at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in the Montgomery County Public
School System.
Our goal for this year is to meet some of the needs of the
churches in India. A donation of $75 provides the salary of one
pastor for a month. Just $200 pays for a bicycle that the pastors use to evangelize to the people in their cities. A bible, one
of the most valuable gifts a believer can receive, is only $3.
Our goal is to provide at least 100 bibles to the churches in
India. If you are interested in partnering with Christ Church to
achieve this goal, please contact Bishop Frazier.
In June, Christ Church was blessed to celebrate with Airman
Brandon Henry as he graduated from Lackland Air Force Base.
He is currently at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX.
We continue to lift him, Michael Massey Jr., and Tiffany Burroughs in prayer for their continued service to our country.
In June, Christ Church was blessed with the opportunity to celebrate three weddings. We pray that God will bless and pros-
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to serve the Lord.
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26
2013 N ATIONAL YOUTH FOR CHRIS T ELECTIONS
Following are the candidates’ biographies running for the next term in office as National
Youth for Christ officers. Please review, pray, and cast your vote.
III. SECULAR OCCUPATION
Hampton University - Hampton, VA
Assistant Professor, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
(2003 – Present)
Assistant to the Dean, School of Business (2004 – Present)
Law Office of Travell Travis, PLC – Hampton, Virginia
Attorney and Counselor at Law (2005 – Present)
Elder Travell Travis, Esq.
Candidate for NYFC President
(757) 726-2442 [T]
www.travelltravis.com
(757) 726-0194 [F]
I.
II.
SALVATION EXPERIENCE
Baptized in Jesus Name: February 8, 1987 (Age: 9)
Shiloh Way of the Cross Church - Martinsville, VA
Received Holy Ghost: February 22, 1991 (Age: 13)
Shiloh Way of the Cross Church - Martinsville, VA
Initial Public Sermon: August 6, 2000 (Age: 22)
Shiloh Way of the Cross Church – Martinsville, VA
IV. SPIRITUAL OCCUPATION
The Way of the Cross Church of Christ International –
Washington, DC
President, National Youth for Christ (2007-Present)
Ambassadors for Christ Ministries, Inc. – Hampton, VA
Co-Founder/CEO (2008-Present)
City of Refuge Way of the Cross Church – Richmond, VA
Founder and Pastor (2009-Present)
SECULAR EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
VA (2000)
Double Major: History and African American Studies
Minor: Religious Studies
Juris Doctorate, Howard University School of Law –
Washington, DC (2003)
Licensed: Virginia (2005) and District of Columbia
(2008)
V. FAMILY LIFE
Married: Sherina D. Mason of Philadelphia, PA (December
30, 2006)
Daughters: Deonna Grace (March 20, 2009) and Janiyah Sherise (March 29, 2010)
the Cross Church, Int’l. Pastor Carter’s ministry has touched
countless lives of all ages throughout the eastern seaboard of
the United States and reaches lives abroad through his weekly
online bible study and various social media outlets such as FaceBook, YouTube, and Twitter.
District Elder Troy V. Carter, Pastor
Candidate for NYFC 1st Vice President
Eld. Troy Carter has been baptized in Jesus
name and filled with the Holy Ghost, which he
received at the age of 13, he was called into
ministry at the age of 16 and preached his first
sermon at his high school where two souls accepted Christ,
were baptized in Jesus name with one receiving the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. District Elder Carter has been preaching the
gospel of Jesus Christ for over 22 years and is the founder of
Open Heart Way of the Cross Church, where he has been pastoring for almost 12 years. Under Pastor Carter’s leadership,
the church has experienced growth, resilience, and maturity.
After renting a church building for seven years, in 2009 the
church purchased and renovated a building to call its own and
now resides at 6803 Marlboro Pike, District Heights, MD.
His compassion and love for people of all walks of life has resulted in a growing, lively, and thriving ministry, which goes
beyond the boundaries of church as usual. Pastor Carter has
been part of the WOTCC for 26 years and is a former member
of Bethany WOTCC. In 2001, Pastor Carter graduated from Logos Christian College where he received a Bachelor’s of Science
degree in Theological Studies with valedictorian honors and
also holds an Associate’s Degree in Computer Programing and
Analysis. Pastor Carter works tirelessly with other pastors to
help them develop their ministries. Gainfully employed as a
Lead Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, Pastor Carter leads
enterprise IT strategy and development efforts for multiple
government agencies.
In 2007 and 2009, Pastor Carter was recognized by the WYCB
Radio Station of the DC/Metropolitan area, where he received
accolades and awards for excellence in radio through the
weekly “The Heartbeat of Truth” radio ministry. In 2009, he
was also showcased as a featured pastor on the widely published WYCB Pastors Calendar. In this same year, Eld. Carter,
was elevated to the office of District Elder within the Way of
Pastor Carter has been married to First Lady Latisha Carter for
14 years and they have been blessed with three wonderful
children – Wesley (13), Nicholas (9), and Micheala (7). Pastor
Carter’s goal and mission remains the same – to reach this generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
27
cese, member of NYFC Planning Committee, speaking engagements, leading Morning Glory Prayer at the convocations, rendering music, and participating in the Christian Education Department, as well as the Sons of Zion.
District Elder Elijah D. Page
Candidate for NYFC 1st Vice President
I, District Elder Elijah D. Page, am running for
the office of 1st Vice President of the National
Youth for Christ Department of the Way of the Cross Church,
International. I have been a part of this fellowship since my
early childhood. Some may know me as “Page,” others as a
shrewd intellectual speaker, an entrepreneur, friend, a barber,
devoted father, loving husband, brother, pastor, etc., but most
of all I am known as a child of God. Having served faithfully
under two pastors, namely Bishop Roosevelt Fulton at Evangelistic Temple WOTCC of South Carolina and Elder Thomas Kemp
at Scripture WOTCC of New Jersey, have prepared me for such
a time as this.
My ministry also extends throughout the community in which I
live. Along with the brethren of New Dimension WOTCC, I minister on a weekly basis to inmates at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility located in Newark, NJ. I also serve as a member of
the Advisory Board for FELLAS -- A Fatherhood Program of Irvington, NJ, and Essex County at large.
As the 1st Vice President, I will work hand in hand with our
Youth President to carry out the mission of the NYFC – to recruit, train, and empower youth to become Christian ambassadors by emphasizing evangelism, salvation, worship, discipleship, fellowship, leadership, and scholarship, all while building
on the foundation that has already been laid by our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
As a youth in this organization, I have been present and active
in many facets, including but not limited to, serving as District
Elder and Youth for Christ President of the New England Dio-
video, CD, and DVD producer, teen Sunday school teacher (as a
teen and later as an Elder), reader's class teacher, and whatever other tasks that were asked of him. "My life has not been
perfect by any means, but my ultimate desire is to live for
Christ and to lead others to salvation through the call that God
has placed on my life."
Elder Christopher S. Hairston
Candidate for NYFC 2nd Vice President
Elder Christopher S. Hairston's spiritual life has
always been one of servitude and activity in his
local church and national organization. At an
early age, Eld. Chris sang in the Children's Choir and Youth for
Christ Choir (Voices of Praise) of Shiloh WOTCC, and later transitioned into the Radio Choir (Sanctuary Voices of Praise). He
served as an officer of the busy bees, a children's group, and
was also the Vice-President of the Intermediate Youth for
Christ of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ in 1993. He
served seven years as the Vice-President of the Intermediate.
In 2000, Eld. Hairston joined the membership committee and
eventually became the membership chairman where his responsibilities were to handle event registration and maintaining membership rosters for use in analysis and office elections.
After 30 years spent in learning and service at Shiloh WOTCC,
Eld. Christopher ventured out on his own and established an
independent preaching ministry named Triumph Ministries.
Eld. Chris' desire was to help those that had no knowledge of
God to grow and learn the knowledge of God and apply it to
their lives. Eld. Chris' focus has been a desire to establish Triumph Church with a mandate to help the lost come to the
knowledge of Christ in a genuine and biblical way. September
2009 would be the time appointed for Eld. Hairston to formally
open the doors and plant a church mission of the Way of the
Cross. Roanoke, VA, would become the vineyard set aside to
work and to call men and women to Christ. Since its opening,
Triumph has ministered on the streets, in the local hospitals,
workplace, and homes in the Roanoke Valley. Triumph has
been blessed to establish the Kingdom Kids ministry, Community Sunday, Voice of Triumph Radio Broadcast, and other outreach programs. The prayer of the ministry is that the Lord will
bless our endeavors and that souls will be blessed and inspired
to join the cause. It is our desire to be co-laborers with those
who herald the message of Christ in truth.
After professing his call in the ministry to Bishop Earley Dillard,
Eld. Chris served briefly on the Deacon Board before officially
professing his call to the entire household of faith. On March
16, 2003, Eld. Chris preached his initial public sermon entitled
"Strange Fire," taking his text from Leviticus 10. In July 2005,
after passing successfully the WOTCC ordination testing procedure, Eld. Chris was ordained an Elder in the Way of the Cross
Church of Christ at the Annual Convocation in Alexandria, VA.
He has also served as an Associate Elder at Shiloh WOTCC. Eld.
Chris spent his time at Shiloh in various other roles including:
Minister Allen B. Lewis, Jr.
Candidate for NYFC 3rd Vice President
name of Jesus at the age of seven years old in 1982. Allen was
blessed to have a saved roommate in college, who was present
when he received the Holy Ghost in December of 1992.
Min. Allen Lewis, Jr. was born into the Way of
the Cross Church under the tutelage of the
late Bishop John E. Williams, Sr. in Philadelphia, PA. From an early age he was constantly involved in the
local and National Youth for Christ. He was baptized in the
As a teenager, Bro. Lewis began directing the local Youth for
Christ Choir as well as playing the bass guitar. He contributed
these gifts to the National Youth for Christ, directing the Intermediate and National NYFC Choirs.
28
In 1998, Bro. Lewis married the granddaughter of our Presiding
Bishop, Sis. Sonia Cannady, and they worshipped under the
leadership of Bishop Leroy H. Cannady, Sr.
Deacon Lewis preached his initial sermon in October 2011, under the leadership of his pastor, Bishop Leroy Cannady.
From around 2005 to 2013, Bro. Lewis was responsible for the
Mid-Atlantic Diocese Mass Choir. In 2006, Bro. Lewis felt the
call of God to become a Deacon, and he was ordained in September 2007.
In January 2013, Min. Lewis followed the instructions of the
Lord by moving his family’s church membership to the City of
Refuge WOTCC in Richmond, VA where Eld. Travell Travis is the
pastor.
Elder Johnathan Mintz
Candidate for NYFC 3rd Vice President
grandfather the late Bishop L. W. Mintz. He served faithfully
there as the Minister of Music and on many other committees.
The Mintz family was introduced to the Way of the Cross
Church of Christ by the Late Bishop Harold K. Clarkson. They
joined this great organization via Miracle Way of the Cross in
Cameron, SC on January 8, 2006. Continuing the mission in
Vance, SC, which Minister Mintz founded in 2004, he worked
faithfully and fervently to promote the spreading of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. From the “Pineland Street Mission,” as it was
affectionately called, was birthed the ministry he now pastors –
Stand for Christ Way of the Cross Church of Christ.
Pastor Johnathan Mintz is a native of Orangeburg, SC. He is the first born of two sons. His
parents, Willie and Priscilla, and his brother,
Justin now reside in St. Matthews, SC. Pastor
Mintz was educated in the public schools of Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 and graduating with honors, he furthered his education at the University of South Carolina
(Columbia Campus) College of Biology.
Pastor Mintz currently holds many offices in the WOTCC. In the
South Carolina Diocese he is the Minister of Music and the Vice
President of the YFC. In the Southern Region he is also the
Minister of Music and the President of the YFC.
Pastor Mintz is married to Elect Lady Wanda (Guess) Mintz.
This union is abundantly blessed with six children. Jonathan,
Julai, Justin, Jayden, and twins, Joshua and Jackson who have
brought much joy to this young couple’s life. Needless to say,
there is never a dull moment in their presence!
With great enthusiasm and vitality, Pastor Mintz works tirelessly to ensure that he is found worthy of the vocation wherewith
he has been called!
Pastor Mintz was called to the ministry while he was a member
of the St. James Church of God under the leadership of his
faithfully assisted his Pastor. In September 1999, he was elevated to Elder by Bishop Benjamin Peterson, Sr. He faithfully
served as Assistant Pastor under Bishop Peterson, Sr. until his
death in September of 2000. He continued to serve Greater
Bibleway Temple Harrisburg under Bishop Peterson, Jr., as Assistant Pastor for 10 years. God gave Elder Porter the vision to
start his own church in late 2008. He remained faithful to
Greater Bibleway until God sent confirmation at the end of
May 2010. Equipped with the knowledge he had acquired under powerful men of God, the vision God gave him, and the
support of his family he established True House of Power
Church of Christ.
Elder Kevin L. Porter, Sr.
Candidate for NYFC 3rd Vice President
Elder Kevin L. Porter, Sr. resides in Harrisburg,
PA, where he graduated from John Harris High
School and attended Harrisburg Area Community College. He is the third of five children,
three sisters, and one brother (deceased). He
received his early Christian training under the leadership of
Bishop James H. Hicks at New Bethel Way of the Cross Church
of Christ in Harlem, NY; where he was baptized in the name of
Jesus. In 1979, the family relocated to Harrisburg, PA, where
they attended New Day Way of the Cross Church of Christ, under the leadership of Bishop Myles Meredith and then his father Elder William Porter. Elder Porter faithfully served at New
Day as a musician, leader of the young Christian men’s group,
and a choir member. In 1983, he read an essay he wrote entitled ‘I Have to Find Myself’ and it was prophesied to him that
he would be a pastor. During his father’s leadership at New
Day, he received the gift of the Holy Ghost, at the age of 16.
Elder Porter has served as the Chaplin at the Capital Area Red,
Minister of Music for the Christian Neighborhood Center, and
also served as the secretary and minister of music to the Harrisburg Area Apostolic Brotherhood.
He is married to childhood sweetheart, the former Mary
Easton. They have eight children: Kaylynn, Kevin, La’Keesha,
Tamra, Joshalyn, John, Lynette, and Purcelle; and one granddaughter Kay' Marie and one grandson Kamerin. Elder Porter is
dedicated to preaching the word of God to all people and winning souls for Christ. He believes his walk with Christ will allow
the vision to continue and not faint.
In December 1988, Elder Porter received the call to the ministry. In January 1989, he preached his trial sermon from Malachi
2:10, “The Myth of the Three Gods.” During his years of service
at Greater Bibleway he served as usher, minister, musician, and
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28:19
29
dent Eld. Travell Travis and the current Second Vice President
Bishop Eric Cannady, Sis. Hairston has served as the editor of
the National Youth for Christ Newsletter, The MESSENGER, for
the last twelve years. She also previously assisted her husband, Eld. Hairston, under the office of Membership Chairman
over registration under the then Second Vice President Eld.
Travis. Also in her care has been the ordering of various
awards and trophies for National Youth for Christ events and
assisting with youth contests.
Sis. Keevie W. Hairston
Candidate for Executive Secretary
Sis. Keevie W. Hairston was educated in
Pittsylvania County Schools, graduating
from Tunstall High School in 1991, where
she was a track and field standout and
also played girls basketball. As a child,
she was a member of the Girls Scouts. Sis. Keevie received her
Associate’s degree in Applied Science, majoring in Office Systems Technology, from Danville Community College in 1993
and a Certificate from Patrick Henry Community College in
2010 majoring in the Piedmont Community Services Leadership
Academy.
Sis. Keevie obtained the designation Certified Professional Secretary® in May 2008 and the designation Certified Administrative Professional® with a specialty in Organizational Management in May 2009 from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) of which she is currently a member. Joining the Roanoke Chapter of IAAP in 2011, Sis. Keevie
has accepted the responsibility of Newsletter Editor for the
Roanoke Chapter in August 2012. Sis. Keevie has also been
commissioned as a Notary Public in the Commonwealth of Virginia. On February 27, 2012, God blessed Sis. Hairston to become employed as the Administrative Secretary to the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA.
Sis. Hairston was reared spiritually at St. Paul Pentecostal Holiness Church in Axton, VA, under the leadership of Bishop Edward C. Martin. She was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
at St. Paul by Eld. David Gravely at the age of 18. She sang in
the Youth Ensemble, attended ABYPU, and VBS. Sis. Keevie
participated in the Gospel Teen Pageant in April 1991 and was
crowned Miss Gospel Teen 1991, receiving a $600 college
scholarship, and plaques for Most Helpful (in fundraising),
Most Talented (in Monologue), and Miss Congeniality. Little
did she know in December 1994, her path would cross again
with that of Eld. Chris, being introduced to her companion-tobe for the first time at this venue. She soon moved her membership to Shiloh WOTCC in February 1996 under the pastorship of Bishop Earley Dillard. There she participated on the Junior Usher Board, sang in the Radio Choir and the Ministers of
Music, served as treasurer of the Dodson Five, and corresponding/recording secretary with the local Youth for Christ.
She confessed receiving the precious gift of the Holy Ghost in
August 2000 at the age of 26.
Sis. Keevie was married to Eld. Christopher S. Hairston in January 2000 and they have been blessed with two handsome sons,
Ethan Christopher, 9 and Israel Alexander, 7. Although a busy
wife and mother, she has been faithfully supporting her husband in developing the ministry at Triumph. Sis. Hairston currently serves as the Church Administrator for Triumph WOTCC,
Kingdom Kids Coordinator, local YFC President, Missionary, and
Praise Team Leader. Her desire is to serve the body of Christ
locally and nationally wherever she is needed. Sis. Hairston’s
favorite scripture…For I know the plans I have for you, declares
the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future…Jeremiah 29:11.
Under the past leadership of the office of Second Vice Presi-
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Sherina D. Tr avis
City of Refuge Way of the Cr oss Chur ch —Richmond, VA
It is with great pride that I recommend, our elect lady, Sherina
D. Travis, for the 2013 NYFC Ambassador’s Award from City of
Refuge Church.
achieve 87% pass rate in 2012 and 96%
rate this year on the Virginia SOL Test.
Academically, Sherina is currently enrolled in graduate school at Liberty University in Lynchburg where she is pursuing her Master’s in Secondary Education
with specialization in K-12 math. This
year, Sherina was accepted into the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education while maintaining a cumulative
GPA of 3.8. She is expected to graduate from Liberty University in May 2014 with future plans to pursue her doctorate in
education and open her own charter school.
Sherina serves City of Refuge as our founding member and first
lady. In addition, she serves as our YFC President, Kid’s Academy Coordinator, Missionary, and Praise Team member while
serving in various other ministries and committees in our
church. Nationally, Sherina serves as coordinator for the NYFC
Daughters of Destiny.
Professionally, Sherina has been employed with University
Instructors for the last five years as a math specialist. For the
last two years, she has been assigned to Lakeview Elementary
School in Portsmouth where she was able to help 6th grade
students, primarily from low-income and minority families, to
Sherina is able to juggle her responsibilities as a teacher, student, and first lady while raising two wonderful girls, Deonna
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(4) and Janiyah (3). In addition, she has been a devoted wife to
our National Youth for Christ President, Elder Travell Travis,
faithfully travelling with him to every national meeting and
speaking engagement around the country. To date, together,
they have visited over 90% of the churches in the WOTCC with
plans to visit the remaining churches during his next term.
Sherina’s favorite scripture is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all
things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
Indeed, First Lady Sherina D. Travis, City of Refuge WOTCC,
Richmond, VA is a National Youth for Christ Ambassador.
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Cayla Chase
Bethel Way of the Cross Chur ch —Huntingtown, MD
ticipates in the following areas: AAU basketball, 4-H Club,
fundraising , track & field (100 M, 200M, 4X100 M, long jump,
and triple jump). She co-hosts a college club at school.
It is a pleasure for Bethel WOTCC to present Sis. Cayla Chase as
our 2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador. Sis. Cayla is 16
years old and is the daughter of Deac. Robert and Sis. Carlene
Chase.
In this day and age of technology, Cayla sends out inspirational
text messages to over 100 people. She is in the process of constructing an inspirational website. She also has “girlie sleepovers” at her house and this is where she takes time to share
encouraging words with her friends and witness, all at the
same time while having fun. One of Cayla’s friends was recently baptized at Bethel. To God be the glory! Cayla has a bubbly
personality and is fully of love.
Sis. Cayla has made the honor roll and taking AP and honors
classes. She also tutors her peers in school when they need
assistance in particular subjects.
At Bethel, Cayla sings on the youth choir and with a group she
helped form called, “Sold Out Sisters.” She also sings on the
Mid-Atlantic Diocese Choir, as well as the National Youth for
Christ Mass Choir. Cayla assists with summer camp at Bethel,
is a teen leader, and works to encourage her peers, witnessing
and setting an example.
For these reasons, Sis. Cayla Chase has been chosen to represent Bethel WOTCC as our 2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador.
Sis. Cayla is very helpful and active in her community. She par-
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Gabrielle Or tiz
Unit ed Faith Way of the Cr oss Chur ch —Hender son, NC
Faith: Youth for Christ treasurer; women’s choir; Voice of Faith choir; Youth
choir; Sister-to-Sister secretary; usher
board; and outreach ministry. Sis. Gabrielle reads scriptures and sings uplifting songs to the residents of a local
nursing home that the church visits
during 3rd Sunday Outreach. She is
viewed as a leader and role model
among the youth and especially the
female sisters. Over the years, the
church has watched Gabrielle grow
spiritually, which has made her the
Christ-like young person she is today.
Sis. Gabrielle Lee Ortiz, has been recommended and accepted
to represent United Faith WOTCC as a 2013 National Youth for
Christ Ambassador. Gabrielle is 18 years old and the daughter
of Deac. and Missionary Dorothy Ortiz.
After reviewing Sis. Gabrielle’s high school transcript, it is evident that she performed well in all courses in high school. She
is a 2013 graduate of Crossroads Christian School with a GPA of
3.4. She has been accepted and is currently enrolled as a freshmen at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After
graduation, Gabrielle began her second year in the Workforce
Investment Act Summer Youth Work Program where she is
employed full time at the City of Henderson’s Municipal Building as an office assistant. Sis. Gabrielle has a second part-time
job in a retail department store that sells men's and women's
dress attire. Gabrielle’s supervisors have commended her for
her hard work, dedication, friendly personality, and say she is a
pleasure to work with. The aforementioned depicts a diligent,
goal oriented, sister in Christ that has a strong, unyielding desire to serve others in and out of the church.
Sis. Ortiz is accustomed to multi-tasking as she has been an
athlete and continued to be occupied with various other extracurricular activities including the homecoming committee,
prom committee, praise band, and Adopt-A-Highway. She was
inducted into the National Junior Beta Club in the seventh
grade and the National Senior Beta Club in the ninth grade.
She was a cheerleader for two years, played basketball for
Sis. Ortiz currently serves in the following capacities at United
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three years, and soccer for six years, receiving awards in cheerleading and soccer. She has donated food to the homeless
shelter and assisted with the project “Rebuilding Hope.” This
project entails students volunteering to renovate homes that
do not have the proper necessities to meet the requirements
for an inhabitable dwelling. She also volunteered to work for
the local blood drive.
Sis. Gabrielle is truly deserving and with God leading her will
continue to represent Jesus Christ, United Faith WOTCC, the
North Carolina Diocese, the National Youth for Christ, and the
Way of the Cross Church of Christ, International.
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Br o. Tommy Shaw, Jr.
Abundant Life Way of the Cr oss Chur ch —Sumter, SC
and now participates in the Intermediate Youth. He always
involves himself in the different contests at the National Youth
for Christ Conventions.
Tommy L. Shaw Jr. has always been an honor roll student. He
has successfully completed a challenging year of 7th grade and
has been promoted to the 8th grade. He has received a Superintendent Writing Award from the District of Williamsburg
County for an essay that was clear, unique, and had an influential message.
Tommy has visited the hospital and nursing homes to sing and
play for the elderly. He has gone several times to the hospital
to visit his grandmother to help her back to health. Tommy is
also witnessing at his school and bringing his friends to church
on Sunday mornings.
Locally, Tommy has worked in the ministry from childhood. He
is doing an outstanding work in the ministry as an anointed and
innovative musician and soloist. He is a Sunday school scholar
and sometimes teaches in the Adult class.
Tommy attends every service, whether it’s Sunday morning or
Tuesday Night Bible Study. He participates actively in biblical
discussions.
Nationally, Tommy has participated in the Junior Youth service
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Kimberly N. Hair ston
Shiloh Temple Way of the Cr oss Chur ch —Charlotte, NC
Shiloh Temple would like to recognize Sis. Kimberly N. Hairston as the 2013 National Youth
for Christ Ambassador. Sis. Kimberly is the
daughter of Bishop Darrell and Sis. Penny Hairston. She is 27 years old. Kimberly completed
her graduate certificate in teaching secondary
education English, receiving her professional
education license. She was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. During her time in this
graduate program, Sis. Kimberly maintained a 4.0 GPA. She
was accepted into the Masters of Arts teaching program at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Sis. Kimberly is very active in her local church. She teaches the
young children's Sunday school class, a Praise Team leader,
member of the Women's Association, and YFC President. She
sings on the National Youth for Christ Mass Choir and always
represents her church during Youth Expressions.
Sis. Kimberly helps feed the hungry, provides and distributes
school supplies for young children in North Carolina, and tutors
young children in the community.
She is on fire for the Lord being baptized in Jesus name at a
young age and filled with the Holy Ghost.
Come out and enjoy great fun and fellowship with your National Youth
for Christ family on Thursday and Friday night! See details ahead!
...a time to laugh...a time to dance...a time to embrace...a time to love...Ecclesiastes 3.
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2013 National Youth for Essay Contest Par ticipants
Element ar y, Middle School, High School, and College
We have included only the content of the essays for your reading pleasure. The
judges have received the essays in their entirety and will score them as such. The
content has not been edited in any way.
Bro. Christian D. Cannady—Elementary
Atlanta Metro Way of the Cross Church
Stone Mountain, GA
God wants for us to live right and follow His will. He wants for us to do the right things and not do the wrong things in life. Jesus
wants for us to teach other people that He created, tell them about the baptism in Jesus name to take away all of our sins, and
how to live right by being a good example. For example, if I was with a bunch of kids and they were doing the wrong thing, I would
try to do the right thing. That way, maybe another kid will follow me and I will be a good example.
If I teach His people, then God said He would be with me forever. Forever means I will be with Him one day in Heaven. I want to be
with my Lord and Savior. I look forward to walking on golden grounds. This is why I want to do His will because I believe Jesus. He
died on the cross for me so I can be saved and He loves me. He saved me from my sins and gave me the Holy Ghost, so I can be
with Him one day. So I have come too far to turn around now because God did not give me the Holy Ghost just to stop living right
for Him. He wants for me to share what He has done for me to see someone else go to Heaven also. I have come too far to turn
around.
Sis. Lincia Brooke Cannady—Middle
Atlanta Metro Way of the Cross Church
Stone Mountain, GA
Have you ever started something that you really wanted to do, but got half way and realize that it was harder
than you thought? For example, if you have ever been to Stone Mountain to walk it seems like something fun and easy. However,
you start off and you get so far that you realize you have come too far to turn around. Actually, the same thing happens spiritually.
You want to go forward in Christ, but sometimes it is very tough. It is more work to it than just saying, “Hallelujah and Amen”! We
must realize that God is with us always and He will be with us until we reach the end. However, unlike Stone Mountain reaching
the end for us is just the beginning because one day we are gonna be caught up with Jesus.
Like Stone Mountain, you will walk 1/3 of the mountain and realize the mountain is a five mile walk. When you finish you
will be happy because you got good exercise. Walking alone is no fun, therefore you should invite a friend. The bible tells us to,
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” That
name is Jesus. God wants for us to tell others about how to climb the spiritual mountain to heaven. We can’t get half way and
stop. We have to keep on climbing. God wants for us to tell others to join us on our spiritual hike. He wants for us to tell them
who He is, about baptism, the Holy Ghost, and show them how to live right.
God said for us to teach them to “observe all things”. He wants for us to teach others about Him and to help them witness the joy of serving the Lord. Teach others that this journey might seem hard, but it is easy to climb with the help of God. He
said He would be with us day after day if we do what He has commanded for us to do. He will help us to finish our walk. So don’t
look at your mountains like they are too hard to climb because with Jesus on our side “we have come too far to turn around.”
Is this your first visit to Atlanta, GA?
If so, make plans to go sightseeing, shopping, or take in a few recreational activities. You can
visit historic Stone Mountain, the Coca-Cola Experience, Olympic Park, CNN, Martin Luther
King, Jr., Memorial, or have fun at Six Flags, the aquarium, or take in an Atlanta Braves game
and more! Planning on attending a HBCU, check out Morehouse and/or Spelman College.
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Bro. Tommy Shaw, Jr.—Middle
Abundant Life Way of the Cross Church
Sumter, SC
There were times I have had a parent or teacher say, “I am going to be down the hall taking care of something. While I am
away I want you to clean your room or complete your homework?” Some of us get to work right away and follow the instructions
that we have been given. Others put off the instructions and do what we want to do and think we have plenty of time until the person will be back to check on our work.
Which one will be found disobedient? It’s always important to obey the instructions we have been given immediately. We
should not put off what we know we are supposed to be doing. In the case of parents and teachers we may suffer punishment for
our disobedience. If you have been saved you belong to Christ. He has given His followers many instructions. If you are obeying His
instructions you will be rewarded for your obedience. Disobeying Jesus’ instructions will cause you to miss out on the blessings and
rewards God has for you in this life and one day in heaven.
The last part of Matthew 28:20 states what Jesus promised (that He would always be with His disciples to the end of the
age). Jesus had promised the disciples that God was going to send the gift of the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit would live inside the
heart of each of Jesus’ disciples. With the Holy Spirit living inside of believers, Jesus’ presence would always be with them wherever
they went.
If you and I are believers we need to be sharing with others the Good News about Jesus. We need to be obedient to what
God’s word teaches us so we can share that with others. We have the Holy Spirit living in us giving us the power to God’s Work
until He returns.
Tomesha Shaw—College
Abundant Life Way of the Cross Church
Sumter, SC
“Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go; therefore,
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:
18-20.
Matthew chapter 28 begins with an event that lies at the center of our faith in Jesus Christ and our hope for His return.
The angel reported to the women who came to the tomb, “He is not here; for He is risen.” The risen Lord did not immediately ascend, however. The eleven apostles reported to Him at the appointed place and worshipped Him. Then He spoke these words to
them. A study of this passage brings before us some basic things requiring our attention and response to God: authority, the making of disciples, baptism, teaching and obedience.
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Authority brings up something so many people do not want to face: we need to be governed. This fundamental derives
from two simple truths set before us. One, we were made by God. The Creator has the right to govern the products of His work.
Thus, even before sin came, Adam and Eve needed to be governed. In fact, when they rebelled against their Creator, their lives
changed in many dreadful ways. Two, those who have sinned can never extract themselves from their lost condition without coming back to God, with readiness to submit to His government (repent, be forgiven, start over and obey).
God gave all authority to Him! The risen Lord said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Everybody needs to obey Jesus Christ. God gave Him that right; the right to govern us. This is God’s will and plan. Authority is the right to
govern. Jesus has that. Our response (as creatures of God who have sinned) should be, to obey Jesus Christ.
If you do not acknowledge this, or if you are not ready to obey Jesus Christ, you need to understand your situation: You
are a lost sinner, living apart from God and not ready for your life to end! If you believe in God and seek to live according to His
will, it must be on this basis – submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ. You cannot work around this. You cannot “cut through
the red tape of authority.” You cannot come up with your own plan of salvation. You should not just do what others are doing.
God gave “all authority” to His Son, Jesus Christ. Submitting to His authority is a “make or break” deal. You must come to Christ, to
receive pardon and submit to His authority.
Disciples become disciples in just this way, by being taught and submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus told His
apostles to “go . . . and make disciples of all the nations.” This is not the “make” that would be force. God has never wanted robotic
servitude. They did this through teaching.
To me, the closing of Matthew 28:20--"...and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."--simply means "forever".
Jesus is "with you always" as an "encouragement to execute this commandment. That is, by my Spirit, my providence, my attending counsel and guidance. I will strengthen, assist, and direct you. This also proves that Christ is divine. It may therefore be considered as a gracious assurance that he would aid, strengthen, guide, and defend all his disciples, but more especially his ministers, to
the end of time.
We have come too far to turn around. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. What he expected the people of God to do in the past, he requires he same today. Teaching doesn’t stop once a person has submitted to Christ’s authority
initially in baptism. Husbands and wives need instruction, as well as parents and children. Elders, deacons and preachers need to
know their duties. Every individual Christian needs to know Christ in attitude, and wear the whole armor of God. We’ve come too
far, we can’t turn around now.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:20
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Sis. Alexandria Whitaker
Gates of Praise WOTCC
Middle School—Essay Contest
Completing my first year in Middle School was not only a fun and learning experience, but a challenging
one! I can now say that I’m a rising 7th grader! It was the scripture, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20) that was one of my daily devotions as I started my day. I was beginning a new school, with new teachers, and new friends. I prayed and asked God to be with
me as I adjusted to a new environment; especially with choosing new friends. I knew the Holy Spirit would not lead me in the
wrong direction. My prayer was answered with my new friend, Anavay. Anavay is not Apostolic, but Catholic. She believes in Jesus
and wants to live right. However, she does not understand my denomination. This was the first time that kids in school questioned
my religion, and that I had to “defend” it. But thank God for Sunday School and my pastor’s teachings! I know Jesus’ Name is the
only way to be saved. I tell my friends that Ephesians 4:5 says, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”, and it is the only way to make it
to Heaven.
I have been in church all of my life and I believe that the Apostolic Church is the right church. I will not be persuaded to
believe in any other name, but the Name of Jesus! Jesus has always been with me throughout my years in school and I know He will
not leave me now. Regardless of peer pressure or anything else, I have come too far to turn around now! I am rooted and grounded in the Apostolic faith, and I am focused on making Heaven my home. My pastor says, “You have to see yourself in Heaven”. And
you know what?.. I DO see myself in Heaven! As long as Jesus continues to lead and guide me; and as long as I continue to keep His
commandments, I know He will answer my prayers. Saints, we’ve come too far to turn around now. We have to keep going and
keep moving forward with Jesus! He’s with us always, even unto the end of the world. Amen!
Sis. DeLantia Hellams
New Beginning WOTCC
College—Essay Contest
They always tell us to focus on the future. They tell us that we cannot look back on where we were, but look at where we are trying
to go. Yes, the past plays a role, but it does not determine where we end up. “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20 KJV) We must remember that God has placed us on this earth for a purpose. We may not know what it is but we are still required to complete the
task that God as set before us. In order to ensure that we do not turn back we must have faith, forget about our past and focus on
our future, put aside our own plans and focus on God’s plan for us and stay focused on God.
We must have faith in God to continue moving forward. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto
you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20 KJV) Faith is what keeps a child of God encouraged. The more I
trust Him the farther I will go. However, many people fail to tell us that there are two parts to having faith; fear and faithful service.
We must “fear the Lord.” In this context, the word comes from a Hebrew word that means to revere and trust. If we begin to fear
God more we could be more committed to honoring and serving him. No one will have to beg us to come to church, read the bible,
or do work for the Lord. If we learn to fear the Lord then we could truly be what God called us to be. Next, we must learn to have
faithful service. “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth.” (Joshua 24:14 KJV) Sincerity comes from a
Hebrew word which means whole mindedness and truth comes from a Hebrew word which means faithfulness. Therefore God
wants us to serve him wholeheartedly and in love.
We must forget about our past and focus on the future. Someone may say “you’re never supposed to forget where you come
from.” However, you can FORGET the past but still REMEMBER the past. The past serves as a pro and con. The past is a pro in the
fact that we can use it to help us in our future victories. It serves as a con because if we dwell on it we lose our drive to move forward. It was once said that "The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post." -- L. Thomas
As a people, we must learn to put aside our own plans and focus on God's plan for us. As we are half-way through the year, this is
the time when we can think about what we've done so far. Have we given more attention to something else more than we’ve given
attention to God? If so, this has become our god and we must "put it away and serve The Lord!" Following and obeying God is a
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choice that we make on our own. God does not force anyone to obey or follow him. To have that relationship with God, we must
be willing to give up all worldly things. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my
disciple." (Luke 14:33 KJV) We ultimately have the choice if we're going to serve God or serve our personal gods, but we have to
make a choice for no man can serve two masters. Remember if you put ANYTHING before The Lord and his work then it has become your god.
Lastly, we must stay focused on The Lord. One way to do this is to appreciate him. God is a jealous God and we cannot serve him
with a divided heart. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the
one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24 KJV) The next way is to confess our commitment
to serve the Lord. "And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve The Lord." (Joshua 24:21 KJV) As the year moves on, we
all need to make the commitment to serve the Lord or better or relationship with Him.
Like the old folks use to sing, “We have come this far by faith” and we cannot turn back. God has something special planned for
every one of us if we just forget about our past and focus on our future, put aside our own plans and focus on God’s plan for us
and stay focused on God.
Sis. Lundynne Payton
New Beginning WOTCC
Elementary—Essay Contest
Praise the Lord,
This upcoming school year I will be in the 5th grade. When I grow up I would like to become a school teacher. My grades so far are
good and I have maintained a 3.4 cumulative G.P.A. Though I am intelligent, there are sometimes I would get myself into trouble at
school. Whenever a teacher would call her my mother would always warn me with “I will deal with you when I get home.” Believe
me I was scared and I wouldn’t talk in school for the rest of the day. When I would get home expecting a spanking from her she
would instead sit me down and have a calm conversation with me. She would say “You don’t go to school to play, you go to learn.”
Afterwards, she would tell me to go find some homework or a book to read and the next morning she would get me ready for
school and say “Have a good day!”, and I did. I know that in order for me to reach the goals I have set for myself I have to focus
and keep my mind stayed on things that will help me grow into the positive young lady my mother would want me to be. God decided that it was time for my mother, to come and be with him for eternity. I love my mother with my whole heart and though
some people may see her passing as a setback… I’ve come too far to give up now! I know my mother is watching me from above
and her words of wisdom will ring in my spirit for the rest of my life. She has inspired me to keep moving forward and know that
God knows best. He will never fail you and even when you do mess up he’s right there to give you encouraging words. The Bible
says in Philippian 4:13, that “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ that strengthens me”. So with that strength, I will press on in the
midst of this storm and see what God has in store for my life!
Thank you Jesus!
Sis. Cayla Chase
Bethel WOTCC
High School—Essay Contest
Being a teenager in this generation isn’t always easy. There are things that try to distract, attack and turn you away from God.
But, when I think about it I must be doing something right. If my life were easy I would have to check myself to be sure I’m in the
will of God because the enemy isn’t reeking havoc in my life. I use to allow the enemy to speak negative thoughts into my spirit. He
would tell me I wasn’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough. This lead to low self esteem and depression. But, once I found
Jesus I began to love myself and see my talents, beauty and intelligence through the eyes of the Lord. Wow, what a change the
Lord has made in my life. When things seem hardest to bear I know the Lord is about to bless. God promised me he would never
leave me or forsake me. I know he puts no more on me than I can bear. He has brought me through so much why would I or anyone want to turn around?
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will
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never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
I have come to far…
Giving up or turning around is not an option. Do you really feel like turning around now? After coming so far? Turning around
means going backwards. Remember all the things you left behind; pain, sorrow, disappointment, stress, being separated from the
Lord. The enemy likes to keep us on a Merry-Go-Round of confusion and unbelief. All the things that keep you from moving forward and becoming better. God has given you everything you need to fight and move forward. He has restored joy, healed, and
sent peace. Why go back to defeat when ahead of you is victory. Look through your eyes of faith and you will see not only is this
battle not yours but, its already won.
Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house said the Lord Almighty. And in this
place I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty. Greater is coming.”
You have come to far…
We should find great comfort in knowing that the Lord is always with us. We should be grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost
which leads and guides us. The Holy Ghost keeps us focused on the future not dwelling on the past. We tend to dwell on our past
mistakes as being mistakes that hold us back. Instead we should use them as a stepping stone to getting better and as a motivation
to helping us to get where we want to be. I was once told when my past is calling send the negativity to voice mail. We have heard
the song “I just can’t give up now ”by Mary Mary and other artist. It speaks about not giving up because we have come to far to do
so. When we are really in a tight spot and in battling with the enemy giving up is the easy way out. But God has plans for us he
knows what the end is going to be and it has victory written all over it.
Jeremiah 29:11”For I know the thoughts I have towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
We have come to far…
Sis. Jaclyn Fulmore
Evangelistic Temple WOTCC
Middle School—Essay Contest
Have you ever attempted to take a hike, got tired on the way, and wanted to turn back, but realized that you traveled too
far and your destination was in view. Therefore, you purposed that you wouldn’t turn around. This is also true in our walk with the
Lord, we must understand that we have come too far to turn around. There are many reasons why we should not turn around.
Three of the reasons are as followed: God has us here for a purpose, someone else can benefit from your life of holiness, and we
have to make a decision, heaven or hell.
First, God has us here for a purpose. We were created by God to do his will. The Bible teaches us how we should live.
Once we have an understanding of God’s Word, and are being lead by His spirit we are on the right track to fulfill our purpose of
living a life that is pleasing in His sight. Even if trouble comes our way, we must trust Him and don’t turn around. God promises
never leave us nor forsake us.
Secondly, someone else can benefit from our lives. We don’t know who is watching the way we live for God. Our testimonies can
be a sinner’s breakthrough. Just like Daniel in the lions den. He didn’t turn around and said “God you failed me.” He did the opposite, and the lions didn’t attack. The point that I am trying to make is that Daniel didn’t turn around and his testimony lets us
know that we shouldn’t either. We must live so that others can see God and be blessed also.
Third, we have to make a decision, either heaven or hell. The life that we live will determine whether we will spend eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ or in the lake of fire. If God was to open the book of life on us today and we didn’t
repent, we would spend eternity in hell. Therefore, we who are saved must not go back to the sinful lives that we used to live. We
should move forward not looking back, because we are headed for eternal life.
In conclusion, we’ve come too far, prayed and sing to hard, go to church too much to turn around now. Heaven is in view and we
must go on and receive our crown.
Sis. Robin McFadden
Evangelistic Temple WOTCC
College—Essay Contest
On this Christian journey, perseverance is the key. We have to strive to make it to the end of the race. Even though life
gets tough, we can’t give up now for several reasons because: the past keeps us bound by what we have already encountered, we
have already been cleansed and made whole by the Spirit of God, and we would miss our chance to gain eternal life and receive
the crown that God has for his people. Although we’ve suffered and have been persecuted, we must keep pressing forward be38
cause we’ve come too far to turn around.
The first reason why we can’t turn around is because as believers, we cannot live our lives in the past because the past
only keeps us bound by what we’ve already encountered, and God wants us to have a new encounter with Him. Our pasts are
filled with hurt, pain, humiliation, and disappointments, but God brought us out to experience a new life, a life filled with hope,
love, abundance, and satisfaction. If we continue to live in the past, it will keep us away from God’s promise. For example, God
made a promise to the people of Israel, His chosen people, that He would bring them out of Egypt and will take them into a land
flowing with milk and honey, also known as the promise land (exodus 3:8-9). And God kept his promise to them. But, as time proceeded they had to come up against many obstacles. One of many would be their encounter at the red sea, where there was nothing but water in front of them and pharaoh and his army behind them. They had no thought of how they would escape, so they
panicked and got angry with Moses saying, “You’ve brought us this far to kill us? It is better to be slaves in Egypt than a corpse in
the wilderness,” and Moses replied, “Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (exodus 14:13). The Israelites wanted to turn around and go back into what they were familiar with, but, the Lord then made a way for them by parting the red sea so
that they could pass through to the other side. We must understand that we are going to come across many obstacles but we can’t
allow them to become a hindrance to our promise, and living in the past is one of them.
Another reason why we can’t turn around is because we’ve been cleansed and made whole by the Spirit of God, and it
would grieve Him for us to turn back into sin, once again, after he has purified us. After God has taken all of the sin and shame
away from us, we shouldn’t go back into that filthy, sinful life that he has brought us out of. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1). We
must let go of everything that causes to do wrong in the sight of God. God cannot dwell in an unclean temple. So after the Spirit of
God cleanses us, we have to be conscience of the things we say and do, they way we live, and sometimes the things we eat.
The final reason why we can’t turn around is because we would miss our chance to gain eternal life and receive the crown
God has for his people. After all the pain, the suffering, and the persecution that we’ve gone through, it would be nerve wrecking
to not receive what we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Many times in life, when we experience a test or go through trials, it’s easy
for us to give up and turn away from God, but we’ve come too far and are so close to the end; we have to keep pressing on. There’s
no time to give up now, we must forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead, we must press toward the mark of the higher
calling, which is in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). If you turn around now, you won’t get no crown; you won’t get no crown from
the Lord. We must keep fighting to receive the crown that the Lord is going to give to His people on that great day.
So in my conclusion, through the persecution, and through the suffering we can’t turn around now because we’ve come
too far. It may seem as if our circumstances are getting the best of us, but the battle has already been won, and the victory belongs
to us. Sometimes it may even seem as if where in the race alone, but the bible declares that we are surrounded by such a huge
crowd of witnesses to the life of faith (Hebrews 12:1). We must continue to be steadfast in our faith and keep our trust in God; He
won’t let us down because we’ve come too far to turn around.
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Robin McFadden
Evangelis tic Temple Way of the Cr oss Chur ch —Kingstree, SC
Sis. Robin McFadden is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Williamsburg Technical College. She excels in
her academics by being an honor student. She also makes the grades to make the college Dean’s List.
Robin is a member of the Youth For Christ department, assistant to Youth For Christ secretary, and member of the
Youth Praise and Worship team. She is also a member of the National Youth For Christ Mass choir. She has also participated on the Youth Praise team on the national level.
Sis. McFadden has volunteered with the summer lunch program for the County, visits the nursing home and takes the responsibility of helping her mother with her younger siblings, as well as nieces and other family members.
Robin has repented of her sins, been baptized in Jesus name, and confesses the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. She has a great love
for the things of God. She is a faithful member and dedicated youth. She is a great asset to the local church and a role model for
the youth of our church as well as the community.
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2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Sis. Alexandria Whit aker
Gat es of Pr aise Way of the Cross Chur ch —Hampton, VA
Sis. Alexandria Whitaker prayed during the 2012-13 school year to receive all A’s on her report card, and the
Lord blessed her to be on the A Honor roll! She was also a Drama Club participant, Citizen of the Month, and
had Perfect Attendance. She is now a rising 7th grader at York Town Middle School. Sis. Alexandria is a Star
Sunday School student (she attends the Pre-Teen class every Sunday). She also participates in the Sisterhood
Ministry, Youth Choir, Junior usher Board, and the YFC Ministry of the Gates of Praise. In 2012, Alex was the
winner of the NYFC Elementary Essay Contest. She volunteers at the Williamsburg, VA Heritage Humane Society helping sick and homeless animals. She was also awarded a one-week summer scholarship to the Cultural Arts Summer Camp
at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Sis. Alex is a faithful, loyal, and determine young lady. We are so proud of
her at the gates of Praise. We know God has GREAT things in store for her!
2013 National Youth for Christ Ambassador’s Award
Br o. Br andon Gamble
New Beginning Way of the Cross Chur ch —Washington, DC
Bro. Brandon Gamble was recently inducted into the National Honors Society in 2013. He has maintained a 3.2 GPA. At New Beginning, Bro. Brandon is an active member of Next Generation (youth group of the church). He is an active member of every National Youth for Christ Choir also. Bro. Brandon is also active in PHAT Tuesday.
He was a member of the 2011-12 and 2012-13 varsity football team as a free safety. He was also a member of the baseball team as
an outfielder. Brandon sang the National Anthem for his high school JROTC at a special event at the Pentagon and other events
around the metropolitan area.
Bro. Brandon was accepted into several colleges and universities such as Delaware State, Virginia Union, the University of Maryland—Eastern Shore, and Frostburg. Brandon will attend Bowie State in the fall.
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Keevie W. Hairston, AAS, CAP-OM
Editor
[email protected]
National Youth for Christ
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[email protected]
www.wotccyfc.org
540.676.5902 (C) 540.204.4207 (H)