The Black Church Outreach Tradition.

Where secular social services programs for poor people typically end, churches and religious outreach ministries often begin, especially in predominantly black churches. That used to be true years ago. But not today. I think we have abandon our outreach programs in our churches.

The black church had a powerful outreach tradition. The black church’s role in providing blacks with education, social services, and a safe gathering place. Is one of the reason we should always have love for it. During my research of The Old Black Church I notice that there are 8 major historically black Christian Churches:

African Methodist Episcopal; African Methodist Episcopal Zion; Christian Methodist Episcopal; Church of God in Christ; National Baptist Convention of America; National Baptist Convention, USA; National Missionary Baptist Convention; and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Together, the eight major black denominations alone encompass some 65,000 churches and about 20 million members.

To illustrate how the black church outreach tradition has changed during the years. We have more homeless people than we every had. More people are going to bed hungry than every before. What happen to the love for our people? How can we turn our backs on our less fortune? What happen to our hearts? We have bought into that pull your self up by your own booth strap when in reality we had help all along. Through out generation after generation we had The Old Black Church were there to help in some kind of way.

I know that we have moved pass being associate with the so call Black Church but,once upon a time it was good.I think the church once had a different mission back in that time. Our mission today is total different than it was in the early years.I through the mission of the church was the same mission that Jesus had. Jesus fed the poor. I know that time brings about changes but do we have to change by leaving our poor brothers and sisters behind? why can't we do The Old Black Church thing in our new churches? Is it because the money and not wanting to be reminded that we are one pay check from being like our homeless brother and sister.

We know that the church is in us and we are the church. If we all believe that we could do away with welfare and government hand outs. I know that a lot of our churches don't want to be label as a black church. Once upon a time that was a good thing and it had a different meaning. Do you think that the Black Church has lost it's love for black people? Do you think the church is doing all it can or can it do more?

Do Your Plan Match God's Plan?

Do your plans for yourself match God's plan for you? Are you counting on God to help you reach your goals and make your dreams come true? What will happen if God doesn't have the same plan for you that you have for yourself? Do we give the impression that if we are faithful to God, He will give us everything we want? If we are faithful and rely on God, He gives us what we need.

He leads us to his goals for us rather than our own. And that's a good thing. God knows better than we do what will truly make us happy. He gives us what he knows will bring us happiness, not what we think will.

We believe that God will help us reach the goals we set. When that doesn't happen, we wonder why God let us down. But God hasn't let us down. He is just leading us toward the goal that He has set for us rather than the goal we have set for ourselves. Continue in faith, and God will lead you to rewards greater than you even imagined.

Oswald Chambers wrote: "We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something, and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite."

Jazz Funerals are Dying Out in New Orleans.

I saw this article about Jazz funerals in New Orleans and thought about blogging about it. I remember when Ed Bradley past and they did the jazz thing for him. It was some what different and, I have never thought about how New Orleans did funerals. But I also know that they have a lot of crazy stuff that go on in that city. They believe in roots and putting hexes on people. I once visit that city a couple of years a go, and personal I don't care for it. It seems to have a demonic presence to it. In other words I didn't like the feeling that I got from that city.

Louis Charbonnet's mortuary business focuses on high drama and style, operating one of the only antique horse-drawn hearse services in town. It's what adds flavor to the New Orleans tradition of jazz-style funerals filled with street parades and brass bands.

"People join in (jazz funerals) spontaneously," said Charbonnet, who has worked in the funeral trade more than 50 years and owns Charbonnet-Labat Funeral Home. "... You have the handkerchief flyin', butt shakin' and everything else that goes on, including pouring a little liquor on top of the casket."


But these days the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and the departure of the city's majority African-American residents has raised concerns for Charbonnet and other black funeral home owners like him.

Many black funeral directors and morticians who struggle to hang on say they were shut out of the recovery effort due to the limited subcontract work for the recovery and burial of bodies after Katrina. The state contracted directly with Kenyon International Emergency Services in planning the recovery effort. Kenyon coordinated the response teams, many of which handled the

1,080 bodies counted in Katrina's death toll.

None of the 14 black funeral homes in New Orleans received any subcontracts from Kenyon to bury storm victims. The only business they got was through families they had serviced prior to Katrina or by word of mouth.

In addition, the trend of corporate acquisitions pre- and post- Katrina continues to present a growing threat for many small independent black funeral home owners. Service Corporation International, parent company to Kenyon, is one of the largest funeral home chains in the country.

Hall Davis, president-elect of the National Association of Funeral Directors and Morticians, said the tradition of jazz-style funerals in a Mardi Gras atmosphere is one of a kind. The association represents about 2,300 black funeral homes across the country.

"New Orleans is probably the most unique place in the world with (black funeral) customs passed on from generation to generation," he said. "It is going to take a lot of money to reproduce something that was naturally there."

Many black funeral parlors are family owned and provide a sense of history and personal touch to their generations of customers. They are among the last types of social institutions, including black churches, beauty salons and barber shops, that cater to the African-American community.

"If you go to a white funeral home, you will have a funeral service and you will be treated fairly and properly, hopefully," said Renard Boissiere, who has worked in the business 30 years and owns Boissiere-Labat Family Funeral Services in New Orleans. "But when we (black funeral directors) do our funerals, we become part of the family. It's hard to explain when you have a feel and a culture for it."


But many black funeral directors and morticians said they are disappointed they were not more involved with the recovery effort.

The state hired Kenyon to organize the recovery and burial of bodies after Katrina. The company also provided services at the World Trade Center in New York and after the tsunami in Thailand.

Officials at the state's office of minority affairs said they were unaware of any concerns of black funeral directors.


In the months after Katrina, many black funeral parlors had served a smaller customer base because so many black New Orleans residents evacuated and scattered across the country.

New Orleans' pre-Katrina population stood around 500,000, and city officials estimate only 189,000 have returned.

For Arthur Hickerson, owner of Heritage Funeral Service, business has increased. He makes several trips a week to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to pick up "ship-ins," bodies sent back home by loved ones to be buried. Many have died from Katrina- related stress and health problems.

Teen Party All Night at Megachurch New Year's Bash.

More than 1,600 teens flashed their tickets at the entrance of a megachurch to join the largest under-age New Year’s Eve party in the Washington, D.C. area on Monday night.

The all-night, drug and alcohol free event hosted by McLean Bible Church offered a safe yet fun alternative for teens who wanted to enjoy all the New Year’s festivities but in a Christian environment. Why do the church have to be so like the world?

Junior to senior high students were treated to a wide range of entertainment including illusionist and escape artist Brock Gill, The Price is Right Game Show, inflatable boxing & jousting, snow board simulator, sumo wrestling, SOAR Dunk Team, an ESPN Zone, movies, and the presentation of the Gospel message. My question is what is wrong with this picture. This is no more than and all night party like the world do on New year Eve. What is your take on this? Do you see how Jesus could have been taught in that environment?

Women With Big Feet.

Jodi Grace is riding a trend: Feet are getting bigger. I will agree with that. I can remember when my feet was a size 9 now I can wear a size 10 and some 10.5. I don't know what happen or why my feet move up a size. My daughter is the same thing, she can wear a size 11 when she use to wear a 10 also. I know that the sizing has change because all the large size in the stores are gone 1st. The small sizes are always left for clearance sale. Why don't stores order more larger size from the start with. So I can find my size when I need new shoes.

A New Specialty Shop Offers Large Shoes For Large Feet.

Jodi Grace is not a big woman, only 5 feet 2 with a proportionate size 7 shoe. But like the market she is addressing, she knows people with big feet.

"When a woman has big feet, all her friends and family know it," said Grace, who in October opened Big Foot, a store that caters to women needing large shoes.


Grace's best friend is a size 12 so she has heard the stories for years about how impossible it is to find stylish shoes for big female feet.



Those who don't know women with big feet think the store is a failure waiting to happen, Grace said; those with big-footed friends think it's a gold mine. Solving this latter group's pain is something like a public service, she said.


"I'm amazed at what's selling," she said. "The frumpy ones are doing 10 times better than I thought they would."

Grace had heard from her friend and others that it's hard for big-footed women to find style, so she deliberately downplayed the "old-lady" shoes. She also didn't think tall women would want heels, but they do. She's also waiting for the colorful sandals to start selling because her research told her big-footed women were tired of buying dull men's sandals and slippers.

Grace is playing on a trend: Feet are getting bigger. Humans generally are getting taller, but women's shoes seem to be growing more rapidly. Shoe stocks are changing, too, she said, perhaps because women now feel freer to buy their correct size instead of squeezing into the mainstream product that is on most shelves.

A hundred years ago, the average American woman wore a 3.5 or a 4, Grace said. The Professional Shoe Fitting Manual says that 60 years later, it was a 5.5 or a 6, then 8 or 8.5 during the 1980s. Now, the average women's size is somewhere in the 9s.

The culture certainly has its examples of big-footed women. According to the Web site feetbytheinch.com, tall women celebrities like Geena Davis, Nicole Kidman, Tyra Banks and Uma Thurman all wear size 11s or bigger. But even Meg Ryan or Paris Hilton at 5-8 clock in with 11s, as does 5-6 Kate Winslet. Her average price point is about $70. I love a nice pair of shoes especially dress shoes. Ladies what about your shoe size, has it changed through the years or stayed about the same?

God Star - vs - Rock Star.

This is one of the biggest pastors in Cleveland Ohio daughter. Pastor R.A.Vernon of The Word Church. People check out the type of party this young lady want to have at the expense of the church. She says that Jesus wants her to have this. I can understand why these pastors need to be investigated, come on taking the people hard earn money for crazy mess like this is just not acceptable. That is what's wrong with this get rich gospel. I just don't get how these so call men of God is allowing this to go on. Somebody please help me to understand. What do you think, should this be happen within our community/churches? when you click on the play clip it will take you to mtv site were the clips are at. You have to watch them there.

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My New Year Resolution For 2008.