Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 August 1999 — Page 11

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 13,1999 ■ PAGE B1

RELIGION

INSIDE *B* SECTIO

•EDUCATION*SPORTS

Soft and

Light

By Bishop T. Garrott

Benjamin

School expands to meet growing need

What delivers a people? (Part HI) » I thought you might enjoy some of the powerful and provocative remarks (edited) of Reverend James Meeks, Senior Pastor of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Pastor Meeks was the 1999 Indiana Black Expo Ecumenical speaker ' at Light of the World Christian Church. Jesus said: “Know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This is the third part of a series based on Pastor Meeks’ message to Indianapolis that night. Exodus 3:7-8 7 And the Lord said, I have \ surely seen the affliction of my ^people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

’down to

to bring tnem

8 And / am come down deliver them out of tl

the Egyptians^and to'bring up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;

“From 1900 to 1980, all of the ■ stores in our community were owned by a Jewish people. Their children, whom they had put through schools as doctors and lawyers and brokerage investors, didn’t want to come back and operate those stores. Therefore, for the last 19 years, they had to |sell those stores, and they sold Them to the Arabs and Koreans. All over America, stores in the African-American community are owned by Arabs and by Koreans. It is difficult, if not impossible, for African Americans to maintain a reasonable quality of life and to be economically competitive when only 2 percent of our wealth remains in our community. Now first of all, we don’t have but 2 percent and of the 2 percent that we have, only 2 percent of that remains in our community and you say we r are free. USA Today recorded on April 11,1994, that of approximately $9 billion that went to Black businesses from government satisfied contracts, nearly all of those businesses were located in white communities which means that when the government did decide to do something for a minority business, they picked a * minority business that was not in a minority neighborhood. And so, in order to be delivered, the first thing we need is some information, and the information that I came to dispense tonight is that we are not free. And you wonder why so few people come to meetings like this and why a lot of people are not a part of our struggle. A lot of people are not a part of our struggle, because they don’t know we are in a struggle. Pet’s make ourselves a commitfee of one and tell others about bur plight because for America, it /is midnight! We are not free!” ' What is it that emancipates people? What is it that will free people? The first thing is some Sm SALT, Pag* B2

North Star, Little Duckling move to larger facility on Eastside By BARATO BRITT

Staff Writer

For many parents in the inner city, the opportunity to provide their children with faith-centered education is financially challenging. Several of those parents have successfully integrated the costs of such an opportunity into their annual budget, while others scrimp and save desperately holding onto their goals of keeping faith in their child’s academic agenda. Because of a commitment by paitnts, inner city faithbased schools have incurred a dramatic increase in student populations. Some have been able to absorb the influx, while others can only turn away those wanting something different from traditional educational curriculum. Pastor Ken Sullivan and the staff of North Star Christian Academy and Little Duckling Day Care have seen first hand the increase. Luckily, they are now prepared for it. This month, the schools will be accepting more students and offering additional community programs as it moves into its new location, 5350 E. 38lh Street. Once the old Lockyear College Building, the 33,000 square-foot facility now houses the expanded academies, offering hope to a larger constituency of parents wishing a Christ-centered education for their children. Little Duckling will maintain its day care facilities at its present location, but will expand to the new building as it develops. The facility will celebrate it’s grand opening with an open house for the community on Aug. 14. “Basically, we maxed out our present location,” said Rev. Sullivan, who is also the pastor of Charity Christian Center Family Church. “With our growth, we didn’t have any other choice but to move into a new facility. There was no rooiqto build, but here, we intend to allow our programs togrowTj^ ^ ^ . ' B ut grov^nhasSl WaysrBeen an imperative for the Eastside conglomerate. Before the move, the church was forced to purchase a building just south of it’s current location, 2598 N. Arlington, in order to house community outreach programs such as its Joshua Boys Program, an initiative that lets young boys interact with Christian males. While the purchase allowed the program to grow leaps and bounds, even that facility proved to be inadequate. In the new building, Sullivan is hoping for an increased male presence

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Pastor Ken Sullivan to match the number of boys in need. Currently, 24 boys are part of the program. “We’re currently recruiting Christian men who have a vision to work with children on a full-time basis,” Sullivan said. “It’s very important for us to be able to grow in view of all of society’s, ills. Parents need help raising their children. It’s the responsibility of the church to fill that

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Now that the church can adequately house its cuijent programs. Sullivan said Chlarity Christian nowhafmdhfto continue' its mission of outreach at large. Beginning in October, the church’s mission will diversify to teach students the basics of business and financial management. The Young Entrepreneurs training courses will give prospective students an opportunity to market their products, engage in advertising and develop budget strategies, among several other business-oriented initiatives. To help the budding entrepreneurs market their respective products;

the school will also conduct booth expositions for the entire community. “We want people to get a feel for the ins and outs of business,” Sullivan said. “We’re trying to teach them to be wise consumers and be able to enjoy the benefits of their labor.” Although the primary mission of Charity Christian is to be a beacon for all in need, Sullivan argued that the community’s increased interest in inner-city faith-based education speaks highly to the need of some form of educational choice on a public level. The president of the Urban Christian Schools Coalition (UCSC), Sullivan and a collection of local Black ministers have made it a secondary mission to gain funding and legislation for school choice so they can continue to meet the growing interest. “Faith-based schools do more than just educated children academically, we teach them that they are made for a higher purpose,” said Sullivan, who also once invested in public education as a former IPS teacher. “I think the purpose of having a faith-based school is to reach those who are struggling academically and socially. We want those students who usually fall through the cracks. “The community’s increased interest says a lot for faithbased education,” Sullivan continued, “but a major barrier is the dollar issue. (UCSC) is looking for ways to make those dollars available for parents. I think educational choice will do that.” Sullivan and the UCSC believe that with the current state of the local legislature, gaining their proposed brand of educational choice will be a hard sell. In the mean time, Sullivan and the schools of the UCSC are currently examining ways to alleviate tuition costs and other financial dilemmas. Often, the schools tap into their congregation profits rather than turn parents away. Sullivan is hoping the increased student base will help North Star and Little Duckling continue that pledge. “We’re opening our doors to anyone, that is the mission of Christ-centered education,” said Sullivan. ,, *** , The future is bright for North Star academies and their programs. And, as they grow, Sullivan and staff are hoping their new community will grow with them. For additional information or for scheduling and tuition rates, call Tamara Burris at 547-8572.

St. John celebrates excellence St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church recognizes each semester, students who excel in school. Those students who make honor roll are rewarded with mall gift certificates. These students are Spring 1999 high school graduates, and areon their way to college. The church’s youth, who are enrolled in college are awarded scholarships from St. John’s to encourage them to stay in school. Congratulations, also, to Pastor Phillip Shobe who recently completed his doctoral studies. Students pictured from left to right: (Front row)>Wllliam Fowlkes, Serenitia (Beth) Law, Tallah Ellison, Christina Snorten (Back row)Natalyne Glllbert and Jo Marie Burnside. " ■ 's

Who is All Good? MASON, Ohio - The Christian group All Good recently release their heavily anticipated self-titled debut CD, “All Good.” The group blends a mixture of gospel pop, jazz and country in their music, which consists of a heavy guitar sound with the backing of a gospel choir that is the foundation of the sound. So who is AH Good? They are a diverse group, consisting of all males. The members are Danny Davis, Stew Mallon, Bruce Long, Mike Krieger and Jeff Wilson. The group was envisioned about 10 years ago, by Danny Davis, who at the time was living in Los Angeles and looking to make his and other aspiring musicians’ mark in the gospel recording industry. Davis knew he found the key players for his group, when one day while walking down the street, he heard Bruce Long and Stew Mallon singing gospel song after gospel song. Mike Krieger and Jeff Wilson came aboard a short time later. With no though of a big record contracts or national exposure, the men got together and developed songs through the love and passion they have for composing music and for personal enjoyment in praise of God. The group was quoted as saying “anything that happens in addition to the enjoyment of writing and recording this music is just icing on the cake.” To date, the group has built a tremendous following and appreciation among the church community, fellow musicians and music lovers everywhere. Perhaps, the most crucial element of the All Good gospel group is that the voices of its members and their individual instrumental skills, collectively has a kindred spirit that will move anyone who comes within listening range of their music.

Al-lslam in America By IMAM MIKAL SAAHIR OPINION

Nation’s first women’s movement comes to Indy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Women of Faith, the first and largest national women’s conference in the country, is coming to Market Square Arena, on August 13 and 14. Indianapolis is one of 25 conferences scheduled in 1999. Since its inception in 19%, Women Of Faith has seen an almost 1,100 percent increase in attendance, moving it into some of the largest arenas and coliseums in the country. More than

320,000 women attended in 1998, and the numbers are expected to hit the 500,000 mark in 1999, says Vice-president of Conference Development, Mary Graham. “It’s truly unbelievable how this conference has grown,” says Graham, from the company’s Texas-based office. “We have hand-picked some of the finest speakers and authors in the world, and their presence has bridged genera-

tional and sociological gaps across the country. They compliment each other so well, and have developed a camaraderie between them that gives each conference a feeling, of jcokesiveness and purpose. They support each other, and that’s what the Women of Faith conference is all about...offering women support and encour See WOMEN, Page B3

Muslims invited to greet Dalai Lama Historically the'interfaith works Of the Islamic community has involved exchanges and unity with Protestant Christians, mainly of the Baptist tradition and experience. The last 5-10 years has witnessed Muslims and Catholics getting acquainted with each other via interfaith gatherings. The Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana serving as a link between Americans and the Tibetan Buddhist way of life has established healthy relationships with many religions and communities. On August 16, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will arrive in Indianapolis, for a welcoming ceremony at Market Square Arena. The Muslim, Jewish, and Christian representatives will each have 5 minutes each to welcome the Dalai Lama to our city. This gathering will witness the Dalai Lama deliver an address on “Transforming the Millennium.” After the welcoming ceremony at Market Square Arena, His Holiness will be in Bloomington, Ind., until August 28th observing the “Kalachakra for World Peace 1999.” Kalachakra means “cycles of time.” As humanity witnesses the earth, our home become smaller through mass communications, such a gathering is inevitable. We use to refer See AL-ISLAM, Pag* B3