Newspaper Page Text
14
December 28, 1995
More Southern Baptist preachers have second jobs
(APi The Rev. David Coburn
puts 500 miles a week on his car,
practices his sermons by preach
ing to his steering wheel and
often makes calls to church mem
bers on his cellular phone.
It is the way he balances work
as finance director for a High
Point business with duties as
interim pastor of Brim’s Grove
Baptist Church in Surry County.
“It’s not for everybody,” said
Coburn, who lives in the Stokes
County town of King. “There’s a
very important place for both.”
Coburn is part of a growing
trend of Southern Baptist pas
tors who split time tending a
flock with tending to a business.
More than 1,000 Southern Bap
tist pastors across the state have
both a secular and a religious
job, and the number has been
growing, the Winston-Salem
Priest’s wheelchair stolen on Christmas Day
SEATTLE
(AP) A day of thanks turned to
one of forgiveness for an Episco
pal priest whose motorized
wheelchair was stolen from out
side her downtown chapel on
Christmas morning.
The Rev. Susan O’Shea has
used the wheelchair for the past
three years because of an auto
immune disease that is weaken
ing her leg muscles. The chair
was taken from her chapel at the
Pike Place Market as she slept
on the floor with worshippers
Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon
to be broadcast on January 6
The 16th Annual Lou Rawls
Parade of Stars Telethon will
be broadcast on Saturday, Jan
uary 6. 1996, by WAGT TV26
andFOXIE 103 radio from 6:00
p.m. to 1:00 a.m. The star
studded Parade of Stars is the
final fund-raising event for the
1995 Paine College-United
Negro College Fund Joint Cam-
FOCUS
on a
great gift!
Get gift
certificates
at BL’s
Restaurant!
1117 Laney-
Walker Blvd.
(Bethet African (Methodist
+ Ep iscopat Church X
623 Crawford Avenue |
Augusta, Georgia 30904
Rev. Larry W. Hudson, Sr. Pastor
‘Office: (706) 736-4060
Sunday Wednesday
9:30 Sunday School 7:00 Bible Study
11:00 Worship Service
AUGUSTA FOCUS
Journal reported Monday.
The Rev. Corbin Cooper, the
director of cooperative ministries
for the North Carolina Baptist
State Convention, said he ex
pects the trend to continue.
“It’s a whole renewed empha
sis with us,” Cooper said. “It was
a stigma when I came out of
seminary to be in bi-vocational
ministry.”
In 1988, 880 churches in the
Baptist State Convention had
dual-career ministers. In 1993,
the most recent year for which
statistics were available, there
were 1,041 churches, or nearly
one-third of the Southern Bap
tist congregations in North Caro
lina.
Other Protestant denomina
tions use bi-vocational clergy, but
no central figures are available
to determine what percentage of
inside the building.
O’Shea, who has been chap
lain at the Chapel of St. Martha
and St. Mary for the past five
years, didn’t let the theft stop
her from performing her minis
terial duties on Christmas.
She said she could understand
why someone might want to take
the chair.
“It is not unusual for failed
expectations of the holidays to
leave some kinds of people very
angry,” she said.
“People who feel they have been
paign. The telethon goal is
$30,000.
The Parade of Stars will fea
ture national recording acts
Johnny Gill, The Temptations,
Brandy, The Whispers, and
Xscape among others. The na
tional television hosts for the Lou
Rawls Parade of Stars are Alex
Trebek and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
.1 albern<a,cle
JBapfisf Ckurcli
Dr. C.S. Hamilton, Minister
1223 Laney-Walker Blvd.
Augusta, Ga. 30901
Church School 9:30 A.M. • Morning Worship 11
A.M. Broadcast Hour (WTHB 1550) • Nursery,
Kindergarten Open • Bible Study-Tues. 6 P.M.
Prayer Meeting Tues. 7 P.M. • Daily Kindergarten
Services 7 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Get FOCUSED 1 . Subscribe
today by calling 724-7855
Spirit Church News
all clergy have two careers.
All ministers in America used
to have secular jobs, but as pas
tors became more educated, the
ministry turned into a profes
sion, and churches hired clergy
full time.
Part of the reason for the move
ment to bi-vocational pastors is
the growth of the convention,
which boasts 1.2 million mem
bers in North Carolina. The evan
gelical thrust of the denomina
tion also breeds new congrega
tions.
“We’re a convention of small
churches,” Cooper said. “We’re
starting new churches, and it’s
getting harder and harder to find
churches that can afford full-time
pastors.”
Jonah Parker often is torn be
tween his 1,000-tree Wilkes
County apple farm and the 158
dehumanized will often figure
out the least human thing they
can do, and then do it.”
O’Shea said the chapel had
stayed open all night after mid
night Mass Christmas Eve be
cause many of the 22 worship
pers there would have been un
able to get back inside the home
less shelters where they live. She
left the wheelchair outside.
It was reported missing at
about 8 a.m., when her husband,
Jerry, went to reconnect its bat
tery.
Last year, the Telethon raised
over sl2 million for the .United
Negro College Fund.
Paine College is a four-year,
residential, liberal arts college
located in Augusta, Georgia. Its
mission of providing an educa
tion of high quality in a whole
some and nurturing environment
has not changed since its found-
Williams Memorial
WF C.M.E. Church
Rev. Alex R. King
1630 Fifteenth St. Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 733-9430
Sunday: Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Ist Sunday Evening 6:30 p.m.
Wed: Praise Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Thurs: Senior Services 10:00 a.m.
Day Care
Center: 6:45 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
BROADCAST HOUR (WRDW 1480 AM)
members of Friendship Baptist
Church
Friendship Baptist, located
three miles east of Elkin, has
Parker driving the 33 miles from
his home in the community of
Brushy Mountain to church at
least twice a week for the past 16
years.
He and his wife, Helen, leave
home on Sunday mornings by
8:30 and get to the church before
Sunday school. After worship,
the Parkers go to lunch and then
spend the afternoons visiting
those who are sick or in nursing
homes. They return to the church
at night for Bible study and re
turn home about 10.
“Sometimes you feel like you’re
tryingto serve two masters,” said
Parker, 68. “You feel like you
need to be preparing a sermon
and these apples need spraying. ”
O’Shea, who is in her early 50s,
said the loss of the wheelchair
could limit her work.
“I use it to work the streets and
the migrant camps and what
not,” she said.
Seattle police are investigat
ing the theft but have no sus
pects.
Whether or not the chair is
returned, O’Shea said, nothing
could take away from the holi
day.
“We have had a great Christ
mas,” she said.
ing in 1882. Paine is supported
by The United Methodist
Church, the Christian Meth
odist Episcopal Church and the
United Negro College Fund.
Dr. Shirley A. R. Lewis is pres
ident of Paine College.
Sunday
Church School 9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship 11 a.m.
THE AMEN CORNER
Special Events
■ The Augusta Lincoln Douglas League will sponsor the Emanci
pation Day Program on Monday, January 1, 1996 , at 11:00 a.m. at
the Tabernacle Baptist Church, 1223 Laney-Walker Boulevard,
Augusta, GA. The speaker for the occasion is Dr. Otis Moss Jr.,
minister of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio.
The League raises money to give financial assistance to needy
students in the Augusta area.
■ Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, on the corner of Augus
ta Avenue and Florence Street, will hold its annual watch night
service on Sunday, December 31,1995, at 10:30 p.m. Rev. Kenneth
B. Martin is pastor.
■ Historic Springfield Baptist Church will hold its watch
night worship on Sunday, December 31, at 10:30 p.m. Rev. James
Hogan, pastor of New Zion Hill Baptist Church, will bring the
message. Everyone is welcome. Rev. E. T. Martin is pastor.
■ The Christian Fellowship Churches will hold their sth
Sunday worship service on Sunday, December 31, 1995, beginning
at 5:00 p.m. at the Friendship Baptist Church, Richland Avenue,
Aiken. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Limuen Myers, pastor of
the Old Macedonia Baptist Church, North Augusta, SC. Music will
be rendered by the Christian Fellowship combined choirs.
■ New Exodus Missionary Baptist Church will hold a Candle
light Communion Service on Sunday, January 7,1996, at 6:30 p.m.
All deacons, deaconesses, trustees and missionaries are asked to
come dressed in uniforms; there is a place for their participation on
the program during the candle lighting ceremony. New Exodus will
also hold their Annual Usherette Musical on Saturday, January 13,
5:00 p.m If you can join them for this festive occasion, please notify
the church of your confirmation by phoning their Outreach Ministry
at 798-8019. Rev. S. W. Berry is pastor.
FOCUS your religious news or special
announcements in the Amen Corner. Call
724-7855 or fax 724-6969.
AM
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Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Kenneth B. Martin, pastor
Corner of Augusta Avenue & Florence Street
1454 Florence Street - Augusta, Georgia
724-2809 Church Office
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BAPTIST CHURCH
Dr. Sam Davis, pastor
1434 POPLAR STREET
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA 30901
TELEPHONE: (706) 724-1086
Sunday Services at 7:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Baptist Training Union (8.T.U.) at 6:00 p.m. Sunday
Sunday School at 9:30 Sunday morning
Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, and 9:30 a.m. Saturday
Prayer Service at 11:00 Saturday morning
Thirty-five Christian Ministries
All Services Are Bible-based and Holy Spirit-led
SERVICES
Wednesday
Noon Service | 12 p.m.
Prayer Service & Bible Study 7 p.m.
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