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February 6, 199/ AUGUSIArv . o
Lowery stepping down as head of SCLC
ATLANTA
(AP) After 20 years as head of
the Southern Christian Leader
ship Conference, the Rev. Joseph
Lowery is retiring from the civil
rights organization he helped start
w}th the Rev. Martin Luther King
Ji
The 74-year-old Lowery, whose
retirement has been expected to
come this year, said Thursday that
hd will leave the post of SCLC
president inJuly but said he would
remain involved in civil rights.
“I'm not leaving the scene, I'm
only leaving the day-to-day activi
Norwood lends hand in rebuilding
burned African-American churchinMillen
: MILLEN, Ga.
(AP) Spiritual and racial unity
are risi%from theashes ofablack
church that may have been torched
out of racist hatred, according to
volunteers who are rebuilding the
sanctuary.
The volunteers, from as faraway
as' California, were raising the
framework Monday in east Geor
gia where the tiny Gays Hill Bap
tist Church was c{estroyed almost
a year ago.
They included Republican U.S.
Reps. Jack Kingston and Charlie
Norwood of Georgia and about a
dozen members of their Washing
ton and local staffs. :
“I think a lot of people would
like to come together along racial
linés, but they don’t know where
tostart,” said volunteer Doug Tan
ner of Washington, D.C.’s, Faith
and Politics Institute, who de
scribed the work as a chance to
make a difference on a local level
after five years on Capitol Hill.
“In a place like this, you really
have the mandate to get down and
start understanding each other on
Bethel African Methodist
T Episcopal Church .T.
623 Crawford Avenue
Augusta, Georgia 30904
Rev. Larry W. Hudson, Sr. Pastor
Office: (706) 736-4060
Sunday Wednesdéy |
9:30 SundaLSchool 7:00 Bible Study
11:00 Worship Service
nn
m .
_ :
- AUGUSTA’S GOSPEL ALIVE
Serving the CSRA with
_ Soul Stirring Gospel Power
AW Day, Every Day !
ties. There is no way I will retire
from the movement,” said Lowery,
who helped organize the SCLC in
1957 with Kingand the Rev. Ralph
David Abernathy.
The organization celebrates its
40th anniversary Feb. 14.
Lowery, a Huntsville, Ala., na
tive who has worked with the SCLC
sinceitsinception, served as a vice
president and chairman of the
board before being named presi
dent in 1977.
Lowery said wants to spend more
time with his family and intends
on writing several books and giv
a deeper level,” Tanner said.
Gays Hillis a 45-member church
first built in 1920. It burned early
on March 27 after someone started
a fire with gasoline, investigators
say. No arrests have been made.
Gays Hill is one of 328 churches
nationwide damaged by arson or
bombings over the past two years,
according toarecent U.S. Depart
ment of Justice report. Of the sanc
tuaries attacked, 243 were black
churches.
Many of the workers who showed
up Monday heard about the project
through the National Council of
Churches.
“We're just seeing some really
good healing come from this,” said
Hilda Dutrow, volunteer coordi
nator for the Gays Hill project.
“It’s Christian love in action that
we’re seeing here.”
Construction is expected to be
completed in July. Until then, the
congregation hasbeen holding ser
vicesin Portal about 20 milessouth
of Millen at Newton Grove Baptist
Church, where they worshiped
with and recognized volunteers
Spil’ it Church News
ing lectures.
A search committee is expected
to begin a national hunt for a re
placement.
“We need to find someone with
the same foresight, leadership and
analytical skills as Joseph
Lowery,” said Raleigh Trammell,
vice chairman of the SCLC board.
“He has done more for keeping the
legacy of King alive than anyone
else we could have called on.”
Trammell said the SCLC plans
toswear in a new president in July
at the group’s national conven
tion in Atlanta.
Monday night.
Last week, 18 members of a Chi
cago council of churches joined
local contractors to help pour the
new sanctuary’s foundation and
begin construction.
Groups from as nearby as
Statesboro’s Georgia Southern
University and from as far away as
California are scheduled to help
on the project in coming weeks,
Ms. Dutrow said.
The new church is being funded
by a SIIO,OOO grant from the Na
tional Council of Churches and
local donations. The church was
partially insured.
Next week: Check out
your church’s place in
Augusta Black History
We Invite You To
BEULAH GROVE
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 (BTU) at 6:00 p.m. Sunday
Sunday School at 9:30 Sunday morning
Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Wednesdag.aand 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
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks of At
lanta, a former SCLC staffer with
strongties to the group, isthe only
person to publicly expressinterest
in the jeb.
Lowery said he will work closely
with the committee to find a suc
cessor.
“It has been a tough thing. I
have tried to fight the good fight,”
he said. “My job was to raise the
moral issue in regards to social
and economic (issues) affecting
black folks. I think we accom
plished that.”
Tanner, whose group helped re
build another burned church in
Virginia in October, said the work
gives volunteers an opportunity to
get to know people from other ra
cial, religious and social back
grounds. :
Kingston said the rash of fires
has harmed society, not just con
gregations.
“When you’ve got churches
burning down, it’s not good for
society,” Kingston said. “While we
may not know the exact cause of
every fire, we know the harmful
effects of the fires.”
THE AMEN CORNER
B The Greater Young Zion Baptist Church, 516 Forsythe St.,
will celebrate the Eighth Anniversary Celebration of its male choir
on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 3 p.m. .
B Broadway Baptist, 2323 Barton Chapel Rd., will hold a free
workshop titled, “Comforting Words for Discomforting Times,” tobe_
held on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Rev. Dr. Donald
Porter will be the instructor. Rev. Ella Thomas is interim pastor.
B Morehouse College, which was founded at Historic Spring
field Baptist Church, will begin celebrating its 130th anniversary
with a special service at Springfield on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 11 a.m.
Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts 111, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church of -
New York City, will bring the message. E.T. Martin is pastor.
B Good Shepherd Baptist Church Brotherhood Ministry
will be celebrating their 25th anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6.
p.m. Rev. Joseph Cook and Zion Hill Baptist Church will be in.
charge of the program. Rev. Clarence Moore is pastor. ,
@ Whole Life Ministries, 2621 Washington Rd., will host a
celebration all “Come Let Us Reason Together,” a celebration of love
and unity, on Monday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. For more information,
call (706) 737-4530. .
B Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 1692 Old Savan- -
nah Rd. of Augusta, will be holding their 15th Pastoral Appreciation :
Celebration for Rev. Lessel Leonard on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m.
Guest speaker and church will be the Rev. Clarence Moore and the
Good Shepherd Baptist Church. Presiding pastor will be the Rev. .
George Brightharp, pastor of Mt. Canaan Baptist Church of Tren
ton, S.C.
B Anointed Ones in Christ (AOIC) present their first annual
Why Not Come to Christ Youth Conference Feb. 12 - 14, 7:30 p.m.
nightly, at the Trumpet in Zion Ministries, 725 Laney-Walker Blvd.
Musical guests will be Perfect Praise from Denver, Colorado and
Christ rap artist Divine Menace from Atlanta, Ga. Registration is
free. AOIC offers a community choir, praise dancers, a drama club
and a Big Sister/Big Brother Club. In the future, they will be offering
tutoring and rap sessions to help young people deal with the
pressure of today's world. For more information or to register for the
conference, call Ka-Tren Hamilton at (706) 733-6486.
B Local Area Churches will be sponsoring a Mid-Valley Awak
ening Life Action Crusade from Feb. 16 through March 2, at 7 p.m.
nightly. The crusade will be held at the Gloverville First Baptist
Church at Hwy. 421 in Gloverville, S.C. For more information, call -
(803) 593-5868.
Am‘ . . . . 1
%fi" Wi illiams Memorial
RN A
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.
T&]}D © ]l"]l']lcflLC]l@
Baptist Church
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 Iss§) * Nursery,
Kindergarten Open * Bible Study-Tues. 6 P.M.
Prayer mcting 1'5:: 7PM.- Sflq{windcrprtcn
Services 7 AM.to SP,
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$24.95 per year. Call (706)
724-7855 to arrange
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