Newspaper Page Text
14A
JULY 31,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
e Spirit
SCLC’s Lowery honored as
he announces retirement
! ATLANTA
+ (AP) The Rev. Joseph Lowery,
, whoissteppingdown after 20 years
‘as head of the Southern Christian
1 Leadership Conference, received
, praise from President Clinton and
'civil rights leaders during a spe
-Icial tribute banquet to kick off the
jorganization’s 40th Anniversary
| Convention.
i+ “I want to thank you for a life
.time of inspiring me, and all of us,
'to live closer to the ideals of our
great democracy,” Clinton said in
.videotaped comments shown Sun
'day at the beginning of tl.e black
'tie dinner at the Hyatt Regency
'Hotel.
- Lowery, 74, joined the Revs.
‘Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph
.David Abernathy Sr. and other
Southern clergymen to start the
SCLC in 1957.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said
much of the glory went to King,
but that Lowery was an under
recognized achiever who advanced
'the movement after King’s assas
Embattied minister’s son serving prison
: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
. (AP) Rev. Henry Lyons, under
fire after his wife set fire to a water
[front home he owns with another
'woman, has an adult son servinga
;prison sentence in North Florida, a
‘newspaper reported Wednesday.
‘ Martin Lyons, 30, was first ar
rested at age eight and has spent
.most of his adult life behind bars,
‘The Tampa Tribune reported. He
.currently is serving a 10-year sen
.tence, the newspaper said.
' Henry Lyons did not return sev
‘eral telephone calls for comment.
Bethel African Methodist
.T. Episcopal Church ,T.
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
7IAUGUSTA'S BERT IiflSPEI .
i
A Sonshine 16 o
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| 5 Love You Can Listen To
(706) 738-9191 Business |
P.O. Box 1454 (706) 738-0044 Request
Augusta, Georgia 30903 (706) 733-0044 Request
sination in 1968.
“Moses got the lion’s share of
publicity but it was Joshua who
marched on Jericho, who kept the
troops moving,” Jackson, who be
gan his career with King and the
SCLC, said before the reception
and dinner for 1,500 guests.
“In his 40 years of consistency,
we have won every battle,” Jack
son said, recounting successes from
the 1955 Montgomery, Ala., bus
boycott to the end of apartheid in
South Africa.
Lowery said he leaves the SCLC
presidency with mixed emotions.
“It’s been a great journey,” he
said just before the SIOO-a-plate
dinner began. “The old spiritural
says, ‘I wouldn’t take nothing for
my journey now.’ But I’m not leav
ing the movement. I want to make
that clear. I intend to raise hell.
“One thing I would hope people
would say is that I did cry in the
wilderness,” Lowery said. “I hope
people remember the moral con
His lawyer and spokesman, Grady
Irvin, said he was out of town.
“Dr. Lyons is not going to com
ment about hisfamily and children.
Tocast him asbeinganythingother
than agood parent iswrongand it’s
unfair,” Irvin said.
Therevelation is the latest devel
opment about Lyons, head of the
8.5 million-member National Bap
tist Convention USA Inc., based in
Nashville, Tenn.
His troubles began earlier this
month after his wife was arrested
and charged with burglary and ar
£t
3 '{§
The Rev. Joseph Lowery
text in which I tried to address the
issues.”
He said the solution to many
national problems lies with the
same principle that was behind
the formation of the SCLC — “to
apply the moralimperatives of the
faith to political and economic and
social issues.”
The tribute to Lowery was em
son. She was accused of setting fire
to a $700,000 home Lyons had
bought with Bernice Edwards, a
public relations specialist.
Lyons has three grown children
with his wife of 25 years, Deborah.
He has not spoken publicly about
Martin Lyons, born out of wedlock
shortly after Lyons was ordained a
minister.
Martin Lyons’ rap sheet includes
convictions for kidnapping, robbery
and aggravated assault. He first got
intotrouble when he was eight, and
had nine felony chargesand several
Christian Fellowship
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* Positive & Practical Biblical Messages
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* Ministerial opportunties for all members
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ceed by actor Ossie Davis, and the
guests included former U.N. Am
bassador Andrew Young, come
dian Dick Gregory and King’s
widow, Coretta Scott King.
The conventionagendaincluded
discussions on economicissuesand
Clinton’s initiative on race rela
tions, as well as the selection of a
new president to replace Lowery.
On Feb. 14, 1957, the SCLC was
formed with King as president.
Abernathy took over when King
'was assassinated in 1968 but re
isigned in 1977.
Lowery had served as vice presi
dent and chairman of the board.
He guided the SCLC on a course
embracing mainstream social and
economicissuesin addition tocivil
rights. Today, that includes pro
grams such as promoting affirma
tive action and increasing black
entrepreneurship, curbing black
on-black violence, AIDS education
and a focus on human rights in
Africa.
misdemeanors by the time he was
16, court records show.
Henry Lyons never married his
son’s mother, the daughter of a
pastor. She said she met Henry
Lyonsin Gainesville, where he grew
up. She raised Martin Lyons alone.
“Iloved Henry,” shetold the news
paper, which did not publish her
name, but said she is 62-years-old
and livesinasubsidized publichous
ing project in St. Petersburg.
“He had a beautiful relationship
with me,” she said, “and still has.”
. AR
fi : + |
Dr. REGINALD D. SiMMONS
SENIOR PASTOR
e
B The Family Enrichment Ministries of Augusta is holding
free registration for their co-parenting workshop entitled, “Families
Apart — Ten Keys to Successful Co-Parenting.” The workshop will
be held on Monday, August 18, at 7 p.m. at the Greater Young Zion
Baptist Church, 516 Forsythe St. Also open is registration for the
Annual Singles Retreat Conference to be held August 26 - 30 at the
White Oak Conference Centerin White Oak, S.C. The conference will
be “Twelve Steps to a Dynamic Christian Single Life.” Call (706) 724-
1720 for information or registration for either the workshop or
conference.
B Springfield Baptist Church announces the 210th anniversary
celebration of the historic Springfield Baptist Church on Sunday,
‘August 10, at 11:15a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The Rev. Alfred Walker of the
Liberty Baptist Church will bring the message for the memorial
worship service at 11:15a.m. Dr. Thurmond Tillman, pastor of First
African Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia will bring the message
at 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Rev. E.T. Martin is the pastor.
B Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church announces the trial sermon of Sharon
Childs Caldwell for Exhorter’s License with the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church. The sermon is scheduled for Sunday, August
10,at4 p.m. at the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, 1237 Summer Street. The
Rev. C.J. Shuford Jr. is the pastor.
B The Second Mt. Moriah Baptist Church F.D. Shaw choir
invites the public to come and share in their choir anniversary on
Sunday, August 3, at 3 p.m. The church is located at 1404 Brown
Street. Rev. Andy Thornton is the pastor.
B The Second Providence Baptist Church, 1643 Summerhill
Road in North Augusta, announces their Annual Homecoming and
Summer Revival beginning on Sunday, August 10, at 11 a.m. The
summer revival will begin Sunday evening at 7 p.m. and continue
nightly through Wednesday, August 13. The Rev. Frederick Patter
son, pastor of Truevine Baptist Church, will be the guest evangelist
for the week. The Rev. Dr. Albert M. James is pastor.
M Trinity-On-The-Hill United Methodist Church, 1330 Monte
Sano Avenue, will present singing star and recording artist Bobby
Michaels on Sunday, August 10, at 7 p.m. in the church sanctuary.
The concert is free and the public is cordially invited. A freewill
offering will be received to help defray concert expenses. Call 738-
8822 for further information.
B Macedonia Baptist Church, 1828 Wrightsboro Rd., has free
clothing for those in need. The Clothes Closet hours of operation are
11 am. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays. For additional information, please
contact Ms. Candy Katz at 737-6834 (Monday, Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday).
B The Friendly Church of God in Christ, 1115 Carrie St., will
be serving a weekly meal to anyone in the Laney-Walker Blvd. area
who is hungry. The church will serve meals every Wednesday from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Elder Leroy James is pastor.
B Maranatha Christian Center, 400 Warren Rd. ,offersanßa.m.
communion service, 9 and 10:30 a.m. early worship services, a 12:15
a.m. gospel “camp meeting” service, a 5 p.m. school of the Holy Spirit
and a 7 p.m. arts and drama in worship service. A nursery is always
provided.
Whole Life Campus
Christian Life School of Theology ‘
“Where Knowledge Comes To Life.”
Associate, Bachelor and Master's Degree in Theology
Curriculum includes Old and New Testament, Biblical,
Practical and Historical Theology
Accredited by the Southern Accrediting
Association of Bible Colleges
Classes Offered Monthly
Next Class Aug. 7 -9, 1997
Call Shirley Ledbetter, Academic Dean
Whole Life Ministries
2621 Washington Road, Augusta, GA 30904
(706) 737-4530
:
FOCUS your special
luncheons or dinners
in a fine restaurant.
Visit BL’s Restaurant,
1117 Laney-Walker
Blvd. Call
(706) 722-4222
for more info.