inspirations


THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE


June 16-22, 2010 ‘Songs for Deja’ “Songs for Deja,” a fund-


raiser for 8-year-old De’Janai Thomas, will be held on Thursday, June 17, at Signa- ture Grille, 250 Riverfront Dr., from 8 p.m. to midnight. It is sponsored by vocalist Shevon Fowler.


De’Janai is a cancer survi-


vor and a heart transplant re- cipient.


Donations may be made at


PICTURED (from left) are Bernard Looper, Devann Garrison, Ashley Looper, Mark Garrison, Briana Looper and firefighter Kenneth Taylor.


the event or by visiting www. cotafordejanait.com.


Mayflower Congregation United Church of Christ celebrates 80 years


In March of 1930 Mayflower


Congregational Church was founded under the leadership of Reverend George Gullen, who became the first pastor. During the 1940s and 1950s, the congregation increased its membership and the church continued to build. The pres- ent Sanctuary was built in 1948 and fund raising for the educational wing began in 1953.


The 1960s marked a time MARK GARRISON enjoys the inside of a fire truck.


BRIANA LOOPER gets in character by wearing firefighter gear.


of change for the church. In April of 1961, the congrega- tion elected to become a part of the United Church of Christ. As the demographics of the neighborhood changed, the church integrated, reflecting the changing community. The first Black family joined the church in 1964. There was an effort for co-existence with a Black/White co-pastorship under the leadership of The Reverend Gene McCornack, who was White and The Rev- erend J. Charles Mickle, who was Black.


During the 1970s and the


1880s, Mayflower stood out as a leader in human rights. New ministries, such as Ladies on the Move, known for their many projects, presented the church with a Table Cloth embroidered in gold for the 50th


anniversary. Mission, Students from Youth Ministries recently


toured the Southfield Fire Station #2. The youths are from Full Gospel A.M.E. Church


Youth Ministries tours fire station the World of Travel.


where the Rev. Dr. Esther Rose is pastor. The tour was arranged by Linda Burgess at


Education and Social Action, (MESA), and invited such no- table speakers such as Angela Davis. Rev. Ben Chavis and Dr Benjamin E. Mays to speak at Mayflower. In 1986, the Piano


the homeless on weekends during the winter months. Each year from Thanksgiving to April, Brown Bag Lunches are prepared and distributed through various community organizations. Between 500 and 1500 lunches have been given each weekend for the past 17 years.


21st


In the 1990s and on into the Century, Mayflower Con-


Rev. George Gullen


Festivals brought piano greats such as Sir Roland Hanna, Earl Van Riper, Kenn Cox, Geri Allen, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Teddy Harris and Kirk Light- sey. The Black College choirs included us on their tour schedule. Our youth visited traditionally Black colleges.


for the beginning of Women’s Day, Kuumba Nia,


This also marked a time (young


adults), and the Birth Months club. The Chancel Choir reor- ganized and became the Amis- tad Chorale.


In 1988, under the lead-


ership of Dr. Robert Bland, Charles Brantley and our pastor at the time, Reverend Daniel Aldridge, the Brown Bag Ministry began. This min- istry answered the call to feed


gregation United Church of Christ continues to face chal- lenges and serve as a Chris- tian beacon in the commu- nity. Pamela June Anderson, M.Div. became the first female to accept the call to Pastor our church. Sonja Allen re- organized our Youth Church. Today, Minister Theresa Mc- Donald is our youth minister. The Reverend James Michael Curenton is our current Senior Pastor. Under his leadership, we have ongoing bible studies and our ministries continue to serve the community. We have provided programs that include feeding the homeless, to providing scholarships to our graduating high school seniors and the Jesus and Me (JAM) program for the youth. This church also tackles social concerns such as HIV/ AIDS, substance abuse, health insurance, civil rights and voter information. Recently our Pastor Rev. Curenton pro- vided prayer for the communi- ty and their beloved pets. We pray that GOD will continue to bless us as we go forward with HIS work.


Nineteen graduate from Focus: HOPE Center for Advanced Technologies


Focus: HOPE’s engineering


program, in its Center for Ad- vanced Technologies, doubled its spring graduating class to 19 graduates this year. The unique program enables graduates of Focus: HOPE’s machinist program the oppor- tunity to earn a college degree through partnerships with area universities.


Kwaku Yamoah and James


‘Unity Urban Ministerial School Conference’


The Unity Urban Ministerial School Conference was recently held at the UUMS-Unity Urban Min- isteria School. The theme was “Urban ministry opens doors to spiritual development.” Seated (from left) are the Rev. Dr. Argentina Glasgow, retired; the Rev. Martha Mosley; the Rev. Dr. James Trapp; the Rev. Dr. Ruth M. Mosley, founder and executive director, Unity Urban Min- isterial School; the Rev. Dr. William J. Mosley, founder and pastor, Unity Church of the Urban Ministry; and the Rev. Vareta M. Foster. Standing (from left) are Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, the Rev. Dr. Josephine Furlow, Dr. Don Scavala, the Rev. Zelda McRae, the Rev. John Consi- dine, O’Neil D. Swanson, president and CEO of Swanson Funeral Homes; the Rev. Dr. Glenn R. Mosley, the Rev. Jim Lee, the Rev. Dennis Skiles, the Rev. Brian K. Griffin, the Rev. Dr. Ernestine Griffin and the Rev. Larry D. Hooks.


Did commissioner play the race card?


By Hattie Humphrey I am worried about our city


and our leadership. But what’s more important to me is elect- ing good, ethical, God fearing people and helping them in their relationship with God.


I want to talk to you about


Commissioner Burton Leland. We have been electing


Leland for over 30 years in northwest Detroit.


I saw a letter sent out


saying he was being attacked because he is White in a Black community. But he did not say who attacked him or when he


was attacked. When I read his letter, I


thought to myself, Leland must want us to feel sorry for him because he is running against all Black women.


In my 82 years I have seen


racism and know it is not to be taken lightly. It is nothing to play with.


We must move beyond


race. It is difficult, as Jesus said,


“to pour new wine into old sheepskin.” We must now pour new wine into new sheepskin and making race an issue is not good for our community.


We can’t go back to having two Detroit’s, one Black and one White, one rich and one poor.


I am convinced that Com-


missioner Burton Leland, if he has played the race card, is not the right person to repre- sent northwest Detroit.


I pray that this was not a


plan by Leland and his cam- paign and, if so, he should just drop out of the race.


It makes me think of the


saying, “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”


(Hattie Humphrey is a De- troit missionary.)


June Williams Manager


Three Locations to Service You:


Joseph Stinson Chapel 1540 W. Grand Blvd. (313) 894-0933 Sulee Stinson Chapel 16540 Meyers Stinson-Diggs Chapel 1939 S. Fort St.


(313) 863-7300 (313) 386-8200


stinsonfuneralhomes.com


Morrow of Detroit were award- ed a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering degrees from the University of Detroit Mercy.


Detroit residents Demier


Hatcher, Joe Ogburn, Karim Coulibaly, Tambria Cory and LaToya Johnson earned Bach- elor of Science in Manufactur- ing Engineering Technology degrees through Wayne State University.


Carla Cain of Detroit earned


a Bachelor of Science in Man- ufacturing Engineering degree from Lawrence Technological University (LTU).


Eleven students completed


Associate of Science degrees in Manufacturing Engineer- ing Technology from LTU. All


will continue studying toward bachelor’s degrees. These stu- dents are Ayana Davis, Freder- ick Dunbar, William Johnson, Leonard Miles, Brina Talley, Tasha Thomas, Michael Gray, Darryl Jackson, and Keneen Fields, all of Detroit. Cherrell Franklin of Southfield and Larry Williams of Ypsilanti also completed this degree at LTU.


Through Focus: HOPE,


thousands of individuals – es- pecially women and minori- ties – have become financially independent. www.focushope. edu.


Page B-9


Lasting impressions


are our first priority. Afuneral service represents a family’s


final farewell to their loved one. Knowing this, we go beyond what is expected to ensure


the ceremony is beautiful and memorable... a truly fitting tribute to that special life.


We invite you to visit us to meet our staff and tour our facility.We think you’ll be


pleased to find that making lasting impressions is our first priority.


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