SAINT MARY’S BAPTIST CHURCH

“The Church Where Everybody

is Somebody and

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD”

Rev. Kendrick Anderson

Interim Pastor/Dir. Men’s Ministry ……..202-722-4256

Irene M. Douglas

Church Clerk………..…...202-726-2424

Howard Freeney

Chairman-Deacons……....301-949-2565

Mary Freeney

Chairwoman-Deaconess...301-949-2565

David Dupree

Chairman-Trustees……....301-608-3662

Dr. Clarese V. Holden

Christian Education...……301-421-0039

Meetings

Sunday

Intercessory Prayer……....….…8:15AM

Church School………...……….8:45AM

Sunday Morning Praise….…...10:15AM

Morning Service……….……..10:30AM

Wednesday

Bible Study………..…...12N & 7:00PM

Prayer & Praise Service……..…8:00PM

3rd Sunday

Baptism (pr ior Communion)10:00AM

Holy Communion…………….10:30AM

4th Sunday

Youth Day.…………………...10:30AM

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Saint Mary’s Baptist Church

8008 Eastern Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20012

SPECIAL PRAYERS

SICK AND SHUT-INS

Sister Clementine Brown

Lady Joan Crump

Sister Marionette Daniels

Sister Margie Hughes

Sister Dorothy Johnson

Sister Katherleen Jones

Sister Elizabeth Kemp

Sister Annie Martin

Sister Effie Moore

Sister Florine Samuel

Sister Clara Smith

Pray For Our Babies

Baby Elijah Fleming

Baby Evan Matthew Ivey

Baby Trinity & Kaila Sirmons

Baby Levi, Reuben & Joseph Manning

Baby Khari, Kaleb & Kirkland Rogers

Baby Drew Simms

BLESSINGS

Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be com-passionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with BLESSINGS, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a BLESSING 1Peter 3:8-9

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

MEMBERS

April: Minister Vincent Brown, Win-nie Bynum, Roger Clark, Toni Devoe, Julia Dolfinger, Anthwon Foster, Chris-topher Glascoe, Bernice Gross, Marina Hammonds, Rebecca Harris, Valeria Huntley, Inez James, Ketherleen Jones, Reverend Bobby Manning, Carol Simon, John Slade, Sr.

May: Sidney Addo, Jacqueline Ander-son, Jacqueline Gilmore, Yudeh Lolin, Annie Martin, Thomas Mobley, Khari Rogers, Kirkland Rogers, James Simms, Margie Slade, Jason Williams, Charles Winston, Phillip Yerby

June: Stella Addo, Reverend Kendrick Anderson, Roger Carter, Jr., Irene Davis, David Dupree, Andra Freeney, Carolyn Gregory, Ewanna Jones, Isaiah Reynolds, Dorothy Sharp, William Sturdi-vant, Earnestine Yerby

BLESSINGS Page 8

April, 2016

HE’S COMING BACK Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this, but it is some-thing to think about.

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and placed separate from the grave clothes. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the en-

trance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now, if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fin-gers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant I'm done. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant I'm coming back!.....He is Coming Back!

MISSION STATEMENT

“To Celebrate our Christian Successes; to share GOD’s Good News Stories and to En-courage those in need of GOD’s Comfort and Cheer”

Render therefore to all their due: tribute to whom trib-ute…..honor to whom honor

Romans 13:7

Inside this issue:

Pastor’s Pen 2

Being A Missionary 3

Women’s Ministry 4

Leadership Training 5

Officer’s Day 6

Liability Insurance 7

Birthdays 8

BLESSINGS Theme: “Fortifying the Family ” Colossians 3:18-21; Galatians 6:10; Titus 2:1-7; Nehemiah 4:9-23

SAINT MARY’S BAPTIST CHURCH

NEWSLETTER/

PUBLICATIONS

THERESA Y. YERBY-REYNOLDS

WRITER/EDITOR

Wesley Reynolds

Assistant

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2

Beautiful Easter Bonnets

Sister Crawford Sister Sharp

Sister Addo Deaconess Freeny

Deaconess Ward

Trustee Huntley Sister Lawrence

Deaconess Yerby

Page 2 BLESSINGS

HAVING JOY!

My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the

trying of your faith worketh patience.”

James 1:2-3

There once was a man who played on his high school basketball team. He was noted for his relent-

less defensive play and during the early to mid-20th Centu-ry he could easily and consistently knockdown a two-handed set shot. He had a cerebral approach to the game and was very coachable. Needless to say, he was one of the better players on the team. Many decades later, having already become a grandfather many years before, this man had aged, he was slow of foot, and even had a few physi-cal ailments. His grandson played on his junior high school basketball team. With all of his physical ailments, this grandfather had the opportunity to attend his grand-son’s homecoming basketball game. His grandson’s team lost the game but at the end of the game the grandfather told his family that he had great joy seeing his grandson play in the game because it brought back so many memo-ries of his childhood and it showed another aspect of the evolution of his family.

Like this grandfather, as human beings there is always a desire to have a sense of joy in all areas of our lives and in everything that we do. It is always good to have some semblance of joy because when we do we find ourselves being more productive, we become more engaging and we tend to have a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives. However, life can present many challenges, set-backs, and difficulties all of which can either diminish or steal one’s joy. Therefore, in order to have long-lasting joy it is imperative that we have a good relationship with Christ and consistently trusting the Word of God. We know this to be true because while in a Philippian jail, Paul and Silas, through their relationship with Christ, sustained their joy to the point where they began to pray and praise God and were ulti-mately delivered from jail and they were able to minister to the prison guard. In Galatians 5:22 it says, “But the fruit of the Spir-it is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Further-more, James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Moreover, Psalm 30:5 says, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.” Finally, Je-sus even said in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God believe also in me.”

There is a song that goes “I still have joy, I still have joy, after all the things I’ve been through I still have joy.” Let us seek to acquire joy through Christ and His Word. For such joy will strengthen us, uplift us, appease us, and make us a good witness before others. It is a joy that we will have throughout our lives regardless of our circumstances.

F R O M “ T H E P A S T O R ’ S P E N ”

R E V . K E N D R I C K A . A N D E R S O N

BLESSINGS – YOUR Newsletter

Articles for publication in BLESSINGS are due by the last Sunday in March, June, September and December 2016. All articles should be type-written and sent via e-mail to: mztee76@msn.com or typewritten and faxed to 301-808-8068. Publication dates for BLESSINGS are the second Sunday of January, April, July, and October 2016 and January 2017.

Shepherd’s Table 2016

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be

rewarded”.

2 Chronicles 15:7

We need you! Volunteers are still needed to help serve at the Ta-ble. Every fourth Saturday; 8:30AM; church dining hall. Join us in the coming months. You will be blessed.

Volunteers; one of life’s greatest pleasures comes from helping others, helping those in need through dedication. You make a dif-ference. Many thanks to the following dedicated volunteers of Saint Mary’s Baptist Church for the past two months: Rev. Kendrick Anderson, Deacon Howard Freeney, Deacon Anthony Bryant, Deaconess Norma Bryant, Brother Jason Williams, Trustee Rodney Coleman, Sister Margaret Daniel, Sister Arlene Washing-ton, Sister Adrienne Coleman, Sister Carolyn Cook, Sister Edna Bates, Sister Annie Reynolds, Sister Phyllis Renders, Sister Stacy Noel, Sister Theresa Starks, Sister Mary Briggins, Sister Helen Clark, Brother Anthony Roberts, Brother Anthony Williams and our two New helpers, Brother Isaiah Reynolds (youth) and Minis-ter Vince Brown. To each volunteer “thank you.” Because of your dedication and commitment we are able to consistently assist at Shepherd’s Table in providing service to those less fortunate. You are appreciated! By helping others, you make the world a much better place. Remember, every 4th Saturday, 8:30AM. Let’s make our way to the Table.

Church Calendar 2016 Second Quarter

April 10th—10:30AM—Kick-Off—66th Anniversary/Revival Guest Preacher 13th, 14th & 15—Anniversary/Revival 7PM Nightly—Guest Preacher 23rd—12N—Advisory Council Meeting 24th—10:30AM—Annual Day—Usher Ministry Guest—Minister Dwayne Coley Zion Baptist Church

May 29th—10:30AM—Annual Day—Missionary Ministry

June 5th - 10:30AM—Annual Women’s Day Guest—Rev. Dr. Debyii L. Sababu-Thomas Hemingway Temple AME Church Baltimore, Md. 11th—12N—Annual Church Meeting 19th—Father’s Day 26th—10:30AM Youth/Young Adult Ministry ABC’s Achievement Day

BLESSINGS Page 7

Liability Insurance Submitted by: Sister Adrienne Coleman

Who Needs Extra Liability Insurance? Liability insurance protects you when you cause damage to another person. If you hit someone else’s car, your liability insurance pays to fix it. If someone is injured in an accident that you caused, then liability insurance pays for his or her medical bills.

How do you know the amount of coverage you need? What happens if you don’t have enough? Here is what you need to know:

The state requires a minimal amount of liability coverage to drive a vehicle. If you cause damage that exceeds the amount of liability coverage you have; you will be respon-sible for the difference. If you cannot pay it, there could be a lawsuit in your future.

If you own your home or have additional assets, you need more than the minimum required amount of liability cover-age. Some risk factors to consider:

Rental Property: If you own rental proper ty, you need extra liability coverage. If someone were injured on your property, you could be held responsible. Even a small dog bite could cause a problem if you are not insured properly.

Teen or College Drivers: If you have young drivers, you will want to have additional liability coverage, even if they are not on your auto policy right now. Your college student may have their own coverage and live away from home, but if you are responsi-ble for them and financially support them, you could be responsi-ble for accidents they may cause.

Watercraft. If you own a boat, jet ski, or other watercraft, then you’ll want more liability coverage. Boat expenses and injuries can add up quickly and you’ll want to have plenty of protection in place.

Call your agent to review your policies; make sure you are properly insured. Adrienne Coleman is the owner of Cole-man Insurance Group, an independent insurance agency in Kensington, MD. I have 23 years of experience in the fi-nancial services arena. I primarily write personal and small business insurance policies in MD, VA, and DC.

A Send Off for Our Sister By Sis. Jacqueline Anderson

Monday, March 7, 2016 was a very special day for one of our members, Sister Marionette Daniels. It was the day of a great farewell send off for Sister Daniels as she packed her things up and closed the chapter of her life in Washington, DC and DMV area. Sister Daniels was heading home, to Gaffney, South Carolina that is. As members of her family, mostly nieces, nephews and cousins, church family and friends gathered at her tem-porary residence at the Chevy Chase Rehabilitation Nursing Home to say, farewell. The social room felt cozy with all the loved ones gathered therein. Upon entering the room, my eyes immediately became fixated on a radiant, beautiful face that I had come to know as “Sister Daniels.” There she sat in her youthful pigtails full of life and yet still able to share words of wisdom with all that would listen.

The evening was memorable. Her nephew, the Rev. Saunders, welcomed us all and thanked us for coming out. Yet another minister nephew, Minister Grady Saunders (son the late Sis. Lillie Saunders shared scrip-ture, and Rev. K. Anderson rendered a powerful prayer. The floor was then opened for all to share words on behalf of Sis. Daniels. One by one, each person shared their testimony of the impact made on their lives by Sis Marionette. It was as if she was being showered in bless-ings from everyone in attendance. Such consistency in our testimonies, when we spoke of her wisdom, her ability to teach the Word of God, her special way of helping us to pon-der our next steps or change our disposition and her gracious ability to correct us in our errors. Imagine having that kind of impact on generations to come. The real moving part of this evening of tribute was when Sis. Marionette’s nephew began to talk about his family’s heritage and legacy. He shared how he observed his grandparents praying and insist-ing that the family stay in touch with God and His way. Cer-tainly Sis. Daniels has taken to heart and lived her life out loud for Jesus! What a great testimony her life is. How blessed we were to have her as part of our church family!

We will certainly miss our dear sister, and hope to visit Gaffney as an open invitation has been extended to all. We extend much love, peace, and healing to our dear sister. We love you, Sis. Daniels! ‘Til we meet again…farewell!

PG County “Rising Star” Award

Attended a celebration at the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis, Md. to celebrate and honor the community's "Rising Stars" of Prince Georges County. Congratulate Dr. Bobby Man-ning, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, District Heights, Md as he was a recipient of the "Rising Stars" honor. In attendance were PG County Executive, Rushern Baker, Representative Don-na Edwards, currently a candidate for congress, Chief Stawinski, the newly appointed police chief in PG County, Anthony Brown, former Maryland State Attorney General and a candidate for congress, representatives from the Prince Georges County Fire Department and the Sheriff's Department. Also in attendance and hosting the celebration was Representative Ulysses Currie. Help me celebrate Bobby's accomplishments and his commitment to the church and the entire community. A mother could not be more proud of her son

Sister Marionette Daniels with family and members from St. Mary’s

Page 6 BLESSINGS

Annual Officers Day at Saint Mary’s

Celebrating Officers

Annual Officer’s Day was celebrated on Sunday, March 9, 2016.

The day started early with intercessory prayer in the prayer chapel and Sunday school. Preacher for the 10:30AM service was Rev. Kendrick Anderson and his ser-mon title was “Bookend Brothers.” The men’s chorus rendered service in song and the Liturgical dancers from Johnson Memo-rial Baptist Church rendered service in dance.

At the completion of morning service and before afternoon service a scrumptious lunch was served. Smoked ribs, smoked and fried turkey was a specialty prepared by our resident smoker extraordinaire, Brother Thomas Houston. The culinary ministry lead by Sister Winnie Bynum rounded out the menu with an array of other delicacies.

Preacher for the afternoon service was Rev. Marcellous Buckner, Pastor at Marlboro Meadows Baptist Church in Upper Marl-boro. The evening culminated with service awards being presented to Deacon Steve Devoe, Deacon Howard Freeny, Deaconess Mary Freeny, Deacon Alonzo Yerby, Dea-coness Earnestine Yerby, Deaconess C. Ve-ronica Holden, Trustee Peggy Scott and Trustee David Dupree.

Chairs for the days activities were Deacon-ess Wanda Ward, Deacon Alonzo Yerby and Trustee Theresa Yerby-Reynolds.

Liturgical Dances from Johnson Memorial Baptist Church ministering in dance

Officers: Trustee Irene Davis, Trustee David Dupree and Deaconess Earnestine Yerby

Officers from Marlboro Meadows Baptist Church

Deaconess Wanda Ward

Trustee Theresa Yerby-Reynolds

Trustee Linda Houston

BLESSINGS Page 3

The Ebony Scholarship Society, Inc.

22nd Annual

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Memorial Breakfast

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and

the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together”.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content

of their character”.

They did it again! Deacon Steve Devoe and Sister Toni Devoe blessed members of St. Mary’s Baptist Church to be able to attend the 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast. Once again we were blessed to partake of delicious food, hear the awesome Oxon Hill High School Advanced Ensemble and the Keynote Address by Dr. Lucius M. Dalton, Pastor, Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Washington, DC, just to name a few of what was on programme. The Oxon Hill High School Advanced Ensemble – continue to leave the audience speechless. The mes-sage from Dr. Dalton was very rich and extremely timely - subject “Moving Forward.” He started with the question: Why our young children are not being taught in Elementary, Middle and High Schools. A fight of equal rights for all our children. He spoke strongly on The State of Black Children and Family – bad times for black children/rough times for black children. Unemployment, high imprisonment rate, drugs, failing in school, violence and teenage pregnan-cy. He indicated we have a lot of work ahead of us. Parents must invest in prepaid college. God will take our little and turn into a lot. Moreover, visit the child’s school, PTA and teacher’s meetings etc. As parents we must be very active at our children’s schools. Our children have gifts God gave them. Yet so many have not lived long enough to use or have been taught how to use them. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1947 wrote an article: The Purpose of Education. Every parent need to be familiar with this and share with their children. God always places us where we are supposed to be. Our children still need parents to be parents (as well as grandparents) – Check the chil-dren’s grade! Just saying “good” is not enough. Help with the home work. Help them to achieve excellence. He encouraged us to strongly support HBCU’s and consistently instill in our children that education is power. Pray for a better future for our children. Put Jesus Christ first in their lives. A lot of work lies ahead of us. Let’s keep the dream alive – all of our children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Thank you Deacon Steve and Sister Toni for an awesome fellowship. We appre-ciate you!

The Joy of Being a Missionary Submitted by Rev. John Williams

Matthew 28: 19 reads, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. And then Matthew 10: 16 further instructs us, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves”. Through these verses, along with other verses, I am able to gather the awareness that as Christians we have a responsibility to share the Good news of the Gospel with others. I have come to a full awareness that this sharing of the Gospel includes demonstrating gentle-ness, love, and compassion. I have tried to include these character traits in my spiritual repertoire as I go out to min-ister to others. Whether I go to India or Indiana Avenue, SE, those who I minister to must understand that I love them and that I am truly concerned about their overall spir-itual well-being.

For the past several years I have been blessed to share the Love of God in places outside of the United States. Begin-ning in 2010 until now, I have had the opportunity to travel on missionary trips every year within that period and am currently engaged in the planning phase of another mis-sionary trip for 2016. Here is a list of those trips: Domini-can Republic – 2010 & 2011; Panama- 2012; El Salva-dor—2013 & 2014; India-2015; planning India -2016.

When I go on these missionary journeys, I always make sure that the people can see the love of God within me. I go to great efforts to illustrate and to demonstrate to the people that I am one of them. All of these countries listed are im-poverished and the living conditions can be somewhat primitive. Nevertheless, I live where they live. I eat what they eat and drink what they drink. I travel as they travel. I walk the same routes that they walk. I endure the same hardships that they endure. And through this behavior, on my part, the people are able to recognize that I am attempt-ing to be neither high-minded nor condescending. And though I go to these places in order to be a blessing to oth-ers, I leave with the awareness that they have been a bless-ing to me. Because I honor them, they honor me. Because I extend the Love of Christ toward them, they extend that same love toward me. Because I demonstrate humility and compassion toward them, they demonstrate that same hu-mility and compassion toward me. I dare you to go on one missionary adventure and you will never be the same!

Bookend

Brothers

The Andersons

Kenneth,

Kevin & Keith

SAINT MARY’S BAPTIST CHURCH

“The Church where Everybody

is Somebody and

JESUS CHRIST is LORD”

Page 4 BLESSINGS

Being Faithful

Working for His Glory Submitted by: Helen R. Ball, President

The idea of the Missionary Ministry was planted by the late Nannie Helen Burroughs at the annual meeting of the National Baptist Convention in Richmond in the 1900s. She argued for the rights of women to participate equally in the missionary activities to the membership in a speech entitled “How the Sisters are Hindered from Helping”. Also, the idea, purpose, and plan for Women’s Day were presented by Sister Burroughs at an Annual Session of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. in 1906. Lat-er Sister Burroughs founded the National Trade and Pro-fessional School for Women and Girls in Northeast Washington and remained the principal until her death in 1961. Hence, from early 1900’s throughout the country African American churches have labored and celebrated Missionary and Women’s Day.

According to information in church history records, the missionary circle (ministry) held its first meeting January 7, 1958 by the late founder Reverend Dr. Louis A. McCombs. Mrs. Matilda Watson was appointed as Presi-dent.

As an active participant in missions in the District of Co-lumbia, the Missionary Ministry of St. Mary’s has served the church and the broader community in many ways dur-ing the years it has existed. It includes church, communi-ty, home and foreign missions stewardship obligations. Many of the organizations were set up by our former Pas-tor Reverend Darryl R. Crump. Like the disciple, Paul, the great evangelist of the early church, spent the majori-ty of his Christian life obeying the commandment of Mat-thew 28:19-20, which indeed is an order to become in-volved in mission.

The Missionary Ministry is to continue the earthly minis-try of Jesus Christ in word and deed. These activities will strengthen and enhance the lives of members of the Saint Mary’s Baptist Church family and the community.

On May 29, 2016, the Missionary Ministry will hold its annual day at the morning worship service. You are all invited.

The Women’s Ministry Submitted by: Sister Jacqueline Anderson

The Women’s Ministry is excited about several planned events for this calendar year. As we seek to support our church wide theme of “Fortifying the Family,” we have targeted a few ministry outreach projects that carry the theme of supporting the family unit. In April we will support the Ronald McDonald House by preparing a hot home cooked meal for fami-lies that are housed at this facility while seeking the care of their children. When family members leave the hospital after a long day they will return to the Ronald McDonald House where a yummy, home cooked meal is waiting there to satisfy their hunger. In May we will shower Mothers in the Line of Duty with gifts of love. The Saint Mary’s Baptist Church Women’s Ministry will deliver small gifts to police stations and fire stations to uplift and encourage our first responders who also happen to be mothers. We will Walk and Witness in our neighborhood also in May. When we turn our calendars to June we will be delighted that first Sunday is Women’s Day! This year our theme is “Kingdom Women on a Mission” and our guest preacher will be Rev. Debyii Sababu-Thomas of Hemingway Temple, A.M.E. Church in Baltimore, MD. We will honor special members of the family during our annual celebration. In Septem-ber we will support the Family Friends/Community Day events! The fall brings us beautiful colors and we will host “Colors Galore” to share the meaning of colors in the Bible. We will wrap the year up with a family fun event, Family Feud!

God ordained family before he established the church. We must seek to save our families. Strong families are the backbone of any community, church, or society! Much of the decay of our world can be traced back to the deteriora-tion of the family. In the unit of family we first learn to love, to trust, and to obey authority. The family of God should be the example to the world of what a “good” fami-ly is or is not. Many of the modern day families broadcast on television today do not represent what God’s intent was for the family. We have to fortify families with the word of God, for God alone will sustain our families!

Welcome New Member 2016 We are so glad you decided to join us!

Welcome Home! Join me as we welcome our New Family member, Sister Danita Gregory. Read, believe and daily re-flect on God’s word. Continue to study the word that you may grow in His Grace (2nd Timothy 2:15). Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

“A New commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are

My disciples, if you have love for one another”. John 13:34-35

BLESSINGS Page 5

Leadership Training

Dr. Bobby Manning Submitted by: Sister Toni DeVoe

Many thanks to Dr. Bobby Manning for the wonderful leadership session held on Saturday, March 5th. God works in mysterious ways and God used Dr. Bobby to impart some wisdom to us that was really need-ed. There were so many things I learned in the session, but here is a list of

few. Below are some of ones that stayed with me.

1. A good leader is a person who is also willing to serve.

2. Not everyone is meant to be a leader. Some people are better as managers or willing workers.

3. A good leader will recognize the different categories (leaders, managers, and willing workers) and use an individu-als' talents accordingly.

4. A good leader is willing to take responsibility for the failures of the team. He or she will NOT blame others for any failures, but will learn from them.

5. A good leader will look for solutions to problems.

6. As a church we must understand Who we are: Where we are going: and How we want to get there:

Sweet Job Submitted by: Sister Taniesha Tolbert

I have been splitting time between Zimbabwe and South Africa since early February -- with a short DC stop in between.

I have met so many wonderful people, enjoyed some of the local culture, have gotten up close to wildlife at a sanctuary, gone on safari (where we were charged by an elephant!), and even experienced worship services out-side on the side of a road. In short, I have been having

the experience of a lifetime out in Africa!

I am learning more about the local history. It has been interesting and a little sad to see how closely the struggle for freedom from apartheid in South Africa directly mirrored the civil rights move-ment in America. Especially when you consider the events were separated by decades.

There is so much more to see and do, but unfortunately no more time. I know it will require another trip just to feel like I have scratched the surface of what these two countries have to offer.

God has truly blessed me with opportunities to see the world in a way that I never really imagined possible as a child!

Trustees David Dupree and

Peggy Scott.

Dr. Bobby &

Deaconess C. Veronica Holden