A Christian View Magazine 16

Bethlehem Baptist Church (Gum Springs) Alexandria, Virginia celebrated its 150th

Church Anniversary on October 27th. The anniversary theme was “Affirming a Sure

Foundation as We Reaffirm and Transform Our Faith”. In a 1933 publication, the

Afro-American weekly compared the resilient beginnings of this historical institution

to that of her founding pastor whose “unquenchable ambition as a slave youth

followed his star from the depths of the slave marts making an intrepid dash for his

freedom thus giving birth to Bethlehem Baptist

Church”.

Since then Bethlehem Baptist has grown to

become a community centered, mission-focused

inspirational church. With the God-sent leadership

that it has had (since its founding in 1863),

Bethlehem was destined to grow into one of God’s

wondrous life transforming works. Reverend

Samuel K. Taylor was the first to serve as pastor (1863-1912) during the Civil

War period when it was against the law for African Americans to congregate for

worship without permission. A founding member (Jane White) suggested the

named Bethlehem because Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus.

Reverend William A. Triplett served as the second pastor from 1913-1949.

Pastor Triplett was responsible for organizing several essential ministries in the

church. He helped Bethlehem establish a denominational presence in Northern

Virginia. Pastor Triplett also was responsible for the building of first

parsonage- using his own hands. Reverend Harvard M. Chapman was next to

receive Bethlehem's pastoral mantle and served from 1949-1974. Additional

ministries were added and the church was renovated to include a church steeple

and Sunday school annex. The year 1975 signaled the ministry service of a new

pastor, Reverend James A.

Kearse. Reverend Kearse

served from 1975-1983.

Under his leadership, new

ministries were added as

well as a 7:45 a.m. Sunday

morning service and the

church enjoyed exceptional

numerical growth. Reverend

Kearse later resign his

pastoral post to assist his

older brother, the Reverend

Logan Kearse, in ministry

A Christian View Magazine 17

in Baltimore, MD. Reverend James A. Kearse would later return to Bethlehem to serve as Interim Pastor from

1996-1999.

The Reverend Anthony S. Parrish, an associate of Bethlehem would step forward to serve as interim pastor from

1983-1985. In 1985, Reverend William S. Wilson was installed as Bethlehem’s fifth pastor and the church

continued her growth as a spiritually vibrant congregation with an expanding membership. The resignation of

Reverend Wilson in 1985 launched the pastoral ministry of a familiar and respected ministry servant - administra-

tor. Reverend Anthony S. Parrish (former interim pastor) was installed as the sixth pastor of Bethlehem in 1987.

Under his skillful leadership, Bethlehem became stewardship focused which enabled her to enlarge the church's

facility. During Reverend Parrish's pastoral watch a new edifice was erected in 1993 and the congregation march

into its massive ministry facility. In 1996 Reverend Anthony S. Parrish resigned and the church extended the

Interim Pastor assignment to her beloved Reverend James A. Kearse.

In 1999, the Lord sent a Shepherd, Teacher, and Pastor to Bethlehem in the person of Reverend Dr. Darrell K.

White. Reverend White was installed as Bethlehem’s seventh pastor in October

of 1999. The divinely meaningful number seven would become significant for

Bethlehem because it would also mark the shredding (burning) of the church's

mortgage which it obtained earlier. More ministries were birthed under Pastor

White’s leadership during which time the church's ministry plan was

restructured to operate under the Five-fold ministry umbrella of: Missions,

Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, and Christian Education.

Bethlehem’s reach has extended beyond the local community and common-

wealth to the global mission fields via God touched lives, God given resources

and godly inspired technological tools. The development of the church’s web-

site has enhanced membership participation in church-wide events, ministries,

services, and acts of kindness beyond the sanctuary. The church currently pro-

vides food and clothing to over 50 families each month. Under Pastor White's

pastoral care, a partnership for equipping leaders has been rekindled with Vir-

ginia Union University (Evans-Smith Leadership Institute). The Virginia Union

Evans-Smith Leadership- Institute, with Pastor White as site coordinator, has

graduated over 40 students and now serves various churches throughout the

DMV (District; Maryland; Virginia) metro area.

Continued page 25

Pictures provided by Tony Robinson

A Christian View Magazine 18

A Christian View is excited to

share with you the wonderful

time that we experienced with

New Life Deliverance

Worship Center, located on

Whitney Road in

Spartanburg, SC.

We had a joyous time sharing

in their dedication and grand opening of their new 30,000 square

foot Sanctuary. The awesome spirit of kingdom building and

chain breaking was very evident in the praise and worship that

was displayed by members and friends of the church. New Life

Deliverance not only celebrated their new Sanctuary but is also

celebrating three years of ministry. Rich or poor, old or young,

black or white, New Life Deliverance believes that God desires a

relationship with you and wants you to be blessed above measure.

Senior pastor and teacher, Dr. Bunty Desor and Associate pastor

Andre Tate proudly enlightened us how the ministry, under the

promptings of the Holy Spirit, has grown by leaps and bounds.

They discussed the challenges that were thrown at them such as

the cost of the building, the heating and air conditioning needing

to be re-established, to the tools being stolen. But through it all,

the mighty hand of God did not allow failure. Members and

friends, people they didn’t even know but knew the good work

they wanted to do for the Lord, came out and assisted. God was

ever faithful and continued to give the ministry unprecedented

amounts of favor and consistently sent resources and volunteers

to build into the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Desor is not ashamed to give witness to Gods awesome

power. Seven years to the day from when he was released from

prison for selling drugs before he came to Christ, the ministry

was able to celebrate its first service in the new sanctuary. New

Life Deliverance Worship Center is a rapidly growing

non-denominational outreach church. No matter what you have

done or where you have been New Life Deliverance believes that being a Kingdom-minded, multi-cultural, and

multi-generational church, they have been called by God to reach out to their city. It is their conviction to do this

by first reaching up (with worship), next by reaching in (with discipleship) and lastly by reaching out (with evan-

gelism). New Lift Deliverance believes that their mission is twofold: the first is to know the LORD Jesus.

They are a body of Believers that are truly in love with our Lord. The second part of their mission is to make

Jesus known- they take the great commission of Christ very seriously and stay vigilant when it comes to the good

news of God.

New Life Deliverance Worship Center www.newlifedeliveranceworshipcenter.com

Continued on page 27

A Christian View Magazine 19

A Christian View Magazine 20

“Reclaiming Our Families Through Patience, Perseverance, and Prayer.”

Central Baptist Church is a progressive and innova-

tive church family with a theme of “Reclaiming Our

Families Through Patience, Perseverance, and

Prayer.” We have a myriad of talents and gifts within

our church body. We believe in the holistic approach to ministry, and we have over forty ministries to help

the total person. Our church family is friendly and

faithful…and truly the Favor of God is upon us. We

are excited about the vision that God has placed upon

the ministry of this church. God never gives a vision

without making

provisions!

God answered our

prayers, and on January

1, 1997, the Reverend

Ricky Ray Ezell, Sr., became the eighth pastor

of the Central Baptist

Church. Under the lead-

ership of Reverend

Ezell, over forty new

ministries have been

formed to serve and

minister to the members and community. These minis-

tries include our Senior Citizens Ministry, Evangelism

Ministry, Summer Enrichment Program, Youth Bible

Study, Men’s Bible Study, Academic Honors, Com-puter Lab, Endowment Fund, Couples Ministry, Ca-

tering Ministry, Recreation Ministry, Compassion &

Grief Ministry, Health & Wellness Ministry, Veterans

Ministry, Media Ministry, and Respite Ministry.

Membership flourished, and for the first time in Cen-

tral’s history, two Sunday worship services are held to

accommodate members and the community.

Our services are broadcast via streaming video each

Sunday spreading the Gospel on a local and national

level.

The exponential growth of Central Baptist Church in

the last 15 years is truly proof that Central lives on the Word of God and its church theme…“Reclaiming our

Families through Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.”

Reverend Ricky Ray Ezell, Sr., is a native of Fort

Valley, Georgia. He is the son of the late John and

Luchers Robinson Ezell.

He is married to the

former Bernice Gadson of

Barnwell, SC. They are the

proud parents of three

boys, Ricky Jr., Brandon,

and Dorian.

He received his Masters

Degree from the University

of South Carolina in

Criminology with a

concentration in Court

Administration. The

University of South Carolina honored him with a Dis-

tinguished Service Award for his contributions to the

college. He also received his Master of Divinity with

an emphasis in Pastoral Leadership from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South

Carolina. He is presently a student in the Doctor of

Ministry Program at Gordon-Cornwell Theological

Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. His emphasis of

study is Christian Leadership.

Rev. Ezell is a Senior Vice-President with Primerica

Financial Services and a Registered Principal with Met

Life Investors.

A Christian View Magazine 21

During the month of October Central Baptist Church recognizes and honors

their senior citizens. There are approximately one hundred senior citizens, age

65 and over. Central has special events and programs for them so that they will

continue to feel special and know that they are not forgotten. Some of the

activities include: a Seniors Citizens Prom; a Bahamas cruise; a shopping trip to Atlanta; Movie nights; a trip to the Holy Land in Florida; an annual trip to

the South Carolina State Fair and more, they believe in treating their seniors

special.

Pastor Ezell and the Central Baptist family are looking down the road in plan-

ning economic development projects in the community, there are plans in the

making for a banquet and conference center, an educational facility partnering with the school system in providing

GED programs and education for the less fortunate in the area.

Pastor Ezell served for 4 years as the modera-

tor of the Gethsemane Association in Colum-

bia South Carolina. He is presently serving on the board of directors at Morris College.

He said “ I am very thankful for our church

family, God has blessed us with a very pro-

gressive church family, that’s willing and

receptive to receive change. I’m thankful for leaders who are willing to support leadership and I’m very thankful to

the community as a whole; they have been very embracing to Central.”

We do a Christmas event every year where we adopt over 50 families and provide all the recourses for those fami-

lies. It has cost in the past up to $70,000, and its all through donations. This year we will have Christmas at Central

where we will have our Christmas choir to perform. We will have all of the special recipients seated at 50 special tables, every table will have a family name, and each family will have filled out a

special request form.

The first lady of Central is the former Bernice Gadson from Barnwell SC. She came

from a family of preachers, her grandfather was a preacher, his father was a preacher,

her father was a preacher and she has two brothers that are pastors. “When she married

me, I wasn't a preacher but when she married me she fell in that line again”.

History of the church

Visionaries John Boles and John Chapman saw a need to bring God’s people together

in worship. In 1932, Deacons Boles and Chapman organized the Central Baptist

Church. Reverend Nixon served as the church’s first pastor holding services in a rented house in what was then called “Science Alley.” The house was later converted into an

open building for worship. Reverend Hooks succeeded Nixon, but it wasn’t until 1935,

under the leadership of Reverend L. M. Hampton, that the first edifice of Central

Baptist Church was built.

The exponential growth of Central Baptist Church in the last 15 years is truly proof

that Central lives on the Word of God and its church theme…“Reclaiming our

Families through Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.”

We have a myriad of talents and gifts within our church body. We believe in the

holistic approach to ministry, and we have over forty ministries to help the total person. Our church family is friendly and faithful…and truly the Favor of God is

upon us. We are excited about the vision that God has placed upon the ministry of

this church. God never gives a vision without making provisions!

A Christian View Magazine 22

In sharing the Gospel with the world, I would be remiss

if I didn't share what happens to those people who die

without having accepted Jesus as their Savior and

continue their path to judgment. What's going to happen

to them? Those people who have died never having

accepting Jesus' salvation have a different destination

from Heaven entirely. They are going to die in their

rebellion, and they have no hope whatsoever. As Jesus

in John 3:36 warned, "God's wrath remains on him."

The following is what's going to happen to them after they die.

1) Hades After an unsaved person dies; they go to a place called

Hades. The Bible also calls it Sheol or Torments. You

can read all about it in Luke 16. Hades is a holding place

for the dead, a prison. It at one time had two

compartments, a place called Paradise and a place called

Torments. The Old Testament Saints used to go to the

Paradise part as they couldn't go to Heaven yet because

Jesus' blood hadn't yet been shed to cover their sins. By

faith they were there as Hebrews explains, but Jesus'

blood finally allowed their freedom and Paradise was taken up to Heaven with Jesus after His crucifixion.

What we have in Hades now is just what is left —

Torments — a place of torment.

2) Judgment At the end of Jesus' Millennial Kingdom, there will be

the Great White Throne Judgment. That's a special name

basically for the Resurrection of the Unjust. We can

read about this final judgment in Revelation 20:11-13:

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was

seated on it and earth and sky fled from his presence and

there was no place for them. And I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and the books were

opened. And another book was opened which is the

book of life, the dead were judged according to what

they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up

the dead that were in them and death and Hades gave up

the dead that were in them and each person was judged

according to what he had done."

Those from Hades are going to be judged based on their

works, but without the saving work of Jesus Christ —

the only work that matters, they will be found wanting.

God's the perfect litmus test, and so no matter how good

our works have been, they just cannot add up to God's

standard of perfection. Everyone who tells you that you

can work your way to Heaven is lying to you, because

the Bible says otherwise in Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus' work

on the cross is the only work that matters, and our re-sponse in faith.

3) Hell

When they are all found guilty, their next and final

destination is a place called Hell. Revelation 20:14-15

explains that awful sentence of condemnation, "Then

death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire." The Lake of Fire is called the Second Death. If anyone's

name was not found written in the books of Life, they

will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Misconceptions About Hell

A lot of people have some really false ideas about what

Hell is like. One misconception about Hell for instance

is that Satan is down there stoking the fires and that he's

already there waiting to punish and torment people with

pitchforks. No, Satan doesn't rule Hell. There are no

demons waiting to torment us in Hell.

Actually, believe or not, there is not a single person in

Hell right now. Hell is the punishment created for Satan and his demons. Matthew 25:41 says Hell was created

for them when they rebelled against God. When we re-

belled in sin, that same punishment fell upon us. Hell

was never meant for us, but when we sinned, we fell

under the same judgment as Satan and his followers.

Hell Described

What is Hell actually like?

Is Hell a place where we party down? Is it a place where

it is just a little too warm, but where we hang out with

our old friends? No, Matthew 25:46 tells us it is a place of punishment for rebellion. Punishment is not good,

and so Hell is not a good place.

When The Unsaved Die God says to us all with no exception, "I love you. Come

to me." You can choose to respond to that, or you can

reply with, "No, way!" Those who rejected God's love

will spend eternity regretting that decision.

A Christian View Magazine 23

Hell is where the wrath of God is finally fulfilled. In

John 3:36, we read about the wrath of God. The wrath of

God is whenever God judges the earth in its entirety. We

saw it with the Flood. We will see it poured out at the

Tribulation. God will judge all who have rejected Him at the Second Death. These are demonstrations of God's

wrath.

Hell is called the Second Death in Revelation 21:8. It is

also called Eternal Destruction in 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Look at the word "eternal." Eternal means just that —

forever destroyed.

With Hell, there is just no escape. Luke 16 says there is

no way out of it. It's not like there can be some fancy

Star Trek episode escape where they hitch a few wires

and the doors open and they always escape. No, it's not

like that in Hell. There is absolutely no way to escape

from Hell. What is Hell physically like? Matthew 25:41 and Reve-

lation 20:15 describe it as a Lake of Fire. Some people

speculate that maybe it is located in the underworld of

our planet, as we see lava flows from a volcano like a

lake. It is described as a place of flames. It's a place of

burning. With all that fire, one would think it would be a

very bright place, but Matthew 8:12 tells us it is a place

of utter darkness. There is no light. No one will get to

see in Hell.

And, the stench of it! Revelation 19:20; 20:10; 21:8 tell

us that Hell stinks. It has a bad smell to it. The people who are sentenced there will be conscious.

They will not be knocked out. They won't be driven so

mad that they won't think about the horrible reality

crushing them. They will have to exist with a conscious

existence as Deuteronomy 18:11 demonstrates, and what

they are consciously aware of is that they chose to sepa-

rate themselves from the Father, as Luke 16 relays. God

says to us all with no exception, "I love you. Come to

me." You can choose to respond to that, or you can re-

ply with, "No, way!" Those who rejected God's love will

spend eternity regretting that decision. Luke 16 says in

Hell you thirst. In Hell there is nothing to quench one's awful, mind-burning thirst.

Revelation 9:2 tells us that Hell is bottomless. There is

no ground to put your feet on. It is a place of continual

falling and falling and never landing. Because of all the

agony and destruction that you feel in Hell, it says in

Matthew 8:12 that there is gnashing of teeth. There will

be nothing from you but weeping and crying with no

comfort and no water to supply your tears. Hell is truly a

place of torment, as Revelation 14 describes. It's an aw-

ful place of torment where you are alone with yourself

possibly forever. You wanted God to leave you alone and so you didn't accept Jesus' salvation, and well, you

got what you wanted.

Living With an Eternal Perspective

Our forever destination is why we need to think about

something bigger than just our life here on earth. Where

the road ends is why we need to have an eternal perspec-

tive, because our life on this earth is really very short,

isn't it? It's just like a breath. And so, it makes sense that

we need to look at the bigger picture in life. You need to know where you are going when you die. Death will

catch up to us usually when we are unaware. Death is

inevitable, unless you are raptured, so live with an eter-

nal perspective. If you live with an eternal perspective,

then everything else in life will make sense. Life will

have purpose.

Your Eternal Decision

An amazing, wonderful, awesome future lays ahead of

us with Jesus Christ! So, what on earth are you doing

that's just so important that you won't grab hold of that

future? What sins are you committing that are so tempo-

rarily enjoyable that you wish to stay here, when you've got so much better ahead of you in Heaven? Think of

the future that you have. Don’t write Hell off as not a

real place. Turn to Jesus right now and ask Him to

forgive you of your sins and be your Savior.

A Christian View Magazine 24

Did you know about the

Georgia Guidestones?

The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument in

Elbert County, Georgia, USA. A message clearly con-

veying a set of ten guidelines is inscribed on the struc-

ture in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is

inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient lan-guages' scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit

and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The structure is sometimes

referred to as an "American Stonehenge."The monument

is 19 feet 3 inches tall, made from six granite slabs

weighing 237,746 pounds in all. One slab stands in the

center, with four arranged

around it. A capstone lies on

top of the five slabs, which

are astronomically aligned.

An additional stone tablet,

which is set in the ground a

short distance to the west of the structure, provides some

notes on the history and pur-

pose of the Guidestones.

In June 1979, an unknown

person or persons under the

pseudonym R. C. Christian

hired Elberton Granite

Finishing Company to build

the structure.

Inscriptions: A message consisting of a set of ten

guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia

Guidestones in eight different languages, one language

on each face of the four large upright stones (see photo-

graph of the face with the English version right).

Moving clockwise around the structure from due north,

these languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi,

Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.

The inscriptions read as follows:

1.Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual

balance with nature.

2. Guide reproduction wisely improving fitness

and diversity.

3.Unite humanity with a living new language.

4.Rule passion faith tradition and all things with tempered reason.

5. Protect people and nations with fair laws

and just courts.

6.Let all nations rule internally resolving external

disputes in a world court.

7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials. 8. Balance personal rights with social duties.

9. Prize truth beauty love seeking harmony

with the infinite.

10. Be not a cancer on the earth Leave room for nature,

leave room for nature.

At the center of each tablet edge is a small circle, each

containing a letter representing the appropriate compass

direction (N, S, E, W). At the

top center of the tablet is

written: The Georgia Guide-

stones Center cluster erected

March 22, 1980. Immedi-

ately below this is the outline

of a square, inside which is

written: Let these be guide-

stones to an Age of Reason.

Around the edges of the

square are written the names

of four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from

the top and proceeding

clockwise, they

are:Babylonian (in cuneiform

script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit

and Ancient Egyptian

(in hieroglyphics).

What do you think about the

stones and their message?

They can in no way replace the

Ten Commandments. One could

even say it was an attempt to

make a reference to a new world

order that some extremist have

been referring to for many years.

Read Exodus 20 for guides that were written in stone a

long time ago. And these guides are called the Ten

Commandments. The original guide in stones.

Not the Ten Commandments, but what do you think?

A Christian View Magazine 25

Pastor White presently serves as the President of the Baptist

General Convention of Virginia and as Vice Moderator of

the Northern Virginia Baptist Association. Pastor White’s

sermon at the 7:45 am anniversary service was “A Pre-

scription for a Leftover Faith” (Micah 6:1-8). The guest

preacher at the 10:45 a.m. service was his first cousin, Rev-

erend Dr. Arthur R. White, pastor of Christ Community

Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA where he has served for

32 years. His sermon and scriptural text was based on Beth-

lehem’s theme and it's scriptural undergirding found in First

Corinthians 3. Dr. Arthur R. White is also the former Presi-

dent of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention.

Dr. Darrell K. White believes that his unique gifts and preparation differs him from the previous six pastors and

their seasons of service. He believes that his gifts from the Lord comes to life in the area of Christian Education

and ministry outreach and that this was the needed area for Bethlehem's next level of spiritual growth. He gives

overwhelming praise to his predecessors and realizes that he is able to see farther down and around the vineyard of

Bethlehem because he is standing on their shoulders. Pastor White believes that each of us show up in our sea-

son of ministry to use gifts that the Lord has equipped us with so that the person coming after can take up what we

lay down and begin where we leave off and move the mission plan to another level of fulfillment. In his case, it

was thirty years ago when he acknowledged the God's call and nearly fifteen years in the assignment as God's

watchman in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is truly blessed to have such an inspirational ministry and share such a remarkable partnership with the

Lord. God's richest favor and faithfulness over the next 150 years.

Well done Bethlehem and Pastor White!

When I See Jesus Amen (by: Douglas Miller)

I’ve learned how to live holy. I’ve learned how to live right.

I’ve learned how to suffer, for if I Suffer, I’ll gain eternal, eternal life.

But when I see Jesus, amen, When I see Jesus, amen.

All my troubles will all be over, When I see Jesus amen.

When I see Jesus amen, when I see The man who died for me, the one

Who set me free, amen. All my troubles will be over,

When I see Jesus, amen.

Bethlehem continued

A Christian View Magazine 26

Question: "Is it wrong for a Christian husband and

wife to attend separate churches?"

Answer: A husband and a wife attending separate

churches is a situation that is more common than one

might think. It’s also common for the children of such a

couple to be divided between the two churches, thereby

creating a rift in the family that is never healthy. In

order to determine whether or not it is “wrong” for a

husband and wife to attend separate churches, we must

first look at marriage as a relationship instituted by God.

Genesis 2:24 tells us God created man and woman to

become “one flesh” when they marry, not two separate

beings who go their own separate ways. There is a unity

in marriage which is unique and holy. Moreover,

marriage is the picture of Christ and His church

(believers) as described in Ephesians 5:31-32. The

marriage covenant between a man and a woman is

symbolic of the covenant between Christ and those for

whom He died. His is an everlasting covenant and one

that is holy and sacred, just as marriage is to be holy,

sacred and unbroken. This unity of two people into one

reaches its most sacred in the spiritual realm, where the two are to be of one mind regarding the basic doctrines

of Christianity – God, Christ, sin, salvation, heaven/hell,

etc. This unity of understanding through the ministry of

the Holy Spirit unites a husband and wife in a bond

unlike any other on earth.

While it’s possible for a husband and wife to have

differing tastes as far as music, preaching or worship

styles, children’s programs, etc., none of these things are

significant enough to break up the family into two parts

so they can attend different churches based on tastes. It is clear that if both churches are Bible-based and Christ-

honoring, there is no reason why one spouse can’t bend

a little and put his/her personal preferences aside. An

even better alternative is for the couple to join together

to seek a church where the Word of God is preached as

the only guide for faith and practice, where the entire

family can learn the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and

where the family can fellowship with like-minded

believers. In this, the husband, as the spiritual head of

the family, should take the lead and make the final

decision, lovingly taking his wife’s input into

consideration.

Sadly, the two-church family most often crops up in

marriages where one spouse was raised Baptist and the

other was raised in a AME.

Please read the following article: Should Christians of

different denominations date or marry? If a marriage has

already taken place, the couple should strive for spiritual

unity. Two people entrenched in their different doctrinal

positions often find it very difficult to compromise and

reconcile, but with God, all things are possible.

A couple in such a situation may be forced to attend

different churches, especially if one or both spouses

consider the other spouse's beliefs to be unbiblical. In

such a situation, both spouses should commit to praying

that truth be revealed and spiritual unity be achieved.

These doctrinal conflicts must be resolved in a family

before true unity can be achieved. A couple attending

different churches must be willing to hold everything

they are taught up to the light of Scripture and be ready

to discard anything that is contradicted by the Bible. They must “test all things and hold fast to that which is

true” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

A Christian

New Live Deliverance Worship Center

As pastor Desor was reflecting on the awesomeness of

Gods Power and the greatness of His mercy, he wanted all

visitors to know that New Life Deliverance is not your

ordinary church. He emphasized that this worship center is

about growing the Kingdom of God; all are welcomed to

pray there and that at New Life Deliverance, people WILL

be delivered and the spirit of infirmity will be cast out. He

further reminded the congregation that delivered folks are

dangerous folks- the devil doesn’t like that because Satan

knows that he cannot stop Gods’ work. At New Life De-

liverance, they are a very

active group of spirit filled

believers committed to the

preaching of the gospel and

making disciples. All

monies collected through

tithes and offerings go

toward paying bills and

continuing the outreach of

preaching the Gospel of

Jesus Christ our Lord and

Savior through its auxiliary

ministries.

Pastor Desor wanted to thank everyone for their abundant

prayers, faith, belief, and giving to New Life Deliverance.

They will continue to drink from the fountain of truth and

spirit and New Life Deliverance will be known as a

ministry of world changers.

Continued from page 18

A Christian View Magazine 28

History of Sunday school

It was an Englishman by the name of Robert Raikes who first conceived of the idea

to teach underprivileged boys by establishing schools on Sunday since the children had to work during the week.

His intention was to teach them reading, writing and arithmetic. Bible teaching was not a thought when he first got

the idea.

Raikes opened his first school in the kitchen of a home in Gloucester, England, in July of 1780. He hired a Mrs.

Meredith to do the teaching. It was a Baptist deacon named William Fox who introduced the idea of including the Bible in the Sunday schools

of England. Raikes agreed. Thus, the first schools combined both secular and spiritual educations and did so quite

effectively.

This was the birth of the Sunday School. When Robert Raikes died in 1811, there were an estimated 400,000

people attending Sunday schools in Great Britain.

There were also several hundred Sunday schools in the United States. All emphasized Biblical instruction over

reading and writing. However, most taught secular subjects as a means of drawing children and young people to

the Word of God. In fact, by 1820, Sunday school organizers began lobbying for extension of a system of free

daily schools so that they would be free to teach religion alone on Sundays.

Most denominations adopted the Sunday school. The movement continued to grow between 1827 and 1860 as the

value of the Sunday school was discovered.

D. L. Moody was one of the outstanding Sunday school workers of the late 1800s. In less

than one year Moody and his assistants organized schools in all 102 counties of Illinois. During the 20th century,

Sunday school growth increased dramatically. It became a standard ministry of almost every Christian denomina-

tion. Now including all ages, the movement prospered and became the major means whereby generations of

Christians became solidly grounded in the Scriptures. The first 60 years of the 20th century have been called the

"Golden Age of American Sunday Schools."

The 1960s were a tremendous period of change. Most Protestant denominations began to see a decline in their

Sunday school attendances. However, the Baptists were able to go forward with continued growth by changing the

methodologies used to both promote and conduct the schools.

Look at where most of the key

leaders and department heads in

growing churches started – the

Sunday school! Ask most preachers

where they first developed their

abilities to teach – the Sunday

school! The old saying, “use them

or lose them” is true in every aspect.

Working Christians are happy

Christians, fulfilled in their labor

for God.

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Jack Hyles, a Baptist pastor in Indiana, introduced the idea of churches purchasing used

school buses to go out and pick up children so as to be brought in for Sunday school. The church he pastored has

seen attendances in excess of 100,000. It is interesting to note that just a century before, D. L. Moody had used

volunteer church members and their wagons to do the same thing. Other pastors and churches saw the success that

Hyles was experiencing with buses and determined to do the same, thanks in part, to Pastor Schools that he spon-

sored each year. As a result, Baptist Sunday schools ignored the decline in the movement and saw their church

attendance sky rocket through the 60s and 70s.

Although, the bus ministry has subsided over the last three decades, the Baptists have continued to see good suc-cess with their schools. They have been very creative in introducing various teaching methods, which have in-

creased the drawing power. From large classes taught by a master teacher to small group classes led by a facilita-

tor, they have learned to adapt to the needs of those who attend their schools, whether they be young children who

are greeted by Muppets on Sundays or well educated adults who are provided with the opportunity to dig deep into

the Word of God.

Even though the movement has waned after 200 years of use, the Baptists see no end in sight. Their Sunday

schools continue to be generally strong and well attended. For all they know, the movement should continue to be

an effective means for teaching their members the Bible for another 200 years, if not more. Did You Know that In 1855, people of color began attending Sunday school at the

Lexington Presbyterian Church in Virginia. Stonewall Jackson himself was the first superintendent of the school.

That’s right , Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson played a role in the implementation and promo-

tion of religion before during and ultimately, after the civil war. As a devote evangelical Christian, he was very

religious and held the position of a deacon in the Presbyterian church. What's not spoken of

much in his biography is his charitable efforts on behalf of local African Americans, including the rarely discussed establishment of the first black Sunday school in Lexington, Virginia.

As devout Christians, the Jackson family fervently believed that all people were welcomed at

the Lord’s Table regardless of their race or social stature. As a result, he and his wife were in-

strumental in the organization, in 1855 of exclusive Sunday School classes for blacks at the

Presbyterian Church. Eventually the Sunday School grew beyond the allotted facilities and

ultimately blossomed into new churches for African-Americans. In this regard, we can see how

the evangelical white Christian slave owner had a positive influence on the spiritual education

of those held in captivity. As a result, many ex-slaves became preachers themselves and were

later responsible for some of the largest religious revivals that followed the south’s surrender.

Katy Ferguson In 1793, when she was little more than a child herself, Katy started a Sun-

day school. She took forty-eight children into her home once a week to give them lessons in scripture and in the practical skills of life. She also did her

best to find them homes.

Soon, the pastor of her own church, Dr. John M. Mason, heard about her

work and offered her space in his basement. He also provided assistants who could provide the basic education that she, still unable to read and

write, could not. Under Ferguson's supervision, the Murray Street Sabbath

School continued for forty years. It was New York's first Sunday School.

Katy Ferguson died of cholera in New York in 1854. In 1920, the city of New York

opened a home for unwed mothers and named it the Katy Ferguson Home.

A Christian View Magazine 30

The Reflection There were once two men, both seriously ill, in the same small room of a great hospital. Quite a small room, just large enough for the pair of them - two beds, two bedside lockers, a door opening on the hall, and one window looking out on the world. One of the men, as part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon, (something that had to do with draining the fluid from his lungs) and his bed was next to the window.

But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back - and both of them had to be kept quiet and still. Which was the reason they were in the small room by themselves, and they were grateful for peace and privacy - none of the bustle and clatter and prying eyes of the general ward for them. Of course, one of the disadvantages of their condition was that they weren't allowed much to do: no read-ing, no radio, certainly no television - they just had to keep quiet and still, just the two of them.

They used to talk for hours and hours - about their wives, their children, their homes their former jobs, their hobbies, their childhood, what they did during the war, where they had been on vacations - all that sort of thing. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed next to the window was propped up for his hour, he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. And the other man began to live for those hours.

The window apparently overlooked a park with a lake where there were ducks and swans, children throwing them bread and sailing model boats, and young lovers walking hand in hand beneath the trees. And there were flowers and stretches of grass and games of softball, people taking their ease in the sunshine, and right at the back, behind the fringe of the tress, a fine view of the city sky-line.

The man on his back would listen to all of this, en-joying every minute how a child nearly fell into the lake, how beautiful the girls were in their summer dresses, and then an exciting ball game, or a boy playing with his puppy. It got to the place that he could almost see what was happening outside.

Then one fine afternoon, when there was some sort of parade, the thought struck him: Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn't he get the chance? He felt ashamed and tried not to think like that, but the more he tried, the worse he wanted to change. He'd do anything! In a few days he had turned sour. He should be by the window. And he brooded and couldn't sleep, and grew even more seriously ill - which none of the doctors un-derstood.

One night, as he stared at the ceiling, the other man (the man next to the window) suddenly woke up coughing and choking, the fluid congesting in his lungs, his hands groping for the button that would bring the night nurse running. But the man contin-ued to stare at the ceiling.

In the morning, the day nurse came in with water for their baths and found the other man dead. They took away his body, quietly, no fuss. As soon as it seemed decent, the man asked if he could be moved to the bed next to the window. And they moved him, tucked him in, and made him quite comfortable, and left him alone to be quiet and still.

The minute they'd gone, he propped himself up on one elbow, painfully and laboriously, and looked out the window. It faced a blank wall. Taken from "Growing Deep - Exploring the Roots of Our Faith", by Charles R. Swindoll.

A Christian View Magazine 31

Close to, round about,

or nearby! One Sunday, the Minister was

giving a sermon on baptism and in the coarse of his sermon he was illustrating the fact that baptism

should take place by sprinkling and not by immer-sion. He pointed out some instances in the Bible. He said that when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the

River Jordan, it didn't mean in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby.

And again when it says in the Bible that Phillip baptized the eunuch in the river, it didn't mean

in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby. After the service, a man came up to the minister and told him it was a great sermon, one of the best he had

ever heard, and that it had cleared up a great many mysteries he had encountered in the Bible.

"For instance," he said, "the story about Jonah get-ting swallowed by the whale has always bothered me. Now I know that Jonah wasn't really in the whale, but close to, round about, or nearby, swim-ming in the water. Then there is the story about the three young Hebrew boys who were thrown into a the

furious furnace, but were not burned. Now I see that they were not really in the fire, just close to, round about, or nearby, just keeping warm. But the hardest of all the stories for me to believe has al-ways been the story of Daniel getting thrown into the lions’ den. But now I see that he wasn't really in the lions' den, but close to, round about, or nearby, like at the zoo.

The revealing of these mysteries have been a real comfort to me because I am a wicked man. Now I am gratified to know that I won't be in Hell, but close to, round about, or nearby. And next Sunday, I won't have to be in church, just close to, round about, or nearby. thanks. You have really put my mind at ease.

A Christian View Magazine 32

A Christian View Magazine 33

Arts A Night Of The Host Christian Comedian Corie Johnson, spoken word artist Virtuous, Mime

Ministry performers True Mime, Gospel Rapper Z Chris Zimmerman, Grace

Cathedral Praise Dance Team, Jeffrey Lampkin & Company, and special guest

Joshua Rogers the 2012 Sunday’s Best Winner, were all the featured artists pre-

sented at “A Night Of The Arts” by House Of Judah Worship Center, located in Columbia SC.

Jemal Cobb is the pastor of House of Judah Worship Center located at 1634 Van

Heise St. in Columbia and this was an event that the Lord had place in his heart to

do. Night of the arts is part of the church’s second year anniversary. Pastor Cobb

has his ministry set up in compartments such as: helps, outreach, developmental,

and then arts. Arts refers to praise dancers, mime ministry, choirs etc.

Joshua Rogers was brought in to headline the event, and other local artist to

participate, and fill in the night. The night started out slow but the Keenan High

School Auditorium quickly filled as guest began to arrive.

Pastor Cobb said “Joshua Rogers anointing appeals to the young folks and his

anointing appeals to the older generation as well”. He went on to say “this type of

concert kind of mirrors our image, because we kind of cater to the young folks.

And you know that the word has no age”.

There was no award or recognition given at this event. It was just a night of praise.

Pastor Cobb would like for the readers of ACVM to know that House of Judah

Worship Center offers biblical solutions to practical problems and that they’re

here for everybody-they are a relationship church.

Tory Weldon is the director of True Mime Ministry out of Summerville SC and he attends Mt. Pisgah AME Ridgeville SC. He wants to say to the young people to

stay prayed up and not leave the way they came.

All of the performers were

awesome, Joshua Rogers did

not disappoint with those high

notes and anointed songs.

Congratulations to Pastor Cobb

for an very nice event. And for

his first time it was outstanding.

We hope to attend next year.

A Christian View Magazine 35