Volume 1 Issue 2

June 1, 2013

MT. LEVEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

From the pastor’s desk

From the Pastor’s Desk 1

Ask the Church 2

Editorial 3

Pictorial Review 4, 5

Youth Missionary Report 8

Kids Korner 9

Conversations 10, 11

Inside this issue:

He Was Numbered Among the Transgressors

Christ shows us the way and gives us a model for what life in the church might look like if we followed him. We enter with him, through the Eternal Spirit, into the life of God in a manner that grants sensitivity and compels embrace of the other. What if we felt the other’s pain, and what it is like to be touched with the feeling of another’s infirmity?

The greatest knowledge is to know Christ in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. The deepest degree of his suffer-

ing was being cast out and forsaken as a derelict for the thief on the cross and the wicked rich with whom he was numbered.

Who are the wicked rich? They violate the poor consistently and sorely. They despise the poor, and they take no responsibility for those who suffer at their hands. The wicked rich need intercession made for them, every bit as much as any other transgressors.

He suffered through death, passed through death, and brings us the future from the other side. He went through his anguish and agony in a body just like yours and mine. He suffered death and was forsakened. He was cursed on the tree, and he did it for you and for me.

(Continued on page 6)

Dr. William C. Turner, Jr. Pastor

P A G E 2

O N T H E L E V E L

Ask the Church

Greetings MLMBC Family! There are many questions that you have to ask and the persons in key positions to address your concerns are more

than willing to give you answers. So fire away.......

Question (1) How can we receive copies of the tribute that you gave on Women's Day? There are quite a few

people who have asked about it (me included).

Answer: Thank you for your continued prayers and your support. However, the length of the tribute poses a problem from the newsletter. Sorry :( However, all is not lost! I will make copies of the Tribute and place those copies on the distribution table outside of the choir room. Let me thank you again for your support. It is an humbling experience to present your gift before an audience of people and receive the positive feedback that I have enjoyed

over the years. God bless ye one and all.

Question (2) Can you tell me who to get in touch with concerning the mime ministry that Omari Scott is a part of?

Answer: Omari Scott works with his father (Brother Otis Scott) developing his mime ministry and responds to committee and individual invitations both at Mt. Level and for private and public events. Omari does work with

dance ministry which is directed by Sister Christine Florence and Sister Dorinda Thomas.

Vacation Bible School June 17

th – 21

st, 2013

6:30PM – 8:30PM For ages 4 - 17

Theme: “ Jesus Family Reunion: The Remix!”

June 24 -28, 2013 6:30PM Nightly

Theme: Making Your Witness Known

Guest Speaker: Dr. Langston Logan

Lawson Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Roxboro, NC

Annual Revival

H ere’s a challenge for you. Try to explain what is happening in North Carolina these days to someone who doesn’t follow politics or government and limit yourself to a minute or even two. You can’t do it. The damage being inflicted on the state by this radical and reactionary General Assembly is too vast and is happening too quickly to even catalogue, much less explain.

Lawmakers, who have only been in session a little over two months, have already refused to expand Medi-caid under the Affordable Care Act, denying health care to 500,000 low-income adults even though the federal government would pick up the full cost of the expansion for three years and 90 percent of the cost after that. The purely ideological decision on Medicaid is at least still in the news occasionally as some states with Republican governors like New Jersey and Arizona have managed to put their partisanship aside and do what is best for the people they represent. The majority in control of our General As-sembly has also voted to slash unemploy-ment benefits for laid off workers and deny emergency federal benefits for 170,000 peo-ple who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The unemployment bill passed the first few weeks of the session but is rarely mentioned any more on Jones Street. Governor Pat McCrory sheepishly signed the attack on workers and the Medicaid expansion refusal in private ceremonies away from reporters who might ask pesky questions. He also signed legislation behind closed doors to reduce the state Earned Income Tax Credit that helps low-wage workers. The bill also allows the EITC to expire at the end of the year. That seems like old news now too with all the talk in Raleigh about “tax reform,” the current euphemism for the Robin Hood in reverse brand of class warfare now being pursued by Senate leaders and the right-wing think tanks bankrolled by the State Budget Director. Lawmakers have quickly moved from the war on the poor to the war on environment as the Senate passed legislation to speed up permitting for dangerous fracking operations and the House is considering repealing the state’s modest renewable energy standard that some environmentalists believe is far too weak. All bets are off on public education too. There are bills to divert public school money to home schoolers and turn teachers into glorified temps in the classroom. Senate leaders are trying to remove what’s left of accountability for charter schools by setting up a parallel and likely unconstitutional governance system to oversee them. A sweeping voucher scheme is coming soon. Exhausted yet? There’s more. Predatory payday lending has surfaced again backed by faux research by the think tanks on Right Wing Avenue. And the consumer finance industry is back pushing for more exorbitant interest rates to charge people when they most vulnerable.

(Continued on page 6)

P A G E 3

The wrecking ball keeps pounding

V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2

P A G E 4

O N T H E L E V E L

Women’s Day 2013

Rev. Olive Joyner was guest speaker for

the Saturday morning conference. Rev.

Joyner is a member of the Pastoral Leader-

ship team at Living Hope Church in

Durham, NC.

Workshop participants were en-

couraged to get up and move dur-

ing a workshop led by Dorinda

Thomas.

Mary Scott set the house on fire with a original compo-

sition—Salute to Women.

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale brought a powerful mes-

sage to close out the celebration. She is Senior

Pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Deca-

tur, GA.

The Kelly Singers is a family group

consisting of 3 generations - moth-

er, daughters and granddaughters.

Conference participants were treated to

breakfast and lunch.

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2

Spellman Glee Club in Concert

On Monday following Woman’s Day, Mt Level was honored to host the Spelman Glee Club again. The Spelman College Glee Club has maintained a reputation of choral excellence for more than 50

years. The singers have traveled throughout the country performing for a variety of audiences. Per-

forming in concert halls such as Fanueil Hall in Boston, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Avery

Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center and in churches, high schools, colleges, and universities. Their inter-

national

travels

have tak-

en them

to Brazil

and Can-

ada.

In April, the church presented a two day music workshop and

concert. The workshop was led by Rev. Raymond Wise, Ph. D.

Dr. Wise has served as a church minister of music for more than

30 years. As a composer he has penned more than 600 compo-

sitions that have been performed and

recorded by local, national, and inter-

national recording artists. Dr. Wise

taught posture, breathing exercises,

and vocal technique, and at least 6

new songs. The choir had a chance

to show what they’d learned during

the concert on Saturday night.

Music Workshop and Concert

P A G E 6

O N T H E L E V E L

The wrecking ball keeps pounding (con’t)

The state’s urban areas are on the tea party target list too. Legislative leaders are changing local election sys-tems, redrawing local school board districts, reneging on signed contracts, and taking over water supplies and airports from cities. Virtually every day, there’s another bill in committee that shoves North Carolina backwards and replaces the outrage of the day before in the headlines, from forcing married couples to wait two years for a divorce to repealing the Racial Justice Act to allowing loaded handguns in bars and restaurants. That’s nowhere near a complete list and doesn’t take into account the offensive choices being made by Gov-ernor McCrory, who House and Senate leaders continue to treat as their junior partner in their tea party cru-sade. McCrory has abolished the Office of Latino Affairs and is filling up the State Board of Education with privat-ization advocates. His latest appointment not only supporters vouchers but developed an anti-gay reputation while serving on his local school board. There is simply no way to keep up with the devastation much less explain it all. And that’s what legislative leaders are counting on, not just that you will forget, but that you won’t even be able to keep up with the fren-zied rush to pass as much of the tea party agenda as possible before people say enough. And they are hedging their bets just in case. They know people in North Carolina did not vote for this radical agenda in an election with the results predetermined by carefully gerrymandered districts. That’s where all the voter suppression legislation comes in. It’s their insurance policy, trying to make it hard-er for people who disagree with them to vote with restrictive voter ID laws, shorter early voting periods, and no more same day registration or Sunday voting Those loud rumbling sounds you hear are North Carolina’s progressive traditions and institutions quickly crumbling or more correctly, being leveled day by day by day by this wrecking ball of a General Assembly. If you have any inclination to speak up to stop it, now is the time. It won’t be long before you will not recog-nize the state you are living in. Reprinted by permission from N.C. Policy Watch at ncpolicywatch.com.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly

with your God.

Micah 6:8

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2

From the pastor’s desk (con’ t)

He did it to take us back into communion and fellowship. His mangled body looked like yours and mine when thrown in the cave. Resurrection is the keystone of our sal-vation.

Thank God, He was numbered among the transgressors.

How does my garden grow?

Rev Donald White and Robert Jones discuss plans for a

plot that will be planted by the Boy Scouts and the FFA

groups.

Larry Evans works a row in a separate plot reserved for

church members.

Things are starting to take root in the area that surrounds the Parker House. Ground has been broken to prepare

two separate areas for summer planting. To the right of the house, is a plot that will contain raised beds and be

maintained by Boy Scout Troop #493 and the 4H Club. In back of the house, church members are invited to claim

a row to plant and maintain throughout the growing season. It’s not too late to claim a row!

Butterbean seeds in Juanita Evans’ row.

P A G E 8

O N T H E L E V E L

Youth Missionary Department

The youth missionary department went on two mission trips re-

cently the first one we went to was Welcome Baby Center in

downtown Durham. While we were there we helped put letters

together so they could be mailed out to the right people, we also

helped hang up clothes for the parents to come & shop. We had

a good time while doing god’s work, the next mission we went to

we went gleaning in Faison, NC. We picked turnip greens so the

food shuttle could send them to the Raleigh fairground. There

was another youth group there & we had to work along with

them.

Welcome Baby Family Resource Center provides practical, educational and emotional support to par-ents and caregivers of young children. Free services in English and Spanish to families of children 0-5 years of age include: -Car seat safety, -Phone support program, -Family reading, -Clothing closet, -Discussion groups -Educational workshops. http://www.welcomebaby.org/

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2

Kids Korner

In each of these puzzles, a proverb is written with exactly one letter of each

word replaced with another. Can you figure out what the original proverb is?

Ale’ tell chat ands welt.

So thing owl heard by tree..

Earls so red, earls no rose.

Calf I load is wetter that so break.

P A G E 1 0

O N T H E L E V E L

Conversation with Youth Minister

Rev. Jeremy Gilmore 1. What do you do during Wednesday night meetings and the Gathering on fourth Sunday? During the Gathering on fourth Sundays, we meet after church and discuss issues/thoughts that are on the minds of our pre-teens and teens. We have a group discussion, eat, and play games. It is a time for us to "gather" in a format outside of worship, encourage sincere fellowship, and hear the hearts of our youth. 2. Why is it important that youth have separate classes? It is important for them to hear one another. In our sessions, the youth have the opportunity to realize that they're not the only persons who struggle with questions of identity, self-esteem, or belonging. They have the chance to hear what's making them MSG (ask a teen what that means!). The children definitely need to worship and learn with adults - lots of learning happens by observing and participating with adults. However, there should also be dedicated spaces where youth know "this is for me". It also indirectly sends the message to our youth from our adults that their spiritual development is serious and important. It's not enough to hope it is happening. MLBC is right to have ministries devoted to youth - it shows everyone that youth are a major priority in God's church. 3. How do these activities better equip them to navigate their daily lives? These activities give the youth strategies to handle the world they face outside of the church. The most important weapon the students have is the "sword of the Spirit" which is the "Word of God." Youth need to learn scripture, ask questions of it, and be transformed by it. These activities also serve to give them a community with which to go through life. It can feel very isolat-ed to be a young Christian if you don't have opportunities to connect with others. We are apart of a called out community of believers (a church). By walking together, we can warn one another of pitfalls on the road, fight wolves that come in our path, and pray for the strength in each other to journey on. 4. What else do you want the congregation to know about what you do? I want the congregation to know that this is serious. Our youth aren't the church of tomorrow. They are the church today. Their souls aren't less valuable because they don't have jobs or haven't reached puber-ty. There's an innocence and wonder in youth that Christ saw in His earthly ministry. We ought to seek to see the same thing in our children at MLBC. I want the congregation to know that, with God's help, we are building the church. 5. How can they help? As with any building project, we need help. We will need people to sling hammers (workers), give direc-tions (leaders), and pour lemonade (supporters). However, currently, I am looking at the blueprint and pouring foundation (learning and envisioning). I'm seeking to learn more about the children and families of MLBC. You can help by doing four things: 1) Pray. Without ceasing. With your child. With other children. When you think of a child. Pray. 2) Bringing your child to activities. Youth church, Bible Study, the Gathering, Vacation Bible School, etc. Nothing substitutes for time with someone. 3) Occasionally, stay with them. Parents don't always need to be there, of course, but it's good for youth to see a group of adults pulling for them. 4) Contact me. I welcome the chance to discuss what you see and hear from God about our youth. In ad-dition, I love to hang out and get to know people. I can be reached by phone at 219.902.3807 and by email at jeagilmo@gmail.com.

Conversation with Youth Minister

Rev. Angela Taylor

1. What do you do during Wednesday night meetings? The schedule for the evening is quite simple: devotion, which consists of singing, dancing, and prayer, teaching, and eating a snack, which is often a complete meal. In devotion, we use dance as the primary method of teaching the children spiritual songs. We sing and dance using videos that illustrate choreo-graphed Christian songs and other medium, and a child will lead the group in prayer (another teachable moment). During the teaching time, Scripture is studied, and a craft pulls the message together to make it concrete for the student. Eating is a time for fellowship and learning social skills, and often it is the high-light of the night because you may see a child sharing with another child what he/she did in class. 2. Why is it important that youth have separate classes? From an educational standpoint, teaching children in groups according to age and maturity yields effective and efficient learning. Educational re-search shows that learning is more effective in class settings of same-age children than in mixed-age groups. Our YBS, which stands for Youth Bible Study, has on occasion taught in a whole group setting when the numbers were small and conducive to effective teaching and learning, and it worked. A mixed group approach has been introduced and promoted in several Vacation Bible School programs over the last few years, and it is something we have tried in the past. However, teaching separate classes has been the traditional mode of teaching for us, and it has been successful in our youth church ministry. 3. How do these activities better equip them to navigate their daily lives? My goal is for the children to have fun learning about God. Children take the Bible lesson home with them in song and dance and crafting. They live the Scripture in song and dance. They remember the dancing and singing, they remember the fun activities, and they want to come back. I want them to come back so they can hear the story over, and over, and over again. That’s how they keep the message with them to guide them in daily living. The days of sitting in the classroom and listening to the teacher read a Bible sto-ry are over. Children and youth experience the world much differently than I did when I was young…er. When I was a child in Sunday School, we would sit in chairs in rows, listen to the Bible story and then col-or or make a craft and be as happy as could be. Not today. You have to engage children with sensory modes, like movement, media, and hands-on activities that support the teaching and, most importantly, the Scripture. When I first began leading YBS, the cry from the children would be, “When are we gonna eat?” Now I hear, “Are we gonna dance today?” “I want to sing _______.” “It’s time to go already?” Music to my ears. 4.. What else do you want the congregation to know about what you do? YBS is Bible study for the entire church, not just the youth. YBS is viewed as an outreach program from the church to the community, but I’d like to see it be an outreach program within the church as well. I want the church to view Wednesday night Bible study as living testimony to the power of lifting Christ up so that ALL people and in this case all children are drawn to him. That’s my vision. 5. How can they help? I’d like to hear from the parents and learn what their vision is for their child’s spiritual life. Question: What do you want your child to know about the church, about God, about worship, and about being Christ-like? Spread the word about YBS; bring the children—your child and someone else’s child. We have a good solid teaching staff, but it is always helpful to have additional church members who can share with these youth what Mt. Level is all about and just be an extra hand. I, also, pray that the church will continue to support the program financially so that it will grow to include activities beyond Wednesday night. A sound financial backing will maintain our wonderful staff, including kitchen and transportation. In the next year, I hope to be able to stretch the tradition a bit and try new approaches to teaching, learning, and program-ming. The outpouring of financial and human resources has made and will make all things possible through Christ.

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2

316 Hebron Road Durham, North Carolina 27704

Dr. William C. Turner Jr. Rev. Jeremy Gilmore

Marquise Getward Rev. Angela Taylor

Mary Scott Dorothy Clark

Photography - Lynne Williams and Sandra Harper

Proofreader—Joyce O’Rourke

Layout—Sharon Hall

Phone: 919-477-3893 Fax: 919-620-9229 E-mail: mtlevelmbc.org

MT.LEVEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH DR. WILLIAM C. TURNER, JR PASTOR

Gavel Club

he Gavel Club (under the auspices of Toastmasters In-ternational) will instruct and train the youth of Mt. Level, between ages 12 –17, in effective communication skills. They will be led in the practice of effective oratory skills, guided in leadership skills, and increase their knowledge of parliamentary procedures as participants in monthly

meetings and group discussions. The club meets every 3rd Wed. at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the church office at 919-477-3893.

Boy Scouts

oy Scouting is a year-round program for boys 11 through 17 designed to achieve the aims of Scouting through a vig-orous outdoor program and peer group leadership with the counsel of an adult Scoutmaster. (Boys also may become Boy Scouts if they have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old, or have com-pleted the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old.) Mount Level has renewed its support of Boy Scouts of

Ameriica by starting Boy Scout Troop #493 which meets twice a month at the Parker House. For information about how to support the troop or to join, contact Dea. Johnny Bethea at: jbethea3@nc.rr.com.

Children & Youth Choirs

he Children’s Choir (ages 3 –8), and Youth Choir (grades 4—12), minister in song on the Fourth Sunday of each month. Rehearsals are held the preceding Saturday. We welcome your participation and your voice as we

come before his presence with singing! For more information contact Sis. Alma Jones at : alma.jones1@gmail.com.

Contributors to the June Issue

Punctuate the following so it makes sense:

"That that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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