The Douglas Legacy. From the Pastor s Desk: Looking Back, Moving Forward

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1 From the Pastor s Desk: Looking Back, Moving Forward Special celebrations are always exciting for a variety of reasons. There is the excitement of the celebration itself, the gathering of old and new acquaintances, and the memories of the story being told. Whatever, the reason, the inspiration that flows from special celebrations cannot be dismissed. This season is special to the Douglas Family for many reasons. December 3rd will be the first Sunday in Advent; and again we will look forward to celebrating the coming of the Christ Child. On November 19th, we dedicated and renamed the beautifully renovated fellowship hall; and celebrated the renaming as Founders Hall; commemorating the vision and sacrifice of our founders. I N T H I S I S S U E Our New Member 2 Founders Hall 2-3 Men s Day 4 Homecoming Weekend 5-6 Other DMCC Events 7 Happy Birthday! 8 Finance Reminders 9 Rev. Lottie Honored 10 Douglass Classes of HBCU Tour 10 Wednesday Power Call No need to enter a code. Share the number with family and friends; and join the call with Pastor Todd each Wednesday at 10 pm. Is the Quarterly Newsletter of Douglas Memorial Community Church Evelyn A. Prettyman, Editor Rev. Vivian Ferebee, Copy Editor Photography Bernadette Green Rev. Lottie Sneed By all accounts, this is a great time in the life of our church. The question I raise for your consideration is, Where do we go from here? After all of the celebrating and fellowship, what happens next? This is a critical question that must be answered, else our celebrating is in vain. We have inherited a great opportunity to be a blessing to many people through the region. Yet, we cannot ride on past glory without a fresh infusion of energy and creativity. The blessing of the moment lies in looking back while moving forward. In the book of Joshua, as the children of Israel were moving into the promised land, as they crossed the river, God instructed Joshua to have twelve men deposit a stone in the middle of the river as a memorial of God s presence in the lives of the people. The memorial was actually behind them, while the blessing was in front of them. Yet, God explained to Joshua that in erecting the monument, there would come a time when future generations would ask the meaning of the monument. Yes, they would look back from a place that the children of Israel had not even reached. We, too, must be willing to look back. But we cannot stay here. We must continue to move forward building new monuments as we go. We must look back, celebrate, and continue to move ahead. Then, our celebration will be worth remembering. Today, think about where God is taking us, thank God for the blessings we have already received, and let's get ready to move into the place that God has already prepared.

2 P A G E 2 Founders Hall: Renovation, Dedication and Renaming On Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 10 am, Pastor Todd rededicated the fellowship hall following a complete demolition and renovation. After reading from Proverbs 3:13-25, Pastor Todd named the six persons whose portraits grace the wall: Mary Jones (who called the 4 o clock meeting and made the motion to establish a new church), Marie Alma Kelley (who seconded the motion), Spencer Hasten, Samuel Dorsey, Estelle Tilghman and Mamie Douglas, our1st First Lady. Those six persons and over 94 others were in attendance at the 4 o clock meeting. In his remarks, Pastor noted While we will fellowship in this space, it shall be know as The Founders Hall, to honor the ancestral presence of those who charted the course. newly named Founders Hall...This will be the place where education will go forth, families will be comforted, fellowship will be shared, testimonies offered and the business of stewardship take place.we not only give this space, but ourselves anew to the service of God, our souls that we might be renewed after the image of Christ, our bodies that we might be fit temples for the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. After Pastor Todd s prayer of dedication, Bro. Leonard Smackum and the Special Projects Committee members performed the ribbon cutting. The committee members are: Leonard Smackum, Chair, Robert Beasley, Preston Brown, Carol Camper, Karen Orange, Nicole Smith and Charles Ward. Atiba Nkrumah served as consultant to the committee. Welcoming Our Newest Member Kris and Terri Powell, and big sister Kyiann welcomed a new addition to the family, Katie Lenore, born on October 10th. Congratulations to the Powells on their beautiful baby girl. Welcome to the Douglas Family, Katie Lenore!

3 P A G E 3 Founders Hall: Renovation, Dedication and Renaming

4 P A G E 4 Men s Day, October 22, Men s Day Choir, director J. Terrell 2. Guest Preacher Dr. Eugene Gibson 3. D. Adair, M. Turner, B. Green, M. Lee, E. Smith 4. Dr. Gibson, Pastor Todd 5. A. Brown, E. Smith, E. Adams, C. Ward 6. Reception musician Wake Campbell 7. A. and G. Snead 8. P. Henderson, A. Gibson, D. Adair, M. Turner, B. Todd 9. H. Daniels, L. Smackum 10. Spoken word artist., event decorator K. Orange, A. Nkrumah 11. M. and L. McAllister 12. R. and T. Carr 13. D. and A. Taylor

5 P A G E 5 Homecoming Weekend Homecoming Sunday Worship Service Homecoming was celebrated on Sunday, September 10, Our guest preacher was Dr. M. Christopher Brown, II, President of Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY. Dr. Brown preached on An Emergency Response Plan with scripture reference from Psalm 91. Ministry in Dance: Bro. Leroy Church Soloist: Deacon Sherry L. Hunt

6 P A G E 6 Homecoming Weekend Family Fun Festival Block Party Winners of the Bicycle Raffle

7 P A G E 7 Other DMCC Events and Activities Orioles Baseball at Camden Yards, August 18 Senior Crab Feast at Kurtz s Beach July 31 Gladys Knight, Pattie LaBelle, Smokey Robinson and Yolanda Adams at Gladys Knight and Friends taping for BYU TV at the Lincoln Theater, Washington DC, October 16, 2017

8 P A G E 8 December 1 Carl Jackson 2 Helen Carr, Gloria Weaver 4 L. Douglas Bryant, Lillian Jackson 5 Marsha Hall, Doris Shorter 8 Estella Grant, Lonnia Greene-Sanders 9 Steva Komeh-Nkrumah 11 Patrick Roberson 12 Susan White 15 Dorothy Lofton Jones 16 Theron Whitaker 17 Marvin Carmichael, Spurgeon Reynolds 18 Constance Hammond, Jerry Prettyman 19 Brenda Allison, Johnnie Hill 20 Shirley Jones 22 Alice Rasbury Hill 25 Marie Clarke 26 Millicent Yates 27 Hilbert Byers, III 29 Brenda Myers, Jennifer Thompson 30 Louis Davis, Jr. 31 Doris Pollard, Nicole Rock January 3 Christopher Tittle 7 Maggie Caples 9 Sarah Boozer, Pamela Rock, Joshua Yeary 11 Joan Stevenson 12 Priscilla Taylor 14 Gayle Hargrove 15 Kamaron Moir 20 Corliss Alston 21 Bonita Dancy-Whitaker, Freeda Thompson 22 Kelli Singleton 23 Barbara Alston, Lauretta Byers 24 Kathy Cates 26 Bernard Conaway, Jr. 28 Nicole Smith, Christine Wyatt Announcements and Reminders Community Advent Services (Revision) Will be held each Wednesday at Providence Baptist Church, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue from November 29 through December 20, 2017 at 12 Noon. Midday Bible Study will begin at 1:30 pm during Advent. Budget Meeting Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 10 am Men s Ministry Breakfast Saturday, December 16th at 9:30 am Holiday Worship Services Christmas Eve One worship service on Sunday, December 24th at 9:30 am. No Sunday School. New Year s Eve Sunday, December 31st Morning - One worship service on at 9:30 am. No Sunday School. Evening - Pre-Reception at 8 pm Worship service at 10 pm

9 P A G E 9 Are You Getting the Message? Do you receive church s and text messages for Pastor Todd s Power Call and other news? If not, make sure to sign up by doing the following: To receive s - Give your address to Sis. Evelyn Prettyman or send an message to eprettyman@douglaschurch.net. To receive text messages - Text the word faith to You will receive an immediate response confirming that you are signed up for future text messages. Finance Committee Reminders The Finance Committee, chaired by Carol Camper, works hard to make sure that your tithes and offerings are accurately recorded. Committee members are grateful for the diligence the congregation has shown in filling out offering envelopes; but they need a little more help. You can lend a hand by remembering to fill out your offering envelope completely before placing it in the offering plate. We hope you will find the following guidelines helpful: Print or legibly write your name on every envelope, even if you enclose a check. Important: The envelope (not the check) is used to record your contribution. It is important to fill it in completely. The other line may be used for special days and monthly sacrificial offerings. Add all lines and place the total amount on the first line. This should be the total amount that is enclosed in the envelope. Use the address line to update address changes. Couples writing separate checks are encouraged to use separate envelopes. This allows for accurate data entry and record keeping. Additional envelopes are available at the bulletin board, elevator lobby, Narthex and church office. Contributions for Special Projects (renovations) should be made payable to DMCC-MECU, and noted on the envelope. Annual contribution statements will be mailed at the end of January, so please make sure your correct address is on file. Thank you for your continued support of the ministry work at Douglas Church. Total Amount Enclosed $ Example My Tithe $ My Offering $ Other Monthly Sacrificial Offering $ Name Jane Doe Member # 000 Address/Change Visitor Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

10 P A G E 10 Rev. Lottie Sneed Honored for Community Work The National Alliance of Resident Services in Affordable and Assisted Housing (NARSAAH) presented the National Trailblazer of the Year award to Rev. Lottie L. Sneed for her community organizing work in East Baltimore. The award was presented at the NARSAAH National Conference held in Baltimore on September 22, 2017, shortly before Rev. Lottie s retirement. Dr. Samuel B. Little is the founding President and CEO of NARSAAH, whose mission is Empowering individuals, strengthening families and improving communities. Each year, hundreds of resident leaders of affordable housing projects from across the country gather to focus on leadership development, exchange ideas and organize around common issues. Congratulations to Rev. Lottie on her dedicated work on behalf of the community, her achievements and her retirement! Frederick Douglass High School Classes of 1948 DMCC Participates in HBCU Tour Under the leadership of Min. Deborah Ivory, DMCC partnered with Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church of Colorado Springs, CO to take a group of young people on a tour of HBCUs. From October 7-13, the group toured HBCUs in the southeastern region. It was an excellent opportunity for the students to learn about college life, admission requirements and the application process. On Sunday, November 19th, members of the Frederick Douglass High School classes of 1948 worshipped with Douglas at the 10:30 am service. Our very own Maxine Gaskins, Estella Grant and Catherine Richardson were members of the 1948 class. During that time, there were two graduating classes each year. Some of the class members posed for pictures with Pastor Todd; and the group presented a gift to the church.