Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I trust that you and your family are doing well and that the blessings of the Lord are rich in your lives.

 

Our ministry theme for the month of June in Character or Christian Character. The dictionary defines character as the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. It is also defined as moral or ethical qualities or specifically qualities of honesty, courage, or integrity. Finally character is also defined as one's reputation.

 

When we think of Christian character, we think of embodying the moral and ethical qualities that our Lord and savior Jesus Christ exemplified while He was on this earth. In other words Christian Character is to be Christ Like.

 

As human beings we can be very possessive when it comes to maintaining our outward appearance or outward characteristics. We expend an enormous amount of time, money and a lot of hard work to ensure that this body that we live in looks good, smells good and functions good. Some of us will take extreme measures to make ourselves look younger, better, or more attractive than we really are.   The story comes to mind about a man who fell in love with an opera singer. Not only was she gifted with a beautiful voice, but physically she appeared to be just as beautiful.

 

After dating they eventually got married. On their honeymoon night, as they prepared for the moment they had been waiting for, the bride, pulled off her wig, false eyelashes, popped out her false eye and put her false teeth on the night stand. As she continued reaching to remove more false apparatuses, the groom at this point was so taken by everything that had just unfolded before  .... click to read more.  

 

During the month of May we celebrated and honored some great women in the church.   The following are a few of the events that took place:

 

On Saturday, May 5th, First Jurisdiction Illinois held their annual Woman of the Year Luncheon. This luncheon was instituted by the late Bishop Shephard Little fulfilling his desire to give recognition to deserving women in the Jurisdiction. Bishop Booker has allowed the women's department the opportunity to continue with this valued tradition. Since its inception, it has been a blessing to many women. Candidates must be recommended by their peers and stringent requirements must be met in order to be considered.

 

This time last year my son Timothy wasn't doing well in school. In fact, he had to attend summer school due to poor grades. Of course there were punishments, denial of requests, and favorite things removed from his room, but to no avail. No one wants to fail, and no parent wants to see their child struggling. Turn it over to Jesus and he will work it OUT!

 

When things started off on the wrong foot this year, different steps were taken. Last year, I kept it to myself. This school year I told those that I know who value education and love the youth of the church. They jumped right in and lectured as well as prayed for him. The now Pastor, Elder Hill would come to the house when Tim would call him for help or he would tutor by phone. Sis. Joyce and Sis Annie offered places for tutoring as well as the use of their family members. We went to the saint's houses and received help wherever we could find it. Sis. Marchelle opened her home and even tutored him along with her sister Beatrice after services. He began a free tutoring program that bought in professionals in the education and ..... click to read more.