Baptist

Black Churches In Maryland Join Together To Pray Against Gay Marriage

August 15, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

Black Churches Gather For Prayer Vigil Against Gay Marriage

A group of black churches in Maryland are joining together to say gay is not ok as far as they’re concerned.

A coalition of African-American churches is holding a prayer vigil to highlight its members’ opposition to same-sex marriage and urge Marylanders to vote against it.
Members of the National Black Church Initiative will gather to pray at Israel Baptist Church in east Baltimore on Wednesday.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage this year, but the measure has yet to take effect.

Do you think the state of Maryland will uphold it’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage?

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Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Baltimore, Baptist, Black church, Israel, Martin O'Malley, Maryland, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Same-sex marriage

Church In Mississippi Refuse To Marry Black Couple Because The Color Of Their Skin

July 28, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

Black Couple Denied Wedding Service At White Church In Mississippi

A Jackson couple said their big wedding plans were dashed by a white church in Crystal Springs because they are black, and the city’s mayor said she is “heartbroken” about the church’s decision. Charles Wilson said it was a huge disappointment that he and his wife couldn’t get married at the mostly white Crystal Springs church they attended because of the color of their skin.
“I feel like it was blatant racial discrimination,” Wilson said today in a phone interview. Wilson said that he and his wife Te’Andrea had sent out invitations and the printed program with their wedding date of July 21 at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs.
But the couple had to change their plans after some members of First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs didn’t want the black couple to be married there, the pastor told WLBT.
The church’s pastor, Rev. Stan Weatherford, married the couple, but moved the ceremony to a nearby church. Weatherford acknowledged some members of the church were concerned about the black couple being married in the church. No black couple has been married in the church in recent memory.
Wilson said he had been attending the church for about a month and his now wife had been attending for more than a year.
“Prior to this, I had been telling people how nice they were here,” Wilson said. “It makes you reevaluate things.” The church pastor said he was surprised by the reaction of some church members.
“I didn’t want to have a controversy within the church and I didn’t want a controversy to effect the wedding of Charles and Te’ Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day,” said Weatherford, according to WLBT.
“Maybe it’s a wake-up call for people to say we’re not standing for this,” she said. “This is not OK. For us to be as successful of a place as I want it to be, we have to do it together.”
“I will not have it.”
Garland said she hasn’t yet made plans to discuss what happened with Weatherford, but insists she will not allow the actions of a few people to destroy the town’s reputation.
“Sometimes you need a storm because they make you stronger,” she said. “We will be stronger. We will not be anything else other than unified.”

Sad! Black folks should just get the hell out of Mississippi!

video of the couple below:

WLBT.com – Jackson, MS

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Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Baptist, Christianity, God, Marriage, Mississippi, Pastor, refuse to marry black couple, Religion and Spirituality, Wilson

Tyler Perry Celebrates 20 Years Of Business

July 12, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

Tyler Perry explains that he hasn’t always been rich and or on top. I do not know him personally-I am on his eblast, so when he sent this open letter out I imaged-all “DREAMERS” need to take notes!

“Why did I put all my money into this? Is this going to work? God, do you hear me? Where are the people? I’m so scared. How will I pay these people? Why did I do this? I can’t pay my rent, they are going to repossess my car…
The year was 1992, July 8th-12th. All these questions were crowding my mind. I was a 22-year old wannabe… but what I wanted to be I didn’t know. All I knew was that I had written this play about adult survivors of child abuse and I wanted the world to see it. I was so sure that it was going to work that I put my own money into the show.

I had worked as a used car salesman and a bill collector and saved my income tax check and my bonuses. I took that money and hired a cast and built a set and rented a very small theater in Atlanta called the 14th Street Playhouse. I had done all the math in my head: I was going to perform 6 shows, 200 people a show, for a total of 1,200 people. The tickets were $12 and I was going to make $14,000 and be rich… LOL. I was going to give my tithe to the church, give my mother some money, pay my rent (that was two months behind), get my car payment caught up and live happily ever after. I knew as sure as I am sitting here that it was all going to be all right. I had prayed that thang out, as they say in the Baptist church… LOL. Looking back on it now I can laugh, but back then it wasn’t so funny. What I quickly realized is that prayer alone will not always get the results you want. As much work as I did, I didn’t do enough to promote the show. More work was needed to go along with my faith.

I was expecting 1,200 people but only 30 showed up. I was devastated. I thought my dreams were dead. Based off this one thing I thought my life was over. Based on this one failure (what I thought was a failure but it clearly wasn’t), I thought that the rest of my life would be ruined. Needless to say, looking back on it, it was all a part of God’s plan and amazing design for my life. And God has a plan for all of our lives.

Today I celebrate my 20th anniversary in show business. It’s been an amazing journey, one that I will detail in my autobiography one day. You would be surprised, inspired, angry and blown away with what I’ve endured to be here, but until then I’d like to share a little inspiration with you. So many times we think that because one thing didn’t go as planned we should give up on it. So many people leave their dreams dying on the floor, gasping for air because it didn’t work out the first time. Be it marriage, business, children, faith, whatever your dream is, you can’t give up because it didn’t go as planned. If I had walked away because it didn’t work you wouldn’t be reading this. I had to keep moving. Yes, there were setbacks. Yes, it was difficult, but I got to see my dreams come to pass because I never stopped moving forward, I never stopped praying and most of all I never stopped believing. DON’T STOP BELIEVING!!!! PLEASE DON’T STOP BELIEVING!!! Say this to yourself out loud right now: “DON’T STOP BELIEVING”, and repeat it to yourself whenever you doubt that you can make it.

What you must understand is that everything, all of it, the good the bad and the ugly, it all works together for your good. If you love the Lord you are called according to His purpose. What’s His purpose for you? If you’re not sure, seek it and all your dreams will come true.

To all my dreamers, to all the people who have invested in themselves, to all the people who have the same questions that I did, hear me when I say this: YOU CAN DO IT!!

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS IN SHOW BUSINESS TODAY!!!!

God Bless you, in Jesus’ name, AMEN!”

Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Atlanta, Automobile salesperson, Baptist, Goa'uld characters in Stargate, God, Jesus, Needless, Tyler Perry

Baptist Georgia College’s Anti-Gay Pledge And Ban On Premarital Sex Causes Entire Faculty To Quit

May 21, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

A Georgia college’s controversial “personal lifestyle statement” which includes rejecting homosexuality has caused to students and staff to leave

Inside Higher Ed cites an anonymous survey which found that a mere 12 percent of the faculty said they planned to stay at Shorter University, a 139-year-old Baptist school located in Rome, Ga. In addition, more than two dozen staff members had already resigned before their new contracts — which included the “pledge,” condemning homosexuality, premarital sex and public drinking — were even distributed.
The Religion News Service notes that the school usually has about 100 full-time faculty members.
An online campaign called “Save Our Shorter” seems to blame the departure of many employees on the pledge, even though the university’s president told the Religion News Service that some of those who resigned did not state their reason for leaving.
“I feel that Shorter, the GBC, the Board of Trustees, and/or whoever can do what they want to the school,” one student writes on the site. “It’s their school, but I cannot personally attend a school so full of hate. The personal lifestyle statement is picking and choosing which sins are worse than others, but a sin is a sin. Why were homosexuality, premarital sex, and adultery singled out? What about child molesters?”
One of the school’s tenured professor felt similarly. “Lest anyone think I am ‘promoting’ homosexuality, please know that I am not,” professor Sherri Weiler, who resigned last week, wrote in the Rome News-Tribune, according to the “Save Our Shorter” site. “I am simply not going to judge anyone who expresses his/ her sexuality in this way.”
She continued, “All I know is that I cannot sign a document that “reject[s] as acceptable” any one of God’s creatures, be they adulterers, sexual ‘sinners’ of any stripe, or drinkers of alcohol in public. All I know is that I cannot ‘reject as acceptable’ people who have sinned in any way, because I’ve sinned, too, and no doubt will again.”
Still, Nelson Price, who was chairman of the Board of Trustees when the lifestyle statement was approved, denounced the survey cited by Inside Higher Ed, describing it as “skewed” to the Rome News-Tribune . “The senders sent it to a group they selected and left out persons known to be in support of the direction the school is going,” Price noted. “It was not an objective blind survey…the questions were highly biased.”

People can’t express themselves, have sex or drink??? What the hell kind of college experience is this? We would have left too!

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Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Baptist, Board of directors, Georgia, Inside Higher Ed, Religion News Service, Rome, Rome News-Tribune, Shorter University

Celebs Leave In Mourning After Whitney’s Funeral

February 20, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

According to Theybf:

After Whitney Houston‘s touching funeral today in Newark, New Jersey, her close family and celebrity friends were spotted leaving in mourning.

The pictures, plus Bobby Brown‘s statement on the drama causing him to leave the funeral early, inside. *Updated with statements from Bobby Brown, Jr. & Aretha Franklin.*

15 minutes into today’s services at New Hope Baptist Church, Bobby brown was seen exiting in a visibly upset manner. It was reported he left because of a seating dispute. Bobby brought 9 people (including his other children) to the ceremony but was technically only allowed 3. It was also reported he was not asked to leave, despite the rumors saying so, but left on his own accord. Here is Bobby’s statement he issued today in full:

“My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move. Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi-Kristina. In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene. My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honor Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur. I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”

Deep sigh…

Meanwhile, fans, friends, and family of Whitney Houston continue to mourn her passing. Pictures of Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Jessie Jackson, and Stevie Wonder leaving the services:

Whitney will be buried tomorrow next to her father. Her casket will be guarded by 10 security guards while it waits in the cemetery.

UPDATE:

Bobby Brown Jr. has been communicatiing with fans via Facebook and he posted this pic saying, “Doing Fine, Been Better”

He also posted these comments:

I’ve never been so hurt in my life.

No matter how good, and what good my Father does. why do you guys always have to fucking lie about him and make him outto be this person HES NOT ,what did he ever do to yall man. Fucking scumbags I’m disgusted

What don’t break you Sho nuff gonna fucking MAKE #TeamBrown is STRONG mark my word we taken over. Then what the media gon say? #FuckItImOnOne

And Aretha Franklin said…..

Although she did not attend Whitney Houston’s funeral (she said her legs cramped up on her after a concert on Friday) Aretha took the stage on Saturday and did her own tribute.

Sitting at a piano at Radio CIty Music Hall, Aretha played “I Will Always Love You” and turned it into a gospel tribute. Between lyrics, she added,

“She was a very fine young lady…..one of the best, greatest singers. She was giving, gave so much of herself.”

Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Aretha Franklin, Baptist, BobbyBrown, I Will Always Love You, Mary J Blige, Newark New Jersey, Whitney, whitney houston

Details Emerge of Whitney Houston’s Funeral

February 16, 2012 By Madam Prezident 1 Comment

Whitney Houston, shortly before her deathDetails are beginning to emerge about Whitney Houston‘s funeral Saturday — and it looks to be be a touching affair that will celebrate the life of the legendary pop singer.

Citing a family source, People magazine reported Thursday that Kevin Costner, Houston’s co-star in the 1992 blockbuster “The Bodyguard,” will attend and deliver a speech (Costner has yet to comment). The movie starred Houston as a megastar who falls for her Secret Service agent, played by Costner -— and remains one of her most beloved films. It also yielded one of her top-selling singles ever, “I will Always Love You.” The movie grossed $400 million worldwide.

Other stars paying their respects: Houston’s godmother, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder, who are scheduled to perform. Houston’s record producer Clive Davis -— who stood by the singer throughout her career ups and downs -— is also expected to say a few words. Still no word on whether her estranged ex-husband Bobby Brown will attend.

The private, invitation-only service takes place at the New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey, where Houston first showed off her signing talents as kids. The church seats about 1,500.

Whitney Houston’s Chilling Comments On Michael Jackson

Grammy award-winning gospel singer Marvin Winans (the pastor who married Houston and Bobby Brown in 1992) will deliver the eulogy.

The Rev. Joe A. Carter, pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, said he will officiate the service, which is scheduled to begin at noon. It will likely run 90 minutes.

Fans will be able to view a live stream of the service on the Web.

After the service, Houston will be buried at the Fair View Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey, where her father was buried in 2003.

Houston, 48, was found dead Feb. 11 in her Beverly Hilton hotel room. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Filed Under: Black Celebrity Gossip, Black Gossip Tagged With: Aretha Franklin, Baptist, bobby brown, Houston, Kevin Costner, New Jersey, Stevie Wonder, whitney houston

WHITNEY HOUSTON Family Divided Over Burial

February 14, 2012 By Madam Prezident Leave a Comment

There’s a rift in Whitney Houston‘s family over where she should be laid to rest … TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell us … Dionne Warwick, Whitney’s cousin, and Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mom, both want the burial to take place in Atlanta. They believe Atlanta is the place Whitney enjoyed the most and had the fondest memories.

But the rest of the family wants Whitney buried in Newark — where she was born, and subsequently discovered at a local Baptist church (below).

We’re told Cissy’s position is succinct: “Michael Jackson did not want to be buried in New Jersey, and Whitney did not want to be buried in New Jersey.”

We’re told Cissy and Dionne caved, after other family members convinced them NewJersey is where the world will remember her most.

It’s unclear why they think the world will remember Whitney more in Newark than ATL.

No offense New Jersey.