Punxsutawney Phil

February 2 has long been known as Groundhog's Day. Folklore says that if it is cloudy Punxsutawney Phil will come out of his hole, indicating the end of winter. But if it is sunny he will see his shadow and will retreat into his hole, indicating we will have six more weeks of winter.

Today is also the first Wednesday of the month, which indicates for Central members our monthly Prayer Gathering. Let's make a decision today to become one with God and one with our fellow man. Let the Holy Spirit guide us to come out of our hole and dedicate ourselves to promoting oneness as a congregation, indicating the end of individualism and the beginning of cooperative ministry.

I wish you peace and blessings.

Happy New Year

It seems ridiculous to wish folks a happy new year when it's almost February, but I attended an extraordinary conference yesterday and felt this greeting was appropriate. The conference was held at Central United Methodist Church and was titled The Power of Oneness. The leaders, Rev. Rayford Woodrick, Rev. Maxine Bolden and Atty. LaToya Redd did an excellent job on showing us the blessings that come from being one with God and one with your fellow man.

There is a saying that goes "when you know better, you do better." I always associate the acquistion of additional knowledge with new beginnings. Every new year is an opportunity to put away the things of the past and to start anew. Therefore, my friends, I wish you a Happy New Year, as we move forward in oneness, setting our goals and working in cooperative ministry, to clearly embrace what moving to the next level will look like and mean for Central UMC.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Worship service was truly a blessing today. Rev. Cook preached on the subject The Value of a Loving Father. The Angels of Praise and M.I.M.E.s performed in honor of the fathers of Central United Methodist Church. Three new members completed new members class and were awarded their certificate of membership.

Happy Father's Day

In honor of all fathers, Central United Methodist Church hosted a Father's Day Cookout which was free and open to the public. A very special thank you to AJ's Security Bars and Doors for being our grillmaster, A Greener Farish for the prizes, Attorney Melvin Priester for being our celebrity judge and the Farish Street community for supporting our efforts.

Black History Celebration

Central United Methodist Church celebrated Black History month this year on Sunday, February 21 and Sunday, February 28.



Sunday, February 21

The Green Elementary Choir blessed our congregation with Negro Spirituals and traditional African-American hymns. The choir, who is known as the Mellow Tones, celebrated ten (10) years of sharing with the Central church family. Our own Marilyn Clark is the principal of Green Elementary School.



Sunday, February 28, 8:30 am

Lest We Forget: Black Poets and Composers was the theme of the early morning service. There were speakers from the congregation as well as guest poets who brought beautiful original poems and poems by famous African-Americans. The Morning Glory singers provided beautiful music from spirituals to contemporary composers.



Sunday, February 28, 11:00 am

The Heroes of the Community celebration began with the honoring of Mr. Luther B. Buckley and Rev. Henry C. Clay. The congregation was dressed in traditional African attire and shared a soul food dinner after service. The liturgical dance ministry presented its newest expansion, the MIME (Males in Musical Expression) ministry. The group of young men made an outstanding first impression on the congregation of Central.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

On Monday, January 18, 2010, Central United Methodist Church and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church joined together in A Day On, Not A Day Off, a celebration of the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The day was filled with activity. We began with a Prayer Breakfast with Rev. Cook giving the message. His topic was There's No Shortcut to the Promised Land. New Hope provided a delicious breakfast which prepared us for Phase II, the cleanup. Five separate groups set out about the Farish Street District picking up trash and passing out recycle bins. Members of the community had planned a march and rally at the State Capitol in protest to the possible merging of Mississippi's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. What a beautiful experience to see the multi-generational crowd marching for the same cause. I have put together a video of the photos that were taken from that day. Let us always remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King in our daily actions, not just on the holiday celebrating his birth.