| Choir has sung for 165 years WASHINGTON The Wesleyan Choir at Asbury UMC is as old as Asbury itself, Floyd Robinson, a member of that choir, told church members who gathered at a reception to celebrate the 165-year-old choir. Asbury was established in 1836, when black members departed from Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church to begin their own congregation. Moving a few blocks down the street, the congregation immediately formed the Asbury Senior Choir. The choir attracted attention in the growing city, both from the community and from visitors to the nations capital. Its unusual repertoire included both European classics, which they had learned from years at Foundry, and Negro spirituals. Although slaves created spirituals over a 200-year period, it was not until after the Civil War that most Americans became aware of their existence. The Asbury choir was already singing the expressive, emotional music before then, said Alice Bell, the Wesleyan Choir president. Young people hit the streets for others MOUNT AIRY A few days before Thanksgiving, members of the youth group at Calvary UMC, went door-to-door unannounced to collect canned goods and non-perishables for Mount Airy Net, a community food pantry that operates out of the church. Dozens of area residents responded to the knock on the door with a wealth of supplies. Were doing this to aid those families that have had financial hardships, said Pat Murphy, the director of youth ministries. We want to allow them to get back on track and let them get on their feet, he said. The youth group, which includes about 40 students who come from different parts of the four-county area surrounding Mount Airy and at least four different schools, meets every Sunday evening at the church. Advocates for social justice meet  COLUMBIA Social justice church representatives from Baltimore West District met Nov. 20 with Sumayya Coleman, the conferences new legislative advocacy consultant.
District superintendent, the Rev. Lou Shockley, and Cynthia Taylor, the linking person to the Board of Christian Presence in Gods World, called the meeting. The district is creating a database of resource people who will provide oral or written testimony to Marylands General Assembly. They strategized on how to marshal others to advocate for the issues that affect all of us, Coleman said. They also reviewed the list of priority issues for 2004 put forth by the Maryland Interfaith Legislative Committee. Gambling, and specifically slot machines, is one of the main issues on the list. Church helps build Palestinian home WASHINGTON, Some people had to be turned away at the door because there was no more room at the Middle Eastern party at Dumbarton UMC Oct. 18. The party was organized to publicize the plight of the Palestinians and to raise money to rebuild homes demolished by the Israeli government, said Greg Thiellman who coordinated the event. More than 100 people filled the social hall to hear Palestinian music, shop for Palestinian crafts, eat Middle Eastern food, and hear Maj. Stav Adivi, an Israeli officer who has refused to serve in the occupied territories. The church raised more than $3,600 for the Global Campaign to Rebuild Palestinian Homes. From social action center to chapel HAMPSTEAD The congregation of St. Johns UMC met after the 11 a.m. worship service Dec. 7 to dedicate its new prayer chapel. The chapel used to be the office of the Northeast Social Action Program. At one time, the trustees considered destroying the building, but the congregation decided to give it new life, as a place for prayer and meditation, for the many people who stop at the busy corner of Route 30 and park their cars in the churchs lot, said the Rev. Kimberly Brown-Whale. The chapel features an original mural by local artist, Kathy Mulhern of New Windsor. It has been furnished to resemble a garden with plants and a park bench.  | | CHRISTINE KUMAR/UMCONNECTION
Three days before Thanksgiving, Baltimore-Washington Conference staff, Joyce King, right, and Shawna DeShazo, center, assisted Baltimore Ravens player Jamal Lewis to hand out more than 200 turkeys to needy families in the area. The turkeys were a gift from
the Ravens. The project was organized by DorothyMoore, a member of Hopkins UMC. | | 
Login/Register to leave comment