Mt. Rona Missionary Baptist Church
P.O. Box 43583 Washington, DC 20010
Pastor C.A. Thompson, Senior Servant
There’s A WORD
Volume 1, Issue 2 ∣ March 2015
A Word from Our Pastor
Greetings MRMBC,
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
A Word from Our Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Board of Christian Education Ministry . . . . . . 2
The Source of Our Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Celebrating Black History Month . . . . . . . . . . 3
Why Black History is Important to
Our Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Scripture and Quote for the Month . . . . . . . . 4
Bible Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introducing One of MRMBC’s Shining Star . . . 5
Your Body Is A Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
BCE Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What a mighty God we serve! It is truly an honor to celebrate a people that have
shown strength, power, passion and resiliency.
In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a noted African-American historian, scholar,
educator and publisher created “Negro History Week” which became a monthlong celebration in 1976 now called “Black History Month.” The month of
February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and
Abraham Lincoln.
We have such a rich heritage that we cannot forget about W.E.B. Du Bois who
was the first African-American to receive a doctorate degree from Harvard
University; Hiram Rhodes Revels who was the first African-American ever elected
to the United States Senate who represented the state of Mississippi; Shirley
Chisholm the first African-American woman who was elected to the House of
Representatives -- representing the state of New York; Thurgood Marshall who
was the first African-American ever appointed to the United States Supreme
Court; or Hattie McDaniel who was the first African-American performer to win an
Academy Award for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in “Gone with the
Wind” just to name a few.
I encourage you to ponder over this year’s Black History theme “A Century
of Black Life, History, and Culture.” Over the past century, African American
life, history, and culture have become major forces in the United States and the
world. In 1915, few could have imagined that African Americans in music, art, and
literature would become appreciated by the global community. Fewer still could
have predicted the prominence achieved by African Americans, as well as other
people of African descent, in shaping world politics, war, and diplomacy. A
century later, few can deny the centrality of African Americans in the making of
American history. This transformation is the result of effort, not chance –
confident that their struggles mattered in human history.
As we honor and celebrate those who have paved the way for us, may we
continue this culture of accomplishments, attainments and acceptance that God
has greatly blessed the African-American people. “Delight thyself also in the
Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” – Psalms 37:4 KJV.
Because He Lives,
Pastor C.A. Thompson, Senior Servant
BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY (BCE)
Love Without Limits!
MRMBC’s theme is “Love Without Limits” Mark
12:30 (KJV) – Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength. We as Christian’s should
have the desire to operate in a spirit of LOVE
exemplifying the love of our Lord and Savior.
Regardless of how the world treats us or their
opinions of us, we serve a God who loves us
unconditionally. It’s called Love Without Limits! In
the house of God, you wonder sometime; is there
really love without limits? The world today has so
much turmoil, hate, fighting and greed among our
brothers and sisters; that’s not love! That’s not
God’s will!
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with
you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do
not be afraid; do not be discouraged [Deuteronomy
31:8 (NIV)]. So we must not be fearful of no one
or anything; and we must obey the tasks/plan God
has assigned for us. God is faithful and just.
Whatever your order of business, or job, no matter
the situation, or circumstances, we can always
depend on the Lord for direction. Depend on the
Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will
succeed . . . Proverbs 16:3 (NIV).
A good and faithful servant must “Love Without
Limits.” We must Live a life of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God . . . Ephesians 5:2
(NIV).
It’s not about our titles, positions or letters
behind our names, but it’s all about our
Lord Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of love in
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. That’s love!
Humbly Submitted
Minister Lorraine Lucas
BCE Ministry
Minister Lorraine Lucas, Chairperson
Deacon Shelton Jewette, Acting Secretary/Treasurer
New Members
Rev. Willie Doster
Sunday School
Deacon Guy Richards
Children’s Church
Sister Bernice McCallum
Sister Joyce Turner
Tween & Teen S.T.A.R.S.
Sister Amina Smith
Minister Maurice Fluitt
Missionary Ministry
Deaconess Elizabeth Ann Ebron
BCE Newsletter
Minister Lorraine Lucas, Editor
[email protected]
Minister Maurice Fluitt, Editor
[email protected]
Sister Judy Washington, Church Clerk
Sister Barbara Stoney, Assisting
Sister Shawntell Brown, Assisting
2
As we celebrated Black History last month, I
believe our ancestors were led by God as
they put their faith in action which resulted in
“A Changed World.”
THE SOURCE OF OUR FAITH
The priests are responsible for reading the law publicly
to the people every seven years. Moses ends his
remarks to the Israelites as he began them, with a
reminder that possessing the promises of God is
inextricably linked to reading, hearing, meditating on
and obeying God’s word. Moses knows that in the
days ahead the people will face great obstacles and
mundane daily tasks that will test their faith and stretch
it to its very limits. He reminds the Israelites of their
source of wisdom, power and life itself – the Word of
God. The book of Deuteronomy clearly and pointedly
reveals the source of faith for people of God of all ages:
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans
10:17).
Faith in Action: Now Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen
[Hebrews 11:1 NKJV].
Celebrating Black History Month should
be important because it proves to us
that we can trust God to do anything
but fail, and that He uses extraordinary
people to accomplish His will. The
Bible tells us to trust God with our
heart, mind and soul.
Black History month also allows us to
reflect on the pain, trials, and
tribulations that the generations before
us had to endure.
We sometimes take it for granted that it
took many people to get us where we
are today. If it wasn’t for people like:
Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas,
Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, Jesse Jackson,
and Martin Luther King, Jr., we would
not be able to have the freedom and
rights that we have today.
Black History Month is essential
because we get to thank God for
creating those who paved the way for
us. We also get to reflect on how good
God has been to us and how far He has
brought us.
We must always remember we serve an
awesome God! We must not forget
where we’ve come from, and depend on
Him to lead us toward our future.
3
Scripture & Quote for the Month
Come aside, and rest a while.
[Mark 6:31 NIV].
“Spending QUIET time with God will bring
Pastor’s Corner
QUIET rest.”
Statements from our Youth on
“Why Black History Is Important”
Bible Trivia
Test Your Bible Knowledge:
1. Black History is important because: “History forgotten
is History repeated.”
2. Black History is important because: Our black men are
out there dying and we don’t need that.
3. Black History is important because: To show that Dr.
Martin Luther King . . . didn’t die for “nothing.”
4. Black History is important because: To tell us about
Sojourner Truth, Malcolm X, Colin Powell, and Harriet
Tubman.
5. Black History is important because: To let us know Dr.
King’s work wasn’t done in vain.
6. Black History is important because: To let us know . . .
that we shall overcome. We shall one day overcome
the slavery . . . Yes, slavery!
7. But not slavery enforced by a whip:
• Slavery to the gun that our young men are carrying
on their hip.
• Slavery to the young teenage pregnancies.
• Slavery to the over 50 percent of our people belong
to HIV.
• Slavery to fashion statement and clothes.
• Slavery to our young women’s low self-esteem over
exercising to be lean.
• Slavery to our young men calling our women B’s
and Ho’s.
• Slavery to the fact they don’t even realize they are
already a “Black Queen.”
So I ask; Why is Black History important to our youth? It’s
so easy, can’t you see it? Jesus Christ is the way, the
truth, and the light. You won’t see the Father . . . our
Father . . . White, Black, Hispanic, Oriental, but by Me.
1. On the first day, God – [Genesis 1:3-5]
 Said, “Let there be light”
 Created the dry land called Earth
 Made the two great lights, to rule
the day and the night
 Created the firmament
2. The firmament was – [Genesis 1:6-8]
 Earth
 The space between Heaven and
Earth
 Heaven
 The two great lights
3. On the third day, God – [Genesis 1:1113]
 Created the great whales
 Said, “Let the earth bring forth
grass”
 Created cattle and creeping things
and beast of the earth
 Created man
4. On the sixth day, God – [Genesis 1:2627, 31]
 Said, “Let fowl fly above the earth”
 Created herbs and fruit trees
 Created man
4
Introducing One of MRMBC’s Shining Stars
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
My name is Janae Morgan. I am the
oldest of two children, the daughter of
Sister Andrea Morgan and sister of
Brother Antonio Morgan. I am a 2014
graduate of Washington Mathematics
Science Technology Public Charter
High School.
I have been an active member of Mt.
Rona Missionary Baptist Church for
eight years. I attended John Hopkins University for an
engineering program in the summer of 2013.
Formally a member of the Angelic Daughters of Praise, and in
2014, I joined the Young Adult Choir as well as Christian
Endeavor. While serving with Christian Endeavor, I was favored
by the Golden Rule Christian Endeavor which led to a
sponsorship to go to South Korea in July 2014 as a U.S.
representative for the International Christian Endeavor
Conference. The trip and experience was such a blessing that it
has sparked my interest to coordinate fundraisers to help offset
the cost for other interested youth to go to South Korea.
God has been good to me and through my experiences in high
school I was fortunate enough to volunteer as a student teacher;
founded the Student-to-Student Tutorial; peer mentor; former
assistant basketball coach; a rocket builder; student government
treasurer; and a strong student advocate.
Currently, I am a student at Prince George’s Community College
where I am studying Early Childhood Education, Social Works
and Accounting.
I founded my own tutorial service called “Aim for Success and
Nothing Less” to help those in need to enhance their educational
skills. Our mission is “to save at least one child -- then
eventually we will save our own community.” For more
information, check our website at www.asnlts.wordpress.com.
My favorite scripture is Isaiah 54:17 . . . “No weapon that is
formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness
which is of me, saith the Lord [KJV].
The Word didn’t say that the devil would not try with all his might
to form weapons against you, but my word to you is as long as
you are in the will of God they won’t prosper.
A Humbled Servant
Janae Morgan
Your Body Is A Temple
Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You
are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your
body [1 Corinthians 6:19-20].
Some Corinthians believe that just as
food is used to satisfy the stomach, so it
is legitimate to satisfy other natural
appetites. Paul uses the example of food
to teach important truths about the
relationship of the body and the soul.
Food will be destroyed – but our bodies
are members of Christ; they will be raised
with Him. Our bodies are temples of the
Holy Spirit; God wants us to honor Him
with our bodies.
When we participate in sexual immorality,
we sin against ourselves and we sin
against the Lord.
Submitted by
MRMBC Health Ministry
BCE MISSION STATEMENT
To encourage the people of God with
biblical knowledge, sound doctrine and
meaningful truths according to the
Word of God [Proverbs 3:5-6].
5