St. James AME Church
Pittsburgh, PA
Rev. Rodrecus M Johnson Jr.
Pastor
August 2013
Volume 34, Issue 2
Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech Remembered
A
ugust 28, 2013 will mark the 50th
anniversary of the march on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther
King’s, “I Have A Dream” speech.
For many who were not born during that era,
Dr. King’s words have only heard small sound
bytes of the speech. We will beat our chest
with pride when we hear the vision of Dr.
King’s dream, but would be clueless if asked to
explain what he meant by the bounced check of
America. So to end this cycle, and to honor of
the 50 year anniversary of the march on Washington, The Magnet committee has decided to
publish his entire speech. Enjoy and pass it
along to your family and friends!
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous
decree came as a great beckon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as
a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years later the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later the life of the
Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later the Negro lives on a
lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.
So we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing
a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all me, yes, black men as well as white men-would
be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this
promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people
a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we’ve come to cash this check, a check
that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off
or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the
dark desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice
to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time.
continued page 4, Dr. King
Inside This Edition:
 Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
 Tidbits For Your Soul
 Connectional Lay Officers Elected
 Church Announcements



50 Ways the Bible Can Change
Your Life
Facebook Campaign
Birthdays and Anniversaries
President:
Dr. Willie C. Glover
1st Vice President:
Gloria P. Byrd
2nd Vice President:
Matikane Makiti
3rd Vice President:
Eileen Warner
Recording Secretary:
Gloria DeVeaux Cobb
Assistant Recording Secretary:
Doris Bell
Corresponding Secretary:
Ada Groff
Financial Secretary:
Richard Bowden, Sr.
Treasurer:
Darwin Eldridge
Chaplain:
Alice Belden
In the early 1700’s, on the campus of Oxford University in England, John Wesley,
along with his brother Charles and others, met occasionally to study the Bible. They
believed greater understanding could be pulled from the Bible if it was read and studied in a particular order. Because of this, they were sometimes teased and called
“Methodist”. As the years went on, John and Charles Wesley were not permitted to
preach in the pulpits of the Church of England due to their evangelistic methods. Instead of giving up, they began preaching in barns, houses, open fields or wherever
their members could assemble. Despite the growth of the Methodist Church, John
Wesley never broke away from the practice of meeting in small groups to learn and
encourage one another.
The founding members of the A.M.E. Church continued the tradition of meeting in
small groups when they created the Class system. Here at St. James, members are
assigned to a Class after they join Church. Each Class is assigned a Class Leader. It
is the responsibility of the Class Leader to meet/contact each of their members so they
always know the church loves them, and to ensure their spiritual needs are being addressed. Page 71-72 in The Book of Discipline of the AME Church (2008) lists all the
duties and responsibilities of a Class Leader.
So here’s the million dollar question:
Do you know who is your class leader?
If not, contact Sonya Nelson as soon as possible.
(412) 478-7826 - [email protected]
Brought to you by the Hubert and Annie Mae Davis Lay Organization
of St. James AME Church
Robert Gleaves - President
Rev. Rodrecus M. Johnson, Jr. - Pastor
Parliamentarian:
Virginia Harris
Director of Lay Activities:
Edith Cartledge
Director of Public Relations:
Walter Jeffers
Historiographer:
Pam Tilley
Young Adult Representative:
Felecia Commodore
You can now find out what’s going on at St. James AME Church
through Facebook AND Twitter!!!
Make sure to tell your family and friends to “Like” us on Facebook
and “Follow” us on Twitter.
www.facebook.com/stjamesamepittaburgh
@StJamesAMEPgh
Page 2
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The Magnet
This is a series of 50 ways The Bible can change your life. Each issue we will have 2-3 ways that you can change your life.
We encourage you to read it, apply it and share it with someone your know.
From The Bible - 50 Ways It Can Change Your Life: Finding the Bible’s Solutions to Life’s Problems
By Time Home Entertainment Books
When you read some of David’s writings in the book of Psalms, it’s easy to see why God once described David as,
“the kind of person who pleases me most.” (Acts 13:22) Take for example, David’s words in Psalm 8:3-4, “I ofBe Awed
Everyday!
ten think of the heavaens your hands have made and of the moon and stars you put in place. Then I ask ‘Why do
you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?.’”
David never lost his sense of awe at the world around him. He looked deep into the night sky and marveled at the fact
that its Designer cared about him.
Do you share David’s sense of awe? Do you spend time contemplating and appreciating the world around you? Do you maintain
an attitude of humility and gratitude? Are you the kind of person who pleases God most?
In the American justice system, first-degree murder is treated as a more serious crime than other forms of homicide-and the sentences reflect that fact. Convictions for first-degree murder result in much longer prison terms
Guard
than convictions for other life taking offenses. The difference is intent. Generally speaking, first-degree murder
Your
involves premeditation, some sort of planning. The face that the crime is contemplated in advance makes it more
Thoughts
heinous in the eyes of the judicial system. The reasoning is that someone who thinks about a crime beforehand
has the wherewithal to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, the number of first degree murder convictions
in the United States suggests otherwise. Apparently thoughts can be powerful persuaders. King Solomon was spreading that message thousands of years before the American justice system was established. He understood the power of the mind, perhaps better
than anyone. That’s why he issued this heartfelt warning, “Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true
life.” (Proverbs 4:23).
Be careful about what motivates you, he warned. Guard yourself against bad influences. If they’re not properly checked, thoughts
can take on a life of their own. Certainly first-degree murder is a rare extreme. But unguarded thoughts can wreak havoc in other
ways too.
Here are some tips for guarding your thoughts:
Don’t Dwell on Sexual Temptation
For many people, sexual thoughts are especially troublesome. A casual double entendre or a fleeting image in a TV commercial
can be enough to start the mind drifting toward inappropriate thoughts. Unchecked, those thoughts can snowball into inappropriate actions. To check those thoughts, we need to recognize them as inappropriate and call a mental time out before thinking turns
to fantasizing. A quick prayer and a walk to clear your head can often facilitate that process.
Don’t Savor Anger
Like sexual temptations, unchecked anger can blossom into something much more troubling. That’s why it must be destroyed at
the root level. When people upset you, acknowledge it-to yourself and to them. Give them a change to make it right. If they do,
be quick to offer forgiveness. If they don’t turn the matter over to God and move on.
Don’t Harbor Silent Doubts
If you have a question for God, ask it. Pray about it. Seek answers in scripture. Talk to spiritual leaders. Don’t harbor thoughts
that will damage your relationship with God simply because you don’t understand His ways.
The Magnet
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Page 3
continued from cover, Dr. King
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This
sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality-1963 is
not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if
the nation returns to business as usual.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to
shake the foundations of our nation until the bright days of justice emerges. And that is something that I must say to my people who stand
on the worn threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful
deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into
physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced
by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is part of our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is
inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We
cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is
the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel,
cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is
from a smaller ghetto to ta larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their adulthood and robbed of their
dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only.” We cannot be satisfied as long as the
Negro in Mississippi cannot and the Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not
unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulation. Some of you have come refresh from narrow jail cells. Some of
you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police
brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to
Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our
Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted
in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice,
sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its Governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white
girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and
the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is
the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this
faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able
to work together, pray together; to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free
one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning, “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I
sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountain side, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great
nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the mighty Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only there. Let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we allow freedom to ring,
when we let it ring from every city and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old NePage 4
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The Magnet
If God Should Go on Strike
How good it is that God above should never go on strike.
Because He was not treated fair in things He didn’t like.
If only once He’d given up and said, “That’s it, I’m through! I’ve
had enough of those on earth, so this is what I’ll do.”
“I’ll give my orders to the sun- cut off the heat supply! And to the
moon-give no more light, and run the oceans dry. Then just to make
things really tough, and put the pressure on, turn off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone!”
You know He would be justified, if fairness was the game, for noon
has been abused or met with more disdain
Than God, and yet He carries on, supplying you and me with all the
favors of His grace, and everything for free.
10th
27th
AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES
McKinley/Sylvia Wade
Darwin/Keana Peeks
Charles/Elise Yanders
Harold/Monica Jackson
Lawrence/Ruth Davis
Bruce/Patricia Green
Men say they want a better deal, and so on strike they go, but what a
deal we’ve given God to whom all things we owe.
We don’t care whom we hurt to gain the things we like
But what a mess we’d all be in, if God should go on strike.
2nd
15th
24th
25th
27th
28th
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Kareen/Linda Nicole Spearman
William/Mary Johnson
Ronald/Tasikisha Alford
Michael/Marsha Thomas
Channing/Michelle Buefort
Andre’/Sonya Nelson
-Walt Huntley
nd
2
4th
7th
101 Ways to Find God’s Purpose for Your Life
by Natalie Gillespie
#10 - Engage Your Spirit
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit with me.” Psalm 51:10 NLT
Great people are often remembered because of their spirit, their determination to consume every drop of their cup of
life, despite their circumstances.
Teenager Anne Frank died because of Nazi oppression during World War II. She left behind a diary that touches people everywhere because of her indomitable spirit and optimism.
Helen Keller, although she could neither see nor hear, graduated from Radcliffe College, spoke around the world and
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson. Keller was determined to make the
most of God’s purpose for her life.
Actor James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi. He developed a severe stutter in childhood, which left him terribly self-conscious and shy around other children. He refused to speak in
school until a teach helped him our of his silence during his high school years. “I had a great English teacher who believed in language,” Jones later told the Hollywood Reporter. “And he looked at a
poem I wrote and said, ‘It’s too good for you to have written, so to prove you wrote it, please stand up
in front of the class and recite it from memory.’ And I did it without stuttering. Jones wend on to star in a long
list of highly successful movies and plays, becoming widely known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars
film franchise.
Lord,
I thank you!
Put it into action: Wholeheartedly participate in life today. See things with spiritual eyesight as well as your
physical eyes. Notice the beauty of creation, the glorious colors, smells, and sounds that surround you. Never
give up, reach for God’s purpose for your life.
The Magnet
www.stjamesamepgh.org
Page 5
A Devotion for the Youth
Knowing God by Using His Gifts
“Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries,
pastors and teachers, so that His people would learn to serve and
His body would grow strong.” Ephesians 4:11-12
A hot summer’s day. A beautiful white sand beach. Ocean
waves lapping against the shore. Big beach towel. A big
bottle of water. Good book. Favorite tunes on your MP3 or
IPOD. What could be better?
Yeah, that’s a nice vacation, but don’t settle in for long laying-on-the-beach carerr. Everyone in God’s family has a
job. None of the jobs are full-time beach time. You have
special abilities and talents, also known as spiritual gifts, that
God gave you in order to help His work to be done on this
earth. Maybe you don’t know what your special abilities
are, but as you keep learning about God, He will show you.
Challenge Point:
You may sometimes feel like, “I’m just a kid. I can’t do anything for God.” Well, that’s not true. In the Bible you’ll read
of some kids doing amazing things. Ask God to show you
how He wants to use you. Think about what kinds of things
you enjoy doing and that people often say you’re good at.
Your gifts probably are in that area
From 365 Days to Knowing God (June 13) - Carolyn Larsen
Page 6
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The Magnet
Sparkling Cider &
Cheese Traci Lynn
Jewelry Party
Saturday August 24
2:00pm
2nd Annual Larimer
Street Fair
Sunday August 25
11am - 7pm
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Facebook, and other social media sites, are great tools to
help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As of July 1st our Facebook page has 118 “Likes” and we
want to get it up to 500!!!
So spread the word! Make sure you clicked the Like button
on our Facebook page, and also make sure to share the
page to with your friends.
www.facebook.com/stjamesamepittsburgh
detail
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Pittsburgh Conference
YPD Annual Meeting
Saturday, September
14th
Articles for the August
edition of The Magnet are due
by Saturday, August 24th.
Place articles in The Magnet
mailbox outside the
Church Office, or use the
Contact Us page on the
Church website
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Pittsburgh Conference
Women’s Missionary
Society Annual
Meeting
Monday, September
16th
Join Us For Prayer
Thursday’s at 12:00 pm, the St. James family comes
together on a conference call to be in prayer with
Rev. Johnson for the needs of the church, community and
world. Everyone is asked to be on the phone by 11:57am
and the call will begin promptly at noon. Please mute
your phone and all other electronic
devices (i.e. stereos, TV, radio, etc.).
Dial: 661-673-8600
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Page 7
St. James A.M.E. Church
444 Lincoln Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Website: www.stjamesamepgh.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stjamesamepittsburgh
Twitter: @StJamesAMEPgh
August
1st
2nd
6th
7th
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10th
11th
13th
14th
17th
18th
19th
20th
22nd
24th
25th
26th
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27
28th
31st
Aaron Chapman
Oscar Worthy, Sr
Ian Payne
Cheryl Harris
Devin Morris
Devine Jones
Joseph Anderson
Lemette Cross
Charles Yanders
Marissa Alexander
Milan Mossely
William Clayton
William Leeper
Ava Goldsmith
William Gregory Wallace
Margaret Worthy
Brandi Tate
Maurice Butler
Te’Shan Campbell
Dreahma Anderson
McKinley Wade
Rev. Rose Thompson
Rosa B. Houston
Iris Sesay
Harriet Cralle
Susie M. Crumbles
James T. Johnson
John Ross Anderson
Kenneth Washington
Millicent Ellard
Tajia Hawkins
Thelma Montgomery
Cedric Robertson
Lemuel Paul Harper
Trustin Cross
Domingo Powell
Mark Sloan III
Deborah Thomas
September
1st
3rd
4th
6th
7th
9th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
15th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
24th
25th
26th
28th
29th
30th
Chekesha Settles
Campbell
Sta’lea Chapman
Stellena Hargrove
Gideon Taylor
Drey-Kar Anderson
Sylvia Ellard Wallace
Diane L. Carroll
James Johnson, IV
Audra Walker
Menona Roberts
Darrin Peeks
Shirley Tolbert
Christy Johnson
William Snooks
Robert Pressley
Nathalie Brown
Kualil Easter
Johnnie Graves
Bianca Morris
Zion Jackson
Renee Irvin
Annie Mae Davis
Audie Chapman
Harvey Jones
Kyle McEnheimer
Barbara Young
Yola Kemp
Flora Jean Craighead
Billy Marshall
Judith Lewis
Chris Tromp, III
Sheryl Sesay
Bruce Green
Shaine McEnheimer
Sheila Turner
Mance Williams
Daryle Allen
Rosemary E. Wilson
Donna K. Smith
Shelby Sashia
Mae Whitehead