Dr. Dorothy Height was considered the “grande dame” of the civil rights era.  She was an American administrator, educator, and social activist.  She also served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years.

Height was born in Richmond Virginia on March 24, 1912, but moved with her family to Rankin Pennsylvania as a young child.  After being admitted into Barnard College in 1929, Height was denied entrance because of the school’s policy of admitting only two black students per year.  Height went on to pursue her education at New York University where she earned her degree in 1932.  The following year Height earned her master’s degree in educational psychology.

At the age of 25, Height began a career as a Civil Rights activist after joining the National Council of Negro Women.  Height fought for both the rights of African Americans and women.  She served as National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority from 1946 to 1957.  This allowed her to develop leadership training programs as well as interracial educational programs.  In 1957 Height was named president of the National Council of Negro Women.  Height remained president until the 1997.  Height brought together black and white women from the North and South during the Civil Rights Movement with her “Wednesdays in Mississippi.” This was an activist group in the 1960s that sought to end violence and open the lines of communication between women of different races.  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took her counsel regularly.  Together Height and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged President Eisenhower to desegregate schools.  They also encouraged President Lyndon B. Johnson to appoint African American women to positions in government.  Height later went on to serve as a consultant on African Affairs to the Secretary of  State, the President’s Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped, and the President’s Committee on the Status of Women.  Height became the chairperson of the Executive Committee of the largest civil rights organization in the United States, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.  On January 20, 2009 Height was an honored guest at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.  Height attended the National Black Family Reunion in Washington D.C. every year until her passing in 2010.

RECENT HEADLINES:

• Bishop Eddie Long is Crowned ‘king in God’s Government’
• BeBe Winans set to Release New CD
• The Rev. Marvin Sapp receives 2012 Giant Award
• Did Paula White Abandon Her Without Walls Central Church?
• GMA Dove Awards Name Atlanta Host for 2012 Awards

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Virginia lawmakers may consider the Tebow bill connected to pro football quarterback Tim Tebow. The bill would allow thousands of home-school students to play sports at their local high schools. That is what Tebow was allowed to do while he grew up in Florida.

The Virginia Senate voted to eliminate the prohibition for purchases of one handgun over a 30-day period. Read the bill in its entirety (sb323)http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+ful+SB323

Legislators from across the Commonwealth of Virginia have converged on Virginia’s General Assembly for the next three months. Lawmakers will introduce bills that will need votes from both the Senate and House of Delegates.

At issue, the state’s proposed budget by Governor Bob McDonnell for FY-13 through FY-14; Virginia’s Retirement System, Education cuts vs increases; Health insurance benefits affordability; unemployment benefits extensions; economic development and restorative justice, to name a few.

What are the chief responsibilities of the Virginia General Assembly? To represent citizens in the formulation of public policy, enact laws of the Commonwealth, approve the budget, levy taxes, elect judges and confirm appointments by the Governor.

The General Assembly is in session. You can track bills that your senator and delegate are introducing at http://lis.virginia.gov

The General Assembly affects you and your lifestyle.  Stay connected….Miss Community

RECENT HEADLINES:

• Bishop Eddie Long is Crowned ‘king in God’s Government’
• BeBe Winans set to Release New CD
• The Rev. Marvin Sapp receives 2012 Giant Award
• Did Paula White Abandon Her Without Walls Central Church?
• GMA Dove Awards Name Atlanta Host for 2012 Awards

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Atlanta, GA — Bishop Eddie Long is making headlines again. This time it’s because video of one of his church services has gone viral.

Long has recently returned to preaching church services again after briefly stepping down as head pastor from the church due to a sex scandal and subsequent divorce from his wife. This Sunday, however, he invited a special guest, Rabbi Ralph Messer. The church televised a very special edition of worship service as the rabbi crowned the bishop as “king”.

In this 14 minute-long video clip, Messer reveals to church members a priceless 312-year-old scroll apparently recovered from Auschwitz after World War II. After introducing Long, he says, “He was brought through the slaves, raised up in a city, and God now wants to release a new anointing.”

At around the five-minute mark, Messer wraps an emotional Eddie Long in the scroll. After more prayer and being fully wrapped in the scroll, which is said to be done for kings in Israel as a Jewish ritual, four men from the church proceed to “raise him up from a commoner to a kinship.” Long is paraded around the church stage so that members are able to applaud their new king.

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In addition to nine classic songs that honor the nation, Winans has penned three original songs: the lead single “America America,” “We’re the United States of America,” and the poignant “Ultimate Sacrifice.”  The latter is a tribute to the troops, acknowledging and thanking them for their personal sacrifice. 

Winans plans to release a video for the single in the coming weeks. The video was shot in New York City and Washington D.C.

In the fall of 2011, BeBe Winans, along with his sister CeCe Winans, was honored with a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. The duo’s 2010 album, Still, their first album as a duo in 15 years, is approaching Gold status. The album and singles together appeared on eight charts in total including #2 on the Gospel Album Artists chart; #3 on the Best Gospel Album chart, as well as Top 25 honors on both the Independent Albums chart and Adult R&B Songs chart. Still won two Grammy® Awards in 2011. 

 “I have seen the power of music,” says Winans.  “If we all come together, we all win. When our country is united, we find the path to success.”

America America is BeBe Winans’ seventh solo release. The album includes American classics, “America the Beautiful,” “Lift Every Voice,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”

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(In photo) The Rev. Marvin Sapp and his children at the 30th Ann. Giants Awards & Banquet held at DeVos Place.

Grand Rapids, Michigan — Many know the Rev. Marvin Sapp as an award-winning gospel singer or pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Southeast Grand Rapids. But longtime friend Derrick Franklin knows the 44-year-old minister in another light.

Sapp and his wife of 18 years, MaLinda, who died in 2010 of colon cancer, were confidants who relied on each other to make Grand Rapids a city of hope and healing.

“When the Bible speaks of becoming one, they were best of friends,” said Franklin, who has known Marvin Sapp since they were members of a gospel group in junior high.

“When I see so many marriages fall apart, it was a great inspiration to see how they lived and how they treated each other.”

It was Sapp’s inspiration that took center stage Saturday night when he received the Giant Among Giants award, the top honor at the 30th annual Giants Awards and Banquet, at the DeVos Place.

MaLinda Sapp also was posthumously given the Ethel Coe Humanities Award.

Despite several gospel music awards and five Grammy Nominations, Sapp doesn’t have a smug bone in his body, said his older brother, Danny Sapp.

“What you see is pretty much what you get,” said Danny Sapp. “I think that’s what I love about him. Success hasn’t changed him. He’s as genuine as what you’re going to get. He practices what he preaches. He and his wife were great examples of walking out their faith seven days a week and not just on Sundays.”

Sapp’s faith isn’t of the Pollyanna variety, said Franklin. His growing-up years included smoking marijuana by age 12 and drinking and popping pills by 16. He quit cold turkey and committed his life to Christ at age 18.

“He’ll tell you his growing up years weren’t always doing the right thing,” said Franklin. “Knowing that helps my faith because of just the kind of guy he is. A lot of people may not want to admit to that when you’re at a high time in your life and singing about Jesus Christ the Lord, but it speaks volumes without saying a word.”

Losing MaLinda to cancer remains painful for his brother, said Danny Sapp.

“I know it was very difficult,” he said. “But he just stays the same, takes care of what he can take of and lets God do the rest.”

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Without Walls Central, the now vacant property in Lakeland, Fla., that belongs to Paula White, who also leads Without Walls International Church in Tampa, appears to have been “abandoned” by White and left to decay, at least thats what many are thinking after seeing the state of the property recently.  

Prophetic News radio show host Susan Puzio, operating on Blog Talk Radio, made these claims in a Jan. 6 discussion with Karen Pansler Lam, a Lakeland resident who visited the church property.

Without Walls Central has been standing abandoned, ramshackled and without electricity since August, earlier reports have suggested. Latest published reports indicate the property is still owned by White’s main campus, Without Walls International Church.

Pansler Lam’s account, complete with photos the woman says she easily obtained while walking around the megachurch’s vacated property, reveal the real extent of the estate’s decay.

Photos posted by the Internet radio show on the website reveal a church building that could be featured in a ghost town – with empty window panes, broken doors and dirty walls showing signs of mold, and the construction exuding signs of neglect.

The sister church of the Tampa, Fla., location ministered until recently by White, has not held a service since at least August, when the electrical supplier disconnected its power due to numerous missing payments amounting to over $50,000, local press reported in December.

The women criticized the church for not caring for its property, which was bought with money from congregants’ donations.

“If people are giving you money, and they’re entrusting you their money to invest it in church property, they expect you to maintain it. Just like God expects us to maintain anything he gives us,” Lam, who called in on the show after visiting the property, said. “We should practice good stewardship of our property.”

That in itself, Puzio said, is very un-Christian. The show host suggested it is ironic that the property lays abandoned while White still has the church in Tampa, Fla. Furthermore, White was recently appointed senior pastor at New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) in Apopka, Fla., the former church of Zachery Tims, who died in August.

The radio host referred to the NDCC congregation as “those poor people” because White became their new pastor. The women spoke about White “abandoning” Without Walls Central, which she co-founded with Randy White at the time when both were still married. The couple divorced in 2007, which drew scrutiny from the Christian community.

The Lakeland building now looks a “wreck” inside, the caller said, to which the host replied: “It’s kind of like the spiritual state of Paula White’s life right now. A reflection of the whole ministry.” She also compared the fate of the church’s property to the judgment of God.

The caller suggested that the sad fate of White’s church is a proof that the “prosperity gospel,” which White preaches, is simply not working. “Prosperity gospel” claims the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. This doctrine has been often questioned during the period following the financial crisis of 2008.

Without Walls reportedly bought the Lakeland property – with a capacity for 9,000 congregants – for $8 million in 2005. However, the church did not manage to attract enough followers, and by 2008 the property was put up for sale, according to The Ledger, a local newspaper.

White reportedly fell out of many congregants’ grace and faced criticism from church leaders following the news of her scheduled appointment as NDCC’s senior pastor in December. Several prominent church leaders have criticized her for allegedly misrepresenting her relationship with Tims, and some NDCC congregants staged a rally protesting her appointment at the time.

According to her biography on Without Walls International Church’s website, Pastor White is the “Apostolic Overseer” of both the Tampa campus and NDC

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Nominees for the 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards will be announced on Wed, Feb 22!

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The music world is in shock and sadden as news about the death of Don Cornelius continues to surface.

The producer and television host who created the dance show “Soul Train,” was found shot dead in his Los Angeles home early Wednesday morning in what appears to be a suicide, the Los Angeles Police Department and the county coroner’s office said. He was 75 years old.

A person called the police from Mr. Cornelius’s house on Mulholland Drive in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood just before 4 a.m. and reported shots had been fired, a police spokesman, Chris No, said. When officers arrived, they were let into the house and found Mr. Cornelius lying lifeless on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted, said the Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner, Ed Winter.

Mr. Cornelius was taken to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:56 a.m., Mr. Winter said. “It was reported as a suicide, a self-inflicted wound,” he said. “I have investigators at the hospital.”

“Soul Train” was one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history and played a critical role in spreading the music of black America to the world, offering wide exposure to musicians like James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague and business partner Don Cornelius,” said Quincy Jones, according to the Associated Press. “Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV, there was ‘Soul Train.’ That will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don’s family and loved ones.”

Mr. Cornelius, a former disc jockey, created the show in 1970 in Chicago on WCIU-TV and served as its writer, producer and host. Quickly becoming a success, the show was broadcast nationally in 1971, beginning its 35-year run. Besides the performers, the program showcased young dancers who would strut their stuff, laying the groundwork for countless dance programs, including current hits like Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.” “We had a show that kids gravitated to,” Mr. Cornelius said.

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OSCAR WEEK

Celebrating The UNTOLD STORES of FAITH on Making It in Hollywood

Co-Hosted by BET’s “The Game” Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and

“Everybody Hates Chris” & “The Expandables2″ Actor Terry Crews

Friday, February 24, 2012 12noon-3pm

Taglyan Complex, Hollywood Ca.

www.GospelGoesToHollywood.com

Co-Hosts Wendy Raquel Robinson and Terry Crews

 Hollywood, CA – theHELPPPPagency, dubbed as the FIRST EVER  ”Red-Carpet” Event Producer in the Gospel/Christian community back in Feb./06 is proud to celebrate Gospel Goes To Hollywood Awards Luncheon. Tomeka Holyfield, Executive Producer says “Our objective is to produce a Inspirational Event that celebrates the  UNTOLD STORIES of FAITH during OSCAR WEEK in Hollywood”.

After the HUGE success during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, theHELPPPPagency is bringing that same concept to Hollywood during Oscar Week. What a great opportunity to share in the excitement by celebrating the UNTOLD STORIES of Actors/Actresses/TV-FILM Producers/Directors and Philanthropists ”FAITH” on Making It in Hollywood and on the Big Screens/TV Networks.

“Oscar Week will NEVER be the same as it is our hope this event becomes one of the MUST ATTEND events during Oscar Week. We believe that ALL of Hollywood will look forward to celebrating that FAITH which fuels our TENACIOUS ENDURANCE, says Holyfield”.  Add the praise party as Grammy Award Winning CeCe Winans, Grammy Award Winning Donnie McClurkin and Stellar Award Winner Gospel Saxophonist Angella Christie who’s slated to perform and it becomes clear THIS is the event not to miss!

The star-studded event, co-hosted by Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson of the hit show “The Game” and Actor Terry Crews of the hit sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris” and the upcoming film “The Expendables 2,” will honor and highlight some of Hollywood’s most inspirational who have overcome hurdles and persevered through faith. Proceeds will benefit the Helppping Hands Foundation as they raise awareness and funds to assist abused and battered women and children throughout the world. 

Tons of Celebrities have confirmed as theHELPPPagency will announce the HONOREES in the coming weeks.  Gospel Goes To Hollywood Awards Luncheon has teamed up with The Taglyan Complex in Hollywood as the setting for such a grand affair. The WORD NETWORK and are the Official Media Sponsors along with other Media Outlets to be announced. GGTH is an INVITE ONLY CELEBRITY DRIVEN event with a LIMITED amount of TABLES opened to the public.

For more information, please visit the website @ www.GospelGoesToHollywood.com

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