Pastor's Anniversary: 49 Years the Charm

“Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:11).”

For nearly five decades, Grace Baptist Church of Christ (GBCOC) has been blessed with the same pastor and first lady, Jacob and Thomasena Underwood. Through the week of October 16 to 23, GBCOC will be celebrating Pastor Underwood’s service to the church and the community with nightly 7 pm services for the Pastor’s 49^th Anniversary, a time that guarantees to be a joyous occasion.

Mr. and Mrs. Underwood may not always physically be with the GBCOC’s family, but they are certainly in the church in spirit and through prayers. As many of us know, and some have even seen for themselves on a jovial Memorial Day weekend trip down south, Pastor Underwood has been hard at work at Grace Redemption House. However, some of us may not know that it has been causing quite a buzz and making an impression in Anderson, South Carolina. In the lower level of GBCOC, a laminated copy of a May 28, 2011 article, appropriately titled “Grace Restored,” is pinned up on the wall for display. The clip was featured in an article by Charmaine Smith-Miles in Independent Mail.com, a local paper in Anderson, South Carolina.

The article highlights Mr. and Mrs. Underwood’s demonstration of faith as they trusted in the calling of the Lord to purchase the abandoned Christ Temple Church on South McDuffie Street in September 2010.

As Pastor Underwood was quoted in the feature, “On the way back to New York, the Lord told me to turn this place back into a church,” Underwood said. “He gave me the name, ‘The Redemption House.’ And that’s when I felt the release — when I felt that I could come home and work.”

Mr. and Mrs. Underwood’s leap of faith into Anderson was not entirely new for them; they used the same strong faith to purchase an East New York, Brooklyn synagogue that they transformed into a church back in July 1962 — the rest is history. Schools, housing and a playground are only but a few things that Grace means to the East New York community. But, what Grace primarily stands for is salvation — a beacon of hope for those who hunger and those who thirst for love, peace and mercy.

With the Pastor’s 49^th Anniversary rapidly approaching, GBCOC has the opportunity to show their gratitude for nearly five decades of tireless and faithful service to the Lord by Mr. and Mrs. Underwood. As Paul charged the Thessalonian congregation, “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).”

Please see the original story here

Fellowshiping on the Hudson

The Lord got a hold of Jonah when he tried to escape Him upon a cruise to Joppa. Thankfully, Grace wasn’t running from the Lord when they went fellowshiping on a ship full of Christians; they were running with him.

On August 13, 2011, members of Grace Baptist Church and their families set sail on a fantastic voyage. Sponsored by the Evangelistic Ministry, Grace members had the opportunity to fellowship with other Christians on Spirit Cruise Ship for a gospel lunch buffet. The lunch cruise catered to over six different churches and ministries. Participants on the cruise were able to enjoy an extensive assortment of entrees as well as a wide variety of delicious desserts. During lunch, guests were also treated to the ministry of Chapter 6, a gospel group based out of New Jersey. Everyone had a great time fellowshiping on the Hudson, enjoying the beautiful scenery from the boat, and above all worshiping and praising God with people from other churches and ministries.

Thanks from Sis. Beverly Finley:

In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

On behalf of the Evangelist Ministry, I want to thank all who went with us on the boat ride in August. We had a blessed time. Thank you.

Sis. Beverly Finley

Please see photos from the cruise in the slide show above

Our Community, Our Justice: College Debt

A few weeks ago, Co-Pastor Michael Rogers suggested that I write about the most ironic, yet timely, subject for my September column: funding college. As a recent college grad that is at the mercy of the federal government and banks because of the seemingly necessary evil we call “college loans,” I was not sure if I had anything short of a harangue to share about college expenses. Perhaps I’m still recovering from seeing my most recent loan repayment plan — I’m sure that no one can find it justifiable for any private institution to charge $50,000 a year, as it was for my Alma matter of the University of Rochester, especially for an education that all those who are qualified for should not be financially hammered for.

I was reminded of my debt obligation when a Rochester news reporter contacted me for a story he was working on. His article was a response to recent news that U.S. college loan debt have ballooned to $931 billion — for the first time eclipsing the estimated $798 billion in credit card debt. In the Western New York area alone, over 36,000 federal loans totaling $233 million were distributed during the last academic year. Some college financial assistance experts are even estimating that the total will mushroom over the once unthinkable $1 trillion mark by next year. It’s now becoming increasingly harder to imagine that the nation’s college debt was merely $72 billion 15 years ago.

The average student debt for a bachelor’s degree is currently at $34,400 — a total that is just $3,000 shy of the median $37,435 gross income for New York City residents. But the best way to psychologically cope with this reality is to look at a college education as an investment. On average, an individual with a bachelor’s degree can expect to make 75 percent more income over their lifetime than an individual with a high school diploma — that’s $2.37 million compared with $1.3 million.

But complaining won’t get us anywhere. There are some useful things that your family should do in advance to prepare for the financial shackles that educational institutions use to build statues of their funders on your campus (at the University of Rochester, Kodak founder George Eastman is virtually engraved, built and exalted with every inch of land that our University presidents could find).

If we think about college as an investment, then that means that we ought to start planning ahead. Consider buying Series EE Savings Bonds and Series I Savings Bonds, which offer special tax benefits when used for qualified education expenses. But don’t wait until your child is in high school — start when they are a little tot if you want to reap a big savings pot. EE Savings Bonds mature at 50 percent of face value, meaning that a $50 bond should yield $100 after 17 years when it reaches maturity.

When your child is in high school, make sure they exhaust all of their resources. Mentorship and career pipeline organizations are essential for educational and professional success. Ask their guidance counselor and do your homework about programs that will assist them during the application process. From my own experience with the Opportunity Network, I was given application fee waivers (at about $50 a pop, applying adds up), interview training, internship opportunities and relevant scholarship identification. If your child doesn’t sign up for one of these programs, then it will be up to you to assist them during the preliminary stages. Encourage them to search websites like FastWeb.com and trademark grant suppliers like the Gates Foundation, YMCA, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, etc., to find scholarships that they are most eligible for. From ethnicity to being left-handed, there’s a scholarship for everything.

Once you’ve survived your undergraduate years of all-nighters and coffee highs, there is also something you can do to slowly loosen the debt-noose. There are several public service careers that will reimburse as much as $1,000 or more for your federal loan expense after a year of service. If the organization you work for qualifies for President Obama’s Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Plan, then all of your debt may be forgiven after 10 consecutive years in the public service sector with organizations that annually reimburse a portion of your loans.

And of course, you can expect to be encouraged to join programs like Teach for America, City Year, Americorps and Peace Corps on a daily basis during your undergraduate years. All of these federally funded programs include loan deferment (that means that your interest will not accrue during your year(s) of service), priority for federal employment, a resume booster and, most importantly, self-fulfillment.

If you are thinking of grad school, remember that it is a completely different animal. There has always generally been less federal assistance for graduate and professional education. However, the recent debt wars on Capitol Hill have just made matters worse by entirely eliminating federally subsidized loans for graduate students who enroll in 2012. Thus, before you make the bold investment in your post-graduate studies, make sure that you’re 100 percent sure about your career expectations and how that extra notch will contribute to your overarching goals.

Unfortunately, government and banks aren’t like the king who forgave his servant of his debt, or the Son who died for our debts, or Canada, where the average tuition runs at about $5,000 for domestic students and $14,000 for international students. What is important is that you get your foot in the door with the most powerful piece of paper on earth and find your calling.

That leaves us with the most essential college planning tip: prayer.