THE E-NEWS
Friday, April 26, 2024
STEELE HILL A.M.E. ZION CHURCH
REV. DR. JERRETT C. FITE, PASTOR
Services for Rev. Jessie L. Coffey
Thursday, April 25, 2023
Scripture: Matthew 25: 14 - 27
Subject: Well Done!
1. Use What God Has Given You
2. Learn How To Be Governed By God
3. Be Grateful For Grace
Activity #3 (I Cannot Tell You About Activity #2)
The Hot Seat Was Making People SWEAT!
Rev. Dr. J Cool had to Answer 3 Questions while on the Hot Seat! How did our Pastor answer the following questions? Write down your answer and compare to the correct answers at the end of today's e-news!
Question #1
Question #2
Question #3
We are looking foward to the next Sunday Sundae Social on May 19. Who will be on the Hot Seat?
What's Next? (Hint: You cannot get a restaurant reservation)
Mother's Day is May 12
From The Lancaster District WHOMS
The Lay Council
Each week we will provide information about the Lay Council, leading up to our meeting.
laity: the people of a religious faith who are not members of its clergy.
As witnesses of the grace and mercy of God, the Connectional Lay Council of the African American Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, exists to prepare and equip laity for life discipleship in the Kingdom of God. (amez.org)
Week 1: Five Objectives of The Lay Council
Week 2: Deepen the Spiritual Life of the Laity
Week 3: Disseminate Information
Sunday School: 9:45 AM
Bible Study: Tuesday @ 6:30 PM (In - Person & Zoom)
Steele Hill Connectional Lay Council Leadership Team
Nadine Morrison, Margaret McIlwain, Margretta Morrison, Fred Witherspoon, Verta W. Looper (Past President, Pee Dee Conference Lay Council & F.A.N. (Faith.Activity.Nutrition)
April 27 Marcus Williams
April 27 Toby Johnson, Jr.
April 27 Jalana Johnson
April 28 Mark (Horn Man) Stinson
April 28 Jeremy Adams
April 28 Vera Mauvene Witherspoon
May 1 Creola Johnson
May 2 Brother Jarodd Webb
An overdue congratulations to Mrs. Creola Johnson, our 2024 Soaring Eagle Recipient. Mrs. Johnson, along with others, were recognized at the Lancaster District CED Soaring Eagle Program, April 14 at Steele Hill.
This award was named in honor of Bishop Clarence Carr in 2008, when we witnessed his dedication as a servant leader in spite of his health challenges. Our goal is to teach our youth that the "Christian " education obtained from observing the faith and strength of our elderly is like a priceless jewel. Instead of being like Mike, they will strive to be more like Christ. We have survived the storms of the Covid epidemic, health and financial challenges, hardships and tribulations. And we continue to soar above each obstacle. We are still alive to spread the Good news of a resurrected Savior! We continue to press toward the mark of the High calling in Jesus Christ.
Ms. Robin Kirk, along with other Teachers of the Year, were recognized at the April 16 Lancaster District School Board Meeting. Ms. Kirk was the 2023-24 Teacher of the Year for Southside Early Childhood Center.
This week, Miss Kirk's class learned about butterflies and flowers!
Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors
Churches & Dementia
04-23-2024
IMPACT
How Black churches are supporting dementia patients and their families
Alter Dementia helps churches craft dementia-friendly services aimed at providing solace to a community disproportionately affected by the disease.
Last Sunday’s service at Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Los Angeles was different from usual. The choir limited its set list to familiar spirituals such as “Amazing Grace” and “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” The ushers sported name tags with enlarged type. A quiet room has been prepared as a retreat in case any of the congregants becomes agitated or confused.
The changes are intended to make the church more welcoming to congregants with cognitive decline, according to the church’s minister, the Rev. Timothy O. Coston Jr. “We’re looking at the entire service being dementia-friendly,” he said. The service will stick to familiar hymns and liturgy to provide comfort for those whose memories may be fading.
“I want to strip it down to basic prayer and a simple message,” he added.
Coston said he also wants the service to inform. A pile of informational brochures with facts about Alzheimer’s disease sits on a table by the entrance, and the pews have been furnished with hand-held fans that contain the message, “Black Americans are about 2 times as likely as White Americans to have Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”
That startling statistic about the disproportionate rate of Alzheimer’s disease among older Black Americans comes from the Chicago-based Alzheimer’s Association, which provided the fans. Black Americans also have the highest rates of death from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, according to the California Department of Public Health. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health projected that the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in Black residents will grow by 153% between 2019 and 2040.
The Black community also has a vital asset it can access to support families affected by dementia: the Black church. That was the insight of Fayron Epps, a professor of nursing at University of Texas, Health San Antonio and Emory University, who launched Alter Dementia in 2019 to help congregations make their services more welcoming to those with cognitive decline and their families. The program has taken root in the South. Nationwide, more than 80 churches offer dementia-friendly services, said Adrianne Jones of Alter Dementia.
For Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, attending church can create what researchers call paradoxical lucidity; moments of clarity despite diagnosed cognitive decline, Epps said.
Her effort to fill that gap led to the founding of Alter Dementia, which helps churches develop programs that help congregants affected by the diseases. Alter Dementia provides churches with educational materials, offers free memory loss tests and identifies support to give caregivers respite. The organization also provides recommendations to make services shorter and more accessible to those with cognitive loss.