Do you think she is ready?
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Raye Family Celebrates the Life and Mourns the Passing of Howard Raye
Brother Howard Raye
Arrangements are as follows:
WED: Wake, 2PM-4PM and 7PM-9PM at
Harmon Funeral Home
571 Forest Ave.
Staten Island, NY 10310
THU: Homegoing Service, 11AM at
St. Philips' Baptist Church
77 Bennett St.
Staten Island, NY 10302
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The McBeth Family Celebrates the Life and Mourns the Passing of Michael Laverpool (Father of Rev. Agnes McBeth)
Arrangements are as follows:
TUES: Wake, 1600-2000 (with service beginning at 1900)
WED: Funeral, 1000 (Interment at Calverton National Cemetery (Calverton, NY)
All Services to be held at:
Frank R. Bell Funeral Home
536 Sterling Place
536 Sterling Place
(between Classon & Washington Avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Memorial Day
Beyond BBQs, parades, a day off, and the unofficial start of the summer season, Memorial Day has special meaning. It is the day that we have set aside to honor our fallen veterans. The brave men and women who help us maintain the freedoms we enjoy today.Take a moment today to reflect on those freedoms, our soldiers and sailors ultimate sacrafices, and the sacrafices still being made today. We may no always agree with the politics behind where our fighting forces are sent, but we should always support them with prayer and well wishes.
On this Memorial Day, a special thanks to Sister Zonease Porter and St Adalbert's School, for taking the time to recognize the veterans of our church. Their small token goes a long way, and means a lot to those who understand the sacrafice. Thank you.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Notes on Forgiveness
God commands that we forgive those who trespass against us, as we request that He forgives us of our transgressions. It is a basic Christian principle that is non-negotiable. It cannot be part of a deal, or a quid pro quo as it were. It should always be genuine and never be followed by any animosity or ill feelings. We have all been taught that since our first exposure to a Christian environment. It appears to me that we, St. Philips, are missing a single, but very important piece, of the forgiveness puzzle; the request.
Analogically, that is as though I dented your car, I show you the damage, and then I fold my arms and wait for you to forgive me without muttering another word. Adding insult to injury, my friends are puzzled that you do not forgive me, and ask you why not, without ever having asked if I requested your forgiveness. I step on your toe, and I wait for your forgiveness without ever asking for it. The reason this sounds ridiculous to you is because it is. Forgiveness cannot begin to take place until ALL parties have been asked for forgiveness. In asking forgiveness, we perform two tasks; we inform the offended that we realize that we WRONGLY offended them, and we make a formal request for their forgiveness.
Let me park at the word request for a moment. A request is just that, a request. Somehow over time and in dealing with certain people, the word request is used where the word demand is meant or implied. Understand that when a request is made, that does NOT guarantee acceptance. I know it is not the Christian thing to do, but not ALL situations can become as they were before, after an offense. Case in point, if I trust you to allow you in my home, and you steal money from my wallet, do not expect to be invited back even after you apologize and I forgive you. That IS full forgiveness but NOT full restoration. We have to wrap our minds around the ideal that not all situations can be made whole. If you spill milk on the ground, rest assured, there is no way to recover all of the milk, and that which is recovered is no longer the same. We have become so bent on restoring that which was, that we fail to ask how it became so. We are so willing to forgive without knowing what we are forgiving. There are, even in Christian life, some transgressions that are so difficult to forgive; we would often rather face the Father in the end than to forgive today.
Analogically, that is as though I dented your car, I show you the damage, and then I fold my arms and wait for you to forgive me without muttering another word. Adding insult to injury, my friends are puzzled that you do not forgive me, and ask you why not, without ever having asked if I requested your forgiveness. I step on your toe, and I wait for your forgiveness without ever asking for it. The reason this sounds ridiculous to you is because it is. Forgiveness cannot begin to take place until ALL parties have been asked for forgiveness. In asking forgiveness, we perform two tasks; we inform the offended that we realize that we WRONGLY offended them, and we make a formal request for their forgiveness.
Let me park at the word request for a moment. A request is just that, a request. Somehow over time and in dealing with certain people, the word request is used where the word demand is meant or implied. Understand that when a request is made, that does NOT guarantee acceptance. I know it is not the Christian thing to do, but not ALL situations can become as they were before, after an offense. Case in point, if I trust you to allow you in my home, and you steal money from my wallet, do not expect to be invited back even after you apologize and I forgive you. That IS full forgiveness but NOT full restoration. We have to wrap our minds around the ideal that not all situations can be made whole. If you spill milk on the ground, rest assured, there is no way to recover all of the milk, and that which is recovered is no longer the same. We have become so bent on restoring that which was, that we fail to ask how it became so. We are so willing to forgive without knowing what we are forgiving. There are, even in Christian life, some transgressions that are so difficult to forgive; we would often rather face the Father in the end than to forgive today.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Presenting St. Philips' Baptist Church Women's Ministry Cruise and Retreat
Its still not too late to reserve a cabin!
Carnival Triumph 4-Day Canada/New England New York Cruise & Retreat
on Carnival Cruise Lines
Thursday, June 11, 2009 – Monday, June 15, 2009
Itinerary: New York, Saint John, NB, Canada
on Carnival Cruise Lines
Thursday, June 11, 2009 – Monday, June 15, 2009
Itinerary: New York, Saint John, NB, Canada
Price: Interior Category 4B $530 1-2 pp $440 3-4 pp
Ocean View Category 6B $609 1-2 pp $460 3-4 pp
Balcony Category 8B $670 1-2 pp $480 3-4 pp
Ocean View Category 6B $609 1-2 pp $460 3-4 pp
Balcony Category 8B $670 1-2 pp $480 3-4 pp
All prices include taxes and insurance. Amenities include a $50 on-board credit per cabin.
Only $25 will secure your reservation!
For reservations, please complete the attached form, and submit along with the $25 non-refundable initial deposit to the following SPBC WM Cruise Coordinators only:
Rev. Agnes McBeth (Pres.),
Rev. Agnes McBeth (Pres.),
Sis. Rasheida Reid (1st VP),
Sis. Yama Phillips (2nd VP),
Sis. Karen Hill (Treas.),
Sis. Carol Goode (Corres./Finan. Sec.),
Sis. Carol Goode (Corres./Finan. Sec.),
Sis. Charnae Alexander (Chap.),
Sis.Yvonne Jimenez,
Sis. Deidra Okeke,
Sis. Elva Randle,
Sis. Elva Randle,
Sis. Inga Wilson-Hyde
For more information and reservations by phone,
For more information and reservations by phone,
contact Rev. Agnes McBeth at (718) 720-6681.
Note: Although a passport is not needed to register,
one will be required to enter Canada in 2009.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Legacy Project
Please encourage our senior members to participate in the legacy project. These stories are part of the fabric that is St. Philips. WHEN we launch our website, we will make the stories a part of the site, thus making them a permanent part of our collective history. See Reverend Agnes McBeth or Sister Inga Hyde (Office Manager)
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