"A New Birth of Freedom"

President Obama pledges open foreign policy and encourages America to 'dust ourselves off' and rebuild the economy. On the steps of the nation's Capitol, just a short distance from where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, using the same bible Abraham Lincoln did for his inauguration, with the country in dire conditions similar to when FDR took office, Barack Obama was officially sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America on in Tuesday afternoon (January 20).

The moment crystallized the former U.S. senator's historic rise to become the first African-American to hold the country's highest office. Just over four years ago, Obama introduced himself to the nation with his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. His oratory skill wowed the audience then and continued to do so throughout his two-year campaign for the presidency. Click here for a transcript of his speech.

Following his speech, Elizabeth Alexander gave the inaugural poem. Alexander had the toughest time slot of the morning. She had to follow Obama's inspirational speech with her ode to the inauguration. Tough to hold onto an audience that had waited hours in the cold. But her words were equally inspiring, invoking images worthy of a Rockwell painting. I particularly liked this portion: "Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables." Click here for a transcript of the poem.

A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world. Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement. WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first.

Obama raises hand, lifts a nation

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday. President Obama was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. Moments earlier, Joe Biden took the oath as Vice President. An estimated 2 million people have gathered in Washington to watch the event. www.cnn.com

President-elect Obama Greeted at the White House

President-elect Barack Obama is at the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Bush, as hundreds of thousands gathered at the Capitol for Obama's inauguration. Barack and Michelle Obama arrive for an Inauguration Day prayer service Tuesday morning. The Obamas attended a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church on Tuesday morning and then headed to the nearby White House for a meeting with the outgoing president and first lady Laura Bush.

The 9 a.m. church service kicked off a day of events for the man who will become the nation's 44th president at noon ET. As many as 2 million people are expected to crowd into the area between the Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial as Obama takes the oath of office. Some will be more than a mile from the swearing-in ceremony, watching on giant TV screens erected along the National Mall. Thousands arrived before daylight Tuesday in standing-room-only trains. They carried blankets and wore Obama scarves to ward off the wind chills of minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Suburban Washington train stations were jammed. A four-story parking deck at the Springfield, Virginia, station was filled at 5 a.m. Trains rolling into the stop about 15 miles south of the Capitol had no room for the hundreds on the platform. But just being among the crowd is good enough for many.

www.cnn.com

The Chapel Participates in the MLK Parade

Holsey Chapel Youth and Advisors represent us well in the 2009 Ben Hill County Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. Special thanks to Jim Turner for coordinating and decorating our float.

Presidential Inaugural Worship Service

On the eve of the historic inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama, Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church opened its doors to the community in a celebration of "The Dream is Now." Clothed in shirts and caps citing the linkage between Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President-Elect Obama, the service aroused everyone in a spirit of "Yes, We Can" with Rev. Howard's message, "A Change Gonna Come." Click here for a copy of the worship bulletin. Pictures are available on our website www.cmefitzgerald.org.

CYF "Day of Service" Video

Holsey Chapel CYF "Day of Service" Video uploaded to the MLK website. Click here for details http://my.mlkday.gov/s/cmefitzgerald/index.aspx.

CYF Partners with FCC for MLK Community Feast

Martin Luther King Weekend was a "day on, not a day off" for the Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) at Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church. The young people assisted with the Annual Community Feast sponsored by the Fitzgerald Community Club as its service project. The Fitzgerald Community Club hosted the Martin Luther King Celebration on Saturday, January 17 from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. with a Gospel Fest and the Community Feast on the grounds of the Monitor Center. "We saw this as a time to get others involved in the community, and to serve with people of all ages and backgrounds," says Charles Coney, Director of Christian Education. "The best way for young people to learn about Dr. King’s legacy is to get involved themselves." More details are available at http://my.mlkday.gov/s/cmefitzgerald/index.aspx.

Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield coming to Georgia!!!

Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield, general secretary of Christian Education for the CME Church, will be one of the guest facilitators at the Moultrie-McRae-Brunswick Sunday School & Christian Youth Fellowship Convention on April 18th. The mission of the Department is "Making Disciples through events that form and transform." During the session, he will be providing instruction for the Minister's Break-Out Session "Faith That Transforms" using the text: "Christianity for the Rest of Us--How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith" by Diana Butler. Copies may be purchased online from the Holsey Chapel eBookstore. Additionally, he will be the Guest Preacher at Holsey Chapel-Fitzgerald on Sunday, April 19th at 10:30 a.m. Come support this connectional leader.

MMB Christian Education Workshop

The Executive Council of the Moultrie-McRae-Brunswick District Board of Christian Education met on Saturday, January 10th in a Workshop and Planning Session. Rev. Dr. Alfort Belin and the members of Graham Chapel-Quitman hosted the team and others pastors and leaders from across the district. Led by South Georgia Region CED Director Glendora Ryce, topics included, "What is the Board of Christian Educatino? What am I to do? What do you mean by a BIGGER and BETTER Sunday School? and What do you mean by a BIGGER and BETTER CYF Ministry?" Additionally, the team introduced the theme for the upcoming Sunday School & CYF Convention--"Behold, I am Doing A New Thing." The convention will be held on Saturday, April 18th at Holsey Chapel-Fitzgerald.

Holsey Chapel "Day of Service"

During his lifetime, Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he once said, "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve." In recognition of that, Congress in 1994 passed Holiday and Service Act. Holsey Chapel participation details available at http://my.mlkday.gov/s/cmefitzgerald/index.aspx and in the attached Press Release (click here for details).

Sunday School--it's for Life!

Week after week, in congregations all over, children, youths and adults gather to find friends, to learn about God, to delve into Scripture and to catch and teach the faith. Is the lesson always wonderful? No. Is the teacher always prepared? The class always engaged? Again, no. But God is always there, yearning to gather us in and to send us out. What would happen if we decided to give Sunday School more attention? This is the vision of our Sunday School "it's for life!" It is our goal to have 75 persons in Sunday School. That means EVERYONE! Join us. Sunday school can make a difference in our church AND YOU can make a difference in our Sunday School (www.cmefitzgerald.org).

Emancipation Proclamation Commemorative Service - "A New Birth of Freedom"

The theme of this year’s Emancipation Proclamation, "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorated the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The words came from the Gettysburg address, and expresses Lincoln’s hope that the sacrifice of those who died to preserve the nation shall lead to "A New Birth of Freedom" for our nation. The theme was quite appropriate given our present day circumstances (nationally and locally), particularly in light of the historic presidential election of Senator Barack Obama. With that in mind, over 250 persons joined together to remember the courage of our past and embrace our future in An All-American Celebration Service held at Union Temple Holiness Church sponsored by the Ben Hill County Civic League. Holsey Chapel Pastor Rev. Dr. Marvin J. Howard, Sr. brought the keynote address, "A Divine Emancipation." Mr. John K. Fletcher is president of the Ben Hill County Civic League. Communications should be directed to benhillcivicleague@gmail.com.

HOPE--January 2009

Welcome to the January 2009 edition of HOPE -- Holsey Chapel CME's Monthly Newsletter. Click here for your copy and please share as we seek to be willing vessels for His service. If you know of others to be added to our email distribution list, please reply with the names to ministry@cmefitzgerald.org. Also, know that you can always find up-to-date information about our church at http://www.cmefitzgerald.org. We look forward to online fellowship with you and yours. Articles included in this month's edition: Emancipation Proclamation - "A New Birth of Freedom"; From the Pastor; Sunday School--it's for Life!; Community Service on King Holiday; Souper Bowl Sunday; CYAM FOCUS Retreat 2009; Maceo C. Pettigrew Historical Library; Student SPOTLIGHT; Chapel Business; "What Sort of New Year's Resolution Should a Christian Make?"