By THERESA SHADRIX
Special to the Banner
Published Sunday, June 24, 2007 6:00 AM EDT
When Kevin “Coach T” Templeton speaks, everyone around him listens.
“You need to thank the person who brought you here today. You need to have an attitude of gratitude.” As he spoke these words to more than 320 junior high and high school basketball players and their coaches at Lee University, June 15, the gym was silent and respectful. Only moments before, he presented championship awards to male and female players who excelled in an intense five day basketball camp that bears his name.
This week, Templeton started the camp over again with a new group of around 370 campers and 50 coaches. Over the two week period, teams traveled from Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio and the Carolina’s to live in Lee University dorms, play basketball games, hear from dynamic speakers, receive biblical guidance and learn as much as possible from Templeton and the camp staff. It has been a tiring two weeks for all involved, but you won’t find anyone complaining because the foundations of the camp are the love of the game and training in values.
Templeton said he believes basketball players should take advantage of lessons in life, both on and off the court, and he hopes campers take home more than learning how to dribble. He has an old-school coaching mentality of grit, determination and hard work. A man of faith, he is humble, but not timid to admit he loves the taste of glory. “Life is not going to be 30-0. So, you gotta press on, you gotta get up and you don’t give up,” he said. “If you learn not to give up on the basketball court, you won’t give up in life.”
Templeton is no stranger to coaching basketball. He was the athletic director and men’s basketball coach at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, winning the National Christian College Athletic Association championship in 2003.
In March he resigned from TTU and will be the new boy’s basketball coach at Soddy-Daisy High School. Templeton said TTU will always be special to him not only because of his successful coaching experience, but also the summer basketball camps that began at TTU 25 years ago. It was nine years ago that Templeton took over the camp and every year he has mentored more and more players and coaches.
“The first year we had 129 campers and then it went to 800 in two years,” he said. “Last year we had 1200 campers at Chattanooga.” When he resigned his position at TTU, he sent out emails to various schools to find a new host. Lee University agreed to hold the summer camp in conjunction with Templeton, making the Cleveland campus the new home of “Coach T’s Basketball Camp.” Templeton said that he feels great about having the camp at Lee, not only because of the comforts and safety on the campus, but also the expertise of the coaching staff, led by Lee’s head basketball coach, Tommy Brown.
“The staff at the camp is more than Coach T. Tommy is here, I have my son Josh helping, I have Marty Rowe, I have other coaches,” he said. “So, if you want to learn basketball, play team games, get individual instruction, and learn how to be a winner, this is the camp for you.” Beyond the campus and coaches, Templeton said the camp is a basketball players dream come true. Days and nights are filled with hard corp hoops, with games playing until midnight. It is this environment of hoops and dedication to the game that lures teams to the camp every year.
In his second trip to the camp, Coach Jon Werle of, Hebron Christian in Dacula, Ga., said he brought four teams, two girls and two boys, to the camp because of the staff expertise, the basketball games and the combination of teaching. “The whole player is addressed, both off and on the court. They grow together as a team and they grow together as basketball players because they are exposed to a high level of coaching.”
When so many summer basketball camps take place in local towns, Templeton said he is humbled for teams like Werle’s to travel to his camp. And coaches admit they will follow Templeton wherever he goes.
Coach Chris Randall of White Plains High School in Anniston, Ala. first attended the basketball camp at TTU as a player with Trinity Christian Academy in Oxford, Ala. more than 18 years ago. For six years he traveled to Chattanooga as a camper and when he began his coaching career, he started bringing his teams. Last week, Randall’s junior varsity and high school team won the camp championship game and the junior high team placed fourth. After taking his team home, he returned this week with another group of players. He said it is worth it because of the basketball fundamentals and concept of team play. Year and year he also returns so his players can improve their game, hear the speakers, receive spiritual instruction and be part of the caring attitude from Templeton and the staff.
“They are going to learn a lot more about life. They will hear testimonies from other men and players. More importantly, they will learn how to be a better man through basketball,” he said. “You can’t put a price on lessons they will learn here.”
Oddly enough, White Plains basketball rival, Faith Christian School in Anniston, Ala., also attends the camp every year. When playing each other at the camp, Faith Coach Doug Worlsey said they each want to win, but when the teams are playing another school, they are rooting for their hometown neighbor.
“We have a good competition and we want them to do well,” he said. “Coach Randall and I are rivals on the court, but we are brothers in Christ off the court.”
Worsley brought two middle school teams to the camp, with one placing second in the championship last week. Despite the fact he attended the camp for nine years as both a coach and a staff member, he said he comes back every summer because he gets something new from the camp every year. “Knowledge about basketball is infinite. I watch other coaches all day because everyone knows something about the game.” In his second year as the basketball coach at Faith Christian, Worsley said he can already see the impact of the camp on his players.
“They hear speakers constantly talking about choices in life,” he said. “People are going to tell them about basketball but also about the truth of life. And the truth of life is Jesus Christ.”
Theresa Shadrix is the managing editor of Longleaf Style magazine and special publications editor for The Anniston Star, Anniston, Ala. She is a former student at Cleveland State Community College, where she was sports editor and features writer for The Cherokee Signal. Theresa is the sister of Carl Maskew, a detective with the Bradley County Sheriff Office and his wife, Karen and the daughter of Harold Maskew. She lives in Anniston with her husband, Mickey, and two sons.
COPYRIGHT ® 2007 Cleveland Daily Banner, a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cleveland Banner
Showing posts with label Published Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Published Writing. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Shannon Stewart — God's Next Top Model
By Theresa Shadrix
The Anniston Star
04-22-2007
Shannon Stewart is on a mission from God.
The blond, 5'11” Ohio native is not a missionary in a foreign land, but rather a professional model and former reality TV show contestant.
The 22-year-old beauty also is unashamedly a virgin and does not smoke or drink. She takes no credit for her good looks — “I owe it all to God,” she jokes — and is the type of girl every Mom wishes her son would marry.
But, she is taken and the lucky guy is model Matthew Ratliff. “Our relationship is totally because of Jesus Christ,” she said. “He is my best friend.”
Girded with their Christian faith, Stewart said she and Matthew just want to be a light in a business known for darkness.
They share experiences in the modeling world, like to hang out together and enjoy speaking as a team about their faith, when their modeling schedules permit.
In a telephone call from Chicago, she told me, “This is a tough business. Sometimes, I hate it. But, if no one shares the Good News, how will they know about Jesus Christ?”
It was this type of thinking that led Stewart to try out for season one of America's Next Top Model, the reality TV show created by Tyra Banks.
First aired in 2003, the season featured 10 contestants who lived together in a New York loft. Each week they were judged on various photo shoots, like one in swimwear and one in which the girls were wrapped in a huge snake. At the end of each episode, one girl was eliminated.
As in all reality shows, drama and conflict are the ingredients that create a spicy TV dish. For Stewart and fellow contestant Robin Manning from Memphis, Tenn., the openness about their Christian beliefs at times created tension.
Stewart and Manning were in the final four when the contestants were asked to pose nude in a photo shoot for diamond jewelry. They refused because of morality issues. Robin was the one eliminated at the end of that episode.
Stewart went on finish the season in second place to Adrianne Curry, who, since winning America's Next Top Model, has admitted to past drug use and bi-sexuality, posed nude for Playboy and married Christopher Knight, aka Peter Brady from the classic TV hit show, The Brady Bunch.
Stewart said she has found success in the modeling world, but it has taken her longer to achieve it because of her stand for righteous living.
Signed with Elite Model Management, she said, “It has taken me longer in this business because I won't go to parties or do certain things.” But, she has no regrets and hears from people who commend her stand for clean living.
“I can't recall any negativity about not posing nude,” she said about the TV show episode. “I do hear from people who thank me for standing up for something, which included Muslims and atheists.
Stewart does not focus on what the future holds, but rather what exciting journey God has in store for her.
“I would love to host a Christian TV show with Matthew for teens.”
For the moment, Stewart is happy being God's Top Model.
Connect with Shannon Stewart Ratliff on Facebook.
The Anniston Star
04-22-2007
 |
| Matt Ratliff and Shannon Stewart |
The blond, 5'11” Ohio native is not a missionary in a foreign land, but rather a professional model and former reality TV show contestant.
The 22-year-old beauty also is unashamedly a virgin and does not smoke or drink. She takes no credit for her good looks — “I owe it all to God,” she jokes — and is the type of girl every Mom wishes her son would marry.
But, she is taken and the lucky guy is model Matthew Ratliff. “Our relationship is totally because of Jesus Christ,” she said. “He is my best friend.”
Girded with their Christian faith, Stewart said she and Matthew just want to be a light in a business known for darkness.
They share experiences in the modeling world, like to hang out together and enjoy speaking as a team about their faith, when their modeling schedules permit.
In a telephone call from Chicago, she told me, “This is a tough business. Sometimes, I hate it. But, if no one shares the Good News, how will they know about Jesus Christ?”
It was this type of thinking that led Stewart to try out for season one of America's Next Top Model, the reality TV show created by Tyra Banks.
First aired in 2003, the season featured 10 contestants who lived together in a New York loft. Each week they were judged on various photo shoots, like one in swimwear and one in which the girls were wrapped in a huge snake. At the end of each episode, one girl was eliminated.
As in all reality shows, drama and conflict are the ingredients that create a spicy TV dish. For Stewart and fellow contestant Robin Manning from Memphis, Tenn., the openness about their Christian beliefs at times created tension.
Stewart and Manning were in the final four when the contestants were asked to pose nude in a photo shoot for diamond jewelry. They refused because of morality issues. Robin was the one eliminated at the end of that episode.
Stewart went on finish the season in second place to Adrianne Curry, who, since winning America's Next Top Model, has admitted to past drug use and bi-sexuality, posed nude for Playboy and married Christopher Knight, aka Peter Brady from the classic TV hit show, The Brady Bunch.
Stewart said she has found success in the modeling world, but it has taken her longer to achieve it because of her stand for righteous living.
Signed with Elite Model Management, she said, “It has taken me longer in this business because I won't go to parties or do certain things.” But, she has no regrets and hears from people who commend her stand for clean living.
“I can't recall any negativity about not posing nude,” she said about the TV show episode. “I do hear from people who thank me for standing up for something, which included Muslims and atheists.
Stewart does not focus on what the future holds, but rather what exciting journey God has in store for her.
“I would love to host a Christian TV show with Matthew for teens.”
For the moment, Stewart is happy being God's Top Model.
Connect with Shannon Stewart Ratliff on Facebook.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Poverty is never fashionable
By Theresa Shadrix
The Anniston Star
04-08-2007
There is nothing fashionable about poverty. Poverty doesn't look good on anyone and is never in style.
Seriously, I have never heard a financially challenged individual, the monetarily disenfranchised or a plain ol' poor person say, “Wow, I am so glad that being poor is All the Rage this year, cause, ya know, being able to pay my bills and buy groceries is so yesterday.”
The Bible tells us the poor will be with us always.
But, how do we know who they are and what do poor folks look like?
Most people, when asked, will probably tell you the face of the poor is a welfare mama with several kids by different daddies who sits around at home watching Maury on TV, being supported with money from hard-working taxpayers.
The Alabama poverty Project disagrees with this myth by providing numbers that encourage us not to be so quick to judge.
Among their statistics, poverty in Calhoun County is children zero to 17, female-headed households and those too old or too young to work. I guess you could say the faces of poverty in our community are young'uns, old folks and single moms.
So, what does one do to help?
How about when you clean out your closet, don't give away the T-shirt you spilled coffee on three years ago or the pants you ripped when you ate too much Sunday casserole.
If it's something you wouldn't wear, then why do you think someone else will want it?
It is not like poor folks really love wearing hand-me-downs so much that they will say things like, “Man, that coffee stain on that T-shirt is gonna bring out the brown in my eyes.”
Jim Davis, the Baptist Service Center director for the Calhoun Baptist Association, told me volunteers waste many hours sorting through the good and bad stuff that is donated. And I know it is the truth because Jim took my former position at the CBA.
For six years, I smiled and thanked people when they donated clothes and goods from their home, then smiled again when I gave them a receipt. Then, volunteers sighed and shook their heads when they threw out old diapers (no kidding), soiled clothes, old underwear and such.
In our community, there are five organizations that provide clothing for free to those in need. The people are screened through Family Services and referred to them.
If you have clothing that is not suitable for wear, you can donate it to the Salvation Army for recycling. Just make sure to let them know your donation is not for the thrift store.
So, when you are spring-cleaning and you want to donate items to the less-fortunate in our community, just be respectful.
Where you can go to donate:
All Saints Interfaith Center of Concern
1029 W. 15th St., Anniston
Director: Sister Mary Roy
Phone: 236-7793
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday-Friday
Baptist Service Center South
806 Stewart St., Oxford
Director: Jim Davis
Phone: 831-4691
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday-Friday
Baptist Service Center Northwest
259 Halls Chapel Road, Alexandria
Director: Jim Davis
Phone: 846-3525
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Community Enabler Developer
1411 Gurnee Ave., Anniston
Director: Maudine Holloway
Phone: 237-6144
Hours of operation: 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Jacksonville Christian Outreach Center
206 Francis St. W., Jacksonville
Directors: Mary Agnes Hester and Chalcy Evans
Phone: 435-1891
Hours of operation: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Salvation Army — Recycled Clothes
420 Noble St., Anniston
Phone: 236-5764
If you are in an individual or family in need of clothes, then you must be screened through Family Services Center of Calhoun County, 15 E. 11th St., Anniston. Call 231-2240 for intake hours and more information.
Visit the Alabama Poverty Project online at www.alabamapoverty.org.
The Anniston Star
04-08-2007
There is nothing fashionable about poverty. Poverty doesn't look good on anyone and is never in style.
Seriously, I have never heard a financially challenged individual, the monetarily disenfranchised or a plain ol' poor person say, “Wow, I am so glad that being poor is All the Rage this year, cause, ya know, being able to pay my bills and buy groceries is so yesterday.”
The Bible tells us the poor will be with us always.
But, how do we know who they are and what do poor folks look like?
Most people, when asked, will probably tell you the face of the poor is a welfare mama with several kids by different daddies who sits around at home watching Maury on TV, being supported with money from hard-working taxpayers.
The Alabama poverty Project disagrees with this myth by providing numbers that encourage us not to be so quick to judge.
Among their statistics, poverty in Calhoun County is children zero to 17, female-headed households and those too old or too young to work. I guess you could say the faces of poverty in our community are young'uns, old folks and single moms.
So, what does one do to help?
How about when you clean out your closet, don't give away the T-shirt you spilled coffee on three years ago or the pants you ripped when you ate too much Sunday casserole.
If it's something you wouldn't wear, then why do you think someone else will want it?
It is not like poor folks really love wearing hand-me-downs so much that they will say things like, “Man, that coffee stain on that T-shirt is gonna bring out the brown in my eyes.”
Jim Davis, the Baptist Service Center director for the Calhoun Baptist Association, told me volunteers waste many hours sorting through the good and bad stuff that is donated. And I know it is the truth because Jim took my former position at the CBA.
For six years, I smiled and thanked people when they donated clothes and goods from their home, then smiled again when I gave them a receipt. Then, volunteers sighed and shook their heads when they threw out old diapers (no kidding), soiled clothes, old underwear and such.
In our community, there are five organizations that provide clothing for free to those in need. The people are screened through Family Services and referred to them.
If you have clothing that is not suitable for wear, you can donate it to the Salvation Army for recycling. Just make sure to let them know your donation is not for the thrift store.
So, when you are spring-cleaning and you want to donate items to the less-fortunate in our community, just be respectful.
Where you can go to donate:
All Saints Interfaith Center of Concern
1029 W. 15th St., Anniston
Director: Sister Mary Roy
Phone: 236-7793
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday-Friday
Baptist Service Center South
806 Stewart St., Oxford
Director: Jim Davis
Phone: 831-4691
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday-Friday
Baptist Service Center Northwest
259 Halls Chapel Road, Alexandria
Director: Jim Davis
Phone: 846-3525
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Community Enabler Developer
1411 Gurnee Ave., Anniston
Director: Maudine Holloway
Phone: 237-6144
Hours of operation: 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Jacksonville Christian Outreach Center
206 Francis St. W., Jacksonville
Directors: Mary Agnes Hester and Chalcy Evans
Phone: 435-1891
Hours of operation: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Salvation Army — Recycled Clothes
420 Noble St., Anniston
Phone: 236-5764
If you are in an individual or family in need of clothes, then you must be screened through Family Services Center of Calhoun County, 15 E. 11th St., Anniston. Call 231-2240 for intake hours and more information.
Visit the Alabama Poverty Project online at www.alabamapoverty.org.
Monday, March 19, 2007
The personality of prom
The Anniston Star
By Theresa Shadrix
03-18-2007
Leah and Lauren Sparks share the same birthday, are involved in similar clubs at Oxford High School and complete each other's sentences, but the 16-year-old twins are total opposites.
Leah is an athlete with state championship trophies in track and field, while Lauren is a class beauty who has modeled locally and likes to watch America's Next Top Model.
Selecting a prom dress was as different as their personalities.
“Lauren was out there in the store, looking at herself in front of the mirror and twirling around,” Shawn Jones, the girl's mother said. “Leah wouldn't even come out of the dressing room.”
Leah recently placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at a track meet, plays volleyball, is a guard on the basketball team and was selected as Most Talented in Who's Who by her classmates. She rarely wears make-up and admits shopping is not her forté.
“I tried on long dresses, but I couldn't move in them. But I can in this one. I am ready to dance,” she said about her mini gown with long, layered ruffles.
Both girls selected playful, colorful gowns, but while Leah's is short, Lauren's is long and straight. “I think it looks glamorous,” Lauren's mom said about her dress.
Lauren can't wait to get dressed up for prom but said she is also excited for her sister. “Leah doesn't wear make-up or wear dresses or heels, and I can't wait for people to see her in this dress. It is like a total make-over!”
“OK, so I will wear make-up to prom,” Leah laughs. “Enough already.”
It is rare for Lauren to leave the house without make-up, and when she does it doesn't go unnoticed, but the duo will get help from their big sister, Lyndsey. “I don't want to look like I have on a mask,” said Leah. “I trust her.”
Noticing things like make-up, personality and style is one way to help girl's select prom gowns said JoAnne Kirby, manager of Prom Headquarters in Jacksonville.
“I let the girls pick out a few dresses and try them on and then I help them select the best one for their individuality. I just notice how they look and what they like.”
With the charm of a grandmother, Kirby said she encourages girls towards dresses that fit their uniqueness, body type and trends.
“The A-line dress is perfect for girls with an hour glass figure or bigger hips,” she said. “Brown is also the color this year for prom, but we have seen bright colors. It really just depends on the girl with what color they pick.”
Kirby has noticed gowns like the brown and aqua Lauren is wearing are popular but so are full ball gowns.
Tammie Tuck, sales clerk at the Quality Shoppe in Jacksonville, agrees.
“This is the year of full dresses,” she said. “We have had girls come in and they don't want poofy, but the mom talks her into trying one on and she walks out with one.”
Tuck observed both the brown and bright color trend too. “We have sold a lot of chocolate brown, and they are normally straight dresses,” she said. “The poofy, full gowns have been bright colors. Aqua, orange, raspberry, yellow…they are bright and fun.”
The most popular prom gown for Alexander's Bridal Shop in Oxford is a chocolate brown, full length gown said owner Mike Alexander. He has also seen there is no one trend and the character of the girl is what matters most.
“We have about 1,000 dresses, and they make them to fit all personalities.”
Alexander points out a full length, black and white polka dotted gown with a large red sash and bow. “This one has been popular.” Then he directs his attention to a simple, straight aqua gown decorated with a stream of Swarovski crystals. “Oh, but this one is also popular too.”
Alexander points out that prom is not just for girls and some guys are taking note of fashion for the social gathering of year.
“This year we had a few girls that told us they had to match their gown to the guy's vest.”
Admitting it is rare for girls to select gowns around their dates, he said sometimes boys do take just as much time selecting a tuxedo as girls do with dresses.
“Guys no longer wear cummerbunds. There are no bow ties and no button covers,” he said. “Now it is brown tuxes, long ties with matching vest and longer coats. They want to look good too.”
Lauren and Leah's prom dates matched their tuxedos to their dresses and both say the like what was selected.
“He is wearing a brown tux, brown vest and an aqua tie,” said Lauren, speaking about her date Taylor Clark. “I don't think he is too excited about it but he is wearing it.”
Leah said her date, Devin Futral, is wearing all white. “His is a white tuxedo, white vest and white tie.”
Now that they have their dresses and their dates have their tuxedos, the only thing on their to do list for their March 30 prom is picking up their shoes and waiting to get ready the day of the dance.
“We have to make a hair appointment, get our nails done, our eyebrows waxed and get our tan,” said Lauren. Leah is excited about dressing up for the prom, but she just wants to have fun.
“It is going to be so much fun. It is a time to let loose and dance. But I will probably take off my shoes and go barefoot.”
By Theresa Shadrix
03-18-2007
Leah and Lauren Sparks share the same birthday, are involved in similar clubs at Oxford High School and complete each other's sentences, but the 16-year-old twins are total opposites.
Leah is an athlete with state championship trophies in track and field, while Lauren is a class beauty who has modeled locally and likes to watch America's Next Top Model.
Selecting a prom dress was as different as their personalities.
“Lauren was out there in the store, looking at herself in front of the mirror and twirling around,” Shawn Jones, the girl's mother said. “Leah wouldn't even come out of the dressing room.”
Leah recently placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at a track meet, plays volleyball, is a guard on the basketball team and was selected as Most Talented in Who's Who by her classmates. She rarely wears make-up and admits shopping is not her forté.
“I tried on long dresses, but I couldn't move in them. But I can in this one. I am ready to dance,” she said about her mini gown with long, layered ruffles.
Both girls selected playful, colorful gowns, but while Leah's is short, Lauren's is long and straight. “I think it looks glamorous,” Lauren's mom said about her dress.
Lauren can't wait to get dressed up for prom but said she is also excited for her sister. “Leah doesn't wear make-up or wear dresses or heels, and I can't wait for people to see her in this dress. It is like a total make-over!”
“OK, so I will wear make-up to prom,” Leah laughs. “Enough already.”
It is rare for Lauren to leave the house without make-up, and when she does it doesn't go unnoticed, but the duo will get help from their big sister, Lyndsey. “I don't want to look like I have on a mask,” said Leah. “I trust her.”
Noticing things like make-up, personality and style is one way to help girl's select prom gowns said JoAnne Kirby, manager of Prom Headquarters in Jacksonville.
“I let the girls pick out a few dresses and try them on and then I help them select the best one for their individuality. I just notice how they look and what they like.”
With the charm of a grandmother, Kirby said she encourages girls towards dresses that fit their uniqueness, body type and trends.
“The A-line dress is perfect for girls with an hour glass figure or bigger hips,” she said. “Brown is also the color this year for prom, but we have seen bright colors. It really just depends on the girl with what color they pick.”
Kirby has noticed gowns like the brown and aqua Lauren is wearing are popular but so are full ball gowns.
Tammie Tuck, sales clerk at the Quality Shoppe in Jacksonville, agrees.
“This is the year of full dresses,” she said. “We have had girls come in and they don't want poofy, but the mom talks her into trying one on and she walks out with one.”
Tuck observed both the brown and bright color trend too. “We have sold a lot of chocolate brown, and they are normally straight dresses,” she said. “The poofy, full gowns have been bright colors. Aqua, orange, raspberry, yellow…they are bright and fun.”
The most popular prom gown for Alexander's Bridal Shop in Oxford is a chocolate brown, full length gown said owner Mike Alexander. He has also seen there is no one trend and the character of the girl is what matters most.
“We have about 1,000 dresses, and they make them to fit all personalities.”
Alexander points out a full length, black and white polka dotted gown with a large red sash and bow. “This one has been popular.” Then he directs his attention to a simple, straight aqua gown decorated with a stream of Swarovski crystals. “Oh, but this one is also popular too.”
Alexander points out that prom is not just for girls and some guys are taking note of fashion for the social gathering of year.
“This year we had a few girls that told us they had to match their gown to the guy's vest.”
Admitting it is rare for girls to select gowns around their dates, he said sometimes boys do take just as much time selecting a tuxedo as girls do with dresses.
“Guys no longer wear cummerbunds. There are no bow ties and no button covers,” he said. “Now it is brown tuxes, long ties with matching vest and longer coats. They want to look good too.”
Lauren and Leah's prom dates matched their tuxedos to their dresses and both say the like what was selected.
“He is wearing a brown tux, brown vest and an aqua tie,” said Lauren, speaking about her date Taylor Clark. “I don't think he is too excited about it but he is wearing it.”
Leah said her date, Devin Futral, is wearing all white. “His is a white tuxedo, white vest and white tie.”
Now that they have their dresses and their dates have their tuxedos, the only thing on their to do list for their March 30 prom is picking up their shoes and waiting to get ready the day of the dance.
“We have to make a hair appointment, get our nails done, our eyebrows waxed and get our tan,” said Lauren. Leah is excited about dressing up for the prom, but she just wants to have fun.
“It is going to be so much fun. It is a time to let loose and dance. But I will probably take off my shoes and go barefoot.”
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Miss Alabama searches for her Hollywood-glamour side
By Theresa Shadrix
Star Staff Writer
01-14-2007
Miss Alabama Melinda Toole knows — for sure — only one thing about what she'll wear to Gov. Bob Riley's inauguration ball Monday: It will be glamorous.
“I love the old Hollywood look, and people have told me for years that I have the look,” says Toole, who early last week had not settled on a design. She only knew that it would be a custom-made design by Ann Northington, the official dress sponsor of the Miss Alabama Scholarship Pageant.
And, since Toole is preparing to leave for the Miss America pageant on Friday, she had a lot of gowns to choose from.
“Ann has created some amazing gowns for me this year. To me, all of her gowns have that old Hollywood look to them.”
Northington said the gowns she created for Toole this year are her best work yet. When Miss Alabama Deidre Downs won the Miss America pageant in 2005, the two-piece white gown was a Northington design.
“I make only pageant dresses and have been proud of my previous work, but I think this year is very special,” Northington said.
Toole said Northington creates a signature style that fits each Miss Alabama, and she feels very good in all of the gowns created for her. After she makes up her mind which gown to wear for the inaugural ball, she said getting ready will not be that different than for a pageant. Except she will not have to worry about wearing a swimsuit or being interviewed by a panel of judges and entertainment at the ball will be left up to country music singer Sara Evans.
As Miss Alabama she said she is excited about attending the ball to celebrate Riley's next term and then representing the state at the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.
“I know the ball will just be a very glamorous night.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to get a glamorous look of your own, Miss Alabama Melinda Toole has some tips:
Try on as many dresses in various colors and styles as you can. Don't go for the first thing you try on. Take a friend with you. If you plan on shopping at two different stores, have a friend take a picture of you in gowns that you really.
Choose something that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful. But make sure it is the right fit for your body type.
The day of the event, plan a pampering day and get your hair and nails done.
Make good use of make-up artists at department stores. For Monday's inaugural ball, Toole will have her make-up done at Gus Meyer in Birmingham.
“It is always fun to play with make-up,” she said. It also takes the guess work out of finding the right look for your skin type and coloring.
Choose accessories wisely. Don't over-do the look with too much jewelry in an embellished gown.
Don't forget to wear comfortable dancing shoes.
The Miss America pageant airs live on CMT, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
miss america
miss alabama pageant
miss alabama 
melinda toole
pageant gown
ann northington
Solving the mystery of the ball gown
By Theresa Shadrix
The Anniston Star Staff Writer
01-14-2007
Patsy Riley does not design and tell.
So when the red carpet rolls out at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex tomorrow at 8 for Gov. Bob Riley's inaugural ball, all eyes will be on his wife. After all, she is not only the First Lady of Alabama; she will be the belle of the ball in a couture gown she designed.
“I like secrets, and I don't usually tell too much,” she said when asked what she will wear. Wanting to keep the details of the dress design a secret, because, “every girl should have an element of surprise,” she said she just hopes the governor likes it as much as she does.
She did fess up that it will be a vintage-styled gown she designed with a little help from some friends. Inspired by her childhood fashion icons, it will be a 1950s and '60s-inspired ball gown.
“When I was a teen, I admired Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds in the movies,” Riley said. “They were my role models. So my dress has a little bit of Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and a dash of Debbie Reynolds.”
It was Liz Stearns of Susan Lee Boutique in Atlanta on whom she called to help dress her for the ball.
“I described what I wanted, and she had it made,” Riley said. Stearns also helped dress Riley for President Bush's inauguration and was excited when she received her call.
“I was just beside myself that she remembered me after two years,” Stearns said.
Riley brought a picture of what she wanted, and Stearns said she knew a designer, Saul Kapilivsky of Rose Taft, who could make the dress a reality. Stearns said Riley knows what she wants and what looks good on her, and it makes dressing her for an event easy.
One thing Riley admits is that she is not sure how to do her eye make-up for the ball. She will do her own hair, foundation and blush but asked her cousin, Hayley Mauldin Daniel, a make-up artist at Gates of Pearls in Birmingham, to glam her up for the night by “painting her eyes.”
With Sara Evans headlining as the entertainment at the ball, Riley said she can't wait to dance with the governor and celebrate his second term. He will wear one of his favorite tuxedos and his trademark black cowboy boots.
“Ya know, a man never looks as handsome as when he is in a tuxedo, she said in her distinct Clay County accent.
For the inaugural swearing-in ceremony, Monday at noon on the Capitol steps, the governor will most likely wear a favorite red tie with a dark suit. The First Lady jokes that she is not like her mother's generation in which the wife often laid clothes on the bed and selected the husband's outfit for the day.
“I used to think that was so funny. Now, I love to buy his ties, but he does dress himself,” she insists.
Standing by her husband as he takes his oath as the 53rd governor of Alabama, the First Lady will wear a custom made suit by Sue Tang of Sue Tang Designs in Montgomery and a hat by Melanie McLaughlin of Mobile. McLaughlin designed the hat Riley wore to the first inaugural swearing in ceremony and she knew she wanted her to do another one.
“I'm going to reinvent the hat,” she jokes.
Tang said Riley designed the suit, and she wanted something feminine and patriotic.
“The suit is full of life and is very feminine. She has a flowing skirt, and I think she looks very good,” Tang said. Tang said it is important for any outfit to fit a person's personality and the first lady's suit is no exception.
“She is very outgoing, warm to people and we wanted to make her suit warm, with a happy color with a celebration look.
Stearns said Riley makes the process of dressing her fun and relaxing.
“She looks like a million dollars,” Stearns said. “I can't wait. Alabama will really be proud.”
Riley said when she is announced at the ball with her husband, she hopes southern young ladies will appreciate her style. More than anything she hopes Alabamians will see they are normal folks.
“We are just like everyone else but we so want to always put our best face and best attitude for the people. Ya know, they deserve it.”
The Anniston Star Staff Writer
01-14-2007
Patsy Riley does not design and tell.
So when the red carpet rolls out at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex tomorrow at 8 for Gov. Bob Riley's inaugural ball, all eyes will be on his wife. After all, she is not only the First Lady of Alabama; she will be the belle of the ball in a couture gown she designed.
“I like secrets, and I don't usually tell too much,” she said when asked what she will wear. Wanting to keep the details of the dress design a secret, because, “every girl should have an element of surprise,” she said she just hopes the governor likes it as much as she does.
She did fess up that it will be a vintage-styled gown she designed with a little help from some friends. Inspired by her childhood fashion icons, it will be a 1950s and '60s-inspired ball gown.
“When I was a teen, I admired Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds in the movies,” Riley said. “They were my role models. So my dress has a little bit of Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and a dash of Debbie Reynolds.”
It was Liz Stearns of Susan Lee Boutique in Atlanta on whom she called to help dress her for the ball.
“I described what I wanted, and she had it made,” Riley said. Stearns also helped dress Riley for President Bush's inauguration and was excited when she received her call.
“I was just beside myself that she remembered me after two years,” Stearns said.
Riley brought a picture of what she wanted, and Stearns said she knew a designer, Saul Kapilivsky of Rose Taft, who could make the dress a reality. Stearns said Riley knows what she wants and what looks good on her, and it makes dressing her for an event easy.
One thing Riley admits is that she is not sure how to do her eye make-up for the ball. She will do her own hair, foundation and blush but asked her cousin, Hayley Mauldin Daniel, a make-up artist at Gates of Pearls in Birmingham, to glam her up for the night by “painting her eyes.”
With Sara Evans headlining as the entertainment at the ball, Riley said she can't wait to dance with the governor and celebrate his second term. He will wear one of his favorite tuxedos and his trademark black cowboy boots.
“Ya know, a man never looks as handsome as when he is in a tuxedo, she said in her distinct Clay County accent.
For the inaugural swearing-in ceremony, Monday at noon on the Capitol steps, the governor will most likely wear a favorite red tie with a dark suit. The First Lady jokes that she is not like her mother's generation in which the wife often laid clothes on the bed and selected the husband's outfit for the day.
“I used to think that was so funny. Now, I love to buy his ties, but he does dress himself,” she insists.
Standing by her husband as he takes his oath as the 53rd governor of Alabama, the First Lady will wear a custom made suit by Sue Tang of Sue Tang Designs in Montgomery and a hat by Melanie McLaughlin of Mobile. McLaughlin designed the hat Riley wore to the first inaugural swearing in ceremony and she knew she wanted her to do another one.
“I'm going to reinvent the hat,” she jokes.
Tang said Riley designed the suit, and she wanted something feminine and patriotic.
“The suit is full of life and is very feminine. She has a flowing skirt, and I think she looks very good,” Tang said. Tang said it is important for any outfit to fit a person's personality and the first lady's suit is no exception.
“She is very outgoing, warm to people and we wanted to make her suit warm, with a happy color with a celebration look.
Stearns said Riley makes the process of dressing her fun and relaxing.
“She looks like a million dollars,” Stearns said. “I can't wait. Alabama will really be proud.”
Riley said when she is announced at the ball with her husband, she hopes southern young ladies will appreciate her style. More than anything she hopes Alabamians will see they are normal folks.
“We are just like everyone else but we so want to always put our best face and best attitude for the people. Ya know, they deserve it.”
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Florence fashion designer closes doors
By Theresa Shadrix
The Anniston Star
10-01-2006
Natalie Chanin has been on a six-year journey that has inspired her beyond measure. So on Friday, when she and partner Enrico Marone-Cinzano closed the doors of Project Alabama, it was not easy.
“It was a financial decision,” says Chanin, who was born in Florence. “I am extremely proud of the work that we have accomplished over the last six years.”
Chanin and Marone-Cinzano started Project Alabama, a fashion design company, in 2000 and based it in Florence. But Project Alabama was more than a fashion design company. As its name signifies, the founders wanted to involve the local community while also making clothes.
At one time, it employed 150 local seamstresses who sewed one-of-a-kind garments made by hand. A week before the closing, it was down to 15.
Chanin did more than provide a job to locals in the rural town of 36,000 and create buzz in the trendy fashion metropolis. She taught the seamstresses how to take a piece of material and create beauty. Project Alabama fashions were on runways in New York and displayed in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Town & Country, Glamour and Harper's Bazaar. Her designs hung in more than 50 stores in 10 countries.
While most fashion designers dream of New York, Milan and Paris, Chanin drew positive attention from the fashion world by staying true to her Southern roots, offering Southern flair with big-city motif. They were creations the couture world could marvel about and the everyday woman could appreciate.
She also had what most women only dream about — a career where she worked from home, was a part of the couture fashion world and was surrounded by family and friends.
Today, with the closing of Project Alabama, it is friends and family that she remembers.
“(Project Alabama) has been a beautiful path filled with friends, family, stories, laughter, love, frustration, tears, joy, incredibly talented artisans, great food, a supportive audience, and, in essence, just amazingly good people,” she says.
For now, Chanin says she will take some time to let the closing of Project Alabama sink in before planning her next move.
And Alabama will wait with anticipation.
The Anniston Star
10-01-2006
Natalie Chanin has been on a six-year journey that has inspired her beyond measure. So on Friday, when she and partner Enrico Marone-Cinzano closed the doors of Project Alabama, it was not easy.
“It was a financial decision,” says Chanin, who was born in Florence. “I am extremely proud of the work that we have accomplished over the last six years.”
Chanin and Marone-Cinzano started Project Alabama, a fashion design company, in 2000 and based it in Florence. But Project Alabama was more than a fashion design company. As its name signifies, the founders wanted to involve the local community while also making clothes.
At one time, it employed 150 local seamstresses who sewed one-of-a-kind garments made by hand. A week before the closing, it was down to 15.
Chanin did more than provide a job to locals in the rural town of 36,000 and create buzz in the trendy fashion metropolis. She taught the seamstresses how to take a piece of material and create beauty. Project Alabama fashions were on runways in New York and displayed in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Town & Country, Glamour and Harper's Bazaar. Her designs hung in more than 50 stores in 10 countries.
While most fashion designers dream of New York, Milan and Paris, Chanin drew positive attention from the fashion world by staying true to her Southern roots, offering Southern flair with big-city motif. They were creations the couture world could marvel about and the everyday woman could appreciate.
She also had what most women only dream about — a career where she worked from home, was a part of the couture fashion world and was surrounded by family and friends.
Today, with the closing of Project Alabama, it is friends and family that she remembers.
“(Project Alabama) has been a beautiful path filled with friends, family, stories, laughter, love, frustration, tears, joy, incredibly talented artisans, great food, a supportive audience, and, in essence, just amazingly good people,” she says.
For now, Chanin says she will take some time to let the closing of Project Alabama sink in before planning her next move.
And Alabama will wait with anticipation.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Churches should offer members training in foundational doctrines, George says
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
September 14, 2006
With the passing of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Christians are reminded of the importance of understanding Islam.
Despite the contemporary significance, history is where it all begins, according to Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, an executive editor of Christianity Today and author of more than 20 books, including “Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?”.
George said Christianity, Islam and Judaism are historical religions, with each relying on a book — versions of the Bible for Christians and Jews and the Quran for Muslims — and they are missionary religions.
He stressed the importance of churches training members to stand firm in doctrinal beliefs in order to be effective witnesses to Muslims.
“We need to come back to the fundamental basics of the faith,” George said. “We know a little about confessions and almost nothing about catechisms, but yet the very first things ever published by the (Baptist) Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) were about catechisms. We need to go back to these historical documents and reconnect.”
George said he is a strong believer in Discipleship Training but it needs to be more organized. “We do doctrine studies but these are declining and we need to reconnect with heritage,” he said. “I would encourage pastors to teach doctrinal sermons.”
One reason George sees Discipleship Training as a needed program in churches is the growth of Muslim Student Association groups on college campuses. These groups’ primary focus is to evangelize Christian students, and he thinks doctrinal teachings from pastors and churches need to start at a young age to prepare Christians for this type of interaction.
George said Christians need to know that only 15 percent of Muslims live in the Middle East. Islam is the fastest-growing religion not just in the world but also in the United States, where an estimated 6 million, or one out of every six people, are Muslim, he said.
Christians can respond to Islam with knowledge of their faith, as well as living as Jesus Christ lived, and George said open dialogue is the best approach.
“Become a friend with a Muslim,” he said. “Stress and recognize the common humanity as Jesus did. Their children get sick and they are interested in the same things.”
George also believes Christians should work on community projects with Muslims to build relationships and be positive, constructive Christian witnesses. Most of all, he said, Christians need to pray.
“Pray God will open hearts of Muslims for missionaries serving in places where their lives are in jeopardy. Pray God will use us in this country and be uncompromised.”
George said the biggest misconception for Christians to understand about Muslims is their teachings on Jesus Christ.
He said they cannot believe that the Word was made flesh and this main difference is recognized in the phrase written in Arabic on Muslims’ third most holy site, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It states, “God has no son.” The Quran also teaches that Jesus Christ wasn’t crucified and instead someone else, possibly Judas, took His place on the cross.
“They admit there was a crucifixion on Good Friday and meant for Jesus Christ, but God lifted Him into heaven, and He didn’t have to face humiliation and shame,” George said.
He said the Dome of the Rock faces the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which stands on the site where Jesus’ crucifixion is believed to have occurred.
“One building says, ‘God has no son;’ one says, ‘He died,’” George said. “Everything that needs to be said is here.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist.
The Alabama Baptist
September 14, 2006
With the passing of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Christians are reminded of the importance of understanding Islam.
Despite the contemporary significance, history is where it all begins, according to Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, an executive editor of Christianity Today and author of more than 20 books, including “Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?”.
George said Christianity, Islam and Judaism are historical religions, with each relying on a book — versions of the Bible for Christians and Jews and the Quran for Muslims — and they are missionary religions.
He stressed the importance of churches training members to stand firm in doctrinal beliefs in order to be effective witnesses to Muslims.
“We need to come back to the fundamental basics of the faith,” George said. “We know a little about confessions and almost nothing about catechisms, but yet the very first things ever published by the (Baptist) Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) were about catechisms. We need to go back to these historical documents and reconnect.”
George said he is a strong believer in Discipleship Training but it needs to be more organized. “We do doctrine studies but these are declining and we need to reconnect with heritage,” he said. “I would encourage pastors to teach doctrinal sermons.”
One reason George sees Discipleship Training as a needed program in churches is the growth of Muslim Student Association groups on college campuses. These groups’ primary focus is to evangelize Christian students, and he thinks doctrinal teachings from pastors and churches need to start at a young age to prepare Christians for this type of interaction.
George said Christians need to know that only 15 percent of Muslims live in the Middle East. Islam is the fastest-growing religion not just in the world but also in the United States, where an estimated 6 million, or one out of every six people, are Muslim, he said.
Christians can respond to Islam with knowledge of their faith, as well as living as Jesus Christ lived, and George said open dialogue is the best approach.
“Become a friend with a Muslim,” he said. “Stress and recognize the common humanity as Jesus did. Their children get sick and they are interested in the same things.”
George also believes Christians should work on community projects with Muslims to build relationships and be positive, constructive Christian witnesses. Most of all, he said, Christians need to pray.
“Pray God will open hearts of Muslims for missionaries serving in places where their lives are in jeopardy. Pray God will use us in this country and be uncompromised.”
George said the biggest misconception for Christians to understand about Muslims is their teachings on Jesus Christ.
He said they cannot believe that the Word was made flesh and this main difference is recognized in the phrase written in Arabic on Muslims’ third most holy site, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It states, “God has no son.” The Quran also teaches that Jesus Christ wasn’t crucified and instead someone else, possibly Judas, took His place on the cross.
“They admit there was a crucifixion on Good Friday and meant for Jesus Christ, but God lifted Him into heaven, and He didn’t have to face humiliation and shame,” George said.
He said the Dome of the Rock faces the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which stands on the site where Jesus’ crucifixion is believed to have occurred.
“One building says, ‘God has no son;’ one says, ‘He died,’” George said. “Everything that needs to be said is here.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Botox or Restylane? Don’t get worry lines choosing between them
by Theresa Shadrix
LongLeaf Style
September 2006
If crow’s feet and laugh lines are mocking you in the mirror, it might be time to consider the secret weapons of the cosmetic elite — Botox and Restylane.
Not new to controversy, Botox has been a hot topic among spa gossipers since its debut 15 years ago because its active ingredient is the toxic food bacterium that causes botulism. But the chatter erupted in July when The Islamist National Fatwa Council advised the Malaysian government to ban Botox for cosmetic use because it contains prohibited substances from pigs, which Islam considers unclean.
Cathy DiRamio, public relations manager for Botox manufacturer Allergan Inc., dismissed the concern, saying the final Botox product does not contain any porcine elements. The manufacturing process uses an enzyme derived from pig’s milk to grow the Clostridium botulinum bacteria which give Botox its activity, but the enzyme is removed during the purification process.
Botox has been approved in more than 40 other countries worldwide “for aesthetic use for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines (the vertical ‘frown lines’ between the brows),” DiRamio said.
Dr. Shelley Ray, an Anniston dermatologist, said she has injected men and women, ages 18 to 65, purely for cosmetic purposes, and her patients are willing to spend at least $150 per treatment every three months. Repeated treatments are necessary, she said, “because Botox weakens muscles by preventing transmission to the nerve, and since it is a protein, the body tears it down.”
Ray insists Botox injection is a safe and painless procedure. “It is a very small needle, more like a pressure discomfort. It is very low on the pain scale,” she said.
While Botox is a muscle relaxer, Restylane is an entirely different cosmetic approach to wrinkles, serving as a filler in the furrows of the skin. Botox is best suited for the upper face, whereas Restylane is injected into the lower facial extremities.
“It plumps up the folds and corrects facial wrinkles, such as laugh lines around the mouth. The cost of Restylane is $450 per syringe. A syringe usually contains more than one treatment and a single injection typically lasts six months, Ray said. When you buy a syringe the doctor will keep it for you, and subsequent treatments will come from that same syringe until it is empty, Ray said. The number of treatments in a syringe depends on the individual patient.
Before injecting Restylane, Ray cautions patients that they may feel some pain. “It is a thick product, so [injection can be] painful,” she said. However, she administers a topical anesthetic about 30 minutes before the procedure to numb the area. “You don’t feel anything,” she said.
Since Restylane is the new kid on the cosmetic block, with FDA approval in 2003 and its first shipment to physicians in January 2004, procedure numbers were not available.
Ray warns that while the injections are non-surgical, both Botox and Restyland are to be administered by qualified professionals, which include ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and dermatologists.
Those seeking a youthful appearance may be confused about which product is best suited for them, but Ray said she injects Botox and Restylane at the same time, and it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
“We do consultations all the time where a patient simply comes in and asks what I can do to help them.” If in doubt about your laugh lines, crow’s feet and facial wrinkles, she said, all you have to do is ask.
Longleaf Style managing editor Theresa Shadrix is not yet a candidate for Botox or Restylane — which means she can spend more on shoes.
LongLeaf Style
September 2006
If crow’s feet and laugh lines are mocking you in the mirror, it might be time to consider the secret weapons of the cosmetic elite — Botox and Restylane.
Not new to controversy, Botox has been a hot topic among spa gossipers since its debut 15 years ago because its active ingredient is the toxic food bacterium that causes botulism. But the chatter erupted in July when The Islamist National Fatwa Council advised the Malaysian government to ban Botox for cosmetic use because it contains prohibited substances from pigs, which Islam considers unclean.
Cathy DiRamio, public relations manager for Botox manufacturer Allergan Inc., dismissed the concern, saying the final Botox product does not contain any porcine elements. The manufacturing process uses an enzyme derived from pig’s milk to grow the Clostridium botulinum bacteria which give Botox its activity, but the enzyme is removed during the purification process.
Botox has been approved in more than 40 other countries worldwide “for aesthetic use for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines (the vertical ‘frown lines’ between the brows),” DiRamio said.
Dr. Shelley Ray, an Anniston dermatologist, said she has injected men and women, ages 18 to 65, purely for cosmetic purposes, and her patients are willing to spend at least $150 per treatment every three months. Repeated treatments are necessary, she said, “because Botox weakens muscles by preventing transmission to the nerve, and since it is a protein, the body tears it down.”
Ray insists Botox injection is a safe and painless procedure. “It is a very small needle, more like a pressure discomfort. It is very low on the pain scale,” she said.
While Botox is a muscle relaxer, Restylane is an entirely different cosmetic approach to wrinkles, serving as a filler in the furrows of the skin. Botox is best suited for the upper face, whereas Restylane is injected into the lower facial extremities.
“It plumps up the folds and corrects facial wrinkles, such as laugh lines around the mouth. The cost of Restylane is $450 per syringe. A syringe usually contains more than one treatment and a single injection typically lasts six months, Ray said. When you buy a syringe the doctor will keep it for you, and subsequent treatments will come from that same syringe until it is empty, Ray said. The number of treatments in a syringe depends on the individual patient.
Before injecting Restylane, Ray cautions patients that they may feel some pain. “It is a thick product, so [injection can be] painful,” she said. However, she administers a topical anesthetic about 30 minutes before the procedure to numb the area. “You don’t feel anything,” she said.
Since Restylane is the new kid on the cosmetic block, with FDA approval in 2003 and its first shipment to physicians in January 2004, procedure numbers were not available.
Ray warns that while the injections are non-surgical, both Botox and Restyland are to be administered by qualified professionals, which include ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and dermatologists.
Those seeking a youthful appearance may be confused about which product is best suited for them, but Ray said she injects Botox and Restylane at the same time, and it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
“We do consultations all the time where a patient simply comes in and asks what I can do to help them.” If in doubt about your laugh lines, crow’s feet and facial wrinkles, she said, all you have to do is ask.
Longleaf Style managing editor Theresa Shadrix is not yet a candidate for Botox or Restylane — which means she can spend more on shoes.
Monday, September 04, 2006
That’s right — wear white now
Various shades of white — combined with splashes of gold and camel — combine for a fashionable ensemble fit for wearing into fall and winter. Photo Illustration By Trent Penny and Theresa Shadrix
By Theresa Shadrix
The Anniston Star
09-03-2006
Ask any good Southern girl why she packs away her white wardrobe, including shoes, purses and pants, on Labor Day and it usually has something to do with her mother.
Labor Day celebrates the American worker and marks the beginning of the unofficial ‘no white’ period for Southern women.
Boxes are packed, closets are cleaned and everything white is stored away during the winter months.
Ending on Memorial Day or Easter, the No White Period is a seven-month hiatus of all things white — or is it?
“For me Labor Day is the end of summer, and when summer ends, the sandal-wearing ends also,” says Delana Gilmore, publications secretary for The Calhoun Baptist Association.
One of the many Southern women who learned the No-White rule from her mother, Gilmore contends that she is not sure if keeping to the Labor Day fashion rule is owed to the voice of Mom in her head or to lessons learned at Judson College, an all female Baptist University.
She does know that wearing white in winter is sure to get a Southern girl a few discourteous stares.
“If I do wear bright white shoes in November or December, I will be so uncomfortable and self-conscious about it that I probably try to hide my feet,” she jokes. “I know that it’s not a don’t any more. However, the ideas that I grew up on are what I govern my life by.
“They might not be for everybody, but those ideas are what make me ME.”
Like many other women in the South, Gilmore is not alone in following the advice of her foremothers.
Eula Tatman, grants manager for the Calhoun County Community Foundation, grew up in Kansas and says her mother planted the White Rule in regard to shoes in her psyche every Easter.
“Mom rarely bought white shoes for Easter (I have five sisters). She bought black patent leather shoes,” she says. “She wanted us to be able to wear our Easter shoes year round.
Therefore, I guess as a child, it was instilled in us that white shoes were not to be worn all year round.”
Tatman says she adheres to the No White Shoes rule due to fashion peer pressure.
“As an adult or college-age (girl), you would get a stare from your girlfriends who’d threaten to call the Fashion Police, unless of course it’s winter white.”
White Plains Elementary School Title I aide Patsy Cronan also recalls learning the white shoe rule on Easter.
“I can remember getting white sandals and I couldn’t wear them until Easter and I could wear them until Labor Day,” she says with a grin.
Another good Southern girl, Cronan would never go against the Shoe Rule but wonders about her white pants.
“I wore these (white) pants today and knew that I had to put them away next week,” she adds. “If you find out that we can wear them, you let me know.”
A native of England now residing in Atlanta, Ga., Lynne Marks is president of the London Image Institute and is one of only six Certified Image Masters worldwide.
She believes the rules are American, observed mainly in the South and white can be worn year-round. And yes, that includes pants.
“White is a summer and a winter color, but for winter it would be in wool and called winter white, which is ivory.”
She says that black and white were described as the new look this year, but they are always in style for midsummer.
Debra Lindquist, a certified image professional and president of Color Profiles/ The Total Look in Denver, Colo., says the root of the No White rule really pertains to shoes.
“Years ago, we did not have as many shoe color options as currently exist in 2006. There were black shoes, brown shoes and white shoes. The idea was that people needed white shoes for summer,” she says.
Today, Lindquist explains that certain rules still apply when wearing white, regardless of the season.
“Wearing white shoes is only appropriate when white is worn as a color in the rest of the outfit,” she says. “Putting on a print dress that contained no white in the print or in the print background would give the wearer an Edith Bunker type of look.”
Robbie Boggs, instructor of merchandising at Jacksonville State University, agrees the old rule was to wear a lighter colored shoe than the pants, dress or skirt but now it’s the overall look that matters in fashion.
“Bottom line, does it look good?” she asks. “Fashion rules are now obsolete and rules are broken. We are becoming a lax society and even manners are going out. Get some style and dress out of the box is what the message for fall is all about.”
But in the South, tradition in fashion is like the roots of the longleaf pine – embedded deep in the red clay and resistant to outside disturbances.
“According to folklore, most likely the rules of wearing white originated in the South — south of the Mason-Dixon line,” says Boggs.
She is not sure if wearing white had to do with the hot temperatures in the South, with white reflecting the heat of summer, or a social class issue.
“As the emerging, new middle class began growing with the industrialization of America in the 1800’s, rules of dress were applied,” she explains. “Again there was a technological boom in the 1950’s with more of society moving to the middle class.”
With the newly established middle class, Boggs says strict fashion etiquette guidelines were made and passed down through the generations.
Regardless of the fashion rules and Southern heritage, in 2006 it is all about individuality.
“If you want to put a white boot with a black skirt, just go for it,” says Boggs.
Just pray the Fashion Police are not giving out citations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rules for wearing white
• To avoid the Fashion Police, the No-White period for shoes is after Labor Day and before Memorial Day or Easter.
• It is not against the rule to wear a white shirt or pants in winter but winter white is best.
• White adds pounds. When wearing white pants, try a pair with pinstripes for a slimming look.
• Debra Lindquist offers a solution for those who are not sure of the when to wear white shoes. “White shoes are available but are not a must have in every wardrobe. Metallic shoes are an option that go with many colors of clothing and have replaced white.”
• Lynne Marks says whites should be washable and bleached otherwise they will go yellow with age. So, washable cottons are best, not polyester.
• It is also important to avoid lines from undergarments when wearing white. Marks suggests flesh-colored foundation garments with white. “NO panty line!” she says. Bras in gossamer flesh-colored nylon and panties without a strong leg elastic, or even thongs are essential. Marks says you can dye white underwear in a solution of warm water and tea bags to get it to the right color to match your skin.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Summer skin...If you value yours, resist the temptation to soak up the sun.
by Theresa Shadrix
LongLeaf Style
June 2006
The influence of the sun is legendary, mythical and powerful. For thousands of years the sun has been the object of worship, whether by agrarians praying for perfect light or by the faithful seeking favor from their supreme deity. The Greeks built the sixth wonder of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes, in honor of Helios, mythological god of the sun, and held Olympic Games in Rhodes to pay homage to him. In ancient Egypt, Ra, the sun-god, was considered the first king, and his son, pharaoh, was the god’s representative on earth.
Chae Mi Madden knows the signs of the modern-day sun worshipper, but not by cipher of a spiritual message or dedication to doctrine. She believes the face tells no lies, and with one look she can identify a follower who seeks not gold-lined streets but a golden skin.
“I just don’t understand it,” says Madden, a master cosmetologist for six years and owner of Monet Day Spa in Anniston. “I have seen many women come in for facials after too much sun, and it damages it.” Why risk premature wrinkles, leathery skin, age spots and melanoma in pursuit of a tan, she wonders, when “the natural skin is so beautiful.”
Madden has made a career of converting sun worshippers to sunscreen believers while repairing wounded skin. “There is no such thing as a good tan [from the sun],” she says. “The sun dehydrates the skin. I can do healing facials to recover it, but it takes time. You will never fully recover from sun damage.”
Madden uses treatments such as microderm abrasion and hydro- and healing facials. She employs a device called the LaFleur Repairer, which she says stimulates damaged skin and decreases wrinkles with electromagnetic energy. She does not perform medical treatments for damage from ultraviolet rays. Instead, she urges men and women to seek the advice of their doctor or a dermatologist if they have suspicious spots on their faces or bodies.
Of Asian decent, Madden spends much of her day mothering women, mostly Caucasian, about the dangers of neglecting to wear sunscreen and of using tanning beds. Although her spa has one tanning bed, she prefers to see clients come in for a spray-on tan or apply a “tan-in-a-bottle.” She advises them all to use sunscreen daily to protect their skin.
Although Madden sees sun-damaged skin nearly every day, the danger hit close to home when she learned that Monet employee Anel Petroff had a skin lesion removed from her face four years ago. Says Petroff, “I don’t leave the house in the morning without sunscreen now.” Petroff glows from her most recent facial and grins proudly at the mention of the lack of a scar, which she attributes to the skills of her dermatologist and surgeon and to her own kindness to her skin.
Petroff, a hair stylist, extends sun protection to hair as well. “I often see hair damaged from the sun,” she says. “I encourage people to apply conditioner or cover the hair with a hat. I know it doesn’t look glamorous, but it is worth it.”
LongLeaf Style
June 2006
The influence of the sun is legendary, mythical and powerful. For thousands of years the sun has been the object of worship, whether by agrarians praying for perfect light or by the faithful seeking favor from their supreme deity. The Greeks built the sixth wonder of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes, in honor of Helios, mythological god of the sun, and held Olympic Games in Rhodes to pay homage to him. In ancient Egypt, Ra, the sun-god, was considered the first king, and his son, pharaoh, was the god’s representative on earth.
Chae Mi Madden knows the signs of the modern-day sun worshipper, but not by cipher of a spiritual message or dedication to doctrine. She believes the face tells no lies, and with one look she can identify a follower who seeks not gold-lined streets but a golden skin.
“I just don’t understand it,” says Madden, a master cosmetologist for six years and owner of Monet Day Spa in Anniston. “I have seen many women come in for facials after too much sun, and it damages it.” Why risk premature wrinkles, leathery skin, age spots and melanoma in pursuit of a tan, she wonders, when “the natural skin is so beautiful.”
Madden has made a career of converting sun worshippers to sunscreen believers while repairing wounded skin. “There is no such thing as a good tan [from the sun],” she says. “The sun dehydrates the skin. I can do healing facials to recover it, but it takes time. You will never fully recover from sun damage.”
Madden uses treatments such as microderm abrasion and hydro- and healing facials. She employs a device called the LaFleur Repairer, which she says stimulates damaged skin and decreases wrinkles with electromagnetic energy. She does not perform medical treatments for damage from ultraviolet rays. Instead, she urges men and women to seek the advice of their doctor or a dermatologist if they have suspicious spots on their faces or bodies.
Of Asian decent, Madden spends much of her day mothering women, mostly Caucasian, about the dangers of neglecting to wear sunscreen and of using tanning beds. Although her spa has one tanning bed, she prefers to see clients come in for a spray-on tan or apply a “tan-in-a-bottle.” She advises them all to use sunscreen daily to protect their skin.
Although Madden sees sun-damaged skin nearly every day, the danger hit close to home when she learned that Monet employee Anel Petroff had a skin lesion removed from her face four years ago. Says Petroff, “I don’t leave the house in the morning without sunscreen now.” Petroff glows from her most recent facial and grins proudly at the mention of the lack of a scar, which she attributes to the skills of her dermatologist and surgeon and to her own kindness to her skin.
Petroff, a hair stylist, extends sun protection to hair as well. “I often see hair damaged from the sun,” she says. “I encourage people to apply conditioner or cover the hair with a hat. I know it doesn’t look glamorous, but it is worth it.”
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Christians debate, weigh intelligent design for validity as scientific theory
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
March 16, 2006
Most Christians have solid opinions on issues like the display of the Ten Commandments and prayer in schools, but many are not finding clarity in their opinion about the theory of intelligent design (ID).
With roots in astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology, the modern-day ID theory began to take form in 1802 with William Paley’s watchmaker analogy in “Natural Theology.”
According to Paley, if a watch is found in a field, then the complexity of the watch offers evidence that it is the product of intelligence, and thus the natural world provides evidence of a worldmaker. This preceded the theory of evolution, introduced in Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” in 1859.
In 1984, Charles Thaxton, Walter Bradley and Roger Olson presented a critique of the theory of evolution in the publication “The Mystery of Life’s Origin.” Michael Denton followed with his analysis, “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,” two years later. These publications laid a foundation and gave way to the present-day ID movement and future books on the subject, including William Dembski’s “The Design Inference” in 1998.
Until recently, ID was mainly a topic among the scientific community, which largely does not support the ID theory.
However, the Kitzmiller vs. Dover (Pa.) Area School District trial, in which U.S. District Judge John E. Jones ruled that inserting ID into the school science curriculum violates the constitutional separation of church and state, brought the topic into mainstream conversations.
A spokesman for an ID think tank contends media attention given to such trials merges ID and creation science — a form of creationism — into one theory, when in actuality ID is a separate theory based not on religion but biology.
Rob Crowther, director of media and public relations for the Discovery Institute Center for Science & Culture, said he believes an agenda to distort ID is a purposeful act. “It is designed by the Darwinians. They like to confuse the lines between (ID and creation science),” he said. That is why Crowther believes there must be education on the three distinct definitions related to life: creation science, evolution and ID.
He said evolution has three definitions. One holds that change occurs over time. A second contends common ancestry and all forms of life evolved from a single original life form. And a third asserts that natural science, acting on random mutation, is the primary mechanism by which life forms have evolved.
“ID scientists do not have a problem with definition No. 1. There is some debate over definition No. 2, but it is not incompatible with ID,” Crowther said. “Definition No. 3, commonly referred to as Darwinian evolution, is a specific part of evolution that ID challenges and is the heart of Darwin’s theory.”
Crowther said the scientific theory of intelligent design holds that instead of evidence for mutation “there are clear indicators of design in nature and that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause.”
Unlike creation science, however, which presupposes that God created the universe, ID does not promote an answer for who that designer might be. “Intelligent design theory does not claim that science can determine the identity of the intelligent cause,” he said. “All it proposes is that science can identify whether certain features of the natural world are the products of intelligence.”
Dembski, the Carl F.H. Henry Professor of Science and Theology and director of the Center for Science and Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Ky., said he best defines ID as “the study of patterns in nature that are best explained as the result of intelligence.”
A mathematician, philosopher, theologian and one of the leading proponents in the ID movement, Dembski agrees its most controversial area of application is biology. “If patterns in biological systems exist that signify intelligence, then this intelligence would have to be an unevolved intelligence, which is utterly counter to conventional evolutionary theory.”
According to him, while creation science is in the first instance a doctrine about the source of being of the world, like questioning where everything comes from, ID does not ask where nature or the world ultimately comes from.
“Creationism goes further than creation and takes a particular view of creation, typically a particular interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, and then seeks to harmonize it with science,” he said. “ID, by contrast, is not part of the Bible-science controversy.”
Dembski said because the ID community includes evangelical Christians, who believe that ultimately the designer is the Christian God, it is easy to see how the lines between creationism and ID are blurred. Nevertheless he said Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists understand the intelligence behind the design in nature in terms compatible with their religious faith.
“ID is not vague about the designer,” Dembski said. “It simply says that from strictly the data of nature, there’s not much we can say about the identity of the designer, and to say more about the designer, we need to look to philosophy and theology.”
Although ID has no stake in trying to harmonize religious texts with scientific data, he said it is much more friendly and compatible with Christian theism.
“Evolutionary theory, by contrast, is hard to square with Christian theism because it views nature unguided by any intelligence as sufficient to bring about biological complexity and diversity,” Dembski said.
“When evolutionists talk about evolution, they are not thinking of an intelligently planned process exhibiting clear goals or purposes. They are thinking of an accidental process that from our vantage happened to do interesting things.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
March 16, 2006
Most Christians have solid opinions on issues like the display of the Ten Commandments and prayer in schools, but many are not finding clarity in their opinion about the theory of intelligent design (ID).
With roots in astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology, the modern-day ID theory began to take form in 1802 with William Paley’s watchmaker analogy in “Natural Theology.”
According to Paley, if a watch is found in a field, then the complexity of the watch offers evidence that it is the product of intelligence, and thus the natural world provides evidence of a worldmaker. This preceded the theory of evolution, introduced in Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” in 1859.
In 1984, Charles Thaxton, Walter Bradley and Roger Olson presented a critique of the theory of evolution in the publication “The Mystery of Life’s Origin.” Michael Denton followed with his analysis, “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,” two years later. These publications laid a foundation and gave way to the present-day ID movement and future books on the subject, including William Dembski’s “The Design Inference” in 1998.
Until recently, ID was mainly a topic among the scientific community, which largely does not support the ID theory.
However, the Kitzmiller vs. Dover (Pa.) Area School District trial, in which U.S. District Judge John E. Jones ruled that inserting ID into the school science curriculum violates the constitutional separation of church and state, brought the topic into mainstream conversations.
A spokesman for an ID think tank contends media attention given to such trials merges ID and creation science — a form of creationism — into one theory, when in actuality ID is a separate theory based not on religion but biology.
Rob Crowther, director of media and public relations for the Discovery Institute Center for Science & Culture, said he believes an agenda to distort ID is a purposeful act. “It is designed by the Darwinians. They like to confuse the lines between (ID and creation science),” he said. That is why Crowther believes there must be education on the three distinct definitions related to life: creation science, evolution and ID.
He said evolution has three definitions. One holds that change occurs over time. A second contends common ancestry and all forms of life evolved from a single original life form. And a third asserts that natural science, acting on random mutation, is the primary mechanism by which life forms have evolved.
“ID scientists do not have a problem with definition No. 1. There is some debate over definition No. 2, but it is not incompatible with ID,” Crowther said. “Definition No. 3, commonly referred to as Darwinian evolution, is a specific part of evolution that ID challenges and is the heart of Darwin’s theory.”
Crowther said the scientific theory of intelligent design holds that instead of evidence for mutation “there are clear indicators of design in nature and that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause.”
Unlike creation science, however, which presupposes that God created the universe, ID does not promote an answer for who that designer might be. “Intelligent design theory does not claim that science can determine the identity of the intelligent cause,” he said. “All it proposes is that science can identify whether certain features of the natural world are the products of intelligence.”
Dembski, the Carl F.H. Henry Professor of Science and Theology and director of the Center for Science and Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Ky., said he best defines ID as “the study of patterns in nature that are best explained as the result of intelligence.”
A mathematician, philosopher, theologian and one of the leading proponents in the ID movement, Dembski agrees its most controversial area of application is biology. “If patterns in biological systems exist that signify intelligence, then this intelligence would have to be an unevolved intelligence, which is utterly counter to conventional evolutionary theory.”
According to him, while creation science is in the first instance a doctrine about the source of being of the world, like questioning where everything comes from, ID does not ask where nature or the world ultimately comes from.
“Creationism goes further than creation and takes a particular view of creation, typically a particular interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, and then seeks to harmonize it with science,” he said. “ID, by contrast, is not part of the Bible-science controversy.”
Dembski said because the ID community includes evangelical Christians, who believe that ultimately the designer is the Christian God, it is easy to see how the lines between creationism and ID are blurred. Nevertheless he said Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists understand the intelligence behind the design in nature in terms compatible with their religious faith.
“ID is not vague about the designer,” Dembski said. “It simply says that from strictly the data of nature, there’s not much we can say about the identity of the designer, and to say more about the designer, we need to look to philosophy and theology.”
Although ID has no stake in trying to harmonize religious texts with scientific data, he said it is much more friendly and compatible with Christian theism.
“Evolutionary theory, by contrast, is hard to square with Christian theism because it views nature unguided by any intelligence as sufficient to bring about biological complexity and diversity,” Dembski said.
“When evolutionists talk about evolution, they are not thinking of an intelligently planned process exhibiting clear goals or purposes. They are thinking of an accidental process that from our vantage happened to do interesting things.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Anniston’s Billy Harris to retire after 50 years in ministry
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
December 8, 2005
As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Dec. 25, one church in Alabama will say goodbye to the pastor that has served them for almost 20 years.
Billy Harris, pastor of Parker Memorial Baptist Church, Anniston, in Calhoun Baptist Association, will retire after preaching the Christmas Day message. It is a decision he said was difficult, considering the historic church is on the threshold of a multimillion-dollar restoration project and preaching has been the center of his life since 1956.
“There is just no good time to say goodbye,” Harris said.
The church is hosting a reception in his honor Dec. 11, 3:30–5 p.m.
An Oxford native, Harris is the youngest of six children born to A.L. and Cora Cobb Harris. Although his parents were believers, they were not active in church. But Harris attended Lakeview Baptist Church, Oxford, in Calhoun Association with friends and made a profession of faith about age 13.
As a sophomore at Oxford High School, Harris rededicated his life after a friend invited him to a revival meeting at Glen Addie Baptist Church, Anniston. A year later, he committed his life to the ministry and started preaching right away.
Although Harris can’t recall his first sermon, he said the “preacher boys” of Glen Addie Baptist found places to preach. “Three or four of us would get together and clean out a vacant building in south Anniston,” Harris said. “We got some chairs and had a revival by inviting people to come.”
Harris said he didn’t really know what he was doing in his early days of preaching but he loved it. After high school graduation in 1957, Harris pursued pastoral studies at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. He served as pastor of churches in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida during his college and seminary years.
“During those years, there really was not a lot of attention given to communicating the gospel. The attention was on substance,” Harris said. “When I came along, you could basically go through college and seminary with no emphasis on communication.”
Harris said the more he listened to preachers, the more he realized someone needed to help them. “Gradually my interest moved toward working with young ministerial students.”
From 1968–1978, Harris was professor of religion and philosophy at Samford, where he taught preaching, speech and religious education. The guidance Harris provided to future pastors is still felt today, said former student Sid Nichols.
Nichols, director of missions for Calhoun Association, believes Harris’ instruction made an impact on his own preaching style. “He brought basic fundamentals into my preparation and presentation of my messages,” he said. “He was very respected as a speech expert, which is a valuable asset when teaching preaching.”
Harris’ affiliation with Samford has remained strong through the years. In 1992, he was selected as one of Samford’s “ministers of the year,” and professors often shared messages from the pulpit at Parker Memorial Baptist, where Harris began serving in 1986.
From the classroom to the church to the community, he confirmed that being a pastor is not affirmed in numbers according to membership, even though Parker Memorial’s is more than 2,100. It is in individual people, Harris said.
“Ministry is about people, not about programs,” he said. “We are here partnering with people to meet the needs of our community.”
Wayne Hostetter, minister of education and seniors adults at Parker Memorial, said Harris is always conscious of being a pastor to every church member. “He is a very positive individual and exhibits a great degree of wisdom in dealing with all types of situations,” he said.
Don Gober, minister of music at Parker Memorial, has worked beside Harris since 1991. Gober said he learned the wisdom of patience and caution during trying and difficult situations from Harris.
Gober, whose wife died after a long battle with breast cancer, said, “Billy Harris is the most caring and loving pastor in a time of personal crisis that I have ever known. Families constantly tell me what a comfort he has been and how his loving spirit pulled them through the worst circumstances.”
Throughout Harris’ ministry, he served on the board of directors for The Alabama Baptist, board of regents for the University of Mobile, as president of the board of governors for Judson College in Marion, and chaired the committee on boards and commissions for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
But his goal has been to please Christ, not men. Harris hopes Christ will one day say to him, “You’ve been faithful,” as a reflection of his service to church and family, which includes wife, Phoebe, and three children.
“That’s all I hope He says,” Harris said.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. ContactThe Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
December 8, 2005
As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Dec. 25, one church in Alabama will say goodbye to the pastor that has served them for almost 20 years.
Billy Harris, pastor of Parker Memorial Baptist Church, Anniston, in Calhoun Baptist Association, will retire after preaching the Christmas Day message. It is a decision he said was difficult, considering the historic church is on the threshold of a multimillion-dollar restoration project and preaching has been the center of his life since 1956.
“There is just no good time to say goodbye,” Harris said.
The church is hosting a reception in his honor Dec. 11, 3:30–5 p.m.
An Oxford native, Harris is the youngest of six children born to A.L. and Cora Cobb Harris. Although his parents were believers, they were not active in church. But Harris attended Lakeview Baptist Church, Oxford, in Calhoun Association with friends and made a profession of faith about age 13.
As a sophomore at Oxford High School, Harris rededicated his life after a friend invited him to a revival meeting at Glen Addie Baptist Church, Anniston. A year later, he committed his life to the ministry and started preaching right away.
Although Harris can’t recall his first sermon, he said the “preacher boys” of Glen Addie Baptist found places to preach. “Three or four of us would get together and clean out a vacant building in south Anniston,” Harris said. “We got some chairs and had a revival by inviting people to come.”
Harris said he didn’t really know what he was doing in his early days of preaching but he loved it. After high school graduation in 1957, Harris pursued pastoral studies at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. He served as pastor of churches in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida during his college and seminary years.
“During those years, there really was not a lot of attention given to communicating the gospel. The attention was on substance,” Harris said. “When I came along, you could basically go through college and seminary with no emphasis on communication.”
Harris said the more he listened to preachers, the more he realized someone needed to help them. “Gradually my interest moved toward working with young ministerial students.”
From 1968–1978, Harris was professor of religion and philosophy at Samford, where he taught preaching, speech and religious education. The guidance Harris provided to future pastors is still felt today, said former student Sid Nichols.
Nichols, director of missions for Calhoun Association, believes Harris’ instruction made an impact on his own preaching style. “He brought basic fundamentals into my preparation and presentation of my messages,” he said. “He was very respected as a speech expert, which is a valuable asset when teaching preaching.”
Harris’ affiliation with Samford has remained strong through the years. In 1992, he was selected as one of Samford’s “ministers of the year,” and professors often shared messages from the pulpit at Parker Memorial Baptist, where Harris began serving in 1986.
From the classroom to the church to the community, he confirmed that being a pastor is not affirmed in numbers according to membership, even though Parker Memorial’s is more than 2,100. It is in individual people, Harris said.
“Ministry is about people, not about programs,” he said. “We are here partnering with people to meet the needs of our community.”
Wayne Hostetter, minister of education and seniors adults at Parker Memorial, said Harris is always conscious of being a pastor to every church member. “He is a very positive individual and exhibits a great degree of wisdom in dealing with all types of situations,” he said.
Don Gober, minister of music at Parker Memorial, has worked beside Harris since 1991. Gober said he learned the wisdom of patience and caution during trying and difficult situations from Harris.
Gober, whose wife died after a long battle with breast cancer, said, “Billy Harris is the most caring and loving pastor in a time of personal crisis that I have ever known. Families constantly tell me what a comfort he has been and how his loving spirit pulled them through the worst circumstances.”
Throughout Harris’ ministry, he served on the board of directors for The Alabama Baptist, board of regents for the University of Mobile, as president of the board of governors for Judson College in Marion, and chaired the committee on boards and commissions for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
But his goal has been to please Christ, not men. Harris hopes Christ will one day say to him, “You’ve been faithful,” as a reflection of his service to church and family, which includes wife, Phoebe, and three children.
“That’s all I hope He says,” Harris said.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. ContactThe Alabama Baptist
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Passover observance
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
March 31, 2005
It’s the season when many shop for new spring suits, dye eggs and anticipate Easter Sunday lunch.
But in the midst of the seasonal buzz, many Alabama churches seek to provide meaningful ways for their members to slow down and embrace a deeper understanding of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And though the Lord’s Supper is the traditional observance, many are celebrating the time leading up to Christ’s death by taking the meal He took on Maundy Thursday — the traditionally Jewish Passover seder.
Last year more than 250 people attended a Passover seder hosted by North Glencoe Baptist Church and led by John Phelps of HaOr Ministries, a Kentucky-based ministry that teaches churches about the Hebrew foundations of the Christian faith.
The response was so tremendous, according to Pastor David Denson, that North Glencoe scheduled Phelps again this year for their seder March 24.
To observe the seder, the church served a meal of baked chicken, a green vegetable and kugel, followed by the Passover meal of parsley, kharoset and matzoh — all foods symbolizing some facet of the Passover.
The Passover, which occurred thousands of years ago when the Pharaoh of Egypt refused the commands of Moses to free the Hebrew slaves from captivity, demonstrates how God spared His people through the shedding of the innocent blood of a lamb — just as He did in the crucifixion.
The story — as told in Exodus 12 — follows Pharaoh’s stubbornness in the face of plagues until death for Egypt was the final judgment.
The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron that every Hebrew family should choose a perfect lamb for sacrifice and smear its blood on the top and sides of the door frame of the house.
That night, as each Hebrew family ate the roasted lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, the Lord passed through the land and killed the firstborn male in every Egyptian home, sparing the Hebrews covered by the lamb’s blood.
For centuries, the Jewish people have observed the Passover seder meal to remember their freedom.
God instructed the Israelites in Exodus 12:14, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come after you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance.”
Denson said hearing and participating in the teaching of the seder adds to the greatness of the Easter celebration.
“The seder is another opportunity to bring the Bible to life to review for refreshing and rededication in your Christian walk,” he said.
Since it was the Passover seder — now commonly known as the Last Supper — that Jesus celebrated with the disciples the night before His crucifixion, Denson believes Christians can gain much from understanding the special meal.
“The teaching of the Passover seder covers the ages from the first Passover celebrated by the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, to the Passover in the upper room celebrated by Jesus Christ and His disciples, to its observance by the Jews today,” Denson said.
Jay Isbell, elder of the Beth El Shaddai Messianic Synagogue in Birmingham, a Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship, said when Christians take part in the meal and tell the Passover story, they find that the symbolism of the whole service points to the coming Messiah.
Beth El Shaddai, like HaOr Ministries, gives Southern Baptist congregations guidance on how to conduct the Passover seder as well as how to celebrate it their congregations.
“As we celebrate communion, or the Lord’s Supper, we can see a shadow of these things, but if we carry out the whole service, we can see how it underscores God’s eternal plan for His people in a very powerful way,” Isbell said.
The seder is comprised of three parts: the haggadah (the telling), the meal and the afikomen (unleavened bread), Isbell explained. As the story of slavery to freedom and of darkness to light is retold, the pastor also leads the congregation in sharing a meal of bitter herbs, a roasted egg, a sweet apple mixture, parsley and a bone.
According to Isbell, the serving of the afikomen, or matzoh, is the portion of the meal when the lamb is remembered.
“Its blood was placed on the doorposts as salvation from that final plague, and the body of the lamb was eaten completely to give them strength during the coming times,” Isbell said.
“When Y’shua (Jesus) said ‘This is My body’ and ‘This is My blood,’ the disciples saw something very different from what many believers see today in a simple communion service,” Isbell explained. “He came to be our Salvation and our Strength.”
Zola Levitt, a Jewish Christian and founder of Zola Levitt Ministries in Dallas, Texas, said, “We should celebrate the feasts (like Passover) because Jesus celebrated them.”
Levitt teaches that through understanding the biblical feasts, one can see the core of Christianity, as Jesus was the perfect lamb sacrificed for us in order to save us from death.
In his booklet “The Miracle of Passover,” Levitt writes, “Understanding Jesus as a sacrificial lamb, in effect, is to understand the very heart of Christianity.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
March 31, 2005
It’s the season when many shop for new spring suits, dye eggs and anticipate Easter Sunday lunch.
But in the midst of the seasonal buzz, many Alabama churches seek to provide meaningful ways for their members to slow down and embrace a deeper understanding of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And though the Lord’s Supper is the traditional observance, many are celebrating the time leading up to Christ’s death by taking the meal He took on Maundy Thursday — the traditionally Jewish Passover seder.
Last year more than 250 people attended a Passover seder hosted by North Glencoe Baptist Church and led by John Phelps of HaOr Ministries, a Kentucky-based ministry that teaches churches about the Hebrew foundations of the Christian faith.
The response was so tremendous, according to Pastor David Denson, that North Glencoe scheduled Phelps again this year for their seder March 24.
To observe the seder, the church served a meal of baked chicken, a green vegetable and kugel, followed by the Passover meal of parsley, kharoset and matzoh — all foods symbolizing some facet of the Passover.
The Passover, which occurred thousands of years ago when the Pharaoh of Egypt refused the commands of Moses to free the Hebrew slaves from captivity, demonstrates how God spared His people through the shedding of the innocent blood of a lamb — just as He did in the crucifixion.
The story — as told in Exodus 12 — follows Pharaoh’s stubbornness in the face of plagues until death for Egypt was the final judgment.
The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron that every Hebrew family should choose a perfect lamb for sacrifice and smear its blood on the top and sides of the door frame of the house.
That night, as each Hebrew family ate the roasted lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, the Lord passed through the land and killed the firstborn male in every Egyptian home, sparing the Hebrews covered by the lamb’s blood.
For centuries, the Jewish people have observed the Passover seder meal to remember their freedom.
God instructed the Israelites in Exodus 12:14, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come after you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance.”
Denson said hearing and participating in the teaching of the seder adds to the greatness of the Easter celebration.
“The seder is another opportunity to bring the Bible to life to review for refreshing and rededication in your Christian walk,” he said.
Since it was the Passover seder — now commonly known as the Last Supper — that Jesus celebrated with the disciples the night before His crucifixion, Denson believes Christians can gain much from understanding the special meal.
“The teaching of the Passover seder covers the ages from the first Passover celebrated by the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, to the Passover in the upper room celebrated by Jesus Christ and His disciples, to its observance by the Jews today,” Denson said.
Jay Isbell, elder of the Beth El Shaddai Messianic Synagogue in Birmingham, a Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship, said when Christians take part in the meal and tell the Passover story, they find that the symbolism of the whole service points to the coming Messiah.
Beth El Shaddai, like HaOr Ministries, gives Southern Baptist congregations guidance on how to conduct the Passover seder as well as how to celebrate it their congregations.
“As we celebrate communion, or the Lord’s Supper, we can see a shadow of these things, but if we carry out the whole service, we can see how it underscores God’s eternal plan for His people in a very powerful way,” Isbell said.
The seder is comprised of three parts: the haggadah (the telling), the meal and the afikomen (unleavened bread), Isbell explained. As the story of slavery to freedom and of darkness to light is retold, the pastor also leads the congregation in sharing a meal of bitter herbs, a roasted egg, a sweet apple mixture, parsley and a bone.
According to Isbell, the serving of the afikomen, or matzoh, is the portion of the meal when the lamb is remembered.
“Its blood was placed on the doorposts as salvation from that final plague, and the body of the lamb was eaten completely to give them strength during the coming times,” Isbell said.
“When Y’shua (Jesus) said ‘This is My body’ and ‘This is My blood,’ the disciples saw something very different from what many believers see today in a simple communion service,” Isbell explained. “He came to be our Salvation and our Strength.”
Zola Levitt, a Jewish Christian and founder of Zola Levitt Ministries in Dallas, Texas, said, “We should celebrate the feasts (like Passover) because Jesus celebrated them.”
Levitt teaches that through understanding the biblical feasts, one can see the core of Christianity, as Jesus was the perfect lamb sacrificed for us in order to save us from death.
In his booklet “The Miracle of Passover,” Levitt writes, “Understanding Jesus as a sacrificial lamb, in effect, is to understand the very heart of Christianity.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Hokes Bluff church hosts Zola Levitt
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
March 31, 2005
"Israel, Israel, Israel."
Those are the three things of importance to the Christian church today, Zola Levitt recently told the crowd gathered at Immanuel Baptist Church, Hokes Bluff.
Heads nodded in agreement as those listening anticipated hearing Levitt’s views on Israel, end-time prophecy and current world events.
They were not disappointed.
Levitt, who has 50 books in print, held the attention of the congregation for over two hours as he talked about evangelism, a future Palestinian state, hatred of the Jews, the return of Jesus and Armageddon. He also answered questions from the audience on the building of the 3rd temple, the location of the Ark of the Covenant and his opinions on world leaders.
Some of those present were already supporters of Zola Levitt Ministries, based in Dallas, Texas, and subscribe to his newsletter or watch his weekly 30-minute television program, Zola Levitt Presents, which airs on television stations across the nation. Some also had traveled with Levitt on one of his 50 trips to Israel.
A member of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and pastor of a messianic congregation, Levitt is a believer in the biblical concept outlined in Romans 1:16, “First to the Jew and also to the gentile.”
Although educating people about Israel, the Jews and end-time prophecy is a core issue in Levitt’s ministry, more important is evangelism, Levitt said.
“This is the perfect time to share the gospel with unbelievers. The Lord said, ‘In the days of Noah,’ and it is already raining,” he said.
Anthony Copeland, pastor of Immanuel, said Christians should be aware of end-time events. “There’s a need for us to be aware of what’s going on in the Middle East,” he said. “And it is good for our church members to be exposed to a Jewish believer.”
Though Levitt had spent his childhood learning the laws in the synagogue, his life dramatically changed in 1971 when he accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah. For almost 35 years, Levitt has urged Christians to witness to Jewish friends and embrace the Jewish people. “If you have a problem with the Jews, know that when you get to heaven you will meet the King of the Jews,” he said.
Levitt warned Christians about the anti-Semitism in the world but credited the strife to spiritual battles. “The hatred of Israel is amazing. Since it goes all the way back to Pharaoh, it is spiritual.”
He said the Jewish people have always been special to God and the devil seeks to get rid of them. “He can’t win this battle, but he uses all the punches he can,” Levitt said.
"I usually cringe when reporters attend my talks, since they so distort what I say. But, the above article is totally accurate." -Zola Levitt about my article in the Levitt Letter.
Related Link: (Levitt Letter...Go to the bottom of page 9)
www.levitt.com/newsletters/2005-07.pdf
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
March 31, 2005
"Israel, Israel, Israel."
Those are the three things of importance to the Christian church today, Zola Levitt recently told the crowd gathered at Immanuel Baptist Church, Hokes Bluff.
Heads nodded in agreement as those listening anticipated hearing Levitt’s views on Israel, end-time prophecy and current world events.
They were not disappointed.
Levitt, who has 50 books in print, held the attention of the congregation for over two hours as he talked about evangelism, a future Palestinian state, hatred of the Jews, the return of Jesus and Armageddon. He also answered questions from the audience on the building of the 3rd temple, the location of the Ark of the Covenant and his opinions on world leaders.
Some of those present were already supporters of Zola Levitt Ministries, based in Dallas, Texas, and subscribe to his newsletter or watch his weekly 30-minute television program, Zola Levitt Presents, which airs on television stations across the nation. Some also had traveled with Levitt on one of his 50 trips to Israel.
A member of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and pastor of a messianic congregation, Levitt is a believer in the biblical concept outlined in Romans 1:16, “First to the Jew and also to the gentile.”
Although educating people about Israel, the Jews and end-time prophecy is a core issue in Levitt’s ministry, more important is evangelism, Levitt said.
“This is the perfect time to share the gospel with unbelievers. The Lord said, ‘In the days of Noah,’ and it is already raining,” he said.
Anthony Copeland, pastor of Immanuel, said Christians should be aware of end-time events. “There’s a need for us to be aware of what’s going on in the Middle East,” he said. “And it is good for our church members to be exposed to a Jewish believer.”
Though Levitt had spent his childhood learning the laws in the synagogue, his life dramatically changed in 1971 when he accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah. For almost 35 years, Levitt has urged Christians to witness to Jewish friends and embrace the Jewish people. “If you have a problem with the Jews, know that when you get to heaven you will meet the King of the Jews,” he said.
Levitt warned Christians about the anti-Semitism in the world but credited the strife to spiritual battles. “The hatred of Israel is amazing. Since it goes all the way back to Pharaoh, it is spiritual.”
He said the Jewish people have always been special to God and the devil seeks to get rid of them. “He can’t win this battle, but he uses all the punches he can,” Levitt said.
"I usually cringe when reporters attend my talks, since they so distort what I say. But, the above article is totally accurate." -Zola Levitt about my article in the Levitt Letter.
Related Link: (Levitt Letter...Go to the bottom of page 9)
www.levitt.com/newsletters/2005-07.pdf
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Prayerful partnership
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
February 17, 2005
The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions (AAEO) continues to be a testimony of the prayerful partnership between missionaries and local church members, according to AAEO representatives.
Since 1934, Southern Baptists have given funds to support missionary salaries, health benefits, church planting supplies and evangelism materials. Last year’s annual giving was a record high, at nearly $54 million, which supported 5,200 missionaries serving in the United States and Canada.
Candace McIntosh, executive director of Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union, said, “Giving through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is one way Alabama Baptists can support Great Commission work, not only in the state of Alabama, but throughout the United States.” Alabama’s AAEO goal is $5 million.
And combining that support with prayer is critical, according to Wanda Lee, executive director of national Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU).
“The AAEO and Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings are tangible ways Baptists can express their desire to support missions,” she said. “These gifts, along with faithful prayer support, enable missionaries to do the work God has called them to do.”
Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, agreed.
Whitesburg led the 2004 Annie Armstrong offering in Alabama with more than $119,000 and Jackson gives credit to prayer combined with encouragement. “We encourage members to give all year long to both the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon offerings. We have a special six-week focus on each one during which time we pray and keep our goal in front of the people.”
Les Hughes, senior pastor of Westwood Baptist Church, Alabaster, has also found that encouragement and prayer are key ingredients to a successful offering for missions. In 2004, Westwood gave $43,968 primarily through efforts of the missions team and sermons.
Hughes said his church wants to be prayer warriors, cheerleaders and partners in ministering to others and in sharing the gospel. “It’s important for us to give this offering because these missionaries trust us to support them with our prayers and with our resources,” he said.
With an estimated seven out of 10 people living without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, North American Mission Board (NAMB) President Robert E. “Bob” Reccord, believes we must never lose sight of the mission before us.
Not only does he hope the 2005 Annie Armstrong Offering goal of $55 million is reached but that the lost will give their hearts and lives to Jesus.
“The signs are all around us every day that our homeland is sinking deeper and deeper into a lostness and spiritual darkness that only God can turn around,” he said. “From the school classroom to the Wall Street boardroom (and) from Washington, D.C. to Hollywood, we are losing the spiritual foundation we once had as a nation and along with it, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.”
As millions of Christians in Southern Baptist churches donate to the annual offering, 100 percent of the money utilized to support missionaries and evangelism and careful planning is taken to start new churches.
Reccord explained that NAMB takes a close look at the demographics of the communities, what kind of church is needed most and what groups are missed by other churches in the area. The planning pays off when a new church planter is commissioned.
“It’s an approach that says, ‘We’re not going to design church our way and then expect you to conform to it, Instead, we’re going to be rock-solid in our doctrine and singularly focused on Christ, but we’re going to remove the barriers that sometimes keep people from walking into a church,’” he said.
Until her death in 1938, removing barriers is what Annie Armstrong was known for as she devoted her life to helping the poor, needy and underserved.
“I think she would be amazed to see what her vision for North American missions has grown into,” Reccord said. He believes she would be heartened by the fact God is still using the same method — the obedient and generous gifts and offerings of His people — to support the work that was so close to her heart.
“I think she would also feel more of an urgency to reach this continent for Christ and she would feel an even stronger need for us to continue and grow the mission.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
February 17, 2005
The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions (AAEO) continues to be a testimony of the prayerful partnership between missionaries and local church members, according to AAEO representatives.
Since 1934, Southern Baptists have given funds to support missionary salaries, health benefits, church planting supplies and evangelism materials. Last year’s annual giving was a record high, at nearly $54 million, which supported 5,200 missionaries serving in the United States and Canada.
Candace McIntosh, executive director of Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union, said, “Giving through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is one way Alabama Baptists can support Great Commission work, not only in the state of Alabama, but throughout the United States.” Alabama’s AAEO goal is $5 million.
And combining that support with prayer is critical, according to Wanda Lee, executive director of national Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU).
“The AAEO and Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings are tangible ways Baptists can express their desire to support missions,” she said. “These gifts, along with faithful prayer support, enable missionaries to do the work God has called them to do.”
Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, agreed.
Whitesburg led the 2004 Annie Armstrong offering in Alabama with more than $119,000 and Jackson gives credit to prayer combined with encouragement. “We encourage members to give all year long to both the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon offerings. We have a special six-week focus on each one during which time we pray and keep our goal in front of the people.”
Les Hughes, senior pastor of Westwood Baptist Church, Alabaster, has also found that encouragement and prayer are key ingredients to a successful offering for missions. In 2004, Westwood gave $43,968 primarily through efforts of the missions team and sermons.
Hughes said his church wants to be prayer warriors, cheerleaders and partners in ministering to others and in sharing the gospel. “It’s important for us to give this offering because these missionaries trust us to support them with our prayers and with our resources,” he said.
With an estimated seven out of 10 people living without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, North American Mission Board (NAMB) President Robert E. “Bob” Reccord, believes we must never lose sight of the mission before us.
Not only does he hope the 2005 Annie Armstrong Offering goal of $55 million is reached but that the lost will give their hearts and lives to Jesus.
“The signs are all around us every day that our homeland is sinking deeper and deeper into a lostness and spiritual darkness that only God can turn around,” he said. “From the school classroom to the Wall Street boardroom (and) from Washington, D.C. to Hollywood, we are losing the spiritual foundation we once had as a nation and along with it, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.”
As millions of Christians in Southern Baptist churches donate to the annual offering, 100 percent of the money utilized to support missionaries and evangelism and careful planning is taken to start new churches.
Reccord explained that NAMB takes a close look at the demographics of the communities, what kind of church is needed most and what groups are missed by other churches in the area. The planning pays off when a new church planter is commissioned.
“It’s an approach that says, ‘We’re not going to design church our way and then expect you to conform to it, Instead, we’re going to be rock-solid in our doctrine and singularly focused on Christ, but we’re going to remove the barriers that sometimes keep people from walking into a church,’” he said.
Until her death in 1938, removing barriers is what Annie Armstrong was known for as she devoted her life to helping the poor, needy and underserved.
“I think she would be amazed to see what her vision for North American missions has grown into,” Reccord said. He believes she would be heartened by the fact God is still using the same method — the obedient and generous gifts and offerings of His people — to support the work that was so close to her heart.
“I think she would also feel more of an urgency to reach this continent for Christ and she would feel an even stronger need for us to continue and grow the mission.”
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Leaders: Girls must be taught modesty can be fashionable
Posted on Nov 24, 2004 | by Theresa Shadrix
ANNISTON, Ala. (BP)--On the heels of ABC's decision not to renew its annual television contract with the Miss America pageant, the issue of modesty has emerged as a center-stage issue with Christians.
This year, contestants were featured in revealing swimsuits in the on-stage competition, and were placed in hot tubs during their pre-recorded introductions.
The reduction in modesty did not yield the pageant the extra exposure it had hoped to achieve. Instead, Miss America received its lowest television ratings in its 50-year history.
Only 10 girls opted for the more modest optional swimsuit, while Miss America, Deidre Downs, donned the two-piece string bikini for the judges and the audience. Downs viewed the swimsuit competition as a reflection of physical fitness and told Baptist Press she tried not to think about what she was wearing before the airing of the competition.
"I just thought about what I would wear to the beach," Downs said.
The issue of modesty is not a new controversy in pageant swimsuits, but as fashion trends like short skirts, tank tops and belly shirts make their way from the local mall to worship services, church members are looking for guidance.
Modesty is one of the topics -- along with dating, eating disorders, depression and self esteem -- addressed in Beyond the Eye conferences.
The conference founder, Leslie Gary, cautions parents to be aware of contents in their daughters' wardrobe and to not only discuss why some things are not appropriate to wear but explore the roots of immodest clothing.
"I feel there are many issues that young girls face today, but I believe these issues stem from their desire to feel needed, be wanted and accepted and to fit in," she said. "Whether these girls end up becoming sexually active, wearing revealing clothing, or suffering from anorexia -- just to name a few things -- they have a longing in their hearts for true acceptance."
The birth of the Beyond the Eye ministry came from Gary's own struggle with self-worth and identity.
"I personally have struggled with low self-esteem and inferiority my entire life," she said, "but God has allowed me to be taught His Word through various ways and has graciously allowed me to have some amazing role models in my life."
Many girls dress inappropriately because they have never been taught that their beauty is far beyond what people see on the outside, Gary said.
"It is a heart issue," she said. "I truly believe that confusion about modesty and clothing that is appropriate will begin to subside once God's Word is planted daily into the hearts of these girls. We desire to judge no one. Our desire is to give girls the key that opens the truth about who they are through God's Word."
Mary Mohler, director of the Seminary Wives Institute at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sees an opportunity for Christian parents to teach daughters, and other misguided women, that modesty matters.
"A daughter must be taught from an early age that her body is precious and should never be flaunted," Mohler said. "Fathers need to lovingly convey this message to their daughters, as they can give first-hand testimony of how men think and respond."
Younger girls face obstacles when older girls dress inappropriately in church, Mohler said, adding that holiness is not dependent on a woman's attractiveness.
"It is not something that should have to be drilled into women as if restrictive rules were being placed on their personal choices of dress and appearance as some way to punish them," Mohler said. "Regenerate Christian women should deeply desire to reflect Christ in every aspect of their lives -- including how they dress."
Modest dressing, Mohler said, is a reflection of God's work of grace in a woman's heart. Women must dress appropriately not only in church but also in everyday life, she added.
"What started in our churches as a well-intentioned move toward making seekers feel welcome has spiraled into a situation where Sunday dress is virtually disappearing," Mohler said.
The dangerous side to immodesty is women unknowingly causing their Christian brothers to stumble, she said.
"Many young women are more caught up in fashion and trends," Mohler said. "They have to be taught that many fashionable clothing trends that may seem 'fun' to wear are also revealing in ways that plain and simply cause men to lust."
Mohler and Gary both recognize that modesty is not a stylish term but they insist girls and women can be fashionable, while also reflecting Christ.
"I believe the Proverbs 31 women was a tastefully dressed woman in her 'fine linen and purple.' She was not drab, unkempt and unattractive," Mohler said.
"However, women must make wise choices when it comes to fashion such that we enjoy the variety of appropriate styles, luscious colors and a multitude of fabrics available to us. Men have few options in this area. We have so many choices. Eliminating ones that are immodest is certainly not too much to ask.
--30--
ANNISTON, Ala. (BP)--On the heels of ABC's decision not to renew its annual television contract with the Miss America pageant, the issue of modesty has emerged as a center-stage issue with Christians.
This year, contestants were featured in revealing swimsuits in the on-stage competition, and were placed in hot tubs during their pre-recorded introductions.
The reduction in modesty did not yield the pageant the extra exposure it had hoped to achieve. Instead, Miss America received its lowest television ratings in its 50-year history.
Only 10 girls opted for the more modest optional swimsuit, while Miss America, Deidre Downs, donned the two-piece string bikini for the judges and the audience. Downs viewed the swimsuit competition as a reflection of physical fitness and told Baptist Press she tried not to think about what she was wearing before the airing of the competition.
"I just thought about what I would wear to the beach," Downs said.
The issue of modesty is not a new controversy in pageant swimsuits, but as fashion trends like short skirts, tank tops and belly shirts make their way from the local mall to worship services, church members are looking for guidance.
Modesty is one of the topics -- along with dating, eating disorders, depression and self esteem -- addressed in Beyond the Eye conferences.
The conference founder, Leslie Gary, cautions parents to be aware of contents in their daughters' wardrobe and to not only discuss why some things are not appropriate to wear but explore the roots of immodest clothing.
"I feel there are many issues that young girls face today, but I believe these issues stem from their desire to feel needed, be wanted and accepted and to fit in," she said. "Whether these girls end up becoming sexually active, wearing revealing clothing, or suffering from anorexia -- just to name a few things -- they have a longing in their hearts for true acceptance."
The birth of the Beyond the Eye ministry came from Gary's own struggle with self-worth and identity.
"I personally have struggled with low self-esteem and inferiority my entire life," she said, "but God has allowed me to be taught His Word through various ways and has graciously allowed me to have some amazing role models in my life."
Many girls dress inappropriately because they have never been taught that their beauty is far beyond what people see on the outside, Gary said.
"It is a heart issue," she said. "I truly believe that confusion about modesty and clothing that is appropriate will begin to subside once God's Word is planted daily into the hearts of these girls. We desire to judge no one. Our desire is to give girls the key that opens the truth about who they are through God's Word."
Mary Mohler, director of the Seminary Wives Institute at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sees an opportunity for Christian parents to teach daughters, and other misguided women, that modesty matters.
"A daughter must be taught from an early age that her body is precious and should never be flaunted," Mohler said. "Fathers need to lovingly convey this message to their daughters, as they can give first-hand testimony of how men think and respond."
Younger girls face obstacles when older girls dress inappropriately in church, Mohler said, adding that holiness is not dependent on a woman's attractiveness.
"It is not something that should have to be drilled into women as if restrictive rules were being placed on their personal choices of dress and appearance as some way to punish them," Mohler said. "Regenerate Christian women should deeply desire to reflect Christ in every aspect of their lives -- including how they dress."
Modest dressing, Mohler said, is a reflection of God's work of grace in a woman's heart. Women must dress appropriately not only in church but also in everyday life, she added.
"What started in our churches as a well-intentioned move toward making seekers feel welcome has spiraled into a situation where Sunday dress is virtually disappearing," Mohler said.
The dangerous side to immodesty is women unknowingly causing their Christian brothers to stumble, she said.
"Many young women are more caught up in fashion and trends," Mohler said. "They have to be taught that many fashionable clothing trends that may seem 'fun' to wear are also revealing in ways that plain and simply cause men to lust."
Mohler and Gary both recognize that modesty is not a stylish term but they insist girls and women can be fashionable, while also reflecting Christ.
"I believe the Proverbs 31 women was a tastefully dressed woman in her 'fine linen and purple.' She was not drab, unkempt and unattractive," Mohler said.
"However, women must make wise choices when it comes to fashion such that we enjoy the variety of appropriate styles, luscious colors and a multitude of fabrics available to us. Men have few options in this area. We have so many choices. Eliminating ones that are immodest is certainly not too much to ask.
--30--
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Vietnam POW continues to speak of freedom & faith
ANNISTON, Ala. (BP)--In 1967, U.S. Army Colonel Benjamin Purcell traded his job as professor of military science at Kemper Military School and College in Boonville, Mo., to go to Vietnam as deputy commander of the Da Nang Sub-Area and executive officer of the 80th General Support Group.
That career decision would end up putting his life in peril and his faith to the test.
In Vietnam, Purcell was quite comfortable in the bachelor officer's barracks, considering the turmoil of war surrounding him, and he communicated with his family through daily letters, weekly audiotapes and monthly telephone calls. But a routine midnight helicopter ride on Jan. 30, 1968, changed everything when the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire and Purcell along with Warrant Officer Joe Rose, Warrant Officer Dick Ziefler, SP/4 Robert Chenoworth, SP/4 Mike Lenker and Private First Class James George were captured by the North Vietnamese army.
Imprisonment was an issue Purcell and wife, Anne, had never really weighed. "Anne and I had talked about the possibility of my being injured or killed but never of becoming MIA (Missing In Action) or POW," Purcell recounted.
Almost immediately his faith in Christ was put to the test as the U.S. captives walked all night barefooted with their hands tied behind their backs along a narrow path into the mountains south and west of Khe Sanh.
Private George, his face burned after retrieving a rifle in the flaming helicopter, was in urgent need of medical attention. After Purcell was promised George would receive care, the two men fearlessly recited the Lord's Prayer with the tip of a Viet Cong's gun aimed in their direction. "Never had the words meant more to me," Purcell said. George was left behind anticipating a doctor when a shot echoed in the dark Vietnam air. Although he did not witness the gunfire, Purcell believed George was killed that fateful night, as he was never seen or heard from again.
Purcell feared his broken ribs and blistered feet would slow down the caravan of prisoners and he likewise would be killed so he turned to God. "I prayed for a light to guide me and minutes later the man in front of me turned on a flashlight and pointed it to my feet." This would be the first of many incidents when Purcell's Southern Baptist roots would be planted deep in the muddy soil of Vietnam. "There were times when I wanted to give up but I would think of Anne and then of how Christ endured pain on the cross. I knew I had to keep going," Purcell said.
For 62 months, 58 of those in solitary confinement, Purcell suffered interrogations, hunger, depression, illness, loneliness and complete loss of dignity and freedom. Of the many lessons learned during his nightmare, he noted, "I learned that in order to live with fellow man, a person must first live with himself."
Twice Purcell attempted to escape from two different prison camps. And even though he had trained a chicken as a lookout in one attempt and fashioned a dummy named Charlie out of bamboo and spare clothes in the other attempt, it was not until March 27, 1973, that Purcell and 32 other American POWs tasted the sweetness of freedom. Purcell greeted a crowd at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines by saying, "Man's most precious possession, second only to life itself, is freedom."
From that day forward, Purcell would bear the distinction of being the highest-ranking Army officer captured as a POW and released during the Vietnam conflict.
With no communication during his five-year captivity and no idea of his whereabouts, Purcell's wife, Anne, struggled to raise their five children, David, Debbie, Clifford, Sherri and Joy, who was only 18 months when her father volunteered to serve his country. "Faith, hope and love is what helped us all," Purcell said.
Three days after his release, on March 30, 1973, Ben and Anne were reunited at Bush Field in Augusta, Ga. Their oldest son, David, who was a senior in high school when he said goodbye to his father, greeted him in his West Point cadet uniform with what Purcell called the most gratifying salute of his military career.
Whenever he and Anne share their testimony of faith, hope and love to churches and civic organizations across the country, Purcell brings along items from his captivity. Among them on display during a Nov. 3 visit to Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Anniston, Ala., were a communion set he used once a month; a wedding ring fashioned of bamboo; salt and pepper shakers that never held the precious commodity; and drawings of the bare cells and clothes he was forced to wear. He and Anne also recount the ordeal in their book "Love & Duty." Daughter Joy, a television journalist, traveled to Vietnam with her father and a few other POWs in March 1993 to film a documentary titled, "The Final Healing -- Vietnam Revisited."
Purcell retired in 1980 after 30 years in service with such distinguished honors as the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Parachutist and Combat Infantryman Badges and a Purple Heart.
He subsequently served his home state of Georgia as a state representative from 1993-97. Today the Purcells live in Clarksville, Ga., where they operate a Christmas tree farm. They are active members of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
--30--
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: FREEDOM AND FAITH.
That career decision would end up putting his life in peril and his faith to the test.
In Vietnam, Purcell was quite comfortable in the bachelor officer's barracks, considering the turmoil of war surrounding him, and he communicated with his family through daily letters, weekly audiotapes and monthly telephone calls. But a routine midnight helicopter ride on Jan. 30, 1968, changed everything when the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire and Purcell along with Warrant Officer Joe Rose, Warrant Officer Dick Ziefler, SP/4 Robert Chenoworth, SP/4 Mike Lenker and Private First Class James George were captured by the North Vietnamese army.
Imprisonment was an issue Purcell and wife, Anne, had never really weighed. "Anne and I had talked about the possibility of my being injured or killed but never of becoming MIA (Missing In Action) or POW," Purcell recounted.
Almost immediately his faith in Christ was put to the test as the U.S. captives walked all night barefooted with their hands tied behind their backs along a narrow path into the mountains south and west of Khe Sanh.
Private George, his face burned after retrieving a rifle in the flaming helicopter, was in urgent need of medical attention. After Purcell was promised George would receive care, the two men fearlessly recited the Lord's Prayer with the tip of a Viet Cong's gun aimed in their direction. "Never had the words meant more to me," Purcell said. George was left behind anticipating a doctor when a shot echoed in the dark Vietnam air. Although he did not witness the gunfire, Purcell believed George was killed that fateful night, as he was never seen or heard from again.
Purcell feared his broken ribs and blistered feet would slow down the caravan of prisoners and he likewise would be killed so he turned to God. "I prayed for a light to guide me and minutes later the man in front of me turned on a flashlight and pointed it to my feet." This would be the first of many incidents when Purcell's Southern Baptist roots would be planted deep in the muddy soil of Vietnam. "There were times when I wanted to give up but I would think of Anne and then of how Christ endured pain on the cross. I knew I had to keep going," Purcell said.
For 62 months, 58 of those in solitary confinement, Purcell suffered interrogations, hunger, depression, illness, loneliness and complete loss of dignity and freedom. Of the many lessons learned during his nightmare, he noted, "I learned that in order to live with fellow man, a person must first live with himself."
Twice Purcell attempted to escape from two different prison camps. And even though he had trained a chicken as a lookout in one attempt and fashioned a dummy named Charlie out of bamboo and spare clothes in the other attempt, it was not until March 27, 1973, that Purcell and 32 other American POWs tasted the sweetness of freedom. Purcell greeted a crowd at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines by saying, "Man's most precious possession, second only to life itself, is freedom."
From that day forward, Purcell would bear the distinction of being the highest-ranking Army officer captured as a POW and released during the Vietnam conflict.
With no communication during his five-year captivity and no idea of his whereabouts, Purcell's wife, Anne, struggled to raise their five children, David, Debbie, Clifford, Sherri and Joy, who was only 18 months when her father volunteered to serve his country. "Faith, hope and love is what helped us all," Purcell said.
Three days after his release, on March 30, 1973, Ben and Anne were reunited at Bush Field in Augusta, Ga. Their oldest son, David, who was a senior in high school when he said goodbye to his father, greeted him in his West Point cadet uniform with what Purcell called the most gratifying salute of his military career.
Whenever he and Anne share their testimony of faith, hope and love to churches and civic organizations across the country, Purcell brings along items from his captivity. Among them on display during a Nov. 3 visit to Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Anniston, Ala., were a communion set he used once a month; a wedding ring fashioned of bamboo; salt and pepper shakers that never held the precious commodity; and drawings of the bare cells and clothes he was forced to wear. He and Anne also recount the ordeal in their book "Love & Duty." Daughter Joy, a television journalist, traveled to Vietnam with her father and a few other POWs in March 1993 to film a documentary titled, "The Final Healing -- Vietnam Revisited."
Purcell retired in 1980 after 30 years in service with such distinguished honors as the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Parachutist and Combat Infantryman Badges and a Purple Heart.
He subsequently served his home state of Georgia as a state representative from 1993-97. Today the Purcells live in Clarksville, Ga., where they operate a Christmas tree farm. They are active members of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
--30--
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: FREEDOM AND FAITH.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Gadsden’s Camper named Miss Alabama in ‘God’s time’
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
October 21, 2004
Shannon Camper thought her pageant days were over when she was first runner-up to Miss Alabama June 12, her seventh and final attempt at the title.
Camper, who turned 25 Oct. 20, aged out of the scholarship pageant system that awarded her more than $28,000, which she used to obtain a degree in mass communications from the University of Alabama.
After the competition, held at Samford University, she moved on with her life and got a job as a leasing agent, focused attention on her ministry of singing gospel music and enjoyed church activities at Central Avenue Baptist in Gadsden, where her father, Larry, is minister of music and mother, Sarah, is a pianist.
Then Miss Alabama, Deidre Downs, was crowned Miss America 2005 in Atlantic City Sept. 18.
Downs is the third Alabama contestant to win the Miss America tiara, along with Yolande Betbeze in 1951 and Heather Whitestone in 1995. With Downs’ victory, the Miss Alabama first runner-up has the option of assuming the state title. In a phone call from the Miss Alabama organization, Camper sealed her name in the pageant history books when she accepted without hesitation.
“There were a lot of decisions to make right off the bat. I had to quit my job and move to Birmingham in the apartment provided for Miss Alabama,” Camper said. “I didn’t have time to think about anything. I was just so excited for Deidre and me!”
Camper said the title offers her the chance to speak about her platform, breast cancer awareness, and share what God has done in her life. “There is a history of breast cancer in my family and now I can help educate women,” she said.
“It is just so amazing to see how God has moved because after seven years this was something I put aside. I think of the song, ‘Wait on the Lord and Be of Good Service,’ and I am reminded that He is in control.”
Family friend and pastor of Arbor Baptist Church in Pell City Whitt Hibbs baptized Camper at age 7 when he served as pastor of Central Avenue.
Hibbs said all Southern Baptists in Alabama should be very proud. “She is one of our own, literally born and raised in the Southern Baptist church, and Shannon has a gleam is her eye and the Lord in her heart,” said Hibbs. “Her faith is real and she also has such an unbelievable talent in singing.”
Born into a musical family, Camper said she has been singing all of her life. “My mother sang when she was pregnant with me when my parents traveled in a southern gospel group. I also remember that she would prop me on the piano stool at the age of 2 and I would sing. It has been a big part of my life.”
Camper’s singing talent does not go unrecognized. She received the only standing ovation when she sang “God Bless America” during the talent competition at the Miss Alabama pageant and she has been working in a studio to record her own music.
“All I want to do is share my testimony and sing. I hope I can do it in churches around Alabama.”
For information on how to schedule Miss Alabama 2004, Shannon Camper, visit www.missalabama.com.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
October 21, 2004
Shannon Camper thought her pageant days were over when she was first runner-up to Miss Alabama June 12, her seventh and final attempt at the title.
Camper, who turned 25 Oct. 20, aged out of the scholarship pageant system that awarded her more than $28,000, which she used to obtain a degree in mass communications from the University of Alabama.
After the competition, held at Samford University, she moved on with her life and got a job as a leasing agent, focused attention on her ministry of singing gospel music and enjoyed church activities at Central Avenue Baptist in Gadsden, where her father, Larry, is minister of music and mother, Sarah, is a pianist.
Then Miss Alabama, Deidre Downs, was crowned Miss America 2005 in Atlantic City Sept. 18.
Downs is the third Alabama contestant to win the Miss America tiara, along with Yolande Betbeze in 1951 and Heather Whitestone in 1995. With Downs’ victory, the Miss Alabama first runner-up has the option of assuming the state title. In a phone call from the Miss Alabama organization, Camper sealed her name in the pageant history books when she accepted without hesitation.
“There were a lot of decisions to make right off the bat. I had to quit my job and move to Birmingham in the apartment provided for Miss Alabama,” Camper said. “I didn’t have time to think about anything. I was just so excited for Deidre and me!”
Camper said the title offers her the chance to speak about her platform, breast cancer awareness, and share what God has done in her life. “There is a history of breast cancer in my family and now I can help educate women,” she said.
“It is just so amazing to see how God has moved because after seven years this was something I put aside. I think of the song, ‘Wait on the Lord and Be of Good Service,’ and I am reminded that He is in control.”
Family friend and pastor of Arbor Baptist Church in Pell City Whitt Hibbs baptized Camper at age 7 when he served as pastor of Central Avenue.
Hibbs said all Southern Baptists in Alabama should be very proud. “She is one of our own, literally born and raised in the Southern Baptist church, and Shannon has a gleam is her eye and the Lord in her heart,” said Hibbs. “Her faith is real and she also has such an unbelievable talent in singing.”
Born into a musical family, Camper said she has been singing all of her life. “My mother sang when she was pregnant with me when my parents traveled in a southern gospel group. I also remember that she would prop me on the piano stool at the age of 2 and I would sing. It has been a big part of my life.”
Camper’s singing talent does not go unrecognized. She received the only standing ovation when she sang “God Bless America” during the talent competition at the Miss Alabama pageant and she has been working in a studio to record her own music.
“All I want to do is share my testimony and sing. I hope I can do it in churches around Alabama.”
For information on how to schedule Miss Alabama 2004, Shannon Camper, visit www.missalabama.com.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Faith motivates Miss Alabama as she prepares to compete in Miss America
By Theresa Shadrix
The Alabama Baptist
July 22, 2004
Deidre Downs planned on attending medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall but she traded in books for a crown when she was named Miss Alabama.
Held on the campus of Samford University June 12, the Miss Alabama pageant awarded Downs, 23, more than $18,000.
“I was elated,” said Downs, a member of Baptist Church of the Covenant, Birmingham. “It was my fifth time and I really wanted to be Miss Alabama.”
Now she is busy preparing for the Miss America Pageant and making public appearances across Alabama promoting her platform, Curing Childhood Cancer.
“Between now and Sept. 1, when I leave for Atlantic City, I’m preparing by working out, continuing my voice lessons and doing mock interviews.
For talent, I will sing the same selection I performed at Miss Alabama, a Linda Eder song called ‘I’m Afraid This Must Be Love.’”
As an activist for children, Downs is raising funds for Children’s Hospital in Birmingham through a specialty license plate approved by the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles. Children’s Hospital treats more than 95 percent of children with cancer in Alabama, she explained. “Research is the only way we will approach a cure for pediatric cancer,” she said.
The statuesque beauty takes her new job as Miss Alabama seriously, as well as her life, career ambitions and faith.
The almost $50,000 in scholarship money she received in her five years of competition allowed her to complete a bachelor of arts in history from Samford University.
The funds will help her resume studies at UAB after her reign as Miss Alabama to fulfill her goal to work in the medical profession.
“I want to become a pediatrician because I love kids.”
Her desire to medically care for children started through her experiences at Camp Smile-a-Mile, a camp for children with cancer, and as a volunteer at Children’s Hospital.
She started a nonprofit organization, Making Miracles, four years ago to allow opportunities for high school students to volunteer with pediatric cancer patients in a hospital setting.
Making Miracles has also provided volunteers for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge and the Leukemia Society’s Light the Night Walk, as well as held a Rock-a-Thon fund raiser for pediatric cancer research.
Downs said her faith in Christ not only motivated her decision to pursue medicine as a career but also her involvement in community service.
She became a Christian when she was 8 years old but feels she has grown in her faith over the years.
“I’ve come to realize what it means to devote (my) life to Christ,” Downs explained. “I hope to always live my life in a way that reflects my faith and to be someone who really walks the walk by putting my faith into practice every day.”
The 2002 Rhodes Scholar finalist puts her faith into action not only through raising awareness of pediatric cancer but also as a role model for young women.
Teresa Cheatham Stricklin, Miss Alabama 1978 and first runner-up to Miss America 1979, judged Downs last year.
She believes the same charm and professionalism the Miss Alabama judges saw in Downs will be seen in Miss America and by people in Alabama who meet her during appearances.
“I am excited for Deidre and she will be a fabulous Miss Alabama,” Stricklin said.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
The Alabama Baptist
July 22, 2004
Deidre Downs planned on attending medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall but she traded in books for a crown when she was named Miss Alabama.
Held on the campus of Samford University June 12, the Miss Alabama pageant awarded Downs, 23, more than $18,000.
“I was elated,” said Downs, a member of Baptist Church of the Covenant, Birmingham. “It was my fifth time and I really wanted to be Miss Alabama.”
Now she is busy preparing for the Miss America Pageant and making public appearances across Alabama promoting her platform, Curing Childhood Cancer.
“Between now and Sept. 1, when I leave for Atlantic City, I’m preparing by working out, continuing my voice lessons and doing mock interviews.
For talent, I will sing the same selection I performed at Miss Alabama, a Linda Eder song called ‘I’m Afraid This Must Be Love.’”
As an activist for children, Downs is raising funds for Children’s Hospital in Birmingham through a specialty license plate approved by the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles. Children’s Hospital treats more than 95 percent of children with cancer in Alabama, she explained. “Research is the only way we will approach a cure for pediatric cancer,” she said.
The statuesque beauty takes her new job as Miss Alabama seriously, as well as her life, career ambitions and faith.
The almost $50,000 in scholarship money she received in her five years of competition allowed her to complete a bachelor of arts in history from Samford University.
The funds will help her resume studies at UAB after her reign as Miss Alabama to fulfill her goal to work in the medical profession.
“I want to become a pediatrician because I love kids.”
Her desire to medically care for children started through her experiences at Camp Smile-a-Mile, a camp for children with cancer, and as a volunteer at Children’s Hospital.
She started a nonprofit organization, Making Miracles, four years ago to allow opportunities for high school students to volunteer with pediatric cancer patients in a hospital setting.
Making Miracles has also provided volunteers for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge and the Leukemia Society’s Light the Night Walk, as well as held a Rock-a-Thon fund raiser for pediatric cancer research.
Downs said her faith in Christ not only motivated her decision to pursue medicine as a career but also her involvement in community service.
She became a Christian when she was 8 years old but feels she has grown in her faith over the years.
“I’ve come to realize what it means to devote (my) life to Christ,” Downs explained. “I hope to always live my life in a way that reflects my faith and to be someone who really walks the walk by putting my faith into practice every day.”
The 2002 Rhodes Scholar finalist puts her faith into action not only through raising awareness of pediatric cancer but also as a role model for young women.
Teresa Cheatham Stricklin, Miss Alabama 1978 and first runner-up to Miss America 1979, judged Downs last year.
She believes the same charm and professionalism the Miss Alabama judges saw in Downs will be seen in Miss America and by people in Alabama who meet her during appearances.
“I am excited for Deidre and she will be a fabulous Miss Alabama,” Stricklin said.
Copyright 2005© The Alabama Baptist. All Rights Reserved. Contact The Alabama Baptist
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)