An Historic Week in Washington: A Look at a Local Visit

AS WE CLOSE THIS HISTORIC WEEK ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON, THE NEW VISION YOUTH OF KINGSPORT MADE THEIR MARK ON THE NATION'S CAPITAL, WHEN THEY VISITED THE NATIONAL MALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. JUST LAST YEAR ON JUNE 2 AND 3, 2012. THE KIDS ENJOYED, IN ORDER, THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL, THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT, THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL, THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL (SITE OF DR. KING'S "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH, THE U.S. CAPITOL, THE WHITE HOUSE AND HOWARD UNIVERSITY. COME WITH THE NEW VISION YOUTH IN THE SLIDESHOW AND PICTURES BELOW, AS THEY LEFT THEIR OWN MARK ON HISTORY


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50 years later, Riverview area residents recall March on Washington

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By NICK SHEPHERD
nshepherd@timesnews.net

  But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

John Harrison and Gerry Harrison, center, along with Sinora Lewis and Betsy and Jack Pierce and Linda Kincaid (not pictured) sat down on Tuesday to talk about the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington


These words were uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his now famous “I have a dream speech,” during the March on Washington. Today marks the 50th anniversary of that march.

Linda Kincaid remembers growing up in the area while the march was taking place. “We have come to appreciate the significance, but I feel certain we weren’t as impacted as others,” she said. “We certainly were upset about the atrocities and indignities that people were suffering and we related to that.”

She said most black people in this area were trying to raise their kids and keep their heads down because they worried about keeping their jobs.

Growing up in Jackson, Miss., during the turbulent era of the 1960s, Gerry Harrison remembers the impact King had on the black community. “When Martin Luther King would come on TV, it was like he’s the black Moses, he’s going to deliver us,” Harrison said. “Everything that was going on, we felt like it was going to make a change.”
Harrison’s dad did not want her or her siblings participating because too many things could go wrong.

Sinora Lewis still remembers some of the appalling conditions she was subjected to growing up. She remembers drinking out of separate water fountains and sitting in a separate area in the bus station.
Even though she didn’t like segregation, Lewis wasn’t sure if any good would come from the March on Washington.
“I felt like all those people are causing trouble and we’re going to have some results from it that are not going to be in our interest,” she said. “I was just living for the day.”
Lewis also remembers feeling a sense of doom when the march was taking place.

John Harrison also grew up in Mississippi during the 1960s. He lived in a rural area and said some of the atrocities taking place in other cities around the state were not occurring in the area where he lived.
He said he remembers some of the news coverage of the march, but he believes some of the information might have been tainted.
“The news media that was prevalent that day, I don’t think they knew what was going to happen or the significance of it,” he said. “Their coverage wasn’t the greatest in the world.”
John Harrison said that media at the time would paint the picture to what that particular media outlet wanted to portray.
His father was a community activist, and any information the family got, they were curious about.

Betsy Pierce lived in the area at the time and was busy trying to raise her children. She does have one regret from that time.
“I didn’t participate in the march, but I wish I had,” she said. “The things that came out of it, it wasn’t what we expected.”
Betsy Pierce said she loves listening to King and said his message was great.
Jack Pierce remembers the crowd being much larger than anyone anticipated. All sorts of races stood together on the National Mall for as far as the eye could see.
He thinks that day is the first day everybody took notice.
“What happened that day was a wake-up call for the nation,” he said. “Well, not just for the nation but for the world to see that many people gathered in one place.”

Today, it is a very different world from when King delivered his most famous speech. Segregation is gone and a black man holds the highest office in the land, the presidency.
There are mixed emotions about what having a black president means to the dream King had.

“I believe what Dr. King’s dream was that there would be equal opportunities for a man, woman, black, white, red to achieve, if that’s what they chose to do,” Kincaid said.
Lewis believes the presidency is not about race but about economics, and she said that has been proven in the past five years while Jack Pierce believes there is a race problem in Washington, D.C. and some legislators are afraid to speak out and say the president is doing a good job because of race.

Either way, King certainly laid the foundation for President Barack Obama to hold office 50 years later.
“Everything that has gone for the last 50 years was making a foundation for where we are today,” Gerry Harrison said. “It was a vision, it was a dream, but to have a black president? I didn’t know if I would see that day.”

America certainly has come a long way since the March on Washington. But some recent actions taken by the branches of government have got some worried that America is taking a step backward.
“With some of the legislation that is being formed, to me it’s a digression,” John Harrison said. “What the Supreme Court did with the Voting Rights Act, some of these Stand your Ground laws that are being passed especially in the South, with Tennessee included ... if that proliferation keeps going, people will have to overcome all that just to be where we are now.”

Because politics has and will play a big role for minorities, Lewis believes that everyone needs to get out and vote and then vote some more.
What everybody agreed on is that education is important and the more people are educated, the better decisions they will make.
In another 50 years, when the March on Washington will turn 100, it is hard to tell what the United States will look like.
Technology will certainly be advanced, but will King’s dream of equal opportunity for all be realized?

Maybe the kids can tell us.
“Children tend to break down barriers...,” Lewis said. “It will take nothing but love, the love of people and the love of God to create the kind of environment that we need. I think those children are going to break down any barriers there is and even though we won’t be here, it’s going to be a different world.”

Following in her sister's footsteps

DB'S SHASHA MORRISETTE (7)GOES UP FOR THE KILL DURING MONDAY'S BIG 7 CONFERENCE MATCH AGAINST SCIENCE HILL IN KINGSPORT

Photo courtesy the Kingsport Times-News' Ned Jilton - njilton@timesnews.net

2013 Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Reunion

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni from all across the United States came home to Kingsport, for the bi-annual Douglass Reunion, sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association. The event was held on July 5th, July 6th and 7th of 2013.

Below are picture slideshows from the Reunion, plus links to what could only be described as a "hot time in the ole town tonight," AKA the Sock Hop, held at Meadowview. Aside from that, all the pictures come from the staging areas at the V.O. Dobbins, Sr. Complex in Riverview.

PICTURES FROM DOUGLASS REUNION SOCK HOP, HELD FRIDAY NIGHT, JULY 5, 2013 AT MEADOWVIEW


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Click on links below to see videos from Rowena Cherry taken at the Sock Hop

Click here to see a video from Rowena Cherry taken at the Sock Hop

Click here to see another video from Rowena Cherry taken at the Sock Hop



PICTURES FROM FIELD DAY 2013, HELD SATURDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 6, 2013 IN THE DOUGLASS BALLFIELD


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PICTURES FROM THE DOUGLASS ALUMNI BUSINESS MEETING, HELD ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 6, 2013 IN THE DOUGLASS COMMUNITY ROOM



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BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES

07-07-2013

Members In Attendance: Wallace W. Ross, Jr., Andra Watterson, Louetta Hall, Linda Bly, Sandra Wilmer, Ozine Bly, Van Dobbins, Jr., Doug Releford, Thelma Watterson, Sheila Leeper, Ben Long, Rolax Jones, Pam Sensabaugh, Connie Darling, Cassius Ruffin, Pam Ruffin, Wilbur Hendricks,Jr., Ethel Ruth Russell, Mickey Watterson, Rowena Cherry, Crystal Bond, Brenda Bond, Penny Lollar, Tonia Draper, Thomas Bond, Roberta Lanauze, Denise Huffman, Joy Hankins, Bob Williams, Calvin Sneed, and Vicki Smith.



Meeting was called to order by Andra Watterson, President

Prayer - Ethel Ruth Russell



Minutes were read by Vicki Smith and motion was made by Doug to accept minutes as read. Sandra seconded the motion and motion carried.



Financial Report was given by Ozine Bly, Treasurer. The financial report is available upon request. Ozine stated that a total of 4 participants have been selected to receive a scholarship award in the amount of $500.00 each pending notification of acceptance letter.

Doug made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as read and Pam seconded the motion. Motion carried.


New Business/Discussion:

Question regarding financial report not being on website – members can request report at any time.

Email addresses are being obtained so that any information regarding dues, etc., may be sent to members.

Question regarding lifetime membership (which will be taken into consideration).

Doug reminded us that all tenants in the building have a Charter contract and that an agreement has been signed and this is a monthly expense.

Cassius & Pam Ruffin have offered to send a check for this service for the next 6 months (a total of $771.96).

Suggestion for an Event Coordinator (which is up for discussion at next mtg).

Scholarship Award to be donated by Wilbur Hendricks, Jr. and sisters in the amount of $500.00. This award will be called the Wilbur & Della Hendricks Scholarship Award. More specifics regarding this award to be determined by family members.

New Vision Youth purchased an auditorium seat for a total of $100.00 in memory of Lonnie Cox.

Others requesting to purchase auditorium seats were:
Thomas Bond & Class of 1968 in memory of Virginia Hankins
Roberta Lanauze in memory of her mother and sister
Benjamin Long in memory of his mother
Cassius Ruffin in memory of his mother and father

New Officers elected for the 2013-2015 year were:

Doug Releford, President

Louetta Hall, Vice-President

Vicki Smith, Recording Secretary

Andra Watterson, Financial Secretary

Sheila Leeper, Treasurer

Thelma Watterson, Correspondence Secretary

Ethel Ruth Russell, Chaplain

Alan Watterson, Sergeant-At-Arms
Van Dobbins will continue as our Food Service/Hospitality

Calvin Sneed will continue as Marketing/Webmaster

Don Hickman will continue as our resident Parlimentarian

Closing prayer was done by Louetta Hall, Chaplain and meeting was adjourned.

Minutes recorded & submitted by: Vicki Smith, Recording Secretary

Correction to minutes on 8/22/2013

MEETING ADJOURNED

PICTURES FROM THE WHITE EVENT, SPONSORED BY THE EBONY CLUB ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, HELD AT THE KINGSPORT FARMERS MARKET, SATURDAY NIGHT, JULY 6, 2013

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

PICTURES FROM THE DOUGLASS ALUMNI MEMORIAL SERVICE, HELD IN THE DOUGLASS COMMUNITY ROOM, SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2013

The 2013 Scholarship winners are Devaun Swafford (University of Tennessee); Hunter Muller (Northeast State); Cyndee Morrisette (Maryville College); and Jessica Cherry (University of Kentucky).

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

New Vision Kids at the Lincoln Memorial: Witnesses to 50 Years of History

LAST YEAR, THE NEW VISION KIDS VISITED WASHINGTON, D.C. AND SPENT A DAY VISITING THE HISTORIC SITES IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL. ONE OF THE PLACES WAS THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL, WHERE THE 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON TOOK PLACE. AS WE COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT HISTORIC EVENT, WE TAKE YOU BACK TO THAT VISIT

"I felt like I was part of history."

15-year-old Tyrik Hale admits to being awestruck at the majestry of the Lincoln Memorial, and the speech that brought more than a million African-Americans to its summit 50 years ago. The speech by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that he wanted his children to live in a world where they would "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" signaled a new beginning in the civil rights struggle.. one that meant the time for that change in American society was now, not later.

Hale, a sophomore at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, studied about the shift in thinking that came after Dr. King's speech, and it definitely made an impact.  He is the son of Jaquetta Hale of Kingsport and Sean White.

"We have covered the speech in school," he says. "It was important because it's part of Black history, and it's good to know that our culture was together at one point in time. It didn't seem that we were against white people back then, although some of them were against black people. At the march, all black people and even some white people came together as one, to make the world better for everybody."

Meanwhile, it was a different atmosphere in Kingsport and the Tri-Cities 50 years ago at the time of the march. Jill Ellis, who was teaching at Kingsport's all-black Douglass Elementary-High School in 1963, remembers it as a time when not much was said about the march at all.

"African-Americans were rather insulated a bit from urban living in the Tri-Cities in 1963," she says. "We almost had to go to Knoxville, Chattanooga or even Nashville to be close to what the national mood was. We would see it on television, and our relatives and friends in the bigger cities would tell us what was going on, but I never saw any active movement to participate in the national goings-on. The March on Washington in particular, was more of a private event for people, hardly discussed. There was a fear of the unknown in the black community, a fear that meant 'I want to see it done, but I don't know about getting involved.'"

"We knew there were buses passing through Kingsport on Highway 11W coming from the South and the West, headed to Washington," says Mrs. Ellis. "Even though none of us went, there was a spirit that kept saying 'here was a man, Dr. King, who was going to make a way for all of us. He seemed invincible.. he has no fear. When you called his name, you almost held him in reverence.. he was somebody. When we heard him on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he almost didn't sound real, because his ideas were so futuristic. Unless you saw his picture, sometimes his words were almost unbelieveable."

 

                                                                  

Fast-forward 50 years.

Today's African-American youth can identify in the uprising in the community about civil rights, that took a significant turn with Dr. King's speech.

"I was amazed to stand on the very spot where Dr. King made his speech," says Tyrik. "I closed my eyes and pictured the rally going on, like I was right there in it. It was like, going through my mind, like wow.. this was exactly where Martin Luther King actually spoke to the people 50 years ago. I wasn't really nervous.. I was more excited than anything to be standing right there, when he made it sound like anybody can do whatever they want to do, if they put their minds to it. If you want to change the world, work hard and do what you gotta do."

"I was glad the kids got to see the spot where the speech was made," says Mrs. Ellis. "Although we couldn't go 50 years ago, the events held and sacrifices made back then, made it possible for our legacies to see where history started changing. Civil rights has taken several turns during its course, and the speech that Dr. King made on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, was one of those changing points."

Tyrik says, he thinks about being on that spot a lot.

"It definitely changed my life," he says. "It changed my whole perspective of the civil rights background in the country. It changed my views on race and race relations, in that I was right there on the spot where the rally cry first went out."

Dr. King's speech lasted less than 10 minutes that day in 1963.

"The whole world changed at that moment with his words," says Tyrik.

"Just being there... I felt like part of history."

Despite obstacles, Swagerty works to ‘feed the people’

  AN EDITORIAL IN THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS, AUGUST 22, 2013


Over just the past several years, Geraldine Swagerty has provided dinner to enough folks to equal the population of the city of Kingsport. But since she’s been at it for about a dozen years, likely she’s fed enough people to equal the population of Knoxville.

And not one of them paid a dime for any meal.

Swagerty is pastor at Full Gospel Mission Church and Kingsport’s saint to the hungry. In 2001, she felt led by the Lord to “feed the people,” and with less than $200, money she had carefully saved even while her husband was ill, she set up a kitchen in the church basement and opened the doors for anyone needing a meal.

When the money and the food ran out, somehow, someway, she made do. She borrowed, she asked for help, she sent letters to this newspaper, and the Lord always provided. 
It’s called Kitchen of Hope, and if you need something to eat between 3:30 and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, you need only stop by. There’s no menu, because Geraldine never knows what’s going to be served. That depends on those who give, not just food or cash, but their time.

She can’t do it alone — though many times, she has. But there are a handful of volunteers who also see the need, and they have answered the call to be of use to their fellow man. They help Geraldine out as best they can.

As Geraldine points out, there are a lot of folks in need. “Hunger is a big problem in Kingsport. We see older people. We see children. They don’t have anything. They need us,” Swagerty said.

But they also need you.

Kitchen of Hope depends solely on donations and is facing another of those times when there are more hungry people than usual, but fewer donations — and volunteers — to meet that need. That’s the only thing that gets in Swagerty’s way. She refuses to allow her own health problems, or these occasional downturns, to end this mission.

“If people weren’t so generous, I couldn’t do this,” she said. “I don’t take credit for what has been done. If Kingsport’s volunteers hadn’t come together to help, we sure couldn’t have done this.” Swagerty believes the Lord will provide, as He always has.

Swagerty makes every penny count. She searches for the sales at grocery stores, and when there’s money, she buys supplies in bulk. And especially this time of year as folks are harvesting their gardens and canning their produce, she’s ready with a blessing for any who stop by with whatever they can provide. “We take anything edible,” she said, laughing. “We’re not picky. We appreciate anything they might have extra of and will share with us.”

If you can help, please mail contributions to Kitchen of Hope, c/o Full Gospel Mission, 740 E. Sevier Ave., Kingsport, TN 37660. Better yet, stop by. If you’re out grocery shopping, fill up an extra bag and drop it off.

2013 Little Miss Vision Pageant

10 years of Attitude... Appearance... Ability.

The 3 A's are what guide the members of Little Miss Vision every year.

This is the 10th year for the year of excitement that culminates every summer with the Little Miss Vision pageant. The event was held at the Kingsport Renaissance Center on June 22nd.

Past Little Miss Vision winners were celebrated this time around, and proved just as popular with the attributes that won them the honor in their particular years.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

A side note to the pageant this year, and a noticeable addition, was the use of sign language by the contestants during introductions on stage.

"I like the way I can talk with deaf people," says Alise Ferrell, a 5th grader at Jackson Elementary School. It makes me feel good to be ready to sign language to someone if they're deaf. I can just talk to them..I won't just pass them by."

"It's kinda sad," she says, "because they can't hear anybody and enjoy all the things other people are doing. But it makes me feel good to be able to talk to them and be friends. It makes be feel good, because it makes them feel wanted."

The first sign language practice with the girls and the interpreter was hectic," says pageant spokesperson Tanya Leeper. "I thought, 'oh Lord, here they go.' But then something wonderful happened. The girls really took to it quickly, and picked up the basics. When they did that, every other part of it came just as quick. We have high expectations of our young women, and they boosted our faith in them. I even saw some of them signing to each other when nobody was coaching them."

"They are just amazing."



As always, judges grade the pageant contestants on their poise and grace before the audience. The contestants' persistance paid off, and although everyone's a winner, the judges' decisions were as follows:

This year's Miss Congeniality was Teya Merrill.

The 2nd Runner-up was Makiyah Blye.

The 1st Runner-up was Tamara Merrill.

And the winner.. Little Miss Vision, 2013 is.. K'Miyah Shaw. She also wins several prizes and will represent the program for the upcoming year in the city of Kingsport.

"Little Miss Vision gets bigger every year, because the girls have fun," Leeper says. "They enjoy meeting different girls, doing different things, going different places as a group. We're teaching them to set close when the pagenat and all the activicites are all over."

"Stay friends with each other and stay in touch. Once they journey on in school, stay close to each other for support."

Mrs. Ollie Perry Passing

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of Mrs. Ollie Perry.

Mrs. Perry passed away this morning at her home on Carver Street.

Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly and will be published at the PASSINGS AND OBITUARIES link of the website.

Please keep the Perry family in your thoughts and prayers.

Past Pictures on your Douglass Website

We've been getting lots of questions about where the older pictures are on your Douglass website, and rightly so.

They are not gone. Here's a quick explanation and an answer..

Last year, our old pictures server "Webshots," was sold to a company called "Smile." The Smile owners decided that, to see the pictures people like me had in the server they'd just purchased, that visitors need to PAY to have access to those picture sets.

There was no way I was going for that. Even though I paid for premium service with Webshots (we have thousands of pictures), our pictures have always been free for viewing, and I plan to keep it that way.

So I made the decision to move all of our pictures away from this "Smile" company which I now consider a ripoff. Right now, I am in the process of transferring all of our original pictures to Flickr, the photo service owned and operated by Yahoo. Although I am also paying for premium service with Flickr, too (again, the large number of photos), the process of reloading each set of pictures with their stories, is time-consuming. I have a goal of having pictures re-loaded at 6 month intervals.

I always considered Flickr to be a reputable company, but I did like the feature Webshots offered, where the number of visitors to picture sets was counted. I was able to use that information to find out what was popular, what people wanted to see more of, and trends in the photography business.

Please be patient as we make the transition to keep your Douglass-Riverview pictures always free and always available.

I will periodically keep you posted on the progress of transfer. They'll be in slideshow form, with the chance to pull up each individual picture for viewing.

In the meantime, I recommend DO NOT sign up for Smile, despite the prompting. I consider Smile a ripoff for now charging for a popular service that was very successful when it was free.

Thanks for your understanding!



Calvin, your Douglass Webmaster

Inspirational talk

LPICTURES AND CAPTION COURTESTY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

Blake Leeper, bronze medal winner in the 2012 paraplegic Olympics, addresses Roosevelt Elementary students on Friday. Leeper spoke to the children about the importance of being in school every day, and after the program was over he high-fived each student as they went out the door. Leeper had just returned from England, where his Olympic relay team finished first in the world championships.

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Board Meeting

There will be a meeting of the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Executive & Working Boards, this coming Saturday, August 17th.

The meeting begins at 1 PM, in the Eastman Board Room of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Complex tower on Louis Street.

The main purpose of the meeting will be to swear in newly-elected Executive Board members, and discuss other matters that come before the group.

The meeting is open to all Douglass alumni and all are welcome to attend.

Despite tough times, founder of Kingsport soup kitchen says: ‘The Lord will provide’

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By MARCI GORE

mgore@timesnews.net  

Although Geraldine Swagerty is facing a problem she is all too familiar with, her faith remains strong.

Swagerty, who is the pastor at Full Gospel Mission Church, says 12 years ago she felt led by the Lord to “feed the people.”

With just $169 — which she and her husband, who was gravely ill at the time, had saved — Swagerty opened the Kitchen of Hope in the basement of her church on East Sevier Avenue.

“I’ve been a couple of times to finance companies and borrowed some money to keep it going, and the Lord has always provided something to help out, but it’s not ever been easy,” Swagerty said.

The Kitchen of Hope is open from 3:30 pm. until 5 p.m. six days a week. Sunday is the only day it’s closed. When the Kitchen of Hope first opened, Swagerty said she was doing everything on her own — buying the food and cooking and serving the meals.

But, little by little, word got out about what Swagerty was trying to do, and people came forward to help.

Today, Swagerty has about six to 12 volunteers who assist in the day-to-day operations of the Kitchen of Hope, which feeds as many as 125 people daily.

“Hunger is a big problem in Kingsport. We see older people. We see children. They don’t have anything. They need us,” Swagerty said.

But the Kitchen of Hope, which depends solely on donations, is currently facing some serious financial hardships and losing volunteers.

Swagerty says sometimes she wonders if she will be forced to close the doors.

However, this isn’t the first time the kitchen has been in this position. It has previously been hurt by theft, equipment failures, reduced donations and Swagerty’s own health problems.

So, Swagerty says, she remains optimistic that the Kitchen of Hope can once again prevail.

“If people weren’t so generous, I couldn’t do this,” she said, adding that for 12 years she has depended on the kindness of Kingsport’s own to keep the Kitchen of Hope going.

“I don’t take credit for what has been done. If Kingsport’s volunteers hadn’t come together to help, we sure couldn’t have done this,” she said.

Like everyone else, Swagerty searches for sales at Kingsport grocery stores and buys in bulk. She said she welcomes donations of food, especially this time of year as folks are harvesting their gardens and canning their produce.

“We take anything edible,” she said, laughing. “We’re not picky. We appreciate anything they might have extra of and will share with us.”

For Swagerty, closing the Kitchen of Hope is not an option she wants to consider.

“The Lord will provide. I’m going to continue to try to stay open as long as I can,” she said.

To find out how you can help, visit the Kitchen of Hope at 740 E. Sevier Ave., or mail contributions to Kitchen of Hope, c/o Full Gospel Mission, 740 E. Sevier Ave., Kingsport, TN 37660.

Attention Alumni of Appalachia Training, Central & Bland - Big Stone Gap

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS YEAR'S 21ST BIENNIAL REUNION EVENTS!

http://atcbalumni.blogspot.com/

Passing of Evangelist Willie K. Bradford

From: WV and East Tennessee Communications [mailto:WVandETennesseecommunications@msn.com]

Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 12:41 PM



It is with great sadness, yet Jesus joy that we announce the passing of Evangelist Willie K. Bradford this morning, after battling serious illness the past several years. Evangelist Bradford has been the Assistant Pastor at Grace Temple for 30 years.

She is widely known throughout District 23 as a consistent, active participant in council and church activities during her years of good health. Her signature song, during testimony service was "I'm a Soldier in the Army of The Lord."

Information regarding arrangements will be forthcoming from the Grace Temple church family.


Be Blessed,

Sonya L. Clark
Central Baptist Church Office Administrator

Riverview Passings

Evangelist Willie Kate Bradford passed away this morning at Wellmont-Holston Valley Hospital.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced shortly.

This brings to 6, the number of loved ones in Riverview who have passed in the last 3 weeks.

Please see the PASSINGS AND OBITUARIES link, and please keep all of our bereaved families in your prayers.

Gospel Concert Planned

Folks in the Riverview community and Kingsport are invited to a gospel concert to benefit one of the neighborhood's local churches.

Headlining the concert are the Brewster Aires of South Carolina, and also features local groups Ida Machen and Anointed Praise of Kingsport, the groups Witness and REvelation, both of Kingsport, We Five from Jonesborough, and the Brotherhood of Elizabethton.

The concert is Saturday, August 3rd, at 3 PM, with the doors opening at 2 PM.   The event is being held at the Kingsport Renaissance Center, 1200 East Center Street.

Sponsored by the Ladies of Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Women after God's Own Heart group.  Donations will be accepted, with proceeds going to the Ebenezer Baptist Church building fund.

For more information, contact Deloris Johnson Denny, (423) 765-0462 or Gloria Whiteside, (423) 239-5547 and (423) 431-4749.