Bay Area
Local Pastors and Elected Officials Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church
The plea to save a 118-year-old historic church was answered when local pastors and the offices of elected officials joined together on Monday morning February 6, outside of the North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church. With donations from the pastors and interventions from elected officials the future of NOMBC is no longer in question.
By Carla Thomas
The plea to save a 118-year-old historic church was answered when local pastors and the offices of elected officials joined together on Monday morning February 6, outside of the North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church.
With donations from the pastors and interventions from elected officials the future of NOMBC is no longer in question.
By Thursday, March 10 the crisis was abated with the back and current taxes being paid in full. The local West Oakland faith community, The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC), Central Hills East Oakland Congregations, Statewide Baptist Association, and community members had all answered the call for help.
Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb had rallied the group saying, “We cannot lose another church and we’re here today to support Pastor Rutledge and save a church that has been crucial to the community as a spiritual home, a feeder of the homeless, and supplier of 56 units of senior housing,” said Cobb. “I’ve also received calls from other churches in need of assistance.”
NOMBC Pastor Sylvester Rutledge who has pastored the church for 30 years, was grateful and more than happy to spend time with the group of supporters.
“Sometimes we’re humbled so we can learn and help each other,” said Rutledge whose church was scheduled to be auctioned on March 17 due to a $43,000 tax bill owed to Alameda County. “And, more importantly our calling is to serve each other, save the souls of men, practice the word of God, and protect the word of God.”
Rutledge also said the church hosted the first Colored Baptist Convention in the area.
“I thank God and am proud to announce that the faith community has established a Rainy Day Fund for the North Oakland Baptist Church,” said Pastor Ken Chambers of Westside Missionary Baptist Church and founding president of ICAC. “Dr. Sylvester Rutledge has helped the community all his life. Now, during his time of need, the community stepped up without hesitation to help an honorable man of God and save the house of the Lord.”
Pastors and leaders supporting Rutledge and NOMBC included Rev. Ray Williams, Morning Star Baptist Church; Pastor Vince Collins, King Solomon Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church; Thomson Mathews, Corinthian Baptist Church; Pastor Mary McConn Gilmore, Oakland Community Chaplaincy Program – Westside Baptist Church; Pastor Rutledge, Dr. Maritony Yamot, Maritony and Associates – Life Impact for Humanity; Pastor Ken Chambers, president of Interfaith Council of Alameda County — Westside Baptist Church; Bip Roberts, The Well Christian Community Church; and Brett Badelle, deputy district director, Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
Additional supporters included, Tim Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church; Thomas Harris, Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church; Vince Steele, Office of Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson; Pastor Raymond Lankford, Oakland Community Church – Oakland Private Industry Council; Darryl Stewart, Office of Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley; Elder Jay D. Pimentel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Pastor Gerald Agee, Friendship Christian Center, and Pastor Donald Scurry, Joshua Christian Church.
“We have been working diligently to have the situation resolved and hope to have the church removed from the auction list this week,” said Steele.
“Pastor Rutledge is a God-sent man,” said Pastor Vince Collins. “He is a pastor that has helped many pastors.”
“Churches are such an important fabric of the community, so we stand in solidarity for this church and all churches,” said Elder Jay D. Pimentel.
For Pastor Raymond Lankford, NOMBC and Pastor Rutledge have been community staples for decades.
Rev. Ray Williams of Morning Star Baptist Church, just around the corner from NOMBC, said he got the first call from Pastor Rutledge. “Our churches are neighbors with history and me, Pastor Rutledge and Paul Cobb were a part of the Citizen Emergency Relief Team (CERT) after the Loma Prieta Earthquake.”
“We want to make sure places of worship are sustained,” said Bip Roberts of The Uncuffed Project and The Well Community Church.
Rep. Barbara Lee’s staff member Brett Badelle said “The Congresswoman is a big supporter of the church.”
Dr. Maritony Yamot plans to help coordinate the group’s efforts to help churches avoid crise crises in the future. ‘I will work with the interfaith leaders to develop a crisis prevention plan for churches,” she said.
“We’re all in this together as the body of Christ and we’re here to make a difference,” said Pastor Donald Scurry.
Pastor Mary McConn Gilmore said Pastor Rutledge conducted her father’s memorial service last year. Pastor Rutledge has been there for so many of us and the community, so we’re happy to support him,” said Gilmore.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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