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Women’s History Month: Center Street Baptist Feeds the Homeless

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Faithfully, every Monday afternoon, hundreds of Oakland’s growing homeless population and needy families that live on the streets or under freeway overpasses , are served nutritious home-cooked meals by the seven volunteers, mostly women, from the Center Street Baptist Church’s Food Ministry.

Catherine Birchett-Linzie, along with Yvette Brown, co-founded their sanctuary’s serving initiative over a large pot of chicken noodle soup. Birchett Linzie said her sister’s circle of mothers and children saves, scrapes and scours each week to pool their few personal dollars and mites to raise at least $500 to buy food and gas. They are guided by the biblical reference of Matthew 25 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in.”

“Our spirits are lifted by their responses when the homeless see our tired old little red van, that sometimes breaks down, coming to feed them and give them care packages for minimal sanitation and decency. Our hearts are lifted because many of our volunteers have been homeless too. We feel the pain in our feet because we’ve walked in their shoes,” said Birchette Linzie, while cooking huge servings of Barbecued ribs, baked beans, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dinner rolls, bottles of water and choice of home-baked cakes.

Sister Elizabeth Scott, a retired technician of the Sheriff’s Department, serves side by side with those who were formerly incarcerated, said “we sing and pray with the children before we leave.”

She said they needed mobile warmers and coolers to keep the food warm or cold. Their members also knit caps and scarves to keep the homeless family members warm.

Their goal is to serve more than 125 each week and nearly 200 hundred on the fourth Saturday of each month.

“We need a large refrigerator to replace their Soda machine, supplies for tiny kitchen space, non perishable food donations and monetary contributions, said Scott. Our 501c3 tax-exempt number is 94-2821706 and our email is cmissionary@sbcglobal.net .”

Next week: Children’s Ministry testifies about feeding the homeless.

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Bay Area

ICAC to Host Benefit Concert Jan. 20 to Keep Safe Car Park for Unhoused Open

It was chilly Monday evening at the reopening of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County’s (ICAC) Safe Car Park Program in West Oakland – a stark reminder of just how cold the night would be for those in the community without shelter. The safe car park has been temporarily closed due to lack of funding, and ICAC needs money to bridge the gap during these cold months until additional financial support from the city kicks in several months from now. To help bridge that gap, ICAC is sponsoring a concert at the Oakland Temple Hill Auditorium at 4780 Lincoln Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. The whole Bay Area community is invited to join this cause.

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Lena Byrd Miles will perform at a concert to help keep the Safe Car Park open this winter. Courtesy photo.
Lena Byrd Miles will perform at a concert to help keep the Safe Car Park open this winter. Courtesy photo.

By Debbie Bromley

Special to The Post

It was chilly Monday evening at the reopening of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County’s (ICAC) Safe Car Park Program in West Oakland – a stark reminder of just how cold the night would be for those in the community without shelter.

The safe car park has been temporarily closed due to lack of funding, and ICAC needs money to bridge the gap during these cold months until additional financial support from the city kicks in several months from now.

To help bridge that gap, ICAC is sponsoring a concert at the Oakland Temple Hill Auditorium at 4780 Lincoln Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. The whole Bay Area community is invited to join this cause.

This special evening of top-notch entertainment will feature Billboard artist Lena Byrd Miles, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and Destined2Dance.

Attendance will help support the ICAC in their charitable efforts in the community, especially their work to improve community health and safety and to feed and care for those in need of food and shelter.

Tickets are $20-35 and are available online at TempleHill.org.

At the Safe Car event on Monday, Miles stepped to the mic to share a song with the poignant lyrics, “If I can help somebody, as I travel along, if I can help somebody, with a word or song…my living shall not be in vain.”

Miles said she is honored to lend her gift to this effort. “We are to do as much as we can to help the needy and God repays us. And as we give to them it’s as if we are giving unto the Lord.”

As the cars began to roll in for the night, warmth began to emerge from all the service being rendered, making the chilly evening more bearable.

The portable trailer from WeHope was standing ready to offer showers, laundry facilities and a caseworker.

Paul Bains, CEO of Project WeHope and pastor of St. Samuel Church of God in Christ commented, “WE ALL help make this happen, as it truly does take a village to positively impact a community!”

LaMel A. Smith, director of the nonprofit Helping Others Win was also on hand. Smith helps provide a food distribution service at the site that serves about 3,000 people per week.

Dr. Kenneth Anderson William, pastor of Temple Baptist Church, added, “It was with joy to see families living in their cars return back to a Safe Car parking site. Safe car parking is needed in every city to provide resources for more sites.”

Dr. Michelle Myles Chambers, assistant pastor of West Side Missionary Baptist Church and director of the San Francisco Foundation’s FAITHS program, has been there from the beginning. “The San Francisco Foundation was excited to be on the ground floor with ICAC,” she said. “We’re all in on housing and fully support innovative supportive housing models.”

ICAC is grateful to the Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the Kapor Center for funding support, along with The San Francisco Foundation for supporting the reopening.

Other supporters attending were Natalie Walker of WeHope, Lena Byrd Miles’ manager Tina Carter, representatives from the office of Oakland City Council members Rebecca Kaplan and Nikki Fortunato Bas, and CBS News reporter Itay Hod.

As Dr. Ken Chambers, founding president of the ICAC and pastor of West Side M.B.C. and often reminds us, “Working together works!”

Attending a concert is an easy way to show support for these efforts.

Debbie Bromley is the Oakland Temple Hill communication co-director of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Bay Area

FAME Oakland Observes Fire Disaster Anniversary with Gospel Artist Zacardi Cortez

A year after a fire destroyed its edifice, First AME Church of Oakland (FAME) will commemorate that tragic event with a three-day weekend of praise and worship. FAME, the East Bay’s oldest operating Black Church, will honor its 150-year history and officially launch the church’s vision for the future.

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Dr. Rodney Smith and Rabbi Mark Bloom. Photos courtesy of FAME Oakland.
Dr. Rodney Smith and Rabbi Mark Bloom. Photos courtesy of FAME Oakland.

By Post Staff

A year after a fire destroyed its edifice, First AME Church of Oakland (FAME) will commemorate that tragic event with a three-day weekend of praise and worship.

FAME, the East Bay’s oldest operating Black Church, will honor its 150-year history and officially launch the church’s vision for the future.

Themed “Up From the Ashes,” the commemoration will be a three-day celebration of service, praise and gratefulness from Feb. 17 to 19.

“I have always believed that this was an opportunity to build back bigger and better, and to embrace FAME’s rich legacy of service and spiritual empowerment in Oakland,” said the Rev. Dr. Rodney Smith, Senior Pastor of FAME. I am overwhelmingly proud of FAME’s resilience and steadfastness to lean on God in this season.”

On Feb. 17, FAME will host a health-focused Community Day at Prescott Elementary featuring award-winning actor Delroy Lindo, local radio personality Cuzzin Dre and other special guests. On Sunday, Feb.18, there will be a commemorative worship service featuring guest preacher Rev. Greg Hunter (Olivet Oakland) to mark the last service before the fire.

At 7 p.m., the weekend will conclude with a musical performance by Grammy Award-nominated artist Zacardi Cortez, who has graced the stage with John P. Kee, James Fortune, Tye Tribbet, and more. Cortez is known for hits such as “Lord Do It for Me” and “You’ve Been Good to Me.”

In addition, the Rev. Jeffery Williams will minister. The evening will also feature a musical debut from Pastor Rodney.

“Despite what it looks like, we know God will give us joy instead of mourning and beauty for ashes! This is a major opportunity to reflect and remember that God always turns everything in your favor when He is in control,” said FAME First Lady, the Rev. Amittia Smith.

Tickets are $65. Limited VIP packages remain. To purchase or for more information, go to www.fameoakland.org

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Bay Area

Illegal Dumping Plagues Glad Tidings Community Church

For more than two years, Glad Tidings Community Church Pastor Jeremiah Captain has been fighting a losing battle with illegal dumping. As soon as Captain and church members clean up one illegal dump in front of the church at 18th avenue and E. 12th street, another follows almost daily.

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Photos courtesy of Pastor Jeremiah Captain.
Photos courtesy of Pastor Jeremiah Captain.

By Post Staff

For more than two years, Glad Tidings Community Church Pastor Jeremiah Captain has been fighting a losing battle with illegal dumping. As soon as Captain and church members clean up one illegal dump in front of the church at 18th avenue and E. 12th street, another follows almost daily.

He believes that individuals and businesses charged with clean-up see the illegal dump on the property and, instead of taking the trip to the junkyard, just follow suit and leave all manner of things on his doorstep: clothing, shoes, trash, used needles and condoms, mattresses, a refrigerator, paint, and other toxic fluids.

Captain says the problem has become so pervasive that it discourages members of the small congregation from attending Sunday service and impedes his ability to conduct his business as an insurance agent which is also located at that address. Besides the dumping, Captain has had to contend with vandalism to the building exterior, including splashed paint and other toxic wastes. He has had to repair four broken windows costing $300 each in the past few months.

There have also been break-ins, some averted and one where their drum set had been stolen but recovered a few blocks away. Despite repeatedly reporting the issue to Oak311 for clean-up and appealing to Oakland City Councilmember Nikki Fortunato-Bas, there has been no response so far.

Captain says his next step is to seek funding for motion detector lighting, security cameras and ground-level signage making it obvious that the site is a church. For more information, please call the church at 510-532-5743.

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