1263 Voice NovDec05 12/5/05 3:45 PM Page 1 .pdf · 2019-03-26 · give up, turn back or question your salvation. Your salvation is based on your faith in Jesus Christ, who has redeemed

1263_Voice_NovDec05 12/5/05 3:45 PM Page 1

IN THIS 2005

HOLIDAY SEASON OF

CHRIST THE KING,

AND THROUGHOUT THE

COMING NEW YEAR,

WE PRAY THAT THE

POWER OF THE

HOLY SPIRIT

ELEVATES YOU TO A

RENEWED MINDSET,

A PROFOUND

SENSE OF PEACE,

UNSHAKEABLE FAITH,

AND AN AMAZING LEVEL

OF BOLDNESS FOR THE

ALMIGHTY FATHER AND

HIS KINGDOM.

We love you.

Bishop

Eddie L . Long AND

Elder

Vanessa Long


L IV ING A SAVED L IFEAs a new Christian, you become aware that you need to learn to walk all over again. You now have a new spiritual fam-ily that you must develop a relationship with.

CONTINUOUS NURTURINGDeveloping an ongoing relationship demands quiet time (I John 4:13-15). Each day, you must find the time to bealone with Christ who is your spiritual source of power.

Discipline yourself to: (1) have a specific time and place to be alone with God; (2) be consistent; (3) read your Bibledaily; (4) begin with prayer; (5) ask God for direction and power for the day ahead.

NEW VS. OLD NATUREYour very body houses both your old nature and your new nature. The challenge comes when your new nature tries toevict the old, comfortable sin nature that has dominated and controlled your life.

As your old nature continually challenges your new nature, you occasionally may revert back to your “old ways” andsin. The new Christ nature that is within you convicts and points to the sin that has taken place. Once you confess thesin and ask God to forgive you of the sin, your old nature has been defeated again.

Your new nature will take control as you embrace the Word of God by hearing and applying the Word to your life.The minute you do not allow the new nature to function in your life, the old nature will take control.

YOUR SP IR IT, YOUR SALVATIONWhen we speak of a person’s ‘spirit,’ we are speaking about everything that person is: thoughts, motives, impulses,desires and actions. The old nature expressed itself through sin; the new nature expresses itself through the Holy Spirit.

Read: Romans 8:5-11 Galatians 2:20 Colossians 2:9-10Romans 6:1-6, 23 Galatians 5:13-18 Ephesians 6:12

Did you know that accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior did not make you perfect and without sin for the rest ofyour life? Many Christians struggle with the concept of becoming a “new creature in Christ Jesus” (I Peter 5:8; IICorinthians 5:17).

Jesus promised that when you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit would come to dwell in you and be with you, forthe purpose of teaching and guiding you in your everyday affairs.

As you continue to grow in the Word of God, you will experience new victories over sin in your life. You must nevergive up, turn back or question your salvation. Your salvation is based on your faith in Jesus Christ, who has redeemedyou from all sin.

S IN STOMPERS Utilize these steps to maintain spiritual freedom to overcome sin in your life and walk in spiritual authority and victory:Recognize the problem. Use discernment. (Hosea 4:6, Hebrews 5:14); responsibility—take the responsibility to dealwith it; repent—ask God (and others) for forgiveness. (Acts 3:19); renounce—turn away from it. Announce to Satanand others that you are no longer in agreement with this sin, lifestyle or attitude; and, resist—now that you have sub-mitted yourself totally to the Lord, you have POWER to resist the devil, and he will flee from you! (James 4:7)

For more practical ways to live a saved life, attend any of the following classes offered by the Christian EducationMinistry.

Course Day Time Location/RoomAdult Sunday School Sunday after 1st Service W114Young Adult Sunday School Sunday after 1st Service W112Genesis Bible Study Sunday after 1st Service W111Sunday School for the Deaf Sunday after 1st Service W118Kingdom Marriage Learning Hour Sunday after 1st Service W121 Kingdom Possessors Bible Study Wednesday 10 am-12 pm W105


wellandAlive...

On Jan 2, 2005, “Kingdom Adjustment, Kingdom

Alignment” is the message that Bishop Eddie L. Long

delivered for the New Year. Over the next 12 months,

New Birth would be inspired to Come Alive in 2005!

P H O T O S B Y B E N B R O W N

yearin

review

J

8 T H E N E W B I R T H V O I C E D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5


In January 2005, ElderOtis B. Head was namedSenior Director of PastoralCounseling.

Head—who is licensed forChristian counseling and therapy, anda doctor of religious philosophy inclinical Christian counseling—nowleads Cheryl Weems, AssistantDirector of Counseling, and ElderLouise Cage, Intake Counselor, in

newcounselingHead

taking the Counseling Ministry intonew successes. Having previouslyworked with New Birth's ProjectDestiny and other social serviceagencies in the Atlanta metropolitanarea, Dr. Head says he feels “blessedand honored” to become a part ofthe team and expects the counselingministry to continue the great thingsof the past, while enhancing presentperformance.

“Kingdom Counseling is ourgoal,” Dr. Head says, “and we honorGod through our efforts as we offersupport to our spiritual father andthe great ministry he leads here atNew Birth and across this world.”

manup!Stampley and others.

Thousands of men came from nearand far seeking to line up with God’swill—in their hearts, in their homesand on their jobs.

held May 5-7 at the CabarrusCounty Convention Center inCharlotte, N.C., men were chargedto “Man Up” in every area of theirlives. This year’s gatheringcarried the theme “Men,Come Forth.”

Imparting God’s word,along with Bishop Eddie L.Long, were Pastor DeronCloud, Pastor TerrellMurphy, Dr. RichmondMcCoy, Pastor JamesMeeks, Minister ByronCage, Psalmist Micah

Prayer, fellowship, unity: The 2005Men’s Conference held in Charlotte.

[ C O M E A L I V E I N 2 0 0 5 J O H N 1 1 ]

JAN

aprfebmar

>“Kingdom Adjustment, Kingdom Alignment”

>Resurrection Sunday at the Georgia Dome

>State of the Black Union with Tavis Smiley

>Third Annual 5K Run/Walk

Still Growing...

By the end of October

2005,New Birth had taken

in 4,532 new members!

At this year’s Nation ofJesus Men’s Conference,


Changed


Collectively, more than 2,000 pounds have been losssince Bishop Long announced the idea of ProjectKingdom Health on June 7.

As the first group of participants embarked upon this wellness journey, titled“Commit to Fit,” the goal focused on participants taking action to significantlyreduce their risks for serious health problems through responsible weight loss,lowering of blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels.

There are many individual success stories, including weight losses in excess of40 pounds, elimination of headaches, improved self-esteem, and overall

improved senses of well-being. DeSiree Watkins, Commit to Fit Team

Captain, is a nurse who has lost more than20 pounds. As a direct result of herinvolvement with this initiative, she hasbeen able to eliminate two of three med-ications for her diabetes, and now onlyneeds 1/2 of one pill.

DeSiree has also taken the class“Kingdom Health God’s Way,”

offered through the L.I.F.E. Institute byHealth Services Ministry instructors whohelp participants become more spirituallygrounded in their quest for better health.

“Although I have gone through nurs-ing school, the class taught me how Godactually planned it for us,” says DeSiree.

“I have learned the way I should eat, andit is not a long drawn out plan. The class

played a big part in helping me learn how to use God’s plan, not man’s plan.” Sonya Spearman, BSN, RN, health coach and class instructor, teaches the

importance of short- and long-term goals, and how to break the barriers toachieving divine health. Sonya uses biblically based principles, referencingappropriate scripture to help participants get their lives in balance, accordingto God’s Word.

Super Saturdays are held each month to bring the participants together toweigh-in, receive gifts and prizes, have their journals checked for completeness, andhear from professionals who provide health wise information and encouragement.

Dr. Kenneth Harper, a board-certi-fied family medicine practitioner,joined his wife for the Commit to Fitchallenge and is pleased with theirprogress. He advises participants tomake smart decisions about theirhealth even as it improves.

“It is very important that you donot make medication changes with-out discussing them and gettingapproval from your doctor,” he says.“If you have been able to discontinuehypertensive, diabetic, or other med-ications, please continue to follow upwith your doctor.”

As the first-ever New BirthCommit to Fit health challengecomes to a close, preparation hasalready begun for the next ProjectKingdom Health challenge, slated tostart in January 2006.

Additionally, plans are underway forthe next New Birth Health Expo forSaturday, May 20, 2006. It has beenfive years since the last New BirthHealth Expo. The 2006 Health Expopromises to be even greater than thefirst. It will include various healthscreenings; educational seminars;health specific, gender specific andfamily oriented materials and informa-tion; and health related vendors.

It is our desire to help manifest thevision of Bishop Long in his heartfeltdesire to have a healthy congrega-tion, free of preventable and chronicdiseases.

}doctor’s orders

“Develop relationships andsupport groups that you can goto when your exercise classesthrough New Birth end,” saysDr. Kenneth Harper. “Use these

groups to encourage you throughthe sweet potato pies, red velvet

cakes, and all the othertemptations you will face over

the holidays. We can always findsomeone to help us break adietary or exercise lifestyle

change, but can we find some-one to support us?”

M


o

yearin

review

First Lady, Elder VanessaLong, presented 40 Elect Ladies to the world at theend of an 8-week summer program

designed for them to explore theirGod-given potential—socially, spiritu-ally and educationally. The first-everElect Ladies Summer Odyssey, held

June 6 – July 29, nurtured girls ages11-15 with devotionals, currentevents, an academic skills lab, healthand recreational exercise, empower-ment sessions and social skills. On aweekly basis, they participated inleadership development training, aspeakers’ bureau, community service,bi-weekly field trips, and unique arts,crafts and beauty activities.

“After completing the Odyssey, I expectthat when an Elect Lady enters the room,everyone recognizes there is somethingspecial about her,” Elder Longexplains. “Not an arro-gant presence, but agodly presence filledwith humility and aheart to serve andchange the world.”

elect ladies

yearin

review

On July 10, Bishop Longannounced the dedicationof the New Birth Chapel in honorof founding members Dr. MCNorman and his late wife BobbieJean.

The Normans were among thefirst 150 founders of New BirthMissionary Baptist Church, andwere among the first to help get thechurch’s roots planted before andafter moving to 2778 SnapfingerRoad, just prior to then ReverendEddie L. Long becoming pastor in

1986. As the chairman emeritus of the

deacon board, serving as chair for30 years, Dr. Norman is a personalwitness to the significant changesand the many tremendous yearsexperienced by New Birth in itsearly days.

“I was very honored that BishopLong named the chapel after meand my late wife Bobbie Jean,” saidDr. Norman. “We are blessed tohave been a part of this wonderfulministry all these years, and we tried

to do whatever we could to assistthe vision that Bishop had for thedirection of the church, the growthof its congregation, and its power-ful, spiritual impact around theworld.”

theNorman

Chapel


MAY

augjunjul>Bishop’s Birthday

>Nation of Jesus Men’s Conference

>Memorial Day Family & Friends Festival

>4th of July Celebration

>Project Kingdom >Re|present Youth Conference>Elect Ladies Summer

Odyssey begins

>2005 Ordination Services

>Hurricane Katrina relief efforts begin



“It was the most effectiveand influential youth con-ference that New Birth hasput on to date,” are thesentiments of many about Re|pres-ent 2005, including Elder eDDieVelez, Senior Director of YouthDevelopment. But what’s most

engaging about this year’s gather-ing held June 20-23, which attract-ed thousands of young people ages9-18, is that it was only the begin-ning of what Elder Velez calls a newyouth movement. He and MinisterMilan Ford, Re|presentCoordinator, say they wouldn’t besurprised if this conference changesthe face of youth ministry.

“Re|present is a state of mind thatwe are boldly imposing on ourpeers, that they constantly need to

re|present all aspects of their lives,”says Elder Velez. “Whether it’s theirperception of who God is; how theyinteract with their families and com-munities; their willingness to dreamand have vision for their lives; andthe list goes on. We see it gettingbigger and better for God’s glory!”

The fire from the youth confer-ence carried on throughout the restof the year with the Re|presentLIVE monthly gatherings, whichfeature interactive messages, live per-formances, and a variety of recre-ational activities that Elder Velezsays “give our kids a place to coolout, which is safe but still crunk!” Jr.high students meet every first Fridayand high school students meet everythird Friday.

What’s the focus for next year?“Worship!” he says. “Get ready forRe|present 2006 Da’ REMIX, goingdown June 19-22!”

The International College ofExcellence (ICE), ChristianEducation’s program that equipssaints for the work of the ministry,stepped out on faith in February withtheir very first class titled “Principlesof Faith.” Since then, the ICE pro-gram has continued to flourish.Program Director Elder Lynette T.Dandridge gives an account of theyear’s progress:

bigger&better

forGod’sglory

“We’ve had a constant monthly enrollment averaging60 students, which have been divided into 4-6 groups ofclasses. The students have continued to be excited anddelighted at what God is doing through our ICE program. Ithas been reflected in their lives, and the students continue to speak of the life-changing, mind-transforming experience that ICE continues to provide.

“Individual characters have been changed from the inside. Within thefaculty/staff and student body we have had testimonies of how homes have beenchanged, families restored, and how businesses have been increased by great multi-tudes. We have seen Divine Healing take place—physically, spiritually and mentally.

“We had the privilege to share info regarding our Theological Institution on alocal TV show, and we are now at the stage of launching our Distant LearningProgram so that we can share this great learning experience with those near and far.

“In October we launched the Christian Counseling Certification program, andwe are preparing for our December graduation, in which we will honor ourvery own Bishop Eddie L. Long as one of our doctorial graduates, along withsix other doctorial candidates, and other degrees, diplomas, and certificates tobe awarded. What a year!”

in ICE Excellence

yearin

review

S


October 2005 marked theone-year anniversary forthe New L.I.F.E. College—NewBirth’s higher learning program, inpartnership with North CarolinaCentral University, which offerscourses toward bachelor’s degrees invarious disciplines.

The College’s goal for the firstyear was to enroll 100 students. Atthe one-year anniversary mark, it

was recorded that 125 students hadbeen admitted since its inception!

What’s to come in 2006? In June, to address the teacher

shortage in Georgia, a new bache-lor’s degree program in elementaryeducation (K-6) will be offered withconcentrations in history, art, math-ematics and Spanish. The Collegeexpects to admit an additional 50students in the elementary educa-tion major during the summersemester 2006.

Also, seniors will participate ingraduation exercises in Durham,N.C. in May and December.

OnCollegeGround

18Years

the reign of

Spirit&Truth[ ]Bishop Long boldly set the stage forthis year’s Spirit and TruthConference by giving us a thoughtprovoking “State of the ChristianUnion” that compels action withinthe Body of Christ. The followingexcerpt from his message says it best:

“The church is in a desperateneed now. Too many Christians arespiritually illiterate and spiritually

<<BISHOP EDDIE L. LONG“Sometimes Godwants you to shut yourmouth and not shout.Can you be quiet?Noise is often a coverup for insecurity.”

The Dekalb County Sheriff’s Departmenthonors Bishop Eddie L. Long with hisvery own Sheriff’s badge on his 18thpastoral anniversary. Thrilled, BishopLong reaches to flash his new badge toany and all “perpetrators.”


SEP

dec octnov

>Spirit & Truth 2005 Conference

>Holiday Outreach

>New L.I.F.E. College one-year anniversary

>Marriage Conference


bankrupt. Yet we continue with business as usual. We have to change our sys-tem and our structure because all we are doing is pacifying the people. Youcannot go into New Orleans and say “Praise the Lord” and fix things. Thechurch was created and designed by God to be the prophetic influence on everysphere under the government of heaven. It was designed to be salt and light.For too long pastors and church leaders have reduced ministry down to thelevel of singing in the choir, ushering, hospital visitation and teaching inSunday school. The greatest mission field is out there in the market place.Wherever you are working is your congregation. You may not be able to be anElder, but you are fire baptized in the Holy Ghost. We have never had a churchmeeting to discuss the status of this nation’s naturalresources. But we will say, “Hallelujah, the earth is theLord’s and the fullness thereof.” Well, if the earth is theLord’s, then we ought to be concerned about the waterand the gas and the oil; some of us ought to own therefinery and get in the system and understand it.There is nothing we are not supposed to influence.”

Each speaker brought a life-changing, rhema word ofGod, and each message was clearly another segment of the line upon lineand precept upon precept wave that flowed among the people.Consequently, a collective ball of power began to roll, gathering speed andstrength with each session, paving the way for unprecedented accomplish-ments by God’s freshly empowered leaders.

Pastors not only heard what Bishop Long spoke at the conference, butthey acted upon it immediately, declaring that his words shall not fall to theground. Discussing the economic power pastors and leaders had at that verymoment, Bishop Long proclaimed: “We in this room can have a grocerystore today.” Several pastors, including Pastor Andre Landers and PastorCynthia Hale went out that day, found a grocery store location for sale, andpresented the video footage to Bishop Long and conference attendees. Plansare underway to purchase this grocery store, so that jobs will be providedand lives will be changed through this initiative.

This year’s conference saw a tremendous attendance increase, setting thehighest record so far of more than 7,000 attendees, with most sessionsnearly filling the sanctuary.

The conference culminated with a gospel concert benefiting HurricaneKatrina victims. Many great gospel music artists were in attendance, includ-ing Byron Cage, Elder William Murphy and Bishop Paul Morton.

There were so many words of power resonating each day and night of thisconference, where an unforgettable host of God’s leaders—Bishop EddieLong, Bishop Tudor Bismark, Pastor Creflo Dollar, Dr. Samuel Chand,Bishop T.D. Jakes, Bishop Donald Hilliard, Pastor Walter Scott Thomas andPaula White—truly answered the question, “What is God up To”?

Year in Review reporting assistance by Carolyn Hartfield and Norma Stanley.

(

(

()

)

)

BISHOP T.D. JAKES>>“Take off your agen-

da. Let somebodywalk past you and not

know how importantyou are. If you don’t

humble yourself, Godwill humble you.”

BISHOP WALTER SCOTT THOMAS>>

“Whenever reality andexpectation collide, thespirit of heaviness and

depression comes in.Change your clothesright now; put on thegarments of praise.”

<<DR. SAMUEL CHAND“There are only twokinds of people whodon’t have conflict:those who are dead,and those who don’t doanything. You will notplease everybody.”

<<DR. CREFLO DOLLAR“Walking in the flesh isnot bad behavior butbad thinking. Changeyour thinking and yourbehavior will change.”

PAULA WHITE>>“One thing I know you

need in this season istenacity. Something

that causes you toendure, to stick, to

stand firm, to look atadversity and say, ‘I

don’t think so.’”

[the reign of Spirit & Truth] c o n t . f r o m p a g e 1 3

yearin

review

<<BISHOP TUDORBISMARK“If you can understandthe organization inchaos, you can disman-tle it and rearrange itfor your own purpose.”


a heart full ofkenya

a hear t fu l l o f

t h e v i s i o n t o c h a n g e a n a t i o n

b y D R . S A M U E L C H A N D

P H O T O S B Y M I N I S T E R R I C H A R D C O L E M A N A N D L E T I T I A J A C K S O N


Carrying out one man's God-ordained vision, New Birth missionaries converge on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya before heading back to Atlanta, July 2005.


hen it comes toAfrica, Bishop

Long has a ferventmission: to challenge andmobilize African-American resources in theMotherland—beginningwith Kenya in particular.Great strides took placeduring his latest trip to thisEast African country inJuly 2005. Read thesereports and see why thereis no doubt that BishopEddie L. Long’s divinevision to change a nationwill find favor with thepeople of God every-where:> President Daniel Aarp Moi,Kenya’s immediate formerPresident, hosted Bishop Long athis residence for a breakfast meetingand appointed him as anInternational Board Member to theMoi Africa Institute andFoundation. This world-class groupis comprised of international personsof influence who negotiate interna-tional conflict and address issues ofpeace, poverty, economical develop-ment and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.> The Evangelical Churches ofKenya—an association of all majordenominations and independentchurches in Kenya—appointedBishop Long as GoodwillAmbassador-at-Large for Kenya in theUnited States of America.

> The Ministry of Foreign Affairsof Kenya is considering an unprece-dented move to appoint BishopLong as an official Consul Generalfor Kenya in the United States ofAmerica with diplomatic rights andresponsibilities.> The hospital in Nakuru, Kenya’sthird largest city, was renamedBishop Eddie Long Women andChildren’s Hospital. Bishop Long’svision is to build a state-of-the-art,400-bed hospital to serve as a pro-totype for other cities throughoutthe country. With Bishop Long’sassistance and New Birth catchingthe vision, much of the existing hos-pital has been renovated to providesafer births and heightenedsanitation with theDepartment of Health andMedical Services allocat-ing substantial resources.The renaming and dedi-cation ceremony waselaborate with tribalsingers, communitychoirs, a military band,and community andsenior government offi-cials participating inthis historic occasion.Bishop Long is theonly pastor with ahospital named afterhim. This $6 millionhospital will be com-pleted in 6-8 years.(See “Hospital ofHope,” page 19.)> Bishop Longchallenged hun-dreds of bishopsand pastors in avariety of settingsto seize thisDivine moment offavor towardAfrica. Hereminded them

W that the recent G-8 Summit focuswas solely on the African continent.He prophesied that “…today isKenya’s day!”> In a formal dinner with high-ranking government and civic lead-ers, Bishop Long reminded themthat they have to accept their God-given leadership responsibilities andbe good stewards of their role asgatekeepers.> Hundreds of businesspersonscame to hear Bishop Long at aformal banquet, in which he chal-lenged them to understand andrespond to their role as “kings”and to support the vision of the“priests.” In a “what would it belike” moment, Bishop Long

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 T H E N E W B I R T H V O I C E 17

A Kenyan girl (left) gets alot of New Birth love duringmission team clinic visits.



postured the possibility of a coordinated effortbetween African-American and Kenyan busi-nesspersons in manufacturing, retailing and eco-nomic development. This was greeted withother conversations including a private ChristianBank. A possible Christian businessperson’s tripis being discussed for Spring 2006.> Bishop Long made a substantial “down-payment” to the Africa Inland Church(A.I.C.) for completion of a Christian radiotower and television station that will reachthe entire east-African continent. A.I.C. isKenya’s and East Africa’s largest denomina-tion with more than 4 million members.

In a “what would it be like”moment,

Bishop Long postured thepossibility of a coordinated

effort between African-American and Kenyan

businesspersons in manu-facturing, retailing and economic development.

Dr. Benson Karanja, a nativeKenyan and President of BeulahHeights Bible College in Atlanta,explains the meaning of BishopEddie L. Long’s recent appoint-ment as Ambassador of Kenya:

NBV: Our pastor and spiritualdaddy, author, teacher, andrenowned fighter for Kingdomreign is now Ambassador to an EastAfrican country. What exactly doesthis mean?

Dr. Benson Karanja: Bishop Long

will be an ambassador-at-largerepresenting the interest of Kenyain the United States of America.

NBV: What exactly will his respon-sibilities be in this position?

BK: They will be very general, suchas attending meetings as requestedby the Government of Kenya.

NBV: Is he one of manyAmbassadors in Kenya, and whatdoes this position mean to the peopleof Kenya?

BK: He will represent Kenya in the

United States of America, or in theUnited Nations. The position meanshe can also issue visas to peoplewishing to visit Kenya.

NBV: Will it come with any politi-cal responsibilities?

BK: It has no direct political respon-sibilities. However, if requested, hecan represent Kenya in the WhiteHouse or with the U.S. StateDepartment.

NBV: Is the position recognized bythe United States Government oronly in Kenya?

BK: This position is recognized any-where in the world.

Kenyans line the streets outside a

clinic awaiting vaccinations frim

the New Birth missions team.

When Pastor Becomes Ambassador



The B i shop Eddie LongWomen and Chi ldren ’sHosp i ta l in Nakuru , Kenya

There is hope at last for hundreds of womenin the low class areas of Nakuru after theonly maternity hospital in the area received$100 million.

The dilapidated Bondeni MaternityHospital, run by the local municipal council,will be repaired and supplied with equip-ment from America. More health workerswill also be posted to the facility.

The hospital’s sponsor, Bishop Eddie L.Long of America, conducted a ground-breaking ceremony last Saturday and work will start immedi-ately. The maternity hospital, which has been renamed Bishop Eddie LongWomen and Children’s Hospital, will be built in two phases, says the Bishop.

Bishop Long was touched by the women’s plight when he first visitedKenya in 2002. The proposed hospital will bring hope to hundreds ofwomen who have been forced to deliver at home or at the Rift ValleyProvincial General Hospital, the only alternative.

The three-story building will dwarf the other buildings built during thecolonial era. The council has already approved an architectural plan byTeotec Shelter Consortium, and it is only a matter of weeks before construc-tion starts. The hospital will include a 50-bed general ward on the easternwing and another 50-bed ward for children. There will be 20 delivery roomsfitted with modern electronic equipment, some of which have already beenshipped into the country from the U.S. It will also have a 10-bed ward fortraumatized women and adjacent rooms for counseling. The new outlookwill include an outpatient.

Today, mothers from Bondeni, Kisulisuli, Kambi Somali, Paul Machanga,Kivumbini I-IV, Kaloleni, Shauri Yako, Flamingo, Kimathi, Abongolowea,Ojukaa, and Lumumba deliver at the hospital. Others from as far as Bahati,Ndundori, Njoro, Kiamunyi and other low-class areas also deliver there.

The rapid population increase in Nakuru forced some mothers to seekantenatal and postnatal care at the Rift Valley Provincial hospital becauseBondeni could not cope. The hospital will be expanded from its current 75-bed capacity to 400 beds. Also, the hospital will offer affordable health care

to the poor.In the past, the maternity used to

record more than 50 deliveries perday. But with leaking roofs, anun-maintained drainage system andbroken delivery beds, the hospitalnow records at most five deliveriesper week.

Most people in Nakuru weredelivered at this facility, which standson a 10-acre plot near the MenengaiSocial Hall.

The hospital, which was estab-lished in the 1950s, is so desertedthat a visitor to the area may notrealize that there is a maternityaround.

Stepping UpThe American evangelist mobilizedhis congregation and friends to raisemoney for the hospital when he

In Nakuru, Bishop Long holds newborn baby Eddie, whom a grateful Kenyan mother names after him.

H o s p i t a l o f

P H O T O B Y D R . S A M U E L C H A N D


returned to the United States.Bondeni, the oldest maternity hospital in

Nakuru, has been neglected by the council formore than two decades, hence its sorry state.

Some of its old structures will be demolishedand an ultra-modern facility built, says NakuruMayor Benson Mwangi.

“It will be the biggest in the province if not thecountry,” says Mwangi.

Bishop Long, who is Senior Pastor of New BirthMissionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, GA, com-missioned the expansion of the maternity over theweekend. Bishop Mark Kariuki of DeliveranceChurch accompanied him.

The construction will be a joint venture betweenthe American missionaries and the Municipal Councilof Nakuru. A memorandum of understanding hasbeen signed.

The Director of Medical Services, Dr James Nyikal,also attended the ceremony.

Nyikal said the Government would support the proj-ect.

Internal Security Assistant Minister Mirugi Kariuki,who is also the Nakuru Town MP, praised the new initia-tive.

The Bishop says his congregation and well-wishers inAmerica had pledged to transform the facility.

Counselor Sabina Owiti, who initiated negotiationswith the American church, says the refurbishment is thebest news for the area residents in a long time. She saysthe Bishop invited a delegation to the U.S. to convincefriends and his congregation to participate in a fundraiser to help reconstruct the hospital. Owiti says sheaccompanied the then Nakuru Mayor, Silas WachiraNgoru, to America to present the case to BishopLong’s friends.

The first phase of the hospital will be complete byJanuary 2007, says Bishop Long. He says the churchwill post more specialists to the hospital and trainothers who are already working there.

Reprinted with permission from the East African Standard, as pub-lished August 1, 2005.

Change is coming: the c

urrent

Bodeni hospital.





Share the Load B Y M I N I S T E R R I C H A R DC O L E M A N

UGANDAN STUDENT: “Bishop Long,I have no money for school fees. Myfather died of AIDS, and my motherdoes not make enough money tosend my siblings and me to school.Please help me.”

INDIAN PASTOR: “Bishop Long, thechurches here have a great need forBibles. Can you buy 1,000 for us todistribute in the villages?”

SUDANESE REFUGEE: “Bishop Long,

my family and I have been in Atlantafor 1 year, but we are having a hardtime adjusting to America. The peo-ple, the customs, the food—every-thing is different. Can you come visitour home and teach us how to sur-vive in America?

KENYAN BUSINESSMAN, MEXICAN LAWYER,

LIBERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:

“Bishop, can you help me?”

On a daily basis, Bishop Eddie L.Long receives numerous e-mails, let-ters, and calls requesting financialassistance, prayer, and/or a personalvisit. Since he is only one person, heis not able to meet all of these needs.Shame on him, right? He shouldwork harder and longer. He should

spend more time away from homeand travel endlessly to preach toeveryone who invites him. He shouldsell everything he owns in order tohelp everyone who has materialneeds. That’s what he should do,right? Wrong!

Bishop Long is the Senior Pastor ofNew Birth Missionary BaptistChurch. His role is spelled out clearlyin Ephesians 4:11-13. Part of this roleis to prepare God’s people for worksof service. As Bishop teaches, preach-es, and demonstrates, the people ofNew Birth are supposed to respondby putting into practice what theyhave learned. New Birth has an esti-mated membership of 25,000 people.Can you imagine what kind of impactwe could have on the world if everybeliever in our local body were to get




involved? Can you imagine whatwould happen if we took the burdenoff of Bishop Long and got involvedwith the work of the ministry? Wewould change the world.

Fortunately, the “lights have beencoming on” in the heads of manyNew Birthians. They have graspedthe truth that they are to be involvedin works of service. One of the great-est examples of this can be found inthe steady increase of New Birthiansinvolved in international missions. Bythe time 2005 comes to a close,approximately 70 people from ourlocal congregation will have gone onalmost 15 missions trips to more than20 countries around the world! Thisis the greatest amount of participationthat New Birth has had in short-terminternational missions trips in anygiven year (the 2003 Kenya Crusadewas not solely a missions trip).

Has New Birth “arrived” yet? Ofcourse not; but we are well on ourway to becoming a missions-mindedchurch. We are getting there, as theKenyans would say: “Pole, Pole,” orslowly, slowly.

In this year alone, more New Birthmembers have been involved in mis-sions than ever before. Whether it hasbeen through giving, going, sending,praying, or receiving, New Birth hasdefinitely risen to a higher level ofinvolvement. At the beginning of thisyear, the congregation gave very gen-erously toward tsunami relief. Now,just 9 months later, the congregationhas responded again with great gen-erosity toward Hurricane Katrinarelief. New Birth members have alsoworked with refugees, donatedclothes and toiletries, and volunteeredcountless numbers of hours in themissions department.

Pole, Pole, New Birth members arebeginning to see that “Missions is notjust the job of Bishop Long and theMissions Department staff. It’s thework of the whole church.”

The Face ofNew BirthMissionsB Y V I C K Y S K E L T O N

The face of New Birth Missions isBishop Eddie Long. He takes thegospel to the world through radio,television and the web. He travelsextensively, personally taking thegospel to many countries all aroundthe globe.

The face of New Birth Missions isthe 3 full-time missionaries that aremembers of New Birth. MinisterSherry Thomas, Lawanda O’Neal andGreta Woods serve in Mali, Ghana,Croatia and Liberia.

The face of New Birth Missions isthe 67 New Birth members, who in2005 traveled on short-term missiontrips to Kenya, Ghana, New Zealand,South Africa, Peru, Mexico,Dominican Republic, Guatemala,Nigeria, Benin, Mali, New Zealand,Jamaica, Crete, Egypt, Haiti, NovaScotia and Honduras sharing the loveof Christ through work done in med-ical missions, evangelism, teaching,children’s ministry and construction.

The face of New Birth Missions isthe more than 50 missionaries andmission organizations that New Birthsupports financially reaching out toover 50 countries all over the world.

The face of New Birth Missions isYOU. When you give financially toNew Birth Missionary BaptistChurch, You are involved inMissions. When you pray for Bishop

“This is Why I’ve Come to Perú...”A Missionary’s MemoirB Y V A N E S S A B U R K E

The first night at hotel Kuelap in San Juan de Lurigancho, while preparingfor bed and getting to know my roommate, Jacqueline, she said to me,“You are an intercessor.” I thought, “Hmm. I gue ss I am.” Often, I prayprivately at God’s leading for all types of people, but I have never officiallyclassified myself as an intercessor.

The next day, armed with my new title, I felt a strong urge to volunteerto help Lois Zangara, who was designated to pray for the people after theyreceived medical treatment. After all, with no medical background, I had todo something non-medical. So, Lois and I became the prayer team, andeveryone who received treatment would be offered prayer before leaving.

So, I thought. This is why I have come to Perú… to pray…and little did Iknow, through praying for others, I’d experience the highest level of prayeranointing I had ever experienced in my life…

One of many memorable experiencesAlison Lusted, Vice President of New Covenant Creation Ministries,which sponsored this Peru trip, warned us that some of us would have the



Long or the missionaries or thenations, YOU have a part in fulfillingthe great commission. When youshare with refugees or other peoplein need, YOU are spreading thegospel of the kingdom throughoutthe world. We invite you to be theFace of New Birth Missions.

Highlights of The Face of NewBirth Missions in 2005:

■ Our shipment of 13,000 pounds of medical supplies arrived at the Bishop Eddie Long Bondeni Maternity Hospital in Kenya.

■ We responded to the tsunami disaster in Asia and partnered with others to send 13,000 pounds of food, water, clothing and medical supplies to India.

■ Refugee children’s lives in the Clarkston area have been enriched through our involvement in an after-school

tutoring program, block parties and Kid’s Bible Club.

■ Children in a needy rural Georgia area were blessed by a team helping with a Vacation Bible School.

■ From one New Birth members’ generosi-ty, a home was built for a 67-year old widow and her young grandson in South Africa.

■ 30 people received training through the Introduction to Missions class under the L.I.F.E. Bible Institute.

■ Clothes were donated clothes and med-ical supplies were disbursed to the needy through New Birth members in their travels around the world.

■ Kenya was touched by 18 New Birth members who worked in hospitals, clinics and orphanages, sharing health-

care and hope for the needy. Alongside Kenyan medical professionals, they saw over 5,000 patients and vaccinated over 200 children.

■ Ghana was touched by Patricia Sims who spent the summer there teaching and being “Grandmom” to over a hundred orphan children.

■ Peru was touched by 5 New Birthians involved in medical missions, evangel-ism and women’s ministry, particularly ministering to abused women.

■ South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Mali, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Guatemala, Crete, Egypt, Haiti, Nova Scotia and Honduras also received the blessings of work done by short-term New Birth missionaries involved in med-ical missions, evangelism, teaching, children’s ministry and construction.

experience for the first time of oth-ers being slain in God’s Spirit whenwe pray for them. I thought, yea,that’s awesome. I wonder whothat’ll happen to.

One night, I was assigned to aconference held at Rios de AguaViva (Rivers of Living Water) in

Lima, and at this church, I felt as ifI were at New Birth, only every-thing was said in Spanish! Thepraise and worship was awesome,the people proclaimed the Lord’sgoodness with power and excite-ment, and the leaders served uswith humble excellence.

After one of our missionaryspeakers for the evening finished,she asked us to come to the frontand spread across the altar, andthen she asked the audience tocome up if they wanted prayer.Hundreds of women were there,and we all had huge prayer lines.Needless to say, I lost count of thewomen in my prayer line who wereslain in the Spirit under the powerof God’s anointing. I mention thisonly to give witness to the awesomemove of God in Perú.

Many of the other missionariesexperienced this same powerfulanointing for the first time. Healingand demonic deliverance wentforth, and God’s Peruvian daugh-ters were set free! This happened allthree nights of the conference, andby the third night, men showed upto be blessed and prayed for also. Please pray that all those who weredelivered and healed in Rios deAgua Viva would continue to growin Christ and walk in their God-ordained destinies.

Missionary Vanessa Burke prays for a broken heart in Lima, Perú.P H O T O B Y B E T S E Y G I B B S



Love and Support for Hurricane Katrina Evacuees

B Y V A N E S S A B U R K E

Meet Katrina—the largest

disaster responded to

by the Red Cross in its his-

tory; a hurricane that is

estimated to cause more

than $200 billion in

damage to the Gulf Coast

areas it ravaged in

Alabama, Mississippi and

Louisiana on August 26,

2005. President Bush has

pledged over $60 billion

in government assistance,

sparking political debates�


over the source of the funds, andthe nation is in debate over whetherthe city of New Orleans should evenbe rebuilt, given the fact that flood-ing, as deep as 20 feet in someareas, submerged 80% of the cityunder water for weeks after leviesfailed to hold back Katrina’s hugestorm surge. To date, over 30,000National Guard troops have beendeployed. Hundreds of thousandsof homes, owned by both rich andpoor, were destroyed all along thehard hit areas of America’s GulfCoast, which saw a combined deathtoll of more than 1,000. And

Americans were joined by peoplearound the world in shock of theslow response by the United StatesGovernment to rescue its own fromthe horrors of a Category 4 stormwith peak winds of approximately150 miles per hour.

“One hundred percent of thepeople recognized that the govern-ment failed the people,” said

President Bill Clinton as he andPresident George H.W. Bush ralliedhurricane relief efforts. Over 400shelters spread across the nationhave been set up, and more than amillion people have been forced tochange their address, often in faraway places. Many have no desire toreturn to their homes, realizing thatthey have no jobs, homes, cars, andin the case of New Orleans, no“fully functioning” city to return to.

In addition to uprooting millionsof people, this disaster has affectedmany industries: real estate, bankingand oil to name a few, which in turn

affects Americans as a whole. Like itor not, it is a tragedy we all share insome way, shape or form. Just astribulations often strengthen charac-ter, analogously, tragedies forcechange. On an individual scale,tragedy can be, well, tragic; howev-er, on a worldwide scale, couldtragedy be necessary for a higherpurpose? Many turn to religion for

the answers. Certainly, everythingthat happens in this world cannotbe easily explained, but as forChristians, they rest in the fact that,come what may, God remains incontrol.

love conquers allWhen asked what he thinks God isdoing through Hurricane Katrina,New Birth’s Chief LeadershipOfficer, Elder Tommy Powell, says,“I think Bishop [Long] said it best

when he said that weare going to rebuild,but not rebuild thesame way.” Powell says“rebuilding” hererefers to both buildingsand people. “God iscreating a secondchance to rebuildthings the way Hewants them rebuilt; thepeople, the system,everything,” he says.

New Birth haspledged to help resettlemore than 400 evacu-ated families who wereinitially staying withNew Birth members.Although this task isdifficult, says Powell,mainly because manyof those families havenow moved on, NewBirth is committed to

doing as much as possible to helpsecure homes and jobs, amongother needs. “We just picked up 20-30 beds,” says Powell, for thosewho indicated that need.

Additionally, a much larger reliefeffort is going strong on NewBirth’s campus. A few days afterKatrina introduced herself, BishopLong mandated New Birth leader-

Servant leader Linda Evans (left): “We have it all...perfume...detergent...new suits...Coach bags...neckties...Pampers...kid’s clothes.” P H O T O B Y A U G U S T U S T . B U R K E


New Life at New Birth [ c o n t . f r o m p a g e 2 7 ]


ship to set up a resource center toaid the inevitable influx of people,and Powell got the ball rolling. Ameeting was called, and the resultwas the opening of the HurricaneKatrina Family Resource Center.Located in New Birth’s Family LifeCenter and open since September 2,the Center has served more than4,000 so far. Servant Leader LindaEvans, who calls Baton Rouge, LA,home and was born in NewOrleans, says word has gotten outall over Atlanta about the Center,and people often come from faraway areas of the city. Says Evans,“One lady said, ‘Everybody says togo to New Birth.’”

Once people arrive at the Center,they are first registered so that NewBirth may collect appropriate infor-mation from them. Then a volun-teer clerk escorts them to varioussections to select items needed,remaining with them the entiretime, even loading their selectionsinto the car. Volunteer monitorsorganize merchandise and also assistwith selections. Evans says peopleconsistently tell her how surprisedthey are at the amount of love theyreceive at the Center. In addition toproviding free merchandise, duringthe first month, the Center servedhot meals daily. Now meals areserved on Sundays after secondservice. The Sunday dinners, saysEvans, offer comfort and encourageevacuees “to come and fellowship

with family and friends.” She saysmany met others at the Centerwhom they knew in New Orleansbut had no idea they were inAtlanta. Although not all of Katrinaevacuees are poor, for those whosepoverty never changed in NewOrleans, Evans says they don’tknow how to take what they see atNew Birth. They are overwhelmedby the love, support and freeresources provided. They realizethey are being given a new life—onebetter than they had.

The Center is being compared toa department store, with New Birthmembers having donated numerousquality items, many with new tagsstill on them. Bishop Long andElder Vanessa Long have donatedclothing. Recording artist Usher hasdonated clothing. “We have it all,”says Evans. “Perfume…detergent…new suits…Coach bags… neckties…pampers… kids’ clothes.” She saysthey had to ask people to stopbringing clothes because they hadsuch abundance. The Center alsogladly receives financial donationsand available housing registration.

Center volunteers have heardcountless heartwarming stories fromevacuees. One young man said he hadto keep his diabetic mother liftedabove the water so that her feet wouldnot get wet as he carried her all theway to the roof of a building so thatshe could be rescued by helicopter.

One volunteer, Milton Velez,

although not officially a New Birthmember, faithfully served at theCenter every day until he had toreturn to his home in Ponce, PuertoRico. Velez, a bi-lingual accountant,just happened to be in Atlanta look-ing for work. Familiar with NewBirth through television broadcast-ing in Puerto Rico, he felt right athome worshipping there andattended while in town. WhenKatrina hit, Velez readily volun-teered at the Center. He couldrelate to the evacuees, having gonethrough a devastating hurricane inPuerto Rico himself, literally seeinglarge objects fly around in the air.Although Velez is no stranger toministry because he helps feed andteach the Word of God to many onthe streets in Puerto Rico, he saysvolunteering at the Center “was thegreatest experience.” He recalls lov-ingly encouraging one elderly ladyin a wheelchair, telling her that thelatter days would be better. “Sheeven allowed me to give her a kisson the cheek, just as if I were herson,” says Velez.

About volunteering at the Center,Evans says, “It’s not something wehave to do; it’s a desire and compas-sion within us that we must moveinto the area God called us to. It’snot about money. It’s about love.”

my home is your homeYet another major outpouring of lovefrom New Birth is from its memberswho are sacrificing their resourcesand homes to house many evacuees.“My husband and I have not slept inour bed since Katrina; we have beenon the floor so that we could honorour elders,” says Elder Lynette T.Dandridge, Dean of New Birth’sInternational College of Excellenceand a member of New Birth since�

“My husband and I have not sleptin our bed since Katrina; we

have been on the floor so that we could honor our elders,”

says Elder Lynette T. Dandridge.



1992. At one point the Dandridgefamily housed as many as 26 familymembers from her hometown of NewOrleans. She has been chauffeur tomany of her family members, goingback and forth to theRed Cross, the SocialSecurity office,DEFACS, Wal-Mart,and many other places.Despite being pulled inmany different direc-tions, says Dandridge, “Ienjoy what I’m doingbecause that’s my family;they are first.”Dandridge says her fami-ly expressed that NewBirth’s hospitality hasbeen Christ-like; there isa sense of peace here;and the organization isoutstanding. Whenasked why she joinedNew Birth by a friendfrom New Orleans,Dandridge’s cousinSchurilynn Willis said,“This church has beentoo good to me. Whywould I go anyplaceelse?” Willis was the first among manyof Dandridge’s family from NewOrleans to join New Birth.Dandridge’s mother, Margie G.Thompson, says she has no desire toreturn to New Orleans because thereis nothing left there for her. She even-tually plans to return just for closure,but says Georgia is now her home,and she is enjoying her new churchhome at New Birth very much.

Dandridge is very grateful thatNew Birth has been an abundantsource of riches and love to her fam-ily, who are from the Lower 9thWard area that received the worst ofthe flooding in New Orleans, andindeed was flooded a second time byHurricane Rita. They have literallycried at the fact that although New

Birth is such a big place, they havenever seen people so loving. Theysaid other places they had gone towere chaotic, “but here it was asense of peace, and it was very

organized.” Because this experiencehas totally changed her life—herpersonal history has literally beenwiped away—Dandridge has a newperspective on the term “suddenly.”She reminds us that God’s Wordnever said all things would be good,but that they would work togetherfor our good.

one thing is certainSome say Katrina is a result ofGod’s judgment. Regardless of yourinterpretation, you have to admitone thing for certain: Katrina hasbrought change. Perhaps for many,change for the better. Consider our

lives, this world, the United States,Atlanta, as a huge game board.Imagine God looking at the gameboard and simply picking up pieceshere and there, turning them,

removing them and adding them,wherever and whenever He needs,to accomplish His purposes onearth. Some moves create 180degree turns. Others result in smalldirectional changes. Everyoneaffected by God’s visitation in theform of Hurricane Katrina isencouraged to simply ask Him,“Where is my game piece headed?”Furthermore, when you get theanswer, follow that path; makeevery move count; ask direction atevery junction; receive the love andsupport from fellow game pieces;and make it through the strategy—your strategy—that God has alreadyplanned for the timeline of your life.

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath: Cars lie crushed underneath eighteen-wheeler trailersafter overturning like toy trucks on Poland Avenue in the 9th Ward of New Orleans.P H O T O B Y C H R I S T O P H E R A . B I R C H


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1263 Voice NovDec05 12/5/05 3:45 PM Page 1 .pdf · 2019-03-26 · give up, turn back or question your salvation. Your salvation is based on your faith in Jesus Christ, who has redeemed