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Pastor Coats

I am here for Networking

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The Passing of Tim RussertTim Russert 1950-2008 I was Saddened to Hear of the untimely death of NBC Senior Vice President Tim Russert. It is hard for me to imagine experiencing the 2008 presidential election not to mention election night coverage without Russert's reporting and commentary that I have come to enjoy. Tim Russert and Sen. Obama Personally I was blessed by Tim's writings of his relationship with his father "Big Russ". In my opinion he was a loving caring man who lived to remind us of what good journalism is all about. My prayers are with the Russert family as you go through this time of bereavement.It is my prayer that Tim is welcomed into the loving arms of our Creator. The Reverend John T. Coats, II, Chair The Ohio Coalition of Concerned CitizensIs The Reverend Michael Pfleger A Sinner or A SaintI cant say that I was surprised that the national media has decided to make issue of Father Michael Pfleger's recent message on race delivered at the Trinity united Church of Christ. In Father Pfleger's message he questioned the sincerity of Sen. Hillary Clinton's emotional moment during the democratic primary process and he attempted to explain her perspective. I believe he did a entertaining good job. I chuckled as I watch and listened to national and cable news anchors wonder aloud "who is this white priest who seems to be so accepted in this black church". However I was hurt to also hear Father Pfleger get trashed for no good reason. Very seldom do I talk back to my television set, but this time I just could not help it. I wanted to tell the pundits and ignorant reporters why don't you take the time and find out who this man is and give Americans a fair view.I want to take the opportunity for this writing moment to tell you just a little about this man who is being called "a crazy priest" Michael Pfleger is a German American from the south side of Chicago, Pfleger attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 14, 1975. Since 1981, Pfleger has been pastor of the mostly African American Faith Community of Saint Sabina, a Roman Catholic Church in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. When he was appointed to his present position, at the age of 31, he became the youngest pastor in the Chicago archdiocese. His parishioners have affectionately referred to him as a "blue-eyed black soul". Under Pfleger's leadership, Saint Sabina has established an Employment Resource Center, a Social Service Center, and also an Elders home.When many African-Americans ignored and did not respond to the adoption and foster crisis in America, In 1981, Pfleger followed in the foot steps of another Catholic priest Father George Clemens an adopted an eight-year-old son, Lamar, in defiance of Cardinal John Patrick Cody who had threatened to fire him if he went ahead with the adoption. Lamar graduated from college and got a job with Continental Airlines. In 1992, Pfleger adopted another son, Beronti, who currently attends the University of Central Florida. In 1997, Pfleger became the foster father to Jarvis Franklin, who was killed by stray gunfire on May 30, 1998Pfeger is a community activist par excellent. Under Pfleger's leadership, the community of Saint Sabina demanded the shutdown of a number of Auburn Gresham businesses specializing in drug paraphernalia. Pfleger's parish also campaigned for the removal of tobacco and alcohol billboards from their neighborhood. When billboard owners refused to cooperate in the early 1990's, Pfleger and others decided to climb ladders and deface the signs. Pfleger was charged with destruction of private property but was acquitted by a jury in 1991.[6] In September 1997, the Chicago City Council voted 44-1 to eliminate tobacco and alcohol billboards from selected areas in Chicago. Pfleger described the decision as "a tremendous victory for the children of Chicago, for our neighborhoods, especially black and Hispanic neighborhoods."Pfleger has become one of the best known critics of The Jerry Springer Show, a controversial television program which is videotaped in Chicago. Believing the program to be immoral, Pfleger and his parishioners began picketing outside the show's studios in 1991. By 1998, he had organized a boycott of the show's advertisers. "[Springer is] glorifying violence every day.... Calling a woman a ho and a bitch is sick. This is not normal behavior," Pfleger declared. The show's producers eventually claimed that they would attempt to decrease the number of on-stage fights on the program.Pfleger later targeted radio personality Howard Stern in response to Stern's late 2005 advertising campaign to promote his move to satellite radio. Pfleger specifically objected to a pair of Stern's billboards in Chicago that featured an image of the black power salute and the caption "Let freedom ring. And let it be rung by a stripper" (a parody of a line in Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech). Pfleger told the media, "As we prepare to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, we will not tolerate this kind of disrespect. We should not have to tolerate it in our communities." Viacom, the owner of the billboards, eventually removed the signs because of Pfleger's protests.In 2000, Pfleger received international attention for encouraging his parishioners to buy time from prostitutes as a means of inviting the women to counseling and job training. The Chicago Archdiocese largely distanced themselves from Pfleger's efforts, to which Pfleger responded, "How is what I'm doing not part of the Gospel? The church leaders talk about evangelization. Well, if this isn't evangelization, I don't know what is." Saint Sabina raised several thousand dollars for Pfleger's program, attracting many donors from outside their parish. St. Sabina has used similar methods to reach out to drug dealers.In 2001, Pfleger fired racism charges towards a mostly white elementary school athletic league, the South side Catholic Conference, after they refused to admit Saint Sabina's parish school. The league claimed that visiting teams and parents would be unsafe in Saint Sabina's neighborhood. Pfleger responded, "Racism continues to be alive and well both inside society and inside the church. To be denied admission on the sole premise that certain coaches and parishes feared for the safety of their children is illegitimate, ridiculous and insulting. It is very troubling that the conference would insinuate that we would place their children in harm's way." Chicago's Francis Cardinal George eventually pressured the league to reverse its decision. In 2007, Father Pfleger and the faith community of Saint Sabina erected twenty billboards across Chicago with the words "Stop Listening To Trash", followed by a list of ten "disrespectful rappers". Pfleger said in a press release, "If we are going to end the violence and disrespect of women, we must fight every form of negativity, including the music industry.I have just listed a few of Father Pfleger efforts judge for yourself. Is The Reverend Michael Pfleger a sinner or a Saint. I believe that he has demonstrated that he is a servant of God who serves the community. I call him Saint. Francis Cardinal George has decided to temporarily remove Father Michael Pfleger from his position as pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side. Francis Cardinal George who do you serve? I also wonder did someone else order you to take stronger actions against Father Pfeger beyond your initially rebuke of him.Father Pfleger has already offered his conciliatory as not to be a further distraction to the Obama campaign, but that was not enough for you, Your Eminence. Francis Cardinal George you have to ecclesiastical power to punish Father Michael Pfleger, but I advise you to repent of your recent sin of removing Pastor Pfleger from his flock. Don't be afraid to do the right thing Francis Cardinal George. If you ask God to help you he will.


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I must take the time out to acknowledge and honor the United Kingdom's first black Arch Bishop, he is The Most Reverend John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu (born 10 June 1949 in Kampala, Uganda) is the 97th Archbishop of York, Metropolitan of the province of York, and Primate of England. He is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury. I don't believe that the new Arch Bishop of York is going to be a pushover for he is causing a little uproar already, but truth has a tendency to have that kind of effect. The Archbishop of York has claimed that The Government of Great Britain has failed to find a vision for the country and has not built a cohesive society, that racism had been allowed to flourish and that Britain was no longer the "great nation" it once had been. Instead, it was a nation in crisis. "Britain is in a very, very uncomfortable place," he said. Who is This Holy Man? John Sentamu was born in 1949 in a village near Kampala, Uganda, the sixth of thirteen children. He read law at Makerere University, Kampala, and practiced as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda. Sentamu practiced both Law at the Bar and at the Bench until 1974. He incurred the wrath of dictator Idi Amin because of his judicial independence and was locked up for ninety days, three weeks after his marriage.In a speech in 2007 he described how during that time he had been "kicked around like a football and beaten terribly", saying "the temptation to give up hope of release was always present". In 1974 he fled to the United Kingdom. He read theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge (BA 1976, MA 1979, PhD 1984), and trained for the priesthood at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, being ordained a priest in 1979. He worked as assistant chaplain at Selwyn College, as chaplain at a remand center, and as curate, priest and vicar in a series of parish appointments before his consecration in 1996 as Bishop of Stepney (a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of London). It was during this time that he served as advisor to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Enquiry. In 2002 he chaired the Damilola Taylor review. That same year he was appointed Bishop of Birmingham, where his ministry, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was praised by "Christians of all backgrounds". Sentamu became President of Youth For Christ in 2004 and President of the YMCA in April 2005. On 17 June 2005 the Prime Minister's office announced his translation to York as the 97th Archbishop. He was formally elected by the Canons of York Minster on 21 July, legally confirmed as Archbishop in London on 5 October, and enthroned at York Minster on 30 November 2005 (the feast of Saint Andrew), at a ceremony with African singing and dancing and contemporary music, with the Archbishop himself playing African drums during the service. On 16 July 2007, Sentamu was presented with an Honorary Degree from the University of Hull by the chancellor of the university Virginia Bottomley at Hull City Hall during the graduation ceremony for graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. On 19 July 2007, he was presented with an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Sheffield in recognition of his distinguished career as a scholar and theologian. In October 2007, Archbishop Sentamu was awarded the Yorkshire man of the Year title by the Black Sheep Brewery. In his acceptance speech, Dr Sentamu praised the welcome he had received from the people of Yorkshire, and made reference to the African-Yorkshire DNA connection, joking that perhaps his parents had this in mind when they gave him the name Mugabi, which spelled backwards is Ibagum (ee-by-gum). As the Church of England's first black archbishop, Sentamu has played a leading role in fighting racism. He criticized the Government's policy on asylum seekers after visiting Oakington immigration detention center in Cambridgeshire, where he talked with people who have been housed with convicts. Speaking at Cambridge University, the Archbishop accused the Government of trying to put a positive spin on the impact of its policies when, in fact, Britain had lost its standing abroad and was in crisis domestically because it no longer had a "vision for coherence or purpose". "The loss of purpose has led to a crisis in Britain and a crisis for Christianity," he said. "At the heart of the empire was very strong mission and enterprise. British goods used to be very good, but not any more. Something has gone wrong. Britain needs a bigger vision." He stressed the importance of Britain not losing its Christian heritage which, he said, could be a "medicine" for the nation's ills. Congratulations Archbishop Sentamu, May God Bless You With The Light of His Understanding and May He Continues To Protect You. And be happy you don't live in the United States during a presidential election. If you did you would make BIG NEWS.

I'd like to meet:

The Pope.."http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z244/Eldjtc2/Thepo pe.jpg" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"

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Movies:

The Spook Who Sat By The Door

Television:

The American Experience

Books:

Souls of Black Folk

Heroes:

The Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

My Blog

The Passing of Tim Russert

The Passing of Tim Russert Tim Russert 1950-2008 I was Saddened to Hear of the untimely death of NBC Senior Vice President Tim Russert. It is hard for me to imagine experiencing the 2008 presiden...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:29:00 PST

UK’s First Black Arch Bishop Has Back Bone

I must take the time out to acknowledge and honors the United Kingdom's first black Arch Bishop, he is The Most Reverend John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu  (born 10 June 1949 in Kampala, Uganda) is the ...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:09:00 PST

The Reverend Michael Pfleger Sinner or Saint

Is The Reverend Michael Pfleger A Sinner or A Saint I cant say that I was surprised that the national media has decided to make issue of Father Michael Pfleger's recent message on race delivered at ...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:30:00 PST

Coats on Dr. Jeremiah Wright

The Intentional Burning of Barack Obama?..:   By The Reverend John T. Coats, II Political/Community Activist What caused Sen. Barack Obama's pastor to throw his prized Negro under the bus. The R...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Thu, 01 May 2008 09:32:00 PST

Colleague of The Levitical Pastor gives a New Perspective On Senator Obama

Greetings: The African-American (Black) (Negro) (Colored) Christian Community has mostly failed to sponsor, support and vote for candidates which represent and support our moral belief systems.&...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:34:00 PST

The Papal Visit

The Pope of Rome In America   Pope Benedict arrives late Tuesday for a six-day visit to Washington and New York filled with high-profile events. He will meet President Bush at the White House, a...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:13:00 PST

The Names of the Holy Spirit

The Names Of The Holy Spirit By The Levitical Pastor The Reverend John T. Coats, II The Holy Spirit has many names mentioned in the Bible. We need to know the different names of the Holy Spirit as the...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:14:00 PST

The True Meaning of Lent

The True Meaning of Lent By The Reverend John T. Coats, II  I post this teaching with ash on my forehead.  What is Lent? Why is it so widely practiced by "Christians" of this world? Is it b...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:54:00 PST

Pastor Coats On Sen. Obama, Ron Paul And More...

One Republican's View of Barack ObamaMany of you know that I am a registered and active Republican. I have been associated with the republican party for nearly 20 years and I have found my association...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:21:00 PST

America Should Know What Mitt Romney Believes

America Should Know What Mitt Romney Believes By The Reverend John T. Coats, II Today, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared in a much anticipated and well promoted speech, that he sh...
Posted by Pastor Coats on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:59:00 PST