Charlotta Spears Bass, longtime editor of the African American newspaper The California Eagle, was a journalist, activist, and politician who fought for the civil rights of African Americans in the early and mid-twentieth century. The first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States (1952), she worked to combat what she called, “The two-headed monster, Segregation and Discrimination.” Charlotta Spears Bass was born in Sumter, South Carolina. She attended Pembroke College (the women’s college that is now part of Brown University). There she got her start in the newspaper business, selling ads and subscriptions for the Black-owned Providence Watchman.
Bass took a job at The Eagle, the oldest African American newspaper on the West Coast. The founder and editor, John Neimore, recognized Bass’ talent. When he fell ill in 1912, he asked Bass to take over the paper after his death. She bought the newspaper at auction a few months later with $50 she borrowed from a local storeowner. Bass was thus one of the first African American women to run a newspaper in the U.S. Shortly after taking over the paper, Bass renamed it The California Eagle. By the 1930s it was the largest Black newspaper on the West Coast, with a circulation of approximately 60,000.
Bass used the pages of The California Eagle to wage many battles on behalf of African Americans. The paper called out the racism of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film Birth of a Nation, and even attempted to block its production. The campaign against the film raised Bass’ national profile. She soon began to tour the country, speaking out against racial injustice, which in turn boosted readership for The California Eagle.
Bass's frequent targets for reform were employment discrimination, racial violence, and housing segregation. She used the newspaper to call attention to racist hiring practices in Los Angeles. Bass helped open doors for African Americans with major employers like the Southern Telephone Company, Los Angeles General Hospital, and the Los Angeles Railway. She took on the Ku Klux Klan, detailing their crimes in print. In 1925, she published a letter by the head of California’s Klan that exposed a plot to frame local Black leaders. The Klan sued Bass for libel. She faced up to one year in prison and damages of five thousand dollars, but she won in the courtroom. Bass sold The California Eagle in 1951 and moved to New York City, where she devoted herself to Progressive Party politics. The following year, Bass became the first African American woman nominated for vice-president when she ran on the Progressive Party’s ticket with California attorney Vincent Hallinan. They campaigned widely on a platform of civil rights, decent jobs, peace, and equality, but they won only 0.2% of the popular vote. After the campaign, Bass retired to Elsinore, California, but remained active in the community until her death in 1969.
Brandman, By: Mariana. “Charlotta Spears Bass (~1880-1969).” National Women's History Museum, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/charlotta-spears-bass.
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Congratulations
Rev. Elizabeth Pollard!
She was approved for
Full Connection as an
“ORDAINED ELDER”
by the
North Georgia Conference of the
United Methodist Church.
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And congratulations to
Gloria Parker!
She will be Commissioned as
Deaconess
at Annual Conference in June.
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What is Lent? The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word “lengten,” which simply means “spring” — when the days lengthen and new life springs forth. It is a time in which we anticipate the victory of the light and life of Christ over the darkness of sin and death. The season of Lent is a time of prayer and contemplation in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord at Easter. This year, we are sharing a Lenten Devotional by Redeemer Church and Ministries. You can read the daily devotions by clicking the link below.
Join the Ben Hill Prayer Ministry for a daily prayer call at 12pm during Holy Week, Sunday, March 28th thru Saturday, April 3rd. Each call will be led by our clergy. Call-in on the Prayer Line: 712-770-4936 Passcode: 627746
Sunday, March 28- Rev. Brian Tillman
Monday, March 29 – Rev. Elizabeth Pollard
Tuesday, March 30 – Dr. Anthony Alford
Wednesday, March 31 at 11am – Min. Meisha Brown
Thursday, April 1 - Rev. Brenda Presha
Friday, April 2 - Rev. Paul Easley
Saturday, April 3 – Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas
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Calling all kids Kindergarten through 6th grade! The Children's Ministry is hosting a virtual Easter scavenger hunt. This year, you'll need your Bible to find all the hidden clues. Click the link below to complete the scavenger hunt. If you complete the hunt and get all of the answers correct, you will win a gift card! Gift cards will be e-mailed to you directly. Entries are limited to one per person and you MUST be 12 years old or younger to be eligible. Entries will be accepted starting today, Friday, March 20 through Friday, April 2 5pm EST. |
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Since 2010, a project in Atlanta, GA, called Coins of Hope Ministries, has assisted the rural community of Mpoyi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with over $40,000 in donations to relieve hunger and provide access to education. Working with Ben Hill United Methodist Church, we have made summer trips to offer summer school to students and sponsored students by paying their school fees for several academic years. Your contributions enabled these students to pursue their dream of an education!
Our goal now is to raise $5,000 for:
Essential accommodations – outdoor kitchen and stove, toilets and showers - for visiting professionals taking solar cookers and water disinfectants to Mpoyi, to curve widespread intestinal and respiratory diseases.
The brainchild of Dr. Tshilemalema Mukenge, who is from this region of DRC, Coins of Hope focuses on community empowerment given the reality that the community of 6,300 people has no access to clean drinking water, 90% live in poverty, and parents cannot afford to send children to school. Only 50% of children attend school. Your sacrificial donations to Ben Hill for Coins of Hope can be accepted online or by check, from March through May. If you have questions or concerns, contact T. L. Mukenge 404-767-2028.
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This past year we have learned to worship, serve one another, and meet the needs of our community in all kinds of new ways. Many of us have felt the loss of being physically present together. Some of us may have found some unexpected benefits to our new ways of gathering. But we are reminded that the church has always been bigger than a building.
Recently, we launched a new way to make our online worship and fellowship even better, more engaging! It’s easy to use -- if you’ve already mastered videoconferencing, you’ll find this about the same level. The platform is called Altar Live. If you are able, please try watching the service on Sunday here or join us after service for fellowship by using the link below and just take a look around. You may want to get dressed just in case you sit down with someone but feel free to let others know and let me know your experience. We'll be working to introduce the platform to our ministries and plan on how we use it for discipleship and fellowship for our members.
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Directories can be picked up every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Directories are available to members that took a photo for the directory through Life Touch last year. Only one directory is available per family. If you did not take a photo and would like to purchase a directory, they are available for purchase. Each directory is $5.00.
Please contact Jean Brown at 404.344.0618 x1104 or jbrown@benhillumc.org, if you have any questions and/or concerns.
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In an effort to support the growing need for food assistance during this challenging and unprecedented time, the Ben Hill Food Bank is reaching out to our church ministries. If your ministry budget permits, please consider purchasing items in the food donation list below. The highlighted items are needed most.
The Food Bank is in URGENT need of canned goods and plastic bag donations.
FOOD DONATION LIST
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Breakfast food- cereal, grits, oatmeal
- Boxed or canned milk
- Canned Vegetables/peas/beans/corn
- Canned Fruits
- Canned Meat
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- Rice/mashed potatoes
- Pasta
- Tomato sauce
- Loaves of Bread
- Peanut butter and jelly
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Ministries should bring the food items to the Food Bank Drive-Up on Wed. (10:30am-12:30pm) or Saturday (10:30am-12:30pm). Donating is simple: 1) Place the food in the trunk of your car. 2) When you arrive, call the Food Bank at (404) 344-0618 X 1115 or (404) 314-2241, and someone will meet you to take the food from your car. All donations are touchless--keeping our donors and volunteers safe.
OTHER WAYS TO DONATE:
PLASTIC GROCERY STORE BAGS
Also, we need (lots of ) plastic bags, the type used at grocery stores.
MONETARY DONATION
In lieu of donating food items, please consider making a monetary donation by check or online as follows:
CHECK
Make payable to Ben Hill UMC and specify "Food Bank" in note area. Mail to
Ben Hill UMC, ATTN: Food Bank, 2099 Fairburn Road SW, Atlanta, GA 30331
ONLINE
We are thankful and grateful to ALL BHUMC Ministries, Families and Friends for your support. Your generosity and steadfast support of the Food Bank and the families who depend on the essential services it provides are appreciated. Please let us know if you are able to help by contacting Vicki Callaway at (404) 314-2241 or vcallaway@aol.com.
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The Prison Ministry would like to send cards, words of encouragement, to those who are currently incarcerated. Perhaps you have a loved one or know of someone who would appreciate receiving a card. The Prison Ministry offers a safe nonjudgmental space to seek prayers and support. Please contact Gloria Parker, gloriaparker3790@comcast.net or Cynthia Holland at cythinam@msn.com with the name and mailing information of your loved one.
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The Prayer Ministry will host Corporate Prayer every Wednesday from 6:15 pm - 6:45 pm. Weekly Corporate Prayer will feature a prayer of thanksgiving, a reading from the Upper Room Daily Devotional, and intercessory prayer. We will be inviting Clergy and Laity to pray the intercessory prayer.
To attend Corporate Prayer, please call: (712) 770- 4936, Access Code: 627746. When calling in, please mute your cell phones. If you call in on a landline please turn the volume down on televisions, radios, etc. We look forward to everyone calling in and praying together. To submit Prayer Requests, please visit: benhillumc.org.
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During this season, we want to remind you of the benefits of Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministry is a collection of specially trained lay people who are trained to listen and provide Christian care for people during the most challenging parts of their lives. It is confidential, one on one, and gender specific. Stephen Ministers are assigned to an individual for about an hour a week. This is especially meaningful for individuals who may be alone during the pandemic, who are grieving, who have a challenging health diagnosis, and who are finding it hard to deal with the challenges in their life.
If this sounds like you, please contact us via email: annex@benhillumc.org and we will be happy to walk along side you. You can also call the church office and ask to speak with Beverly Register or Rev. Tillman.
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Sympathy
May our Lord bless and comfort you and your family during this time of grief.
Please accept our sincere condolences.
Kasey Green (R) on the loss of her mother
Ms. Lee J. Johnson (M)
Claudette Shropshire (M) on the loss of her cousins
Robert Hudson (R)
and
Ralph Lowe (R)
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Community Events and Resources |
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Senior Food Assistance Program |
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Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launched the City of Atlanta Senior Food Assistance Program to support seniors with food insecurity during COVID-19 by partnering with meal and grocery delivery organizations. Seniors who reside in the City of Atlanta and are struggling to receive access to food during this time may apply to be a part of this program by completing this survey found here. You may also contact ATL311 for information or help with filling out the survey by dialing 311 within the city limits or (404) 546-0311.
Specific program eligibility requirements are listed below:
- Reside in the City of Atlanta;
- Age 60 or older;
- Low income (household income at or below 80% of the AMI);
- Not participating in any other senior food assistance program and meet one of the following criteria:
- Unable to leave home;
- Unable to prepare meals for themselves; or
- Unable to procure or utilize commercial home delivery services.
* Completion of the survey does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
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Are You Experiencing Zoom Fatigue? |
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Zoom and other online conferencing platforms can be psychologically tiring, researchers found in the first study to deconstruct Zoom published Feb. 24 in Technology, Mind and Behavior.
Researchers dissected Zoom and assessed it on its individual technical aspects. They outlined four causes of "Zoom fatigue" with respective solutions on managing it in a Feb. 23 article about the study.
Four things to know:
1. Large face sizes and excessive eye contact
Researchers found that Zoom makes listeners feel like they're being watched, triggering public-speaking phobias. Unnaturally large face sizes simulate having intimate conversations and disrupt personal boundaries.
Solution: Reduce the size of the Zoom window, decreasing face size and creating a personal bubble between yourself and your colleagues.
2. Real-time feedback of yourself
Research has shown that there is negative feedback associated with looking at yourself in a mirror. Videoconferencing often has constant real-time footage of yourself, which researchers say induces stress.
Solution: Users should choose the "hide self" option once they see themselves the first time and know they are properly framed.
3. Video chats decrease mobility
Research shows that people perform better when they are moving.
Solution: Set the camera up farther away than usual to allow yourself space to pace. Turn off the camera to have time to move around.
4. Video chats affect body language processing
Communicating results in a larger mental load because subtle body language doesn't come across well on camera, requiring users to work harder to send nonverbal signals such as a head nod or a thumbs up. This can be mentally taxing.
Solution: Turn off the camera to allow your brain a break from the overload.
To read the full report, click here.
Mitchell, Hannah. “'Zoom Fatigue': 4 Causes, and Solutions for Leaders to Know.” Becker's Hospital Review, 1 Mar. 2021, www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/zoom-fatigue-4-causes-and-solutions-for-leaders-to-know.html?origin=CEOE.
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What to Expect After Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine |
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COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. |
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What to do if you cannot view the stream
Here are some helpful tips if you should encounter any issues with accessing Ben Hill's Live Stream:
- Try a different Web browser. Most browsers should work but if your web browser is not showing the stream, try a different one.
- Try going to the Ben Hill UMC Facebook Page and view the Live Stream there.
- Try the phone app. If you do not have the Ben Hill app, download it from your app store and view the steam from there.
- Access StreamingFaith.com as another option to view the live stream.
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On Sunday mornings, live chat is available on the Ben Hill website if you should encounter issues and need additional help.
New! Tune into the sermon by using Sermon by Phone.
The Sunday service will be made available at 9:15am on Sundays by dialing in at:
Links to Connect on Sunday Mornings:
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