Archives for the ‘Youth’ CategoryHigh School – October 2K13 Youthful Expression
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
High school has been a very fun experience for me. I’ve met so many people, and experienced so much. One fun thing I’ve been able to participate in is cheerleading, where I am the Varsity captain. I’ve literally been to every football and basketball game these past four years of high school. I’ve been to homecoming all four years, and participated in spirit week, which is so much fun. Along the way, with all these fun things, I’ve also received an education. High school just isn’t about fun and games, it is hard work too. I am currently striving for an Advanced Diploma, I have a 3.4 GPA, and I am in the IB Program at my school. I am still learning how to be the best I can be in school. In high school you have to be on top and persistent when it comes to school work, projects, test and quizzes. You need to try to strive for that “A+” instead of that “C”. Study for everything, even the easy things. Most importantly you need to learn early on how to manage your time. Everyone in high school has a different agenda than yours, so you have to work with the time that you are given. The most important thing in my life – the thing that I know I wouldn’t have gotten through high school without – was my faith. Because we go to church and have access to God Himself and people who can help pray us through situations, we need to take advantage of that. You need to pray every day: before you go to school, when you take a test or quiz, and anything else you do involving school. Having a strong and steady relationship with God will give you the upper hand and guide you through certain situations. I know that without knowing Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I wouldn’t have made it through four years of high school. And I am so excited to see where God is going to take me in this last year of high school and in the next chapter of my life. College! -Dymond Starr My Experience Playing Drums – September 2012 Youthful Expressions
Saturday, September 1st, 2012
By Deloris Pruitte I honestly don’t know when I started playing drums, but I do know how I learned to play. I definitely wasn’t an overnight expert. I’m still not an expert. After playing around on the drums for a while, I started to like it. However, I was very anxious and nervous about playing. Once I started playing, I noticed people staring at me. And with me being very self-conscious about almost everything, I wouldn’t hit any symbols even though people kept telling me to do so. I was afraid that I would get off beat and the staring might become even worse.
A couple of weeks later, my sister told John, Eryck, and I that we were going to the state choir rehearsal. As I sat in the pulpit, along with John, Eryck, and two of Bishop Thomas’ sons, Brother Rueben asked me to play for Bishop Thomas’ church. I said, “I don’t think so”, but he said “Yes, you’re going to play tonight.’’ Finally, I agreed and started to practice. Once again I became nervous when all of the others drummers started to watch me. I was so nervous that I said to my sister, “I can’t do this Delia! Please go get John, so he can play tonight.” Being the encourager and protector that she is, she took me aside, where I burst in to tears out of embarrassment. I was very scared and didn’t want to play. Then a young man offered to help me practice and I was grateful for that, but there was too much going on in my head at that moment. I needed to get my mind off of it. So when we all went to the hotel and got something to eat I tried my best to do just that. And all was well…until I got to church that night. Anxiety overtook me again and tears started to flow. Inside I said, “Suck it up, suck it up and get it over with.” After the song was over I quickly hopped off that seat and let Mark Thomas, Jr. get back on the drums. Even though I think I will never do that again, I still thank God for giving me that opportunity. Youth Annual Day & Weekend – Preparing for the Overflow!
Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
Youth Car WashHTC’s Youth Car Wash and Food Sale will be held at the church on August 18, 2012 at 10 am. Come out, get your car wash and grab a snack while you wait. Your support of our youth will be greatly appreciated. The Youth are serving ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs and sides! Youth Annual DayYouth Annual Day, August 19, 2012 is a day set aside to celebrate our youth here at HTC. Service will begin at 4 pm. Speaker will be Minister Charles Thomas from New Community Temple COGIC. So come out and support our youth of today as they prepare for the overflow! My First Year in High School – August 2K12 Youthful Expressions
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
By John Mabry III My first year in high school was definitely different. The school was very crowded. In middle school there’s only about 300-320 students, but in high school there’s about 2000-2400 students. In 8th grade, they used the high school grading system to train you for high school, but that did not prepare me for life in the 9th grade! When people started to notice that they liked me, I started to gain popularity. That’s not what my dad wanted because he and I know when you get too caught up in yourself, things that you forget about come around like a hula hoop. Material things can ruin you. My biggest challenge in high school was my classes. At the beginning of the year I had great classes, but the computer system put too many people in the class. Unfortunately for me, I along with others got switched out of some classes and ended up in rowdy classes where there were troublemakers. It was very hard for the teacher to teach and especially hard for the students that wanted to learn. Eventually, I had difficulty maintaining my grades and keeping up with sports at the same time, so my dad told me to let sports go until next year. Near the end of the year it was SOL time. And Lord knows I hate Biology or anything that has to do with science. So I will confess, I only studied for a little bit, meaning only like 10 minutes and then went to sleep. When I was at the test I prayed and said, “Lord it’s in your hands. Whatever I learned or studied…allow it to come to my remembrance and have your way.” A week or so later, I found out that I did better on my Biology SOL than I did on my Math or History. And I love history more than any other subject, even more than P.E. But in the end, when you pray to God, asking to help you find the right friends that are saved, to help you with your studies, and to help you live saved according to His Word, He will do it for you. Of course, with studying you must apply yourself so He will have something to work with too. It is important to keep your mind on Him and He’ll guide you through challenges that you never expected to overcome. Loving All Peole – May 2K12 Youthful Expressions
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
by Deloris Pruitte A thought came to me during a trip to Bob Evans with my brother-in-law. We were waiting for our dinner when I started to read the newspaper. I looked through it for an interesting topic when I saw a picture of an elderly woman being knocked down a very long and hard marble staircase by people trying to get to where they needed to be.
Other people that also came to mind are Zachheas, the Samaritan Woman, and the Good Samaritan. The story of Zacchaeus is found in Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and many people didn’t like him because of that – because he charged more than what he was supposed to. When Jesus came into town everyone crowded around Him, but Jesus went to Zacchaeus and showed kindness to him when no one else did. The story of the Samaritan Woman that can be found in John 4:1-30. No one liked the Samaritan Woman because of her past and present relationships. It was so bad she had to get water in the middle of the day because none of the women liked her. Jesus talked to her and He showed kindness to her. Finally, the story of the Good Samaritan is in Luke 10:25-37. When a Jewish man got jumped and robbed, none of the church officials paid attention to him. Only a Samaritan showed kindness and wasn’t prejudiced about it. He did the best he could to help a man he wasn’t supposed to like. A Lot of People Love Easter – April 2K12 Youthful Expressions
Thursday, April 5th, 2012
by Brother John Mabry, III A lot of people love Easter, but I believe that those people don’t even know the true meaning of Easter. When I was a young boy, I thought the true meaning was finding eggs and eating a whole bunch of candy to my pleasure.
You see Easter isn’t about candy, bunnies, and Easter baskets, because at the end of the day, all these materialistic things will pass away. That’s why Jesus came to fill us, give us life abundantly, and to show us the light. He died on the cross for all of our sins and if we believe in Him, He will save us from anything. Jesus went through all of this suffering and pain so that we will live without sin. A lot of people are probably asking why and I can answer that one – it’s because He loves us.
A Step In The Right Direction for American Schools – March 2K12 Youthful Expression
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Brown vs. the Board of Education: A Step In The Right Direction for American Schools by Sis. Tamika Alexander
African Americans thought for this to happen everyday to a little girl was ridiculous, they had to do something about it. This sparked the Brown vs. Board of Education case. After three long years the case finally ended on May 17, 1954 with the court finding in favor of Linda Brown and the other African American children like her. The Supreme Court said that it was not fair to have black and white students separated in different schools. The judges voted on this case nine to zero. It took some states many years to put students together in schools and have them treated the same because many people were still prejudiced against Blacks. If you were a seven-year-old African American girl in the 1950s, taking a step like this was very risky. But Linda Brown believed in herself; she took the chance to integrate schools and she won. This is not only important for Black History month but to me as well because this event gives young people the encouragement to be able to fulfill any dream that they have no matter how big or small. Another reason is because I go to a school that has mostly a white population. The change from it being all white to being diverse, was something seven-year old Linda Brown started. Be Strong…Don’t be Afraid – February 2K12 Youthful Expression
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
by Eryck McCown
Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Here the Bible says you don’t have to be afraid. God is with you and will not fail you. We have to stay strong and we have to only fear God. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Here God is telling Joshua to go and take the Israelites to the promise land. He tells Joshua not to be afraid because God will be with him. You must have faith to not fear. 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong”. Isaiah 41:10, the Bible says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” In the Bible, there are many verses that talk about faith, being strong and not being afraid. Read some of these verses and apply them to your life. My Tribute To Mother Veronica Moses – January 2K12 Youthful Expressions
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
To tell you more about my grandmother, she had three children, David Moses, Venessa Alexander, and Mary King. All of them became successful in life and were very helpful to her. In the middle of 2006 and 2007, Veronica Moses lost one of her grandsons, Akim King. She was very hurt to lose her grandson who she taught and took care of when his parents went to work. One of her greatest loss was her husband, Hilary Moses around the same time her grandson died. That was a very hard time for my grandma so we helped her through it. She still stood strong. She was a very upright person. She blocked out the friends she had before she met my grandfather to take care of her family. My grandmother was born in Trinidad, a very beautiful place. She grew up there and so did her kids. She did the best for them when she could. As for her grandchildren, she loved us a lot and we knew it. She started to go to church with me, my mom and my dad in 2009, and so did the rest of her kids. She loved our pastor; he is a very nice man. She loved to give our pastor a kiss. She took him in like one of her own. Her and our pastor had very good relationship. On November 24, 2011, my grandmother, Veronica Moses, passed away. We were not going to celebrate thanksgiving, but we knew she would want us to, so we did. Veronica Moses, you will always be in our hearts no matter what. Thank you for what you have done for me. May you be in a better place.
The Part That Is Rarely Told – Christmas Play Recap
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
by Sis. Delia Pruitte
On Sunday, December 18, Holiness Tabernacle held its annual Christmas program. Although both young and old look forward to the event, no one was more excited and nervous as HTC’s youth. This was their opportunity to showcase their thespian talents, and to show their parents and the congregation how hard they had been working since October.
After warming up the congregation with a few favorite Christmas hymns, Elder and Sister Green introduced the youngest HTC’s members. The Sunshine Band (children ages 2-12) proudly displayed the Christmas artwork they created for their parents. They then allowed the congregation a peek into what their Sunday School class is like through singing and reciting songs they had learned. They finished up by presenting birthday presents to baby Jesus, such as their hearts and their praise. After a few more selections, it was time for the main play of the night, “The Part That is Rarely Told.” This year’s main play was written by one of Holiness Tabernacle’s own, Sister DeAnna Pruitte. Sister Pruitte penned the play over seven years ago at the age of 14. “I wanted highlight certain parts of the Christmas story that people present inaccurately, such as the number of wise men, or the age of Jesus when they arrived. People always assume there were 3 wise men, and that they arrived at the manger scene the same time as the shepherds. That’s not what the Bible says. Jesus was actually a young child, and not a baby by the time the wise men arrived. And the Bible never mentions exactly how many wise men there were. ” The youth performed wonderfully, providing a good mixture of humor and Bible quotation. No sooner had they sat down than a restlessness began to spread through the crowd, namely among the children and teenagers. As Pastor and First Lady Pruitte took the mic, the excitement grew tangible. “As we do every year, it’s time to pass out presents!” declared Pastor Pruitte to the joyful audience. “No one here will leave without something in their hand.” True to their word, every person in the congregation, whether they were young or old, member of the church, or member of the community, received a gift. When the benediction was given, several dozens of presents were distributed, and there was a smile on every face. Once again, HTC succeeded in being a blessing to all who walked through the door. And that is the part that is rarely told.
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High School is a place of opportunity. There are so many exciting things to do and get involved with in high school. Everyone always has such positive things to say about their time in high school. Every teenager looks forward to high school and experiencing all the fun things you can do. You can go to high school football and basketball games, you can go to Homecoming with all your friends, you can participate in Spirit week, and you get to go to the Prom, which is a very exciting part about high school when you’re a senior! The most important thing about your high school experience is Graduation. The special day when you get to wear your cap and gown, and all eyes are on you. That day is when you look back on not just the four years you were in high school but also the three years of middle school, and the five years of elementary school, and kindergarten and pre-school. Graduation day is when you think about all the things you did to get to this point, and all the struggles you had to face. You think about all the friends you have gained and lost along the way and all the people who helped you get to this point. I’m at that point right now. As graduation day approaches all these thoughts are running through my mind.
After a lot of crying and beating myself up about not playing as well as other drummers, my sister wrote me a note telling me that I needed to suck it up and play. In her opinion, a woman playing the drums will not get as much recognition unless she plays twice as well as the male musicians.
Being a saved Christian, there were some challenges, like finding the right friends with whom to hang out. People say that they go to church and they’re saved, but in the end you hear about how “high” they got or how much they drank non-stop and you wonder why you even talked to them. People like to see me as a Christian, a helper, always getting very good grades, being very good at any sport I can get my hands on, and having girls liking me; however, my priorities (thanks to my parents) are Church, then school grades, then sports and no girls. I am okay with the having no girls because I want to honor and respect my parents, and to be on their good side.
The article talked about how many people are not as nice as they used to be these days in many different places: New York came in first place, Miami came in second place and Washington, D.C. came in third place as cities with the meanest people. This really got my attention because as Christians we should show kindness even to people we don’t like. When I think of kindness and love, Jesus is the first to come to mind, not just because he died on the cross, but because of His way salvation and how His actions towards others changed people’s souls and lives. God and Jesus are not into favoritism or factions.
Little did I know that after years and years, the true meaning of Easter was Jesus. At Holiness Tabernacle COGIC, we celebrate a week called Passion Week. The Passion Week consists of all the things that Jesus did before He died on the cross starting with Monday. On Monday, He cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple. On Tuesday, Jesus spoke of many parables. On Wednesday, it is not found of what he did. On Thursday, a.k.a. Maundy Thursday, He gave the Passover and the Lord’s Supper. On Friday, on the day which he was betrayed, Jesus was arrested and crucified. Three days later, God raised Him from the dead.
Many people were part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, John F. Kennedy and many more. But, there is one person who helped make a step up for African Americans in schools, even though she was a little girl. Imagine you are a seven year old and have to walk one mile to a bus stop by walking through a railroad switching station and then waiting for a school bus to go to a "black elementary school" or a school where only African American children went. This is what happened to Linda Brown, an African American third grader from Topeka, Kansas, even though there was a "white elementary school" only seven blocks away. A "white elementary school" was a school where only white students were able to attend.
Dear Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ, I am writing a tribute on Veronica Moses. I am Deion Moses. I am one out of ten of Veronica Moses’ grandchildren. My grandmother was a very nice lady, stood strong, and was a very independent person. Veronica Moses was an “on the move” person. When she was very young she could do many things and move a lot faster. Then she began to get sick and grow old. But yet her grandchildren always stood by her side no matter what. We all loved her very dearly. Whenever she needed anything, one of us was always there to help her. 
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