G reetings once again in the precious

name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my prayer and sin-cere desire that you and your family are doing well and that the rich and prosperous bless-ings of the Lord rest upon you. Our ministry theme for the month of May is Commitment. The first step to commitment is making a decision. You can't be committed to evil and good; you must make a decision in which direction you will take and then stay committed to it. We are all acquainted with decisions. Have you taken the time to think about all of the decisions one has to make in the course of a day? The alarm goes off, we decide to get up or hit the snooze button. After we shower, bathe or splash (sounds like another decision); we are off to the closet. We must decide what we will wear. We scurry from the closet to

the refrigerator to de-cide, what we will eat or drink, or make for lunch. Before we leave, we check the weather fore-

cast to decide whether we will wear a coat, put on your boots or carry an umbrella. If we decide to drive, we listen to the traffic report so that we can decide the best route. For the next eight or more hours of the day we are constantly called upon to make decisions for our employer. Should I respond to that email, voicemail, or inquiry now, or should I do it later? It's lunch time, if we didn't bring our lunch, we must decide where we want to eat. Once we arrive, someone gives us a menu and waits for our decision. After lunch, we need to make another decision. Should we go back to the office or take care of some personal busi-ness (i.e. shopping!)?

Continued on Page 2

“ A T i m e o f D e c i s i o n ”

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e :

First Things First 3

Mother’s Board 4-5

Money Matters 6

State Men’s Conference 7

Calendar of Events 8

Emanuel ExpressNews

May 2013 Edition

Pastor Michael & First Lady Anastasia Richardson

Celebrating 9 years of Pastoral Ministry

3058 West Van Buren Ave ▪ Chicago, IL 60612 ▪ 773-722-8391ph ▪ www.emanuelcogic.com

Pastor Michael & First Lady

Anastasia Richardson

On our way back home, we need to decide what's for dinner? We pick up the television remote control and we decide which one of the 200 plus channels we want to watch and then the phone rings. But we don't pick it up on the first ring, we let it ring twice so the caller ID can display who's calling. Then we make another decision; whether to pick it up or not. I haven't even made it to the end of the day and just think of all of the decisions that one has had to make in this example.

Then there are other decisions that are much tougher and much more life impacting. Should we invest in a new car or get the old one fixed? If I buy the new car, should it be new or used? Should I buy the car or lease it? Better yet, maybe I should just renew the bus pass. Should our children go to a private school, or should we move to a better community and put them in a good public school? Should we remodel the house or save the money for a vacation?

Decisions can be very personal. Should we remain friends or should we get married? Should I bail my troubled son out of jail or leave him there to show him some tough love that will help him learn that there are conse-quences for bad choices? I witnessed a theft. Should I get involved or should I mind my own business? Should I apologize or should I hold my ground? Should I have the operation or should I decline? When I die should I leave everything to my spouse or should I will it out to others also?

Let's go deeper. Do I really want to join this church or should I join a bigger church? Should I pay my tithes or should I keep on tipping? Should I give my life to Christ or just give my membership to the church?

This list only scratches the surface of the numerous things that we are called to decide upon each day. In fact the list that I just provided, may have reminded you of a plethora of things that you need to decide upon before the day is over.

But my friend it is not the quantity of decisions that you make that determine your success, but the quality of your decisions. Unfortunately, too many people make poor decisions, bad decisions, and even destructive deci-sions. Just as bad habits lead to self-doubt, bad decisions also lead to self-destruction. I like what retired Nassau Astronaut Frank Borham said, "We make our decisions and then our decisions make us."

While you are reading this article, I want to challenge you to make a major decision that will impact your life. In Deut 30:19 it reads: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" To illustrate the essence of this verse, imagine yourself wearing a parachute, and being thrown from an airplane. You have numerous de-cisions you can make. How long will you wait before you do something? Will you pull the ripcord, or will you act as if you don't have one? Will you take off the parachute, or leave it on? Will you keep your eyes open, or close them as the ground gets closer? The truth is that if you want to live, you must decide at the proper moment to pull the ripcord. What I have asked you to imagine, is not too far from reality. It illustrates life. Metaphorically, we have all been thrown from a plane. It is incumbent upon us to make the one and only plausible decision that will save us from ultimate destruction, and that is to pull the ripcord by choosing Jesus. When we choose Jesus, we choose life and though we fall, we always land on our feet!

I would like to close with the words of Joshua during his farewell address, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Josh 24:15, KJV)

Make a Decision, pull the ripcord, choose Jesus; choose life!

Pastor Richardson

P a g e 2

Continued from page 1

E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

F I R S T T H I N G S F I R S T with First Lady Anastasia Richardson

P a g e 3 M a y — C o m m i t m e n t

It's that time of year again, Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12th. Hopefully we haven't waited all year to celebrate them. Once every year, the world stops be-ing busy and says thank you. Flowers, cards and gifts are just the outward signs.

To start the weekend off before Mother’s Day on Saturday, May 11th the Women’s Department of First Jurisdiction Illinois will host their Annual Woman on the Year Luncheon. This is a wonderful luncheon that has cel-ebrated and honored many noble women. Candidates must be recommend-ed by their peers and stringent requirements must be met in order to be consid-ered. This year they will be honoring Sister Ethola Holifield who is a faithful member of King of Glory COGIC and Vice President of First Jurisdiction IL Ush-er’s Board. The luncheon takes place at the Oaklawn Hilton - 9333 S. Cicero - Oaklawn, IL. Donations are only $35.00.

I t has been the tradition of Emanuel for many years to set aside each Mothers Day in honor of our be-

loved and esteemed church mother, the one and only Mother Ophelia Turner. Mother Turner is a wise and very faithful God fearing woman who displays a spirit of excellence in everything she does. She is a champion among mothers. In spite of the many challenges she has encountered over her long and fruitful tenure, her faithfulness continues to shine bright as a source of encour-agement to believers of all ages and gender. During this Mother's Day Service (Sunday, May 12th), I am asking everyone to go the extra mile by preparing a financial gift for one of the champions and pioneers of our church. To ensure that the service will be a tremendous success, I am encouraging everyone to come out not only to honor Mother Turner but to celebrate the

sacrifices and contributions of Motherhood in general.

A fifteen-year-old boy came bounding

into the house and found his mom in

bed. He asked if she were sick or

something. He was truly concerned.

Mom replied that, as a matter of fact,

she didn’t feel too well. The son re-

plied, “Well, don’t worry a bit about

dinner. I’ll be happy to carry you down

to the stove.

Attending a wedding for the first

time, a little girl whispered to her

mother, "Why is the bride dressed

in white?" "Because white is the

color of happiness, and today is the

happiest day of her life." The child

thought about this for a moment,

then said, "So why is the groom

wearing black?"

Two young children on mother’s day pre-

sented their mom with a houseplant. The

older of the children said with a sad face,

“There was a bouquet we wanted to give

you at the flower shop. It was really pretty,

but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on

it that said, ‘Rest in Peace,’ and we thought

you would like it since your always asking

A LITTLE HUMOR FOR THE DAY!

P a g e 4 E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

Mother Elvie J. Owens

Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

Mother Owens was born August 14, 1922 in Memphis Tennes-see. She has 4 sisters (2 deceased) and 2 brothers (both deceased). She had 4 children, 3 girls (1 deceased) and 1 son (deceased). She has 5 grandchildren and many great grandchildren.

Mother Owens worked as a seamstress before she retired. She is really good at sewing and cooking. It is no surprise that one of Mother Owens favorite foods is strawberry ice cream since she has a birth-mark on her forehead that her mother said was a strawberry ice cream cone. Her mother inspired her most in life. Mother Owens enjoys praying and knows the power of prayer. She enjoys all the scriptures of the bible and doesn’t really have a favorite one, but she knows from years of experi-ence that prayer really does change things. Any-time she had a problem or situation in her life, she would go to God in prayer and ask for what she wanted, believing in God, and He would work things out in her favor. Some may not know it, but she also has a gift of discernment and can usu-ally tell when something bad is going to happen.

Mother Owens likes all songs of praise and wor-ship, but particularly enjoys the old time songs and hymnals such as God is a good God. When she sees Jesus face to face, she does not know what she will say or do. She just knows it is going to be a wonderful feeling and she will be glad to see Him.

Mother Ophelia Turner

Psalms 37:4 “Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the de-sires of your heart.

Mother Turner was born October 4, 1922 in Mem-phis Tennessee. She has five siblings and 5 chil-dren (2 boys and 3 girls) of her own. One of her sons has passed away. She also has 4 grandchil-dren and many great grandchildren.

Mother Turner worked as a Nurses Aide at a nursing home before she retired some years ago. She is really good at encouraging people, uplifting their spirits, and telling the truth. She also is a very strong and coura-geous woman. There was a time when someone tried to rob Mother Turner while she was waiting for the bus. She struggled with him for a little bit. She refused to give him her purse because she needed her purse and her little money. She had angels encamped around her though because they caught the guy, he went to jail, and she got her purse back with everything in it.

Turn on any church song and Mother Turner will praise God. She enjoys all church songs. If you want to live a long and prosperous life as Mother Turner has then you should delight yourself in the Lord. Mother Turner believes that she is blessed today because she learned to delight herself in God. Delighting is easy. It just means being glad in Him and praising Him for what He has done. Her life is a testament. Mother Turner is 90 years old and has not worked for a long time, but God has still provided for her.

When Mother Turner sees Jesus face to face, she is go-ing to tell him, “Lord, I thank you! I thank you! I had a hard time, but I thank you” She will thank Him all day long because He has done so much for her.

EMANUEL’S MOTHER’S BOARD

P a g e 5 M a y — C o m m i t m e n t

Mother Elsie Gilliams

Psalms 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Mother Gilliams was born in Napchez Mississippi. She had 2 sisters (1 de-ceased) and 2 brothers. She had 4 children, all boys, 2 of them are de-ceased and 2 are yet living. She has 13 grandchildren and a host of great grandchildren.

Mother Gilliams worked on the assem-bly line for a manufacturing company before she retired some years ago. If anyone ever wants some good greens, Mother Gilliams is the person to call. She is really good at cooking, especial-ly greens, since this is her favorite meal to cook. Throughout life she was most inspired by her mother and her sister.

If you want to see Mother Gilliams get a good praise in, then sing, “Glory Glo-ry Hallelujah”. This is her favorite song. Mother Gilliams loves her salva-tion. It is the most important thing in her life. She believes that with her salvation, she doesn’t have to fear any-body or anything because God is on her side. When she sees Jesus face to face, she is going to say “Thank you Jesus! I made it. I made it. I made it at last. It was hard but I made it. When I look back, I wonder how I made it, but yes, thank you Jesus, I made it. “

Mother Martha Hardy

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strength-ens me. Mother Hardy was born in Rome, Mississippi. She has 3 sisters and 5 brothers. She has one daughter and 4 grandchildren. Mother Hardy worked as a Head Start Preschool Teacher before she retired some years ago. She is really good at keeping busy. She enjoys cleaning the house, moving around, and doing whatever her hands can find to keep her busy. One thing that many people may not know about Mother Hardy is that she enjoys watching her favorite movies over and over again. Once she finds a movie that she enjoys, such as “Mighty Joe Young” she will watch it 3 or 4 times a day. “Coolin’ Waters is Mother Hardy’s favorite song. Turn the song on and she will blast her radio so she can enjoy her song. Mother Hardy is thankful for everything that God has done for her. She believes that she can do anything that she tries when she focuses on it because she believes that with God’s help she can do anything. When Mother Hardy sees Jesus face to face, she is going to give him a great big ol’ hug and say, “Hello Jesus, I’m glad to see you”.

Mother Able Fane

Psalms 23 “The

LORD is

my shep-

herd; I

shall not

want…”

Mother Fane was born in Webb Mississippi. She was number 12 of 14 children; 7 sisters (6 deceased) and 6 brothers (all deceased). She has 3 sons (Roger, Jimmy, and Averion). Mother Fane worked as a cook for 36 years at Bethany Methodist Hospital in Chicago. She is really good at cooking, cleaning her house, and shopping. She was most inspired by her family and herself because she wanted to have the best in life and she knew if she worked hard, she could have everything that she wanted. Mother Fane is a decorator. She loves to decorate her house and change things around with the seasons. She also loves to plant flowers. “Nobody Like Jesus” by Kelvin Lenox and “Praise Him in the Mid-dle” by Isaac Career are Mother Fane’s favorite songs. Over the years, she has learned that with the Lord all things are possible and she doesn’t have to want for anything. She loves shouting and praising God and she knows that He will supply all of her needs in life. When Mother Fane sees Jesus face

to face, she is going to tell Him, “Thank you for never leaving my side”.

EMANUEL’S MOTHER’S BOARD

SAVINGS PLAN FOR CHILDREN

Change collected in a piggy bank begins the journey to

financial responsibility for many children. Eventually

that change grows and opening a bank account

for your child makes sense.

The best way to teach your child financial responsibility is to start young. Instill the basic princi-

ples of saving, by setting up a savings account in their name. Whether you go with a bank ac-

count or a college savings plan, they will quickly learn the importance of saving, and be more

likely to be a future saver themselves.

Start your child's journey of financial knowledge by opening a

simple, standard savings account at your local bank. Make sure

the account is free and pays some interest. Ensure that your child

does not incur fees by having too many transactions. Teach your

child to deposit part of their allowance in their savings account

and to watch how the money can add up.

The research portion of starting a bank account is better left to

the adults, but involve your child once you settle in on a particular account. Invite

them along to the bank when you set up the account so they see the process

firsthand. If they are old enough, teach your child to keep track of their bank ac-

count balance as they deposit more money into it.

Submitted by Sis. Turia Neal

ARE YOU HUNGRY now? HOW ABOUT A LITTLE THIRSTY?

Well …..hold on to that hunger and thirst until THURSDAY, MAY 9TH

Because Emanuel will be sponsoring a

FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION DEPARTMENT

WHEN: THURSDAY, MAY 9TH

TIME: 5:00 PM UNTIL 8:00 PM

WHERE: MCDONALD’S (Roosevelt and Kedzie)

Walk in or Drive Thru!!

Harmony health

Games

Prizes

Music

We need You, your family & friends

Pastor

Richardson

Will be serving

Please Come Out and Support US

P a g e 7 E m a n u e l E x p r e s s N e w s

STATE MEN’S CONFERENCE

Hat's off to First Jurisdiction of Illinois Men's Department Chairman, Elder Kenneth Lockhart, for facilitating another powerful, informative and inspirational Men's Conference. The confer-ence took place Wednesday and Thursday (April 24 -25) at 7:00 pm at the beautiful Redemp-tive Tabernacle COGIC located at 9989 S. Beverly in Chicago. Pastor Linford Coleman was the gracious host Pastor. For two nights the men of First Jurisdiction came out in great numbers to be empowered through information, fellowship and serious worship. The men did not come alone, but were supported with a large aggregation of women, who provided the perfume and fragrance for the

conference. The conference was also blessed with the pres-ence of our prelate, Bishop Ocie Booker, who attended each night to encourage the men with insightful expressions. The music was uplifting. We were blessed in song by the Jurisdic-tion's Men's Choir that included laymen, deacons, Preachers and even Pastors. The speakers for each night were phenom-enal. Third Administrative Assistant Superintendent Michael Eaddy who is also the Chairman of the Council of Pastors and

Elders of the Church of God in Christ Internationally, was the speaker on Wednesday and Executive Administrative Assistant Pastor Astead Herndon was the speaker on Thursday night. The word was rich each night as both speakers delivered powerful messages that correlated with the theme of the Conference “Real Men Impacting the King-dom” The men left the meeting with a renewed commitment and fervor to be the men that God is calling to impact His Kingdom for such a time as this! Submitted by: Pastor Richardson

D. A. REED SR. ANNUAL DISTRICT MEETING District Superintendent: Supt.. David A. Reed District Missionary: Missionary Maggie Booker

Tuesday, May 14th - Friday, May 17th

@ VICTORY TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST - 15734 S. KEDZIE - MARKHAM, IL

THEME: DRIVE & GO FORWARD (2 Kings 4:24)

Tuesday Night

Pastor Tyrone Gaston

Wednesday Night

District Msny. Maggie Booker

Friday Night

Supt. David A. Reed

Thursday Night

Bishop Ocie Booker

Supt. Michael Eaddy Pastor Astead Herndon

M A Y 2 0 1 3 C A L E N D A R

P a g e 8 M a y — C o m m i t m e n t

SUNDAY, MAY 5TH – 9:00 AM

1st First Sunday Prayer

SUNDAY, MAY 5TH – 2:30 PM

The Mother’s Board Dinner Outing

MONDAY, MAY 6TH – 7:30 PM

State Fellowship Meeting @ Faith Temple Church of God in Christ

1932 Dewey – Evanston, IL 60201

Bishop Carlis Moody, Pastor

Thursday, May 9th – 5:00 pm – 8:00

Mission’s Department Fundraiser

@ McDonald’s (Roosevelt & Kedzie) See Additional Information in newsletter

SATURDAY, MAY 11TH – 11:00 AM

State Woman of the Year Luncheon

@ Oak Lawn Hotel

9333 S. Cicero Ave. – Oak Lawn, IL

Donation $35.00

SUNDAY, MAY 12TH

Mother’s Day/Special Blessing to Mo. Turner

MONDAY, MAY 13TH – 7:30 PM

D. A. Reed Sr. Pre-Musical

@ Victory Temple Church of God in Christ

15734 S. Kedzie – Markham, IL

MONDAY, MAY 14TH – MAY 17TH - 7:30 PM NIGHTLY (We will be fasting Monday & Tuesday until 4:00 pm for the meeting)

D. A. Reed Sr. Annual District Meeting

@ Victory Temple Church of God in Christ

15734 S. Kedzie – Markham, IL

SATURDAY, MAY 18TH - 12 NOON

Ministers Wives Alliance

@ Emanuel COGIC

SUNDAY, MAY 19TH

Pentecost Sunday

Special $50.00 Sacrificial Offering

SUNDAY, MAY 19TH—3:30 PM

Pastoral Anniversary Service

Pastor Jim Hayes

Chicago, IL The Pastor will be the Guest Speaker

Sunday, May 26th—3:30 PM

Christian Family Outreach Church

Annual Youth Day Services will take place at: Wesleyan Church of Broadview

2218 S. 18th Street - Broadview, IL Our own Sis. Keeya Thomas is the Guest Speaker

MONDAY, MAY 27

Memorial Day

MAY 27 - MAY 31

International Women’s Convention & Conference

Orlando, Florida

**********

1st - Sis. Dorris Jordan

2nd - Sis. Marilyn E. Thomas

17th - Sis. Melinique Johnson

18th - Sis. Turia Neal

22nd - Deacon Anthony Redditt

24th - Alfonz McGowan

28th - Missionary Alayna M. Johnson

Bro. Holland & Sis. Turia Neal - May 20, 2008

Bro. James & Sis. Dewana Hardy- May 27, 1998