Pastor drives change at New Covenant
Editor,
The New Covenant Church (Epworth Methodist Church), well known for turning out performances over the years, like “Harvey” and “Sabrina Fair”, under the directorship of Mrs. Pat Hoffman, has brought in crowds of up to 200 on a single weekend. Now, it’s the impassioned speeches of the new pastor, Rev. Dr. Andrew Young, II which may bring back the crowds.
New Covenant Church offers both the traditional and non traditional services on Sunday mornings. The non traditional service is a multi-sensory, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic event. It’s an attempt to embrace the times by appealing to all. For those like myself, who still, really find comfort in familiar things and sounds, a traditional service starts earlier.
Pastor Young orates both sermons with an intensity that conjures up the kind of passion one associates more with an Oscar level performance than a Sunday Sermon. His sermon makes me think of the biblical mannerist paintings by masters of light and dark like Caravaggio, whose great oil paintings I was lucky enough to see one summer.
Caravaggio was a master of theatrical lighting and stark realism. Pastor Young is a modern day master of the theatrical, who, with modulated tones, gives sermons that are so passionate and so real, they elicit a single, “wow!”
Marcia Neblett
Why not blue for girls, pink for boys?
Editor
I am writing this in response to a recent edition of The Straight Dope entitled “Blue for Boys, Pink for Girls. Why?"
Assigning color stereotypes to children is an ineffective learning habit. Children learn all of the colors at the same time as a child even though they were most likely exposed to either pink or blue (depending on gender) when they were born. There is no logical reasoning for society to correlate colors with genders. It is not that big of a deal, but it would be more effective if the color first exposed to a child was neutral. Children should learn all the colors as equals and not have to tie it to their gender.
The demolition of gender roles and characteristics is getting closer every day. This is similar to a subject brought up by my professor today when discussing an article on genders differences in toys. A student responded by explaining the harm in children playing with toys only recognized as for their specific gender.
Males tend to play with cars, weapons, and scientific toys whereas females tend to play with dolls, cooking utensils, and social toys. This habit is taught through the household, television, and/or the community. Then, everyone is concerned with the stereotype that women should cook and care for the children while the father is out working. What we fail to realize is that this stereotype is created early in childhood.
This topic reminds me of this article on gender and colors. If society could create and teach neutral habits for young children, there could be a decline in this stereotypical outlook that has brainwashed America for so long. A child can only go based on what they are exposed to.
It is scientifically proven that children mimic their surroundings. If we can be better role models by abolishing these gender stereotypes now, then we will encourage hope for change in upcoming and future generations.
Donnetta Mcleod
