Lifestyle
Black pastors seek to rebuild in-person worship with Easter
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many churches moved their services online, the Rev. William H. Lamar IV initially balked on the considered having to transform right into a “video personality” to stay engaged with his parishioners.
“I resisted kicking and screaming because I’m a child of the 70s.” said Lamar, senior pastor of the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington. “I’m not a digital native.”
Four years later, Lamar, a gifted preacher, began offering each virtual and in-person services. After a noticeable decline in attendance, increasingly more congregants in metropolitan areas are selecting in-person services over virtual ones, at the same time as they mourn members who’ve died from Covid-19.
This Easter, Lamar is grateful to be reunited with his flock, believing it’s a fitting way to have a good time the vacation’s message of hope and resurrection.
This Easter can also be a possibility for Black churches to welcome more visitors to their pews and take a look at to reverse attendance trends. More than a dozen Black clergy said their churches proceed to feel the impact of the pandemic on already declining attendance, at the same time as they’ve implemented robust online options to reach latest people.
Monthly black Protestant church attendance dropped 15% between 2019 and 2023, a greater decline than for every other major religious group, according to the study. 2023 Pew Research. They are also more likely than other groups to attend religious services online or on television, with greater than half (54%) saying they attend religious services virtually.
This dynamic could be felt at Calvary Baptist Church in Queens, New York. Its senior pastor, the Rev. Victor T. Hall Sr., hopes that this Easter, if just for one Sunday, he’ll get a glimpse of what it was like back then, when his church was “full and full of excitement.”
Before the pandemic, Calvary’s attendance was already declining as many members moved to cheaper locations in states corresponding to Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia, forcing the Hall to offer one service on Sunday morning as a substitute of two.
“Churches were already in decline, but the pandemic was a coup,” Hall said. “And don’t let anyone deceive you. It’s hard to see empty benches.”
Easter is generally a homecoming of sorts for black Protestants, who traditionally wear latest outfits decorated with pastels and elaborate hats – a sartorial expression of Christian celebration and an ode to spring renewal.
But among the vibrance and pageantry of Black church culture has been overshadowed by the shortcoming to gather, said KB Dennis Meade, an assistant professor of spiritual studies at Northwestern University who curates a digital archive showing how Black religious traditions have adapted throughout the pandemic. She said Easter and other major holidays provide a possibility to further evaluate the problem, including comparing this 12 months’s turnout with pre-pandemic Easter Sunday numbers.
“If you are a cultural Christian, but perhaps not a practicing Christian, you will definitely want to go to church on Easter,” she said.
Reverend Kia Conerway founded The Church on the Well in Memphis, Tennessee in 2018. The congregation had just moved right into a latest constructing when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out.
Thanks to revolutionary marketing and online worship, the church has steadily grown from 160 members in 2019 to well over 400 today, according to Conerway. Currently, every other Sunday is a very virtual service, with over a 3rd of worshipers joining from outside the local area.
“Easter is the Super Bowl of Christianity,” she said. “When we realized that 37% of our employees did not live in Memphis, we had a challenge: figuring out how to serve them now that we were back in the building.”
To higher serve virtual believers, the Church has redoubled efforts to attract them to small groups and initiated monthly telephone calls.
Before Easter, church members got here together and sent care packages to those that attend virtually. These included gift cards to give to strangers, safety glasses for the upcoming solar eclipse, and handwritten notes thanking them for being a part of the church family and searching forward to seeing one another again soon.
For those that have a good time Easter in person, snow cones can be served on the church and youngsters will take part in an Easter egg hunt. “We want kids to feel at home and feel connected,” Conerway said.
During the pandemic at Saints Memorial Community Church in Willingboro, New Jersey, the Rev. Cassius L. Rudolph has made every effort to provide opportunities for his senior members to meet. On the primary Sunday that the church doors closed, Rudolph, who began as interim pastor in 2019, led the service by phone.
The cacophony of voices on the conference call “was just unbearable, but they wanted to be able to interact with each other,” he said.
This Easter, Saints Memorial members look forward to gathering within the renovated church sanctuary with a brand new roof.
“They want to go home for Easter,” Rudolph said.
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At Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, the Rev. Otis Moss III said there’s a collective gratitude that the church can safely gather in person this Easter Sunday. But we’re also saddened by the lives Trinity has lost to Covid-19 and the human suffering in places like Haiti, Darfur, Congo and Gaza.
This turn of events inspired his Easter message, “It’s Still Dark,” which explores the space between Christ’s crucifixion on Friday and his resurrection on Sunday.
“As a nation and a community, we are caught between these two moments,” Moss said.
“We can never remove our spiritual pursuits from our existential dilemmas, nor what is happening in the world from our spiritual and theological framework,” Moss said. “Those two things go hand in hand. Right now, marginalized people are suffering. There should be a voice of the community of faith that will speak to those who cry.”
On Palm Sunday at Metropolitan AME, every week before Easter, Lamar asked his flock to reflect on Jesus’ mindset as he marched to Jerusalem to be crucified.
“Was Jesus joyful? Was he lost in thought? Was he afraid?” he asked.
Beyond the lectern surrounded by kente cloth, Lamar saw a promising sign: people filled greater than two-thirds of the cavernous sanctuary.
His parishioners hummed, shouted, stood and clapped as his preaching reached a crescendo.
During this sacred season, it was a welcome reminder of the facility of Black preaching, especially when experienced live and in person.
At the tip of the service, he left the pulpit to give a blessing, an unusual move for a pastor. But it gave him the chance to say a more personal farewell to the influx of Palm Sunday worshipers – each old and latest.
Lifestyle
‘Busiest Thanksgiving ever’: How TSA plans to handle record air travel
DALLAS (AP) – While the turkey is probably going to taste savory, airports and highways are expected to be crowded during Thanksgiving the week during which the vacation period will probably end one other record day for air travel throughout the United States.
Persons answerable for maintaining the safety line, boarding areas and jet planes in motion – from the USA transport secretary and airline executives all the best way – I swear they’re prepared for the crowds.
But service employees strike at Charlotte Douglas International Airport threatens the middle in Carolina.
Airline passengers could also be as lucky as they’re last 12 monthswhen relatively few flights were canceled through the holiday week. Replay will probably be required weather cooperation. And even when the sky is blue, it’s missing air traffic controllers may cause delays.
Thanksgiving in numbers
The automotive club and insurance company AAA predict that between Tuesday and next Monday, nearly 80 million Americans will enterprise a minimum of 50 miles from home. Most of them will travel by automotive.
Drivers should get some rest gas prices. On Sunday, the typical price of gas nationwide was $3.06 a gallon, down from $3.27 this time last 12 months.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to the screen 18.3 million people in US airports through the same seven-day period. This could be 6% greater than on the identical days last 12 months, but could be throughout the schedule established for the whole 12 months 2024.
TSA anticipates 3 million people will go through this border airport security checkpoints on Sunday; greater than that might break the record of three.01 million set on the Sunday after the Fourth of July holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the following busiest days for air travel during Thanksgiving week.
TSA says it’s ready
“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving in the history of air travel,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Fortunately, our squad is also at an all-time high. We are ready.”
Pekoske said TSA could have enough screeners to keep general security lines under half-hour and features for individuals who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes.
“Strike”
Service employees at Charlotte Douglas International Airport have walked off the job to protest what they call unlivable wages.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials say the present holiday season will probably be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers flying from the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Several hundred employees were expected to miss work and proceed the work stoppage throughout Monday.
FAA staffing shortages may cause delays
However, a seamless shortage of air traffic controllers may cause flight delays.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expected his agency to use special measures to cope with shortages at some facilities. In the past this included, amongst others: airports in New York and Florida.
“If we are short-staffed, we will slow traffic as necessary to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said.
The FAA has long grappled with a controller shortage that airline officials say will last for years despite the agency’s ambitious recruiting goals.
Holiday schedule shapes travel patterns
Thanksgiving falls late this 12 months, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on November 28. This shortens the standard shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel.
With more time upfront holidaypeople tend to unfolded a visit abroad over more days, but everyone returns at the identical time, said Andrew Watterson, the corporate’s chief operating officer Southwest Airlines.
“A late Thanksgiving ends up leading to a lot of crowds – the Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are usually very busy with Thanksgiving at that late time,” Watterson said.
Airlines did a comparatively good job of handling holiday crowds last 12 months, when weather was mild across much of the country. Fewer than 400 U.S. flights were canceled during Thanksgiving week in 2023 – about one in every 450 flights. So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3% of all flights.
Combining work and leisure
The increase in distant work also prompted the Thanksgiving holiday travel period for expansionsaid AAA spokeswoman Aixa Diaz.
“The pandemic changed everything,” she said. “We have seen post-pandemic people leaving at certain times, perhaps even the weekend before Thanksgiving, working remotely for a few days outside their destination, and then enjoying time with their loved ones.”
The nightmares of Thanksgiving’s past have further shaped holiday traffic. Drivers who I learned to avoid Traveling the day before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving creates recent bottlenecks on other days, according to Diaz.
“Because we warned for so long that Wednesday and Sunday were the worst days to travel, people said, ‘OK, I’ll leave on Tuesday and come back on Monday to avoid the rush,’” she said. “So now these two days are also crowded.”
Advice for travelers
Airport security officials are asking passengers to arrive early, not to place lithium-ion batteries of their checked luggage in case they overheat, and never to place weapons of their carry-on luggage. TSA discovered over 6,000 guns on checkpoints this 12 months and most of them were loaded.
Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas attract many infrequent travelers, and questions often arise about what will be taken on a plane.
The TSA does list on their website items which can be prohibited or restricted.
Drivers should know that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will probably be the worst time to travel by automotive, but highways needs to be smooth over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to traffic evaluation firm INRIX.
According to the corporate, the very best time for a return trip for drivers is before 1 p.m. on Sunday and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday.
In metropolitan areas similar to Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than twice the normal volume on a normal day,” said Bob Pishue, an INRIX transportation analyst.
Lifestyle
Vivica A. Fox’s shocking transformation in new photos leaves fans stunned, months after criticism over her “puffy” appearance
After months of public criticism and constant comments about her appearance, Vivica A. Fox is proving that she will rise above the noise in style.
The “Set it Off” actress, who faced mockery from a whole lot of individuals online for her weight gain in addition to accusations of cosmetic surgery and photoshopping, is back with a striking new look that has fans excited.
The multilingual Fox took to social media to share her stunning look from the “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” Christmas Celebration event held on Saturday, November 16 in Los Angeles.
Dressed in a wine-colored Badgley Mischka sequined suit with a draped belt, her hair perfectly styled and her face perfectly sculpted, 50 Cent’s ex-girlfriend dazzled her 1.7 million fans.
The post it featured photos of Fox with other stars who attended the event, including Jackee Harry, Tia Mowry, Romeo Miller, Jeanie Mae and more.
Many people were quick to note her radiant glow and renewed confidence, which many felt was missing from her previous posts.
Fans flooded Fox’s comments section with praise, showering love on the Black Hollywood icon.
“Yassss Ms. Foxy I mean Foxy lol you are killing it,” one person wrote, while one other exclaimed: “What a knockout!”
“Wow, you’re gone,” someone commented, describing how stunning she looked afterwards.
However, several people directly identified her much slimmer appearance in comparison with recent weeks, writing: “You’re losing weight” and “The weight loss and new glow looks phenomenal on her.”
Others added: “LAWDDDDDDDDDD….. WE LOOK AND FEEL LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS! ACT, Sister. WOW!”
Life and Hulu cooperated organize an event that allowed the general public to see that Fox continues to be one in all the best beauties of her generation.
For someone who has been an emblem of beauty and talent since her breakout role as Carmen Silva on Days of Our Lives, this new chapter in her journey reminds the world that reinvention and resilience go hand in hand.
Last yr, the NAACP Image Award winner celebrated her milestone sixtieth birthday by launching a media onslaught promoting her latest film, “The Lost Holiday,” and a number of other other ventures.
One of Fox’s notable appearances was on “The Tamron Hall Show,” which sparked conversations about her height in early October. Many said she looked “puffy” and her face and body looked plumper in comparison with her iconic roles in motion movies like “Independence Day” and “Kill Bill,” and her flashy fashion was a thing of the past.
Fans were concerned, with some suggesting she could have had “hormonal issues” that contributed to her looking “puffy.”
Others wondered if perhaps she was bloated for some reason, and others simply said people should show her grace.
“She’s not that big. I saw it on the show. Stop making it huge,” one person said, while one other added: “Yes, people gain weight… DAMN. Still looks great.
Fox’s recent appearance could also be what it takes to silence her critics, and it’s a strong declaration of self-love and perseverance. Her ability to remain busy and occupied despite the constant pressure of finding the suitable role when she’s in the highlight speaks volumes about her drive.
In a world where public figures are subjected to ruthless scrutiny, Fox’s ability to rise above negativity and shine is a fair brighter testament to her strength and resilience. While fans proceed to support her, the Why Do Fools Fall in Love actress confirms why she stays a cherished icon in the entertainment industry.
Lifestyle
Meghan Markle shares why she “can’t wait” for the holidays
Meghan Markle loves the holidays.
The Duchess of Sussex said this in a recent interview Marie Clairethrough which she told how she and her young family, including Prince Harry, spend every holiday.
Firstly, the 43-year-old mother of two is thrilled to share her joy together with her two children, Prince Arcihe, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
“At first, I think as a mom with kids, you’re just happy that they’re there for you, but they don’t understand everything that’s going on yet,” she said. “But now we’re at an age where I look forward to seeing it through their lens every year.”
Meghan and her family’s holidays begin with what she called a “pretty low-key” Thanksgiving celebration.
“Over the last few years, as I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving here, like many of us, I’ve thought about always making sure there’s room at the table for friends who don’t have family, and that’s really key,” she said.
In her case, that meant welcoming people like Gloria Steinem to previous celebrations. But for the Sussexes, a low-key Thanksgiving also involves spending time with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, who lives near their home in California.
“Being close to my mom is great,” she said.
She added that her family often makes sure they’ve “something fun to do.”
“Like any other family, you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games and stuff like that, someone brings a guitar – it’s fun,” she continued. “Every vacation is a new adventure.”
Meghan also added how vital it’s for her children to experience the “magic” of the holiday season, including “wonderful recipes that end up being formative memories.” Currently, this includes leaving carrots for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve.
The Duchess met with Marie Claire at a Christmas dinner for Afghan women who recently moved to California through… Mina’s Lista corporation that helps Afghan women evacuate Afghanistan and find resources and support. Women also receive support through Welcome project of the Archewell Foundationwhich Meghan and Prince Harry launched in 2023 to extend support for women who resettled in the US from Afghanistan, People Magazine reported. There are currently 11 Welcome Project chapters in nine states.
The dinner was held at a modern kitchenware company owned by women and immigrants Our place and included good food, energetic conversation, and even poetry.
“From my viewpoint, one in all the reasons we desired to make certain we had the opportunity to be together again – so a lot of us – straight away is because as the holidays approach, and in some ways they’ve already began, it brings to evoke a lot emotion in people,” Meghan said during her dinner remarks.
“You miss home, you miss your country, and you can also find solace in the new community you have here,” she continued. “I’m grateful that we get to be a part of this community.”
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