Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 12-18-15 Edition

Holiday Feature
Is the Church Still A Part Of Your Christmas Celebration?
SHIRLEY COPELAND
KAREN PEOPLES
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
With the holidays becom- ing a commercial venture, it’s important to know if the church is still a part of cele- brating Christmas.
Families across the city at- tend Watch Night Services to welcome in the New Year, but their attendance during Christmas doesn’t have the same urgency.
Readers were asked if the church is still a part of their Christmas celebration. This is what they had to say.
Shirley Copeland: “Yes, it is. It always has been. We do the family part like cooking and everything, but when it’s time to go to church, we go as a family.
“My father was a pastor, so it’s carved in stone for us. Church must be a part of the celebration, because without the church, what are you cele- brating? We need to keep some things traditional, and going to church for Christmas must be one of them.”
Bill Sims: “I don’t go as often as I used to. Over the years, I’ve spent so much time
BILL SIMS
DR. MAURICE HARVEY
HEEM BAISDEN
taking care of my mother, and I haven’t allowed much time for anything else.
“When I was younger, we went all the time. I was raised a Catholic, and it was just something natural for me and my siblings.”
Karen Peoples: “The church has always been a part of Christmas and any other celebration we have as a fam- ily. The church is very impor- tant, and it’s the place you go to find out what Christmas means. We must go to church to learn what God is all about, and bring Him home with us.
“It’s important for us to fel- lowship as a family, and the holidays are a perfect time to do that. If you don’t go to
church for Christmas, then it all means nothing. I’m a be- liever in God, my church, and my pastor.”
Dr. Maurice Harvey: “The church has always been a part of our celebration. It’s the place to go to know why you’re celebrating and what you’re
celebrating.
“My grandfather was a
preacher, and it’s just natural forustogoasafamilyand continue the traditions that have been passed down to teach generation.”
Heem Baisden: “The church is the centerpiece for
any holiday celebration, and because of what Christmas means, the church must be a part of that.
“If you don’t include the church as part of your celebra- tion, it means you only recog- nize the commercial part of Christmas.”
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015