Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 4-30-21

Local
Peace Missionary Baptist Preparing For Grand Re-Opening
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Bishop Robinson says the ‘Peace Nation’ is preparing for a grand re-opening on Mother’s Day.
It’s been more than a year since most congrega- tions have gathered to wor- ship behind brick and mortar. There are some that never shut their doors. But the pastor of Peace Progres- sive Missionary Baptist Church says after much prayer and many conversa- tions with God, it is time for the Peace nation to do some-
BISHOP SYLVESTER AND LADY-ELECT TAMMY ROBINSON
We had to be very creative with how we did things. Our church had the capabilities to work with production and edit teams so we could pre- record and air on Sundays.”
As time moved on, pastors had to be even more creative, hosting meetings via confer- ence call lines or Zoom. They’ve had virtual Sunday School, worship and Bible Study, including Prayer serv- ice. “God bless our seniors for finding Zoom and getting a Facebook page. The seniors jumped on board.”
On Easter Sunday, Peace held a service with a limited number of people in atten- dance. “I know people felt uneasy and many had not re- ceived the vaccine. But now, many have been vaccinated and we want to do something ‘big’ for God. We have all these ‘big’ celebrations for everything else, so we’re going to do this for Him in a spiritual way,” Bishop Robinson said.
He said the Lord laid it in his spirit to open the doors on Mother’s Day to welcome his members and the com- munity indoors. “We’ll tell the devil we’re back.” Lady-Elect Tammy (Lady T) Robinson will share
Meet Zyon
Age 11, ID#: 105140677
Zyon is generous, cooper- ative, energetic, friendly and engaging. He enjoys sports, with a special interest in box- ing and playing with his Bey- blades. He also likes spinning action toys and thinks about being a police officer. He en- joys drawing, reading books and learning how to make things.
His favorite subjects in school are Math and PE. He enjoys all kinds of music, from gospel to Kidz Bop. His pet selection would be a dog. His idea of change for the world would be for everyone to treat each other in a kinder way. He has learned that with great power comes great re- sponsibility.
He wants a fun family and
with the mothers a spiritual, uplifting message. Peace’s Men’s Ministry will salute the mothers with a prepared meal.
Realizing that the pan- demic has caused separation, anxiety, lack of fellowship- ping, and being sociable, has weighed heavily on some parishioners, Bishop Robinson says, “don’t blame your pastors. Salute them for staying connected to their local churches, bouncing ideas off other pas- tors. Call your pastor and just say ‘thank you.’ He’s fatigue and gets depressed for not being able to gather with his ecclesiastical peers. We did- n’t realize how valuable gath- ering to worship was until it was snatched from us. So we’re grateful for the oppor- tunity to worship Him in per- son.”
For those who have not received the vaccine, he says, “trust God, listen to the sci- entists and just get the vac- cine. Even Jesus had Luke (a physician) with him, whom he listened to.
“We’re excited about what God is doing with the church, and what we can do in the community.”
is awaiting a forever home. Are you the family for Zyon? Contact One Church One Child of Florida, SunCoast Region, Kimberly Dickens, Recruitment Coordinator, (813) 597-3294, Kimberly_Dickens@ococfl. org or www.ococfl.org.
thing big for God.
served an eviction notice on the churches. He realized that we had gotten too com- fortable and relaxed behind those walls. He said I will shut you down.”
He and his congregants will have their grand re- opening service on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9, 2021, 11 a. m. Seating will be limited, so anyone wishing to attend must contact the church in advance at (813) 241-2411.
Bishop Robinson says it has been a difficult 13 months and pastors had no playbook on how to deal with this pandemic. “We had to navigate through it. But He allowed up the opportunity to do so many other things.
Bishop
Robinson said it has been more than a year “since God
Sylvester
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