Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 8-16-16 Online Edition

All About You!
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
MR. AND MRS. CARLYLE
Happy birthday to my hus- band, my best friend.
CAMRON From Grandma.
FYI
Tampa To Host Prince Hall Shriners Convention And Parade
Last week, more than 3,000 people came to Tampa for the National Convention of the An- cient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America and It’s Ju- risdictions, Inc. Also known as the Prince Hall Shriners, this event is the organization’s 123rd Imperial Council Session.
The event also marks the 105th meeting of the Shriners’ Women’s Auxiliary, known as the Im- perial Court.
This also marks the third time Tampa has served as the host city for the convention since 2010. The second time the organization visited Tampa was in 2014.
During the convention, members of the or- ganization will host meetings and various other activities. On Wednesday, the 105th The Prince Hall Shriners and the Imperial Court Session, Daughters will host their “Twilight Parade.” The event will take place in Historic Ybor City. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. The route of the Parade will travel East 7th Avenue and North on North 20th Street.
The convention will conclude on Thursday, August 18th.
Landlord Forum Tuesday
The Tampa Housing Authority is calling all inactive or new owners to attend the NEW Landlord Forum. The purpose for this event is for inactive, new property owners or managers to become familiar with THA’s Assisted Housing Department. Space is limited.
The forum will be held on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, 6-8 p. m. at the Tampa Housing Au- thority Administration Office, 5301 W. Cypress St., Tampa (33607).
Middleton Class Of 1957 To Hold Meeting
Members of the Middleton High School Class of 1957 will hold their final meeting on Thurs- day, August 18th, at 1 p.m. The meeting will take
place at New Progress Missionary Baptist Church, 3307 E. Shawdowlawn, Tampa, 33610. This is the final meeting to discuss plans for
the 60th Class Reunion. For more information contact Ms. Jackie Walker at (813) 842-5088.
Gospel Choirs Fellowship Day
The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, Inc. will have its rehearsal and meeting on Saturday, August 20, 2016, 1 p. m., for the Florida Gospel Music and Arts Fellowship Tampa Bay Region. The rehearsal and meeting will be held at The Ekklesia Church, 6604 Har- ney Rd., Tampa.
Hillsborough County Seeks Public Input On Parks
In coming weeks, property owners will re- ceive TRIM notices that will contain information on the value of their homes and property. How- ever, in addition to the TRIM notices, the mail outs will also give residents another opportunity to tell Hillsborough County what they want to see in their local park system.
The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser will send out nearly 450,000 of the Truth in Millage, or TRIM, notices this month letting owners know how much their property is worth and information about what their taxes are likely to be.
This year, through an agreement with the County Parks & Recreation, the notices also will tell property owners how to take an important survey on parks.
Parks & Recreation officials are in the midst of a major survey designed to gather residents’ input on facilities, programming, and recre- ational needs throughout the county. The infor- mation will be used for the Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
The survey is available through PlanYour- Parks.org.
In addition to the TRIM notices, the County is sending postcards with information about the survey to 20,000 households. The County also held a series of meetings throughout the county to solicit residents’ opinions on parks. The meet- ing dates have not been released yet.
Staying Attracted To Holiness And Purity
Lord, I pray that You would fill (name of child) with a love for You that surpasses her (his) love for anything or anyone else. Help her (him) to respect and revere our laws and understand that they are there for her (his) benefit. Hide Your word in her (his) heart so that there is no attrac- tion to sin. I pray she (he) will run from evil, from impurity, from unholy thoughts, words, and deeds. May she (he) be drawn toward whatever is pure and holy. Let Christ be formed in her (him) and cause her (him) to seek the power of Your Holy Spirit to enable her (him) to do what is right.
In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 TIMOTHY 2:20-21
Lord, You have said, Blessed re the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). May a desire for holiness that comes from a pure heart be reflected in all that she (he) does. I pray that the clothes she (he) wears and the way she (he) styles her (his) hair and chooses to adorn her (his) body and face will reflect a reverence and a desire to glorify You, Lord. Give her (him) understanding that to live in pu- rity brings wholeness and blessing into her (his) life, and that the greatest reward for it is seeing You.
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn, deceitfully. He shall receive bless from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. PSALM 23:3.
State
Florida Leads The Nation In Disenfranchising Former Felons
TALLAHASSEE — For the more than 1.5 million Floridi- ans prohibited from voting be- cause they were convicted of a felony, election season rein- forces how the state's voting laws don't apply equally to all.
"If I don't pay taxes, guess what? They're coming after me," says Pastor Greg James of Life Church Interna- tional Center in Tallahassee. “But I can't vote, so it's taxation without representation.”
James, convicted as a first-time offender on a charge of conspiracy to sell drugs, served 14 years in prison before he was released in 2008. He is one of several Florida pastors with a felony record who, de- spite having turned their lives around, are barred from voting because Florida has one of the most restrictive laws for restor- ing voting rights in the country.
While the issue of disen- franchised felons is often per- ceived as something that affects Blacks disproportion- ately, data collected by the Sen- tencing project, a national nonprofit advocacy group, shows that three out of four Floridians who have lost their voting rights because of a felony conviction are white.
In the last six years, Florida has restored the voting rights of only 2,000 former felons. Another 10,463 men and women are on a growing wait- ing list, according to the Florida Commission on Of- fender Review. But hundreds of thousands like James, don't even bother to ask the state for permission to vote again.
This policy has an effect on Florida — and the nation's — politics.
PAGE 8 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016