c. 2006 Religion News Service

Kurt Carr, Take 6 Among New Inductees for Gospel Hall of Fame

(RNS) Gospel musicians Kurt Carr and Take 6 are among the new inductees to the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

A ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of awards sponsored by the Detroit-based hall of fame was held Saturday (Oct. 21).

Carr, who has worked as an accompanist with the late Rev. James Cleveland and Andrae Crouch, formed the Kurt Carr Singers in the early 1990s. The winner of Grammy and Stellar Awards is known for writing such songs as “The Presence of the Lord Is Here” and “In the Sanctuary.”

Take 6, a sextet known for 20 years for its blend of jazz and gospel, has performed with a range of musicians in the Christian and secular realms, including Stevie Wonder, the Winans and the late Ray Charles. The group has won 10 Grammy Awards and an equal number of Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association.

“For a decade, we have successfully achieved our goal _ the furtherance of gospel music worldwide,” said David Gough, founder of the hall of fame.

Other 2006 inductees are:

_ Joe Bagby, a gospel broadcaster on KHVN, a Christian radio station in Dallas.

_ Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, founder of the Northeast Michigan State Choir and pastor of the New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Detroit.

_ The late David Sisters, a quintet based in Philadelphia that performed from the 1940s to the 1960s.

_ Merdean Fielding Gales, co-host of “Bobby Jones Gospel” on Black Entertainment Television.

_ Bishop Albert L. Jamison Sr., chairman of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

_ Curtis R. Lewis, former gospel organist for Motown Records, and dean of instruction of the Church of God in Christ’s music department.

_ Iris Stevenson, president of the international music department of the Church of God in Christ.

_ Rodena Preston, minister of music of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

Previous inductees include Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, CeCe Winans and Della Reese.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Bishop Asks for Friendlier Halloween Masks

LONDON (RNS) A Church of England bishop has launched a campaign to try to stop supermarkets from selling scary masks and other traditional paraphernalia that he says emphasize the “dark, negative side” of Halloween.

Bishop David Gillett of Bolton claims the big stores are promoting a “climate of fear” around the pagan festival and says they should instead push the sale of bright balloons, hair braids and colorful costumes that do not tempt children to dabble in the occult.

In a letter to Britain’s supermarket bosses, Gillett said Halloween, with its Frankenstein and “scream” masks, witch’s black garb and devil’s horns and tails, “has the potential to trivialize the evils of the world.”

He added that “occult practices should not be condoned, even if they are only presented in a caricatured, light-hearted form.”

The bishop urged the giant stores to favor festive products such as party games and balloons to encourage the themes of “light, laughter and the triumph of good over evil”.

Gillett said he had won support from some of the big stores. Justin King, chief executive of the huge Sainsbury’s chain, told him there was “a case” for giving customers choice and promised it would introduce “alternatives,” although not until next year.

Tesco, the biggest chain in the country, said it was thinking about it, and Trevor Bish Jones, chief executive officer of Woolworth’s, was giving the idea “full consideration.”

But the nationwide Asda supermarket chain, owned by U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, said simply that “we are in the business to sell the things our customers want to buy.”

_ Al Webb

Update: Ala. Baptist Church Ousted for Hiring Woman Pastor

MOBILE, Ala. (RNS) A local Baptist association voted 204 to 44 to remove Hillcrest Baptist Church as a member of its body of Southern Baptist congregations because of its decision to hire a woman pastor.

The Oct. 19 vote by the Mobile Baptist Association affirmed a recommendation from two committees that urged association members to “accept Hillcrest Baptist Church’s decision to differ with the guidelines for affiliation by voting for disaffiliation.”

At issue was Hillcrest’s move earlier this year to hire the Rev. Ellen Sims, who was ordained through the American Baptist Churches USA. Hillcrest Baptist Church has ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and, until Thursday’s vote, the Mobile Baptist Association.

Neither Sims, who serves as associate pastor, nor Hillcrest’s pastor, Dudley Wilson, addressed the hundreds gathered for the session. Before the vote, however, a representative from Hillcrest told the delegates that the congregation would accept their decision in the matter.

While several Protestant denominations _ including some Baptist organizations _ welcome women to serve as pastors, Southern Baptists’ statement of faith stipulates that “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

But Southern Baptists historically have highly valued local church autonomy, a principle that has seemingly allowed some individual congregations to maintain ties with regional or national Southern Baptist bodies despite being at odds with the national group’s policy.

The Mobile Baptist Association’s constitution, however, states that any church can be removed from membership if it embraces “practices or doctrines contrary to those of the association.”

The measure required a two-thirds vote to pass.

(Hillcrest Baptist and Sims were featured in a package of stories about women’s ordination transmitted by RNS on Oct. 11)

_ Kristen Campbell

Greenebaum Named U.S. Interfaith Director for American Jewish Committee

(RNS) Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, the director of the American Jewish Committee’s Los Angeles chapter since 1990, has been appointed as the organization’s U.S. director of interreligious affairs.

“AJC is fortunate to have Rabbi Gary Greenebaum at the helm of our interreligious activity in the U.S.,” AJC executive director David A. Harris said in a statement. “He will make valuable contributions to furthering our goal of strengthening the ties we share with other faith communities.”

Greenebaum helped direct Project Interchange, an AJC initiative that promotes understanding of Israeli history, culture and politics. As part of that program, Greenebaum led several delegations of U.S. Protestant and Catholic leaders to Israel.

“I cannot think of a more important time in the history of the U.S. for this kind of work,” Greenebaum said in a statement. “I look forward to following in the footsteps of Rabbis Marc Tanenbaum and James Rudin, who pioneered AJC’s landmark efforts in interreligious affairs.”

Greenebaum frequently contributes to the opinion pages of Los Angeles-area newspapers and has also been a regular guest on KCRW’s “Which Way LA?” and KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

Greenebaum succeeds Rabbi David Elcott, who left the post last March to join the Israel Policy Forum. Greenebaum will work with Rabbi David Rosen, who is based in Jerusalem and oversees the AJC’s international interfaith program.

_ Chansin Bird

Quote of the Day: Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

(RNS) “We rightly criticize that in most Islamic states, the role of religion for society and the character of the rule of law are not clearly separated. But we fail to recognize that in the U.S.A., the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies.”

_ Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, writing in a new book, “Decisions: My Life in Politics.” He was quoted by the Associated Press.

KRE/PH END RNS

Editors: To obtain photos of Kurt Carr and Take 6 to accompany first item, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.