President’s October Greeting
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in Heaven.” Matthew 5.16 {KJV}
Greetings Fellow Doorkeepers!
Our accomplishments for the first 9 months of the year have been outstanding. I am very proud of each of you for “stretching” a little more than we did in 2018. We still have 3 months left in 2019. I encourage each of you to continue to stretch and keep up the enthusiasm as we go through the rest of the year to successfully accomplish our goals for 2019.
Thanks to the Allan A. C. Griffith Alumni Working Unit of the Education and Scholarship Department for their “Feed the Homeless Project Ministry!” On Saturday, September 7th, they distributed 100 Brown Bag Lunches, along with socks, washcloths, and toiletries to the Homeless at Franklin Park in Washington, DC.
At the Business Meeting on Monday, September 9th – held at Southeast Tabernacle Baptist Church – a special offering was collected for the Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund. A total of $550.00 was collected. The funds will be combined with contributions from other Eastern Region States and donated directly to the Embassy of the Bahamas by Director Charles J. Brown. Thank you for your generous donation for such a worthy cause!
With a grateful heart, I would like to extend my gratitude of thanks to all of the members who attended and served at Tenth Street Baptist Church on Wednesday, September 11th for the church’s 136th Pre-Anniversary Celebration! Elder Alfred H. McCain, Sr., Pastor of Macedonia Community Church, was the Guest Preacher. The ICUA certainly supported Elder McCain, and he thanked the ICUA for their support.
On Sunday, September 15th, we celebrated the ICUA’s 107th Anniversary, the Young Adult Department’s 51st Anniversary, and the 93rd Anniversary of the Junior and Young People’s Department at Mount Moriah Baptist Church. The theme for the occasion was “200 Ushers in White.” The scriptural reference from Acts 5:14 {NLT} was “Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.”
The purpose of this year’s Anniversary was to raise funds for the ICUA Building Maintenance Fund. The Building Maintenance Fund was established for the purpose of having funds available for repairs, upkeep, and emergencies at the ICUA Headquarters. The ICUA Headquarters is in need of some major repairs. The membership was asked to give a sacrificial donation of $50.00 {Seniors and Young Adults}, and Juniors were asked for $10.00 to help offset some of the funds needed for repairs. To God be the Glory for the great things that He has done and is still doing for the ICUA! The goal was to raise $10,000 for the Anniversary. Thus far, after expenses, we have raised $9,142.47. We are still accepting donations to reach our goal.
Many thanks to the ICUA 107th Anniversary Committee for your dedicated and committed service rendered during the planning and implementation of the Anniversary Program! Your service was outstanding! Special thanks to all of the program participants, and everyone that attended the Anniversary! The following Ushers from the State of Virginia attended our Anniversary Celebration:
Sister Jerdleen Boffman – Virginia State President
Sister Cheryl Allen – Chairman, Eastern Region School of Ushering
Brother Phil Chambers – Immediate Past Vice Chairman, National Nominating Committee
Sister Diane Reid – Virginia Kensey M. Lewis School of Ushering State Chairman
The following ICUA members received 2019 Presidential Awards for their dedicated and committed service to the ICUA at the Anniversary:
Young Adult Department
President Karisse A. Carmack
Christina Jones
Christie C. Savage
Summer K. L. Gray
Rinita Hutchinson
Roslyn Moore – Counselor
Angela Walker-Suttles – Co-Counselor
Board of Trustees – Technical Print Team
Alphonso Bell
Beverly N. Buggs
Sandi Dotson
Eric J. Kirby
Erma J. McCray
Courtenaye R. Nelson
Frances S. Penn
Juanita Prophet
Marion Solomon
Betsy H. Parrish
Geraldine V. Washington
Melinda H. Wilkins
Special Recognition Presidential Award
Clarice T. Allen
Quintina Kornegay Brown
Corinne M. Mungo
Nelcina B. Wiggins
Congratulations to all of the recipients!
Please support the service of the installation of Pastor- Elect Reverend Carlos A. Younger, M.Div. – Freedom Baptist Church, 1519 “U” Street, NW, Washington, DC on Sunday, October 6th at 3:30 PM.
The ICUA will be serving for The Baptist Convention of the District of Columbia and Vicinity’s 147th Annual Session. The Session will be held at Mount Moriah Baptist Church, 1636 East Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC. The dates are Tuesday – October 15th, Wednesday – October 16th, and Thursday – October 17th. The daily serving schedule is as follows:
10:00 AM
2:00 PM
7:00 PM
The attire is the National Uniform.
The “Presidents’ Council and ICUA Guardians’ Meeting” will be held on Saturday – October 19th at the ICUA Headquarters. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 AM, and the meeting will begin at 9:00 AM. All Ushers’ Ministry Presidents are encouraged to attend the meeting.
The Eastern Region Awards and Recognition Committee has made its selections for the 2020 Eastern Region Conference Honorees. We have two members who will be honored at the 2020 Johnnie F. Knighton Prayer Breakfast in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday morning, March 14, 2020. Join me in congratulating –
Sister Dolores R. Wallace – Peace Baptist Church
Sister Eunice B. Wise – Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church
The Eastern Region Mid-Year Meeting in conjunction with the State of New York 99th Memorial Weekend will be held November 9 – 10, 2019, in Brooklyn, New York. October 1st is the deadline to make your hotel reservations. The roundtrip bus transportation to New York is $125.00. The final payment is due Monday, October 14th at the Business Meeting. Contact Sister Druscilla J. Smalls to reserve your seat on the bus. She can be reached at 202/678-2180 {home}, or 301/567-5231 {cell}.
Information on the 63rd Annual Eastern Region Conference:
Conference Hotel: Doubletree Hotel Downtown
700 N. King Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Telephone Number: 800-737-7181
The Online Booking Link is https://group.doubletree.com/ERRegChurchUshersAssn
Room Rates – Across the board $109.00 plus tax – currently 10% per room, per night, subject to change. Rates are available 3 days prior, and 3 days after the Conference.
The deadline for reservations is Thursday, February 20, 2020
If you or someone you know is interested in being a Vendor at the 2020 Eastern Region Conference, you can contact Cathy Crittendon, Assistant Conference Planner, for an application.
It is time to make your reservations for the 101st National Convention. The 2020 National Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida. The dates of the Convention are July 27th through August 1, 2020. The Host Hotel is the Rosen Centre Hotel – 9840 International Drive – Orlando, Florida 32819. Hotel rate: $139.00 per night across the board. Plus 13.63% tax, subject to change. The total for one room night plus tax is $157.94.
Reservations: Call 1-800-204-7234 or www.nationalchurchushers.org – click on Convention Conference – select 101st National Convention – click on NUCUAA for online Reservations.
NOTE: A 1-night’s room deposit and tax are required at the time of making your reservation.
Reservation refundable deadline: June 1, 2020
Reservation deadline: July 6, 2020
ICUA Prayer Call – 3rd Monday of each month –
Dial-in-Number: 1-605-475-5950
Access Code: 6419564#
Please follow the ICUA on the social media accounts below:
The ICUA has a Twitter and an Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/dc_ushers/
https://twitter.com/dc_ushers
Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/ICUAofDC/
Website: www.icuaofdc.org
NUCUAA Centennial Celebration pictures are on the ICUA Website – icuaofdc.org (https://icuaofdc.org/?page_id=296)
I solicit your support of the following upcoming ICUA events/activities:
Christine M. Green Women’s Day Committee, Everyone’s Birthday – Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church – Saturday, October 26th – 1:00 PM
Sermon – Mount Moriah Baptist Church
1636 East Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC – 3:00 PM – November 17th
Randy L. Perrin Men’s Day Committee and Christine M. Green Women’s Day Committee Program – Sunday, December 1st – 3:00 PM
Happy Birthday to all celebrating a birthday during the month of October!
Please keep Mother Elaine S. Flanagan and Father Roy L. Kelly in prayer, and all sick, shut-in, and bereaved families.
Yours in Christian Service,
Pansy Bradley-Cooper
President
