Faith News

In late Octoer, 2009 the Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly sent a 40 - foot container to their churches and 4 schools in Haiti. The Mountain Assembly churches sent two hundred and fity - 55 gallon barrels - filled with rice, beans, clothes, toiletries, medical supplies, linens, and other items. There was also a revival tent with chairs in the container. The container arrived in Haiti just before Christmas, 2009.

A few weeks later on January 12, 2010 Haiti experienced a catastropic earthquake. Over 250,000 people died or were injured. Buildings, homes, and roads crumbled. Yet, in the midst of the devastation the continer from a church in Collinwood survived! In their desparation Haitians pitched the tent and moved into it as well as the container.

Almost two kyears later that same contianer - from Collinwood - still provides shelter for the Haitians as they await the reconstruction. Thousands of Haitians are still living outside in the elements.

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Since Holy Redeemer Church’s founding in June 1924, the honoring of St. Anthony has played an integral part in the life of the parish. Starting with its annual Tredicina, or 13 days of prayer which begins Wednesday, June 1st, and concludes Monday, June 13th, coinciding with the day of his death in Padua Italy in 1231. For each Mass the church will host a different visiting clergy member who will expound on St. Anthony's virtues and relevance of his message today. Patron Saint of the poor and oppressed, St. Anthony is also well known as the Patron Saint of lost articles. Father Marty Polito, a Euclid native and Pastor of Holy Redeemer since 1996, adds that it is not just for lost things but for people who may have lost either faith, hope, and or love. This, he says, is an occasion for prayer for things needed to be found in one’s life and for a time of self-renewal.

The Collinwood High School Alumni Association's (CHSAA), current newsletter (January 2011), has a front page article asking readers to "Pray for our Country," for one minute each day. This idea started because of the thousands of emails that have been circulating through the country, explaining how "the people of the United Kingdom, during World War II, prayed for their country for one minute (1) at 8:00pm on a daily basis."

The CHSAA suggests that we "might want to adopt this habit," because of  the "many and varied crises happening today..."

Locally, this wonderful idea began in the Litchfield Assembly of God Church, as an Adult Sunday School Project, and it has since "spread to (the) entire congregation..and surrounding  communities."  Many people are setting their clocks and cell phone alarms to 8pm, as a reminder to pray.

Readers are asked to spread the word to other churches, "friends, neighbors and organizations,"  to "join with all of us in praying for God's protection for our country."

"The power of prayer is known throughout this planet!"

If you’ve ever been down Pawnee Ave, off E 185th, you’ve passed our small white church, sitting there at E 193rd. And probably wondered about who we were. Who are we, really?

Well, I’d like to tell you a bit about us . . .

A bit of history to start off with. We’ve been in this Collinwood neighborhood for more than 80 years, with our ties to our neighborhood going back to the Collinwood School Fire of 1908. Records show that on February 12 1927, the Baldwin family, whose daughter Laura died in the Collinwood School Fire, donated the property where our church stands, for a Spiritualist church to be founded as a lasting memorial to Laura and all the victims of the Collinwood School Fire. 

We opened as the Sunflower New Thought Spiritualist Association Church in the brick building that still stands today. In 1973, we changed our name to Memorial Spiritual Church, to honor our ties to the Collinwood School Fire, and a few years later, we became Memorial Spiritual Christian Church, when our late Pastor, Reverend Karen Hill, became head of Memorial.

So, that’s why we’re here. The big question, of course then, is What is Spiritualism? What is it we believe and follow at Memorial Spiritual Christian Church? What is it we do?

There’s alot of “buzz” out there these days about things ghostly and “paranormal”; I’ve lost track of the number of shows that are all over the airwaves, showing both “ghost chasers” and mediums. All very exciting of course -- and pretty much exaggerated as well. Spirits that always turn up as full-bodied apparitions, eerie noises and lights (why do they always “investigate” at night?!), and spooky situations are all very good television, but not necessarily how this really works.

So what exactly is Spiritualism? Very basically, “As Spiritualists we believe that, although the body dies, the spirit of the person lives on and is active in helping us with love and guidance from a higher, invisible level of life.” Death, therefore, does not end our connection to each other, and we believe it is possible to not only communicate between those here and those who have crossed over, but to use that communication to help people.

A little more than a month ago I witnessed an unexpectedly awesome event at the Mt. Zion Church of Oakwood, Ohio. It was the Fugitive Safe Surrender of 2010.

It is a collaboration of the United States Marshal, Sheriff’s Office, municipal judges, social service agencies, the Bureaus of Motor Vehicles, the Public Defender’s Office, media, and the Clerk of Courts. The Justice Center was brought to the church.

More than 7,400 people took advantage of this opportunity to ‘stop looking over their shoulders’ and to eliminate job barriers. 

For those who get hung up on the word “fugitive” –most of the people there were everyday people who had issues with their drivers licenses, child support, or were afraid to approach the intimidating justice system. Many were unable to pay their fines or get to their court date. Yes, there were low level non-violent felonies attending. However, they were outnumbered by the misdemeanors. 

There were people of all ages who came in wheel chairs, on canes, and some were pushing baby strollers. Child care was also provided. People brought lunches to help as they waited in line. Then they waited in the church sanctuary to go before a judge and hopefully to get a second chance.

While they waited the people could collect information on housing foreclosures, child support, re-entry, and other services. Onsite HIV testing and physicals were provided. On Saturday, which was the last day, the line went around the church and snaked into one of the four filled parking lots.     

I saw courage as the people went through the metal detector to the unknown.

Come and be touched by an angel. The Reverend Dr. Della Reese, singer, actress and minister will speak at Living Truth Center for Better Living on Sunday, October 24, 2010.

A multiple Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee with seven NAACP image awards, whose talents spanned 60 years. Singer and actress who at the high point of her television career co-starred in the hit series, "Touched By an Angel" for nine years.  The Rev. Dr. Della Reese-Lett is the founder and minister of Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles. The UP church, as it is referred to, is a bible-based New Thought Church that offers a message that is UP, music that is UP, and promises that you will leave services UP-lifted.

All are welcome to witness this special event. Living Truth Center is located at 1850 Belmore Road in East Cleveland, Ohio 44112. Telephone number: (216) 249-0330. Services are 8 am -9:30 am, and 11 am-12:30 pm.

Liberia, West Africa is the destination of the Aspinwall Church of God, Christmas in October 2010 barrel project. This is the 4th time that Liberia has received aid from the Mountain Assembly Church of God. Over the last 30 years Aspinwall Church of God, as a mission of mercy has sent barrels containing rice, beans, pasta, clothing, medical supplies, bicycles, wheelchairs, crutches, over the counter medications and household items to Liberia, Zimbabwe, Dominican Republic, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, India and many others. The Church of God Mountain Assembly has over fifty churches and a children's home there.

Have you noticed the new signage which was installed at the St. Casimir Catholic Parish on Neff Rd.? That is just the start of several new happenings within the parish. The Parish Steering Committee developed a Parish Mission Statement, and is establishing the process for electing the Parish Pastoral Council. A Ministry Fair is being planned for the weekend of Sept 18-19, and a Finance Council has been established.

Many building repairs and renovations are progressing well. In August, the Sisters of Notre Dame will be moving into the convent building  along with women who are discerning a vocation to religious life.

Living Truth Center For Better Living is located in East Cleveland and teaches tools to live life from the inside out, by awakening the Christ within which empowers people to live healthy, happy and prosperous lives. Based on teachings from the worldwide New Thought Movement brought to people's attention in the early 1900’s, the church teaches practical Christianity that empowers people to change their thoughts, feelings and beliefs, thereby changing their circumstances.  Living Truth Center is a member of the Universal Foundation for Better Living, Inc and has churches and study groups throughout the world.

Hi. My name is Destiny Armstrong, and I am currently a staff worker for the Nottingham Youth Center (NYC).  I would have to say that working here and having the opportunity to work with the kids is a pleasure! “The camp is full of fun and adventure,” as one of the little campers quoted. 

The children here motivate me come to work everyday. Denise Wright, whom I look at as a second mom, has the camp under control. I honestly love the camp this year way more than last summer. 

The procession route which winds though the parish south of St. Clair Avenue begins with the bearing of the statue
of St. Anthony from the church after mass and placing it on a float powered by a four-man crew including Frank Mirabile.

On Saturday, August 7th at 1:00 pm, the Tabernacle Baptist Church, located at 326 East 156th Street, will be hosting "Feast of the Nations". The Feast of Nations is a celebration of the various nations’ foods and culture that make American the great "melting pot" that it is. This year's Feast will include a brief introduction about why foods from the United States and around the world have made this nation great. A delicious full course, all-you-can-eat buffet meal from the following areas will conclude the experience: North America, Hawaii, Louisiana, Italy, Puerto Rico and China.

Tabernacle Baptist Church, located at 326 East 156th Street,  is proud to announce that we will soon be offering  a M.O.M.S Support Group and Parent Education Classes for the Collinwood Community. The M.O.M.S classes begin June 21 at 1 pm and are scheduled to meet monthly.

As a contributing member of our proud community, Tabernacle Church seeks to offer support and hope to the parents and families that reside here. We are especially sensitive to the needs of our mothers in the community who face daily challenges with providing a healthy and nurturing environment for their children. We want to provide them with both emotional and spiritual support for their lives.

On the weekend of June 12-13,  Holy Redeemer Church, 15712 Kipling, will hold the Festival of St. Anthony.  Saint Anthony was a famous teacher and preacher and a popular follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.  He worked tirelessly for the poor.  June 12 at 4 p.m. Mass will be held followed by food and musical entertainment. On June 13, a 10:30 Mass by the celebrated Bishop Anthony Pilla will be held, followed by a religious procession with Saint Anthony's statue. The festival will run from 1-8 p.m. with musical entertainment and food. There will be a Saint Anthony  treasure hunt for children from 3 to 9 years of age at 3 p.m. There will be a balloon artist present for the children.  Come and enjoy some good Italian food---pizza and sausage sandwiches, fried dough, tripe, cavatelli and meatballs and Italian pastry.  Many cultural and religious groups gather in community to celebrate the heritage of Saint Anthony.  Carrying the statue is a way to remember to strive to live the values and virtues he had.

Just what do you make of that little church at the point of Canterbury and Cornwall, near Lakeshore? Is it open? Well, the sign changes each week, so I guess there must be something going on.  

"You can't do what you can't do, but you can become what you can become," says Father Martin Polito of Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church. Father Marty cites the negativism that some people have about Collinwood and believes that people arelooking for a way to be positive. While Polito acknowledges that Collinwood has lost some of its economic status, he nonetheless feels that there is much potential in Collinwood.

Growing up in Euclid, Polito is a graduate of St. Joe's Villa Angela High School, of Borromeo Seminary and St. Mary's Seminary. He is a priest of the diocese of Cleveland. 

"My dad had a beverage store on East 152nd Street, but was disabled in mid-life. My mother went out and got a job so my father took care of things at home--a sort of role reversal. This taught me to look at things not as I wished them to be, but as they were. My mother had five kids to raise and had to go out to work as a cook or whatever job she could find. I  learned early on to deal with reality."

On Monday, March 15, a cluster Mass will be held at St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church on Neff Road. Father Michael Woost from St. Mary Seminary in Wickliffe will preside over the Mass and give the homily. There will be a social hour after the Mass  to talk with others.

As reported in the January, 2010 Collinwood Observer the Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly provided ”Christmas in October - 2009” for their churches, 13 schools, and 3 children’s homes in Haiti. The church sent a 40 foot container to Duval Riche which is 10 miles away from Port au Prince. It was filled with 36,000 pounds of food, medicine, clothing, household articles, toys, and a large tent with chairs to be used for revivals.

On January 12, 2010, the island was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake! The container miraculously survived the destruction of the surrounding church, and school. Both the container and the revival tent have now become a shelters and homes for the pastor and the children residing in the school.

Our kindergartners began praying for Mr. Pla ever since he went into the hospital in late October. Although they are young children, they firmly believe in the power of prayer. They prayed for improvements in his health, for the comfort of his family and that he would soon be able to return to school. Some of the children even prayed for things only a kindergartner would think of: they prayed that he would not get bitten by a scorpion in the forest and that they would point arrows for him to get away from the monsters.

Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly, with the support of other Mountain Assembly churches, again provided Christmas in October. This year it was for families in Haiti. Mountain Assembly has 30 churches and 2 children’s homes in Haiti. Since 1975, Aspinwall Church has sent help to Liberia, India, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, and Zimbabwe. On October 29, 2009 the 3,000 cubic feet container began the 2000-mile journey from Collinwood to the people of Haiti.  

Haiti shares 1/3 of an island with the Dominican Republic. In the 1700s, it was one of the wealthiest colonies in the world. They exported gold, sugar, indigo, coffee, and tobacco until their resources were exhausted. Haiti now faces soil erosion, an overwhelmed education system, a struggling economy, and extreme poverty. 

Today with so many large churches closing their doors, it is amazing that this small independent church remains open. It is not just another Christian church, it has a rich history dedicated to the principals of Spiritualism and Christianity. The Sunflower New Thought Spiritualist Association was founded in 1917 at 19001 Pawnee. The church itself was built in 1927 at 19204 Pawnee and called The Sunflower New Thought Spiritualist Association Church as a memorial to the students lost in the Collinwood Fire of 1908. The parents of Emma Baldwin were Spiritualists, who with their extended family lived on Pawnee and dedicated the land to build a Spiritualist church to honor those lost in the fire. The main directive of the church was to provide a place to promote new thought principles, religious observance, and charity.

I want to thank the man who helped me on Friday, December 4th, at the Lakeshore Shopping Center, by holding the door of a shop open, so I could free a sparrow that was trapped inside. Afterwards, I told the man that it was amazing how things sometimes happen in mysterious ways. If we had not started talking, I would not have been walking along side him for that brief period of time, and would not have seen the bird. 

Most of us receive emails from friends, strangers, and businesses asking for everything from donations to “let’s get together” or a myriad of other requests. I recently received an email from a friend of mine, Betty Wasiloff asking for my help in finding volunteers for her non-profit organization, Paint Me Happy.org. 

As the holidays approach, I find myself remembering the ones I have loved and lost. Like me, I'm sure many of you have lost someone that you love. I'd like to dedicate this poem to all of our loved ones who won't be here to enjoy the holidays with us.

In the wake of the Imperial Street horrific tragedy, we have been given a wakeup call! A call to a tremendous disconnect on so many different levels; from a breakdown of law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate reports of missing persons, to a breakdown and disconnect of family and community support systems. While many seek to assign blame in this matter, the truth is that there is enough of it to go around. To think that we are going to rid our society of the evil that exists in the world is unrealistic at best. What I believe we can do, is do the best we can to protect ourselves from it.

In the scriptures, Jesus prayed a prayer that his followers would not be removed from the world, but that they would be kept (protected) from the evil that is in the world. Also, the Apostle Paul informed the church at Ephesus, that the strength of the church would come from “what every joint supplied”.  In other words the unity in the community that allows what is best in all of us; to reach the porches of each of us; will help to strengthen and protect all of us from the underbelly of society that seeks to steal, kill and destroy us all.

The changes in the Cleveland Diocese are leaving their mark on many neighborhoods. We are fortunate that the four churches in the North Collinwood cluster will remain to serve the faithful in the community. One church, however, is undergoing  some fundamental changes.

Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly   14627 Aspinwall Ave.    (216) 268-0879   Church of God Mountain Assembly