Sharing heritage can lead to racial reconciliation

Fr. Berry talks to attendees at racial reconciliation conference.

While white supremacists are ranting about heritage not being hate in one breath and blood and soil (genocide) in the next exhalation, Father Moses Berry’s work is bridging the racial divide by preaching forgiveness and grace.

Berry was the guest speaker at St. John the Wonderworker Church on Cherokee Avenue in downtown Atlanta on August 26. Pastor of Unexpected Joy Church in Ash Grove, Missouri, Berry is President and Co-founder of the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black. He is also curator of The Ozarks African American Heritage Museum.

Berry is the only black orthodox priest in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) whose mission is, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Berry explains the history of the drinking gourd and freedom.

When Berry shares his message on racial reconciliation, he delves into a space that, like the Underground Railroad’s drinking gourd, is pointed towards freedom - spiritual freedom.

“God is with us,” were Berry’s opening remarks before educating attendees on the spirituality of African Americans and the ancient orthodox Christian faith. Mahalia Jackson’s voice set the mood from a DVD slide show, singing “Move on Up a Little Higher.”

“I been climbing over hills and mountains
I'm gonna drink from the Christian fountain
You know all God, God's sons and daughters that mornin'
Will drink that ol' healing water.”

Berry said he was born between the dark and the daylight and wears sunglasses inside not to be cool, but because his eyes are light sensitive. He talked about his ancestors, family members who lived past 100 years old, and blacks he remembers from his childhood. From a three-generational lineage of ministers in the A.M.E. Zion Church, Berry said, “I went on this unending journey to find God until I really learned how to serve the Lord.”

Participant asks about positive messages depicted in black dolls.

He himself knows sharing between the races can happen. He is the recipient of a 85% match kidney from a Serbian, white female donor. “I think God delivered me through that person,” Berry said.

Slave "necklace" or collar

A poignant moment in Berry’s speech occurred when he donned an iron slave collar and held a ball and chain belonging to one of his ancestors. Then there was the display of a telling, 1863 Drunkard’s Quilt used at safe houses on the route to freedom in Canada.

Berry described his own direct knowledge of black heroes (saints) in his town. One was Olivia Murray. Murray, the granddaughter of a slave, Fannie Murray, “embarrassed me in 1950-60’s by walking around town looking like Aunt Jemima.

“I told my mother, ‘Mom, can you do something with her?’” His mother informed him that Murray carried a basket filled with eggs from her chickens, canned goods from vegetables in her garden, and she saved many families from starvation, including theirs.

“We dismiss people on flimsy evidence,” Berry said about our view of others. “We’re ashamed of ourselves…we think white men’s ice water is colder than ours…we have the same contributions to make.” 

"Just look how much time we have wasted on this subject, on racism, when we could have been solving other problems. Hatred of 'others' is a universal problem and is tied to power, not skin color."--- Tomi Johnson

Drunkard's Quilt once displayed outside safe house.

After the presentation, participants were treated to lunch featuring items from Ethiopia (curry Chicken, red spicy lentils, sponge bread), West Africa (meat pie and plantains), and soul food dishes from the United States (chicken livers, collards, watermelon, sweet potato pie).

In a question and answer session, one white male stunt actor asked how blacks can forgive whites after all the atrocities committed during slavery and the present day.

“Don’t judge lawless young people who are confused and lack proper guidance or deliberately refuse guidance. Acknowledge what has happened, and then move forward. Use Christ to set the example. Ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Go outside your comfort zone.”

Shared heritage might show hate, but forgiveness follows for those led by Jesus.

Berry said, “It would be shallow to think this is a new or racial problem. Christians should come back to true discipleship. This is a hard thing, to follow Christ - self-denial to the point that it hurts.”

"Don't fret over racism which could drive one crazy. We can never get to the bottom of it."---Fr. Moses Berry

Berry invites others to lean on God's grace and learn how to be an active, real "Christian" in thoughts and deeds.  “The problem is that when we think of our sins, it’s egotistical to try to repay the debt. Repent and try not to sin again,” he concluded.

For more information, contact Berry at abbamoses@yahoo.com. To view conference videos, go to: http://www.saintjohnwonderworker.org/parish-photos-events-1/st-moses-the-black-conference

Photos by Kurk Johnson, Tomi Johnson, and church photographer.

Cobb County, Ga. police begin area-wide community discussion groups

Under the advisement of newly appointed Chief Michael Register, police officials are meeting with community leaders and faith based organizations in an effort to develop trust, transparency, and mutual respect with law enforcement. The newly organized groups will be discussing issues and concerns, seeking partnered solutions, and gaining better clarity of organizational and community perspectives.

The mission: defining and improving community policing.

The discussions are being held at different times in each of Cobb's five precincts. "Each precinct has discussion groups with five to eight members to discuss any concerns the community may have with the police," said Deputy Chief C.T. Cox, a Cobb County resident for over 50 years.

The first meeting for Precinct IV was held at 7 p.m. last night at police headquarters on Lower Roswell Road. The meeting was led by Major Jerry Quan and Captain Everett Cebula. Group members present included Joseph Gavalis, Tomi and Kurk Johnson, Byron Wells, Tony Bailey, Richard Durden, Roger Phelps, and Jerry South.

The group formations are also the result of a $93,000, 267-page report made by the International Association Chiefs of Police (IACP) commissioned by the department after Commissioner Lisa Cupid alleged she was racially profiled and followed by an officer late at night in an unmarked car. To view the report, go to: 
https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/cobbcounty.org.if-us-west-2/prod/2018-07/IACP_CCPD_Final_Report.pdf

It is unclear whether recommendations to improve Cobb County police will be funded out of existing budgets or will require a tax hike.

The report cited the following issues:

Recruiting, hiring and properly training new officers

Building relationships and trust with the community in a co-production model of policing, with modern policing methods and practices

Implementing adjustments to staffing and deployments

Adjusting organizational leadership actions to support the transition to a co-production policing model and procedural justice focused management style.

“We have a pretty good department, and many things we do in the community to help citizens are not promoted in the media,” Captain Cebula stated. “We have a 91.5% approval rating and are doing what we can with what we have.”

“We need 60 more officers,” Major Quan told the group. “We have 10 beats with main challenges in high density population areas where Section 8 housing exists,” Quan said. Crime in high density areas is disputed in some circles, but it seems to be more of an issue in major U.S. cities as opposed to Japan which has the opposite scenario. 

Crime in high density areas could be due to devolution of the family unit, decline in moral values, children raising themselves with predictable results, too many parents not involved in raising their offspring, etc., according to a Guns and Ammo forum.

It was mentioned that some community members would not like the idea of hiring 60 more police officers unless they were guaranteed new recruits would be properly trained to "protect and serve" rather than kill unarmed lawbreakers. Quan said department policy mandates officers to use voice recorders at all traffic stops and that body cameras are not being used by all officers due to funding restraints. 

It was also stated by Kurk Johnson that many confrontations between the police and citizens could be improved with proper communication techniques which require special training. It costs $120k to train officers, and new hires can expect to make $40,014.18 to $64,022.89 per year, according to the Cobb County Police website.

Calls for Service in Cobb County in July totaled 4584, with false alarms being the most prevalent. (Alarms – 682, Suspicious Calls – 355, Auto Accidents – 344, Domestic Disputes – 235, Traffic Stops – 1245, Citations issued – 1496.)

Group members have also been invited to attend the Citizens Public Safety Academy Program, a 14-week introduction into procedures by police, fire, animal control, and 911 which begins Sept. 5. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19.

The Cobb County Police Department is a CALEA accredited and nationally recognized full-service law enforcement agency, with an authorized strength of 690 sworn officers, located in the metropolitan Atlanta area, and services a population of approximately 800,000 citizens. 

For more information on this group, call Major Jerry Quan at 770-499-3928.

Major Quan and Kurk Johnson pose after meeting.

Cresent sun and the total eclipse

Eclipse as reported on mainstream television

Ok. So, millions got hyped up over the prospects of a total solar eclipse.

Since I couldn't find any special glasses and was not about to pay $25 to go watch it with a crowd, I made my own viewer from an old cracker box, some aluminum foil, and a nail. I went to my son's house where there's a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. Then we waited. 

My son, Ayron, viewing solar eclipse

View inside my box when eclipse started

What happened next was more than I was expecting...

Selfie with Sun reflection on cheek and brilliance overhead

Selfie with Sun reflection on forehead

I think Jesus came back for a few seconds and reminded me that He has all power in Heaven and Earth, not the politicians. After the brilliant and shining star was haloed by our moon, Jesus decided to retreat, but never did the Sun blacken out or was God's brilliance diminished from my viewpoint...

A lot of people made money off this event which will repeat itself soon.

Jesus is said to be the morning star. God is believed to be the Sun. You should not look at the sun because of its powerful and blinding brilliance. 


Saul was blinded and knocked off his horse while traveling to Damascus. He later became a great evangelist.

The brilliance of the Sun is not diminished by our moon.


What I learned: Nothing can diminish God's power, and we should not forget it!

As we were watching the sun, my son's next door neighbor, whose wife had just died, arrived with the funeral entourage. 

Life and death moves on just like the mission of the sun (Son).

All power in life and death belongs to God, including during a total eclipse.

Fr. Moses Berry coming to ATL church for conference

Father Moses Berry, an orthodox priest and museum curator, will be the guest speaker at St. John the Wonderworker Church in Atlanta, August 26, at 10 a.m. The church is located at 543 Cherokee Ave SE in Atlanta, Ga. 

Berry is the co-founder of The Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black. "Moses is known from his interviews, articles, and unique perspective on the relationship of the African American experience and the ancient Orthodox faith," said Fr. Tom Alessandroni, church pastor. "He is a wonderful story teller with a good story to tell that is full of hope and the spirit of reconciliation of all things in Christ."

Berry will be bringing with him artifacts from The Ozarks African American Heritage Museum, quilts made by slaves, and some personal items which belonged to Harriet Tubman.

The first session will begin at 10 a.m. following the Divine Liturgy at 8 a.m. in the church. A continental breakfast will be served beforehand, and lunch including African specialties and American "soul food" will be provided in the church basement. There is no charge for the conference or the meals, although donations are welcomed. 

Attendees are encouraged to register on the church website (http://www.saintjohnwonderworker.org/new-events/) so an accurate count to prepare meals can be made.

For more information on this event, call 404.577.6330 or 678.373.9433, or email info@saintjohnwonderworker.org.

Mike Espy to receive Witherspoon Award

Attorney Mike Espy of Jackson, Mississippi will receive the 16th annual Estelle Witherspoon Lifetime Achievement Award at a fundraising banquet Thursday, August 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Interstate 495 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Award is part of The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund's 50th Annual Meeting Celebration on August 17 to 19, 2017. Arising from the Civil Rights Movement, the Federation/LAF has served low-income farmers and rural people in the South.

Mike Espy with Federation/LAF members in Mississippi in 1990s

Espy, 63, served in the U.S. House of Representatives. While in Congress, he co-sponsored the "Minority Farmers Rights Bill" in the 1980s and helped to get several of its major components, including the Section 2501 Outreach Program, into the 1990 Farm Bill. From 1993 to 1994, he was President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Agriculture. As Secretary of Agriculture, Espy worked closely with the Federation/LAF on efforts to bring greater civil rights concerns to the department. As a lawyer, he worked with Federation/LAF members on the Black farmer lawsuit against the USDA. 

Estelle Witherspoon was the manager of the Freedom Quilting Bee in Alberta, Alabama and a founding member of the Federation/LAF.  Espy has worked closely with the Federation/LAF in all of his professional pursuits.
The organization was founded in 1967 by 22 cooperatives and credit unions.

For more information and to register for event, go to:  https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eeb0tfmn9d9e569a&oseq=&c=&ch=

New York Life promotes George Nichols to Executive Vice President

Although this happened in March 2017, we've just learned that a longtime friend has been promoted to Executive Vice President at New York Life.

George Nichols is in charge of the Office of Governmental Affairs at NY Life, which includes all state, federal and international legislative, regulatory and public policy issues at the company. With the appointment, Nichols, who has led the Office of Governmental Affairs since 2007, will take on additional duties on an array of enterprise initiatives in support of the company’s long-term strategic objectives.

Nichols joined New York Life in 2001 as Senior Vice President and Assistant to the Chairman. From October 2001 until April 2003, Nichols was Senior Vice President in the Agency Department, responsible for overseeing standards, communications and technology related to the distribution of New York Life products through its licensed agents in the United States. For the next four years, Mr. Nichols served as Senior Vice President and Profit Center Head for New York Life’s AARP Tampa Operations, the leading direct marketer of life insurance for people ages 50 and above.

“Since joining the company, George’s leadership and expertise have been major contributors to our continued growth and success,” said Ted Mathas, Chairman and CEO of New York Life. Mathas. “He has led key parts of our organization, helping to solidify our leadership position in the industry and ably represented our company on the complex issues shaping the political, financial and regulatory landscapes around the world. I look forward to partnering with him on advancing our strategic agenda moving forward.”  

Nichols is a former Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance, where he regulated the state’s insurance industry and was recognized for his expertise in health insurance reform and financial services integration. He has served as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and as Special Adviser to former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton. 

---information from New York Life's website.