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Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. As far as Praise is concerned the year 2000-2001 is history. Hallelujah and Praise the Lord! As said before, it can hardly be imagined that we have reached this exciting milestone--one full year of providing the members of Flipper Chapel African Methodist Church an easily accesible online source of news and other informative tidbits regarding the monthly goings on within our humble sanctuary. When we first went online back in May 2000 we truly had no way to fathom the response to which this ambitious project would be received by the members of Flipper. Our only endeavor was to provide a resource in which Flipperties might stay current with church events from the comforts of their own homes. However, it seems our original intent was way too limited in scope. Many Flipperites begin displaying an interest in not only the online version, but there was an increasing demand for an offline edition for church members who don't have acccess to the internet. Thus, each month Praise is published in two forms, electronically and in print!
In addition to regular church news, Praise has also endeavored to provide spiritual growth to our readers though inspiring tesitmonies, entertaining short stories, and insightful reflections of faith. Through our monthly profiles of area ministers in the pulpit, who grace the covers of each issue, and the various adult and youth members of our extended Flipper family in the spotlight, Praise has attempted to familiarize you with the very people who make our local AME experience that much more enjoyable, heartfelt, and rewarding. Similarly, we have attempted to educate as well by providing informative pieces on the various aspects of AME Church itself.
Not only has Praise been well-received by the members of Flipper, we have also garnered support and patronage by readers who reside far beyond the city limits of our beautiful city of Tallahassee. As evident by our guestbook, our readership extends throughout Florida and the four corners of the United States. Indeed, we wouldn't be surprised if some international surfers have from time to time stumbled onto ou humble e-pages. One of the more special results of this truly online fellowshipping is that many past members of Flipper Chapel who have moved on to other locales are now able to click on and still keep up with the latests happenings at their former spiritual home. Take for example Bro. Lemanual "Lee" Bradley, who was 'reared up' in Flipper and now resides in San Diego, CA with his family. Bradley, the brother of Flipperites Sis(s). Grace Fitz and Ruth Armstong, was able to access Praise to read a remembrance of his father, the late Rev. I.F. Bradley, a former pastor of Flipper who was our Pastroral History honoree in February, 2001.
As we look back on the past 12 issues, the staff at Praise cannot help but be pleased by the outcome of our efforts and truly credit out Heavenly Father for guiding all who have been apart of this project. Without Him, none of this would be possible. Our many contributors can also be heartened in knowing that their often thought-provoking submissions brought much comfort to our readers and truly added to the overall spirtuality and effectiveness of our ministry in print. Coincidentally, our inaugural May 2000 issue featured Bishop A.J. Richardson on the cover and for the same reason he now graces the cover of this month's edition--the Bishop was scheduled to deliver the keynote address during Flipper's Fellowship Day 2000 Observance. If one revisits the pages of this issue, you will not fail to notice the humble roots from which Praise grew. In our ongoing efforts to increase the 'clickabilty' of the site and as our Webmaster became more skilled in website development and design, Praise has certainly changed aesthetically throughout the year. Gleefully, today's Praise is much more surfable and easy on the eyes. Nevertheless, what the early issues lacked in quality they made up in quantity. Though content was scarce back in May 2000, the inaugural issue did feature our very first Monthly Word offering entitled A Word of Truth and penned by Sis. Constance Gold and a profile of one of our most recent former pastors, Rev. Benny Johnson. Our June issue featured our Pastor, Rev. Melvin Bell, on the cover and a detailed review of Flipper's Fellowship Day 2000 weekend which includes three picture galleries. It also included a special Father's Day Tribute dedicated to the father's of various members of our congregation. For our Imani offering, Sis. Laura Adams penned a testimony entitled "We Are Blessed" expounding upon the many blessings our Lord bestowed upon herself an her husband Carl as they prepared to renew their wedding vows. The July issue featured Rev. Joseph Love, pastor of Union Hill AME Church (Wacissa) on the cover and a testimony entitled "Joy Comes In The Morning" by Sis. Diann Fitz-Jones detailing her experiences as the health of her late husband, Bro. Henry Jones, began to fail. It also included a remembrance of the late and former Flipper Pastor Rev. Johnny Bruce. The August issue featured Bishop John Hurst Adams, the newly appointed presiding prelate of the 11th Episcopal District (Florida & The Bahamas), on the cover to coincide with the convening of the Florida Annual Conference which was held that month at Bethel AME Church. This issue is also significant as Praise unveiled its now familiar "rising sun" logo and a new format, which encompassed religious cartoons and other entertaining and informative tidbits of interest to our readers. We also moved! Formerly, we were sharing space on the Flipper Chapel website, however, as of August 2000 Praise established our own separate site to accommodate growth. The August issue also featured a review of Flippers' first annual Church Womens' Conference and an insightful Imani Offering entitled "Grief After Rejection" by guest contributor and author Sis. Cynthia Flowers. The piece revealed the often troubling emotions one feels when you find yourself having to care for someone whom had previously rejected your existence when they were not in need. In September 2000 we featured our presiding elder Rev. Ralph L. Wilson, on the cover. This issue included a piece entitled "A Father's Eyes" by an unknown author which was sent to Praise via email. October 2000 saw Rev. James L. Byrd, senior pastor of New Mt. Zion AME Church on the cover and a special piece entitled "Ambay's Gift". penned by our editor Bro. Michael Catledge as a tribute to his great-aunt, the late Vandelean "Ambay" Mingo Edwards. This issue once again featured Bishop John Hurst Adams on the cover as he was on hand to help Flipper celebrate the burning of the church's mortgage. November was also the month Praise featured an inspirational poetic offering entitled "A Moment of Prayer" by guest contributor Bro. Ronald "Prince" Patton and a short children's story penned by Flipperite Sis. Sylvia Livingston entitled "The Trip". Rev. William Lamar IV, pastor of St. Philip AME Church (Monticello) graced the cover of our November 2000 issue. This edition also featured a special Christmas Message by Flipperite Dr. C. Wesley Armstrong and a remembrance of the late Rev. I.F. Bradley , a former pastor at Flipper.
In honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, the Rev. Dr. King (1929-1968) was given pride of place on the cover of our special commemorative January 2001 issue. In tribute to the Civil Rights Era and Dr. King's considerable sacrifice, much of this edition was dedicated to the men and woman whom played a significant role in that memorable period of American history. In addition to our tribute to the life of Dr. King, Praise also honored the memory of Tallahassee's renowned Civil Rights activist, the late Rev. C.K. Steele (1914-1980) and featured a reflection by Flipperite Sis. Julie Catledge entitled "Doing My Part" which detailed her experiences as a student at FAMU during the 1960s.
The February issue of Praise was dedicated to Black History Month and paid special honor to the vibrant and unique history the AME Church, the nation's oldest independent predominantly Black denomination, as well as that of Flipper itself. Not surprisingly, Bishop Richard Allen (1760-1831), co-founder of our illustrious church, was featured on the cover while Rev. Elijah Hill, the founding pastor of Flipper Chapel, was the subject of that month's Pastoral History offering. Our editor, Bro. Michael Catledge, also penned a reflection on the circumstances surrounding the founding of the AME Church entitled "Our Beginnings".
The March 2001 issue once again featured Rev. Ralph L. Wilson, presiding elder of the Tallahassee District, on the cover as the Elder was scheduled to deliver the keynote address during Flipper's first annual Remembrance Day Observance, an event happily sponsored by Praise. The edition's Imani Offering featured a second thought-provoking contribution by author Cynthia Flowers entitled "Is There No Love Among Us" and a review of the Youth Church's February excursion to Black History 2001 in Orlando, FL entitled I Am The Black Child.
Last month Rev. Willie Merrick, pastor of Galilee AME Church, was featured on the cover and Praise ran a special and gripping remembrance penned by Dr. C. Wesley Armstrong entitled, "How We Overcame", detailing his and Mrs. Armstrong's harrowing experiences and eventual deliverance during the Liberian Civil War.
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May 2000
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