400 Years Since 1619

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Was a pastor was not hired to lead a Florida church because he is Black?

A Black pastoral candidate that was being considered for the top job at First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida did not secure enough votes to get hired – and now church staff members are saying racism played a role in his lack of votes.

Although a record 3,818 people showed up at the church to vote in this past Sunday’s “in-view-of-a-call,” Marcus Hayes failed to garner 85 percent of the vote due in part to “racial prejudice,” according to Black Christian News. Hayes, who was brought in by the church’s Pastor Search Committee, only received 81 percent of the vote.

What actually is a “in-view-of-a-call?”

Wishing the Southern Baptist tradition, a pastoral candidate preaches to the church congregation, after which the congregation has the opportunity to vote on whether they would like to hire the preacher on staff as pastor.

Church staff members decided to air the matter publicly and did so via a letter they posted on The Baptist Blogger’s Twitter account on Oct. 28.

“Last week, through social media, texting, phone calls and emails, racial prejudice was introduced into our voting process,” FBC of Naples staff wrote in the letter.

“Please know that specifically your Pastoral Staff is deeply, deeply grieved. We are grieved for Marcus and Mandy that they had to endure such vileness. We are deeply grieved that the wonderful name of our Lord and the reputation of First Baptist Church Naples was affected by this campaign against Marcus Hayes.”

An introduction to the letter from The Baptist Blogger reads: “What happened at FBC Naples is disgusting, and most likely fueled by resurgent racism in SBC life. It’s very sad to see this church come to this place in the past several years. Southwest Florida has problems. The whole region need Jesus.”

What happened at @FBCNaples is disgusting, and most likely fueled by resurgent racism in SBC life. It’s very sad to see this church come to this place in the past several years.

Southwest Florida has problems. The whole region need Jesus. https://t.co/xxRnXX2xWW pic.twitter.com/6xjJSt55Ae

— The Baptist Blogger (@BaptistBlogger) October 30, 2019

Hayes, who currently has a leadership role at Biltmore Baptist Church in North Carolina, is also on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dr. Hayes Wicker formerly served for the past 27 years as pastor of FBC Naples. Earlier this year, he announced plans to leave.

Hayes, who is married to Mandy Hayes, declined to be interviewed, according to Religion News.

FBC Naples staff are asking “anyone who took part in such divisive and sinful actions” in the voting process “to immediately confess and repent.”

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Kamala Harris campaign cuts headquarters staff, moves some to Iowa

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is laying off several dozen staff members and transferring others in an effort to salvage her prospects in the Iowa caucuses.

The move, which comes roughly three months before the caucuses formally usher in the Democratic contest, make the California senator the most prominent candidate so far to announce a major campaign restructuring. Harris’ campaign turned to history to make the case that in order to win the leadoff caucuses, candidates sometimes have to overhaul their operations.

“Plenty of winning primary campaigns, like John Kerry’s in 2004 and John McCain’s in 2008, have had to make tough choices on their way to the nomination, and this is no different,” her campaign manager, Juan Rodriguez, wrote in a memo to staff that was shared by the campaign Wednesday.

Politico was the first to report the overhaul.

Harris had already pledged to go all-in on Iowa, joking she was moving there, and earlier Wednesday her campaign touted the 15 days she spent in the state this month as the “October Hustle.” It was more than any of her competitors spent there in October, but she’s still polling behind leading candidates such as Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.

The latest changes come a full month after Rodriguez visited Iowa to evaluate the campaign’s organization and on the eve of an important Iowa Democratic fundraiser. On Friday, thousands of party activists, donors and officials — along with more than 150 members of the news media — will be listening closely to Harris’ speech for signs of new energy.

Among the changes outlined in the memo: Rodriguez and campaign consultants will take a pay cut, though it doesn’t say by how much; several dozen people will be laid off at Baltimore headquarters; and staff from New Hampshire, Nevada, California and headquarters will be moved to Iowa. The memo also doesn’t say how many people will be transferred to Iowa.

Harris plans to spend significant time in Iowa again in November, including over Thanksgiving.

The campaign, which has not yet run any television advertising, hopes to spend at least $1 million on a media campaign in the weeks before the Feb. 3 caucus, the memo said.
Rodriguez tried to distinguish the memo from what he called “gimmicks” by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Obama Cabinet official Julian Castro, who have released urgent appeals for money in recent weeks, raising the prospect of leaving the race if they couldn’t raise enough quick cash.

But Harris has underperformed on the fundraising front. She hails from California, a state that is home to many of the party’s most prominent donors and which has long served as an ATM for politically ambitious Democrats.

That hasn’t translated into success for Harris. Although she did better than her rivals in the state, she has struggled to raise money in recent months, despite keeping up an aggressive fundraising schedule.

She has consistently posted middling quarterly fundraising hauls. And during the most recent quarter, which ended Sept. 30, she revealed that she spent roughly $3 million more than the $11.6 million she took in while delaying about $1 million in payments to campaign strategists.

While her aides initially tried to project California as locked up in her favor, many of her rivals have found deep pockets of support among top donors there. Last spring, Democratic megadonor Susie Tompkins Buell, who was initially a top Harris fundraiser, also started to raise money for South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
___
Associated Press writer Brian Slodysko in Washington contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Read the Harris campaign memo: https://ift.tt/323WsRs

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Rapper N.O.R.E. calls it like he sees it, says Kanye’s new album is “trash”

At least one rapper is not feeling Kanye West’s new release “Jesus is King” and that is Queens-based rapper, N.O.R.E.

“Jesus Is King is trash,” N.O.R.E told Nick Cannon of Power 96 in Los Angeles, responding to a question asking for his thoughts on the album. “I love Kanye. I wanna be clear… How the f— you got Clipse on a record that’s not good? Jesus is mad at this n***a.”

N.O.R.E.’s criticism doesn’t stop there. He told Cannon he is also disappointed that Kanye didn’t sit down with journalists from “the culture” when making his press rounds promoting his album, according to Complex.

“I’ma be honest, I’m a hater. I’m kinda hater. Let me explain why,” N.O.R.E. said to Nick. “Zane Lowe is a person that I respect but I don’t respect. As a person who made the War Report album, I’ve done records with Mariah Carey…When I see you ever go to any place other than us—the culture—I have a problem with that.”

He went on to explain that he wasn’t miffed that Kanye didn’t sit down for an interview on his Drink Champs podcast per se, but that in general he would have respected the rapper for choosing journalists who are familiar with the recording process.

“I’m not mad at Zane Lowe at all. I’m more mad at Kanye,” N.O.R.E said to Cannon.

Comedian Karlous Miller, of Wild’n Out and 85 South Show, tweeted that Kanye “fell off” and it’s like no one wants to discuss the elephant in the room. Cardi B said the real reason people are dissing Ye’s album is because he is glorifying God.

“Kanye West found God and people call that falling off,” Cardi tweeted.

Since Yeezy released his newest album on Oct. 25, some artists are expressing support in his Christian project. Lecrae tweeted “Regardless of how you feel about #KanyeWest the content is refreshing to hear. God will get His glory. And #JesusIsKing.”

The post Rapper N.O.R.E. calls it like he sees it, says Kanye’s new album is “trash” appeared first on theGrio.

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LisaRaye McCoy says she wouldn’t ‘spit’ on Duane Martin if he were ‘on fire’

LisaRaye McCoy has some stuff to get off her chest.

The actress went on The Wendy Williams Show on Wednesday to explain why she is no longer friends with Duane Martin, her one-time co-star on All of Us whom she claims went to inappropriate places with her ex-husband, Michael Misick, a Turks and Caicos politician.

“I just know he’s not my friend anymore,” McCoy told Williams about Martin. “He was my brother, I called him my brother and for me, at the time, he was my example. Being a married couple, I wanted to be around them because I wanted (them) to show me how to be a new wife.”

Martin was married to Tisha Campbell during the time of McCoy’s allegations. Martin and Campbell have since separated.

“He started being in places he shouldn’t have been, along with the shenanigans,” McCoy continued, referring to the places Martin and Misick would go. “I made it very clear we were not friends anymore, he was not welcome in my home anymore.”

But McCoy was emphatic about clearing the air on one misconception. She told Wendy that she doesn’t blame Duane for breaking up her marriage.

“Let me be clear, I never said Duane broke my marriage up, I said he was a friend of mine and he shouldn’t have been in places that he was in with my now ex-husband,” McCoy said. “I know that he cannot break up my marriage, no one can do that, you’re only responsible — you and your husband. But there’s a code of conduct you must have when you’re in a relationship and he broke that, he broke the friendship.”

McCoy said even though she addressed Martin and told him he was not welcome in her home, he continued to drop in and go to the inappropriate places with Misick.

“When you tell a person, ‘You’re no longer my friend, if I see you, you don’t have to ever speak to me again, if you were on fire I wouldn’t spit on you. If I said these things to you, that means I no longer give a damn about you,’” McCoy told Wendy.

Wendy asked for specifics – whether Martin was hooking Misick up with other women – and McCoy reiterated that her ex and Martin were going places that they had no business going.

During the Wendy interview, McCoy also took aim at Nicole Murphy for allegedly lying about cheating with Misick and going after other married men. This past summer, McCoy tweeted what would become a viral response to photos showing Murphy kissing Antoine Fuqua: “Gurl @nikimurphy you went after @iamlelarochon husband too? … SMH so wrong … again!”

Murphy denies the accusation that she’s a cheater.

“It says I broke up someone’s marriage, which is absolutely false. I never did that,” Murphy told Wendy. “It’s not true.”

McCoy’s response on Wednesday was don’t make me show receipts.

Girl.

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Niecy Nash and husband use social media to announce divorce

Niecy Nash and husband, Jay Tucker, have split after eight years of marriage.

In a joint Instagram post, Nash and Tucker wrote: “We believe in the beauty of truth. Always have. Our truth is that in this season of our lives, we are better friends than partners in marriage. Our union was such a gorgeous ride. And as we go our separate ways now, we feel fortunate for the love we share – present tense.”

Nash, 49, who stars in TNT’s Claws, and Tucker, an electrical engineer, also thanked their fans for always showing them love during their marriage.

“Thank you all out there for your support of us as a couple over the last eight years. We are grateful,” according to the IG post, which was signed Niecy Nash + Jay Tucker.

This was the second marriage for Nash. She was previously married to Pastor Don Nash, with whom she has three children. They divorced in 2007.

Nash and Tucker got engaged in 2010 and married in 2011 in Malibu’s Church Estate Vineyards. At the time of their engagement, Nash told PEOPLE magazine that their relationship seemed like a custom-made fit.

“I have to say, this second time around, it feels custom,” Nash said at the time to PEOPLE. “Even after I got my divorce, the ink wasn’t even dry on the paper, and I said, ‘Ooh, the next time I become a wife, I got this thing down pat!’ I always believed that there was someone built for me.”

But a source told The Daily Mail that things grew challenging between Nash and Tucker because they lived in different cities while she filmed Claws, and because he was not comfortable with her explicit sex scenes.

The Daily Mail said the pair had been separated for months, with Nash putting her Bell Canyon, California estate up for sale for $1.2 million in July.

We wish them all the best.

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