Carmel "In The News"

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Churches will host Jazz Fest
Free concert set for Stumptown Park

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and Carmel Presbyterian Church will host JAZZ in the Park, a free concert open to the public, 3 p.m. Oct. 30.The concert is the combined effort of the two churches' music ministries, led by Paul Reynolds, director of music ministries at Carmel; and Cathy Youngblood, director of music ministries at Good Shepherd. Youngblood says the event is a response to a new call for churches to balance the "come-and-see" attitude with the "go-and-tell" mindset.

"Rather than only presenting the message of Christ through music in the church building and expecting others to come to us, we are heeding the call to go out into the community and meet people where they are," said Youngblood.

Performances will include a combined choir from both churches, a variety of jazz favorites performed by soprano Mindy Damon, and old-time classics performed by The Rick Bean Jazz Trio.  Damon, originally from Rock Hill, has traveled the country and abroad singing with groups including Turning Point Ministries and Disney's Voices of Liberty, and now teaches voice, theater and choir at Charlotte Christian School.

Rick Bean, founding pianist of the trio, was a longtime friend of the late Loonis McGlohon, former director of music at Carmel Presbyterian. Bean now is president of the Loonis McGlohon Foundation, which supports events that promote ministry through jazz. The concert will be at Stumptown Park, at 120 South Trade St. in Matthews, with free parking. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

JAZZ in the Park is a free event; however, voluntary donations will return to the community through programs to prevent hunger.

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church is at 3307 Rea Road in Charlotte and has worship service at 11 a.m., with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Carmel Presbyterian Church is at 2048 Carmel Road in Charlotte and has worship service at 10:30 a.m., with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m.

The music ministries of Good Shepherd and Presbyterian joined forces for a similar event in the past, when a Christmas concert was given in December 2007 that featured the music of Loonis McGlohon and other jazz composers from the community. Youngblood says jazz is an accessible means of expression, and Stumptown Park is a fun place for families and friends to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.

"We hope to give folks a relaxing evening of jazz - sacred and secular - as a bridge between community and church," she said.

Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Jennifer Baxter is a freelance writer for South Charlotte News. Have a story idea for Jennifer? Email her at religion_news@yahoo.com. The Charlotte Observer welcomes your comments on news of the day. The more voices engaged in conversation, the better for us all, but do keep it civil. Please refrain from profanity, obscenity, spam, name-calling or attacking others for their views.   Read more
 

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 Wednesday 18,2011

Charlotte Presbytery, too, ends gay ban
By Tim Funk
tfunk@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, May. 18, 2011
More Information
Sexual revolution blamed for priest abuse

The Presbytery of Charlotte added its support Tuesday to ending the ban on gays and lesbians becoming clergy and lay leaders in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Presbyterian church leaders from the seven-county Charlotte region voted 162-154 to change the denomination's constitution by removing a 1997 amendment that said the ordained must either be single and chaste or in a heterosexual marriage. Going into Tuesday's local vote, that change already had won the backing of a majority of presbyteries in the country. It was scheduled to become effective in July, whatever the Charlotte vote. Still, Tuesday's debate at Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church drew about 40 speakers - in addition to the two Charlotte pastors chosen to present the two sides. The Rev. Kate Murphy of Hickory Grove Presbyterian, who made the case for removing the ban on gays and lesbians, said her reading of Scripture told her that "committed monogamous homosexual relations are not sinful in God's eyes." Arguing the other side was the Rev. Robert Austell of Good Shepherd Presbyterian, who said the Bible "presents a very consistent view of sexuality as a gift of God reserved for marriage between a man and a woman." The change that won out Tuesday and nationally does not mean that presbyteries must ordain gay candidates - only that they may. Austell had hoped the Charlotte presbytery would go on record as rejecting any local change.

Prior to the vote, church leaders who favored allowing gay ordination distributed copies of "an appeal" to the presbytery signed by 68 prominent lay Presbyterians. The signatories - including former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl, Davidson Mayor John Woods and Charlotte City Council member Jason Burgess - said local business, educational and other institutions have benefitted from leaders who are gay, and that it's time the church did, too."We wanted the presbytery to know that support of this (change) came not just from liberal pastors, but also from lay people," said Doug Oldenburg, a former pastor of Charlotte's Covenant Presbyterian (1972-1987) who also served as the denomination's national moderator in 1988-89.

In North Carolina, four of the five presbyteries have now voted for the change. With 40,000 Presbyterians and 130 churches, the Presbytery of Charlotte is the denomination's third largest in the country. By voting - after 33 years of debate - to accept gay clergy members and church leaders, the Presbyterian Church (USA) joins three other mainline Protestant denominations: The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. Some Presbyterian churches opposed to the change may now decide to bolt and join smaller, more conservative Presbyterian denominations. But Sam Roberson, the general presbyter/stated clerk of the Charlotte presbytery, said there was less angst Tuesday than in past years. "I do think people left as brothers and sisters in Christ," he said.

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  Saturday, Apr. 16, 2011

Myers Park Mustangs work on a comeback!!

By Langston Wertz Jr. Posted: lwertz@charlotteobserver.com

After finishing 15-12 last season with a N.C. 4A playoff appearance, Myers Park baseball coach John Spencer was expecting big things from his team this season. And why not? He had 12 seniors returning, including 6-foot-3 shortstop Taylor Rowe and 6-4 pitcher/outfield Matt Hedberg, who both are Eagle Scouts.

"If the ball bounces the right way here or there," Spencer told the Myers Park sports website in preseason, "we have a chance to do something special."

But the Mustangs got off to a slow start at 1-7 before Spencer started giving his younger guys more playing time. Myers Park responded by winning four of five games before losing a pair of 4-2 games to nationally ranked Ardrey Kell and Providence last week. Against Providence, Myers Park (5-10) had the bases loaded with no outs in the final inning but couldn't score.

"We struggled early," Spencer said, "but we're playing really good right now, and how Hedberg and Rowe are playing have a lot to do with how we're doing. We were right there with Ardrey Kell and Providence. We have a few young guys that we plugged in the lineup. We needed a little bit of energy there and they've come in a played hard and now the team plays with more energy."

Hedberg, who had a two-run homer against Providence, is hitting .400. Rowe is hitting .330 with five doubles. They're tied for the team lead with eight RBIs, and they've got Spencer awful optimistic about the rest of the season, which continues with the 23rd annual Jack Sink Tournament Tuesday at Myers Park.

"It's been around for a long time," Spencer said of the tournament. "Everybody in the area has played in it at one time or another. The last few years we've brought the whole public school-private school rivalry back, and with us playing the public schools, there's a little bragging rights on the line. It's fun.

 

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Candidate questionnaire: Neil Cooksey                           
Posted: Friday, Oct. 08, 2010
The Observer asked candidates in the Nov. 2 races for seats on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners a series of questions about county issues. Below are the responses of Republican Neil Cooksey, who is running unopposed for a second term as the board's district 5 representative. Some answers have been edited for clarity.

Q. Cuts to the county's park and recreation and library systems in the past year highlighted the tension of how to provide money for services that many view popular and essential, but which are not mandated by law. How should the county prioritize funding for parks, libraries or other non-mandated services in the future?

Libraries and parks are important public resources that our citizens expect to be provided in a quality manner. We must reign in spending in all areas to make sure that these areas are properly funded. At the same time, the recent cuts in these areas have caused the library system and the park and recreation department to re-think how they deliver services. At the end of the day, I believe that both these agencies will find that they are able to provide an acceptable level of service for less than it previously cost. It is unfortunate that it required a fiscal crisis to cause this to occur.

Q. Mecklenburg County likely will face deep budget cuts again in 2011-12. Where would you trim spending? Be as specific as possible.

During last year's budget process, the county manager recommended eliminating funding for several non-profits whose funding was restored by the majority. Funding for these programs should be eliminated. In addition, the majority's decision last spring not to privatize child support enforcement is costing the county approximately $1 million per year and its decision to add domestic partner benefits will have a similar adverse impact on the county's fiscal situation. I would reverse both of these decisions. But these funding decisions only constitute a small percentage of the county's spending and are not where I think significant savings can be obtained. We need to conduct a department by department, bottom-up review of the county's operations. Its goal should be to make sure we are performing services most efficiently, to privatize what can be best privatized, and to determine the optimum staffing needed to perform each service. Such organizational reviews are common in the private sector. In any large organization, funding and staffing decisions are too often based on what it has historically taken to perform a service, not the optimal funding or staffing for such service. The entity that conducts this review will need to bring an outside perspective and be able to recommend new ways of doing things. To borrow a page from New Jersey Governor Christie's playbook, we need to "Rethink, Reform and Rebuild" how we do business in Mecklenburg County.

Q. The county is in the midst of its first property revaluation since 2003 and county commissioners will decide next year whether to adopt a revenue neutral tax rate or to set another rate. Would you support sticking with the revenue-neutral tax rate, and why?

We need to maintain at least a revenue neutral tax rate in order to help make Mecklenburg County an attractive place to live and do business. I am opposed to any tax increase as it will drive more residents to surrounding counties and drive away more businesses. I am particularly concerned about protecting residential taxpayers in the event that the revaluation of commercial and retail properties shows more of a decline in property values than in the residential sector, thereby shifting more of the burden to residential taxpayers. We need to make sure that the new tax structure does not cause harm any of these sectors. With the county-wide review described above, I an hopeful that we will be able to make reductions to the property tax rate in coming years so that Mecklenburg County loses the title of being the highest taxed county in the state and one of the highest in the southeast.

Q. Should Mecklenburg County establish a dedicated revenue fund to pay for all construction projects in the future? What should be the source of revenue for this fund? Are there other ways to manage debt?

I am in favor of establishing a dedicated revenue fund for capital projects. The county should dedicate fixed amounts for debt service and pay-as-you-go funds that are consistent with the county's debt policy and our ability to pay. These steps will help the county protect its AAA credit rating by living within its means and avoiding a spending spree like the one that occurred over the last ten years. It will force the county and its partners to prioritize projects.

Q. How should Mecklenburg County handle police coverage in the unincorporated areas in the future?

With some justification, the citizens in unincorporated areas do not feel like that they are getting their money's worth. We need to review other ways to provide better service for the dollars we currently allocate, including contracting with the Mecklenburg towns to provide service in areas adjacent to them and, if necessary, asking the Sheriff's office if it could provide a more cost effective solution to this issue.

Q. What issue in county government do you feel merits more attention? What will you do as commissioner to address that issue?

Transforming the way the county does business is the most pressing issue facing the county (see question 2 above). I will continue to question policymakers' assumptions about how best to provide services to the people of Mecklenburg County.

Q. How will you build consensus with other members of the board of county commissioners? What will you do to reach out to members of your opposing political party?

I have a history of reaching across party lines when it is appropriate and when we share common ground. I also strive to explain my positions on issues in a respectful, serious and constructive manner. However, I believe that it is important not to compromise on one's core philosophy of government and I will continue to "stick to my guns" when necessary. I will not compromise my faith in free enterprise, personal accountability and the value that limited government holds in minimizing the burden of taxes on citizens.

Q. Why should voters pick you and not your opponent?

I am unopposed for reelection. I am honored that the people of District 5 have implicitly approved my continued service.

Who is Neil Cooksey?

Family: Wife, Allyson; Children Abigail, 17; Anna, 12, and Charlie, 12

Education: A.B. in Political Science from Davidson College; J.D. from University of Michigan Law School

Professional background: Attorney, Moore & Van Allen (1986-92); Vice President and General Counsel, J. A. Jones Services Group, Inc. (1992-2003); Member, Smith, Cooksey & Vickstrom, PLLC (2004-2008); Senior Corporate Counsel, Akima Management Services, LLC (2008 to present).

Political resume: Mecklenburg County Commissioner, District 5, 2008 - present

Top priority if elected: Transforming Mecklenburg County government into a more efficient and responsive organization.

What is something about you that would surprise people? I work for a company that is owned by 12,000 Inupiat Eskimos.

Campaign contact information: 704-362-2942; neil@neilcooksey.com

Business ownerships by you or your spouse (including shares exceeding 10 percent): None

 

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/10/08/1748472/candidate-questionnaire-neil-cooksey.html#ixzz1PTNyOQuG

 

 

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Section "W" - South Charlotte News -  Dec 22, 2010

(From left) Kira Kirkwood, Sam Robinson, Ben Robinson, Catherine Tiddy and Emma Sladden perform in the children's Christmas pageant at Carmel Presbyterian Church on Dec. 5. - Photo courtesy of Carmel Presbyterian Church.

 

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