Volume 1, Issue 2 April 2012 Good Shepherd Newsletter dynamic photos Welcome to Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church located at 7818 Bonaire Street, Houston, TX 77028, Pastor Lee E. Skinner Newsletter 1
October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer). Although African- American women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer after age 40 than Caucasian women, they have a slightly higher incidence rate of breast cancer before age 40. However, African-American women are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age. Breast cancer is much less common in males; by comparison, the disease is about 100 times more common among women. If you're worried about developing breast cancer, or if you know someone who has been diagnosed with the disease, one way to deal with your concerns is to get as much information as possible. Have a clinical breast exam every year by your doctor or nurse if you are 40 or older, and every three years if you are in your 20s and 30s. You can obtain information from various sources. One is the Breast Cancer Foundation www.nationalbreastcancer.org. Join The Fight Against Breast Cancer. We Are Survivors In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness, the Arts & Crafts ministry paid tribute to ladies of GSMBC that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Doctors Seeing Rise In Thyroid Cancer In Women The thyroid gland produces thyroid hormones which are important in the normal regulation of the metabolism of the body. Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than in men. Doctor Oz did an episode of the Dr Oz Show on Thyroid Cancer, which is the fastest growing cancer in women. Thyroid Cancer preys on your throat silently for years before you catch it, but it can be detected before it s too late. Doctor Oz was told that there is an increase in women getting Thyroid Cancer, and the scary thing is that this cancer usually starts around the age of 30-60 years old, which is when a woman is having her period. There are estrogen receptors on your thyroid, so this might be a clue as to why women who are still menstruating are more likely to get Thyroid Cancer. According to a retrospective study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, younger women with thyroid cancer has an increased risk of developing break cancer later in life. The study estab- lishes a relationship between the post-surgical use of Women With Thyroid Cancer at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer radioactive iodine (RAI) I31I treatments for thyroid cancer, and later development of breast cancer. Thyroid Cancer Risk Factors The two biggest risk factors for Thyroid Cancer are: large doses of radiation therapy, especially as a child L-R: Back row. Rella Griffin, Sandra Hart, Eula James, Willie Mae Simmons; Front. Farena Edward, Maudina Patterson, Kendra Thomas (not shown) Velesta Phipps and Margie Smith. GOD IS SO GOOD! Genetics if your parents or siblings have had thyroid cancer This information was chosen from various websites. Newsletter 2
African Americans & Diabetes Is diabetes an epidemic in Black America? The growing number of cases indicates the problem has reached a new level. have pre-diabetes (glucose levels are elevated but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes) have high blood pressure have abnormal cholesterol (lipid) levels are not getting enough physical activity have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) WHAT CAN AFRICAN AMERICANS DO TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE OR STROKE AND OTHER DIABETES COMPLICATIONS? have blood vessel problems affecting the heart, brain or legs have dark, thick and velvety patches of skin around the neck and armpits (This is called acanthosis nigricans.) Carolyn J. LaCour We would like to thank Carolyn LaCour for providing the information on diabetes and how it affects minorities. Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes effectively. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40 but is becoming more prevalent in younger age groups including children and adolescents. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes feeling tired or ill, unusual thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow-healing wounds may develop gradually and may not be as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Some people have no symptoms. Risk Factors A person is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they: have a family history of diabetes are a member of an ethnic group like African Americans are overweight or obese are 45 year old or older WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES? Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes about two out of three people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about two to four times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is two to four times higher among people with diabetes. About 67 percent of adults with diabetes also have high blood pressure. Smoking doubles the risk for heart disease in people with diabetes. WHAT CAN AFRICAN AMERICANS DO TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE OR STROKE AND OTHER DIABETES COMPLICATIONS? Diabetes is a self-managed disease. People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care. The chances of having diabetes complications can be reduced or delayed significantly by keeping blood glucose (blood sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol levels (called the ABCs of Diabetes) in the target range. People with diabetes can manage their disease by eating healthy foods, being physically active, taking diabetes medicine as prescribed and testing blood glucose levels. Newsletter 3
Men s Annual Day Health and Wellness Rev. Ramel Ellison Ministry Head The goal of singing hymns or spiritual songs is not for entertainment or individual magnification, but for worship and praise of God. (Rom. 15:9-11; Rev. 5:9-10) Some of the oldest members of the men s choir and pastor. L-R: Fandriest Edward, James Phipps, Rogers Freeman, Horace Ben, Rodney Ben, Pastor Lee Skinner, Rev. Linton Jason and Wallace Ned (not shown) The Health & Wellness Ministry was established in 2010. The ministry was formed to heighten the awareness and be knowledgeable of the importance to practice good health. The goal is inspired by 3 John 2, To Encourage the Body of Christ to be Aware of Spiritual and Physical Health. The ministry members are Selina Adams, Kelly Jason, Denise Harris, Keith Harris, Hope Ellison, Lon Peters, Lillie Peters, Debra Tatum, Sandra Hart, Tashina Loville, Donnye Pearrie and Carolyn LaCour. Since formed, we ve had the Biggest Loser Contest and we try to keep focus on good health by sharing information during the announcement period. For 2012, we plan to continue to provide information through announcements and bulletins, host workshops to gain community involvement and provide free blood pressure and cholesterol checks.. Juice for Health Juice for Weight Loss Juice for Life Newsletter 4
Fruit juicing is certainly good for you, but it has one disadvantage over vegetable juicing: fruit juice tends to increase insulin levels when consumed. Back To School... Why Not STAAR Volunteers Vegetable juicing is critical to good health because it is an important source of raw food. Each of us needs raw foods every day, and juicing is an excellent way to make certain you receive large quantities of such raw foods. Vegetable juice does not raise insulin levels like fruit juice. The only exception to this would be carrot or beet juice which functions similarly to fruit juice. Nevertheless, fruit juicing is better for you and your children than drinking soda. Vegetable and fruit juicing is also well suited for the fast moving lifestyle. It makes it possible for busy people to add more healing foods into their diets with minimal efforts. Although this is much better than not drinking vegetable juice at all, juice is best drunk freshly juiced. Vegetable juice is one of the most perishable foods there is and ideally it would be best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you are careful you can store your vegetable juice for up to 24 hours with only a moderate nutritional decline. One major objection people raise when talking about vegetable juicing is the TASTE. There is a SOLUTION: add fruits like grapes or apples to improve the taste of your vegetable juice. As with any change in your diet, talk with your doctor if you are taking medication. However, for more information on juicing you can such the web and there are many juicing books which can help you put together a solid juicing program. (L-r) Pastor Lee Skinner, Fandriest Edward, Carol Jackson, Shirley Williams, Frank Smith, Diane Dawson The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness or STAAR, replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) program this year. You probably wouldn t know this unless you have school age kids, involved and have knowledge of the school system today. Someone said the success of the school contributes to the involvement of parents and community. Too many of our kids are dropping out of school and losing interest in learning. Continuing education is no longer a vital concern. We must do whatever we can to get involved in education. If the child recognize the parents, teachers, churches and community is committed to the well being of their education, it can make a profound impact on their learning and encourage them to make an effort to succeed. The door is open to anyone that has the mind to help. The remarkable thing is you don t have to have an advanced degree or executive position to help the child succeed at school. Sometimes it s the littlest things that could make a difference. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church partnered with B.C. Elmore Middle School and volunteered to offer their services while the students took the STAAR s test. We can all make a difference but it will take our participation. Newsletter 5
Various activities and events at Good Shepherd. Newletter 6
Trust Christ as Savior 1. We are all Sinners (Rom. 3:23) 2. Sin requires Death (Rom. 6:23) 3. Christ Died for Sin (Rom. 5:8) 4. You can be saved through Faith (Eph. 2:8-9) Stephen Groves Resident Evangelist Without Jesus, people are hopelessly lost. And because lost people matter to God, they should matter to us. All In A Days Work A good secretary is essential for any business or organization if it is going to function in a proper way. All of the records, the filing and details that are important for Good Shepherd MBC to operate smoothly are in the hands of Julia Johnson and Mary Wiltz. Any questions you have or information you require regarding Good Shepherd can be directed to one of these ladies. It s all in a day s work for them. If you don t have any concerns that requires you to call the office... just call to reassure them they are appreciated. Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm Friday 8:30am-3:00pm. Father, remind us of why we are the objects of your constant love and care. I woke up this morning, but because I was in a hurry, I did not thank you for watching over me last night. I looked in the mirror and thought I am so (beautiful) (handsome). And because I think that, I know others think the same thing. So, I walk around with my head up and nose in the air and wait for people to acknowledge me because I feel I m too good to talk to them first. I m always alert so that I can turn and walk the other way or pretend that I am distracted so I won t have to say anything to the ones I don t want to talk to. Well, saying good morning or hello doesn t take much, but... so what, I still want to ignore them! Walking into the room, I don t see my usual click. There are others, some I know, some I don t know; but I m going to just sit over here until they come over to speak and make conversation. [playing around with cell phone pretending to ignore them]. I know they see me over here; I m not going to be the first one to speak. I know they are envious of me because of my hair, clothes, the car or truck I drive, where I live, my iphone, ipad, my boyfriend, girlfriend, my wife,my husband. I m not changing because there is absolutely nothing wrong with me, it s them. Well, I ve made it home. I m so tired; I ll say my prayers tomorrow night. Father, PLEASE remind us of WHY we are the objects of your CONSTANT LOVE and CARE. We are always looking for articles, community involvement, or seeking items of interest for the newsletter. See Diane Dawson or call the church office for details or submissions. Newletter 7