The Year in Review! ! ! ! ! Media and Ministry

Understanding God Better! ! ! ! Church News

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A Bi-Monthly News Journal of the Hollywood Baptist Cathedral, 3504 Great Neck Road, Amityville, NY 11701 (631) 842-7091

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The End of the YearThe Release of a BookBy Staff Writer

On Sunday, December 30th, a life

and legacy was celebrated in the

person of Dr. Andy C. “Daddy”

Lewter. Not only did Daddy Lewter

peach the final sermon of the 2007

year, but he also officially released his

book to the public

The book, entitled, “In Times Like

These”, captures the life of Daddy

Lewter from his birth and boyhood in

Sebring, Florida right up to and

through his retirement from the

Hollywood Baptist Cathedral after

nearly fifty years of ministry.

The book details his early life and

collegiate years and spends a great deal

of time describing his 50+ years with

the love of his life, Mother Ruth Fuller

Lewter.

Over the next several months,

Daddy Lewter will be criss-crossing

Long Island on a book signing tour

with local congregations that he has

had a relationship with during the

tenure of his pastorate. Books are

available in the church office for those

that are interested.

From the Shepherd’s HeartLooking Forward to a New Year

By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

Last year, we here at the Hollywood

Baptist Cathedral launched this

publication in an effort to provide a literary

outlet for our ministry and provide a

means where we could inform our

members and friends of the various

activities that are taking place in the life of

this church.

! This is our first issue for the

year 2008 and we are excited over

the possibilities that exist for us as we

move forward.

Throughout this issue, we will be

looking back at the various events

and activities that we have engaged

in and that have defined us as a

ministry. In addition to our review,

we are reflecting upon those things

that define us as a congregation.

One of the themes that we are

embracing in this New Year is our

slogan “Changing the Way We Do

Church” which is indicative of our

efforts to not only shift our paradigm,

but literally change it to conform to

the new realities of this post modern

world that we currently live in.

We invite you to read the articles

that we have prepared in the next

several pages. The aim and the goal

of this publication is to be a

publication not limited to the

members of our congregation, but we

pray that what you will read will have

an appeal to all who come in contact

with this publication.

Finally, let me share with you my

appreciation and debt to our church

family. It was exactly two years ago

that I came to Hollywood as the full

time pastor of the congregation. I

am now moving into the third year of

my pastorate and I am overwhelmed

with how God has blessed the

ministry in such a short period of

time.

I have resolved to use this year to

further my quest to truly make a

difference in the lives of the people in

our church and a difference in the

neighborhood in which we live. I

trust that you will join us as we seek

to seize the day and bring about a

revival in our time that will bring

people closer to God.

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Issu

e Table of Contents

Editorial! ! ! page 3

In Times Like These! page 3

Theological Gathering! page 4

Maturing America! ! page 5

Year in Review! ! page 6

Where Now! ! page 7

Media & Miinistry! ! page 8

Church News! ! page 9

Marketing the Ministry! page 10

Cathedral Times Staff

Bishop Andy C. Lewter! Publisher

Nadine Johnson!! Secretary

Eddie Ward! ! PhotosKaren Lanham! ! Staff

Betty Hickson! ! Staff

Calvin Watt! ! Staff

Julius Williams! ! Staff

Kathy Smith! ! StaffWilliam Jones! ! Staff

Dr. Andy C. “Daddy”

Lewter delivers the

final Sunday morning

sermon at the

Hollywood Baptist

Cathedral while also

debuting his new

book “In Times Like

These”, a memoir.

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Over the last year, the Hollywood Baptist

Cathedral has lent support to two major

theological events. The events were sponsored

by the New Life School of Theology and the

Graduate School of Theological Studies.

One of the three lecturers

supported by the church this past

year was Dr. Robert Franklin, who

at the time, was serving as professor

of Ethics at Chandler School of

Theology. Since then, Dr. Franklin

has been appointed President of

Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

The final presenter at the Winter

2007 Intensive was Dr. Henry H.

Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell presented a

unique lecture on the preaching of

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He

presented the material as one who

was a contemporary of Dr. King

during the modern Civi Rights Movement.

The second of these two events took place

in September of 2007 on the campus of

Princeton Theological Seminary. At that event,

Dr. Leslie Callahan, a Church Historian who

teaches at the University of Pennsylvania,

provided the attendees with a brilliant overview

of the function of the African

American preacher over the

course of the last three hundred

years. Dr. Callahan used the

works of Dubois and others to

illustrate the pivotal role the

preacher has played in the life of

the African American community.

In addition to Dr. Callahan, Dr. Michael P.

Williams of the Houston Community College

delivered an illuminating lecture on the role of

the Black Preacher in the Post

Modern era. Dr. Williams’

lecture was the type that of

which great oratory is made.

Bishop Lewter also delivered

lectures at all of the intensives.

Dr. Henry Mitchell presented his

material as one who was a

contemporary of Dr. King during the

Modern Civil Rights Movement...

...Dr Williams lecture was the type of

which great oratory is made

Staff Writer

Theological IntensivesGiving People a Greater Understanding of GodBy Staff Writer

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Fall Theological

Intensive of

2007

pictured to the

right are those

students who

enrolled in the

Fall Theological

Intensive

sponsored by the

Graduate School

of Theological

Studies and was

held on the

campus of

Princeton

Theological

Seminary in

Princeton, New

Jersey

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Smart ClassroomCreating a Space for Better Learning

By Stafff Writer

One of the newer projects underway

at the Hollywood Baptist Cathedral is

the creation of a “Smart Classroom

on the second floor of the church

annex building.

The project is under the

direction of the church’s

Informational Technology

Department (IT) and is headed by

Brother William Jones. Brother Jones

maintains the church’s network and

computer system. Under his

direction, the former computer lab is

being transformed to a state of the

art classroom and boardroom that

will feature a conference table, three

computer workstations and a

projector system. There will also be

two marker boards for teaching

purposes.

The room will be used by CDM,

Ministry Meetings and Bishop

Lewter’s Bible College classroom

instructions.

Maturing AmericaWhat the 2008 Presidential Race Means for Christianity

By Staff Writer

At the time of this writing, both

of the national political parties

were preparing for the January

8th New Hampshire Primary.

Therefore, the outcome of the

race was not known to us.

However, this article is not

about who wins the party

nomination or the presidential

election.

! What is of greater interest

and purpose, in this article, is what

the current presidential race means in

terms of the maturing of America.

One hundred years ago, America

had just moved into the 20th century.

As a nation, the country was less than

50 years from having finished

fighting the Civil War. In those fifty

years, America had been given a

glimpse of justice with

reconstruction, only to have the

hands of time turned backwards

with the arrival Jim Crow and

officially legislated segregation with

the Plessy vs Ferguson Supreme

Court Decision.

Even fifty years ago, America

was having its conscious pricked by

a Martin Luther King, Jr. and the

tired feet of a strong willed

seamstress by the name of Rosa

Parks.

It is for these reasons, and

more, that the current participants

of the presidential election signals

a real change in American politics.

The leading candidates of the

race happens to be an African

American, a woman with a

pronounced feminist perspective

and a former governor who left

the active pastorate of a Southern

Baptist congregation to take on

the position of Lieutenant

Governor of Arkansas.

The observation here is that

never before has the field of

candidates represented such a

diverse array of individuals who

just a few years ago were locked out

of the political process altogether.

The fact that these three

candidates are involved means that

America has grown to the point that

it can be totally inclusive of its entire

population. Perhaps we are seeing

that after three hundred years,

America is learning the lessons of

Christianity at its best, my, would

Jesus be proud.

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One of the greatest

Christian quotes of all time

I have a dream that one

day my four little children

will not be judged by the

color of their skin but by

the content of their

character

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brother William Jones is

heading up our efforts to

install a “Smart Classroom”.

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Two of the major themes for the last year

has been strong family connections as

represented by the picture to the left which

features the Chairman of the Deacon Board,

Fred Miley and his wife Hazel.

The other feature of the year was the strong

sense of praise and worship as pictured

below. The year of 2007 was the year that

many new members joined, but just as

importantly, it was also the year that many

of the members grew closer to the Lord.

Hollywood Baptist Cathedral Administration

The Year in ReviewGod is Good, All Of The TimeBy Staff Writer

The year of 2007 came in with a

whirlwind and it is difficult to believe

that the year has already come to an

end.

But with the end of the year

having already have arrived, we are

delighted with all that has taken place

this year.

The year began with us

sponsoring our first Martin Luther

King Breakfast held at the Long

Island Hilton Hotel in Melville, New

York. The event sponsored several

notable names from our community

and featured the speaking of Rev.

Joel King, first cousin of the late Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our next major event was

Community Day which was an all

day outdoor event that included,

rides, games and entertainment of

the first order. Each ministry in the

church had a share in the event and

the event drew the participation of

several local officials and guests.

Rounding out the year was our

first cotillion since 1974. Twelve

debutants along with escorts, ladies in

waiting, junior debs and escorts and

parents combined to make the event

the social event of the year.

The Music Ministry treated the

church to a special event during the

holiday season with a totally

renovated Christmas Cantata that

included dance, step and choral

music of every kind.

The year closed

with a Watch Night

Service that featured

that the journey of

African Americans in

this country.

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With the year 2007 firmly under our belt, the

next natural question is where do we go from

here. How do we take the wealth of

experiences that have been gathered in the

previous year and apply it to making

meaningful advancements in the future.

During the year of 2007, we placed a great

deal of emphasis on the building and improving

the physical facility of the church. Toward this

end, there was the re-pavement of the church’s

parking lot that stood as the highest priority of

the church’s capital improvement program.

By the Fall, the parking lot had been

completed, and much to the credit of the

congregation, it was done without acquiring

any additional debt to the church. An

assortment of other improvements were also

included in the accomplishments of the year.

Perhaps the most meaningful shift in the

church’s accomplishments was the adoption of

a new paradigm that eliminated the traditional

programmatic focus of the church. The various

ministries now celebrate their annual days

jointly, thereby bringing great relief to an

already congested church calendar.

The question now becomes where do we go

from here. The new focus of the church is not

in brick and mortar. It is not in the expansion

of programs or the creation of new ones. It is

not attached to capital improvements or the

enlargement of the church’s physical

plant.

! The focus of the church and its

emphasis for 2008 is on the building

of people. Most of what is planned

for the new year is centered around

maturing and growing members

into becoming more productive as

Christians and Children of God.

Teaching and instructions are the

goal for next year.

Fellowship is more than fellowship, it

involves a strong sense of

community as well. In 2008, we will

be striving to create community in

the new sense of the word.

While there are all kinds of things that

separate us from each other, the reality is that

we have more in common with each other than

we are different from each other. The year

2008 marks a new year, and with it, comes a

brand new opportunity to wed ourselves to each

other emotionally and spiritually.

Jesus was once asked how will the world

know that you are disciples that belong to the

fellowship of Jesus. The response was that by

the way that we love each other, the world will

know that we belong to Jesus.

This may not be the year that we build new

structures but we are striving to make it the year

that we prove to our community and the world

that nobody can do a better job of loving each

other than we can.

Where Do We Go From Here?The Lord is Great in 2008

By Staff Writer

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Most futurist predict that the line between

television and the computer will continue to

be blurred over the next several years. As

such, ministries must face the fact that the

primary means of reaching people will move

beyond traditional practices of radio and the

newspaper.

Hollywood is one of the emerging churches

that is thinking with intentionality, how to

develop an internet strategy. No

congregation can be content to only have a

website that announces their worship times.

While Most churches spend time and energy trying to

stay away from the tools of the secular, we here at the

Hollywood Baptist Cathedral, with great intentionality,

are turning to some of the same tools that are used by the

secular to expand its reach and increase its productivity.

Tools like “youtube.com” and video-streaming have

become integrated into the mainstream of the ministry at

the Hollywood Baptist Cathedral. In terms of

“youtube.com”, Bishop Lewter now produces a video

blog that is placed on the churches youtube page each

month. This has become a place where the bishop can

offer a pastoral perspective on many of the major topics

of the day.

Hollywood Baptist Cathedral is one of the few

churches on Long Island that streams its worship service

to the internet each Sunday, live from the sanctuary.

Electronic worshipers can view the service by visiting the

web page “http://www.bishoplewter.com/hbcc/

live.html” for the live video of the worship service and

http://www.bishopewter.com/hbcc/archive.html for a

video on demand of the worship service each week.

Each week the church sends out a little more than

5,000 emails to people around the globe inviting them to

experience Hollywood either live or on demand at their

own convenience. New tools to reach new people is the

direction of the ministry.

Media and Ministry a Powerful CombinationUsing New Tools to Reach New AudiencesBy Staff Writer

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Christian DevelopmentMinistry

By Staff Writer

One of the

ministries of

Hollywood Baptist

Cathedral that has

truly come of age

during the year

2007 is that of the Christian

Development Ministry that is the

brainchild of Elder Diedrea Jones.

Elder Jones had been ordained in

2006 and the CDM Ministry was the

particular ministry being promoted

by Elder Jones. The ministry was

designed to be a resource to new

members of the church and provide

them with a link where they could

acquaint themselves with the culture

of the congregation.

The format of the ministry

includes each new member being

assigned an advisor that remains

available with the new member

throughout their duration at the

church.

The CDM Ministry is an

extension of the pastoral care

Ministry of the church where the

advisors and Pastoral Cares Elders

work as a team to meet the needs of

the congregation.

In an effort to educate new

members on the culture of the

congregation, CDM offers set classes

each Sunday with a specific teacher is

assigned. Each Fifth Sunday there is

an “Alumni Class” for all person who

have matriculated through the

program.

This past year, the CDM

Ministry has processed

approximately 120 new members

into the church. Each month, CDM

conducts a graduation service and

ceremony that celebrates and affirms

the new members of the

congregation.

Remaining RelevantHosting the NAACPBy Staff Writer

In the month of December, the

Hollywood Baptist Cathedral

performed one of its many

community services by officially

hosting the annual church service of

the area NAACP.

The Central Long Island

NAACP is the oldest chapter of the

national organization on Long Island.

The other chapters on Long Island

include Hempstead, Islip and

Riverhead.

Each year the Central Long

Island chapter holds an event that is

hosted by one of the local churches in

the area of the chapter. this is done

in part, to keep alive the vibrant

relationship between the NAACP and

the faith community.

The local chapter invited as their

special guest Hazel Dukes. Mrs.

Dukes is the president of the New

York Conference of NAACP

Chapters. As such, she presides over

all of the local chapters in the state of

New York.

Mrs. Dukes challenged all in

attendance to work harder as parents

and adults to produce a new

generation of responsible young

people.

The service was presided over by

Bishop Lewter and included the

singing of the Hollywood Baptist

Cathedral Choir.

Bridge MinistryHelping New Members to Adjust

By Staff Writer

One of the products of the CDM

Ministry has been the establishment

of the Bridge Ministry which is a

follow up

ministry to

the efforts to

orientate

new

members to

the church.

Minister

Kevin

Franklin, who entered the ministry

last year says that while at Hollywood

he noticed that a number of new

members were having problems

making the transition to church life.

Minister Franklin was used by

God to create a ministry where the

main objective would be for the

members of the church to

concentrate on learning the

fundamental teachings and doctrines

of the church.

To better appeal to the intended

audience of the ministry, activities are

scheduled for Saturday afternoon as

opposed to Sunday morning. The

activity begins at 2 PM and lasts for

about 2 hours.

The ministry has been going on

for about eight months and the

ministry is seeing steady growth and

support from the congregation.

Minister Franklin has recruited

several of the preaching elders of the

church to participate.

Many of the new members of

the church are attending church for

the first time in their lives, so the

Bridge Ministry has become a vital

tool for many of the new members of

the congregation.

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While word of mouth is still the best means

to promote any ministry, the Hollywood Baptist

Cathedral resorted to some unconventional

ways to let people know that the church is

interested in them knowing where the church is.

Starting in the Fall of last year, the church

purchased a number of yard signs, the type of

which are used by stores advertising that they

are going out of business. With fifty signs in

hand, the “Boys to Men

Ministry” took to the streets

each Saturday after 3:00

PM and place the signs

along the main corridor

that runs in front of the

church, Great Neck Road.

In addition, signs were

placed along the auxiliary access road of the

church as well, Brefni Avenue. In recent weeks,

the signs were placed on the property to the

immediate north and south of the church. This

would be the Booker Avenue (Dr. Andy C.

Lewter Blvd) lot and the Monroe Street lot.

At the close of the fall season last year, the

Amityville Varsity Football Team made the

entire community proud by winning the

Division IV Long Island

Championship. The team beat

Mt. Sinai, Babylon and Seaford on

their way to the title.

As a demonstration of community

support and pride, the church

placed two large signs on the

corner of Great Neck Road and

Albany Avenue.

In a letter addressed to the North

Amityville Community Economic Council

Board of Directors, Bishop Lewter stated that it

was good to see a place formerly known for

drugs and other negative behavior become a

place where young people could be

acknowledged and affirmed.

At a time when violence and

dysfunctional behavior are the primary

images associated with our youth, it is

important that we as adults and parents

let our young people know how proud

we are of them when they do well

Bishop Andy C. Lewter

Marketing the MinistryChanging the Way We Do ChurchBy Staff Writer

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Marketing the

Ministry

The pictures to the right show two areas that Hollywood Baptist Cathedral is attempting to make a difference and use out of the box methods to improve the image of the church.

The first sign shows the church’s community spirit and congratulates the local varsity football team on their recent championship.

The second sign promotes the church’s worship times and are placed just north and south of the church.

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