COMMUNITY
KING HOLIDAY
Signing off for good
Choose from three parades
Veteran television news anchor and CrossRoads News reporter Ken Watts is trading the rat race for rest and relaxing. 2
Marchers will be stepping out in DeKalb, Henry and Rockdale counties on Jan. 16 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. 4
Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
January 7, 2017
Copyright © 2017 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
Volume 22, Number 37
www.crossroadsnews.com
For 2017, DeKalb residents hope for less crime, more jobs Editor’s Note: As we embark on a new year, we asked some residents what improvements they would like to see in DeKalb County in 2017. Their hopes centered on increasing economic development, creating more local jobs, and finding ways to keep a lid on crime so law-abiding residents feel safer on the streets and in their homes.
Shannon Pierson, Decatur “I would have to say do anything that brings more jobs to this part of the county because it seems like everything around here is closing. But I’m encouraged about Mike Thurmond coming in as CEO. He made changes and did a good job as superintendent so I think he Shannon Pierson has good intentions as CEO.”
Calvin Copenny, Doraville, security officer “I’m hoping that people can come together and stop all the violence and division and pull together especially in the African-American community. All the break-ins and crime and not getting enough education have got to stop. We need to plan and do the right thing in our lives and not be so reactive. We need to be proactive.”
job opportunities for teens to help them stay out of trouble. Also we have a lot of economically depressed neighborhoods along Candler Road and I’d like to see the county do more to draw investors in this area.”
Calvin Copenny
Mike Harris, Decatur, limo driver “We need to see increased police presence all over the county. Crime is an issue we have tried to tackle but have never really gotten a good handle on. I would like to see the state Labor Department do a little bit more to increase
Nakisha Thomas, Decatur, Mike Harris fast-food worker “I would just like for it to be safer for our kids. I have small kids growing up here, so just more safety on the streets. And I’m hoping for better relations with the police officers. We need to be able to Nakisha Thomas Please see HOPES, page 2
Decatur church offers ‘drive-through prayers’ More than 325 cars stopped by in the past year By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
People use drive-throughs for fast food, coffee, banking, weddings, and even funerals – so why not a drive-through for prayers? That was the vision that came to Dr. Norwida Marshall, a ministry leader at Mountainside Seventh-day Adventist Church in Decatur, in October 2015. Marshall, a four-year member of the church and retired elementary and early childhood education director, said the Drive Through Prayer Ministry was “a very vivid direction” from God. “The Holy Spirit directed me,” she said. She took the idea to the church board and three months later, the church on Rainbow Drive was inviting motorists driving by to stop for prayers. Marshall, a third-generation Seventhday Adventist, said prayer is the gateway to peace. “Everyone is in search of peace and happiness,” said Marshall, who lives in Lithonia. “When you relinquish your problems in prayers, you get release from God who is greater than all of us.” Monthly on second and fourth Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., seven to 10 church volunteers hold “Need a Prayer? Drive Through” placards along the sidewalk in front of the church and beckon motorists to stop. In the past 12 months, more than 325 cars have stopped. Members will be out again this month on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, entreating people who feel stressed or have health, relationship, and economic issues to take a moment and have someone pray for them. Richie Cenac of Decatur is one of the Mountainside SDA members who volunteers as often as he can with the Drive Through Prayer Ministry.
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Richie Cenac of Decatur is among Mountainside Seventh-day Adventist members who volunteer with the Drive Through Prayer Ministry.
“We know that people are hurting and need prayers,” he said. “And we know God will answer prayer.” Gregory Saunders, who has been pastor at Mountainside SDA for four years, said the Drive Through Prayer Ministry is part of the church’s community outreach and Dorcas Society. When he arrived at the church in 2012, Saunders said he and the congregation talked about how the church can reach into the community. “Our motto is, ‘If our church was to close, would it be missed,’” he said.
With their firm belief in prayers, Saunders said the Drive Through Prayer Ministry made sense. “We find so many people today who are distressed,” he said. “We are trying to make it better for our fellow man. Prayer changes everything.” When ministry members are not around, the church has a permanent prayer box and blank cards on the property so visitors who need prayers can leave their names and contact information so that members can call and pray with them. When people stop, members ask about
their concerns, requests and challenges. Sometimes there is a line of cars waiting for prayer in the parking lot. Over its 12 months of operation, Saunders said people of all ages have stopped for prayers. “We have had millennials, Generation X, baby boomers,” he said. “Everybody comes.” In the past year, Marshall said 20 to 25 of the people who stopped for prayers have returned for more prayers and some with testimonies. “They say they had some prayers answered,” she said.