Social distancing can cause anxiety

Page Four THE OMAHA STAR PRAISE, WORSHIP, DEVOTION, OBITUARIES & INSPIRATION March 20, 2020 Deaths & Funerals Ronnell Brown-Davis Mr. Ronnell Brown-Davis, age 24, passed away Saturday, February 22, in Houston, TX. Survived by mother: Roslyn Chaney and a host of other relatives. Funeral Services were held 12 pm Thursday, March 12, at Sharon S.D.A. Church. Interment: Forest Lawn Cemetery. Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

*** Dwayne W. Hunter Mr. Dwayne W. Hunter, age 54, passed away Friday, March 6, at a local hospital. Survived by mother: Dorothy Smith; step-father: Michael A. Porter, Phoenix, AZ; sister: Shelly Y. Carter, Orlando, FL; aunts: Ellen Coffey, Omaha, Deborah Gray, West Africa; cousins, other relatives. Memorial Services were held 6pm Wednesday, March 11, at the mortuary, Pas. Vernon McMorris, officiated. Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

*** Lerone Marshall Jr. Mr. Lerone Marshall Jr., age 61, passed away Wednesday, March 4, at a local care center. Survived by mother: Elizabeth Marshall, Omaha; a host of other relatives. Funeral Services were held 9am Saturday, March 14, at Faith Temple C.O.G.I.C., Elder Ronnie Andrews, officiated. Interment: Mt. Hope Cemetery. Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

*** Pettie Ann Mitchell-Meeks Mrs. Pettie Ann Mitchell-Meeks, age 58, passed away Thursday, March 27 at a local hospital. Funeral services were held 10 am Saturday, March 7 at New Beginning Christian Center, Council Bluffs. Cremation Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

*** Herman S. Smith Mr. Herman S. Smith, age 65, passed away Monday, March 2, at his residence. Survived by son: Torey Smith; siblings: Linda, Shannon, Fern Smith, Stephanie Barnes, Karen Johnson, Louis, Robert, John, Omaha, & Kenneth Smith Bermerton, WA; nieces, nephews, other relatives. Funeral Services were held 12:30pm Tuesday, March 10, at the mortuary. Interment: Omaha National Cemetery. Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home. 3920 North 24th St. Omaha, NE 68110 402-453-7111 www.omahathomasfh.com A Tradition of Caring Since 1939 THOMAS FUNERAL HOMEUNERAL HOME & CremationServices Cremation Services TRADITION • RESPECT • DIGNITY The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance has elected their first female President, the Rev. Portia Cavitt, Pastor of Clair Memorial United Methodist Church. The Installation Service will be held on Sunday at 6 pm. at Clair Methodist, 5544 Ames Ave. Bishop Kevin Chambers, Senior Pastor (Elect) of Mount Calvary Community Church, will deliver the message. The community is invited to share. IMA First Female President Rev. Cavitt

Please join Mount Moriah in honoring servanthood by celebrating the great work of dedicated church ministries. This special celebration will take place on March 29 at 3:30 p.m. Bringing the message is Dr. Stan Rone, senior pastor of the Worship Center. Rev. Raymond Burt, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, will serve as the worship leader. Other featured speakers include Dr. Donnell L. Moore, Executive Pastor of Salem Baptist Church, Dr. Gloria Epps, Christian Education Director of Zion Baptist Church, and Mrs. Mearl Pruitt, Care Ministry Leader and Usher a t Mount Moriah Baptist Church. “The work of the church in meeting the needs of those in our community can only be accomplished through the commitment and selfless love of volunteers. We appreciate the great work of all of the servants at Mount Moriah as well as those of all churches and we look forward to honoring each of them,” said Dr. Ralph Lassiter, Senio r Pastor of Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah to Celebrate Service Through Ministry ATTENTION READERS Looking for Death and Funeral Notices If you want a notice of death or obituary published in the Omaha Star Newspaper, call or let your funeral director know that you want a notice placed in the Omaha Star Newspaper. Funeral directors should contact the Omaha Star offi ce to submit notices and/or Obituaries. Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm 402-346-4041 Dr. Stan Rone Dr. Donnell Moore Dr. Gloria Epps Mrs. Mearl Pruitt The officers and members of Cleaves Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 2431 Decatur St., extend an invitation to the community to celebrate 100 years of service to our Lord as a congregation. Our 100th Anniversary theme is “The Lord Endures to All Generations” taken from Psalms 100. The celebration weekend begins March 27 at 6:30 p.m. with an evening service focusing on the youth and young adults of our church. A few of the guests joining us include Sis. Carol Jean-Pierre, Grace Angelic Dancers and the Hope Dancers. Rev. Jamison Horton, Pastor of Citylight Benson Church, is the speaker for the evening. The anniversary banquet will be held at the DC Centre on March 28 from 4-6:30 p.m. Bishop Kevin J. Chambers, Senior Pastor of Mt. Calvary Community Church, will bring the message. Lastly, our celebration culminates with our own Pastor, Rev. Paul Gunter, bringing the message during the 11 a.m. service on March 29. Reginald P. Gunter is Anniversary Chairman. Cleaves Temple CME Celebrates 100 Years

By Dr. William Holland Fear and anxiety are negative byproducts of modern life which unfortunately attempt to influence us every day. Our jobs are often stressful, our relationships and finances, and even our children struggle with social pressures we hardly faced when we were their age. Some people turn to natural remedies, like the newly popular cannabidiol products, while others find relief in meditation, but there is even better news which can give us peace in this troubled world. The Bible remains an unfailing source of hope and comfort in the seasons when we are discouraged and perplexed. Psalm 46:1-3 declares that even in the darkest times, we can stand strong in the light of God’s confidence because we are trusting that His promises are true. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” The new virus has become the topic of the news and there is no doubt this is a serious situation. There is nothing wrong with being cautious if we can prevent our emotions from leading us into fear. Whenever anyone’s life is in danger we are called to pray and ask God to please stop the destruction and this is certainly the time to do that. Another wave of worry includes the negative impact on the economy and how this will affect the average person. It’s not just in this situation, but any type of crisis is usually noticed in the markets. In times like these, we are reminded that wealth is vulnerable to loss and many people all over the world are aware that their life savings are more vulnerable than they want to admit. I can definitely understand this concern because no one wants to go through this. When we truly believe that His eye is watching us even more than the tiny Sparrow, we will learn to stop doubting His desire or ability to deliver us. In this light, faith or fear are both choices. Let’s remember that God loves us and wants everyone to understand and believe that He is who He says He is. In John 14:27 Christ promises, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He is saying the world cannot give us the spiritual peace that He offers because it’s all based on emotions and materialism. When Christ sits on the throne of our heart, we are no longer frantically trying to figure out our own strategies but in faith we can trust in His power to manage our life, family, and future. I believe that optimism can help transform the mind when one chooses to embrace it. Since fear is a learned behavior, can we not train our mind to accept faith instead? When we reach out to God and receive His great love and grace, we can then enjoy His peace that passes all understanding. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1. (Read more at billyhollandministries.com) Fear and Faith are Choices The Omaha City Council thanks Mayor Stothert, Governor Ricketts and Douglas County Health Department Director Dr. Adi Pour for their ongoing efforts to keep the public informed of the risks associated with spread of COVID-19 . The City Council is committed to ensuring the city conducts critical business with minimal disruption. We believe, however, some practical considerations are warranted to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Accordingly, the City Council is announcing the following scheduling and procedural changes intended to minimize meetings of groups in proximity and required appearances before the City Council during the public health crisis: • City Council meetings scheduled for March 31st and April 7th will be canceled. The Council was not scheduled to meet on March 24th or April 14th. As a result, the next scheduled Council meeting is April 21st. • The Council is waiving its rule requiring liquor license applicants to appear for the hearing on their applications until further notice . • The Council will not meet as the Board of Equalization on April 7th; the next Board of Equalization will be May 5th. • The Pre-Council staff meetings held at 10:30 a.m. on Council meeting days are canceled until further notice. Councilmembers will work with Council Staff and City Clerk Staff to get needed information from Directors, city staff and interested parties regarding Council agenda items. • As an alternative to appearing in person at Council meetings, parties interested in providing public testimony on Council agenda items are encouraged to submit that testimony by letter or email to the City Clerk. This testimony will, as always, be distributed to Councilmembers before the Council meeting and will be made part of the official record of proceedings. For additional information, please contact Councilmembers at: Chris Jerram, President (402) 444- 5525 Vinny Palermo, Vice President (402) 444-5522 Pete Festersen, (402) 444-5527 Ben Gray (402) 444-5524 Rich Pahls (402) 444-5528 Brinker Harding (402) 444-5523 Aimee Melton (402) 444-5526. City Council Meeting Cancellations

A new concept merging beauty, art and mentorship is coming to Omaha. Owners Malakhi Eason and Domanic Brown are holding a grand opening and ribbon cutting to introduce Muse Beauty Bar and Krucial Konflict Agency, LLC, a new 2-in-1 salon and art space for youth ages 8-25. The goal is to provide service and training through various forms of art. The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on April 18 at 4:30 p.m. at 3025 N. 93rd St. The Muse Beauty Bar (MBB) is a hair salon but will also serve as a training site for students in cosmetology school and a safe space for at risk youth. MBB will provide hands-on training for students interested in hair school or currently attending hair school. Krucial Konflict Agency, LLC (KKA) is an Omaha based management company and rental space for artists and events. KKA specializes in crafting a full experience when programming concerts, special events and managing artists. The goal of KKA is to provide one-on-one training in stage performance, dance, voice, acting and book writing. MBB and KKA were created to bridge the gap between community and the arts. Art has many different disciplines and at MBB & KKA we believe that we have been charged with bringing light and healing to peoples live. Hair & nails can create a new outlook on life and build confidence in all people. Dance, singing, acting, and writing becomes a way of expression and has the power to detour youth from turning to negative influences. We vow to create a space where you don’t just come to look great but leave feeling great. We focus on at risk youth because we understand they need a place where they feel loved and supported outside of the system. Mr. Malakhi RL Eason II is a native of Boston, Massachusetts and a proud graduate of the private institution of the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He recently graduated with his Master o f Arts in Leadership from Grace University. Mr. Eason is currently working on his Doctorate in Leadership from Creighton University. He has over 15 years of experience in arts administration in the nonprofit sector. He has served in many positions which have allowed him to share his passion for service while inspiring young people to find their own. In addition to his position as Programming Manager for Omaha Performing Arts, he owns and operates Krucial Konflict Agency LLC, serves as Music and Young Adult Director with Salem Baptist Church in Omaha, NE and formerly toured to sing background for touring artist while living in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Eason is an active member of the Lincoln Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Lambda Pi Eta (National Honors Society) and as an affiliate of the NAACP. In his free time, Mr. Eason loves to travel, write songs, shop, eat at great restaurants and spend time with family and friends. Domanic Brown is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer, who began teaching himself to dance as a child. Since then, he has studied Tap, Jazz, African, Modern/Contemporary, Ballet and Hip-Hop inspired movement. In his career he has danced with celebrity artists such as Lady Gaga. Brown has trained with many renowned celebrity choreographers such as Richard Jackson, Brian Green, Tricia Miranda, Carolyn Dorfman and others. Currently, he is very active in the dance community in Omaha. He has been a part of the Moving Company since 2010 where he has grown heavily in the Modern style movement. He now serves on the team as the Public Relations Director. He also teaches various styles of movement at South High School’s dance program and is Director of the school’s dance company La Fuerza. Brown also shares his skills and passion at other community and studio centers across the city. New Muse Beauty Bar and Art Space in North Omaha