Pastor

Controversy surrounding the divorce case of the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant - the flashy, influential pastor of the Empowerment Temple - will likely be addressed at the annual conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church next month. Bishop Adam J. Richardson Jr., who presides over the Second Episcopal District, which includes Maryland, said that although he was not aware of any formal complaints about Bryant's pending divorce and his wife's allegation of adultery, Richardson planned to broach the topic at the conference in Baltimore.

Longtime Catonsville resident Helen Cavey will mark her 100th birthday Friday, April 12. Her father, James Streit, worked as a woolen mill supervisor so the family made frequent moves through the southern part of the country. As an adolescent, Mrs. Cavey attended Ellicott City High School. Through a mutual interest in church music, she met her future husband, George Cavey. In 1936, Dr. John Nesbitt, pastor of Catonsville Presbyterian Church, married the couple in the bride's home on Frederick Avenue.

St. Nicholas Catholic Church parishioners bid farewell and wished a happy retirement to their pastor, the Rev. Jim Betz, at a church reception June 23. Father Betz has been with the parish for six years, having previously served as pastor at Ascension Parish, in Bowie. Prior to becoming a priest, Betz spent many years in the construction business, and his expertise in this field helped smooth the way for the repairs and additions to the church. These initiatives included completion of the church sanctuary and altar; easing access to handicap entrances; repaving the parking lots; repairing the church roof; and remodeling the church kitchen, which is used extensively for parish events.

A 35-year-old Street man, who had once served as a youth pastor at a Bel Air church, pleaded guilty earlier this week to a single third degree sex offense in connection with an incident involving a teenage girl. Walter Harrison Yocum entered the guilty plea on Wednesday before Circuit Court Judge M. Elizabeth Bowen, according to court records. Yocum is scheduled to be sentenced by Bowen on May 30 at 9 a.m., according to court records. Yocum was charged last August with five counts of sex abuse of a minor, one count of third degree sex offense and two counts of fourth degree sex offense.

Rev. Millard Byrd Knowles, pastor of Old Otterbein United Methodist Church from 1992 through 2006 and later pastor of visitation/pastor emeritus at Perry Hall United Methodist Church, died Thursday following a series of strokes. He was 82. "He could tell any biblical story with an emotion and a passion that made you feel like you were right there," said Rev. Jeff Paulson, a longtime friend and colleague of Mr. Knowles, who had a doctorate in biblical storytelling from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

The Rev. Ricky Spain, pastor of East Baltimore's Waters African Methodist Episcopal Church who had also been a community activist in his years as an Annapolis-area pastor, died of cancer Nov. 16 at the Tate Chesapeake Hospice House in Linthicum. The Severn resident was 63. Born in Virginia Beach, Va., he was the son of Luther and Florence Spain. A 1967 graduate of First Colonial High School, he won state honors for wrestling. After studying at Norfolk State University, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science at North Carolina Wesleyan College.

A Randallstown pastor had harsh words for gays and supporters of same-sex marriage at a recent town hall meeting, saying those who vote yes on Question 6 are approving "things that are worthy of death. " The pastor, Robert J. Anderson of the Colonial Baptist Church in Randallstown, was sitting on a dais with Derek McCoy, executive director of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, when he made the comments. Anderson read from a portion of the Bible that refers to homosexuality. "Those who practice such things are deserving of death," Anderson said, reading from the Bible.

The Rev. Marion C. Bascom, a leading Baltimore civil rights activist remembered for his lifetime quest for social justice, died of a heart attack Thursday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 87 and lived in Reservoir Hill. "A giant has fallen," said former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, a close friend and a member of Douglas Memorial Community Church, where Mr. Bascom was pastor for 46 years. "He affected thousands of lives in our community and was a positive life force.

I find it worrisome that this pastor, Terry Jones who's out to burn Qurans, may be treated any differently from someone who yells fire in a crowded movie house. (Isn't that illegal?) If someone were to be hurt or die because of his behavior, how would that be any different from him doing it himself when he knows up front what could happen? What he is planning seems like a form of terrorism. Doesn't the government try to stop terrorism and terrorists? Is it about time for everyone to be in accord on what freedom really needs to mean rather than what we want it to mean?

When the Rev. Marcus Garvey Wood started his ministry at Providence Baptist Church in Baltimore, President Barack Obama hadn't yet been born, Southern schools were still not integrated and Neil Armstrong hadn't walked on the moon. On the 60th anniversary of Wood's pastorship Saturday, some 300 faithful gathered to pay tribute to "the man, the mission and the message. " Gov. Martin O'Malley thanked Wood, 92, for his service to Baltimore and his work as a civil rights leader.

The Rev. Vernon Dobson, a Baptist minister and civil rights leader, died Saturday of complications of a stroke. He was 89. As a leading figure in Baltimore's civil rights movement, Mr. Dobson lived a life molded by the struggle for equality — a struggle he continued into his last years — and as a pastor who believed that the church should play an important part in the fight. Campaigning took a hold on Mr. Dobson's life early on. Talking to The Baltimore Sun in 1998, he described demonstrating against segregation as a young child with his mother in the 1930s.

The pastor who works with some of Anne Arundel County's poorest residents and a longtime civil rights activist will be the keynote speakers at coming events in the county honoring the work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Both the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner, which have become traditional January functions in the county, also recognize residents for work that follows the spirit...

Pastor Nathaniel Johnson, of Aberdeen Bible Church, was nominated by Xi Delta Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., to receive one of the "unsung" hero awards at the North Atlantic Region Educational Advancement Foundation, Cluster II Salute to Excellence Luncheon held in King of Prussia, Pa. Johnson was honored for using non-traditional educational methods to provide support to his community by creating an environment whereby youth can...

The Rev. John Paul Buchheister Sr., a retired pastor who had been a United Methodist Church district superintendent, died of cardiac failure Saturday at Oak Crest Village. He was 87 and had lived in Lutherville. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of Harry Buchheister, a chocolate candy and taffy confectioner. He grew up on Wilkens Avenue in Violetville in Southwest Baltimore and was a 1943 graduate of Polytechnic Institute, where he was quarterback of the school's football team. He joined the Navy and was sent to the University of North Carolina, where he took courses at its preflight school.

The Rev. Ricky Spain, pastor of East Baltimore's Waters African Methodist Episcopal Church who had also been a community activist in his years as an Annapolis-area pastor, died of cancer Nov. 16 at the Tate Chesapeake Hospice House in Linthicum. The Severn resident was 63. Born in Virginia Beach, Va., he was the son of Luther and Florence Spain. A 1967 graduate of First Colonial High School, he won state honors for wrestling. After studying at Norfolk State University, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science at North Carolina Wesleyan College.

The two Baptist pastors didn't know a soul at Gov. Martin O'Malley's big breakfast for supporters of his same-sex marriage bill back in January. Neither had ever been in a room with so many openly gay people. "It was a different moment," said the Rev. Donte Hickman Sr., pastor of Southern Baptist Church in East Baltimore. He had attended the breakfast in Annapolis with a colleague, the Rev. Delman Coates, who leads a megachurch in Prince George's County. They listened. Observed.

Monsignor Richard E. Parks, pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Graceland Park for 25 years who was also a city Fire Department chaplain, died of cancer Feb. 19 at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 80. Monsignor Parks was remembered by friends for his caring personality and the lasting friendships he established wherever he went. "He never thought of himself," said the Rev. George Gannon, current pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary. "He was generous with his time and had an ability to ascertain just what people needed.

Preaching in a makeshift sanctuary in a school auditorium, the Rev. Tyrone P. Jones IV frequently punctuates the ends of his sentences with a quick "amen. " As only the fifth pastor in the 112-year history of First Baptist Church of Guilford, Jones says he has many reasons to infuse his sermons with such affirmations. Stepping into a job held by a beloved minister for nearly 40 years is one of them. Starting a fresh chapter of church life with his new congregation by shepherding their move into a long-delayed church building is another.

In a recent letter, the Rev. Tom Harris wrote that "the God of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures is a God of justice and a God of equality for all people" ("Bible, marriage, and the Lord's Prayer," Oct. 25). This statement is so utterly absurd and ridiculous as to compel a response. First of all, what Bible is he reading? I didn't see any citations of passages that support his assertions. There are several passages in both the Old Testament and the New Testaments that clearly condemn homosexuality: Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:27-32, and First Corinthians 6:9-10.