Church member falls ill during worship, revived by CFD

By Chinta Strausberg

Though Father Michael L. Pfleger was going through his own personal storm of grieving over the death of his middle son Beronti, 32, who died yesterday, Sunday he told the 2012 graduating Saint Sabina Academy students, who watched as paramedics revive a church member who fell ill, that the “Holy Spirit intervened.”

Pfleger told the students they had witnessed a real live lesson on just how “fragile” life really is and why they must put God in the center of their lives.

“There was a greater communion that took place here this morning,” Pfleger said referring to Opal Smith, a Saint Sabina member who earlier fell out during the 11:15 a.m. worship service.

Pfleger’s staff quickly made a 911 call and several Chicago Fire Department paramedics quickly responded. As the choir sang, Pfleger asked the church to stretch out their hands and pray for healing for Smith. While the choir sang, the students looked on in disbelief as paramedics administered an IV then carefully placed Smith on a stretcher and took her to the hospital.

Pfleger told the students to depend on God and to understand the “life’s circumstances that happened before your eyes….” He told the students they must understand that God “is the only one” they can turn to when it’s their time to go through their storms in life. He encouraged them to learn how to “lean on him, to cry out to him…to depend on him, make us the blessing unto one another….and then nothing can stop you, nothing can hinder you, nothing can get in the way of you….

“I don’t care what you’ve learned in eight-years at Saint Sabina, but if you’ve not learned that, you’re not going to make it because you will come into times where maybe your family, your friends, your education or your knowledge can’t do one thing for you…. The only one who can take care of Sister Opal is Jesus, the only one who can save her is Jesus….”

Pfleger said Smith has a relationship with Jesus and told the students “you had better have a relationship with him so that you can call on him yourself because he is the only one” they can call on for help so when it is their time to go through their life’s storms “they can handle this.”

To the male graduating students, Pfleger told them “don’t let the devil deceive you into thinking that you’re so tough…that you got to handle this…. You can’t handle you…. You’ll never be that strong. “ He said they must learn that Christ is the man they can call on when they are in need.

“Life will cause you to fall out, not by your choice…. If you know him…, he’s got you. He’s got your back….. Understand the things you better have more than anything else in life is a relationship with him and if you do, there is nothing in the world you’ll face that you can’t overcome. He is more than an over comer in you and the he in you is greater than the he in the world,” Pfleger told the students.

Referring to an earlier sermon by Julie Welborn, a member of Saint Sabina who holds a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union, a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., Pfleger said, ‘I don’t care what you think, what you’re angry about or what you haven’t done, there is one who can handle it, who can heal it and who can take you forward.”

Pointing a finger at the students who wore their graduation gowns, Pfleger gave them some advice: “Don’t let anything in your past, your present or anything in your future lock you up. Do you hear me eighth graders? That diploma, that gown, don’t mean a thing if you don’t know him, but if you do I swear by my testimony of my life, God will bring you through it and give you the victory in every, not some, but every situation in your life. Do you hear me, young men”?

“There was a greater communion that took place this morning,” Pfleger told the church. “It’s called a communion with the Holy Spirit, a communion with each other. I refused to be locked into ritual when the Holy Spirit intervenes. When the devil comes and rises up…,” God can overcome, he said.

“Let us wrestle with what we heard, what we seen and witnessed today so we come to understand who you really are and who you call us to be in him…cause us to wrestle that let us know you are the only one we can turn to….

 “Let us not be the same as we leave here, but let us be stronger in faith than we’ve ever been…,” Pfleger said. “Go in the faith you proclaim here…for the rest of the days of your lives.” He asked the church to pray for the students for their future academic and spiritual growth and to “go in faith and proclaim healing.”

Earlier, Welborn, who this fall will begin work on her doctorate at the Catholic Theological Union, told the students life is full of barriers, storms and questions like what do you do when people walk away from you, when people walk on you, when you lose the job you love, when a bullet hits a person you know, when someone dies prematurely…? What happens when life pulls the rug from beneath you?

Speaking on the 2012 theme of both Saint Sabina Church and the Saint Sabina Academy, “Mission Possible: Your Destiny Awaits you,” Minister Welborn told the students to “wake up.”  “Nothing is impossible with God…God is the finisher…..God has need of you….. God brought you unto this earth to do something…. Do you really want to have a relationship with him?

“I don’t care how you got here….. The bible says you are fearlessly and wonderfully made”?  She told them that they were not mistakes and that they are a blessing…. When the rubber meets the road and it will, keep living…” but always has God as your pilot.

“What happens when mission possible seems impossible”? she asked. Saying her brother died when he was 30 and Pastor Pfleger’s son died at the age of 32, Welborn told the students “time is short…. If you don’t do it, it won’t get done.” What drives missions,” she asked explaining, “people, places and things. “

Welborn asked six students to come to the altar and others to sit down. She warned: “Be careful who you sit with….know who you’re walking with, standing with and sitting with….””

She told of the time when she came home, her mother was cooking fish. She didn’t eat the fish, but her clothes began to smell of fish. She was on her way to a meeting. Welborn admitted she was “stinking up the meeting. A stench that started in my kitchen” but ended up affecting “not only me but everybody around me.”

“Be careful where you go and whom you are spending time with,” she warned. “Watch were you go. Watch who you hang out with…,” she said explaining life is about choices. She told them to believe in themselves. Pray and talk to God and ask God to be their father. “Don’t be afraid of the Holy Spirit…”

“The enemy wants to trip you up and make you not like yourself. Once you know who you are and once you are courageous and bold and know that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, I don’t care what hand you are dealt, but when you have a partner your partner can make up a difference and God is your partner….”

“Saying it’s hard, she asked the students, “Let’s take a stand and take a step…. As you are getting ready to close this chapter at Saint Sabina and move forward to something greater, he knows everything that is about to happen.

“Join with him and let him play your hand…. I can’t promise you it won’t be difficult… but I can promise you no weapon formed against you will prosper. I can promise you that nothing you do, nothing you say, will separate you from his love and at the end of the day, that’s all we need,” she said as the students went back to the altar for a collective prayer.

Joined by Cinque Cullar, Minister of Youth, Welborn who led them in prayer. Welborn asked what things tripped up their lives. In response, some of the students felt no one loved them, others admitted they did wrong things and wanted to be better. Their bold confessions got them some hugs from both Welborn and Pfleger who asked them to let God order their steps throughout their lives.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.

A Tribute to My Mother

(A reprint: First published in www.copylinemagazine.com on May 8, 2010)

By Juanita Bratcher 

I never thought about life without my mother. And when she died almost 15 years ago, it was by far the “darkest day” of my life…my guardian angel was no longer here with me and my three siblings.

My mother, Tommie Sean Forte, the beloved wife of George W. Forte, and the nurturing mother of four adult children – Eula, Bertha, Juanita and Tommy, was our “guardian angel”, a protective mom who always kept a watchful eye on her children.

I grew up in a home where Christianity was second to none, and voting, among other things, was looked upon as a top priority. My mother was a faithful and devoted Christian. She believed in the power of prayer; and she also believed in the power of the ballot. There was no question as to where her loyalty was in regards to her religious beliefs. And there was no question as to where she stood on the issue of voting.

Mom was a devoted Christian, a loving wife and mother, a stickler for fairness, and a hard-worker, not only on the job but also at home. She had a spotless house, always tended her garden during the summer, and a smart shopper in every respect. She had a big heart, a heart of gold, and always reached out to those who were less fortunate.

Among other things, mom taught her offspring to love and respect each other and to love and respect their fellowman. Being the woman that she was made me the woman that I am. She had a voice that demanded attention. She was exciting, a go-getter, a fighter for fairness and justice.

One of the things I treasured most about her was her sense of fairness to others. And she tried to instill that same sense of farness in her children. I have so many indelible memories and thoughts of my mother. Those are the things that carry me through the day, because there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think about my mother. Her pictures covet the walls in various places in my home. They are constant reminders of her positive lectures to her children, her words, many of which still hold a special place in my heart, my mind, and are strongly motivational to me.

My mom died on November 24, 1995. It was by far the saddest and darkest day of my life. When I got the news, I cried non-stop for three hours. Not only did I lose a mother, I lost my best friend and biggest cheerleader. She was not a mother who sat on the sidelines and watched her children grow up from a distance. She was actively involved with her children every step of the way – their careers, their successes; the good times and the bad times. She was inspirational and motivational.

She was a role model, a “real” mother in every sense of the word. She was a mother who made innumerable sacrifices for her children, her family, for others. She was always there, nurturing them, sustaining them with love and respect. She never turned loose the reins; they were always on her mind and they were always in her heart and prayers.

We (family) marveled at her knowledge, her spiritual and worldly insight, her firm belief in God and her remarkable sense of humor. She had an excellent way of evaluating and analyzing things. But aside from her serious no-nonsense mannerisms, she was involved in church and community. She was never out of touch with the world we live in. She kept up with the Stock Market, and believed in the power of the ballot. She was actively involved in the electoral process.

My mother was excitedly comfortable and energetic in her belief that voting was an essential tool to bring about change through the electoral process. She was adamant in her belief that voting gives people a choice to weed-out the good candidates from the bad. And when her children reached voting age and become registered voters, on any given Election Day, she would ask, “Did you vote today?”

Over the years, at one time or another, I have sympathized and empathized with friends over the loss of a parent. But I now know that one cannot grasp to the fullest extent the hurt that comes along with the loss of a parent, or a family member or a friend for that matter, until it knocks at their door.

A few weeks after my mother’s funeral, I was asked, “When does the healing process begin? When does it end?” For many, that can be an unanswerable question. A lot of the healing process depends on the individual’s state of mind and other circumstances. As for me, I wonder will it ever end. For I know within my heart, mind and soul, that it will never end completely. When I think of her, I’m overwhelmed with sadness, tears, even almost 15 years later. But I have faith in God that He will soothe my hurt and take away the pain and tears.

Yet, when I was grieving over my mother’s death, that strong inner voice took over my thought processes and reminded me that “The Lord was good to your mother, and the Lord has been good to you.” And indeed He has. Praise the Lord! The suffering I’ve encountered in life has been minor compared to the happiness God has given to me and my mother.

In the aftermath of my mother’s death, I wrote my feelings and thoughts on paper, much of it in the form of poems. The pain and hurt that I encountered was taking a toll on my mind, body, soul and spirit. But I was well aware that there was nothing I could do to change the situation and bring my mother back to life, otherwise, it would have been done, pronto. If only I could turn back time. Which I knew was impossible. The days that followed have been some of the darkest days of my life.

It’s so easy to embrace or accept the good things and good times in life, they usually generate tremendous joy. But it’s a story of the other kind when faced with the unpleasant obstacles of life, those happenings and events that bring tremendous stress and untold sadness.

There’s no question, as human beings, sometimes we do not fully understand how to cope with sad, emotional and stressful moments…that’s human nature. But the pain is certainly eased when one is locked in fellowship with God – where one can always find peace and solace. Not just in times of crisis, but at all times.

I only wish everyone could have a mother like my mother was to me and my siblings. If so, the world would be a far better place in which to live. Some of my feelings about my mother are in the following poems that I put together after her death.

Poems of Love; In Memory of Mom

 It Was the Darkest Day of My Life

We shared life’s frailties

The good and bad

We faced challenges together

Some happy, some sad

You were my hero, my guiding light

And now that you’ve left me

Nothing seems right

This heart of mine will never mend

I’ve truly lost my very Best Friend

Mother of mine, you meant so much

I’ll surely miss your tender touch

                - Juanita Bratcher

The Seeds of Life

I could see her smiling

As she planted good seeds

She was God-fearing, loving and brave

A happy woman indeed

Her face was so radiant

Her heart was true blue

She was always supportive

In whatever she could do

She was truthful in her undertakings

Victorious in what she set out to do

She never looked back for accolades

She moved on to help someone new

Oh, Sweet Mother

A sweet mother she was

A devoted wife too

And now she has left us

And we face challenges anew

When I look to the heavens

I can see her face

Her smile is ever so radiant

It didn’t take long for her to take her place

And even though she had

A most fulfilling life

It hurts to think of life without her

It’s like the sting of a sharpened knife

I ask myself each day

Why did she go so soon?

I sit and cherish her sweet memories

While I stare at the heavenly moon

I can see her in the heavens

Talking to all her kin

While I sit here lonely on earth

Feeling the hurt from loosing a mother, a friend

She was my shining hero

She meant so much to me

But then she left so suddenly

And I’m not the woman I used to be

My Shining Star Is Gone

That shining star

That lit up my life

That shining star

The one that shined so bright

Is gone forever

And memories are all I have 

And now reality has set in

I’ve truly lost a very dear friend

One that was always on my side

So strong and full of pride

One to whom I depended on

And one I could always confide

So where do I go for solace?

Who will soothe my broken heart?

The void can never be filled

My mother’s love was real

Those Chilling, Quiet Moments

I looked in my eyes

They looked so sad

I looked at my face

It never looked so bad

I searched out my thoughts

But none would come

I cried and cried

And asked myself, how come?

I think about mom

All those memories she left

She was the perfect mother

She knew that herself       

- Juanita Bratcher 

About My Mother

My mother was a devout Christian in every sense of the word. She was truly blessed. And her blessings, she always acknowledged, came from God.

She was a loving wife in every sense of the word. She was a true mother in every sense of the word. Her labor of love for me and my siblings was unquestionable. She nurtured and prepared us for the good and bad of the world. She loved everyone. That was the Christian way, she always said. She never said anything bad or malicious about anyone, and she carried herself in such a manner that others knew not to talk bad or maliciously about anyone in her presence.

As best she could, she carried the word of God to thousands of people, through her missionary work. She was the Mother of her church, a member of the Eastern Star, and served on several church boards and committees, during her more than fifty years as a member. Through her sharing and caring, she reaped tremendous blessings from God, through spiritual obedience.

I wish everyone could have a mother like my mother was to me and my three siblings. Aside from that, she was a surrogate mother to many other children. And though she’s gone, and we deeply miss her, we are fortunate to have so many rich and pleasant memories of her. Those memories will live on forever in our hearts, minds and souls. We loved her dearly.  My mother was my hero (our hero). She will always be our eternal hero. 

                                                            -  Juanita Bratcher

Happy Mother’s Day! To Mothers Everywhere

Juanita Bratcher is the Publisher of www.copylinemagazine.com, the author of several books, songwriter and poet. She has been a Journalist for more than 35 years covering politics, education and a wide-range of other topics. 

(From the National Black Church Initiative)

‘We have a 25% unemployment rate’

Just A Thought

Romney in “attack mode” against President Barack Obama’s policies for the country leaves very little time for him to discuss his own agenda for America

By Juanita Bratcher

CHICAGO, IL – Every chance he gets – and that’s every time he’s out on the campaign trail or speaking with reporters or appearing at some political event – Mitt Romney hammers away at President Barack Obama’s “failed policies” (his words); yet, Romney has failed to tell us what his plans are for America if he is elected president. As of now, he has skipped and danced around the issues leaving voters practically in the dark as to what they can expect from a Romney presidency.

With six months to the General Election in November, the presumably Republican presumptive nominee has not stated any affirmative plan of action or any agenda to lead the country in contrast to President Obama’s other than that Americans will fare better under a Romney presidency based on his business experience. Therefore, he will be able to create jobs and Americans can look forward to a more robust economy.

While the economy is doing better and slowly moving in the right direction since Obama predecessor left office, it would be in much better shape now if Romney Republican colleagues in Washington had worked with President Obama and not resorted to being the party of ‘NO’ for the last three years. Nothing significant has come from this “DO NOTHING CONGRESS” which has a low favorability rating in most recent polls.

However, there is another eye opener about Romney’s campaign – a large presence of former Team Bush supporters and aides work within his campaign. According to news reports, Romney’s foreign policy committee consists of 24 members – 17 of which   worked with former Republican President Bush. So more likely than not, some of the strategy from yesteryear will permeate within Romney’s camp.

How long will voters have to wait for presumably Republican Presumptive Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney to divulge his agenda for America?

When will we hear details about Romney’s plans on issues rather than taking voters on a continuous shaky ride about what the Obama Administration did or didn’t do?

Where are those alternative proposals (in opposition to Obama’s policies) Romney has to offer?

What is Romney’s vision for America?

What are his views on the issues?

Is being a businessman his key to the White House? I think not. What does he have in the way of a foreign policy background? Some seasoned Washington Republicans questioned Obama’s foreign policy experience in the 2008 presidential campaign. I don’t hear those questioners who raised concerns about Obama asking the same about Romney. You go figure.

What plans do Romney have to move the country in a different direction, away from President Obama’s?

Where is the beef?

As of yet, Romney hasn’t talked about any “real issues” in regards to where he wants to take this country. Even when he won five states in one of the last primary elections, most of Romney’s speech focused on Barack Obama.

Some years ago, there was an ad commercial that asked: “Where’s the beef?” Mitt Romney’s agenda is as slow coming as his income tax returns. Although he is seeking public office, Romney has a problem with releasing his returns. He even filed to extend his 2011 tax return.

For the most part, Romney has focused on President Obama’s record, attacking him for what he describes as Obama’s failed policies. “He didn’t start it, but he made it worst,” Romney said about the economy. Romney also stood behind a podium that stated, “Obama isn’t working.”

But in the game of politics: Just as Obama has a record to run on, so, too, does Mitt Romney.

Juanita Bratcher is the Publisher of www.copylinemagazine.com, the author of several books, songwriter and poet. She has been a Journalist for more than 35 years covering politics, education and a wide-range of other topics.

Religious leader said the banking industry is targeting vulnerable borrowers

Somerset, NJ (BlackNews.com) — The rain didn’t stop DeForest B. Soaries Jr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J., from burning credit card offer letters his members brought to church on Sunday.

Standing in the rain, Soaries – the former Secretary of State for New Jersey – publicly burned the credit card offer letters in the church parking lot to send a message that financial companies should stop targeting vulnerable borrowers.

“The time has come for us to stop making people rich off of our ignorance. We need to do something against consumer debt,” Soaries told the crowd. “We are burning up these offers as a show of enthusiasm against these practices – to minimize the use of credit cards, to moderate the debt. In the ‘60s it was segregation, and in 2012 it is this fight where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. We are saying we will no longer contribute to this.”

While Soaries has been working for years to dispel the dangers of living beyond your means, he ramped up his efforts on Sunday because of an article that recently appeared in The New York Times.

“In recent months there has been a dramatic increase in the marketing efforts from major banks for credit cards,” Soaries said. “This seemed to subside at the peak of the economic crisis and recession when the mortgages’ default rates and credit cards’ default rates went up. Now that banks are on more solid footing thanks to the taxpayers bailing them out, they have once again increased efforts to lure people into credit card debt.”

Soaries, author of “dfree®: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery” (Zondervan, 2011), a financial strategy book that details a four-prong approach for getting out of debt, has made it a priority to work with people on becoming debt free. dfree® classes, which the book is based on, have been taught at First Baptist since 2005 and dfree® was featured in CNN’s Black in America 3: “Almighty Debt,” in October 2010.

Soaries is also working on a number of other programs aimed at financial literacy, including campaigning to shut down anti-payday loan centers, launching a website where people can securely enter their debt and track payments and a college tour to teach students about financial responsibility

Photo credit: Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger

1^st of 3 free financial workshops at Saint Sabina

By Chinta Strausberg

Hundreds came out late to hear Minister Deena Marie Carr, who teaches Finance: According To Your Faith (FATYF), present the first of three free financial workshops at Saint Sabina Church late Tuesday night that are bible-based and where she told the class, “God’s not broke. You shouldn’t be, either.”

Carr, who blends modern business and financial strategies with biblical principles, provides her class with invaluable information and the tools they need to manage their finances.

Father Michael L. Pfleger introduced Carr saying she is a product of the Chicago Public Schools. Carr graduated from Whitney M. Young College Preparatory High School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University; a MBA in finance from the University of Chicago is the recipient of a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Ministry and Finance from Hope Bible School and Seminary. She continues her education at the London School of Economics where she is enrolled in the Executive Program.

Carr is a partner at a major management-consulting firm and she specializes in helping the leadership of Fortune 500 Financial Services and Insurance companies develop “cutting edge business strategies that incorporate the strategic use of technology to reach their goals.”

Though she has adopted a son, she still finds time for her ministerial duties at the Christian Heritage Training Center, which is her home church. A “PK Kid,” Carr’s great-grandfather was a Baptist preacher; however, she was raised in the Pentecostal religion, and she uses biblical passages as the basis of her popular financial freedom classes.

Growing up as a child of a pastor, Carr said back then when you wanted something or money to pay your bills, you simply prayed for God to intervene and grant your wishes, but then she began to study economics, began working and consulting with businesses. That is when she learned that all the answers to financing are in the bible.

During her first workshop at Saint Sabina, Carr focused on “How do we structure our finances so that we are online in our financial lives the same way we are online with our spiritual lives with the word of God.”

“The believer and their finances first operate on a spiritual context…. We believe that the spirit of God is solvent. We must understand the economic context, the economic environment that is going on and how” your plan works in that environment. “If you don’t get that right, you’ll mess up everything,” she said pointing to the unpredictable real estate field as an example. “Real estate is a fantastic investment in the right economic environment. If you do it in a wrong economic investment, you’ll lose your shirt.”

Carr asked the class what metaphor is used when money is referenced in the bible. The answer is a seed. Asking for one of the students to pass her a bill, Carr held up a $5.00 bill. She told of how different people may spent that money like busying shoes that are on sale, a video, or a large screen TV almost as large as an apartment. But others are more responsible like spending their seed on gas. The question she asks was ‘what did you do with your seed”?

She asked how do go about gathering your seed and how do you manage your seed. How you grow your seed is key to maximizing your return for taking on a prudent risk. She spoke about leverage, which is debt.

“Debt is only used to acquire an asset,” Carr said. “An asset is something that increases in value and preferably produces an income. If you use debt to acquire something that is not producing value and is not producing income, you are misusing debt,” said Carr.

Too often, people use debt to acquire things that decrease in value. Debt is a financial instrument that is used to acquire an asset. That is the only way to use debt, she said. Debt is a tool for deal making.

 “If you are going to start a business and you need $250,000 to start that business, there are two ways to do that. You can either give me ownership in the business…or borrow the money from a bank and keep your business….” “Debt is a tool for deal-making. It is not the way to finance your way of life.”

The spiritual framework of her first workshop involve six steps:  1) spiritual context, 2) Economic context, 3) gathering seeds, 4) managing seeds, 5) growing seeds and 6) leverage which is debt which is only used to acquire an asset.

“An asset is something that increases in value and produces an income. If you use debt to acquire something that does not acquire income, you are misusing debt,” she warned. “Debt is a tool for deal-making. It is not the way to finance your way of life.”

“The financial decisions that you make have to have prayer and they have to align before God,” said Carr. “We must tap into the wealth He has created by obeying every rule that He makes. God will speak to you and tell you exactly what to do…. The more you tap into the wealth that God created for us and the more you tap into it by obeying the word of God and taking actions in our lives, the more wealth flows through us,” Carr stated.

Spiritual obedience is the key to building wealth, she said. “We must tap into the wealth He has created by obeying. God will speak to you and tell you exactly what to do. The more we tap into it, the more the it will flow through us.”

“God will take care of us,” Carr said. “We have to take our minds out of this notion of our money and our job are taking care of us. Our money and our jobs are not taking care of us…. You obey God and that job is your place of ministry to be your vessel to help that job, that company to walk the halls praying because God put you there for such a time as this to help Him in exchange for giving you some income, but they are not the source of the income. It’s what God is using at that time.

“And if they (your employer) get out of line and God tells me to leave, He is going to give me another source,” said Carr. She stresses that people should give to the Kingdom of God “because God is taking care of us.”

Carr emphasized that “God is our source and these (jobs) are just vehicles and conduits that God is using to challenge us…”to minister and to be the light and your salt and to be your revelation as what you should do in that situation….”

She urged them to understand that they are to tap into their wealth that God has already created and to be obedient to God. “He says I give you the power to get wealth. He said you’re going to have gold…lots of things,” Carr said referring them to Deuteronomy 8:6-20. *

After reading these verses, Carr talked about giving and the importance of tithing. She asks the class to refer to the Old Testament as the Covenant. “It was the Covenant that God made with us. And the Old Testament is to be referred to as the “fulfillment of Covenant. “There is only one covenant. Jesus said I am not come to destroy the law. I come to fulfill the law.”

On giving, Carr said, “Many people don’t give…. That covenant was given. Those things they were told to do that was something that God was telling them to do so that they could be his covenant people…..”

“What is more important is that you give out of Covenant which means you give out of obedience. The first step of applying our finances is through covenant debate.

“How do we as believers build up wealth? How we structure our finances so that we are aligned in our financial lives the same way we are aligned in our spiritual lives with the word”?

“People will tell you go right down all of your bills and write down how much money you got. That is a lot of effort to tell you what you already know. You have more bills than you have money. Stop spending so much money. That’s commonsense,” she told the class. “God’s not broke. You shouldn’t be either,” she said.

“How do we structure your finances to allow us to be successful and how do we take that to the next level whether you are working on a job or business?”

She talked about tithes, offering, budgeting or financial structuring and debt management and the importance of the return on your investment and how it is the reward for having taking a prudent risk. However, Carr warned, “You have to make sure that the return matches the amount of risk that you take.”

How does one deal with financial mistakes? Carr gave this advice: “It depends on where you are in a situation.” Carr’s main theme in wealth building is to always remember that “God is the one who gives the power to attain wealth” and that the bible is clear in saying God “is the one who gives you the power to get wealth.”

In her book, “Wealth-Grow It God’s Way,” Carr warns “No matter what our level of wealth, we have a responsibility to manage it to the best of our ability and to increase it.”

She asked the class what is the purpose of the tithes. Shrugging off incorrect answers such as tithes are for the preacher, she said, “The tithe was to take care of the Levites.”

Referring to the 12 tribes, Carr, who also teaches a graduate course at North Park University, said,  “It was the responsibility of the Levites to take care of the needs of the people. The tithe was a provision for the Levites….”

The offering is for the priest. She also talked about the first fruit where God was asked to bless the rest of the harvest. “If you want God to bless you, if you want to tap into wealth, you have to look at wealth as something that you are creating but something that God is unleashing. What ever you get, you must first give back to God with the understanding that you are asking God to bless the rest of it.”

“Giving becomes the mechanism that we physically demonstrate how God is first. If we cannot trust God we begin with a portion, then you cannot ask God to bless the rest. The more money you make, the more God tells you to give,” she said. “

“Our finances are not a separate entity from our spiritual lives but an intrical part, done as an instrument, not a way of life.” In her book, “Wealth – Grow It God’s Way: Financial Empowerment For Your Future,” Carr, who used to pray for a winning Lottery ticket, quotes from Proverbs 13:11 and the dangers of wealth quickly won.

Citing the many horror stories of those who do win huge amounts of Lottery prizes, Carr wrote this is not the type of wealth she teaches but rather “the wealth that is actually sustaining, that produces an income, allows us to live a life that is exciting and fulfilled, and, most important, allows us to extend the Kingdom of God.

“Think about it again. Does God want us to be wealthy? The answer is Yes, God does want us to be wealthy, but it is not the Lottery winning, riverboat gambling, or overnight riches that we focus on. The Lord is specific about wealth. He defines it, gives His children the ability to acquire it, and presents specific instructions on how to manage it,” she wrote.

What is the purpose of wealth? Car writes in her book, “The real question is: what are we growing our money for? We must tap into the fact that the purpose of our wealth is not just so we can be comfortable in this life. The bible tells us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). The reason we increase wealth is so we can do more to make a difference in the Kingdom of God.”

For those who go into business for themselves, Carr made it clear that they should not believe they achieved this goal on their own. Rather, she says “God wants us to remember that we have been blessed with businesses, as He promised in Deuteronomy, but when we develop these enterprises, we shouldn’t think we did it by ourselves. It was He who gave us the ability and power.”

Wealth, she said, “does not begin in the natural; it begins in the spiritual” and the reason is that “wealth ultimately comes from and belongs to God. All you are doing is exercising your spiritual muscle to become one of His stewards.”

Quoting from Matthew 9:37, Carr wrote in her book, “Jesus said, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.’ I don’t think laborers exist just so we can all become preachers. I believe the Lord needs some individuals to have wealth because there are people in the world who are suffering, and these men, women and children need spiritual solutions, but they also need financial solutions.”

She said God has given people enough power to be as prosperous as He has ordained in order for us to make a difference.

Jesus, she wrote, “emphasized that salvation was based on the heart of man, and our focus should be beyond the accumulation of wealth; it should be on building the Kingdom of God. It should be centered on doing all that we can to make a difference, and wealth, no matter how large or small, does not serve that purpose, it is of no use.”

Carr gave the class a homework assignment: At her next free financial workshop at Saint Sabina, on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7 p.m., she asked the class to write down these three things: 1) all of your expenses, 2) write down all of your sources of income including what you want your sources of income to be, 3) and beginning now, record all monies you spend including your debit or credit card or a newspaper.

Carr repeatedly told her students that God is their source of wealth. In her book, she wrote: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work….

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:8, 10-11 NIV).

“Man runs out. Earth runs out. God never runs out. Thus, our Heavenly Father is not a resource, He is the source,” she wrote. If you want to generate an income, Carr asked, “wouldn’t it make sense to do that from the point of origin, from the Source”? She emphasized that a person’s employment “is a resource” for their income and is “what God directs” you to do “in order to fulfill His will” in their lives and the life of the company where they work.

If you have more questions about, click on Carr’s website: http://www.financeaccordingtoyourfaith.org/

*6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;

9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land, which He has given you.

11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them;

13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.

By Christopher Jack

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — Many years ago, I was privileged enough to go on a safari in Africa with a small group of friends. I remember it like it was yesterday. This safari was to just observe the animals in their natural habitat and to take pictures. As we were speeding to the area where most of the animals like to congregate, I started to notice hundred of signs that said, “No Hunting or Poaching of Any Animals”. I guessed that the area we were going to was only for picture-taking.

When we arrived to the site, you could feel the excitement inside of the jeep with the four of my friends. These large beautiful creatures were there grazing and taking advantage of the land that God has given them.

The tour guide was telling us about what particular species of animal we were going to be observing; then it happened… another jeep came out of nowhere, fired a shot, and wounded one of these huge, beautiful animals. We were all shocked to see this huge creature laying there gasping for air, and barely clinging on to life. Then the hunter walked up and put another shot into it. As you probably know, all of the other animals scattered from the sound of the gunshot, and because of us rushing over to the scene. The hunter got to this poor animal first and then, the people from our jeep.

I asked the hunters (from London), “Did you guys see the signs posted everywhere that hunting these animal are illegal?” One of the hunters said, “I know it is illegal, but nothing will happen to me. So, who cares?” I looked at our tour guide, and he said, “He is correct. The law will do nothing.” These guys hunted and stalked that animal. Even though they broke the law, the law will not do anything about it. We convinced our tour guide to call it in to the authorities. This is when the story became more complex, complicated and convoluted. The authorities said that they would not get involved because when people come here for the animals they bring a lot of tourist money. The authorities do not want to stop that flow of money coming into their area.

Let me see if I understand this: The killing of these animals is illegal, but, if they can make money from it then it’s okay? That’s in Africa. Here in America the same thing happens, not with animals, but with people. Travon Martin was hunted, stalked, and killed; and the authorities did nothing. He laid there on the ground like an animal while the people, who knew this was wrong, looked the other way.

Thousands of years ago, Moses gave us the Ten Commandments that we should live by. One of the commandments was “Thou shalt not kill.” There were no signs posted that told Mr. Zimmerman “No Hunting or Poaching”. He killed that young boy because he was after his prize trophy catch. Mr. Zimmerman’s trophy came at a high cost. He shined a light on the proverbial white elephant in the room. He showed us that it is okay to hunt black men in this country year-round, and you do not need a license.

I’m sure the head of that animal that was shot in Africa is worth quite a large sum of money. Is Travon Martin’s killing worth millions? Yes. When this happened all of the major networks carried this as their top story for weeks. Newspapers and magazines are making millions from this story. And yes, do not fool yourself; the blood of a black man is still very valuable in America. Especially if he’s shot and killed by Tarzan…

Christopher Jack, is a college professor, nationally syndicated columnist, and public speaker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be reached at chrisjackus@yahoo.com

Stay awake to prevent more Trayvon Martin’s, or racism

By Chinta Strausberg

Father Michael L. Pfleger warned Americans not to go back to sleep after the arrest of George Zimmerman who admitted to shooting Trayvon Martin, and to have faith and the vision to see beyond their present situation including standing up for what is right even if that means opposing officials like Mayor Rahm Emanuel who wants to charge $25 a seat to Taste of Chicago visitors and $40 for a meal.

“How far can you see”? asked Pfleger. He told of how an eye doctor always gives you a test to see how much you can see and how after the first line he just makes up the letters but with confidence.

Preaching on the topic of  “How Far Can You See,” Pfleger said, “Now, while the eye doctor is saying tell me what you can see, Jesus says blessed are those who believe but have not seen.” Belief and faith, Pfleger said, are so very important to God.

Pfleger referred to John 20:19-31 when Jesus, who had been killed on the cross but had risen three-days later, appeared before 11 of the 12 disciples. Thomas, the 12^th disciple, was not present; however, a week later when all 12 of the disciples were once again gathered in a house where the door was locked, Jesus entered and showed Thomas he was indeed alive and that he was Christ.

“There is something about faith.” “The bible tells us it is impossible to please God without faith…. The bible tells us that heaven and earth will pass away but His word shall remain. There is something about faith and the unseen…. “

Pfleger believes the reason some people do not see the greatness of God manifesting in their lives is because of “our lack of belief in the unseen, our Thomas spirit that’s in all of us.”

“We are not experiencing the supernatural. I don’t know about you, but I’m greedy…. I don’t just want to see the natural. I want to touch the divine. I want to walk in the supernatural. I want to do things that where I walk is blessed. I want to touch things and make things change. I want to walk in a room and change the atmosphere….” “You got to see stuff before you see it,” he said.

“Faith is what unlocks the supernatural for us. It’s the key. It reaches into the supernatural and draws it, pulls it, drags it into the natural. Your faith is what runs ahead of you and brings God up into the natural situation,” he explained.

Quoting from Proverbs 29:18 which says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…,” Pfleger said, “I believe why so many of our young people today are perishing…. We can blame the gangs…that’s all pieces of the puzzle, but I believe the reason why so many of our young people are falling and perishing…becoming captives of the traps of the enemy is because they lack vision.”

Pfleger said when youth get caught up in “street stuff,” they have narrowed their vision. “You see what is right in front of you, and you have a narrow and small vision” and together he said that will keep them “locked in the stuff right in front of you instead of all the things that are available to you. That is why we have so many young people being drawn into foolishness,” said Pfleger.

“They are drawn into fighting over corners don’t nobody own. They say, ‘this is our turf,’ Pfleger said, “You don’t have no deed. You ain’t paying rent. You ain’t got a mortgage. What do you mean, this is your turf? They’re fighting over stuff that is not even there’s. It’s small stuff.  They get caught up because of a lack of vision. They are fighting over titles, positions, fighting over chump change.”

Recently, Pfleger told a young man, “Brother, if you’ve been selling drugs for two-years, shouldn’t you have a different shirt than the one you wear every day”?

Alarmed over the recent shooting of 10 people and two who were killed, Pfleger said, “We are hung up on what happened 100-years ago but we don’t care about what is happening on our streets.” He was referring to media reporters about the airing of the movie the Titanic that sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912.

Saying while he is glad that George Zimmerman is in jail, Pfleger said don’t forget about Trayvon Martin, the victim, and watching to see if justice is done. “Don’t go back to sleep,” he said. Pfleger said there should be enough anger in all of us to say “there will be no more Trayvon Martin’s” in America and no more racism or racial profiling in America or classism.

Alarmed at the number of guns in America, Pfleger said, “We have more guns in America than we have people.” He praised New York City Mayor Bloomberg for supporting a repeal of the controversial “Stand Your Ground” bill he says is nothing more than “shoot first’ laws and a “license to kill.” “You have to have vision,” he said.

And, on the topic of vision, Pfleger said he was filling up his year the other night and became overwhelmed over the price of gas. “You can get overwhelmed by the unemployment in double digits in our community. You can get overwhelmed with schools that are failing. You can get overwhelmed when every day you wake up and you hear about more shootings the night before….

“If you have no vision, you will get overwhelmed and when you get overwhelmed, you become apathetic. You become passive. You become immune.  You become depressed and you shut down. You don’t have time to shut down…. You don’t vote…. When you become hopeless, when you adjust and you begin to accept the conditions around you, that is just what the system wants.

“They want you not to vote. They want you not to go to meetings…. They want you not to call 911 when you see something suspicious. They want you to sit back and adjust to the darkness…. Political structures don’t care if you don’t complain. When you don’t complain about guns, the NRA has 1,000 people a day calling legislators about guns and they get 10 calls from people saying don’t pass conceal carry and 1,000 saying pass it. Who do you think they’re listening to?

“The society, the system wants us to shut down because then they can do exactly what they want to do,” he said.

Pfleger said the mayor’s office called him over the weekend and asked him “what do you think about the taxing of the water of non-profits and what do you think about Taste of Chicago selling $25.00 for the seats”?

Pfleger was referring to Mayor Emanuel’s proposal to charge Taste of Chicago visitors $25 per night for seats at the Petrillo Bandshell and $40 for a three-course meal cooked by top chefs.

Pastor Pfleger had an answer for the mayor’s office: “You want to know what I think? I want to ask everybody to boycott. That’s what I think. Tell the mayor that because maybe when a band comes out and plays and ain’t nobody sitting in the seats, they’ll think twice about charging. That’s a free concert. That’s a park district that we pay for, our taxes. Keep the Park District open. You shouldn’t have to pay for a seat to hear a band play.

“And, as far as water, I told them, OK, he can charge me for water but, I’m going to charge him for the 300 kids in my school we’re educating but getting no government money for, but the 300 kids in Chicago that we’re taking out of the public school system and giving them an education. Oh, yea, we can play this game,” he bellowed.

“Don’t get hopeless. Don’t shut down. The bible says don’t let them break your spirit. You can break my back, but you won’t break my spirit.

“Without a vision, you will perish,” Pfleger told the congregation. “Vision is having the kind of faith that expects and gives spiritual discernment that I see what I see but I see what I see….” Explaining, Pfleger said, “Vision allows me to see what God wants to bring to past in the midst of what the enemy is doing. Vision is seeing possibility and potential in the middle of bareness and drought.”

Referring to a Harris Bank ad on TV where a man looks at his business then picks up a picture frame and sees the expansion of his business, Pfleger told the church, “You have to learn how to pull up a picture frame about your life every now and then to see where you are going and not get stuck where you’re out…. Pick up a picture frame and see where God is taking you while the devil is trying to hold you back.”

Vision, Pfleger, is seeing where you are going and not where you are presently. For example, Pfleger took a trip down memory lane and reminded his members how years ago he led the church down the street and prayed for transformation.

 “There was nothing but a drug motel on Racine. There was nothing but an old abandoned tire shop. Remember, there was nothing but a drug car wash on 79^th Street, but we went out there and began to lay our hands on buildings and said we believe” that a bowling alley would come, a senior housing building would be built a social service office…. We believed that a black restaurant would come like BJ’s.

“Remember when I gave you a bag of seeds and I said once we got rid of all of the bad, we’d go out and throw seeds saying, social service center, restaurant, senior building…. Some of you laughed at me. Some of you called me plum crazy. Some of you called me nuts and said I was out of my mind and you laughed at me. Well, who got the last laugh now,” said Pfleger. “You’re right. I was crazy because I saw things in the picture frame that I could not see in the reality.”

He said when others see youth as a drug dealer, he sees them as a CEO. Pfleger said sometimes you must put your arms around these youth and challenge them to dream again. “Learn how to dust off the dreams of your sisters and brothers and let them see their potential.”

He told of one teacher who had an unruly student, but Pfleger told the teacher to close her eyes and vision that student as graduating with honors. “Vision is being able to see the violence ending while the shooting is going on. You got to see the violence ending. You got to see kids playing in the street. You got to see kids playing in the park…graduating from school…. You have to see a community prospering while it is struggling….

“Vision is seeing yourself in a job while your employer is laying you off. I ain’t having a pity party. I’m getting ready for my next job. I’m glad you let me go because there is somebody waiting for me. Vision is seeing yourself getting up when others are knocking you down….

“Vision is seeing yourself healed when the doctor says you’re sick…. Vision is seeing what God wants to bring to past in the midst of your mess…. Vision is being in the fire and seeing God in the fire with you….. Vision is Jesus on a cross looking at you with all your jacked up self and saying you have possibilities. You are worth dying for…. God has a vision for you. That is what kept him on the cross, his vision….”

“Vision does not allow my circumstances to dictate to my life.  If I’m in a situation, I can close my eyes and say, my vision didn’t see me dying. My vision didn’t see my failing. My vision didn’t see me unworthy. My vision didn’t see me being a failure….”

Pfleger told the church, “You are not dealing with a Moses pastor. I’m not looking where someone is going, I’m a Joshua. I’m going there for myself. Are there any other Joshua people up in here…? “ He told them what ever you are going through is “nothing but a test.” Pfleger then asks some members to come to the altar for a victory dance.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.

Boutte was success you could bank on

Boutte died at his home in Hazel Crest, IL, April 1. He was 82 years old.

By Juanita Bratcher

Alvin J. Boutte was an astute banker. He was knowledgeable about the banking industry and shared much of that banking and financial expertise in an extensive interview with CopyLine Magazine in 1991.

It was an extraordinary interview with Boutte, entitled, Alvin J. Boutte: Success you can ‘Bank’ on. Following is a reprint of that article from CopyLine’s 1991 archives:

It’s one thing to write your own success story, but it’s a strike of ingenuity to carve out success stories for others.

Alvin J. Boutte, president and chief executive officer of Indecorp, Inc., and chairman and chief executive of Independence Bank of Chicago and Drexel National Bank, has been carving out success stories for entrepreneurs for more than 20 years. And, he relishes every minute of it!

Boutte has made his mark in both the banking and business communities (was involved in other business endeavors), and has an unquestionable track record of success.

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” Boutte said. “I like what I’m doing. I know what it means to people. So I have a great deal of personal satisfaction from it.”

When Boutte and four other investors set-out to start Independence Bank more than 20 years ago, they started with $800,000 in capital. The bank now has 40,000 customers and over $21 million in capital. Three of the five original investors are deceased. The remaining original investor is businessman George Johnson.

And although the country is in a recession, Boutte said for 40 years, since World War II, “Our country has had an unprecedented economic growth.”

This economic growth, he said, was caused because most of the countries in the world were destroyed by the war – all of Europe, all of the major powers in Asia, literally all of the western democracies except this one, including England.

“Their infrastructures were destroyed, and as a result of that, we had a huge advantage for 40 years…it began to slow down about eight to 10 years ago when these other economic systems like western Europe, especially Germany…Japan, which had been devastated by the war, rebuilt their infrastructures and economic systems and began competing in the world markets.”

And due to this competition, Boutte added, “this country had a much slower rate of growth, which is understandable in these cases. But a recession in this country is not like traditional recessions in the world that we’ve known for centuries. Recessions in economic systems have lasted sometimes for a generation. In this case, our recessions – which we have had four or five – usually last anywhere from a year to three years. The longest we’ve ever had a recession was three years, of course excluding the great depression in1929, which was a different act of reasons altogether.”

Further, Boutte said because other economic systems have “begun to catch up with us, begun to export more and reduce our markets, we’ve had much slower growth. This country (America) even today is still the most powerful economic force in the world, including Japan and Germany. And it has produced a standard of living unparalleled in history.”

He sees the recession as being temporary. “As a matter of fact, we see evidence now that we’re coming out of that. Slow economic growth means a reduction in value to any banking system. We have a banking system which is tied to money supply. It has affected the banking industry, particularly the larger banks. As the recession gets worse the banking system normally would get worse; and that is what has happened here.”

Some years ago, banks began charging fees for various services provided that were unheard of before.

“You want to know who is really responsible for this (fees)?” Boutte asked. “I think President (Jimmy) Carter made a critical error when he deregulated the banking industry. I testified against this. He insisted that we pay interest on certain deposits.

“We used to have a maximum interest that you could charge. Under the new law, under President Carter, that was eliminated.

“When Carter made this decision, which in my judgment it was a very poor decision, especially for poor people. What he said is, you must pay people that have a checking account – which we do – but the minimum (balance) doesn’t help our people.

“In other words, you must keep a minimum of $1500 in your account. Well, these people have a checking account to pay their rent, so they get nothing out of this. In terms of the deregulation of banks, I think the Carter Administration…and Carter who is a very decent man and a very liberal man, made a very ignorant, dumb error.”

CopyLine: Do you foresee bankers pushing to have deregulation of the banking industry removed? Or, is it a small matter and not that significant?

Boutte: It’s a very minor matter, really, it’s not significant. I think there are several things that should be deregulated by government. However, the three industries which have been deregulated have been devastated. We now know after 12 years what the results are. I think the airline industry has been devastated by deregulation. I think the trucking industry has been devastated by deregulation. And I think the banking industry has also been hurt by it.

CopyLine: Why has Independence Bank been so successful?

Boutte: I think one of the reasons why we are so successful is that we have the first and second generations of highly educated blacks working all over our company. These are Blacks – some of them – the first Blacks in their families to go to college and get MBA degrees. These are the people who are driving all of this…very bright people. We’ve got the best in the black community. We’ve got the cream of the crop…people from Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago Graduate School. We have the advantage of getting the very best and very brightest. Most of the young people that I recruit, or we recruit, know that if they’re really going to have upward mobility in their careers, it is with us. The only Black presidents of banks in the state are our guys. We don’t have a problem retaining people. People who work here now have been working here for many years.

CopyLine: What are your thoughts on the S&L scandal?

Boutte: Banks and S&L’s missions are not the same. S&Ls make mortgages to people. We do all kinds of things. However, I think it’s a tragedy (scandal). It’s unfortunate that it happened. One of the ways to avert that is to be more critical of the people who own and run these things. In S&Ls, anybody and his brother could do that. In the banking industry you have to be approved by the Federal Reserve Board. They check you out and make sure that you have the funds, to make sure that you have the reputation, that you have the expertise.

We are in the business of causing upward mobility and increasing the wealth of Black Americans. That’s what we do. And, we do it on a very large scale, not a small scale. The reason why so many Blacks have McDonald’s franchises is because we did this. But people don’t know this.

CopyLine: How much is the average McDonald’s franchise?

Boutte: The average McDonald’s franchise is a loan of about anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000. We’ve got them all over the country. So our job is to funnel funds in to people who know what they’re doing and who have a project which has merit. Reggio’s Pizza (owner), he’s getting ready to build a huge factory that makes frozen pizzas with a market all over the country. We are in the business of causing economic development to happen on a much, much larger scale. That’s what we’ve been doing for many years.

CopyLine: Aside from Reggio’s, is there any other black firm here in the city that perhaps your bank gave a loan to and they made it big?

Boutte: Let’s take Cirilo McSween (owns five McDonald’s), he started with one. People criticized me for lending in the Loop. He literally owns every McDonald’s in the Loop, and I financed every one of them. He’s been a great success.

CopyLine: So, there were a lot of success stories?

Boutte: Many. Many of them. Hundreds of them.

CopyLine: There are many people in the city who say that the business community is not out-front. They would like to see business persons run for public offices. Are businessmen so content in what they do that they have no interest in the political arena?

Boutte: That’s a great fallacy, and it is one of the weaknesses of our people. Everybody ought not to be a politician. A society of people is a conglomeration of many kinds of people. We have our role to play – we play it. We have our job to do and it shouldn’t mix. If you want to be a politician, fine, but we all have a role to play in this society. We need more people that can create wealth, who’s bright enough that can not only make their own lives for their wives, their children and their families, but can create opportunities for other people. I am very content in what I am. I’ve never had any aspirations to be (a politician). The public things I do, I do it as a part of a civic responsibility…you have to understand that there’re only a few people who are doing what I am doing. Suppose I decided to leave, who could do this? The banks here are not ordinary banks. I mean, I don’t know if the public understands that. We’re the only black business that’s not only better than the best in the black community, we’re better than our white counterparts, which no black business can say that – no line of black business. We beat the hell out of other banks – white ones in the suburbs and everywhere else. Our numbers are better, that’s the only way I can explain it.

CopyLine: Why are your numbers better?

Boutte: Because we work harder, we have better people, and we have more loyalty among our people…that means an awful lot.

CopyLine: During your time in the banking business, what has been the greatest disappointment? What has been the high point?

Boutte: I have not had a major disappointment. I think I’m disappointed that more of our young people are not interested in business. They seem to go to college to do everything but that. It’s beyond me as to why. I just don’t understand why. Many of the colleges still are teaching the same thing they taught years and years ago – teaching them how to be a teacher, how to be a social service worker – and that’s reflective in the reproduction of capital. I think if I had a disappointment, and this one isn’t that great, is that we have not stressed enough the importance of a business career, it’s the only way you can create wealth- significant wealth, not just for yourself but for many, many other people. We’re much more intoned to politics and to social services – things that are important – but we need men and women who understand the dynamics of capital and the interrelationships of them, that can generate wealth. And we don’t put any effort into that, not enough.

The greatest joy I’ve gotten, is watching this marvelous, educated second generation which is on board now bring their valuable skills and intelligence that they have been trained for so many years.

CopyLine: What kind of plan is needed in the black community in order to bring about economic empowerment?

Boutte: I think the process is going on. The problem is, it’s happening and nobody realizes it or they don’t understand it. You got to understand that when I started there wasn’t a single Black automobile dealership in America. There wasn’t a single black McDonald’s owner in America. There wasn’t a single black bank in America. All of these businesses that we are now in, we’ve only been like this for 25 years. It takes a long time for it to regenerate itself.

The publishing business, now you don’t have just John Johnson and Ebony, you’ve got Essence, you’ve got nine significant black publications today in 20 years. Well that doesn’t sound like a lot, but that is a lot. You’ve got an upward mobility; that’s significant in the black community. Of course you have an underclass, and of course that has to be addressed, and of course they need help, but clearly, I think the latest census will show that – the significance of race. Look at the Blacks who are actually now living in the suburbs. The process is going on every day; these are victories and defeats, but there are more victories than defeats.

I wish it can be done in two years, but economic development isn’t something that can be done overnight. I am the guy that helped to bring cable to Chicago. We own part of the systems here, not just here, but all over the country. I remember when Blacks owned no radio stations, they owned no television stations, they owned no cable companies, and they owned nothing! They had nothing! Well that isn’t true today. Tom Lewis, who used to work for me, owns four or five radio stations around the country. You have Blacks who own TV stations, the Seaway Group started that 15 years ago…the process is going on, a very difficult one, but it is causing upward mobility. We want to work with intelligent, bright people who know what they are doing. And if they do, they will have our support.

Between the black banks in this city, you only elected one black mayor (Harold Washington), and he came here first. I’m the guy that gave him his first $100,000. Everybody in the city knows that. We had the meetings right next door in this room every night until he was elected.

Our job is to help. Not to help making speeches on a corner, but to help by using my creative intelligence; not just me, these creative, young, bright people who know what they’re doing; who understand the dynamics of business and can make a difference. They are all over this place, on every floor. Not like us who had a hard time being out there. Of course I went to college, but I don’t have the kind of education they have. This is the cream of the black community. That’s what gives me the most good feelings. And, frankly, they are going to do a better job than we did. The next group that comes in here, look what they’ll have to work with. Look at what I had to work with. They will take this to a conclusion and to a level that is unmatched by me or anybody that was in my generation. The next guys are going to do a hell of a lot more than me.

Brief Highlights of Boutte’s career

Boutte was born in Lake Charles, La., but moved to Chicago

Earned a degree in pharmacy from Xavier University

Boutte owned and operated a Chicago drugstore and later expanded into a chain

Alvin J. Boutte, Sr. was founder and CEO of Independence Bank, 79th and Cottage Grove, a bank he founded with Businessman George Johnson and three other investors. It became the largest minority-owned bank in the nation.

A Civil Rights leader

In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy frequently visited Boutte at his Chatham home. He raised money for the Southern Christian leadership Conference (SCLC)

A supporter of Operation PUSH

Acquired Drexel National Bank

Served on the Chicago Board of Education

Funeral Services for Mr. Boutte were held April 14, 2012. He is survived by wife, Barbara; daughters, Janice Boutte and Jeanette Simpson; sons, Al, Jr. and Gregory; and four grandchildren.

Juanita Bratcher is the Publisher of www.copylinemagazine.com, the author of several books, songwriter and poet. She has been a Journalist for more than 35 years covering politics, education and a wide-range of other topics.