PRESIDING BISHOP Michael Leon Mitchell and wife, Cordelia D. Mitchell, Episcopal supervisor, will be honored by the 12th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at the Quadrennial Celebration. The semi-formal affair will be held at 7 p.m. today in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center at Little Rock. The event is held every four years to commemorate the end of a bishop’s four-year assignment in a district. The district includes churches in the Pine Bluff area, according to a news release.
ST. JOHN AME CHURCH, 1117 W. Pullen St., will give away food Saturday from 9 a.m. until all food has been distributed. State IDs are required to receive one box per family. Food pickup will be in front of the church on Cherry Street. For safety reasons, recipients are asked to stay in their vehicles and open their trunks. The sponsors are the church’s Soul Food for the Mind, Body, and Spirit Feeding Ministry along with community partners, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, according to a news release. Financial donations may be sent to St. John AME Church-Feeding Ministry, 1117 W. Pullen St., Pine Bluff, Ark. 71601. or electronically through Givelify St. John AME Pine Bluff. Contact Pearl Matlock at pearl1948@sbcglobal.net to volunteer. The Rev. Chestine Sims Jr. is the pastor at St. John.
PILGRIM MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 2507 Hill St., will open its Raven’s Nest Food Pantry on Saturday from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been given away. Food will be given away on a first come, first-served basis. Participants must bring a picture identification. The pantry is a U.S. Department of Agriculture distribution site and equal opportunity provider.
SARDIS BAPTIST CHURCH will host the annual meeting for the Grapevine Cemetery Memorial Service on May 19 after the church’s 11 a.m. worship service. After the memorial service, there will be a potluck fellowship meal. The memorial will also include grave decorations before morning service. “We encourage anyone connected to the Grapevine Cemetery to come join in the celebration,” according to a news release. The Grapevine Cemetery Association is a registered tax-exempt organization, and donations are tax deductible. If unable to attend, contributors to the upkeep of the cemetery can send donations to: Grapevine Cemetery/Treasurer, 9310 Grant 14, Pine Bluff, AR 71603.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
NEW COMMUNITY CHURCH, 321 N. Birch St., will celebrate Women’s Day on June 9. At 11 a.m., the featured speaker will be Tacarra Goodwin, a member of New Community. At 2:30 p.m., the guest speaker will be Jenise “Sandy” Todd, a local pastor. The guest choir director will be Donna Huskey. New Community also has children’s church at 11 a.m. Sundays in the fellowship hall, prayer at noon on weekdays, and Bible Study at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. The community is invited to attend. The pastor/apostle is Patrick Lockett Sr.
Church news is printed in The Commercial on Fridays. The deadline to submit church announcements is noon Wednesdays. Pastors, ministers or others interested in writing for the Devotional Page may also submit columns for consideration. Column writers should have connections to Southeast Arkansas. Articles are accepted by email to Sandra Hope at shope@adgnewsroom.com. Details: (870) 534-3400, ext. 5.