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Pastor Small Honored at PICF

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Peoples Inter-Cities Fellowship, located at 639 Drake Ave., celebrated the sixth pastoral anniversary of their Senior Pastor Marcus Small and First Lady Melanie Small on  June 2, 2019.

The anniversary included Florence Williams as the Mistress of Ministry and Rev. Dr. Rondall Leggett, Pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, as the main speaker.

A dinner was served after the anniversary aervice.

Senior Pastor Marcus Small is the son of the late Fred Small, according to the PICF website. Pastor Marcus Small grew up attending the Marin City Church of God, which changed their name to People’s Inter-Cities Fellowship (PICF) in January 2005.

Pastor Small grew up in Marin City where he attended the local schools. He graduated from Redwood High School in 1979 and then attended the College of Marin. Small graduated from COM with an A.A. degree in Behavioral Sciences in 1981 and then transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU) where he received his B.A. degree in Psychology in 1984.

While attending COM and SFSU, Small was also taking Bible classes at the Southern Marin Bible Institute, which was founded by his brother-in-law, Pastor Dr. Emmanuel Akognon.

In 1985, Small was accepted into the Clinical Psychology Program at SFSU where he graduated in 1987 with a M.S. in Clinical Psychology. In 1990, he was licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California.

In 1987 Pastor Marcus was licensed as a Minister in the Church of God and in 1997, he was ordained by the Interstate Association of the Church of God.

On May 15, 2013, Small became the senior pastor of PICF after his father went home to be with the Lord. Small loves the Lord and loves serving in ministry. In addition to his role as senior pastor, he currently plays the organ for the church after initially starting off playing the drums.

Small is married to Melanie Small (Warren) and they have two children, Quinlan and Sherrell. Marcus, his wife and daughter live in Rohnert Park. Their son, Quinlan, married Chelsea Black of Medford, Ore., in July of 2013 and Quinlan currently resides in Oregon.

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Alameda County

Oakland Celebrates Ethiopian Holiday of Epiphany (Timket) 2025

Traditionally, the ceremonies begin with putting a model of the Ark of the Covenant—called the Tabot—onto the priest’s head to represent Jesus becoming the Messiah the day of his baptism. A prayer service signifies the start of the festivities. Following a procession is the Divine Liturgy, also called the Water Ceremony, which takes place near a body of water and begins around 2 a.m. The body of water is blessed, then sprinkled on the participants—some even entering the water as a way to renew their baptismal vows symbolically.

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Procession during Timkat festival at Lalibela in Ethiopia 2013. iStock photo by sylvainnaessens.
Procession during Timkat festival at Lalibela in Ethiopia 2013. iStock photo by sylvainnaessens.

By Anka Lee
Post Intern

This year, the celebration of the Ethiopian holiday known as Timket (Timkat), or Epiphany, will take place at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts (formerly known as the Kaiser Convention Center). This culturally and religiously significant celebration will occur Jan. 18 and 19. It’s an opportunity to see Ethiopian culture up close, while hopefully bringing more attention to a holiday not many know about.

Timket is the celebration of Epiphany by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Epiphany is the birth of Jesus Christ and, every year on January 19 (January 20 during leap years), it is celebrated in honor of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

Traditionally, the ceremonies begin with putting a model of the Ark of the Covenant—called the Tabot—onto the priest’s head to represent Jesus becoming the Messiah the day of his baptism. A prayer service signifies the start of the festivities. Following a procession is the Divine Liturgy, also called the Water Ceremony, which takes place near a body of water and begins around 2 a.m. The body of water is blessed, then sprinkled on the participants—some even entering the water as a way to renew their baptismal vows symbolically.

According to American sociologist, Donald N. Levine, that is only the beginning of the celebrations. In the 1960s, the clergy would perform hymns and seniors and men would march to the music as the Tabot was paraded through the streets. Children danced to rhythmic tunes and the finely dressed women talked among themselves “on their one real day of freedom in the year.” Finally, once the Tabot had been safely put away until the next year, the people would go home and feast, bathed in the day’s revitalizing atmosphere.

It was in 2019 that Timket was considered and registered as an intangible heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This holiday brings together community, as well as represents the faith of the people.

Today, there are approximately 20,000 Ethiopians and Eritreans living in the Bay Area.

Locally, Timket will be celebrated at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, located on 10 Tenth St., Oakland, CA. For more information, visit the Facebook page (based in Oakland): Debre Meheret Kidus Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

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Arts and Culture

BOOK REVIEW: On Love

King entered college at age fifteen and after graduation, he was named associate pastor at his father’s church. At age twenty-five, he became the pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. In late 1956, he was apprehended for his part in the bus boycott there, his first of many arrests for non-violent protests and activism for Civil Rights. But when asked if those things were what he hoped he’d be honored for in years to come, King said he wanted to be remembered as “’someone who tried to love somebody.’”

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“On Love” Book Cover. Courtesy of Harper Collins.
“On Love” Book Cover. Courtesy of Harper Collins.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., c.2024, Harper Collins, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, $18.99    

Turn the volume up, please.

You need it louder because this is something you’ve been waiting to hear. You need to listen very closely; these words mean a great deal to you, and they might change your life. As in the new book, “On Love” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the message beneath the message is the most important.

As the grandson and great-grandson of pastors and the son of the senior pastor at Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, it may seem as though young Martin Luther King, Jr., born in 1929, already had his life set.

King entered college at age fifteen and after graduation, he was named associate pastor at his father’s church. At age twenty-five, he became the pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. In late 1956, he was apprehended for his part in the bus boycott there, his first of many arrests for non-violent protests and activism for Civil Rights.

But when asked if those things were what he hoped he’d be honored for in years to come, King said he wanted to be remembered as “’someone who tried to love somebody.’”

His words, essays, letters, and speeches reflect that desire.

In a 1955 sermon in Montgomery, he used a parable to explain why White people needed love to gain compassion. In 1956, he wrote about the bombing of his home, telling his readers that no retaliation was needed, that to “confront the problem with love” was the righteous and better thing to do.

Later that year, he said, “I want you to love our enemies… Love them and let them know you love them.” And in November, 1956, he said, “If you have not love, it means nothing.”

“Love is the greatest force in all the world,” he said in 1962.

He wrote a book on the subject, Strength to Love, in 1963.

In 1967, just months before his assassination, he said that “power at its best is love.”

When we talk about Dr. King’s life and his legacy, so much focus is put on his work on behalf of Civil Rights and equality that it’s easy to lose sight of the thing which he felt was more important. In “On Love,” any omission is rectified nicely.

This book, “excerpted to highlight the material where King specifically addressed the topic of love,” is full of pleasant surprises, words with impact, and thought provokers. King’s speeches hammered home a need to love one’s enemies, woven into messages of gentle resistance and strength. He explained the different “levels” of love in a way that makes sense when related to equality and justice. The bits and pieces collected here will linger in reader’s minds, poking and prodding and reminding.

If your shelves are full of books about Dr. King, know that this is a unique one, and it’s perfect for our times, now. Don’t race through it; instead, savor what you’ll read and keep it close. “On Love” is a book you’ll want to turn to, often.

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Activism

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Remembers Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School Lessons

Barbara Lee said she still treasures her CD Sunday school lessons that she participated in as a visitor to Jimmy Carter’s Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. She told The Post that she attended gospel concerts at the Carter White House as the staff aide for the late Congressman Ron Dellums. 

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Congressperson Barbara Lee invited her fellow members of Congress and their key staff to visit Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School lessons.
Congressperson Barbara Lee invited her fellow members of Congress and their key staff to visit Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School lessons.

By Paul Cobb

“I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of President Jimmy Carter,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “President Carter displayed a lifelong commitment to global peace, justice, and human rights. He inspired me and countless others.”

“I send my condolences to his family, his loved ones, and all who loved him. May he now Rest in Peace with his wife, Rosalynn,”. Lee continued.

Barbara Lee said she still treasures her CD Sunday school lessons that she participated in as a visitor to Jimmy Carter’s Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. She told The Post that she attended gospel concerts at the Carter White House as the staff aide for the late Congressman Ron Dellums.

“I also invited congressional staff to visit his Sunday school teachings. He taught us lessons on how to apply our faith to our policy work in government and in our respective communities. He practiced what he preached and represented a change in social and racial advancements.”

Barbara Lee with PresidentCarter and First Lady Rosalyn.
Lee has treasured the CD’s and
notes of his Sunday School Bible
lessons through the years. Photos
courtesy of Rep. Lee’s office.

Barbara Lee with President Carter and First Lady Rosalyn. Lee has treasured the Carters and notes of his Sunday School Bible lessons through the years. Photos courtesy of Rep. Lee’s office.

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