Colors for Christ program reflects diversity, celebrates history
By WALLYCE TODD
Staff Writer
What color is God? This is a question that has likely been asked by many through the millenniums of time historical. A local church is beginning its anniversary celebration this weekend with a 7 p.m. Friday night service entitled “Colors for Christ.”
The church is the historical St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church located at 114 W. Virgil Street in Whiteville. The congregation is preparing to celebrate its 143rd anniversary. The News Reporter will highlight some of its specific history and more information about the weekend’s worship opportunities in Thursday’s edition.
During Friday’s service, the Rev. Robert Little Jr. pastor of Piney Grove A.M.E. Zion Church of Clarkton, will be the guest pastor. He and others will discuss not whether God is one particular color, but the fact that He is the Creator of all colors ... and how He uses colors symbolically in the sanctuary, its services, and in the prophecies.
The Reverend Henry A. Gregory III is the pastor of Whiteville’s St. Mark church. About Friday’s “Colors” service, he said: “It’s basically an opportunity to enjoy God and His diversity.”
Members of St. Mark’s are planning to make “Colors for Christ” an annual program. There will be team captains who will encourage those sitting in groups on their certain pews to wear the color they are representing.
Carol Caldwell is one team captain. Her team color is beige.
She noted: “It’s not an exclusive thing.” Caldwell said anyone could come, wearing any color. “We just want you to come and to fit in wherever you feel comfortable.” Her eyes did twinkle as she added that she’d love for visitors to wear beige and sit with her team.
However, beige is only one of the colors that will be represented. Other team captains will have teams representing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and more. The service will look at how God incorporates color and how the science of color in nature demonstrates the attributes of God.
Louise Turner, St. Mark’s anniversary committee chairperson, said Friday night “will be an exciting, spirit-filled service, where people will be ‘blooming for Christ.’ There will be good preaching, praise and worship, melodious singing and fellowship.”
Turner also emphasized that Friday night was just the beginning of the anniversary weekend events. Her brother, the Rev. Julian Pridgen, will be visiting from Kinston to lead the Sunday afternoon service at 4 p.m.
Gregory, a husband and father of two daughters and a son “on the way,” concluded: “There’s always an open invitation. Come one. Come all. We want everybody to have the opportunity to experience God at St. Mark.”