The Henderson County Black History Committee (HCBHC) started Black History month of with a BANG. On Sunday, February 5, the Henderson County Black History Committee celebrated “We Love Our Youth” with guest speaker Rev. Reginald J. Houston, Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Dallas, Texas as the principal speaker. Bro. Zachary Jackson (Antioch) and Bro. Tarence Cook (Allen Chapel) hosted the event; along with youth from the surrounding areas singing songs of praise or praise dancing for the Lord.
In the absence of Mayor Pat Isaacson and Mayor Pro Tem Timmy Trimble, Bro. Homer R. Trimble (Malakoff ISD Board of Trustees) welcomed the congregation and presented the guest speaker with a key to the City of Malakoff. Also present was Mayor Randy Daniel (Athens) who noted that he was happy to be present at the first event during Black History month.
Justice of the Peace, Prescient 5 candidate, Pam Underhill, delighted the congregation with a solo in titled “People Need the Lord.”
Rev. Floyd Thomas, Jr. and Rev. Haywood Thomas lead the congregation in the pulpit devotion after which Rev. Haywood Thomas introduced the speaker, The Reverend Reginald J. Houston, one of the most exciting, outrageous, and soul-stirring ministers in the North Texas Conference.
Rev. Houston, a native of McGregor, Texas is a graduate from McGregor High School. He attended Prairie View A&M University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. He received the Associate Degree in Nursing (LVN) from McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas in 1984 and the Masters of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in 1985. Pastor Houston has extensive training in administrative and leadership skills, and was the recipient of numerous awards while attending Brite Divinity School.
Licensed to preach by Bishop John Hurst Adams, then presiding Bishop of the Tenth Episcopal District, he has served as Pastor of several African Methodist Episcopal churches including: Sweet Home, Pleasant Home, Wilhite, St. Paul Waco and Wesley Chapel of Fort Worth. Currently he is the senior Pastor of Bethel AME Church Dallas.
Pastor Houston has been actively involved in both Christian and Public Education. He believes in total communication with the community. He is employed by the Fort Worth ISD, and in 2004 was selected by his colleagues as Teacher of the Year. He is a member of the Nurturing Program and serves as chairperson of the Campus Coordinating Committee. He was selected as a finalist for the District Advisory Board. He has served the North Texas Conference as a Trustee, a member of the Examining Board, Conference School Superintendent, and Secretary of the Waco-Temple District.
Rev. Houston said, “out of all my many years of preaching, I want to thank Bro. Homer Trimble for giving me my first key to the City.”
Rev. Houston who is the founder of “In the Bag Ministry” wanted the congregation to know that your VICTORY is in the BAG. (In The Bag Ministry, created by Rev. Houston, where he preaches a complete sermon while illustrating his topics by removing various objects from his bag and displaying them to the congregation.)
Rev. Houston wanted the congregation especially the young people to know that you can SHOUT, have JOY, and FAVOR with the LORD. “Let the Lord be magnified in your life, in your home, just Praise the LORD,” said Rev. Houston.
He also spoke on “Claiming the American Dream” where he asked the question “Who Let the Dogs OUT?”
Houston referred to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, a dreamer of the American dream:. King, a man who saw that America was not fulfilling the American dream by on one hand proclaiming the principal of Democracy and on the other hand the exploitation of the Negro and other minority groups. “Somewhere between justice and injustice, somewhere between equality and inequality, somewhere between demonstration and discrimination, somewhere between help up and hang ups, somewhere between church and criminal behavior, somebody has let the DOGS OUT,” said Houston.
He noted that since we are letting interest rates control our finances; we need to ask the question “Who Let the Dogs OUT?” Surely, the dogs are out if the only things you can say is “Put it on the credit card” rather than paying cash. Surely, the dogs are out if your loneliness over rules you logic. Surely, the dogs are out if the only song you know is “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” “The reason for all the turmoil and violence, I believe that someone “Let the Dogs OUT,”
“If we would take the time to teach our children the Word of the Lord, instead of allowing them to learn the words of (Rappers) Little Bow Wow, Snoop Dog, etc. I submit to you that something is wrong. Children are learning all the lyrics to hip-hop and making negative hand signs, but they don’t know their times tables; they don’t know the names Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, W. E. B. DuBois, etc. So we ask the question, “Who Let The Dogs OUT?” said Houston.
“We must teach out children to trust in the LORD; that He will direct your path. He is the Bright and Morning star, the Lily of the Valley, your way Maker in times of trouble, Jesus is your all and all. He is there whenever you call His name. Just look to Jesus,” said Houston.
The Black History events moved on to Sunday, February 12, with the Gospel Showcase at Macedonia Baptist Church with Rev. LaWanda Robertson host Pastor. The musical included songs from the Henderson County churches worshiping and praising the Lord together.
The Next Event
The next event is the Black History Scholarship Saturday, February 25, at the Malakoff Community/Senior Center. Time for the event is 7:00 p. m. and ticket are $10.00. You may contact Marie Trimble/903-489-0430, Delanda S. Johnson/903-489-2329, Joyce Fisher/903-489-3574, or pay for your tickets at the door. Speaker for this event is Bro. Darryl Bowdre, minister of South Central Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas.
Bro. Bowdre is the founder of the Ebony News Journal and one of the three founders of the Community Broadcast Group. He continues to serve as Editor of the Ebony News, which is the largest newspaper targeting black readership in East Texas. He is a former Trustee of the Tyler ISD and serves on several other boards in the Tyler and East Texas area, including the Bi-Partisan African American Coalition, and is one of the founders of the Tyler Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Tyler Community Citizens Education Task Force.
Bro. Bowdre established the South Central Church of Christ in Tyler in 1998 with 60 members and has helped to double that membership. He is well known in journalism circles in the Tyler-Longview-Marshall area and has been involved in communications for 25 years.