Heartbeat Heartbeat November2009: Cleveland Giving Thanks
| November2009: Cleveland Giving Thanks |
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CLEVELAND GIVING THANKS Acts 8:8--And there was great joy in that city. It has been said that if you are a native of Cleveland and over 40 years of age, then written into your DNA is this—“Cleveland-the BestLocation in the Nation.” This slogan was popularized beginning in 1944 by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. Their advertisementand campaigns saturated the city’s airwaves and newspapers. The branding effort was extremely successful. The catch phrase became a part of the local vocabulary. Well, Cleveland remains in the news even since those early days. But sadly the news is grim; the slogan a thing of the past. A few yearsafter the slogan, Cleveland began its slide from the 7th largest city in the nation down to the 40th and the slide continues. In recent years, the City of Cleveland has been a city of pain with job losses and grim statistics that sweep the bottom of the pile. Hope hasbeen deferred, making the heart of the city of Cleveland woefully nauseous and sick. Despite signs of economic growth, consumer confidenceis low and potential buyers have less cash and less access to credit to purchase cars, goods and services than they did a year ago. Statistics tell us that 30,000 jobs have been saved through stimulus funds, with only 699 of those jobs being through the State of Ohio. What part of that has made its way to Cleveland? Certainly not to the Mt. Pleasant area. Talk to those who live there. Mt. Pleasant is not so pleasant any more as residents struggle with unemployment and income below poverty guidelines. No, the job scene is a horrible one to look upon with unemployment soaring above the 11 percent mark. In the Catholic Community, “Endangered Catholics” as they are known, are trying their best to hold on or adjust to the news reported by theCleveland Catholic Dioceses of the 50 mostly urban parishes that will no longer exist in 2010.The NAACP, an organization that has been known for its high values for families and minorities are now caving in on those values as theCleveland Chapter endorses Issue 3, the ballot measure that would bring casinos to Ohio’s four largest cities. [God is no longer our Source.God now needs to be replaced with casinos and gambling. Heaven help us!] Our community is being torn apart by corrupt leaders and corruption-related crimes. Safety in the downtown streets is now questionable. What might we face when exiting a restaurant? Acts 8:8--And there was great joy in that city. A city does not have to be woeful. A sense of joy can override all of the adversities of any city if only the focus becomes Christ and not thecrisis. This is what we want to recapture during this week of praise--a people lifting up Christ a people pouring out their hearts to Him,seeing Him as “The Answer” to all ills. I call upon the citizens of Cleveland to join Mega Church as we endeavor to do exactly that in our “Cleveland Giving Thanks Holiday Revival.” In doing so, we will be positioning this city for blessing and not bruising, wonder and not woe. So may it also be penned regarding the city of Cleveland…And there was great joy in that city.
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