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Dear HJA,
The Sparks is the BRC's online communication tool. We hope that
BRC members and friends will find this E-newsletter a great way to
stay connected to the BRC family and promote your products, events
and services within and beyond the Overground RR!!© community.
Welcome aboard.
| Risby Commerical Cleaners -- Doing the
Homework |
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 Gaynell Risby believes in doing her homework.
"I
wasn't about to walk out here without knowing what my
competitors had to offer. I spent a lot of hours on the
internet figuring out what they did, how much they charged for
it, who their customers, suppliers and insurers were, all of
that, and especially finding out what was in demand."
All this was in addition to working for someone else
in the commercial cleaning business in Chatanooga. She took
the time to meticulously learn the ropes before launching her
own commercial cleaning business, first in Macon, and now in
metro Atlanta.
"Bigger markets, bigger
challenges,bigger opportunities." she says.
"Just who
needs a commercial cleaner, anyway?" our interviewer asked.
"Almost everybody," she replied. "The real question is
who needs and can afford professional cleaning? Most offices
use professional cleaners of one kind or another. Banks,
businesses, commercial establishments of all kinds purchase
professional cleaning services. Realtors need premises cleaned
after foreclosures and before showing for sale. And busy
individuals who can afford the services of a professional can
certainly benefit from services like ours. Professional
cleaners use safe, effective and appropriate materials and
technology along with good old fashioned thoroughness and
attention to detail. That's how we get results."
"It's
a great opportunity, building up a business, but it's lot of
work. You can't just get paid. It's not that simple. You have
to be motivated and stay with it."
"I'm hoping to grow
this business, to grow its capacity and bid for larger
contracts, both in the public and private sectors. Again, it's
all about the homework. You have to know what's out there and
know what others are charging, and what kinds of services they
provide. You need to know what the administrative procedures
are, and what your own capabilities are over a sustained
period of time."
"I'm also hoping that the BRC and the
contacts I get through it will be useful in that process.
Black businesses ought to be helping each other, pooling and
sharing the knowledge we have. That's what community is, and
how I imagine it working. That's part of the reason I'm a BRC
member. I want to see all of us lifted up, not just me."
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| October 20 is Family Appreciation
Day |
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 The Bobby Hurd Ministries invites you to be a part of the
First Annual Family Appreciation Day, "Bridging Families
Together," to be held on Saturday October 20, 2007 at Siloam
Church International 3695 Roosevelt Highway in College
Park. Join Bobby Hurd in meeting his commitment to fostering
family development in the community through the channels of
the church, business owners and the community. The Bobby Hurd
Ministries is promoting this event with the primary goal of
bringing families together and keeping families together.
You can be a part of this fun-filled family festival
that kicks off at 9:00 am and continues throughout the
afternoon until 3:00 pm. A variety of activities and family
fun are planned to include hourly singing by various church
choirs and groups, board games, and volleyball. Food and
refreshments will be aplenty and a rib cook off is scheduled
as well. Families will be treated to free health screenings by
community health agencies, as well as fire and police safety
tips for children. In addition, eligible citizens will be able
to register to vote.
You can be a sponsor to the more
than 2,500 people expected in attendance who will be
representing local and state churches, businesses and
community organizations.
For more information call
Bobby Hurd Enterprises at 404-241-3030
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| Blessed Events: Noteworthy & Newsworthy Occasions
From BRC's Member Churches |
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On Saturday, October 6 at 4 PM Simmons
Chapel AME Zion Church, the Little Church of Miracles
celebrates the 20 years in ministry of its pastor the Rev. Dr.
Gloria Ward Wright. The event takes place at the Holiday Inn
Select, 450 Capitol Ave. in Atlanta 30312. Tickets are $30
each or $240 for a table of 8. Click here
for event details or to reserve your seat.
Don't miss
International Christian Fellowship's Annual Banquet and
Fashion Show, 6 to 9PM on Saturday, October 6.
benefiting the ICF Building Fund at 3076 Humphries Drive,
Atlanta 30354. For more information call 404-363-1730.
After its 11 AM service on Sunday, October 7,
Cascade
United Methodist Church and its Global Mission Ministry
invites you to come learn about its many local and
international missionary activities. Cascade UMC is located at
3144 Cascade Rd SW, Atlanta 30311
The Louise Flournoy
Adult Ministry of St.
Philip AME Church invites you to come with them to the
Georgia National Fair in Perry GA on Saturday October
13. $40 for adults and $35 for children 10 and under pays
for transportation, gate admission and refreshments. Celebrate
Georgia's youth, agriculture, heritage, enjoy the midway rides
and family entertainment. Bus departs from the church parking
lot at Memorial Drive and Candler at 7:30 AM.
Ray
of Hope Christian Church presents its fall revival,
Sunday through Wednesday, October 7-10. Service times
are 7:30 and 10 AM on Sunday, and Monday through Wednesday at
7 PM. Guest speakers include the Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart, Rev.
Dr. Walter Malone, Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby and Bishop Kenneth
Ulmer.
The YMCA at East Lake and the Embrace HIV/AIDS
Ministry of the Greater
Piney Grove Baptist Church present their annual 5K Walk
For The Cure on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 8 AM.
Start and finish lines, and a 10 AM till 2 PM health fair are
all at Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, 1879 Glenwood Ave.
SE in Atlanta.
All funds received are donated to the National
AIDS Education & Services For Minorities and Our
Common Welfare.
Did we miss what's happening at your BRC church? Fax us
your church bulletin, or your news and announcements each
week, or call the office with your news, 404-346-0808, or
e-mail us at info@brcatl.com.
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| Are you a BRC member yet? |
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Board the Overground RR!!© and find out how you can
practice "KTAA" Kitchen Table Affirmative Action
©. Visit online at www.brcatl.com or call our office
today at 404-346-0808 to find out how you can become a
member.
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Pastor David Scott, the House of Hope and Emmaus Road
MBC |
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Pastor David Scott of Emmaus Road Missionary Baptist
Church isn't related to the local congressman of the same
name. With 20 years in the ministry and eleven at Emmaus Road,
he has an interesting background.
"I was an attorney,
Howard University Law School, class of 1980. I served as
assistant DA in New York City, and later in Texas, doing
criminal cases, and had a private practice for a while before
I let the Lord have his way with my life. I left that battle
behind for a different one, and have been in the ministry full
time since 1996.
Rev. Scott is most passionate about
the House of Hope, a court-mandated halfway house established
by Emmaus Road and next door to the church, which itself is
just off I-85's Flat Shoals exit.
"The House of Hope
is something the Lord gave me some years ago when I was a
former prosecuting attorney. I also had a sister doing serious
battle with crack cocaine around that time. I decided that
rather than do nothing, I would do something positive. So at
the House of Hope we take men who otherwise don't have a place
in this society, men who would otherwise be homeless, due to
drug and alcohol and other problems. We are able to let them,
by coming to the House of Hope, get new directions and new
purpose. We help find a way for them to get back into society
and make a difference."
"This is vitally important
work. The incredible numbers of our people in prisons and
jails is something the Black Church really must concern itself
with more deeply, both on a public policy level and in our day
to day ministry."
Of course every church, every
ministry is affected by its immediate neighborhood. Rev. Scott
had a few things to say about this.
"Our South Fulton
community is growing and we are growing with it. First time
homeowners are coming in, people are moving up to second homes
here too. New families are coming in here constantly and as a
result our church is growing. We have experienced a
significant number of younger families coming back to the
church, and we make serving their needs an urgent priority.
For that reason, we established an after school
program and a summer academy. Families need all the help they
can get. The Lord put us here with the will and put the
resources where we could get at them, so we are determined to
serve."
"Back in the day, the church used to be the
place people would come for resources and advice of all kinds.
People needed help paying the rent, they came to the church
for that. People were going to start a small business, they
came to the church for advice, for connections to resources."
"We hope that through the BRC we can extend some
knowledge and connections of our members in business or who
want to be in business. Prosperous local businesses lift up
the church, they lift up their communities, and lifting up
this community is definitely what we are about."
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