http://www.chicagodefender.com/articles.sec-54-1-our-faith.html Alvin J. Boutte Sr., co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Independence Bank, the nation’s biggest Black-owned bank, will be eulogized April 14 at St. Clothilde Church, 8430 S. Calumet. A funeral mass will follow a 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. visitation.]]> The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ, will be the speaker at West Point Missionary Baptist Church’s, 3566 S. Cottage Grove, 8 a.m. service on Sunday. Wright will be on hand to celebrate the Rev. Bernard Jakes’ 10th anniversary at West Point.]]> The funeral service for the Rev. Addie L. Wyatt, 88, a pioneer in the labor, civil rights and women’s equality movements, is Saturday noon at Vernon Park Church of God, 9011 S. Stony Island. Visitation: from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Her body will lie in state on Friday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., at the church. With her late husband, the Rev. Claude Wyatt, she co-founded Vernon Park Church.]]> Attorney Ronald Sherman Samuels was born June 17, 1941 in Chicago to Peter Isaac and Lena Samuels. He was one of seven children raised in Morgan Park. He received Christ at an early age at Beth Eden Baptist Church, where his father was a deacon.]]> The doors are always open for the community at West Point Missionary Baptist Church. West Point believes it’s their duty to serve the community and alleviate the common misconceptions of Black churches that church is more of an invitation-only club, instead of a church with open doors for all. ]]> ATLANTA (AP) — With confidence and zeal, Ephren Taylor riveted audiences at mostly black churches with a list of his impressive accomplishments and an uncanny business sense. He had the blessing of top clergy as he gave financial seminars from the pulpit on Sundays, promising rock-solid investments — only many of the churchgoers said they haven't seen a dime.]]> New Faith Missionary Baptist Church, 8400 S. Halsted St., in an effort “to keep our children safe,” will host “Hallelujah Night” on Monday, Oct. 31, Halloween, from 5-8 p.m. On the agenda for the evening: fun, food and games for youngsters of all ages, says the Rev. Dr. Howard Randolph, pastor. ]]> BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — When a little-known black Baptist preacher named Martin Luther King took the helm of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott in 1955, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was already in Birmingham trying to start a movement, but nobody was paying attention.]]> The Pastors Salute will pay tribute to notable Pastors in the Chicago area on Sept. 17, 2011. ]]> Delois Barrett Campbell, known as the “Royal Lady of Gospel” died Aug. 2 and was laid to rest after a spirit-filled homegoing celebration.]]> The Chicago Defender Charities Inc., producer of the annual Bud Billiken Day Parade and Picnic, is adding a new element to the day of family fellowship.]]> The man expected to be in the running to become the first African-American in the No. 2 position of the nation's largest Protestant denomination didn't choose to become a Southern Baptist. By Fred Luter Jr.'s account, it just sort of happened.]]> The youngest daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is leaving an Atlanta megachurch where the pastor has been embroiled in scandal, months after she turned down a leadership role with the organization her father co-founded.]]> The Archdiocese of Chicago has reinstated the priestly duties of the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the outspoken pastor suspended last month due to a disagreement over a proposed transfer from his South Side church.]]>