Topeka EDITION includes Lawrence, Manhattan, Emporia & Holton FREE! NE! The Area’s Most Complete Event Guide TAKE O MOVIE REVIEWS Page 8 LIVERPOOL LEGENDS Page 13 CELEBRATING FAIT H, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS facebook /metrovoicenews Celebrating our 13th year! VISIT US AT or metrovoicenews.com VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 6 February 2019 TO ADVERTISE, CONTRIBUTE, SUBSCRIBE OR RECEIVE BULK COPIES, CALL 785-235-3340 OR EMAIL [email protected] NEW RESIDENT 58th Kansas Prayer church guide Examining Our Value Breakfast features Wanamaker Road Baptist Church world traveler, financial analyst See inside back cover! 6th Annual Easter Festival returns to N. Kansas Avenue About mid-March every year, no mat - ter the weather, about a thousand people and Garfield Park show up for a very early breakfast at the Ramada Inn in downtown Topeka. The occasion is the annual Kansas Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by Topeka Fellowship, Inc. Statewide leaders in gov - ernment, business, education and indus - try will be on hand as usual as the pro - What is the place of the Church – gram begins at about 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20th, for the 58th cel - ebration of the annual event. As several and ChristianHsis ou–tsid e-tihen-box thionkindg ina they’sMa nys peooplec graiveitatet toywa?rds the buffet lines open for serving at 6:00 a.m., By Barry Feaker search for innovative solutions to home - idea of helping the poor within our the banquet hall will be filled with with Jessica Hosman lessness, poverty, crime, human trafficking community, nation and world. Food trucks, entertainment Kansans from all walks of life. Editor’s note: In his decades of service and other serious problems has garnered However, do we really understand This year’s featured speaker will be & games will add to the fun to Topeka Rescue Mission and the Topeka nationwide interest. This is the first in a who the poor are, and what poverty community in general, Barry Feaker has David McAlvany. EasterFest, the annual Topeka series of articles addressing how we as and suffering really is? Are we taking gone from providing shelter to the home - McAlvany is CEO of the McAlvany Easter Parade & Fun Fair, will be back individuals, the church and the communi - the time to examine the internal issues, less to addressing the root causes of the ills Financial Companies, International for the sixth consecutive year on ty can provide value and help solve the or only looking at the exterior surface? that afflict our community. issues faced by our society today. Saturday, April 20, 2019. About three n Please see VALUE page 4 n Please see PRAYER page 3 thousand people attended last year to watch the parade, visit the Fun Fair, lis - ten to live music, visit over 70 vendor & exhibit booths, attend the Health 50+ colleges coming to 21st annual Christian College Expo Mar. 2 As many state campuses grow more American families in recent polling” says Fair and take part in the big egg hunt hostile to students of faith, the clash of expo coordinator Anita Widaman, “This or other activities. Biblical values and the world is becoming event has proven successful in helping Every year, dozens of churches, sharper. Families in the heartland are guide young people to a Christian college businesses and non-profit organiza - wondering, “What on earth is going on?” that is right for them.” tions take part in the parade, and For the 21st year, the free Midwest Widaman says that college education dozens more set up vendor booths and Christian College Expo returns to Kansas should reinforce the strong family values kids' games as part of the family fun City with a wide variety of booths and of hard work, compassion for others and fair. There have been lots of floats with information on Christian colleges and give young people an opportunity to a variety of themes, and all shapes and universities, Bible schools and more. change the world. Often times, it doesn’t sizes of other vehicles, as well as walk - Organizers say this will be the largest ever, do that because the values often conflict ing entries such as schools, military based on the number of schools repre - with those of Christian families and stu - groups, marching bands and more. sented and attendance by the public, dents. The event is coordinated by C5Alive, a which topped 2,700 in 2018. “That’s why a Christian college educa - Christian leadership offshoot of the “Education continues to be at the top tion can make such a positive impact on n Please see EASTERFEST page 3 n of a list of priorities as expressed by n Please see EXPO page 2 2 • February 2019 _______________________ MetroVoiceNews.com _________________________ Facebook/MetroVoiceNews ________________________ Topeka Metro Voice Melanie Few celebrates 20 years of her Super Bowl Gospel Celebration Life Lessons Frocmomes afrom L see i-ttle One I keep it as a not-for-profit produc - TRUE LOVE ing my child smile By Kymberlee Norsworthy tion.” by Jessica S. Hosman as he delights in Melanie Few is a marketing executive BET began broadcasting the event in my presence. with a huge vision — for 20 years, she 2015. According to Nielsen, it was the Eight years ago, a new ritual in my life I recently read, has merged faith and football by pro - highest gospel/religious program on began. I brought my precious son home “The days are ducing the Super Bowl Gospel broadcast television for the 2017-18 from the hospital for the first time and long but the years Jessica Hosman Celebration, which brings together period. have spent nearly every night since pray - are short.” How some of the biggest names in football, At the 2018 event, Snoop Dogg ing over him and singing him to sleep. true this is when it comes to life, and espe - church, hip-hop, rhythm and blues, delivered the first televised perform - Throughout those songs and many sleep - cially parenting. Do I want to go through and film. ance of music from his gospel album less nights, God taught me more than I those long days only serving myself, my “Faith and football are a natural Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love. could have imagined about love: what the flesh and my perceived needs? Or do I combination,” Few said. “When you Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell action of love really looks like and how want to spend my life pouring into others look at other sports, football players are Wilson was honored with the Faith in our earthy expressions still only scratch and giving them the time, love and atten - much more vocal about their faith. I based. This was something that she Action Award, which is given to players the surface in portraying God’s immeas - tion they crave and need? have learned that the culture of football believed needed to change. who show their faith through their urable love for me, for us. I want my son to look back on his is that of family and it is values-driven. She pitched the idea of a nonprofit actions year-round. Arizona Cardinals I’ve always enjoyed sleep. I was the kid childhood and remember the laughter, Even when they are in Pop Warner, Super Bowl week gospel concert for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald received who never outgrew naps and treasured living room wrestling matches and tickle players are brought up doing team seven years before she received support. the Lifetime Achievement Award for every weekend and summer vacation fights, dance parties and games played. I prayer and chanting words of affirma - “Gene Upshaw, former NFL player service to football and the NFL. Over more from the joy of sleeping in late than don’t want him to just remember the tion before games. They are brought up and former head of the NFL Players the past two decades, the Lifetime other activities taking place. That appreci - words of “I love you” he often hears; I that way, and it may be why football is Association, was interested. But he Achievement Award has been handed ation for a long stretch of sleep hasn’t left, want him to remember the feeling of so faith-oriented.” issued a challenge,” Few said. “He said if out five times. The other recipients but the practicality of it sure has! what those words really meant when The sold-out 20th anniversary event I could get Gladys Knight to perform, were Troy Vincent, Ray Lewis, Tony Zechariah was well into his third year transcended into action. was held at Atlanta Symphony Hall on then he would underwrite it. He under - Dungy and Tim Brown. before he slept through the night. And And I believe I’m not alone. I believe Jan. 31. It will air on BET on Feb. 2, the estimated me. … He didn’t know that, Aside from her role as founder and even then, he’s most parents desire day before the game. Few is an Atlanta if necessary, Gladys and I would ride in executive producer of the Super Bowl always found joy in the same, but often native, so it is extra special that the 2019 on the midnight train together to make event, Few is the president of Results arising before the don’t know how to Super Bowl will be in her hometown. this show happen.” Marketing & Media, an “urban faith” sun. This is just one get there. She is a member of New Hope African That was in 1998. and marketing entertainment agency example of an area It starts by recog - Methodist Episcopal Church in The first Super Bowl Gospel based in Atlanta.