b'CIVIL RIGHTS . continued from page 5 PROFILEterminalaccommodations.OnMaywere found buried near Philadelphia,Legacy Award14th, a white mob burned a FreedomMississippi,onAugust4th.The RidesbusnearAnniston,Alabama.1964 Civil Rights Act was passed by Klansmen in Birmingham beat ridersCongress on July 2nd, and was signed aboardasecondbus.TheFreedomby President Lyndon Johnson. Martin Ridescontinue.InSeptember,segre- LutherKing,jr.receivestheNobel gation in all interstate transportationPeace Prize. facilitieswasdeclaredillegalbythe interstate by the Interstate Commerce1965; Lyndon Johnson outlines theB ishopClevelandA.Thompson, Commission. Great Society Program to attack pov- SeniorPastorofEmmanuel erty. Malcolm X is shot to death at theMissionaryBaptistChurch(EMBC), 1962;OnOctober1stJamesAudubonBallroominNewYorkonColoradoSprings,Coloradowasele-Meredithbecamethefirstblackper- February 21st. In August, the Votingvated to Bishop in the Lords Church sontoattendclassattheUniversityRightsBillwassignedintolawbyunder the leadership of Bishop James of Mississippi after a weekend of riotsLyndon Johnson. In the same month,W.E.Dixon,IIPresidingPrelate. during which the National Guard hadthefirstmajorurbanconflagrationBishopThompsonisaninfluential, been called in.occursinWatts,California,asblackcharismatic preacher, and an insight-1963;OnApril3rd,majordemon- ghetto dwellers burn and loot, follow- ful teacher who knew from the tender strations were launched in Birminghaming a police arrest of a black youth.ageof10yearsold,Godhadcalled toprotestsegregation.Thesecontin- 1966;InJune,StolelyCarmichaelhimtoasignificantpurposeonthis ued through-out May. Schoolchildrenpopularized the slogan, "Black Power"planet. are recruited for marches and demon- onamarchretracingthestepsofBishop Thompson is compassionate strations. Police Commissioner EugeneJamesMeredithwhowasgunnedand relentless to the Great Commission ("BULL") Connor responds with policedownearlierinMississippiearlierinof Jesus Christ in revolutionizing the dogs, fire hoses, and mass arrests. Onthe month. The formation of the Blackworld whereby impacting his congre-June11th,AlabamaGovernorGeorgePantherpartybyHueyNewtonandgants,ourcommunityandevenfur-WallacetriedtoblockintegrationatBobbySealetakesplaceinOakland,therbeyondthewallsofEmmanuel. the University of Alabama by "stand- California,inOctober.MartinLutherHe empowers the ministerial body of ing in the door". The first student isKing, jr. SNCC and CORE take posi- the church to be a catalyst for all ofBishop Cleveland Thompsonadmitted. The March on Washington,tions opposing the war in Vietnam.Gods people. But I have raised you sponsored by a coalition of Civil Rights1967;ThePresidentappointsaup for this very purpose, that I might groups,churches,andsomeunions,National Advisory Commission on Civilshow you my power and that my nameerance,salvation,spiritualgrowth, attractshundredsofthousandsofDisorders to inquire into the causes ofmight be proclaimed in all the earth.transformation,andculturalawak-peaceful demonstrators to the nation\'stheurbanrebellions.Thereportwas(Exodus 9:16) ening.Hisphilosophyisallpeople capitolonAugust28th.Anassassinpublished in 1968.Additionally,BishopThompsonisshould strive to be Biblically Literate, killsPresidentJohnF.KennedyinahighlyrespectedspiritualleaderTheologicallySoundandAnointed. Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd.1968;MartinLutherKing,jr.isandadvisorwhoseacumensspanBishopThompsonissought-afterfor 1964; Hundreds of volunteers arriveassassinatedonApril4th,whilelocally,nationally,aswellasinter- hisprofoundwisdomandcontinues toworkinFreedomSummer,theassistingstrikinggarbageworkersinnationally.Hisphilanthropicaffilia- tospeakatConferences,Seminars, MississippivoterregistrationprojectMemphis,Tennessee.MassiveriotstionsreachacrosstheoceantoThePodcastTeachingsandBusiness organized by the combined Civil Rightstakeplacethroughoutthenation.Ridgeways Baptist Church of Nairobi,Summits.organizations. Three Civil Rights work- RobertKennedy,acandidatefortheKenyaoursisterchurch.In2021, ers, James Chaney, Mickey Dchwerner,Democraticpresidentialnomination,EmmanuelcollaboratedwithWorldThislifetransformingandfaith andAndreGoodman,areabductedis assassinated on June 4th, as he isVisionInternational,andanetworkproclaimingpreacherfromLiberty, onJune21st,whileinvestigatingleaving a rally, Richard Nixon is electedofchurchesinColoradoSpringstoMississippi attributes his strong spiri-anincidentofviolence.TheirbodiesPresident.(Newsweek, 10/6/1969) assist with the sharing and distribu- tualconvictionsfromtheexemplary tion of donated furniture and house- principlestaughtbyhisparents,the hold commodities to families through- late David L. Thompson, Senior, and out Colorado. His civic and ChristianVivianN.Thompson.Hebeganhis alliancesencompassorganizationspersonalwalkwithJesusChristat suchasKingdomBuildersGlobalthe Liberty Baptist Church under the Fellowship,TheNationalBaptistleadership of the late Rev. Dr. William Convention, H. Tobias.USAInc,TheWesternStatesMINISTERIAL ACHIEVEMENTSConventionofColoradoand1987Cleveland A. Thompson was Wyoming,andTheSouthernDistrictordained as a Deacon at the Traditional Association, to name a few. GospelChurch,LajesField,Azores, BishopThompsoncontinuestobePortugal, by Rev. Dr. Alexander Tate.anadvocatefortheunderprivileged1993DeaconClevelandA. and disregardedparticularly AfricanThompsonreceivedhisLicenseto AmericanstudentsintheColoradopreachtheGospelofJesusChrist Springseducationalsystem.Hefos- undertheleadershipofPastorR. terstheimportanceofhigherlearn- E.WestofGreaterStrangersRest ingespeciallywithintheEmmanuelMissionaryBaptistChurchinFort Churchculture.IthasbeenprovenWorth, Texas.thattherearedisparitieswithinthe1994Rev. Thompson united with school system. Bishop Thompson doesEmmanuel Missionary Baptist Church.walk the talk, through the Dr. Moses E. Ford Scholarship Program, where- 1996Rev. Thompson was appoint-byannually,educationalgrantsareed as First Assistant to the presiding awardedtoEmmanuelsaspiringPastorandservedinthatposition studentswhoarestrivingtoachieveuntil October 2006.aneducationbeyondHighSchool.October 30, 2006Rev. Thompson Heconveys,nostudentshouldfallwaselectedasSeniorPastorof through the educational system due toEmmanuel Missionary Baptist Church.their socio-economic status.WhenitcomestopreachingtheCREDENTIALSGospelofJesusChristandedu- 1998, Bishop Cleveland A. Thompson catingthepeopleofGod,Bishopearned a Bachelor of Science degree in ThompsonisunparalleledinhisComputerInformationSystemsfrom delivery. He is enthusiastic about thethe University of Phoenix.WordofGodanddeliversasermon2001, Bishop Thompson retired from with power, high-energy and uses histhe United States Air Force. He hon-down-to-earthMississippivernacularorablyservedtwenty-fouryearsand to ensure no matter the ethnicity, age,achievedtherankofChiefMaster circumstance, or seasonthe epistleSergeant.isunderstoodintheprecisecontext.2009,BishopThompsonearneda TherearenoholdsbarredinhisMasterofArtsDegreeinChristian teachings. He dissects the theologicalMinistryfromtheNewGeneva dogmas, myths, and erroneous biblicalTheologicalSeminaryofColorado beliefstoemancipatemindsaroundSprings.theglobewhichleadsto-:spiritual and generational breakthroughs, deliv-6 JANUARY 2023 BOCNEWS.com'