Connect with us

Atlanta, GA

Metro Atlanta pastors discuss Dr. King’s holiday and the role of the church during King’s movement

Published

on

Metro Atlanta pastors discuss Dr. King’s holiday and the role of the church during King’s movement


DEKALB COUNTY. Ga. — As many honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we all know his legacy and roots are deep inside the church particularly in Atlanta.

“At this time’s is particular for a wide range of methods. A drum main of justice,” stated Pastor E. Dewey Smith Jr. with Better Vacationers Relaxation.

That’s how Smith described the vacation recognized for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Advertisement

Smith is the chief of Better Vacationers Relaxation in Decatur, a church that has deep ties to the King household.

“I’m honored to be within the Pastoral lineage of Dr. King’s father, Dr. Martin Luther King Senior, who really pastored Better Vacationers Relaxation from 1923-1932,” Smith stated.

Smith stated King’s dad solely left Better Vacationers Relaxation to take over at Ebenezer Baptist Church after his father-in-law and the pastor of Ebenezer on the time bought sick.

However Smith stated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and two of his siblings additionally referred to as Better Vacationers Relaxation house at one time limit.

“All three of his kids had been born. Martin Junior, A.D., and Christine,” Smith stated.

Advertisement

Smith believes that’s the reason the church performed an enormous and pivotal position in executing the dream and imaginative and prescient of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

TRENDING STORIES:

“When you concentrate on the position of the Black church, to begin with, there may be solely a Black church in America, is due to our lack of equality. As a result of we weren’t welcome in different church buildings,” Smith stated.

Equality is one thing Dr. King fought so laborious for from training to voting rights.

Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant, the chief of New Start Baptist Church in Stonecrest, instructed his congregation on Sunday that Dr. King was a lot extra.

Advertisement

“They tried to restrict Dr. King to ‘I Have A Dream’, however there was a lot extra to his life and a lot extra to his thoughts and a lot extra to his contribution,” Bryant stated.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Bryant stated Dr. King wakened the world throughout his time and motion however there’s much more work to do.

“There’s nonetheless loads of strides to be made when you think about that house possession is decrease in 2023 than it was in 1968. Now we bought to show the knob that we don’t need to journey the bus, we need to personal the bus firm,” Bryant stated. “We don’t need to simply personal meals vehicles, we need to personal five-star eating places. It’s time to take it up a notch, in order that we shift from, symbolic success to substantive success.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Atlanta, GA

Shots fired into Atlanta home overnight, police say

Published

on

Shots fired into Atlanta home overnight, police say


ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Police are on the scene investigating a shooting that happened in Atlanta overnight.

According to Atlanta Police, gunshots were fired at a home on 268 Polar Rock Road SW around 2:14 a.m. Monday.

Officers arrived at the scene around 2:22 a.m., when they learned the shooter had run inside the house.

No one was injured, according to APD.

Advertisement

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.



Source link

Continue Reading

Atlanta, GA

NFL Tackling Data Shows How Far Atlanta Falcons Falcons Fell Under Jimmy Lake

Published

on

NFL Tackling Data Shows How Far Atlanta Falcons Falcons Fell Under Jimmy Lake


Often when you dig a little deeper into the data available, the key decisions to cut ties with established veteran players becomes much more clear.

For example, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot is universally expected to let veteran former Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons leave as a free agent after only one season playing in the NFC.

The 31-year old’s performances were decidedly middling to average when lining up in a Falcons uniform.

NFL.com provides detailed numbers which break down tacking data, and it all points fairly conclusively toward Simmons’s recurring struggles.

Advertisement

The Falcons were 24th in the NFL in tackling percentage after ranking 11th in 2023. Jimmy Lake’s passive scheme put players in acres of space and gave ball carriers and receivers more area work. No one suffered more in Lake’s defense than four-time All-Pro Simmons who was routinely 15 to 20 yards off the line of scrimmage at the snap.

“Newly acquired safety Justin Simmons missed 21.5% of his tackle attempts after logging an elite rate below 10% in his previous six straight seasons in Denver,” wrote the Next Gen Stats Analytics Team. “With Simmons set to hit free agency, the Falcons may choose to move on from the veteran.

Fontenot’s $7.5 million one year gamble on Simmons clearly flamed out. Simmons missing on 21.5% of his tackle attempts was never going to cut the mustard for head coach Raheem Morris. With few ties in Atlanta, Simmons will likely end up being a victim of Lake’s ineffectiveness as the NFL level and be allowed to walk in free agency.

The correlation is clear, because the entire unit slumped from being the 11th most efficient tackling unit last year to being the sixth least effective in 2024. That wasn’t all on Simmons. 

While most folks have fixated upon the critical deficiencies when it came to rushing the passer, which did much to unravel the Falcons playoff chances last season, nothing the defense really did gave off the vibe that they were a tough tackling football team.

Advertisement

Consequently, retooling on the defensive side will be the primary objective of Fontenot and Morris when free agency starts next month and the draft rolls around in April.

The Falcons need an injection of toughness this offseason. They’re hoping new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is up to the task. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Atlanta, GA

3 key questions as the Atlanta Braves begin spring training

Published

on

3 key questions as the Atlanta Braves begin spring training


NORTH PORT, Florida — The man whose absence defined his team’s 2024 has been delightfully unavoidable so far in spring training.

Ronald Acuña Jr., the Atlanta Braves’ franchise man, a power-speed dynamo of the highest order, had his season derailed last year by a torn ACL on May 27. That injury, his second ACL tear in a four-year span on two different legs, sent him to the surgeon’s table and the Braves a’reeling. His unavailability — coupled with a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of other injuries that, most notably, included an elbow surgery to flame-throwing ace Spencer Strider — stymied Atlanta’s quest for a seventh straight NL East crown. A carousel of survivors and fill-ins admirably clawed the club into a wild-card spot, but the undermanned outfit didn’t manage to win a single playoff game.

In the Braves’ clubhouse on Friday, four days ahead of the team’s first full-squad workout, Acuña spoke for nearly 10 minutes. With an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face, the 27-year-old addressed his recovery, his mindset, his road back and his time away. He called Atlanta’s outfield “the best outfield in baseball.” He laughed and joked, clearly overjoyed to be back in the mix. And, impressively, he did it all in English. It was, according to those regularly around the club, the longest and most engaging interview Acuña has ever given in his second language.

And he wasn’t the only notable Brave to speak on an overcast Florida morning. Alex Anthopolous, the team’s president of baseball operations, conducted his first in-person question-and-answer session of this calendar year. His eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, the elusive and secretive exec peeled back a few layers about a franchise coming off its most disappointing season since 2017.

Advertisement

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Here’s an overview of what Acuña and Anthopolous had to say and how their comments intersect with the biggest questions facing the Braves as they seek to dethrone the Phillies in the NL East.

On this, Anthopolous didn’t mince words: Neither player will be on the Opening Day roster.

Acuña, who has been taking batting practice, won’t appear in any Grapefruit League games, per Anthopoulos. His biggest hurdle remaining is full-gas cutting and planting, vital movements in the outfield. Anthopolous also shared that Acuña won’t slot in at DH whenever he’s back.

But the major takeaway is that the swashbuckling Venezuelan is on schedule and in good spirits.

Advertisement

“The priority is that I feel great — that’s the most important thing,” Acuña shared. “When they tell me I need to play that day, I’ll be there.”

Strider, who threw a bullpen Friday, might make an appearance or two in late March, but he isn’t expected back in the bigs until late April. He hasn’t yet faced live hitters but should do so in the coming weeks.

These two players, obviously, are absolutely crucial to the 2025 Braves. The calculus of the 2024 team was equally straightforward and, thus, unfortunate. Acuña and Strider, a top-five position player and pitcher in the world, hardly played. All-Star third baseman Austin Riley missed the last month and a half. Starting catcher Sean Murphy was hurt for the first two months. Second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris II were also out for extended stretches.

But it all starts with Acuña and Strider. That the team is slow-playing this duo in spring makes sense. Setting low expectations about their return dates represents a simpler path forward, one with less opportunity for fan disappointment. So while their paths to full health will remain a huge story this spring, it was smart for Anthopoulos to be definitive and unwavering about their timelines.

Atlanta’s biggest offseason addition came just a few weeks ago, with the signing of outfielder Jurickson Profar. The big-grinning Curacaoan enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024, earning a starting nod in the All-Star Game and, now, a sturdy, three-year deal with the Braves.

Advertisement

But besides that, the typically active Anthopolous was notably trigger-shy. The team’s most significant offseason trade was a salary dump in November that sent Jorge Soler to Anaheim. Meanwhile, a cadre of established players departed in free agency. Longtime ace Max Fried signed a hefty deal with the Yankees. Rotation stalwart Charlie Morton is now an Oriole. Atlanta opted to not pick up an option year on clubhouse leader and veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who is now with the Angels. The only other remaining Braves who were meaningful contributors in the 2021 World Series are Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Ian Anderson.

It’s difficult to argue that the arrivals outweigh the departures. This inactivity has elicited agitation among some Braves fans, who, understandably, want the club to take full advantage of its competitive window. But Anthopolous pushed back against the idea that his team, currently carrying the eighth-highest payroll in the game, was acting purely out of frugality.

“I think the biggest difference is we’ve spent a lot on our own players,” he said. “I think we have the most, probably, long-term contracts of the majority of teams. You start looking around the roster, not necessarily in the rotation, but we have long-term contracts all over the place. We didn’t have that many holes.

“Now we’ve lost free agents — no doubt about it. But we have some people we’re going to give opportunities to.”

The most likely Opening Day outfield alignment features Profar in left, the fleet-footed Michael Harris II patrolling center and former top prospect Jarred Kelenic in right. Kelenic was underwhelming in his first year as a Brave in 2024 and figures to spend most of his time as a bench bat once Acuña returns.

Advertisement

With Strider on the shelf, two of the five rotation spots are up for grabs. Reigning Cy Young Chris Sale, All-Star Reynaldo Lopez and breakout rookie Spencer Schwellenbach are locks. Grant Holmes, a well-traveled vet who enjoyed a bounce-back 2024, is the favorite for the fourth spot. And Ian Anderson, who shined as a youngster with the Braves before he suffered a bout of injuries, seems primed to grab the temporary fifth spot.

It’s a group that, until Strider returns, looks a little light, but Anthopolous explained that he didn’t want to crowd the pitching situation by adding another free-agent arm.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending