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Mission Statement… Our mission is to promote the spread of the Gospel, the winning of souls to Jesus Christ, the changing of lives, and establishing the presence of the Lord in the world through evangelizing, biblical teaching, economic development, and community outreach. With faith in Almighty God, we seek to be a church preparing born-again believers for the Kingdom of God. Bishop Anthony G Maclin, Pastor 5300 Crain Highway Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 Phone: 240-830-5300 www.tsaks.org In This Issue… 1 Love Languages 3 Combat Sickness with Faith 4 Scholar for Clergy 3 Group 5 Girl Scouts in South Africa 6 A Champion is Amongst Us 6 Atlanta Pop-up 7 Missions Ministry 7 Delivers Gifts 7 Sharing the Gift of Song 8 STEM Program 8 TSAKS Online Newsletter VOL 1 NO 1 | FEBRUARY 2023 WITH TSAKS NATION Understanding Love Languages Can Strengthen Marriages By Angela Hulett One February, Kenneth Bonner came home with a pair of red bottoms and roses for his wife, Janice. She wasn’t moved by the high-end footwear. What she wanted instead was quality time. She wanted them to talk about each other, their marriage and their children. (continued on next page) Dwayne & Jeenéa Innis, Dale Wright & Nikki Carter, and Ken & Janice Bonner. Join TSAKS Couples Ministry on Sundays at 11:00 am (EST) For more information, email: TSAKSCouplesMinistry@gmail.com.

2 Janice Bonner recalls that her husband wasn’t happy about her response. “I am not a person who loves gifts,” said Janice Bonner, who along with her husband, teaches the Married Couples Sunday School class. “We had to really get in tune with each other. Once you get in tune with your mate and know what their love language is, then you can feed that love language. That helps your marriage grow.” A love language is the way people speak and understand emotional love, according to the book, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Different people give and receive love in different ways. “Understanding your spouse’s Love language allows you to really tune into who your spouse is and not who you want them to be,” Janice Bonner said. “We often tend to give people what we think they should have.” In his book, Chapman identifies the love languages as words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. To understand your spouse’s love language, you have to study them. “A lot of people think that we know each other when we get to the altar, but your marriage continues to evolve,” Janice Bonner said, adding that over the years a person’s love language can change. She admits that sometimes she now likes receiving gifts, but her husband also knows the types of gifts she enjoys. Kenneth Bonner said that it took about a year to learn his wife’s love language and it’s forever changing. “Like anything else, I had to find out by trial and error,” he said about discovering Janice’s love language. “It also took a lot of communication.” Kenneth Bonner said knowing how to communicate his wife’s love language eliminates issues in the relationship and allows them to focus on more important things. Marriage can be difficult at times and spouses may not always get it right. But that’s when you should forgive. “Forgiving is very important. Jesus forgave us and does it on a daily basis. Why wouldn’t I forgive her?” If responding to your spouse’s love language gets difficult, you may have to step out of your comfort zone and love your spouse the way they like to be loved. “We have to be open for change,” Janice Bonner said. “We have to be mindful of why God has put us together. The ultimate goal is to glorify Him. In order to glorify Him, we have to be examples of who He is.” “We have to be mindful of why God has put us together. The ultimate goal is to glorify Him.”

3 TSAKS Nation Member Combats Sickness with Faith By Staff Reports Jocelyn Russell is in her element while working out at the gym. When she began feeling pain in her hip, she knew something wasn’t right. The diagnosis was that arthritis had taken over her hip and was one of the worst cases her doctor had seen. She needed a hip replacement. Russell, now of San Antonio, Texas, had the surgery on Sept. 27. The next day she was walking with the walker and even walked up stairs. The hospital staff was impressed with her progress because it’s not the journey for most patients. The TSAKS Nation member was discharged after a three-day hospital stay. She requested to stay an extra day because of the luxurious amenities at the facility. She did rehabilitation from October through December. “I Know that God will never put more on us than we can bear.” According to the Mayo Clinic, damaged sections of the hip joint are removed and replaced with an artificial joint during a hip replacement. At 72, Russell, formerly known as Jocelyn Porter, has had her share of medical battles. She is a two-time cancer survivor. The disease first attacked her body in 2014. A lump in her breast was removed through a mastectomy. She went through radiation and took pills for five years. In 2018, she left the Maryland area and headed to Texas. Then in 2020 she had to have two tumors removed in the other breast. She did chemo for 30 minutes. “God didn’t want me to have to do that. I said God take me out of here, I don’t want to do chemo. I don’t mind being scared because I know the flesh is weak.” Russell said she began to pray to God and told him that she wanted a healthy life so she could continue to do his work. Two months later, on a follow up doctor’s appointment, Russell learned that she was cancer free. “Anything that happens to my body, I give it to God. He says our body is his temple, so anything that happens with his temple I ask him to help me because I can’t do it by myself.” She also said that movement is good for the body. “Whenever something hurts in my body, I exercise it,” Russell said adding that she has been working out for more than 30 years. Most importantly, Russell said, she has strong faith. She remembers crying out to God when she faced her second bout with cancer. “I said, father please help me. I can’t go through this alone. I need you.” Russell recalls praying. “Everything that’s negative that happens to me, God already knows it’s happening. I just keep my faith.” She encourages others with health issues to keep the faith. “I didn’t worry about dying because if God has got me who can be against me. He is the one that brought me here, and he is the one that would take me away.”

4 Min. Maclin Picked as Scholar for Clergy Group Minister Krystle Maclin was selected as a 2022 Leadership Scholar for the Conference of National Black Churches at its annual gathering in November in Orlando, Florida. Minister Maclin was one of 20 scholars who leaders of the organization believe are the future of the black church. The Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC) Annual National Consultation, as it is known, is the most influential ecumenical event for clergy of color and brings together some of the nation’s top religious leaders of the largest historically black denominations, according to its web site. The group’s mission is to provide a unified voice among black church that seek to improve the quality of life for African Americans.

5 Girl Scouts Explore South Africa Submitted by The Girl Scouts Ministry The Sanctuary Girl Scouts Ministry got a first-hand glimpse of South African culture when they ventured to the country during their annual summer trip. The troop observed ethnic groups such as Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Tswana, Ndebele, Khoisan, and Afrikaner and learned about the Hindu, Muslim religions. Some said the voyage felt like a homecoming because they saw natives that looked like them. The group toured the township of Soweto and Robben Island, where the late South African President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. They also visited Kruger National Park. The scouts enjoyed scenic beaches, the beautiful rainforest, grasslands, caves, and the mountains during their stay. They even climbed through caves considered the “Cradle of Humankind” which houses fossils from thousands of years ago. Table Mountain, a flat top mountain which overlooks the city of Cape Cod, was scenic and especially beautiful when the cloud floated across the mountain creating a “table cloth”. The troops also zip-lined down a mountain and went on a safari.

6 A Champion is Amongst Us Jordan Wilson was a part of the 4A/3A Maryland State Football Championship team. A junior at North Point High School, Jordan has been playing football since he was in elementary school, starting with flag football and county leagues. He first played for the junior varsity team when he entered high school. The team had an 11-3 record in the regular season. The North Point Eagles defeated Arundel High School 31-14 to gain the title.

7 ome Prince George’s County youngsters were able to have a special Christmas because of a Missions Ministry gift drive led by the Missions Ministry that allowed more than 100 children to receive presents. The Missions Ministry, along with the TSAKS congregation, were given names and ages of children along with a wish list. Items were wrapped and delivered to G. James Gholson Middle School in Landover and the county’s Community Crises Services, Inc. Led by Minister Charlene Anderson, the ministry sought to find children that had a true need and otherwise would not have received gifts. The children were also given a snack bag. S Missions Ministry Delivers Gifts Victoria Flowers once sang with the music ministry at the Sanctuary. Nowadays she is sharing her gift all across Knoxville, Tennessee at various venues. Singing has been in her heart for as long as she can remember. As a youngster in the District of Columbia, her parents would hear her sing around the house and brought her a red and white Donny and Marie Osmond tambourine and microphone set that she would carry with her everywhere. She comes from a musical family. Her grandmother was an opera singer, who traveled around the world. Flowers wanted to be like her. On her mother’s side of the family, dinner gatherings would turn into a concert as her uncles harmonized around the table. Her father’s side of the family sang gospel quartet music. “Music was always in me,” she said in a you tube interview. Flowers admits that she loves all genres of music. Some of her vocal influencers were Ella Fitzgerald, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston and Madonna. During the day, Flowers works as a mortgage loan officer, which she has done for more than 30 years. Sharing the Gift of Song

8 STEM Program – Youth Encouraged to Prepare for the Future TSAKS youth were recently provided with resources to assist them in exploring career opportunities and higher education. Ardenia Lewis, who has a background in sciences as a teacher and robotics coach, recently led a session on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). “When kids think about STEM, they think I don’t like science. I don’t like math, but you can do anything and relate it to your career,” Lewis said. “We want to kind of get students knowing about programs and knowing they need to go early and know where to go.” For information about STEM opportunities visit https://www.tsaks.org/ministries/scholarship-vocational-education-ministry. Information on summer STEM enrichment programs can be found at https://www.pgcc.edu/summerstem/ and https://umdphysics.umd.edu/events/summer-programs.html. Students looking to continue their education should visit fafsa.gov. They should also look into scholarships from community groups and college and universities and businesses. Those looking for scholarship were reminded of the importance of a good grade point average. Most scholarships require two letters of recommendation and an essay. They also have deadlines, so students should apply early. Students were also given information about internships from the National Science Foundation. More information can be found at https://beta.nsf.gov/oia/ia/summer-scholars-internship-program.