“Since the scholarship allowed me to focus on school, I felt that since I was being given help I should give back to someone else.”  The 25 year old volunteered to do taxes through the United Way every Tuesday as well as becoming involved in the International Student Program on campus.

Natalija Vnukovica with Stewart Ramsey, President and C.E.O. of Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union

“We were so glad to hear that our scholarship is not only helping a promising student achieve her goals in the field of finance but that Natalija gave back to the community so readily.  Since we continue to be a very strong financial institution, we are proud to be able to offer this yearly scholarship and feel that it is an investment in our community.”, says Stewart Ramsey, President and C.E.O. of Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union.

With two more branches opening this year, bringing the credit union to a total of 9 across Tennessee and Kentucky, Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union plans to expand its scholarship program.  “The local community invests in us and as a non-profit financial institution we are always looking for ways to return the favor and pay it forward.” Ramsey says.

With more than 34,000 members, Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union is committed to those who work and live in the counties of Montgomery and Stewart in Tennessee and Christian, Trigg, and Todd in Kentucky.

While on active duty as a U.S. Army Chaplain, I appreciated serving, ministry and  working with chaplains who were also assiociated with the same denomination as President Obama.

Already our new president is strengthening the bonds of religion and society and how government, churches, and religious organizations can work together to better community and country. However, there are guidelines and regulations for each to follow to ensure maximum success.

On the campaign trail. President Obama emphasized his Christian faith;  in speeches he connected faith and public policy. For instance, he spoke about the present “faith-based” initiatives. He recognized the value of a partnership between government and religious faith organizations dedicated to improving communities. He is already pledging  and committing to expanding and renaming the faith-based office.

During the campaign, the Montgomery County Democratic Party established a list of 12 goals to be enacted by Obama should he be elected. First on the list was to rebuild the military. Second, to reform the faith-based office and its mission: he’s already discussing its mission.

Here is what we can glean from his present statements: “He explicitly rejects taxpayer-funded evangelism and religiously-based hiring discrimination with public funds.” This gives us reassurance that our tax dollars will not finance specific evangelistic efforts  to save souls.  That’s the mission of donations by church members in offering plates. Proselytizing on our tax dollars is forbidden.

President Obama succintly gives insight into his policy when he says:

“If you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them — or against the people you hire — on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples and mosques can only be used on secular programs. And we’ll ensure that taxpayer dollars go only to those programs that actually work.“

I give kudos to faith groups who are dedicated to such principles. the Catholics and Lutherans set a high standard in public services without proselytizing. Our own Loaves and Fishes, United Way, and Urban Ministries are giving aid to the disenfranchised without requiring any profession of faith.

President Obama and the Obama family are people of faith and support the mission of serving the public. We, too, can assist by requiring inclusivemness and accountability in the use of our tax dollars by religious organizations.

In summary, we can benefit our needy neighbors and fellow Clarksville residents by recognizing and endorsing the following principles for religious groups receiving tax dollars:

• Groups don’t have a so-called “right” to take in tax money yet still discriminate on religious grounds when hiring staff.
• Ensure that no denomination uses tax dollars for any form of evangelism or religious education.
• Religious schools are part of our American fabric and make a significant contribution to the building of moral character. However, such fine educational institutions are not to be funded with tax dollars.

In addition, I request the following in the beginnings of their new administration:

• Reform of the Justice Department
• Sever ties between fundamentalism and the military
• Do not base  public policy on theology
• Preserve the ban on church politicking

For more information on these issues, read the January edition of “Church and State.”

CAMTAN is the local organization assisting individuals affected by the HIV pandemic within our own demographic. an IRS certified local 501 (C) 3 non-profit in need of community support.

As 2008 comes to a close, consider making a tax-deductible donation to this Clarksville-based non-profit. Started by a small collective of local ministerial leaders and lay people, the Clarksville Area Ministers Technical Assistance Network (CAMTAN) seeks to provide assistance, support and education to persons affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the greater community.

While Metro-Nashville has Nashville Cares, MICTAN, the Ryan White Foundation, Operation Stand Down Nashville-Street Front, a transportation funding grant from the Nashville United Way and a array of philanthropic foundations: Clarksville, Montgomery County, Dover, Stewart County, Erin, Houston County, Charlotte, Dickson, Dickson County, Springfield, Robertson County, Cumberland City, and other outlying areas must relay on the limited resources provided by a small collective of churches and a few private individuals, with which CAMTAN seeks to address the physical and psychological stresses that can accompany an HIV/AIDS infection.

Rev. James W. Hill Jr., pastor of Greenwood C.M. Baptist Church, serves as the Senior Executive Director of this all volunteer effort. Rev. Hill has attended numerous training seminars with the Nashville United Way -Ryan White Foundation, Operation Stand Down Nashville, the MICTAN initiative and Tennessee Dept. of Health to become certified as a HIV/AIDS counselor-facilitator.

MICTAN is the much larger and better funded Metro-Nashville equivalent of CAMTAN- a faith-based fellowship ministry to those impacted by the HIV/AIDS virus. These efforts are non-judgmental and focus on assisting the client in stabilizing their lives in the areas of housing, medication, counseling, personal relationships, fellowship and employment sustainability and include a general community health education outreach. Of the five county service area, Clarksville leads with the highest number of STDs and HIV transmission cases. The need for education and awareness is real and growing. CAMTAN is seeking to raise funding so that they can hire a case manager, a secretary and a driver and stabilize their client medical appointment transportation support system.

Rev. Timothy Grant- CAMTAN booth, 2008 African Street Festival

CAMTAN has participated in and sponsored several health fairs over the past years in an effort to increase community awareness of the various and diverse health issues confronting our collective communities. Information is available on cancer- be it either female or male breast cancer, colo-rectal or prostate cancer, cervical cancer or testicular cancer. Additionally diabetes, hypertension, obesity and weight control, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), depression and other mental health issues are all matters that CAMTAN seeks to aide the community in understanding and confronting. All of these health concerns are also of concern to individuals confronting an HIV/AIDS infection, along with issues of homelessness, abandonment and physical or domestic abuse. CAMTAN seeks to educate the community to raise the level of awareness and understanding of these issues and improve the public’s preventive posture addressing these concerns. It also seeks to provide assistance to those confronting an HIV/AIDS infection and/or the consequences of such an infection upon the client or family members.

Donations, both monetary and in-kind services, may be sent to: CAMTAN, 1325 Dodd Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Receipts will be sent acknowledging all donations for tax reporting purposes. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return receipt. Rev. Hill is also available to speak with interested groups and coordinate CAMTAN participation in health fairs and other community events. Contact CAMTAN at 931-249-4262/552-3611. Send e-mail to: .

N. Houston parks, President of the Middle Tennessee Legal Aid Society Board of Directors

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee has announced the selection of its new president of the board of directors as, N. Houston Parks. Parks is Chief Financial Officer of First Farmers and Merchants Bank of Columbia, TN. He has a extensive association and record of service with the Legal Aid Society.

Mr. Parks has a distinguished career development path, having attained his B.A. from Rhodes College and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee. Additionally he has attended the Cannon Financial Institute and the Executive Banking Institute. His professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and Maury County Bar Association. He has previously served as Board Vice President of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee. He has also serves on the Martin Methodist College Board of Trustees and the Maury Alliance Board of Directors. Prior to joining First Farmers, Parks practiced law in Columbia.

Parks joined the the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society in 2002. He has served as a member of the executive committee as well as being on the endowment, audit, and compensation study committees. He has also served as the organization’s vice president prior to being named board president.

Other Legal Aid Society officers for 2008-2010 are:

• Kathryn Edge, immediate past president
• Susan Kay, first vice president
• Clisby Barrow, second vice president
• Jim Weatherly, third vice president
• Drew Goddard, treasurer
• Turner McCullough Jr. , secretary
• Charlie Warfield, at large member

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands is Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm. The Legal Aid Society gives free civil legal aid to people who have nowhere else to turn. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. The organization is funded in part by the United Way. Additionally it welcomes private donations from the general public.