SGT. ELITE PIERRE

Sergeant First Class Elite Pierre, born and raised in Pittsburgh and a graduate of Peabody High School in 1998, has become a first class contributor to his community and his country since joining the National Guard several years ago. After serving as a specialist he was promoted to sergeant and moved to Fort Dix in New Jersey to train soldiers for overseas combat.  After three years he was promoted to sergeant first class. Some of his significant achievements:
•He made the front page for “Army Times” Magazine A Gannett Company in Springfield, Va., in July of 2011.
•He spoke at the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program in Chicago, October 2012. His video is posted on YouTube.
•He won Human Recourses Command, Non Commission Officer awards for 2012. His video is posted on YouTube.
•He spoke at the Brother to Brother Academy in Elizabethtown, Ky. His video is posted on YouTube.
•He recently established his own business called “Only the Elite.” His video is posted on YouTube.
His parents, Rosemarie and Erie Pierre and other relatives are still in Pittsburgh. 

ROLE MODEL--First lady Michelle Obama exercises with children from Chicago Public Schools, in her hometown of Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 28.

(CNN) -- Michelle Obama may be the first first lady who can kick your butt.

In comments as part of a "Twitter Town Hall" she hosted Monday morning, the first lady said kickboxing is her favorite stress reliever. Of course, she also said children should be exercising 60 minutes a day and that they should steer clear of processed foods whenever possible.

Questions ranged from how to encourage healthy eating habits among children to what steps can be taken to combat negative body image among young adults.

The first lady emphasized serving fruits and vegetables at a young age is key to developing health eating habits and said it is important to "Focus on how kids feel, not how they look."

And what about Mrs. Obama's favorite winter recipe?

"I love turkey & veggie chili," she said.

Orientation of Deacons
    MARCH 15—New Zion Baptist Church, 1434 Juniata St., North Side, will host an Ordination of Deacons at 7 p.m. This will be the trial of Deacons Carol Myers and Paul Owens. For more information, call 412-322-3838.
Women’s Breakfast
    MARCH 16—Solid Rock Church, 1400 Buena Vista St., North Side, will host a Women’s Breakfast from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The theme is “The Fragrance of Prayer” with guest speaker Pastor June Jeffries of New Life Baptist Church. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 412-904-3170.
Annual Usher/
Missionary Days
    MARCH 17—Antioch Baptist Church, 332 Elizabeth St., Sewickley, will host its Annual Usher and Missionary Days Celebration with Family and Friends at 10:45 a.m. The theme is “    There is No Greater Love than Family and Friends.” Dinner will be served immediately following the service. For more information, call 412-741-7688 or visit www.antiochfwbapittsburghsewickley.org.
45th Church Anniversary
    MARCH 17—Northside Institutional COGIC, 302 W. North Ave., North Side, will host a 45th Church Anniversary Celebration. The guest speaker will be Elder Matthew Brown of Georgia. Dinner will be served immediately following the morning service. All are welcomed. For more information, call 412-231-LOVE.
International Holiday
Program
    MARCH 17—The Educational Board of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 330 4th St., Rankin, will host its International Holiday Program at 4 p.m. The guest speaker will be Dr. Curtiss Porter, chancellor of the Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus. Proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund. For more information, call Sondra Barbour at 412-867-6694.
Women’s Brunch
    MARCH 23—The SHOUT (Sisters Hanging Out United in Truth) Women’s Ministry of Union Baptist Church of Swissvale, 2117 Collingwood Ave., Swissvale, will host a Women’s Brunch from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Every fourth Saturday of the month, women will come together for food, fun and fellowship to praise the Lord and hear a Word from a woman of faith. For more information, call Synthia Brown at 412-862-6750.
Songfest
    MARCH 23—The Shepherd Ministry of Morning Star Baptist Church, 812 Oak St., West Mifflin, will host Songfest at 6 p.m. This will be the evening of praising the Lord through song. There will be choirs, groups and soloists from the Pittsburgh area. For more information, call 412-461-7861.
Palm Sunday
    MARCH 24—Jerusalem Baptist Church, 123 Steuben St., West End, will host a Palm Sunday Service at 11 a.m. There will be a message from guest messenger Rev. Benita Lewis of Washington, D.C. For more information, call 412-921-0822.
Benefit Concert
    MARCH 25—Diakonia Ministries Inc. will host “Like The Dawn” Benefit Concert at 7 p.m. at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. The concert will feature Jessie Corbin, the Band Cities, the Bethany Baptist Singers and more. There will also be a dessert reception and auction at 6 p.m. Proceeds will benefit Diakonia Ministries. For more information, call 412-731-8037 or visit www.diakoniapgh.org.
Good Friday Service
    MARCH 29—Holy Spirit Fellowship Church, 1100 6th St., New Brighton, will host its Good Friday Service 2013 at 9:30 a.m. The theme is “Thank God it’s Friday” with guest speaker Rev. Marvin Moreland of Deliverance Temple COGIC. Breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. Registration is requested and all are welcomed. For more information, call 724-728-1064.
    (To have items listed on the Church Circuit, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)

FASHION ROYALITY--Demeatria Boccella, Pat Cleveland Deborah Riley Draper and Mikki Taylor

I hope you didn’t miss it but if you did let me tell you about it.
On March 3, at the August Wilson Center hundreds witnessed the Pittsburgh debut of Versailles ’73, American Runway Revolution, directed by Deborah Riley Draper.
The film follows the iconic fashion effrontery at the Chateau de Versailles on November 28, 1973 between five American designers- Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta and Halston – and five French designers- Yves St. Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro.
The events beginnings as a fundraiser orchestrated by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert to raise money to restore the Palace of Versailles became a fierce competition. America with great clothes and color barrier breaking collective of Black models who sashayed the runway, won over the crowd and secured American fashion’s place on the world stage.
The Black models who awed the international set and changed fashion: Billie Blair, Jennifer Brice, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Bethann Hardison, Barbara Jackson, China Machado, Ramona Saunders, Amina Warsuma and Pat Cleveland. Mikki Taylor, Cleveland and Draper were in Pittsburgh for the debut. It was a fantastic night.
If you missed it and want to see the film please go to www.versailles73movie. This is a piece of fashion history