My favorite wedding gown designer Therez Fleetwood, who symbolizes the epitome of ethnic-inspired bridal gowns, has officially linked up with premier bridal resource for brides of color, BlackBride.com.

The Black Bride Collection by Therez Fleetwood incorporates the same modern approach to bridal design and use of artistic detailing for which Fleetwood is well known.

These classic silhouettes are created with luxurious fabric and inspired by timeless elegance. The collection will provide brides the opportunity to wear the designer gown of their dreams at a moderate price point.

The gowns are available in palettes of white, ivory, and champagne and include a range of looks perfect for the traditional and modern bride alike. The first eight dresses were launched in Fall 2012, and range from $1500-$2500.

“I’m excited to partner with BlackBrides.com as the exclusive designer for their new collection,” says Fleetwood.

“This collection embraces my design talent and through BlackBrides.com. I look forward to sharing my creative vision with brides across the world.”

BlackBride.com has been the premier online resource for culturally diverse brides since 1998. For the past fourteen years they have been touted as “the ultimate wedding companion for planning the most romantic and important day of a woman’s life”.

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PCM SCHOLARSHIP RECIPENT—Aaron White (Photos by Debbie Norrell)

If you like good food, good times and plenty of line dancing, the Pittsburgh Council of Men Inc. Spring Dance was the place to be on May 5. More than 200 welcomed spring at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Harmarville.

On this evening, the PCM Scholarship Award of $1,000 was presented to Aaron White. White will be attending Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio in the fall. Baldwin Wallace University is a four-year private, coeducational, liberal arts college. White is the grandson of Algia Gary Jr., one of the founders of PCM.

There was plenty of line dancing led by Stella Hopewell. Ladies and gents filled the dance floor as Hopewell led the group in line dances such as the Wobble, Detroit Hustle, New Steppin’, Hood Walk and the Booty Call. If you couldn’t keep up, it was also fun to just watch. Music was provided by Alonzo Clark (Night Child).

The Pittsburgh Council of Men was founded in May of 1972 by the late Fred Gladney Sr. and Algia Gary Jr. In May of 1973 they became a non-profit organization.

The organization owns a 40-unit four story housing complex called Shady Park Place in North Braddock, for handicapped and elderly residents. This project represents a major effort led by an African-American men’s organization in the Pittsburgh area.

DEBBIE NORRELL

On the first Sunday of May I went to a Sunday Brunch at the Cabaret on Frankstown Avenue in Homewood. It was the day of the Marathon so one of the more popular Brunch spots was closed. I thought to myself why not try something new. I had heard about the Cabaret and have passed it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. I was pleasantly surprised. The Cabaret Rental Hall was well decorated and the owner took it upon herself to give me and my guest a private tour.

We were blown away. The venue is so much larger than it appears from the street. There is more than one area where you can host your party. There is a main stage, a jazz room and ballroom complete with dance floor. Everything is well thought out and tastefully and fashionably decorated. Outside you will find a trio of desks allowing your guests to enjoy a private outdoor space. There is also a lighted private parking lot. The building is a former tool rental company and there is plenty of space. So if you are looking for a venue and you want to patronize a Black owned business please check out Cabaret at Pittsburghscabaret.com. Let me not forget to tell you that the food was very tasty on this Sunday, I will go back.

One of the things on my bucket list is to visit the Mall of America. Now I can cross that item off. Recently I had to go to Minneapolis for work. When my manager presented me with the trip I didn’t think much about it and then it hit me, I can go to the Mall of America on someone else’s dime, the best way to travel.

The mall is huge, so large that it has an amusement park in the middle and a hotel. There are dozens of restaurants and plenty of places to shop. Maybe I should be thankful that my time was limited so I couldn’t do too much damage. I was looking for stores that I could not find in Pittsburgh and “Bettie Page” fit the bill. The store was full of fifties fashions, perfect pencil skirts and fun accessories. This is the place for any shopaholic. I was in my glory.

The trip was topped off by a stay at one of my new favorite hotels the Sofitel Hotel. What a beautiful place. There are not a lot of these hotels around so if you get an opportunity to stay in one you must. I stayed at the Sofitel in Chicago a few years ago and gathered so many decorating ideas. The best way to describe the comfort of Sofitel Minneapolis is a unique blend of eclectic chic and French elegance. Enhanced by the natural beauty of the area’s many lakes, the hotel is your gateway to enriching cultural encounters and tantalizing gastronomic delights. In short nothing about the hotel is ordinary.

If you like shopping and beautiful places put the Mall of America on your bucket list, happy shopping.

(Email the columnist at deb­bie­ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

CHURCH COVENANT—The signing of the Pastor-Church Covenant of Relationship by Rev. Dr. Willie J. Thompson Jr. as deacon Terrence Hammons, pastor search committee chairperson, looks on waiting for his turn to sign the agreement. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

Reverend Dr. Willie J. Thompson believes the best way to transform minds is to transform communities.

As the newly installed pastor of Clairton’s Morning Star Baptist Church, he plans on initiating the help of his 300 parishioners to change the City of Prayer into a thriving town once again.

“My plan is to continue to strengthen Morning Star’s efforts in becoming a worshipping, witness for Christ to impact the community, the world and the continent,” said Thompson, who was installed on April 28 as the 94-year-old church’s newest pastor. He was chosen as the church’s pastor-elect in November of last year. “The first thing you do is feed and equip people and give them the tools they need to live healthy social and economic lives.”

Reverend Thompson was born and raised in Columbia, S.C., and accepted the call to ministry in 1997. He was licensed two years later and ordained in 2002. The 34-year-old earned his Baccalaureate degree in Religion and Philosophy from Benedict College and his Masters of Divinity degree from Washington, D.C.’s Howard University. While attending Howard,  Rev. Thompson served as Logistics Coordinator for the Graduate Schools Office of Retention, Mentoring and Support. He is a recruiter and ambassador for the School of Divinity and is the vice president of the Howard University Graduate Student Council, College of Arts and Sciences.

Prior to accepting the call to pastor Morning Star’s flock, Rev. Thompson was the Youth and Young adult Pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Elgin, S.C., and most recently at Prince George’s Community Presbyterian Church. While at the Prince George’s Community Church, he established a college ministry, youth mission team and co-founded a national association for youth ministers. He also wrote and produced the stage plays “The Rock: A History of African American Worship,” “When Sunday Comes” and “A Mitchellville Christmas.” He is currently completing his Doctorate in Sociology from Howard.

“Every now and again our church hit a mountain, but Rev. Thompson elevated us to a level of praise and he led by example,” said Elder Dawn Brown, of Prince Georges Community Presbyterian Church in Mitchellville, Md., during the installation ceremony where she presented Rev. Thompson with a pastor’s robe. “We will forever be grateful for the outstanding work he did at our church and we thank you for challenging us in our Christian walk.”

Reverend Thompson plans to enhance Morning Star’s walk with Christ.

“I will continue to encourage the ministries of the church to do more of the works of Jesus and that will increase the ministry and the body of the church,” Rev. Thompson said. “If you have people who are doing the works of Jesus, people will come from everywhere.”

Reverend Thompson takes over the reign at Morning Star after the death of its pastor, Rev. Dr. Jerome Stevenson who died in 2011.

“We are thankful for God sending him to us. We didn’t choose him, God sent him. We are proud to work with him and to make his vision come true, support his leadership and support him freely and not have any roadblocks,” said Terrence G. Hammons, Sr. Chairman of the Morning Star Deacon Board Ministry.

Reverend Thompson said when he learned that God had called him to pastor Morning Star he stayed in bed for 24 hours contemplating the enormity of the call.

“What I saw was the ministry of Jesus taking place. He didn’t go to huge churches and cities, he went to the places where people needed an encounter with God,” Rev. Thompson said. “This city needs an encounter with God. I can tell that from looking at the vacant properties and the energy levels of the people. The spirit of God that was at Morning Star Baptist Church is what attracted me here. The sense of prayer, community and the sense of wanting to improve and do something more is what attracted me. They were hungry to reengage and do the work of Jesus.

“Church gives us the opportunity to use all the gifts that God gave us to use for his Glory. I think God likes that,“ Rev. Thompson continued. “Everything we need to change the world is already here. Clairton has everything that it needs to live again.”