Sweet Temptation

If you were at church on Sunday, April 8, you may have had a piece of cake after the service. We shared cake together to celebrate Debbie Stevenson’s time with us. Debbie has worked at University UMC for several years. She recently took a job with the new Michigan Conference of the UMC. Debbie is the new administrative assistant to Rev. Jennifer Browne, who has been appointed to be the Director of Clergy Excellence for our Conference. Congratulations to both Debbie and Jennie as they start this new ministry together!

The cake we shared to celebrate with Debbie was very good. Several people asked where it came from. I ordered the cakes from Sweet Temptation Desserts in Lansing. Sweet Temptation Desserts is a new small business, owned and operated by Mr. Sidney Black II. Sidney was one of our panelists who discussed with us the movie “13th”. The movie, dinner and discussion were sponsored by our Church and Society committee as part of their Race and Reality events.

As a panelist, Sidney spoke with us about being a “returning citizen.” That is the term now used for someone who has returned to society after having served time in prison. Sidney related that he had made some mistakes when he was young and therefore spent some time in prison. He spoke to his experience with the criminal justice system and what it is like to return to society after paying for his mistakes. It is very difficult to get a decent job as a returning citizen, especially if one is a person of color.

Sidney is now a small businessman in Lansing. If you have an event coming up this spring or summer, please consider using Sidney’s services. When I picked up our cakes he was also filling orders for several other events last weekend. You can contact Sidney at 517-348-4932 or by email at S.TEMPTATION517@gmail.com.