The 1979 issue highlighted the agenda for NOBC’s Crucial Conference, the Conference on Apostolate in the Black Community, including excerpts from papers of five of the presentations to be given at the conference, one of which was Rivers' "State of the Liturgy in the Black Catholic Community." The other presentations were "The Black Catholic Family" by Edwin Nichols, "Catholic Schools: Education in the Black Community" by Dolores Harroll and Josita Colbert; "Church's Ministry Among Black Youth" by Jerome Ledoux, and "The Black Catholic Parish: Its Purpose and Mission, A Perspective" by James E. Goode. This issue also featured an article by Jerome Ledoux on the first Black Catholic Theological Symposium held October 12-15, 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Motherhouse of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Pictures are included in the article of attendees: Jamie Phelps, Eugene Marino, Charles Burns, Rollins Lambert, Joseph Perry, Thea Bowman, James Lyke, Giles Conwill, George Stallings, Robert Bishop, and Edward Braxton.

The 1982 issue featured an article written by John Joe Braun, Provincial of the White Fathers, U.S. Province, which was an abbreviated version of a salute Braun gave to Rivers at the 1981 Joint Conference of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, the National Black Sisters Conference, and the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association where Rivers received the Brother Joseph M. Davis Award for Outstanding Achievement in Ministry. Braun’s salute at that event and in this article commended Rivers for his efforts in building bridges between Black Africans and Black Americans. This issue also highlighted various upcoming NOBC conferences including the Biennial Conference held in Houston, Texas, August 4-7, 1982 on "Spiriting the Good News: Black Catholics Furthering the Movement Through Network Development" and the 12th Annual Workshop in Afro American Culture Workshop held at Daemen College in Amherst, NY, August 15-20, 1982.