February7, 2018
a orter
Church Calendar
E ail church calendar news to Diane Glidewell at
n#ws@mymcr.net by Monday at 12 noon
Church information is published free of charge as space permits.
i
Feb. 7,18
Union Hill Missionary
Bapt t has ruth
Anniversary
Union Hi ' Missionary
L otiSt Church, 299
n Hill Dr Forsyth
is celebrating its 111th
Anniversary. The kickoff
will be on Wednesday,
Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. with Rev.
Charles Dumas and the
St. Luke A.M.E. Church
as special guests. The
anniyersary celebration
will climax on Sunday;
Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m.
with Rev. Jarvis Barron
Sr. and the Brown Chapel
Baptist Church as special
guests and at 2:30 p.m.
with Rev. Eddie Collier
and the Towaliga County
Line Baptist Church
will be special guests.
Everyone is invited.
Feb.7,10
Heart Health at Coliseum
Medical (enters
Coliseum Heart
Institute at Coliseum
Medical Centers encour-
ages Middle Georgians
to learn more about
their heart health at
one of these upcom-
ing events in honor
of Heart Month. On
Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6
p.m. at Coliseum Medical
Centers in Building C,
Suite 120, a seminar
called 'Live a Heart
Healthy Life!' will identify
steps to improve heart
health. Participants will
receive a perfect portion
dinner plate. A free heart
screening on Saturday,
Feb. 10 from 7-10 a.m. in
Building C will include
a full lipid panel, glu-
cose and blood pressure
screenings, BMI, and hip
to waist ratio. Register for
by calling (478) 746-4646
or visiting the "Classes
and Events" section of the
Coliseum Health System
website, www.coliseum-
healthsystem,com.
Ministerial
Association will spon-
sor a.Community Ash
Wednesday Service on
Feb. 14 at Rocky Creek
Baptist Church, 225
Rocky Creek Rd Forsyth
with a meal at 6 p.m.
and service at 7 p.m. A
suggested donation is
$5 for adults and $2 for
children. Please let the
church know if you plan
to join them for dinner.
478-994-2509.
Feb. 14-16
Powerhouse ;llx stolk
Church of Promise holds
rm@al
Powerhouse Apostolic
Church of Promise, 3659
Brownlee Read, Forsyth
invites everyone to its 4
Weeks of 3 Night Revival.
Week 4 of the revival will
begin on Wednesday, Feb.
14 and end on Friday,
Feb. 16. The revival-
ist for Week 4 is the
Pastor, Bishop Robert H.
Jackson. Services will
start each night at 7:30
p.m. Bishop Robert H.
Jackson is the pastor.
For more information,
call Regina at 478-994-
6744.
Feb. 16-17
New Providence Baptist
presents Marriage
Conference
New Providence Baptist
Church, 2560 Hwy. 41
South, Smarr invites all
couples in the community
to be part of a Marriage
Conference on Friday
and Saturday, Feb. 16-17.
Keith and Nichole Boggs
will lead the Conference
with four different ses-
sions. Sign up before
Feb. i for the early-bird
price, $35 per couple. All
couples who desire to
improve their marriage,
visit http://www.npbcs-
marr.org/marriage-confer-
ence for more information
or to register.
Feb. 11
St. James Baptist has
Annual Men's Day
The St. James Baptist
Church, 110 James St
Forsyth and Paster
Antonio D. Proctor Sr.
will celebrate Annual
Men's Day on Sunday,
Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. The
theme will be "A Place
of Progress." The mes-
senger will be Dr. John
Herring, associate paster
of Friendship Baptist
Church, College Park. All
are invited.
Feb. 14
Community Ash
Wednesday service
Monroe County
Feb. 17
8th Annual Chili Cook-off
& Dessert Contest
First Baptist Church
of High Falls, 4408 High
Falls Road, will hold its
8th Annual Chili Cook-
off & Dessert Contest on
Saturday, Feb. 17. All
chili and dessert entries
need to be at the church
by 5 p.m jud "gh g will
begin at 6 p.m. Everyone
gets to judge the chili
and cast a vote for the'n:
favorite; it's sure to be
a tough choice. Lots of"
great food and a fun time
in fellowship. Everyone
is invited to join in the
fun, fellowship and lots of
great food.
PASTOR'S CORNER by Rev. Susan Hatcher
The vine and its branches must nourish each offer
W eat do you know about
ape vines? I am still
arning. I know that
the vine feeds the branch, that
the vine receives no nutrients
or water without the life giving
sap from the vine. There has to
be that flow. I also know that
vinedressers graft new
branches into estab-
lished vines to help
establish new growth,
to bring healing to the
vine or even to add or
create new flavor in the
iinait. All are wonderful
reasons to graft new
vines onto old.
Yet the branch has
responsibilities to
the vine as well. The
branch must reach its
leaves out the sun for the creation
of chlorophyll for its own nutrition
and the feeding of the rest of the
branches. The branch must pro-
duce fruit; if it does not then the
vinedresser will eventually cut it
off. If a branch becomes sick and
nothing revives it, the vinedresser
will also cut it off to preserve the
life of the rest of the branches.
Jesus talks about this in the gos-
pel of John, Chapter 15.
Paul also talks about the depen-
dent responsibility in his letter to
the Philippians. Paul says it this
way, "Therefore, my dear friends,
as you have always obeyed--not
only in my presence, but now
much more in my absence--con-
tinue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is
God who works in you to will and
to act in order to fulfill his good
purpose. "
Paul always was a worker, a
"tent-make ' by trade (Acts 18).
We know that many people,
including a woman named Lydia
supported his ministry. But Paul
also worked his own trade. He
had a strong work ethic. We see
it in his continual travel to plant
and establish new communities of
Rev. Susan Hatcher
believers (churches). We can see
it in his responsibility reflected in
all the writing he did along that
way that still feeds us today.
Paul also knew he had respon-
sibilities and that is what we
hear in much of his writing, but
especially in this text. In it he not
only speaks of our obe-
dience in our work - all
kinds of work, but he
assures us that God is
working in us to fulfill
God's purposes in and
through us. This isn't
God just telling us "Go
here", '2)0 this", for
God's purposes to oth-
ers and the world, but
also God working out
our individual purpose.
I am not speaking
here of our purpose for our lives,
but God's purpose for our lives
(Jeremiah 29:11) "For I know the
plans I have for you," declares the
LORD, "plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future." Yes! God has
plans for us, for you and for me
whether we understand that or
not. Good plans! And yet, we have
responsibilities too
Even growing up at home with
our parents and others, we learn
that we have responsibilities to
the household. We used to call
them chores. On Saturday, we
all had to help with cleaning
the house. We all at least had to
bring our laundry to the laundry
room. We had to keep our rooms
clean and as we grew older and
matured, mum and dad required
more from each of us.
We really don't know how
blessed we are in all that until we
have to move out on our own and
pay bills, deal with the landlord or
mortgage company, buy diapers,
feed babies and all the rest that
goes with being an adult. And so
it is in our faith life too, and those
responsibilities don't end at retire-
ment - just ask a retired person
Still, Paul and John remind us
that we do not work alone. God
is with us. In fact, the psalmist
tells us that we do our best work
when we work with God. "TJnless
the LORD builds the house, the
builders labor in vain" (Psalm
127:1). In Luke 14, Jesus talks
about not only the work, but con-
sidering that cost before we start
so that we do not start something
without having all the resources
to complete the job so that we
do not labor in vain. That's very
important. I think of a house that
I drive past fairly regularly that j
was started and never finished
I don't know its story, but it still
stands to remind me to always
count the cost and to lean on the
master builder.
Someone once shared this say-
ing with me; I believe it has
Puritan origins: %Vork as if it all
depends on you, yet pray that it
all depends on God:"
Paul spoke about his work and
God's purposes for that work in
this way, "To this end I strenu-
ously contend with all the energy
Christ so powerfully works in me."
As we go about our lives here,
let us all strive for our best, not
just for ourselves, that would bear
very limited, short-lived fruit for
no branch lives only for itself. Let
us live lives that feed into the
whole that gives life to all.
Peace and Grace,
[All Bible quotations used are
from the New International
Version (NIV).]
Rev. Susan Hatcher is pastor at
Christ United Methodist Church,
417 N. Frontage Rd Forsyth. The
Pastor's Corner is sponsored by
the Monroe County Ministerial
Association, which meets on the
third Thursday of each month at 8
a.m. at Pickled Okra, at the corner
of Jackson and Johnston Streets
on the Square.
I to
are experience with unions,
]ue
William ' Billy" Powell, a Billy then served on an ammu-
beloved resident of Monroe nition ship during the Formosa
County, will speak to the Blue crisis.
Bridge Society meeting on After the Navy, Billy went to
Monday, Feb. 12. Billy work for Bellsouth and
will discuss and enter- became active with the
tain questions regarding Communication Workers
the role of labor unions of America and served
and his experience wit- many positions with
nessing the explosion that Union, to include
of the first hydrogen President of CWA Local
bomb. 3204 from 1972-81. He
Billy served in the U. Billy Powellserved as VP of AFL/CIO
S. Navy from 1952-1955. from 1972-79.
He served two tours in He was inducted into the
Korea. HIS specialty was salvage Labor Hall of Fame in 1994. Billy
and demolition and he served on served as Governor Zell Miller's
the USS Mendor in the South Senate Doorkeeper from 1981-83.
Pacific. There he laid the instru- Billy served on the Board of the
ments for hydrogen testing and Labor Management Conference
witnessed the blast at Bikini for four years and is still an active
Island Atol in March 1954. Thus, participant. To honor Billy for
Billy joined the elite class of veter- his role, the Labor Management
ans called the "Atomic Veterans." Conference named an annual
golf tournament on Jekyll Island,
'The W. R. 'Billy' Powell Golf
Tournament."
Billy has long been involved in
many civic and charity endeavors.
In 1985 Billy helped organize the
Georgia Special Olympics; he has
hosted many charity golf tourna-
ments throughout Georgia.
Billy retired to High Falls in
1984 and has made many contri-
butions to this community, includ-
ing his tireless clean-up efforts
after the Great Flood of 1994.
Wzth Billy's leadership, members
of the High Falls commtmity built
the American Legion Post 303,
which has since been donated to
Monroe County for a community
center.
The meeting, held at the
Presbyterian Church Parish
House, will start at 7 p.m. The
public is invited to attend.
!!iiii i;iii!i! !i;ii;i i iii,;iiiiiiiiil BLACK HISTORY MONTH
60 S/Jackson St.
Boarding Bathing
Medical Management
Wellness & Preventive
After Hrs. & Emergency
Forsyth, GA 478-994-4986
!iiiii]
: !ii]
Lee Smith
Mon - Fri 10 to 7
Unless Playing Golf
FREEMAN FUNERAL HoME
A name that can be trusted for funeral and burial arrangements
In recognition of Black
History Month, Jerry C.
Pennamon provided some
notable accomplishments by
black citizens of Culloden.
Melvin James was the first
black mayor of Culloden. He
was elected on May 24, 2016
and took office the next day
to serve out the term of Steve
Eller, who died in office. James
was elected to Culloden city
council on Nov. 5, 2015 and
took office in January. He and
Ozzie Pennamon tied as the
top vote getters in that elec-
tion.
David Pennamon Jr. (now
deceased) was the first black
city councilman of Culloden.
He was also the first black
member of Monroe County
Board of Education and the
first black citizen to own a
convenience store in Culloden.
He served as a deacon at
St. Phi]lip A.M.E. Church in
Culloden for 62 years.
Ozzie Pennamon, the son of
David Pennamon Jr was the
second black councilman in
Culloden; he held the office for
35 years, until Dec. 31, 2016.
Osie Lee Pennamon, brother
of David Pennamon Jr was
Melvin James
a deacon at Orange Grove
Baptist Church in Culloden
for 57 years and never missed
a Sunday. He also served as
chairman of deacons.
Jerry Pennamon is the son
of Osie Lee Pennamon and
his wife of 66 years, Rosa Bell.
He is the first blind gospel
artist to write and record a
CD at Orange Grove Baptist.
He sings and plays keyboard
and is proud of the history of
Culloden and the parts black
citizens have played in it.
Jerry Pennamon
