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thesylvaniatimes.com
The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, January 12, 2022 - Page 5
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Odene Bullock
Mrs. Odene Taylor Bullock,
80 of Sylvania, Georgia passed
at the Bethany Pruitt Center in
Millen with her daughter by her
side on Monday, December 27,
2021. The
Sylvania native was born to Otto
and Louise Taylor in 1941. She
was a member of the Antioch
Christian Church and had
worked in the manufacturing
and food service business for
all her life. She loved her lord,
her family, and country music.
She was preceded in death by
her parents, husbands, James
Meeks, and Jerome Bullock, and
a granddaughter, Brandy Richey.
Survivors include her daughter,
Marie Williams of Sylvania;
two sons, J. Dewayne Meeks
of Sylvania, and Randy Meeks
of Leland, NC; grandchildren,
Dewayne O. Meeks of Sylvania,
Rhonda Meeks of Elkin, NC,
and Jessica Byrd of Sylvania;
great-grandchildren, Caniry
Meeks of Sylvania, Zach Maner
of Elkin, NC, Dylan Meeks, of
Sylvania, Ben Byrd of Sylvania,
Izaya King of Elkin, NC, and
Lainey Byrd of Sylvania; a great
great-grand, Kambree Powell of
Sylvania; half sisters, Deloris
Tyree of Sylvania, and Jean
Williams of Millen, and a niece
and nephews.
Visitation was on Friday, January
7, 2022. Funeral services were
on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at
2:00 pm in the Screven Chapel
of Joiner Anderson Funeral
Home with Rev. Dent Wiggins
and Rev. Greg Davis officiating.
Interment will be in the family
lot in Antioch Christian Church
Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Ben Byrd,
Larry Byrd, Lonnie Wilson III,
Daniel Hodgson, Izaya King,
and Mark Crawford.
Friends may sign the
online register book at www.
joineranderson.com
Joiner Anderson Funeral Home
Screven Chapel was in charge of
all arrangements.
Patricia Ann Zeigler
Mrs. Patricia Ann “Patsy”
Zeigler, passed away at her
home with her loving family by
her side on Sunday, January 2,
2022.
Patsy was bom to the late
John and Dora Mae Raines
Strozza in 1945 in Vidalia, GA.
She will be remembered and
missed most for being such a
loving grandmother and great
grandmother.
She was a majorette at Vidalia
High School when she met
her husband, Harold, during
a football game in Screven
County.
She owned and operated
Zeigler Car Care and the local
Tastee-Freez, and had worked
for Joe Boddiford at Boddiford
Peanut, and for Carol Schroeder
at Golden Peanut.
She was also the secretary of the
family business, H & D Backhoe
Service for many years.
She was a member of the Bay
Branch Homemakers and of the
Goloid United Methodist Church
where she was a devoted loving
member, and was revered as a
Christian church going woman.
She is preceded in death by her
parents, her husband, Harold
Grady Zeigler, and her brother,
Johnny Strozza.
She is survived by her children,
Kerry & Hollie Burke
Zeigler, and Cindy Roth,
grandson, Daniel & Amber
Boykin Burke, and a great-
grandson, Grady Reid Burke, all
of Sylvania.
Visitation was held at the
Screven Chapel of Joiner
Anderson on Tuesday, January
4, 2022 from 5:00pm-7:00pm.
Services were on Wednesday,
Bobby C. Smith, Jr. 67,
of Rocky Ford, Georgia passed
at his family farm on January 8,
2022.
Bobby was born to Bobby C.,
Sr. and Cecelia H. Smith and was
a third generation farmer who
began farming in 1974. He was
a native and lifelong resident
of Screven County and was a
graduate of Screven County
High School and Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College.
Along with his two sons, they
owned and operated Smith
Farms, where they grew cotton,
com, peanuts, and wheat.
Bobby was a member of First
United Methodist Church of
Sylvania, the North Augusta
Boating Club of Plum Branch,
SC, and numerous supper clubs.
In 2010, he was recognized as
the Conservationist of the Year
by the Ogeechee River Soil and
Water Conservation District. He
was an honorary member of the
Screven County FFA, hosted the
Screven County FFA Alumni
Pheasant Shoot annually at the
family farm, and in 2018, was a
recipient of an Honorary State
FFA Degree from the Georgia
FFA Association. He also served
on the Board of Directors for
Planters Electric Membership
Cooperative for 25 years in
numerous capacities. He served
on the Board of Directors for
Oglethorpe Power Company for
the past 13 years and served as
Chairman since 2015. He served
on the Georgia EMC Board and
was selected as GEMC Director
Volunteer of the year in 2014.
Since 2010, he has served
as chaimian of the Screven
County Industrial Development
Authority. In 2013, Bobby was
recognized as Volunteer of the
Year by the Georgia Economic
Development Association.
He was chosen because of the
vision and wisdom he brought
to the organization, along with
countless hours he spent meeting
with business prospects and
planning for future growth. He
has also served on the Ogeechee
Technical College Board and has
been honored by his community
as both “Lion of the Year” and
Rotary’s “Citizen of the Year”...
and he’s not even a member of
the Rotary Club!
He will be remembered for this
unconditional love of his family,
especially his grandchildren. He
will be forever remembered for
his love of grilling, community,
and service to others across the
state. He is preceded in death
by his parents, a special aunt,
Georgia Jordan, and a sister-
in-law, Algina “Gina” Walker
Smith.
He is survived by his wife of
46 years, Kaye Smith; two sons
and daughters-in-law, Jason
and Cali Smith and Justin and
Amber Smith; grandchildren,
Calin Smith, Jay Conley Smith,
Jacob Smith, Bradley Smith,
and Jovey Smith; a brother
and sister-in-law, Andy and
Mary Ann Smith; three sisters
and a brother-in-law, Miriam
Thompson, Paula Raines, and
Lydia and Mark Bragg; sisters-
January 5, 2022 at 11:00am at
the Screven Chapel of Joiner
Anderson with Pastor Jean
Sturdivant and Rev. Dr. Karen
Zeigler officiating.
Pallbearers will be Joe
Boddiford, Perry Zeigler, Zack
Thompson, Daniel Burke, Robin
Potter, Michael Shipes, Dustin
McMillan, Derick Johnson, and
Ainsworth Zeagler.
Honorary pallbearers will be
Jimmy Sturdivant and
David Hayes.
In lieu of flowers memorial
contrbutions may be made to
the Goloid United Methodist
Church, c/o Kim McMillan,
1931 Shady Lane, Sylvania,
GA 30467. Friends may sign
the online register book at
www.j oineranderson. com
Joiner Anderson Funeral Home
Screven Chapel in charge of all
arrangements.
Bobby C. Smith
in-law and brothers-in-law,
Joyce and Robert Singhal and
Judy and Gus McEachem; aunt-
in-law and uncle in law, Linda
and Roger Blanchard and several
nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation was Tuesday evening
at the First United Methodist
Fellowship Hall.
Funeral Services will be today,
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
at 2:00 PM in the First United
Methodist Church with Rev.
Dorsia Atkinson and Rev. Dr.
Karen Zeigler officiating.
Interment will follow in the
Oak Grove United Methodist
Church Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be employees
of Smith Farms; Bruce Rowell,
L.B. Pinkney, Wesley Sirmons,
Joe Jones, Jonathan Forehand,
Jake Thompson, Tanner
Forehand, and special friend,
Wade Hodges.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions may be made
to the Screven County FFA
Alumni, Attn: Jean Potter at 505
West Ogeechee St. Sylvania, GA
30467.
Friends may sign the
online register book at www.
joineranderson.com.
Words of Encouragement
Pastor Joshua Johnson
Oak Hill Baptist Church
“My Concerns”
What if my anxieties are
blessings?
Psalm 139 is a song written
by an anxious heart. With
every line penned by David,
he is reminding himself to trust
in God. If I could summarize
all that David wrote in Psalm
139 in one sentence, it would
be, “At the end of it all, my
God is there.” As David ends
Psalm 139, he writes out a
personal prayer, a heart cry
to God, in verses 23 & 24,
“Search me, God, and know
my heart; test me and know
my concerns. See if there is
any offensive way in me; lead
me in the everlasting way.”
David first asks God to search
him and know his heart. What
a bold and scary prayer! He is
opening his heart to God, not
hiding any section or space.
Next David asks God to test
him, and to know his concerns.
Test means try, as in “God
send me a trial to bring out
my concerns.” Zechariah 13:9
uses the same word “trust” -
God said, “I will refine them
like silver, I will test them
like Gold.” How is silver
refined and gold tested? In the
fire. Extreme heat is brought
to bear on a ceramic cup, a
crucible, holding the silver or
gold within. The silversmith
then holds the crucible over the
fire until the impurities in the
precious metal rise to the top.
At that moment, the silversmith
scrapes off the impurities and
pulls the crucible from the
fire, letting the gold cool and
turn back into a solid state.
The word David uses in
(v.23) for “concerns” means
“anxious doubts”. What David
is saying is “God put me in the
fire of trial so that my anxious
doubts will be revealed to you.”
What if the fire that hurts, is
also a blessing? The fire of
trial brings out my concerns,
anxious doubts, and God is
waiting to scrape them away,
removing them from my life.
How does God scrape away
my concerns? I believe we must
bring our concerns to God in
prayer. When we feel the fire, and
the anxiety surfaces, it is in that
moment that we must recognize it
and surrender it to God in prayer.
David then asks God in (v.24) to
“see if there is any offensive way
in me.” It is as the fire brings our
anxiety to the surface that God
can find the offensive ways in
our life to correct. “Offensive
way” means “painful, wicked
habits”. Anxious doubts, left
surrendered, fester and grow,
leading to painful habits.
“Way” in the OT means the way
we are living, the direction we
are walking, even who we are
walking with. In the fire, God not
only refines our anxieties, but He
also corrects the painful, wicked
habits we’ve developed, and He
leads us in His way, eternal
life. Eternal life is God’s path
of righteousness that starts
with believing in Jesus and
goes on forever in eternity.
This week, when you feel
the fire and you feel the
anxiety rising to the surface,
can I encourage you to
bring it to God in prayer?
Let’s pray, “God, you are my
God. You have searched me
and known me, from long ago.
Where can I go to escape from
your presence? You watch
every second of my life - you
know every thought, you see
every deed, you feel every
heartbeat. At the end of it
all, you are there. Search me
God and know my heart. Put
me in the fire, like gold, and
bum away the impurities - my
anxious doubts, my wicked
and painful habits. God
remove every offensive way
from my heart and life and
lead me in Your way of eternal
life. Let me walk with You, in
Your paths, for Your name’s
sake, from now until forever.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Pastor Joshua Johnson is
the pastor at Oak Hill Baptist
Church, located at 3233 Oak
Hill Church Road, Millen.
Pastor Joshua and his wife,
Lauren have three boys
and one on the way. If you
have any questions you are
encouraged to call the church
office at 478-982-1616.
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Oak Hill Baptist Church
3233 Oak Hill Church Road
Millen, GA 30442
478-982-1616
Pastor: Joshua Johnson
Sunday School: 9 a.m.
Sunday Morning: 10 a.m.
Wednesday: 7 p.m.
Choir practice - Bible Study
Youth Group - Kids Mission
Group
www.oakhillmillen.com
List your church here!
Find out how by calling
912-451-NEWS (6397)
Church News
Jan. 16:
Feb. 19:
Green Hill Baptist
Church is having a
bluegrass concert at
6 p.m. with a chili
cook-off following.
Everyone is invited.
St. Andrews UMC will hold
their church anniversary ban
quet at 6 p.m. in the Screven
County Rec. Center. There
will be live entertainment,
dinner and dancing. Tickets
are $15 per person or $25 per
couple. Please see a church
member for more information.
PASTOR
continued from page 4
you don’t have enough educa
tion; some will say that you
don’t have the right connec
tions; some will say you don’t
live in the right city; and some
will even say that you don’t
deserve what you’re trusting
GOD for.
I want to challenge you to
be true to greatness that your
Heavenly Father has placed on
the inside of you. Remember
that you have an eternal calling
upon you, and that your Heav
enly Father is with you even in
the midst of navigating through
the maze of what “some say.”
1 John 4:4 teaches us that we
have already overcome, because
we have the greater one in us.
So, remember never to settle for
merely being “great” - go for
the gusto and be GREATER in
spite of what “some say.”
Journalism that is independent, honest, and dignified
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