Newspaper Page Text
4A
JUNE 17,1999
Agape strengthens link with inner city
By Adrienne Tumer
éllm 'A FOCUS Staff Writer
.Ez ; AUGUSTA
"The Bcriptures state that “the
harvegt truly is plentiful, but the
laborets arefew,” (Matthew 9:37).
However, that number was in
ereasetl- on June 10 when the As
sodiatioh of Greater Augusta Pres
byteriah- Evangelism (AGAPE)
kicked-bff its tenth annual Sum
tnér Service Program, sending
évér 100 junior and senior high
volunteers and their leaders into
the inner city of Augusta. i
Aeécording to Dean Comkel,
youth pastor at Lakemont Pres
{‘yfirithhurch, the AGAPE vol
untéers operate on a slightly dif
ferent. premise; “it is better to
give, than to receive.”
For three days, June 10-12, vol
untéers from local Presbyterian
Church of America churches
(Cliffwood, Lakemont,
Westminster and First Presbyte
rian Church) and Beulah Grove
Baptist Church joined togetherin
repairing and painting homes and
thurches, doing door-to-door out
reach and bringing together people
from; the community and the
praject.
Six sites were chosen for this
yearsproject; thehomesof Martha
Ballard and Amilia Stewart on
Augusta Avenue, Seeds of Hope
Church on Laney-Walker Blvd.
Ext., Mt. Herman Baptist Church
on Sand Bar Ferry Rd., Smooth
Ashlar Masonic Lodge on Spruce
St. and Miracle Making Minis
tries on King St.
A sense of community could be
felt amidst the sweat and dust
that resulted from renovations
beirig done at the Seeds of Hope
~ The First And Onl
- Gas Bill That Rewards
Y .
You With Delta 3k¥Ml|BS®
E Sign Up With SCANA Energy Now and You
3 Could Also Win One Million Sky Miles
SCANA Energy has joined with Delta Air Lines to become the first ar:d only natural
gas provider in Georgia that rewards you with Sky Miles based on your monthly gas
‘bill beginning in October, 1999. Plus, sign up with SCANA now and you'll also be
.automatically entered to win one million SkyMiles*. That's enough miles for 40
‘round trip tickets within or between the continental U.S. (including Alaska) AND
Canada. Or, be one of ten lucky winners to receive 50,000 Sky Miles!
; Cscann.
i ENERGY
13 Georgia's New Flame’
1 Daniel Village Shopping Center 2803 Wrightsboro Road, Suite 20D, Augusta, GA 30909
| B Tele: 706-736-7677
43 Call Today Toll Free
: 4 1-877-GO SCANA (1-877-467-2262)
g or visit our website at www.goscana.com.
b Sky Miles begin accruing October,l999.
QtND PURCHASE OR OBLIGATION NECESSARY TO ENTER. See Official Rules for entry details or send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to: SCANA Energy One And A Milion Rules, PO. Box 4286, Blair, NE 68009-4286. Requests received after
mnwhmmmmmhmwwmmmdqaw.mwmcumvppmd
Georgia. Swoepstakes void wherever prohibited by law. Al federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. You may also ente the contest by hand-printing your
and address on a 3" 6" card and maiing it to: SCANA Energy One And A Milion Giveaway, PO, Box 4112, Blair, NE 68009-4112. Maikin entries fust
postmerked by 9/23/90 10 be ekgible. Sky Miss is a Regstered Trademark, Marca Registracks, Man yue Deposee. Trademarks (nckuding Delta and the Delta logo)
quflmhmdmmmwm»wm Mwmmmmmm
AUGUSTA FOCUS
vo R B s} ; T T
X B
e - * o m ' o
/ F s e B EGEL e
L 4 i, 4 l 4 L d‘i“‘:flub g A
MRS/ »/ Y ‘ .
A \\YS j ' ]b, i
2 d B
WY T LN IR PR
: ‘J; B e §
L. Q:i: J '6’;l!,", ¢ e r
Sy , / 1
'\ QS“ ‘ e
W s‘: .‘ \ L w*&% ;
;f" ‘:" ¢ “ .’w ‘ f ‘W‘
L Y S Ay
" G P "’ir’uo\‘u.
- et e~
e e, P - N
T~ :fm . m_mx___v 00l
AGAPE volunteer John Christopher (L) adjusts weedeater while
Tracy Hollis Trachim looks on. Photoby Charles Jones
Family Worship Center on Laney-
Walker Boulevard Extension.
Members of this predominantly
black, inner-city church and vol
unteers from AGAPE worked to
gether as if they were employed
by the same firm. And, in a sense,
they were. Asßev. Comkel stated,
“Christ is the great equalizer.”
“God sent us help through
AGAPE,” said Roosevelt Walden,
pastor of Seeds of Hope Family
Worship Center. “Weneeded alot
of help and had no funds.”
Accordingtoßev. Walden, when
he first began the Seeds of Hope
project it was the kids that en
couraged him and strengthened
his resolve to see an inner city
youth camp come to fruition.
“When I decided to transform the
People
trucking company, my oldest
helper was 13. All the adult men
Farmers %Z fié izé 2
Furniture
Augusta 667-9118 _— 19
PAY TO THE A $ 5 000
BREEROR: e e e e i e N
./ /67, Q G
“/1/, Qollaiid 0 @ fupchade 0L o QP INOHC ~ OLLARs
FOR: Gift Certificate Just Bring It In Today ‘ VATAS Vot ;
Store Manager )
Can be applied to any new purchase from Farmers Furniture. Cannot be applied to an existing account or to prior purchases. Not redeemable for cash. Non-transferable.
I-—!!-------------_'!_---_-------------------I
I asked, declined,” Rev. Walden
said.
Volunteers put up sheet rock
and painted a building on the
grounds of Seeds of Hope. A build
ing that is envisioned to be a
multi-purpose nursery and fellow
ship hall. The first step in Camp
Hope, the inner city camp Rev.
Walden plans to set up on the
grounds surrounding his church.
Russell Harris, who moved to
Augusta from New York to help
his grandfather, Rev. Walden,
transform the old Ryder Trucking
company into the Family Worship
Center, was just as hard at work
when the volunteers came out
Friday.
“It’s fun,” said Russell, wiping
sweat from his brow. “I've made a
lot of friends.”
. Some were tired, others sore
and afewhad small cutsorbruises,
but all felt themselves to be “tools
for the Lord.”
“Iteach the Bible. Idon’t dowell
with chainsaws,” said Rev.
Comkel, who was charged with
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR ‘
gy Bf A g
f@‘\ “e,
~“meNay =
?
B
GEQRGIA
Proclamation
IN RECOGNITION of the Augusta Juneteenth Festival.
WHEREAS, KISS-fm and the Medical College of Georgia
have teamed up to sponsor the 1999 Augusta Juneteenth
Festival and educate the community on this important
event in Black History; and .
WHEREAS, KISS-fm is working with community partners
to establish a Juneteenth Scholarship Fund to be
awarded in June 2000 and recognize a local citizen as an
Outstanding Community Role Model; and
WHEREAS, the 1999 Juneteenth Festival includes a
dinner celebration and soclal hour held in downtown
Augusta to raise funds for the Juneteenth Scholarship, §
and the naming of the recipient of the first Outstanding
Community Role Model award.
NOW THEREFORE, 1, Bob Young, Mayor of the City of Augusta, do
hereby proclaim June 18 and 19, 1999 to be:
: JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL DAYS
IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have unto set my hand and caused the
seal of Augusta, Georgla to be qffixed this fifteenth day of June,
1999. ,
Mayor .
cuttingdown several trees earlier
that day. “But we can help out
sometime.”
Rev. Comkel stated that
Lakemont plans to continue their
outreach on aregularbasis, apart
from thework they dowith AGAPE.
However, many of the AGAPE
volunteers said it is they who
received the blessing, meeting
people, making new friends and
strengthening ties in the commu
nity.
Payton Gunn, of Lakemont
Presbyterian Church, agrees that
doing good for others sometimes
renders hidden rewards.
“I wasn’t excited about coming
atfirst,butithasbeen ablessing,”
Payton said. “It’s a lot of fun.
We're working for God and the
community, soit’s good work. I've
made a lot of new friends.” One of
which turned out to be his new
girlfriend.
There’s $l.B billion in Black buying power in Augusta.
Admittingthat Rev. Comkel had
to persuade him to volunteer this
year, Payton said that he will
definitely do it again next year.
- AGAPE, in its February 1999
newsletter, described itself as “a
word deed ministry seeking to
extend thekingdom of Jesus Christ
in the inner city of Augusta
through assertive evangelism sup
ported by acts of compassion.” The
scriptural foundation on which the
Summer Service Project is based
comes from Galatians 5:13, “you,
my brothers were called to be
free. But do not use your freedom
to indulge the sinful nature;
rather, serveone anotherinlove,”
To get further information on
AGAPE Ministries, contact Matt
Aitken at (706) 796-7760.
To volunteer at Seeds of Hope
Family Worship Center, contact
Rev. Walden at (706) 724-3466.
FOCUS
your ad
in our
fine
paper.
Call
Augusta
Focus
at (706)
724-
7855.