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Governor speaks at son’s new church By Harris Blackwood Community Editor When the Rev. Jim Perdue introduced the guest speaker at North Cross Baptist Church Sunday, he mentioned his father and the governor. He was talking about the same man. The younger Perdue was leading the second worship service of the startup church, which held its inaugural serv ice on Easter Sunday. The church's first sermon was delivered by the pastor. The second was presented by the pastor’s father, Gov. Sonny Perdue. “We are so proud of our son and his wife. Stephanie,” the governor told the crowd of around 200 who gathered for the Sunday service. "We are proud of the obe dient steps that he has taken. This is not very natural for him," he said referring to the son's decision to begin his ministry by starting a new church in Forsyth County. The senior Perdue’s presen tation was not a Bible study but was more of a testimonial of how God had worked in his life. “If we name the name of Christ, if we call ourselves Christians, people are looking for authenticity. They're look ing not only for real faith, but A / I n JA& L Antiques o)tute L « and -J ■< Uip Offer Real Antiques, At Realistic Prices w Full Sen ice Interior Decorating & Antique Home Accessories, Fine Cry stal Vintage and Cobalt Glassware OR 10% Off Any Single Regularly ® J Priced Item [J 770-887-5320 \ Wendy Keenan Cell: 770-317-7479 ' ML Circa Style lam Kohn JA & L SEMIS'S Dahlonega Hwy • Highway 9 North • < umming 300-10 ' Hours: Monday by Appt. Tues-Sat 10:00 - 6:30 „ J.-H It's Time to LA|FIT NES S. SPRING frltO 1-800-LAFITNESS • www.lafitness.com l jßUtf PER WEEK! \ A With a low ' ' n| t |a tion fee FREE Kids Klub-babysitting. One child per membership ../. 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The governor said the same was true in politics. “I think political campaigns ought to be about people being who they are and being very transparent and authentic. Then, they should govern the same way." The governor said that he grew up in a household filled with love and has the same attribute in his marriage to first lady Mary Perdue. “Mary and I are focused now on the children of the state who can’t say that. It’s a sad thing to see children who have not known love, who have not known what uncondi tional love is all about," said Perdue. The first couple served as foster parents prior to his elec tion as governor. The family has entertained children with difficult family situations at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta since he took office. The governor told of his decision to accept Christ as his savior at the Baptist church in his hometown of Bonaire in central Georgia. "1 did join the church as an 1 1-year-old boy, but more importantly, 1 joined the king dom of God as his child." The governor went on to the University of Georgia, where he met his future wife HB" ‘ Photo/Harris Blackwood Gov. Sonny Perdue greets Johnny and Sue Bryan fol lowing worship services at North Cross Baptist Church. The new congregation meets at North Forsyth High School. and graduated from veterinary school. After serving in the Air Force, he began a private prac tice in Raleigh, N.C. He said that at the age of 29, he had a great family, a successful prac tice and a home, but found himself feeling miserable. The governor said that it was at that time, he learned to be obedient to God. The cou ple returned home to middle Georgia and began a grain ele vator business. He said that learning to be obedient to God also led him to run for the state Senate in 1990 and then to seek the state’s highest office IHRMMaMSHnHMIHHinHMi Your Photos & Videos to DVD Let us do the editing 4k Kid* Love To See Themjelvei Cooch Pot soys. 'Out son loves to show-off On YV . il'j entertaining teom s DVD produced by Videoßuz I wish About the seme price as team photos. See Demos on Web WWW. Videoßui.com | 770-623-9016 a 1 in 2002. "We started earnestly pray ing about what God would have us to do,” said Perdue: "I felt and became assured that God was calling me to run for governor and to offer myself as a candidate.” He said that he has learned that politics is "a mean game and people play for keeps." Perdue said that he still believes that his first priority is being obedient to God. “God has called us to be obedient in the serving, as well as in the answering of his call.” FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS WxlnMdiy, April 21,2004 County receives funding to improve crisis resolution ByToddlhielove Staff Writer Forsyth County public safety departments recently were approved for several local security grants from the federal government that will enable law enforcement and safety personnel to improve their abilities to resolve crisis situations. In total, the county official ly was notified of three grant awards totaling more than $255,000. County Emergency Man agement Agency (EMA) Deputy Director Laurie Wood wrote the applications request ing two of the grants. Wood said those grants are reimbursement awards for equipment purchases, including $ 185,000 for equipment to han dle hazardous materials such as chemical and biological agents; and $44,560 for an EMA mobile unit to coordinate the activities of the various public safety entities including law, fire and ambulance responders during crisis events. In addition. Sheriff Ted Paxton last week said the sher iff’s office has been notified of P MOVIES 400 ; hi ; Friday 4/16/04 - Thursday 4/22/04 ; I PUNISHER (R) mum KILL BILL 2IH) ■ ; ELUL ENCHANTED (PG) [FBI-SUN 12:20)2:40, A:55 L ; WHOL£ TEN YARDS (PGI3) (FRI-SUN 12:10) 2:30, 4:45, 7:25. 95S ™"“ ; THE ALAUO (PGI3) 12:55, 3.SS, 0:50, 9:45 HOME ON THE RANGE (PG) 1:00, 3:00,5:10, 7:05 MM | THE PASSION OF THE CHRSTfR) 1:15, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40 mm I SCOOBY DOO 2 (PGJ (FRFSUN 12:30) 2:45, 5:00 7:15,9:30 THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (R) (FRI-SUN 12:00) 2:25, 4:50, 7:30, 10:00 „ I HELLBOY (PGI3) IM, 4:19,1:10,0:50 PRINCE AND ME (PG) (FRI-SUN 12:05) 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05 ■Mil WALKING TALL (PGI3) 1:30, 3:35. 5:40, 7:45, 9:45 MMI LADYKELEFtS (R) 0:55 I”“SNEAK PREVIEW*— SATURDAY ONLY “13 GOING ON 30” (PGI3) 7:10 ®m«m THIS SHOW WILL REPLACE "HELLBOY" AT 7:10 TICKETS ON SALE UP TO 7 DAYS IN ADVANCE ADULTS $7.50 CHILD/SR 15.50 ALL SEATS BEFORE 6:00 PM $5.00 j | Seethemovies.com 678-513-4400 or 770-844-1101, #llOB a $28,000 grant for equipment that will improve communica tions between the county and other safety entities partic ularly the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which oversees Lake Lanier and Buford Dam. The grants are a direct result of the federal govern ment’s attempts to improve homeland security against domestic and international threats. If a crisis situation were to arise locally, Wood said the county is “prepared as much as we can be under the constraints of staff and equipment.” “We are continually in train ing. We may not have every thing we need, but we will do everything we can until our resources are tapped,” Wood said, adding regional agencies can cooperate and loan resources if needed. As the war on terrorism rages, Wood said residents need to stay aware of their sur roundings and any suspicious activities. “We need the community to pay attention,” she said, adding residents should only call 9-1-I in emergency situa tions. PAGE 5A