Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 17. 2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5B
Church News
Continued from Church Pace
Foothills Church prepares for
Christmas season
here on earth. A life that 33 years later would
lead Him to death on a cruel cross ... when
He died for you, for me, and for all mankind.
Jesus is the reason for the season. Pick up a
Bible and read the book of Matthew before
Christmas this year and you will better know
why people of faith believe in Jesus.
Every day through out this past year we
have heard about how many people have
COVID-19 and how many have died from it.
For the writer of this article, my mind imme
diately thinks “Were they saved? Did they
know Jesus and His forgiveness before they
took their last breath?” I am sure some did;
but sadly, I am sure that some did not; be
cause we meet people all through our lives
that just do not take faith serious at all.
I hope if you are in that group that you
might investigate faith this Christmas season.
And I pray that those of us in the church will
share with others throughout the year the
love and forgiveness that only Jesus can
give; so that more will come to faith in
Christ. He is the way, the truth, the life, and
He promises to never leave or forsake us.
Life lived out with Jesus as our guide is rich
in meaning; no matter what life brings.
Pastor Charlie Parish and all the members
of Foothills Community Church invite you
to come and visit with us one Sunday soon.
Our worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.
each Sunday. You will receive a warm wel
come always.
Make plans to join us at 4 p.m. on Decem
ber 24 for our Christmas Eve candlelight
service this year. Invite your family and
friends to come along with you, too.
Foothills Community Church is located at
13724 Highway 53 in Marble Hill. For
more information you can call 770-892-6312
or go online to: www.foothillscommunity-
church.org
Christmas traditions service
at Mountain Light
A history of Christmas
Being concerned with the health and
safety of our beloved community, Mountain
Light UUC now live-streams our Sunday
services on Zoom. However, for those who
prefer gathering in person, we have limited
seating available in our sanctuary (on some
Sundays) to watch the worship program on
our monitors. If you would like to reserve a
seat, please visit our website (mluuc.org) for
more information on how to attend during
the COVID-19 Pandemic.
On Sunday, December 20, Our music di
rector, John Puett, will present "Christmas
Traditions." This service will be a reflection
on the history behind the holiday season and
all the wonderful traditions and music passed
down through the ages that make the Christ
mas season such a special time and glori
ously heartwarming.
Mountain Light UUC, 2502 Tails Creek
Road (GA-282 West), in Ellijay, welcomes
guests of all faiths, ethnicities, and gender
identifications. Our worship service begins
at 10:30 a.m. Join us at 10 for fellowship.
Adventist
Community
Food Pantry
The Seventh Day Adventist Church in
Jasper offers a food pantry open this
week on Wednesday from 1 p.m. until 2
p.m.
The church is located at 600 Burnt
Mountain Road (just past the library).
Continued from Church Pace
Regular services continue
using technology and
choose how they lead the congregation.
Over the past several weeks, leaders have
sometimes chosen to give Special health pre
sentations, mission stories, Sabbath School
and even the Sermon remotely. Additionally,
microphones have been placed in different
locations to pick up the sound in different
parts of the sanctuary; a congregant who
gives a comment during the morning Bible
Study or present a prayer request doesn’t
necessarily have to walk up to a microphone
in order to be heard online. Furthermore, at
appropriate points, online worshippers may
unmute themselves and present or make
comments, and the sound carries over the
speakers to those in the sanctuary.
While we do have a large share of atten
dance online, there continues to be in person
attendance and presentation, including pi
anist accompaniment to songs. Masks and
hand sanitizer are available, and we do en
courage in person worshippers to wear masks
and physically distance. Physical distancing
is further encouraged by designating “seating
areas’ via tape and signs at appropriate dis
tances.
at Jasper Adventist Church
in-person precautions
Our prayer meeting continues to be exclu
sively online, at 7 p.m. every Wednesday.
We have been running our food pantry
from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesdays, but next year,
the day will change to Sunday. We will an
nounce the time soon. For the safety of the
community and our church, the pantry vol
unteers place food bags in the cars of those
who drive up to the back of the church.
We urge anyone interested in the Bible -
whether you attend church or not - to contact
us for free, interactive video Bible studies.
Our church would also love the opportunity
to pray for any requests that you have. And
of course, we are very interested in hearing
from you about any ways we can better serve
our community.
To contact us for more information about
joining us remotely, or anything else, please
contact us: Jasper Georgia SDA Church, 600
Burnt Mountain Rd., Jasper, GA 30143-3367
Website: https://jaspergeorgiaga.adven-
tistchurch.org/
Contact Form (to email us): https://jasperge-
orgiaga.adventistchurch.org/contact
Phone: (706) 253-2782
Minister’s Column - Continued from Church Page
Continued from Page IB
Dragons roll in early games
photos/ Robin Dunn
Tucker Lowe storms down the court for PHS Friday.
He led the team against Ridgeland with 19 points.
locker room and expanded
their lead in the third quarter.
In the final frame, the Lions
came fighting back, but
Pickens was able to hang on
to the 52-43 victory.
Lowe again led all scorers
with 19 on the night.
The Dragons are looking
in great form as they con
tinue into region play.
Continued from Pane IB
Nettes set defensive record
second region contest of the
week. Seniors, #2 Lily Sim
mons, #10 Kealy Hillhouse,
#23 Marlee McClure, #23
Cassidy Richards, #34 Rea
gan Harwood, and #40
Tempe Solomon were hon
ored at halftime along with
seniors from dance, cheer,
and the Dragons.
The Nettes trounced
Ridgeland 78-7. It was the
second lowest points allowed
in Nettes history. After start
ing with a 15-0 first quarter,
the Nettes dominated the
second quarter with a whop
ping 35-5 performance. Hill-
house was hot again,
knocking down 3 three’s in
the quarter and four for the
game. She led all scorers
with 16 points. Junior
Amanda Nelson contributed
14 with 2 three’s of her own.
Freshmen Caroline Mullins
led the way in assists with
five. Reagan Harwood and
Cassidy Richards added 10
and 9 points, respectively,
which Richards pulled down
a game high eight rebounds.
The Nettes improved
their region record to 3-0 and
scored 70+ for the third
game in a row.
They are currently set to
play Christian Heritage on
December 17th at 5 p.m. at
Gordon Lee. The schedule
changes often due to Covid,
so keep up to date with the
latest schedule at
nettesbasketball.com
Rotary gives $ 16,000 to non-profits
thanks to golf event sponsors
Receiving checks from Jasper Rotary were: Leslie Miller, Fill-A-Stoeking; Pat Thu-
man, Hope House; Frank Leist, Veteran’s Park; Cassie Rasco, Boys <& Girls Club; Gina
Pendley, Ga. Mtns. Hospice; and Debbie Rooker, Burnt Mountain Center. Second Row:
Max Caylor, Rotary President; Sue Appleton, Ferst Readers; Tammy Herman, Angels
on Horseback: Chris Rumble. CARES: Christine Patten and Erin Blisbeth. ACES Youth
Home.
“Our nonprofits have been hit hard due to
lack of normal fund raising and our board de
cided to give all of our golf tournament pro
ceeds back to the community at one time,”
said Rotary President Max Caylor.
The $16,000 came from Rotary’s golf
tournament in August due to local businesses
sponsorships and players.
“We greatly appreciate our sponsors and
players for their support especially in a diffi
cult year dealing with the virus,” said golf
tourney chairman Gina Pendley.
The Rotary Club of Jasper is a group of
community minded business persons and
professionals who strive to better themselves
and the community by living their motto of
“service above self.”
Club membership is open and meetings
are each Wednesday at noon at Chatta
hoochee Tech.
For your heavenly Father
knows that you need all
these things. But seek first
the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you.
-NKJV
Many times, we can get
so consumed with making a
living that we begin to allow
our time with the Lord to slip
from us. If we're not careful,
we can let problems begin to
cause us to get slack in faith
fully attending services at
our place of worship. Life
has a way of pushing itself
on us and invading our time
with the Lord.
Today, I have shared two
scripture references where
Jesus instructs us as His dis
ciples to deny self. Self is the
part of us that guides us to do
what we desire instead of
putting God first in our lives.
When we allow self to ride
our hearts, it can cause us to
worry about many things.
This is why Jesus commands
us not to worry by taking
thought about what we shall
eat or wear. Self can cause us
to pay more attention to our
selves and have less time for
the Lord and His work.
It may not seem important to
put God first in our lives and
deny self, but it is. Self has
no spiritual power to over
come Satan. If we only allow
self to guide us in life, we
won't be able to have our
faith in God exercised and
strengthened.
Consequently, we won't have
the power to stand against
the adversary during the tri
als of life if we only place
trust in self. James teaches us
that we become able to resist
Satan after we first submit to
God. We may tend to think
that Satan is the worst enemy
of our faith, but he's not. It is
self.
If you tndy desire to be a
strong Christian and be able
to resist temptation, you
must put God first. As you
do this, you will grow in
faith because your trust is in
the Lord's abilities and not in
self. By simply placing our
faith in the Lord during try
ing times, we will overcome
this world and its troubles.
The Lord doesn't want us
to be stressed out by all that
is going on in the world. He
sent Jesus to give us life and
peace. Through faith, God's
peace will guard our hearts
so that we can enjoy life. By
putting God first and trusting
in Him, we are free to live in
His peace and safety. Do you
need peace in your heart?
Deny self and put God first
in your heart every day. It
works. I know because it's
the way that I have chosen to
live.
[Pastor Asa Dockery of
World Harvest Church North
and a published author who
has been writing devotions
for more than 11 years. Asa
is also the host of Keys to
Kingdom Living Television
program. ]
Continued from Pane IB
Sports
History
scores
came from inside the five
while the defense limited
New York to nine first downs
and 194 yards.
December 16th:
On this day in 1945, the
Cleveland Rams were
crowned NFL champions for
the first time after defeating
the Washington Redskins,
15-14, at Municipal Stadium.
This also represented the
final game for the Rams in
Cleveland before moving to
Los Angeles. The tempera
ture that day was minus eight
degrees, the coldest title
game in league history at the
time. Rams' quarterback,
Bob Waterfield, took a while
to get warm after throwing a
pair of interceptions. He
eventually got hot by throw
ing for a pair of scores, in
cluding one to Jim Benton,
who made nine catches for
125 yards. Waterfield also
added an extra point, which
hit the crossbar before going
over. His Redskins counter
part, Sammy Baugh, had a
rough afternoon to say the
least. Baugh completed just
one of six passes, threw a
pass that hit off his own goal
post for a safety and was
knocked out of the game. His
backup, Frank Filchock,
came off the bench and threw
two touchdowns, but also
had two interceptions which
prevented Washington from
completing its comeback.
December 17 th:
On this day in 1944, the
Green Bay Packers captured
their sixth NFL title follow
ing a 14-7 win over the New
York Giants. Both teams
combined for seven
turnovers, all interceptions,
but two second quarter
touchdowns proved to be the
difference for Green Bay.
Both of the Packers' scores
came courtesy of fullback,
Ted Fritsch, who caught one
touchdown and ran for an
other. Green Bay finished the
day with more rushing yards
(163-85) and total yards
(237-199) than New York.
The Packers controlled the
ball and the tempo in what
proved to be the final cham
pionship for legendary head
coach and hall of famer,
Curly Lambeau.
December 18th:
On this day in 1949, the
Philadelphia Eagles became
the first team since the 1941
Chicago Bears to win con
secutive NFL championship
games. The defending cham
pion Eagles reclaimed their
crown by running over the
Los Angeles Rams, 14-0, in a
torrential downpour. Hall of
fame running back, Steve
Van Buren, was the catalyst
in providing Philadelphia
with excellent field position.
Van Buren carried 31 times
for 196 yards while the only
offensive touchdown came
on quarterback, Tommy
Thompson's 31-yard toss to
Pete Pihos. The Eagles' other
score came off a blocked
punt, which was recovered
by Leo Skladany. Philadel
phia's defense limited the
Rams' potent attack to seven
first downs and 119 yards
from scrimmage. LA's explo
sive quarterback tandem of
Bob Waterfield and Norm
Van Brocklin managed a
combined total of 98 yards
through the air. This victory
gave the Eagles their second
straight shutout in a title
game as well as their last
postseason blanking in fran
chise history. It also marked
the only time they won back-
to-back league champi
onships.
December 19th:
On this day in 1948, less
than a year before defending
their title in the Los Angeles
rain, the Philadelphia Eagles
became NFL champions for
the first time ever in the
snow. The Eagles met the
Chicago Cardinals, the same
team that vanquished them
for the 1947 title, in a bliz
zard at Shibe Park. Neither
team bothered to establish a
passing game, combining for
just five completions and 42
yards, so running was the
theme of the day. However, it
was Philadelphia's ground
game that had the over
whelming advantage, gaining
225 yards to the Cards' 96.
Steve Van Buren, who ini
tially thought the game
would be postponed, stood
out the most. Van Buren got
to the stadium at the last
minute before gaining 98
hard yards on 26 carries. He
also scored the games' lone
touchdown in the fourth
quarter and the Eagles hung
on for the 7-0 victory.
Continued from Pane IB
Gartrell
expects the Buckeyes to prevail and earn one
of the four semifinal slots because of the rep
utation and following of the program.
I must cry foul on a team making the
playoffs after playing only six games since
there’s two undefeated teams unmentioned
thus far. Cincinnati (8-0) and Coastal Car
olina (11-0) hold as much if not more claim
to a playoff berth as a six win Ohio State or
USC despite not being in a “power-five”
conference. I am still unconvinced that either
of those six win teams could compete with
fifth ranked Texas A&M (7-1) either or even
a two loss Georgia (7-2).
Thus, in typical 2020 fashion, the cries for
an expanded playoff get louder. In a normal,
uninterrupted 11-12 game college football
season most of these doubts fade because of
upsets and marquee out of conference
games. I see no need in watering down the
field with eight teams or more which negates
regular season play in my opinion, but per
haps, a six team playoff with the one and
two seeds getting byes is more appropriate.
Unfortunately, the current playoff format
is contracted for a few more years so just
enjoy championship week as is for now.