Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 24. 2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3B
Church News
Where Did Your Operation
Christmas Child Shoeboxes Go?
By Wanda Payne
Operation
Christmas Child,
Pickens County
Good News -
Even in the midst
of the pandemic
people like you
rallied for the
hurting children
around the globe.
At the moment
our shoeboxes
from Pickens County are on their way to
Chad and Republic of the Congo. Each gift
is a Gospel opportunity, and we’re working
with church partners everywhere to make
sure children hear about Jesus, have the op
portunity to respond to Him in repentance
and faith, and learn how to share the Gospel
with their friends and families. During the
past 10 years, more than 11.5 million children
have trusted Jesus as their Savior through The
Greatest Journey, our discipleship lessons for
shoebox recipients, and are sharing their new
found hope with family members and friends.
Praise God!
Others gift boxes will be delivered in
“hard to reach” areas. Many who live in these
areas are unreached peo
ples—ethnic groups who
may have never even
heard the Name of Jesus
Christ! Shoeboxes
packed on-line provide
ease of access through
customs and give local
believers a culturally-
sensitive way to share
God’s love. Many of
these believers do so at
great personal cost and
despite fierce opposition to their faith.
What you did this year means the Gospel
will be shared not only through your gifts but
also The Greatest Journey. Samaritan’s
Purse/Operation Christmas Child couldn’t do
this without you. You are a unique, wonder
ful, and dedicated community and God has
put us together in this ministry to serve Him.
Because of that we love you and thank God
for you.
Please keep praying for the children for
whom you packed gifts that they may come
to know the joy of the Lord.
“.. .for the joy of the lord is your strength.”
(Nehemiah 8:10)
Interfaith minister to speak via Zoom at
Mountain Light Sunday
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). 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 27, our guest min
ister will be Rev. Scott Dillard. He is an or
dained Interfaith Minister and a Professor of
Rhetoric at Georgia College & State Univer
sity in Milledgeville GA. He will be deliver
ing his sermon on Zoom. Attendees will
watch the service on our monitors.
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.
Sharing of the
Bethlehem Peace
Flame - 2020
For the second year in a
row, the Bethlehem Peace
Flame returned to north
Georgia and was shared
among several local congre
gations.
The flame has
burned continuously for over
1,000 years and originated at
the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem, the site of Jesus’
birth. It is transferred lantem-
to-lantem from Tel Aviv, to
Vienna, to New York City -
eventually to the Big Canoe
Chapel in north Georgia -
and finally to Hope Lutheran
Church in Ellijay.
Dedicated volunteers
meet, share, and move the
flame across North America,
person-to-person, coast-to-
coast. The Peace Light, sym
bolic of the Light of Christ,
especially evident at Christ
mas, is meant to promote
peace, harmony and unity
among all people of the
world.
Minister’s Column - Continued from Church Page
Then on the inside it adds,
“You two can decide who’s
who.” Even after sixty-seven
years, that could still stir up
a little debate.
We don’t typically think
of a wedding in relation to
Christmas unless we chose
to get married around that
time. Even then we don’t
usually connect the union of
a bride and groom to the
birth of Jesus which we are
celebrating. However,
maybe we should. The Bible
certainly draws a link be
tween the two. One of the
main reasons Jesus came
into this world was to get us
ready for our wedding. What
am I talking about?
One of the primary analo
gies Scripture uses to depict
our relationship with Christ
is that of a bride and groom
or a wife and husband. Our
relationship should be one of
love, devotion, commitment,
and faithfulness, much like
in a marriage. At the end of
this age, Christ will return
for His bride, the Church.
The book of Revelation pic
tures our union with Christ at
that time as a marriage: “Let
us be glad and rejoice and
give Him glory, for the mar
riage of the Lamb has come,
and His wife has made her
self ready” (Revelation
19:7).
Are we getting ready for
our wedding? Think about
how a bride goes to such ef
forts to prepare for her wed
ding day. Are we seeking to
make ourselves presentable
and pleasing to our Groom?
We can’t do it in ourselves.
Therefore Jesus came into
this world in order to make
us the fit bride He calls us to
be. Look at how the Bible
describes it: “Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and
gave Himself for her, that He
might sanctify and cleanse
her with the washing of
water by the word, that He
might present her to Himself
a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, but that she should be
holy and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:25-27).
We often think of the pur
pose of Jesus’ birth in rela
tion to His death on the cross
- that He came in order to
give His life. That’s true, but
let’s not stop there. This pas
sage in Ephesians indicates
that the reason He gave Him
self for us is to prepare us for
our wedding with Him. He
calls us to be a pure, holy,
glorious church - a calling
which we’re falling woefully
short of today. The only way
we can become such a beau
tiful bride is through Christ
transforming us based on
what He did for us at the
cross where He died as the
sacrifice for our sins. He
came so that we can be
cleansed of our sins. He
came not only to forgive us
and make us appear clean in
Him, but also to actually
transform us, our character,
and our behavior to become
a more holy people. Right
now we should be experienc
ing an ongoing change in our
lives as our Groom keeps
working to get rid of any
spots or wrinkles in our lives
and in His church as a whole
to make us an unblemished
bride.
There is no doubt who
will always be the better half
in our relationship with
Christ. However, He came to
make us a better bride. Let’s
cooperate with Him as He
gets us ready for our wed
ding.
[Rev. Tony Elder is a
North Georgia native who
serves as a pastor and au
thor of the daily devotional
book, Everyday Encounters
with the Lord” and serves as
the Executive Director of the
National Association of Wes
leyan Evangelicals.
He may be reached at
revtelder@aol.com. ]
Continued from Pane IB
Gartrell
too.
They have no loyalty to the kids whom
they recruited and promised to mentor
and protect as soon as a bigger better
program waves millions at them to jump
ship.
In that case, shouldn’t the kids/players
be loyal to themselves, their families and
their financial best interests too?
When looking at both sides, I person
ally find it difficult to condemn anyone
for trying to better his or herself. There
does seem to be something honorable
about finishing a whole season or career
once it is started, but nobody can pay
bills with honor. Therefore, if the indi
vidual players can live with their deci
sions to “opt out”, I certainly can too.
Continued from Page IB
Reports of monarch winter sightings can help scientists
tered reports show that other
monarchs might overwinter
here in a non-reproductive
state.
Researchers and others
studying monarchs are seek
ing more information to un
derstand why and what it
might imply for monarchs, a
candidate for listing under
the federal Endangered
Species Act.
In a collaborative effort,
Journey North, Monarchs
Across Georgia, the Univer
sity of Georgia and the Geor
gia Department of Natural
Resources are encouraging
people to report monarch
sightings from December
through March in the coastal
states of Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Geor
gia, Florida, South Carolina,
and North Carolina.
“We are reaching out to
you, the community of na
ture enthusiasts and monarch
observers, to ask for your
help in monitoring locations
of wintering monarchs in the
U.S,” said Sonia Altizer, an
ecology professor at the Uni
versity of Georgia and direc
tor of Project Monarch
Health. “Reports of monarch
winter sightings can help sci
entists determine where
monarchs can overwinter in
the southern U.S., and how
this might affect future
monarch population num
bers.”
Understanding monarch
migration and overwintering
behavior is critical to con
serving these iconic butter
flies. Studies have shown
that monarch migration has
changed in recent years in re
sponse to human activity.
Journey North coordina
tor Nancy Sheehan pointed
out that citizen scientists
have “a long history of being
a part of scientific discover
ies.” “I am sure the Journey
North community - and fu
ture members - will hear this
call to action and not only
submit sightings but don
their boots to help with any
targeted conservation efforts
identified through this ef
fort.”
Journey North is designed
to engage people across
North America in tracking
wildlife migration and sea
sonal change. For 25 years,
observers have reported
monarch and milkweed ob
servations to Journey North,
data then used to create real
time mapping visualizations
of monarch migration and
the presence of milkweed,
the only plant that monarch
caterpillars eat.
For nearly 20 years, Mon
archs Across Georgia has en
gaged educators and
community members in edu
cational and scientific proj
ects to protect and restore
pollinator habitat.
“Volunteers are vital to
this effort,” said Susan Mey
ers, co-chair of the organiza
tion. “If you enjoy being
outdoors and exploring your
local ecosystem, if you want
to learn more about this fas
cinating migratory insect, if
you would like to contribute
to a scientific study, this is an
easy activity that can be done
alone or with your family.”
Monarch observations
can be submitted December-
March to the Journey North
citizen-science project. Visit
j ourneynorth.org/monarchs
to learn how to report
monarch sightings.
Join the Effort
•Step 1: Create a free ac
count with Journey North at
joumeynorth.org/reg.
•Step 2: Leam how to re
port monarch sightings at
joumeynorth.org/monarchs.
•Step 3: Submit monarch
observations from Decem-
ber-March at
joumeynorth.org/sightings.
Poster contest draws attention to
Georgia nature near home
The previous winner in the third and fourth grade level
of the contest sponsored by the Ga. DNR.
Teachers and students
across the state are invited to
celebrate wildlife and their
habitats through art by par
ticipating in the 31st annual
Give Wildlife a Chance
Poster Contest.
The goal of this competi
tion for grades K-5 is to gen
erate knowledge of and
appreciation for Georgia’s
biological diversity. The
popular initiative is spon
sored by the Georgia Depart
ment of Natural Resources,
the State Botanical Garden
of Georgia and The Environ
mental Resources Network,
or TERN, friends group of
DNR’s Wildlife Conserva
tion Section.
The 2020-2021 theme -
Nature is Everywhere! - em
phasizes native wildlife and
plants close to home as well
as far away. Many people
think nature only exists in re
mote wilderness areas. How
ever, students in the country,
suburbs and even cities can
find a variety of wildlife
right outside their door. All
that is required is to slow
down, perhaps even sitting
in one spot, and take notice.
As inspiration for their
artwork, students can look
for plants, insects, birds and
other wildlife in their back
yard or schoolyard. If neigh
borhood greenspace is
scarce, ants and other insects
can be observed on side
walks. City, county and state
parks are great places to dis
cover nature, too - and most
people have at least one park
in their community.
After creating artwork
based on this year’s theme
and within contest rules, par
ticipants will enter their
drawings and paintings at
the local school level. Top
school-level entries then
proceed to the state contest
at the State Botanical Gar
den of Georgia in Athens.
First-, second- and third-
place winners will be chosen
for four divisions: kinder
garten, first and second
grade, third and fourth
grade, and fifth grade. The
deadline for schools to sub
mit digital photos of state-
level entries is April 9, 2021.
The top 12 state-level
winners’ artwork will be
showcased on DNR Wildlife
Resources Division and
State Botanical Garden so
cial media sites. Also, as a
special perk for supporting
this contest, each state-level
winner’s teacher and one
parent will be eligible to re
ceive a free DNR wildlife li
cense plate, courtesy of
TERN. For contest rules,
awards, entry forms and
other information, visit geor-
giawildlife.com/PosterCon-
test.
Give Wildlife A Chance
Poster Contest
■Theme: Nature is
Everywhere!
■Emphasis: Generate
knowledge of and apprecia
tion for Georgia wildlife and
their habitats.
■Teacher instructions:
Have students design art
work that includes native
wildlife - animals, plants or
both. Hold a school-level
contest. First-place winners
in each age division advance
to the state-level contest.
■Deadline for state-level
contest entries: April 9,
2021.
■Top 12 state-level win
ners’ artwork will be show
cased on DNR Wildlife
Resources Division and
State Botanical Garden of
Georgia social media sites.
■Details: georgiaw-
ildlife.com/PosterContest
Continued from Pane IB
Sports
History
picks.
With the score tied at 17 in
the final quarter, backup,
Norm Van Brocklin, made a
relief appearance. Van
Brocklin responded by hit
ting Tom Fears for the 73-
yard touchdown that proved
to be the game-winner. The
Rams got their revenge by
winning, 24-17, for what was
their last championship until
1999, when they defeated the
Tennessee Titans in Super
Bowl XXXIV.
December 24th:
On this day in 1961, the
defending American Football
League champion Houston
Oilers hung on to their crown
following a 10-3 victory over
the San Diego Chargers. This
was also a rematch of the
1960 AFL title game, when
the Chargers played their
home games in Los Angeles.
This sloppy defensive strug
gle featured a combined 13
turnovers, including Oilers'
quarterback, George Blanda's
five interceptions. Blanda
ended up throwing for the
game's only touchdown in
the third quarter, a 3 5-yard
toss to halfback, Billy Can
non. Cannon, the 1959 Heis-
man Trophy winner out of
Louisiana State University,
finished the day with 101
yards from scrimmage.
Houston's offensive line pro
vided Blanda with excellent
protection while its defense
preserved the win with six
sacks and four interceptions
of Chargers' quarterback,
Jack Kemp. The Oilers at
tempted a three-peat in 1962,
but that dream came to an
end following a double-over
time loss to the Dallas Tex
ans (Kansas City Chiefs) in
the championship game.
December 25th:
On this day in 1956,
Gordie Howe treated the
hometown Detroit fans to a
nice Christmas present.
Howe set a career-high for
points in a single game with
six, scoring a hat trick while
tallying three assists. His per
formance enabled the Red
Wings to blow away the New
York Rangers, 8-1. Howe's
scoring total against New
York remained the highest
output of his 26-year career.
December 26th:
On this day in 1917,
Harry Cameron became the
first defenseman in NHL his
tory to score a goal, finding
the net during the Toronto
Arena's 7-5 win over the
Montreal Canadiens. This
game also saw Cameron
achieve the very first "Gordie
Howe hat trick" long before
the term was introduced. Not
only did Cameron get a goal,
he also picked up an assist
and fight, doing a little of
everything to help the Arenas
win. In six seasons and 121
career-games, Cameron
recorded 142 points (88 goals
and 54 assists) along with
180 penalty minutes. He was
a member of three Stanley
Cup championship teams and
was inducted into the Hockey
Hall of Fame in 1963.