Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. APRIL 28. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3B
CONTINUED
Minister’s Comer
adults not laugh as much?
The question makes me think
about my own life. Should I
be laughing more? I really do
love to laugh.
The writer of Psalm 126
speaks to us on the impor
tance of laughter. The
Psalmist recalls a past when
the tongues of the people had
joy and their mouths were
filled with laughter. It didn’t
mean life was perfect or easy.
Perhaps it meant that the
Psalmist was in a place
where he was struggling to
laugh. He was asking God to
help restore joy and laughter,
not only for himself but also
for his community.
Every day we find our
selves in our current place
and time dealing with life.
We constantly go from one
day to another handling re
sponsibilities of work,
school, home, and tending to
relationships. Even issues not
immediately impacting our
lives like national and world
events may weight on us. At
times we feel as if there is no
room or time for joy and
laughter. Perhaps we should
pause, take a deep breath, and
give ourselves permission to
laugh amid our busyness.
How filled are our mouths
with laughter?
Maybe at times we find
ourselves in a place where we
don’t feel like laughing. It
may be that we are carrying
some mighty heavy burdens.
It’s possible that our past may
affect our ability to laugh.
Sadly, we may have come
from a home where every
thing was serious, and laugh
ter was in short supply.
Maybe as we traveled our
life’s journey, we were made
to feel that laughter is silly or
childish.
Of the many places we
find ourselves we should al
ways find moments in our
day to laugh. It doesn’t mat
ter how stressful, how heavy
burdened, or how busy we
are. We need to laugh at a
joke. We can laugh at some
one’s quick wit. It’s impor
tant that we laugh at
ourselves or a situation that
we find ourselves in. Sharing
laughter and joy with others
is even better. It can lighten
the atmosphere in a room.
We Christians, as people
who have been taught by
Jesus to love our neighbor,
can see the goodness of God
in so many ways. Laughter is
one of those ways. Solomon
in all his wisdom spoke of the
importance of a time to weep
and a time to laugh. It is an
integral part of a being a per
son of faith. God gave us the
natural human response of
laughter. Laughter can com
fort, heal, redirect us, ease the
pain, make us smile. Laugh
ter can help us love and care
for our neighbor.
Fellowship Presbyterian
and its ECO fellowship
Like any community of faith, the identity
and mission of Fellowship Presbyterian
Church flows from a unique theological un
derstanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
While every church finds their roots in Scrip
ture, in particular the Great Commission
(Matthew 28:16-20) and the Great Com
mandment (Matthew 22:36-40 and John
13:35), Presbyterians trace their unique per
spective back to the Reformation which
began in the 1520s, and specifically the
teachings passed down from Martin Luther
and John Calvin to John Knox of Scotland.
Since that time, the Presbyterian branch of
the Christian tree has continued to expand in
different variations, or what’s often called de
nominations.
In 2013, Fellowship Presbyterian Church
stepped out in faith with other congregations
across the nation and become a part of ECO,
officially known as the Evangelical Covenant
Order of Presbyterians. Nearly a decade old,
ECO began with a desire not to create an
other denomination, but tndy be movement
that recaptures the best of our heritage in
order to saturate our broken and hurting
world with the transforming power of Jesus.
The founders of ECO specifically dreamed of
reclaiming a sense of a theologically unified
covenant community and finding new ways
for churches to connect, grow, and multiply.
After more initial discernment, ECO declared
they would be fully focused on “building
flourishing churches that make disciples of
Jesus Christ.”
The values of ECO also reflect the great
joy and urgency of God’s calling. 1) The
strength of our movement flows not from an
overarching bureaucracy, but local churches
following Jesus in their own unique ways.
Every ECO church believes the Kingdom of
God continues to move into our world with
power through the lives of regular people. 2)
We want to live out what we believe in prac
tical, obvious ways. Because we believe our
God is sovereign, we are free to take justifi
able risks for the Kingdom, not just react or
fight but influence the culture in which we
live, and renew our hearts and minds in ways
that lead people to embody their faith in
every day ways. 3) We are also intentionally
committed to spurring one another on as we
follow Jesus together. We want to grow and
support one another at every level of the
church, so that no one ever settles for less
than what the Spirit offers. 4) And finally, we
desire to multiply our own leadership, so that
both men, women, and children both use their
gifts and thrive in all phases of life and min
istry.
If you’re interested in learning more about
your local ECO church, Fellowship Presby
terian, Rev. Hudson is always happy to talk
about what God is doing in our congregation.
Continued from Sports Page
Gartrell on the Braves’
most visible flaw
Neither of them remembers (if they ever
learned in the first place) how to hit. Really
hit as in use the whole field, shorten up
your swing with two strikes and/or bunt to
keep defensive shifts in check... They
swing for the fences and show zero willing
ness to do otherwise.
Duvall led the league in RBI last year,
but currently he leads baseball in the num
ber of awkward swings at sliders. Swanson
is on pace to eclipse the single season
record for strikeouts (223) by a landslide.
What’s wrong with the Braves?
That answer stands clear.
The bottom half of the batting order
stinks to high heaven. If any of these guys
would/could actually get on base, the top
of the order hits well but with the bases al
ways empty, the team is not scoring enough
runs.
This week in sports history
&y Ethan Swiech
April 24-April 30
April 24th:
On this day in 1901, the Chicago White
Sox took on the Cleveland Blues in the very
first American League baseball game. The
Sox raced out to a 7-0 lead after the first two
innings, a string that included five unan
swered runs in the second, before routing the
Blues, 8-2. Chicago first baseman, Frank Is
bell, went two for three with three RBIs and
a run. Starting pitcher, Roy Patterson, threw
a complete game to earn the victory.
April 25th:
On this day in 1876, the Chicago Cubs,
who were known as the Chicago White
Stockings, played their first-ever National
League game. The Stockings also recorded
the very first shutout in National League his
tory following their 4-0 blanking of the
Louisville Grays. Chicago pitcher, A1 Spald
ing, finished with 47 wins that year. Second
baseman, Ross Barnes, led all players with a
0.429 average and 138 hits while catcher,
Deacon White, racked up a team-high 60
RBIs.
April 26th:
On this day in 1912, Boston Red Sox first
baseman, Hugh Bradley, became the first
player to hit a home run at Fenway Park. He
finished two for four with five RBIs and two
runs as Boston overcame a three-run deficit
to edge the Philadelphia Athletics, 7-6.
Bradley won a World Series ring with the
Red Sox that year, but the Fenway homer was
one of two he hit during his three major
league seasons. He spent the rest of his career
in the short-lived Federal League.
April 27th:
On this day in 1947, Babe Ruth Day took
place in front of a crowd of 58,339 spectators
at Yankee Stadium. This event was held to
honor the hall of fame slugger who set the
major league record for all-time home runs
with 714. The ceremony lasted 10 minutes,
half a dozen speakers appeared on the Babe’s
behalf and Ruth received several gifts for his
contributions to the game.
April 28th:
On this day in 1966, the Boston Celtics
were crowned NBA champions for the eighth
year in a row and ninth time in franchise his
tory. The Celts concluded the NBA’s 20th
title series with a 95-93 Game seven win over
the Los Angeles Lakers. Jerry West led all
scorers with 36 points, but his showing was
eclipsed by the double-double performances
of Bill Russell and John Havlicek. Big Bill
tallied 25 points and 32 boards while Hondo
had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Sam Jones
also had 10 field goal converts and 22 points
for Boston. This marked the fifth time that the
Celtics defeated the Lakers en route to the
championship.
April 29th:
On this day in 1892, Philadelphia Phillies
third baseman, Charlie Reilly, became the
first player in major league history to be used
as a pinch hitter during a game. A pinch hitter
isn’t part of a starting lineup and comes in as
a substitute, usually in the later innings.
Reilly achieved this history during the Phils’
4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He was also the
first player to have four hits with at least one
home run in his big-league debut, which
came as a member of the Columbus Solons
on October 9, 1889.
April 30th:
On this day in 1922, Chicago White Sox
pitcher, Charlie Robertson, became the first
hurler in club history to throw a perfect game.
Robertson delivered 90 pitches and struck out
six batters as Chicago blanked the Detroit
Tigers, 2-0. It was one of three no-hitters that
his catcher, Ray Schalk, caught throughout
his 18-year career. Robertson suited up for
the White Sox, St. Louis Browns and Boston
Braves, where he went 49-80 with a 4.44
earned run average and 310 strikeouts over
eight seasons.
Ed -Cash: Restocking Fees
Dear Consumer Ed:
I ordered a sofa from an
online furniture company.
The sofa was supposedly
shipped, but we never re
ceived it. The company does
not know where it is and can
not provide any tracking in
formation. They have agreed
to cancel this order and re
fund our money, but they
want to charge a restocking
fee. Can they do that?
Consumer Ed says:
In Georgia, companies are
allowed to set their own poli
cies regarding refunds and
exchanges, including those
related to “restocking fees”.
Restocking fees have become
increasingly common in our
online marketplace and are
typically charged to recoup
various costs associated with
a product return, such as
shipping costs and repacking
costs. They may also be
charged to compensate a
company for the reduced sell
ing price that they may
charge other customers for a
returned product. But, as with
any material term, the com
pany must clearly and con
spicuously disclose the
existence of these charges to
the customer before the pur
chase becomes final. How
ever, while the collection of
these fees is permissible,
there may be circumstances
where a company should not
enforce such a fee, or where
charging it would be illegal.
Although state laws vary, re
stocking fees are generally
unfair or deceptive if: they
are being charged in connec
tion with the return of defec
tive merchandise; they are
being charged because the
company delivered the
wrong merchandise; they are
being charged because the
company failed to deliver the
merchandise within the
promised time period; they
exceed 50% of the purchase
price of the merchandise; or
the restocking fees are not
adequately disclosed to the
customer. In brief, when the
company makes the mistake,
they should not pass the cost
of the mistake onto the cus
tomer. Since, in your case,
the company failed to deliver
the sofa to you at all - let
alone within the promised
time period - you likely
should not be responsible for
a restocking fee. In a situa
tion where the company may
be charging unfair restocking
fees, there are several op
tions. First, if the fee was
charged to your credit card
you can try to dispute the
charge with your credit card
company. Second, you could
submit a complaint to the
Better Business Bureau. Fi
nally, you can submit a com
plaint to the Federal Trade
Commission at ftc.gov or to
the Georgia Department of
Law’s Consumer Protection
Division at consumer.ga.gov
or by calling 404-651-8600.
’M&teransMeirT&rial Pari?
r-' Wtaar \IT
of Pickens County
DAWSONVILLE
METAL PRODUCTS
Your Metal Roofing Specialist
706.265.3099
82 Etowah River Rd.
Dawsonville, GA
Frank Guarnieri
O: 706-692-9826
C: 404-825-2675
CITGO Station
45 E Church St.
Jasper, GA 30143
=PRESTIGE
AUTO REPAIR
Quality Work at an Affordable Price
fguarnieril26001@gmail.com
70 Plus Years Experience
Bell's Family
Delivery — Med Synchronization
Auto Fill — Mobile App
Also Featuring
Ice cream — Sandwiches — Gifts
678-454-2300 4875 Hwy 53 E.
bellsfamilypharmacy.com Tate, Georgia
Blake Loggins
Owner/Agent
Home • Auto • Life
Business • GL • Work Comp
Commercial Auto
Bonds
C: 770.823.0044
O: 706.253.4646
bloggins@etcmail.com
736 South Main Street
Jasper, GA 30143
HdRVE/T
CRAFT
COFFEE
ROASTER
Live Local
Work Local
Get your
Roast Local
1 South Main St.
Jasper, GA
706-407-4566
Regions
t=j
Travis Key
Mortgage Loan Originator
NMLS 546409
Regions Mortgage
293 East Church Street
Jasper, Georgia 30143
Phone (678) 314.0346
Fax (706) 253.6415
Cell (678) 908.7654
travis.key@regions.com
regionsmortgage.com/traviskey
706-253-7737
844-200-7737
www.psu24-7.com
111 Confederate Ave.
Jasper, GA30143
TRADITION
TREE SERVICE
Jasper, GA
Free Estimates
1 Welch^^
VX^IKER^—
& ASSOCIATES
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Josh I
C: 678-848-1751
H: 706-253-0122
traditiontreeservice80@gmail.com
Serving all of your
automotive needs at
the same location (or
over 30 years!
• Fully Insured
• Tree Removal
• Tree Pruning
• Brush Clean-up
Tate Medical
ASSOCIATES, LLC
Nancy Lefever, MD
Nance Karr, NP-C
Melissa Harlacher, NP-C
Lisa Miller, NP-C
Barbara Bond, ND-MHN
88 Clinic Road
P.O. Box 680
Tate, Georgia 30177
Historic Tate Hospital
Phone 678-454-3331
Fax 678-454-3332
Wallace K. Welch, MBA, CPA, CIA
PARTNER
1124 Comp Rd. Turn At*
Jasper, GA “ H* V*
JASPER OFFICE
PHONE (706) 253-3700
FAX (706) 253-5973
ELLIJAY OFFICE I
PHONE (706) 515-2000 I
FAX (706) 515-2011 I
MB Roof
(Formerly B&B Roofing)
FREE ESTIMATES
Mention This Ad
For $200 Off
A New Roof!
770-367-7736
St
Add your ad
in this space.
Call The Progress
706-253-2457
Tor If someone weak sees you. who -possess knowledge
dlnlng Iia, an Idol's temple,
will not his oonsolenoe be "strengthened
to eat food offered to Idols?
So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister,
for whom Christ died, Is destroyed."
— C.0n.tA,thUHA,S S:±0-±±
Alan Horne, Jr.
Agent
95 Whitfield Drive, Suite F
Jasper, GA30143
Bus: 706-692-2888
www.alanhorneinsurance.com
State Farm, Bloomington, IL
1211999