Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Billy Smith serves as Chaplain
of the Day at the Georgia
House of Representatives
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pike County’s District 131 Rep. Beth Camp (left) and Christ
Chapel pastor Billy Smith at the state Capitol on March 17.
At the request of State
Representative Beth
Camp, Pike pastor Billy
Smith was the Chaplain
of the Day at the Georgia
House of Representa
tives for day 34 of the
session on March 17.
“He did a wonder
ful job of encouraging
through his sermon
and scripture reading
prompting many to come
to the well to meet and
thank Pastor Billy for his
comments,” said Camp.
Billy Smith started
Christ Chapel in 2003
and the church now has
around 2,000 visitors
each week, offering three
services each Sunday at
8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11
a.m. While at the podium
at the Capitol, he talked
about the importance of
attitude.
“Often when it comes
to my attitude, I’m point
ing to people around
me and I’m really the
problem,” he said. “Your
attitude reveals the real
you. 1 don’t like that. 1
don’t always like the
way 1 respond but that’s
what’s in my heart. Prov
erbs says this in the 23rd
chapter, “For as a man
thinks in his heart, so
he is.” My heart exposes
my attitude. When we’re
shaken in life, our real
heart is exposed during
those difficult seasons in
our life. Attitude deter
mines the success or
failure of every relation
ship we have. All those
relationships are either
strengthened or weak
ened by our attitudes.
Our family relationships
and work relationships
all of those are deter
mined whether they will
be good,bad, poor or
healthy based off our
attitudes. Attitude is al
ways our choice. Circum
stances don’t determine
our attitude, we do.”
During his message, he
talked about a Holocaust
survivor who endured
the unimaginable and
had everything taken
from him. Pastor Billy
said he survived not be
cause he was stronger
but because he had an
attitude that reflected joy,
hope and positivity.
Pastor Smith noted
March 17 was the an
niversary of his father’s
death a year before and
he wore his father’s tie in
his honor.
“One thing, my dad
left me. We weren’t rich,
we were just a rural,
middle class family, but
he taught me to get up
every day to treat people
fair and treat people
right,” he said. “And you
determine your own at
titude. I’m asking you to
do the same. Let’s reflect
the attitude the heart
and the mind of Christ.”
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Kathy Buchanan, LPN at the Pike County Health Department, prepares a dose of vaccine for
teachers and staff at Pike County schools on March 19, with a total of 130 doses administered.
VACCINE: Available for 16 and older
FROM PAGE ONE
According to the
Department of Public
Health’s Vaccine Dis
tribution Dashboard,
there has been a total of
3,601,473 vaccines dis
tributed in Georgia as of
press time March 29.
Stores that are offer
ing the vaccine include
Kroger, Ingles, Publix,
CVS, Walgreens, Walmart
and Sam’s Club.
COVID-19: Cases remain low in Pike
FROM PAGE ONE
The number of cases
in the past two weeks
remains low at 16, com
pared to 15, 22, 24, 28, 41,
89 and 93 in the previous
two week periods.
As of March 26, the
Pike County school sys
tem had only one stu
dent who was confirmed
to have COVID-19 at the
middle school and no
adults.
There were only six
students quarantined for
close contact to some
one with COVID-19 and
no adults.
Since the start of the
school year, there have
been a total of 193 con
firmed cases in students,
84 confirmed cases in
adults, 187 adults who
have returned from quar
antine and 2,469 students
who have returned from
quarantine.
Jobless rate down; unemployment rising
The adjusted jobless
rate for the Three Rivers
region, which includes
Pike County, dropped by
0.6% in January. The rate
was 5.1% compared to
3.5% in January, 2020.
Initial unemployment
claims in January were
up by 15% from Decem
ber.
In addition to Lamar,
the Three Rivers region
includes Butts, Carroll,
Coweta, Heard, Lamar,
Meriwether, Spalding,
Troup and Upson coun
ties.
Call Monday-Friday
from 9am-4pm to
schedule your
FREE
COVID-19 Vaccine
Effective Thursday, March 25, any
Georgia resident 16 years and older
is eligible to be vaccinated.
Call 706-646-5727 or 770-872-5015 to schedule
your appointment!