Newspaper Page Text
August 13, 2008
PAGE 7B
^Reporter
Locals
help to
launch
clinic at
Milner
church
BYLAURATl IACKSIX )N
Several Monroe County
residents, including Dr.
Steve Taunton and nurse
Karen Harbuck, are tak
ing a leading role in a
new free medical clinic
taking wing in Milner.
Dr. Benny Tate, pastor of
Rock Springs Church,
says he always had a
dream of
opening a free
medical clinic.
About a
month and a
half ago, his
prayers were
answered when a woman
living in a house on the
church premises decided
to move. Dr. Tate told
church members about his
idea to buy the house and
turn it into a clinic. After
prayer and careful plan
ning, the church took up a
love offering and bought
the house. Volunteers
worked long and hard to
turn the house from a res
idential setting into a
clinic.
The clinic, which is cur
rently only offering med
ical assistance, helps
those who don't have
insurance or those who
Dr. Steve Taunton examines a patient at the Rock
Springs Clinic. The clinic offers free medical assis
tance for those who are uninsured or in need.
are poverty stricken. The
clinic is made up of a
team of five doctors, a
To make an appointment or find out more
information, please call the church office at
770-229-8663.
physician assistant, a
nurse practitioner and
nurses, including Harbuck
and Taunton, who work
together to keep things
running smoothly. Doctors
treat patients of all ages
and staff members said
while they can't treat
severe trauma cases, they
have seen a mixture of
everything in the short
time the clinic has been
open. In addition to staff
members who volunteer,
there have been many
donations from people
who have helped keep the
clinic running. Doctors do
their best to treat care."
patients while they are at
the clinic but will make
referrals to other physi
cians if need
ed. The staff is
made up of a
variety of peo
ple from dif
ferent walks of
life, but on
Thursdays they work
together to help patients
as best they can. When a
patient comes in, it's a
rule that the person
receive spiritual counsel
ing before being seen by a
doctor. If the patient
already knows the Lord,
they are counseled about
any issues they may have
and those who don't know
the Lord are presented
with the Gospel. "People
don't care how much you
know until they know
how much you care," Dr.
Tate said. "We just want
to show them that we
The clinic opens
each Thursday at 3
p.m. and doesn't
have a set closing
time. Walk-ins are
welcome, but if a
patient is in a hurry
staff members rec
ommend setting up
an appointment. To
make an appoint
ment or find out
more information,
please call the
church office at 770-
229-8663.
Monroe County Confederate Soldiers
Forsyth’s visiting Polish teen
still fought for the Old South
Do we have God,
or does He have us?
I have a bluebird fami
ly. In early spring, I
put up a bird house
in our back
yard. Within
weeks, I had a
bluebird. Bluebirds
are making a
come-back after
nearly disappear
ing from the south
eastern scene.
Pesticides and a
changing envi
ronment made
their living dif
ficult. Indeed,
it was human
interest and the erection of
bird houses that helped
restore their population.
Any how, I have a bluebird
family.
On second thought,
maybe the bluebirds have
me! They still fly freely,
come and go as they wish
and fuss like everything if
someone tries to get in
their territory. Me? I just
sit and watch, capti
vated by their beau
ty and wanting to
sing because they
make me happy.
(You know,
“Bluebird of happi
ness” and such).
Certainly, there’s
a vast difference
between blue
birds and God,
but all this set
me to thinking.
How often have
I heard and thought, “I
have God in my heart!” Of
course, everyone knows
what that means, but do I
have God, or does He have
me?
God is free! Like the
wind, He blows when and
where He chooses. He is a
mystery that we can not
comprehend. We are the
ones who may be lost. He
is the One Who found us,
not visa versa. He is not
“my” God, though He is
certainly “our” Father.
Moreover, our song might
be, “I am Thine, 0 Lord.”
More than “I have God in
my heart” I want to shout,
“God has me in the palm of
His hand.” Then, I would
pray, “Use the soul You
hold, o Lord, the soul You
bought at such a dear
price, for it is Yours.”
Renfroe Watson, Pastor
Christ United Methodist
Church, Frontage Road,
Forsyth. This column is
sponsored by the
Forsyth /Monroe County
Ministerial Association.
Monroe County’s
Aug. 24
Rocky Creek Baptist to hold
homecoming service
Rocky Creek Baptist Church will hold a
homecoming service Aug. 24. Everyone is
invited to join them for a time of fellow
ship as they celebrate new and old memo
ries with a slide presentation and special
music by current and former members.
Pine Grove CME to hold home
coming, revival
Pine Grove CME Church invites every
one to join them for a homecoming cele
bration at 12 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. Dnner
will be served following the service. The
annual fall revival will begin Wednesday,
Aug. 27 and will last through Aug. 29 at
7:30 p.m. nightly. Guest revivalists
include: Wednesday - the Rev. Cedric Allen
of Usher’s Temple CME, Ft. Valley;
Thursday - the Rev. Matthew Raines of St.
James Baptist and White Hall Church,
Roberta; Friday- the Rev. Rufus Whatley
of Forsyth.
Aug. 26
New Providence to hold
women’s Bible study
New Providence Baptist Church will
begin a 7 week women’s Bible study on
Church Calendar
“Walking by Faith” Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 7
p.m. All women in the community are wel
come to participate. The group will meet
each Tuesday at 7 p.m. Please call the
church office at 478-994-2545 to make a
reservation.
Aug. 31
Ushers Association
Monroe County Ushers' Association will
meet at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31 at
the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church. Pastor
Antonio D. Proctor & the Wrights Grove
Baptist Church will lead worship service.
Rocky Creek Baptist Church
Join us on Sunday, August 31, 2008 for a
summer concert at 11 am with The
Jordans from Griffin, Georgia.
Sept. 3
St. Peter Catholic Church to
offer class on Catholicism
RCIA classes will be offered at St. Peter
the Rock Catholic Church in Barnesville
each Wednesday evening from 7:30-8:30
p.m. The classes will begin Sept. 3 and are
for people considering the possibility of
becoming Catholic or for those who simply
want to brush up on the Catholic faith.
Have You Seen It?
Check out our ads on the
Monroe County Reporter’s NEW Website
Goto
FINAL in a series: This
article is the final one of
an on-going project of
Cabaniss Chapter #415,
United Daughters of the
Confederacy, to document
all the men who served in
Company A, 14th Georgia
Infantry Regiment.
Please call Amma Crum
at 770-775-3839 with addi
tional information and/or
corrections.
The last article on the
approximately 140 soldiers
of Company A from
Monroe County deals with
Drusha Elige, who is one of
our “unsolved mysteries.”
In many of the newspaper
articles from the late
1800’s and early 1900’s, his
name appears last in the
alphabetical list of
Company A soldiers, often
being recorded erroneously
as Zucha, Elijah. The
recurring problems with
misspelling and transpos
ing his first and last
names are probably due to
the “foreignness” of his
name and the fascinating
facts concerning this young
man. Based on available
records, Drusha Elige
enlisted in the Confederacy
on March 4, 1862 when he
was only 16 years old. He
was 5 feet 5 inches tall;
had dark complexion, hazel
eyes and black hair; and
was from Prussian Poland.
A “request for a dis
charge” for Drusha Elige,
dated Oct. 19, 1862, is
signed by Isaac Vineburgh
of Forsyth, Monroe County,
Georgia. Mr. Vineburgh
explains that Drusha Elige
came to Georgia from
Europe in 1860 to visit rel
atives; and that during the
young man’s visit, the War
broke out. Since the Union
blockade prevented his
return to his homeland,
Mr. Vineburgh had endeav
ored to educate him.
However, Drusha Elige,
only 16 years old, ran away
from school to join the
Confederate Army.
Young Drusha had been
in several fights which had
occurred in Virginia and
had endured the many
hardships of camp life.
Mr.Vineburgh, himself a
citizen by the laws of natu
ralization, wrote that he
would prefer that young
Drusha remain in the serv
ice were he of proper age
and if his relatives in
Europe were to consent.
But since young Drusha
could not speak English
with any degree of accura
cy and would reach only
his 17th birthday on Dec.
20, 1862, Mr.Vineburgh,
acting as the only guardian
and relative in this coun
try, felt it was his duty to
ask for discharge. The
petition for discharge was
endorsed by John W. Mays,
Captain of Company A,
14th GA.; and Drusha
Elige was honorably dis
charged by Major General
A.P. Hill, effective Nov. 4,
1862.
There is no record of
young Drusha Elige in the
1860 or the 1870 Census of
Monroe County, although
Isaac Vineburg appears on
both with the profession of
“watch repairer/jeweler.” It
is assumed the young man
arrived in Monroe County
after June 2, 1860 and
departed to return to his
native land sometime after
the conclusion of the War
— but before June 1, 1870.
It should be noted that this
young man, foreign-born
and unskilled in the
English language, still
joined Company A; partici
pated in battles for the
period of his enlistment;
endured camp life; and,
apparently, served in an
honorable manner as a
Confederate soldier, before
being discharged.
What stories Drusha
Eligee must have told his
family after returning to
Poland and his grandchil
dren in the years to come!
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