Newspaper Page Text
October 29, 2008
—^Reporter
Forsyth UMC
Fall Festival
Wednesday
Forsyth United Methodist
Church will hold its annual Fall
Festival on Wednesday, Oct.
29 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Chil
dren of all ages are invited to
attend. There will be a giant
inflatable slide, moon walk,
carnival games, prizes, cake
walk, cotton candy, popcorn,
hotdogs, and more. Every
thing is FREE! Come join us in
the Pumpkin Patch for fall fun
at Forsyth UMC. The church is
located at 68 W. Johnston St.,
across the street from the Post
office.
Oct. 31
Maynard
“Trunk or Treat”
Maynard Baptist Church will
host “Trunk or Treat” from 5-8
p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. This
Christian alternative to the tra
ditional trick or treating, spon
sored by the Kidz Power Zone,
has proven to be a big hit for
community outreach missions.
Everyone is welcome.
Rock Springs
Hallelujah Night
Join Rock Springs Church
Friday from 6-9 p.m. for fun and
games and lots of candy in a
safe, Christian environment!
Wear your costume if you like,
just nothing scary!
Nov. 1
New Harvest
New Harvest Church of God
will be hosting its first annual
“New Harvest Fest” at 10 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 1 with a day full
of gospel singing featuring
Heaven’s Treasures, New Again,
Damascus Road, New
Beginnings Pentecostal Church
and New Harvest Church of
God Singers, among other tal
ent. The church will also be hav
ing arts and crafts, bake sale,
games and a whole lot more.
Please bring your lawn chairs.
All proceeds for this event will
go toward the roof on the church
and parsonage.
High Falls Baptist
First Baptist Church of High
Falls invites everyone to
Hallelujah Festival 2008 from 3-
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. There
will be candy bags, food, fun, fes
tivities for children and adults,
lots of games, a bounce slide,
jumper house, cake walk, a
gospel singing, arts and crafts,
homemade goodies and a yard
sale. There is no charge, but
donation boxes will be set up for
the food pantry ministry to help
meet the needs of the communi
ty.
Nov. 2
Rocky Creek Baptist Church
Fall Festival is from 12 to 4 p.m.
Sunday Nov. 2. Everyone is
invited to join them for free
food, fun and games. There will
be a cake walk, inflatables,
hayride, face painting and much
more! Rocky Creek Baptist is
located at 225 Rocky Creek
Road off Johnstonville Rd.
PAGE 11B
Dayspring has
a new pastor
The new pastor at
Dayspring Presbyterian
Church says he's eager
to explore local water
ways in his kayak, but
he's even more excited
about his new church
family in Forsyth.
"It's better than I
ever imagined," says
the Rev. Dean
Conkel, who was started C0NKEL
at Dayspring on July 13.
"I'm very excited to be called here."
Located on Hwy. 41, Day spring has about
100 members.
A native of South Florida, Conkel comes
to Forsyth after serving as pastor of Lake
Oconee Presbyterian Church in Eatonton
for two years.
The 46-year-old holds an undergraduate
degree from Palm Beach Atlantic
University and a masters of divinity from
Reform Theological Seminary in Orlando.
He and his wife of 22 years, Pearl, have
three boys. The oldest and youngest, Tim
and Matthew, are nationally ranked in
martial arts. The middle child, 13-year-old
Michael, plays the guitar and helps lead
worship during Sunday night services.
Conkel’s passions include preaching the
word of God and bringing people before
the Lord in prayer. But he says his gift is
encouragement, and using his words to
build others up seems to come naturally to
Conkel.
"(Encouragement) is a deeper need than
we think," said Conkel. "I'm very privi
leged to have the gift."
Conkel has spent most of his adult life in
pastoral work. But after seven years as
associate pastor of Lakemont Presbyterian
Church in Augusta, he entered denomina
tional work as national coordinator for
youth and family ministries for the
Presbyterian Church of America.
But then, says Pearl, God called him
back into the local church, beginning in
Eatonton and now in Forsyth.
Conkel, who grew up Catholic, said he
plans to emphasize discipleship at
Dayspring, helping people coming to know
Christ, to fall more in love with Him and
to become more like Christ.
When he's not pastoring, Conkel also
enjoys long-distance kayaking, and says
he's looking forward to spending time on
Lake Juliette and High Falls Lake.
While they try to sell their home, the
Conkels are still sleeping in Eatonton. As
Conkel says, "I live my life in Forsyth, but
I'm sleeping at Oconee."
Pastor’s Column
The gift of brokenness
L et me begin by being
honest. It was diffi
cult to see I.W.
IBowen, one of the
religious and spiri
tual icons of our community,
suffer the way he did and then
die. Over the months of his ill
ness countless number of peo
ple asked me, ‘Why
Darrell, why is this
happening to him?”
These are ques
tions which plague
those of us who are
both young and
seasoned in our
faith. In the words
of St.
John of
the Cross,
the last
four
months of
I.W.’s life
were a “dark night of the
soul”. These dark nights of
the soul seem cruel,
unkind, even unjust and
unfair. For me, all of this
pain and suffering, this
seeming injustice being
visited upon a mountain of
a man began to be put into
perspective on Thursday
morning, October 2nd. On
that morning, I was called
by a family friend with the
news, “I.W. has taken a
dramatic turn for the
worst, and he wants to talk
with you.” I jumped in my
truck and was off to the
hospital. When I walked
in the room, I.W.’s loving
daughter was perched by
his bedside. I pulled up a
chair, grabbed his hand,
fixed a gaze on I.W., and
listened. I.W. began to sob,
“Why Darrell, why is God
doing this to me? What
have I done to deserve suf
fering like this?” Brenda
consoled her father; I con
tinued to listen. Suddenly,
there was a shift in I.W.’s
perspective. Rather then
questioning, I.W. became
confessional, even repen
tant. For sever
al minutes, I
just sat and lis
tened to I.W. as
he expressed
the depth of his
remorse. And
then with his
hand in my
hand, I looked
at
I.W. and said, “Know that
you are forgiven.” I.W. was
broken. Yet, rather than
this being something terri
ble, unjust or unfair, I
began to realize that I.W.’s
brokenness was a gift from
God. When I left that
hospital room I thought,
“This is exactly the way I
hope to meet my Maker,
broken, confessional, and
in utter humility.” It is in
this posture that we are
ready to be embraced by
the tremendous God of
grace. You see humility is
graces breading ground. It
is our human nature to
always be in control, but
our being in control is not
the way of faith. Faith
allows God to be in control
and often times it is only
when we are broken that
we allow God the place of
sovereignty that only God
deserves. St. John of the
Cross explains that God’s
goal for a dark night is to
purge us of anything get
ting in the way of our rela
tionship with Him in order
that we can be in perfect
union with God. It is only
when God is in control of
our lives that we can then
experience a genuine sense
of peace. Yes, a dark night
of the soul will leave us
broken, repentant, and
humble. Yet the end result
will be our being perfectly
postured to receive and
bask in the glory and grace
of the Almighty God. Isn’t
this the lesson God teaches
his servant Job? As Job,
along with his friends,
grapple with the loss of his
wealth, the loss of his fam
ily, and the loss of his
health, these tragedies
prompt Job to question
God. But God wants to use
the tragedies in Job’s life
to bless him with the gift
of brokenness. “Then the
LORD answered Job out of
the storm. He said: ‘Who is
this that darkens my coun
sel with words without
knowledge? Brace yourself
like a man; I will question
you, and you shall answer
me. Where were you when
I laid the earth's founda
tion? Tell me, if you under
stand. Who marked off its
dimensions? Surely you
know! Who stretched a
measuring line across it?”’
(Job 38:1-5)
As we get caught up and
consumed with this life
there are times that we
forget who we are and who
God is. So God uses cir
cumstances to break us
and to instill within us the
right perspective. Thank
God Job, like I.W. learned
the lesson that brokenness
is not a curse; it is a gift!
“Then Job replied to the
LORD: ‘I know that you
can do all things; no plan
of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, 'Who is this
that obscures my counsel
without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I
did not understand, things
too wonderful for me to
know. ‘You said, 'Listen
now, and I will speak; I will
question you, and you shall
answer me.' My ears had
heard of you but now my
eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and
ashes’” (Job 42:1-6). It was
through the gift of broken
ness that Job was ready to
yield to the great God of
grace. So I ask, “Who is
in control of my life? Am I
in control or am I living a
life of brokenness before
the great God of grace?”
Brokenness is not a curse,
but a gift of grace that
leads us to a life of faith.
Let us never forget that it
is by grace through faith
that we are saved
(Ephesians 2:8-10).
Darrell Watson is the pas
tor First Baptist Church of
Forsyth. The pastor’s col
umn is sponsored each
week by the Monroe County
Ministerial Association.
Thanks and Congratulations Monroe County
Bank on Your 100th Birthday!
Margret Ogletree Rentals
Real Estate Investment Counselors
70 E Chambers St. • PO Box 462
Forsyth, GA 31029
Ralph & Doris Ogletree
Managers
478-994-9847
ATTENTION!
Due to customer demand The Singer Sewing
Machine Company has authorized a New Singer
Warranty Service & Sewing Machine Repair
Center to be opened in Macon Georgia. This
service center will repair all makes & models of
sewing machines and will serve the southeast
including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama
and Tennessee. This service center will be open to
the public and will offer wholesale prices on service
and many Singer products. The store information is
for this location is below.
SINGER SEWVACUSA
881 Lee Rd.
(Riverside Dr. At Lee Rd.)
478-742-8655 MaCOII, GA 478-742-1857
— PLEASE VOTE —
I0RID. ANDREWS
Trained & Experienced Candidate For
QUALIFICATIONS:
■ Employed by Tax Commissioner's
Office - January 2000 to Present
■ Appointed Deputy Voter Registrar
in 2001
■ Appointed CHIEF DEPUTY TAX
COMMISSIONER in 2005
by Mrs. Patsy J. Miller
Reasons to Vote for Me:
y/ Have over 8 1/2 years formal experience and
training in the position for which I am a candidate
Attended annual State Tax Commissioner Training
each year since 2005
Attended property Tax and Motor Vehicle training
yearly to keep up with current changes since 2000
Trained by Tax Commissioner in accounting
procedures used in the tax office.
yF Like and enjoy working with and for all people
Known as a problem solver within the office
Young enough to keep up with the momentum
required in this office and old enough to have the
necessary experience and qualifications.
y/ Positive attitude - friendly, courteous, conscientious,
effective and energetic.
y/ Will give 100% toward treating customers fairly
and providing satisfactory service. An open door
policy will be in place.
Pepsonal:
y/ Born in Bibb County on January 20, 1976 to
Deborah and Johnny Dickson
yF Family moved to Monroe County, Bolingbroke,
GA in 1987
y/ Graduated from Mary Persons High School
t/ Husband: Benjamin "Ben" H. Andrews, Jr.
y/" Children: John Thomas "JT" Andrews
Mary Eloise "Mary Ella" Andrews
y/ Former member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church,
Bolingbroke, GA
t/ Current member of Forsyth Presbyterian Church,
Forsyth, GA
Your Vote & Support
will be greatly appreciated
in the General Election
November 4,2008