Newspaper Page Text
December 17, 2008
PAGE 7A
^Reporter
Unchurched
Stephens cited one exam
ple that shows how many
people have no knowledge
of God or the Bible. A
friend from Sunnyside
UMC in Spalding County
said they were holding a
fall festival and asking
kids questions, like "where
was Jesus born?"
"Griffin," one student
answered.
"We've got a lot of work
to do," said Stephens.
The Rev. Marvin Lee of
Maynard Baptist agreed
the culture is changing. He
said what worked for
churches 30 years ago isn’t
working now.
The Rev. Adolph Parsons,
pastor of St. James Baptist
Church in Forsyth for the
past 60 years, said he’s
noticed the decrease in
church attendance.
Parsons said parents used
to insist their children go
to church, but said that's
not the case anymore.
"People are not commit
ted that much, I think it
has gone down," said
Parsons. "The persons,
unless they're interested,
don't attend that much."
The Rev. Chris Mullis of
Mt. Zion United Methodist
Church in Smarr said peo
ple in the South have for
too long assumed that
everyone goes to church.
"It's more and more obvi
ous that not everybody is
as filled with faith as we
think they are," said
Mullis.
The Rev. Darrell Watson,
pastor of First Baptist,
said one thing that's hap
pening is more people are
leaving Monroe County to
go to bigger out-of-town
churches on Sunday morn
ing.
"Church-wise we have
adopted the Wal-Mart
brand of church," said
Watson. "Whereas 50 years
ago there were community
churches, now the mega
church phenomenon has
taken hold. There are a lot
of people going to fewer
churches, which is killing
the mom and pop church
es."
Two nearby mega
churches drawing the most
people out of the county on
Sunday mornings are
Rocksprings in Milner and
Ingleside Baptist in
Macon. Rocksprings, which
averages 2,000 on Sunday
mornings, reports it has
229 members from Monroe
County. Ingleside, which
also averages 2,004 on a
Sunday morning, reports
roughly 750 members from
Monroe County.
Even accounting for peo
ple worshipping outside of
the county, there are plen
ty of Monroe County resi
dents still saying no to
church. So what can local
churches do to win them?
Stephens said Forsyth
UMC started a contempo
rary worship service before
he got there. It helps keep
young people involved. The
service draws about 40
people per week. The
church's after-school pro
gram has been so popular
that it has a waiting list.
As a result, a lot of kids
consider Forsyth UMC
"their" church and bring
their parents there too.
And now, the church is
looking to build a 16,000
square foot building that
would allow them to grow
their afterschool and pre
school programs.
"We're meeting a real
need in the community,"
said Stephens. "The old
saying used to be 'baby
boomers are coming back
to church and their chil
dren are bringing them'.
And it's still true."
Maynard’s Rev. Lee of
Maynard Baptist said the
church must meet people’s
needs to earn the right to
deliver its message. One
way Maynard is doing that
is by opening a counseling
center to meet people’s
emotional needs. It also
tries to have programs for
all ages to reach families
and young people.
Lee cited the instructions
in the Book of James that
urges believers not just to
wish people well without
meeting a need. Then, said
lee, you earn the right to
share the Gospel.
Doing such things, said
Lee, requires more mem
bers become involved and
serving. Those are the ones
who’ll be excited about
their church and bring
others in, said Lee.
“I love Monroe County
and I love this area and
this church,” said Lee. “I
think a lot of it is getting
involved and finding out
people’s needs and meet
ing those needs.”
And at the base of it all,
said Lee, must be an
emphasis on the authority
of the Bible.
Mullis said his church
has found if they have a
special Sunday they have
better attendance. The
challenge, he said, is to
Burglary
continued from the front page
way into the shop using a
sledge hammer.
"He was supposed to
come by and pick up some
things Monday," said
Steve. "I guess he didn't
want to wait."
The Monroe County
Reporter's Gina Herring
called police to the scene
around 7 p.m. after she
heard a loud banging noise
coming from the shop.
Sherwood’s is located
across the street from the
newspaper. Hearing the
banging, Herring decided
to approach the building.
That’s when Fewell exited
from behind a plywood
plank and said he was
doing some work for the
owners. Then he asked
Herring for "a couple of
dollars" to buy something
to eat because he had not
been paid yet.
Herring said it seemed
suspicious so she left the
scene and called Forsyth
police. Police responded
and spotted Fewell’s van,
which was towing a trailer.
They pulled him over and
questioned him. According
to police, in addition to the
sledge hammer, Fewell had
a screwdriver and some
pliers in his possession. He
was taken to Monroe
County Jail and charged
with criminal trespass and
possession of tools for the
commission of a crime.
The Sherwoods said
Fewell, who is from
Jackson, Miss., had once
been a reputable antique
dealer. Several years ago,
he started suffering from
mental illness. The
Sherwoods said he had
been institutionalized for
the last two years. Steve
said Fewell had recently
been released from the
hospital and was trying to
get back into the business.
"He was a dealer for a
long time," said Steve
Sherwood. "Many people
knew him and worked with
him, so it seemed feasible
that he could be trusted,
but I believe he is still suf
fering from dementia."
The Sherwoods said
Fewell broke a lock on a
door adjacent to their shop,
which leads to a staircase.
Unable to access the shop
from there, he apparently
used the sledge hammer to
break through another
exterior wall. Inside that
wall is another staircase
that leads to a dead end.
But, Fewell was deter
mined to get in and used
the same sledgehammer to
smash through the shop's
wall. He almost made it in
before being confronted by
Herring. That's when he
evidently decided it was
time to leave.
As soon as Herring drove
away from the scene,
Fewell got in his van,
parked on Adams Street
next to the building, and
drove away as well. But,
the police were already
there and stopped Fewell
just a block away.
Although he did not take
anything from the store, he
did damage some paintings
inside while smashing
through the wall.
Fewell remains in the
Monroe County Jail and is
charged with criminal tres
pass and possession of
tools for the commission of
a crime.
The building is owned by
Hal Clarke.
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continued from the front page
remind people that every
Sunday is special when
you're worshipping God.
Mullis said if Christians
could have their eyes mag
ically opened to see the
real spiritual condition of
those around them, they
would have more urgency
to get them to church and
experience God.
Mullis said the church
must offer outstanding
music and preaching to
help people connect with
God. On the other hand,
said Mullis, you have to be
careful not to make a serv
ice so entertaining that
you lose the sense of awe
of God.
"You go to a football
game to be entertained,
you're coming to church to
worship God," said Mullis.
Tracy Buff, a member of
First Baptist, said their
youth choir and ministry
have been successful at
reaching out to kids. But
their parents don’t always
follow them. Watson said
First Baptist has tried
going door to door, holding
outdoor worship services,
and offering kids' games to
attract people. He said the
problem may not be a lack
of effort but that churches
aren't asking the
unchurched what they
need.
"The first place we need
to start is with them
(unchurched)," said
Watson. "And not presume
to understand why they
don't come to church. We
should ask them what
about us is preventing
them from coming."
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CONSUMER NOTICE
To all Customers of Public Service Telephone Company
Telecommunications Services
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access to essential telecommunications services.
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