Newspaper Page Text
March 11, 2009
PAGE 11A
^Reporter
Ml Zion Baptist welcomes
Kyle Matthews in concert
Christian recording artist and song-writer Kyle
Matthews will perform at Mt. Zion Baptist Church
at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 22.
Matthews is one of Christian music’s most gifted
and prolific musicians. Artists such as Ginny
Owens, Bince Gill, Cece Winnans and Point of
Grace have recorded his songs. He has received
three Dove award nominations and won in 1999 for
Traditional Gospel Song of the Year.
For more about Kyle or to sample his music, go to
kylematthews. com.
There is no charge for admission. Mt. Zion
Baptist Church is located at 7015 Rivoli Rd. in
Macon. For more info log on to mtzionmacon.com.
KYLE MATTHEWS
Pastor’s Column
Festival brings us together
O ne of the things
I love about this
town in which
we live is the
annual Forsyth-
ia Festival. For two days
the entire town gathers to
celebrate the promise of
spring that the yellow flow
ers portend. Even though
we live in the deep south,
winters can be cold and our
skin is not quite as
thick as our neigh
bors to the north.
After all, we did
survive the Bliz
zard of’09!
The coming of
Spring is welcome,
indeed, and the
Forsythia Festival
is the perfect occa
sion for us to
emerge from our
winter cocoons
and gather,
young and old, black and
white, skinny and (after
feasting on the fare from
the visiting vendors) fat.
We are a people of many
different varieties of faith
expressions and even those
without it. We gather in
churches all across this
county to worship every
Sunday in sanctuaries that
are not as full as we might
like, as evidenced by the
recent article in this news
paper, yet vital and pur
poseful.
In the Christian tradi
tion, we sing hymns and
choruses and psalms and
spiritual songs. We pray
prayers spoken and silent
ly, written out and extem
poraneous, in a southern
drawl and in King James
English. We read scripture
that comforts, enlightens,
and sometimes disturbs us.
We sit quietly and hear
preaching that causes us to
ponder and we sometimes
shout out words of
response to help him/her
along. There may be a con
gregation on the edges of
the county that utilizes
incense. Yes, we do have a
variety of expressions of
what worship is.
Sometimes, I wish that
we could all be together
every Sunday. Instead of
hundreds of churches,
many of whom are strug
gling to pay their bills,
wouldn’t it be great if we
all went to the same
church. Just think of what
good we could do for the
cause of the
Kingdom of God
if we pooled all
our resources,
time, energies,
and money to be
a unified beacon
of light to this
community. Of
course, when I
think of it, this
could never hap
pen. We could
never agree on
just how to
best utilize all those
resources. When you think
of the debates and lively
discussions that go on in
the hundreds of churches
as they exist right now, we
can only imagine how they
would be multiplied if we
all got together.
No, perhaps it is best
that we have smaller con
gregations scattered
throughout the county. We
worship the same God but
in different ways. We live
out the gospel but with dif
ferent emphases. Perhaps
in smaller units, each indi
vidual is made more aware
of his/her need to be active
ly involved in the ministry
of the church. Besides,
there isn’t a building in
town that could hold all of
us at once.
I am glad, however, that
at times we take advan
tage of the opportunity to
gather and worship togeth
er. The Monroe County
Ministerial Association
would like to invite all of
you to gather on the
Sunday morning of the
Forsythia Festival for wor
ship. Many years ago the
Forsyth Presbyterian
Church had the ingenious
idea that because of their
location, they could provide
a place to worship for the
many vendors who made
their way to Forsyth for
the festival. Before the fes
tival gears up on Sunday,
there would be a time for
worship and celebration.
This year, on Sunday
morning, March 15, the
Presbyterians have agreed
to let us all join in with
them for worship at 10
a.m. The service will be
held on the main stage of
the Forsythia Festival.
There will be singing, pray
ing, scripture reading,
preaching, and a generous
amount of sacred special
music. It will not be like
any one of our churches’
normal Sunday morning
worship, but it will have
enough variety that there
will be some things that
most of us will find mean
ingful. Most of the church
es participating have can
celled their regular Sunday
morning services to come
to this joint worship.
At the conclusion of the
service, 11 a.m., the ven
dors will open their booths
and the day’s festivities
will commence. We won’t
need to run home to
change clothes because we
will already be casually
dressed. There will be
some seating available in
front of the stage, but you
are encouraged to bring
seats if you have them. In
case of inclement weather,
(Blizzard ’09 No. 2?), we
will gather in the sanctu
ary of First Baptist
Church. May God be glori
fied in our gathering
together!
Glenn Gregg is the minis
ter of music at First
Baptist Church of Forsyth.
The pastor’s column is
sponsored each week by the
Monroe County Ministerial
Association.
BY GLENN GREGG
Church help needed for banquet
The Monroe County
Pregnancy Center will
mark its 20th anniversary
this year with a special
community-wide banquet
and silent auction on
Thursday, April 23.
The banquet, which car
ries the theme “Portrait of
Life,” will start at 7 p.m.
in the banquet hall of the
Georgia Public Safety
Training Center. The spe
cial guest speaker will be
Bobbie Kern, a retired
corporate executive, inspi
rational speaker and pres
ident of the board of the
Pregnancy Resource
Center in Gwinnett
County.
Churches are being
asked to sponsor a table
for six for $100. Those
include a full-course meal
for each ticket recipient.
For more information call
Pregnancy Center at 994-
3173.
Maynard seniors
ready to graduate
Maynard Baptist Church’s high
school seniors will celebrate
their upcoming graduation with
a seven-day trip to St. Thomas
in the Eastern Caribbean. The
class has had an awesome year
learning about Christ and all
that Christ has in store for their
future. Class of 2009 members
include: Mark Thompson, Kelly
McLendon, Matt Fraser, Billy
Stephens, Amber Sawley,
Sarah Welter, Andrew Arp, Terri
Howard, Jeffry Powers and Rox
anne Harmon. The class is
taught by Ruth Lee.
PREGNANT?
“ We care about you! “
free pregnancy test
counseling & referrals
pregnancy, STD,&
abortion information
parenting classes
maternity clothes
& baby needs
All services are free and confidential
THE PREGNANCY CENTER
not a medical clinic
478-994-3173
Mon, Tues, & Thurs 10 - 4:30
www.pregnancycentermonroecounty.org
STARR
Heating & A/C, Inc.
We Service All Brands of Heating
& Air Conditioning Units
Serving Monroe County &
Surrounding Areas for over 40 years
Free Estimates
Fitiancing Available
Juliette Rd. • Forsyth, Ga.
478-994-6127
Ga. Reg. CU 401419
Turn to the Experts'.
visit www.carner.com
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47848 01/07/09
Ginger Reported to Relieve Nausea
Ginger is a plant that is native to Asia, but is now cultivated
all over the world. The plant has been used for centuries in
Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat many illnesses including
nausea, indigestion, poor circulation, headaches, and
toothaches. Ginger is sometimes used to treat nausea associat
ed with pregnancy, surgery,and chemotherapy. It is also com
monly used in cooking to season food.
A recent study evaluated the effectiveness of ginger combined
with a protein drink in preventing a delayed type of nausea
experienced by cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. In the
study, some participants received four 250mg capsules of dried
powdered ginger root along with either a regular or high pro
tein drink. Another group received one of the protein drinks
with placebo capsules. Those who took the ginger capsules
along with the high protein drink reported significantly fewer
episodes of nausea after receiving chemotherapy. Side effects of
ginger are rare when taken in small doses. People who take
blood thinning medication warfarin should not use ginger due
to a possible increased risk of bleeding.
CASTLEBERRY DRUG CO. LLC
N. Lee St. • 994-2051
DINNER-TRIVIA-SILENT
AUCTION FOR LITERACY
Friday, March 20, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Royal Palm Cafe - $20
McuteAr- ZMc.
{fntentaieime+d^Alci+i & 'lulltfe. (laipA
Proceeds benefit the cause
of literacy in Monroe County
Tickets available at
Monroe County Bank
or call Marion at
994-8998 or 972-1831