Newspaper Page Text
June 15, 2016
Pastor’s Corner
^Reporter
PAGE 5C
Try listening with your heart just as Jesus did
BY REV. WESLEY
PRIVETT
I spent the major
ity of this week at our
denomination’s Annual
Conference.
There are all
kinds of business
issues discussed
and hashed out.
People who are
passionate about
one thing or
another make
their case for
God’s people act
ing in a particular
manner.
The thing about
our time together
is that as a
whole, it is a respectful
meeting. No one ever
gets everything that
they want, but cases are
made and people hear
each other in what has
come to be known as
“holy conferencing”.
I wouldn’t want to go
too far with this, but
one of the things I have
noticed is that people
want to receive a fair
hearing
almost as
much as
they want
things to
go their
way. If you
look at the
mess in
our coun
try, how
much pain
would be
avoided
if we only
listened
respectfully and actually
took each other seri
ously.
If you need a model,
look no further than
Jesus. He listened,
not only with his ears,
but also with his eyes
and his heart. The
Samaritan woman at
the well insulted Jesus.
“You are a Jew, how can
you ask me for water?”
Rather than react to the
insult, Jesus looked at
the hurt below the sur
face.
One day, Jesus was
sitting near the offer
ing bowl at the Temple.
People would toss vari
ous coins into the metal
bowl, no paper money
yet, and the noise the
coins made spoke loudly
about the amount of the
offering. Rather than
listen to the jingle of
the coins, Jesus listened
with his eyes and saw
the widow who put her
life savings into the
plate.
Jesus listened with
his hands as well. He
touched lepers and the
sick as well as the blind
and the deaf and the
lame. We don’t have
a good understanding
of the gravity of these
touchings. Our society
is much more open
about touch. In Jesus’
day, contacts with such
people made you unfit
for polite society; Jesus
touched them anyway.
Jesus also listened
with his heart. From
the woman who wanted
her daughter healed to
the disciples who were
depressed on the road to
Emmaus, Jesus heard
their heartfelt cries.
Not with the intent of
ridiculing their failings
or to prove his own bril
liance, Jesus listened to
understand.
If you think my article
is about listening, you
are half right. Listening
is fast becoming an
endangered activity,
but more than that we
no longer identify with
the people we encounter
on life’s journey. What
Jesus actually did with
his focused listening was
to establish relation
ships with people.
How many of us do
not know our next-door
neighbor? When was the
last time you stood and
talked across the hedge
or shared a glass of tea
with them?
If you ask anyone, they
will tell you kids usually
like me, despite the fact
that I am 6’ 2” tall, am
bald and can be kind of
intimidating looking.
What I do is sit on the
ground and talk to them
eye to eye. I take their
questions seriously and
will even allow them
to touch my bald head
if they want. I make
myself less scary and
the kids usually get it.
If I can get down
on the floor to talk to
kids, why can’t we slow
down and respect each
other enough to try and
understand what is
being said without hurl
ing rocks at each other?
I’m not naive enough
to think this will make
ALL our problems go
away, but it would sure
ly make some of them
easier to handle. May
God bless you!
Rev. Wes Privett is
the pastor of Ebenezer
United Methodist
Church, 1671 Dames
Ferry Road, Forsyth..
The Pastor’s Corner is
sponsored by the Monroe
County Ministerial
Association, which meets
on the second Thursday
of each month at Ann’s
Deli at 8 a.m.
Rev.Wesley Privett
Church Calendar continued from C4
to celebrate its 137th Church
Anniversary on Sunday, June
26 at 2 p.m. The theme will be
“From Vision to Victory.” The
messenger will be Pastor David
Benton of Greater Liberty Hill
Baptist Church, Atlanta.
St. Phillip AME cele
brates 136th anniversary
The St. Phillip A.M.E. Church
family, 36 Fort Valley Road,
Culloden will celebrate its 136th
Church Anniversary on Sunday,
June 26 at 2:30 p.m. The guest
speaker will be the Reverend
Craig Ogletree of Greater
Springhill Baptist Church in
Milner. All are invited to join the
celebration.
St. James Baptist has
Pastor’s Anniversary
St. James Baptist Church
will celebrate Pastor’s 6th
Anniversary on Sunday, June
26 at 11 a.m. The speaker will
be Rev. Brandon Boutin, 1st.
Assistant Pastor at Greater St.
Stephen Full Gospel Baptist
Church, New Orleans, La.
June 26-30
Mt. Zion UMC has VBS
Mt. Zion United Methodist
Church, 40 Rumble Road, Smarr
will host Vacation Bible School
Sunday-Thursday, June 26-30
from 6-8:30 p.m. nightly. All are
welcome. For more information,
call 478-994-9282.
June 26-July 1
Bethany Baptist Church
has VBS
Bethany Baptist Church, 365
Pea Ridge Rd., Juliette will have
Vacation Bible School Sunday-
Friday, June 26-July 1 from
6-8:30 p.m. There will be activi
ties for birth through adults. The
Splashdown VBS Rally will be on
Sunday, June 12 from 4-5:30 p.m.
There will be free popcorn, lem
onade and a huge waterside! For
more information, call (478) 974-
0002. Registration is available
at bethanybaptistchurchboling-
broke.com
July 10-14
Rocky Baptist has VBS
Vacation Bible School will be
held at Rocky Creek Baptist
Church will hold Vacation Bible
School on Sunday-Thursday, July
10-14 from 6-8:30 p.m. nightly.
Children entering kindergarten
through 5th grade are invited
to attend. The theme is “Water
Works Park.” Children will be
served a light meal and partici
pate in Bible study, music, arts
& crafts and outside play each
night. For information and/or
directions, contact Jackie Padgett
at 478-394-3130.
Email church
calendar news to
Diane Glidewell at
news@mymcr.net by
Monday at 10 a.m.
Church information
is published free of
charge as space per
mits.
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Remember When
This look at what Monroe County residents were reading in the
Reporter 30,20 and 10 years ago this week is brought to you by...
Monroe County
Memorial Chapel
We set the standards
that others follow 1
Harley Ray "Spanky" Beck
86 West Main Street • Forsyth
478-994-4266
1986
Reporter publisher Quimby
Melton III is elected President
of the Georgia Press Association.
A Hampton Inn is tentatively
scheduled to be opened on June
23.
Retiring Monroe County teach
ers Eugeina Zellner, Charles
Wilder, Elsie Daniels, Merrilee
Dorner, and Annie Laster are
honored for their long teaching
careers with resolutions passed
by the school board.
First and second graders at
Monroe Academy score in the
top one percent of the nation
on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills
(ITBS).
Head nurse at the Monroe
County Health Department
Flora Giddens recommends a
vaccine given at 15 months of
age in response to an increased
number of measles cases in
Georgia.
Monroe Academy women’s bas
ketball coach Dave Lucey takes
a head coaching position at
Georgia State University.
1996
Two Florida men are arrested
on traffic and drug charges near
Rumble Road on 1-75. Police
clocked the vehicle at 115 mph,
and the driver was charged with
a DUI.
Bill Hammond, consultant
of the state Department of
Education, will lead a reading
workshop for adults and chil
dren sponsored by the Hubbard
Alumni Association.
Installing classroom comput
ers in Hubbard Elementary
prompts the Board of Education
to draft a policy of acceptable
computer use applying to all
Monroe County schools.
Monroe County Middle School
teacher Dorothy Worthy is
named “Queen for a Day” to
honor her retirement after 37
years of teaching.
Monroe County Commissioners
unanimously approve a drug
testing policy that applies to
county employees with commer
cial drivers’ licenses, employees
working potentially hazardous
jobs or to employees involved
in accidents where damage is
caused.
Forsyth City Council approves
a beer and wine package license
for Ingles.
2006
Monroe County Commission
Chairman Harold Carlisle
accepts an offer from underwa
ter archaeologist Stephen A.
Hammack to help find the exact
location of Torrentine’s Ferry to
solve the Monroe-Bibb border
dispute.
A $50,000 bond is set for John
M. Hoyt after Hoyt broke in to
Plant Camellia on Hwy. 87 and
stole copper wiring.
AUI, LLC is under contract
with the City of Forsyth to
inspect the city’s sanitary sewer
system. Any of the harmless
testing smoke that may enter
homes is likely accompanied by
harmful sewer gases.
Campaign stickers for
James Neal Harris’ run at the
eighth district seat in the U.S.
Congress are left on business
windows without permission.
Forsyth City Council approves
a new zoning map after a
lengthy council meeting.
Wal-Mart reveals preliminary
designs for the facade of its
Super Center to open in Forsyth.
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