Newspaper Page Text
Page 3B
July 20,2022
sReporter
Spotlight on Local Churches
The poor in spirit are happy
because God has saved them
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the
mountain, and when he sat down, his disci
ples came to him. And he opened his mouth
and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." - Matthew 5:1-3(ESV)
I f you have attended church services
for any length of time, you probably
recognize this passage as the begin
ning to what is called the Sermon on
the Mount. As the text
says, Jesus has moved
away from the crowds and
is teaching the 12 men
chosen to be His disciples.
We find out later, people
started to come by and
listen to what He was
teaching, but more on that
in future articles.
For those who claim to
be Christians, I believe we
would all agree that Jesus
is the Son of God, the
sinless Son of Man (His
favorite designation for
himself), and the perfect
example. There is no one
that has ever been born who
could make these claims except Jesus, and
because He is these things, all that He did
in His humanity is something we should
look to as the rule of how to conduct
ourselves. Notice, He did not teach by his
example or actions alone. He necessarily
opened His mouth and spoke truth. This
is just a passing observation on the way to
the recorded teaching.
The very first thing we see is that Jesus
stated, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let’s look
at this word translated as blessed. In its
original language and in this context, it
means happy. Sounds trite does it not?
Happy? Really, is that not superficial?
Where is the deep spiritual connotation,
preacher, surely there is more? Yes, there
is more.. .This is happiness that is born of
a deep-seated joy found in the person and
work of this same Jesus Christ who spoke
these words while sitting on a mountain.
Where does that come from? Well, it is
found in the next portion of the verse...
Blessed are the poor in spirit... How are
people who are poor in spirit, happy? I am
so glad you asked.
The phrase, poor in spirit, refers to the
ones who knows they are spiritually bank
rupt. Those who are poor in spirit realize
they bring absolutely nothing to God that
can entice God to look away from their sin,
ignore their depravity, or allow them access
to the portals of heaven. The poor in spirit
know and understand they
deserve everlasting pun
ishment and the wrath of
God upon them, but they
are happy. They are happy
because it is God who has
opened their eyes to this
fact. It is God the Father
who has drawn them to
Himself through the per
son and work of God the
Son, and the application
of this completed work is
made to them by God the
Holy Spirit.
The poor in spirit are
r . . happy because God has
ewmng saye( j j-h em , f rom Him. His
wrath against their sin has been
placed on the One who knew no sin...
while they were still sinning against Him.
The poor in spirit know what they deserve,
and they know they have been made a
new creation by God, through God, and
for God and it is absolutely undeserved.
Happy are the poor in spirit because they
have been granted spiritual life by grace.
Is this you? Have your eyes been opened
to the fact that you bring nothing to the
throne-room of Almighty God that is de
serving of His goodness? This is the first in
a list of characteristics of a genuine disciple
of Jesus Christ. Blessed are the poor is
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
May you be one who is found to be happy,
knowing you are spiritually destitute apart
from the work of Christ, but by His grace
have been placed in Christ. Soli Deo Gloria
Scott Chewning is pastor of Sovereign
Grace Baptist Church, 4334 High Falls Rd.
CHURCH CALENDAR
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 permits.
July 17-30
Evangelistic Meeting
Forsyth New Life Mission of
Seventh-day Adventists will
have an Evangelistic Meet
ing, Jesus is the Answer, from
Sunday, July 17 to Saturday,
July 30 at Monroe County
Recreation Park in Forsyth.
Meetings will be 6:30-8:30
p.m. Sun.-Wed. & Fri. and
9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on
Saturdays (lunch provided).
There will be a Free Health
Screening on Sunday, July
17 from 12 noon-4 p.m. For
more information, visit www.
jesusistheanswer.space
July 23
St. James Baptist has
VBS
St. James Baptist Church, 1 10
James St., Forsyth will hold
Vacation Bible School on Sat
urday, July 23 from 10 a.m.-l
p.m. The theme will be “I am
Special.’ For registration, con
tact y.stroud71@gmail.com.
Rev. Dr. Antonio D. Proctor is
pastor. All are welcome.
July 24
Sharon Primitive Baptist
celebrates 195th Home
coming
Sharon Primitive Baptist
Church, 5827 Highway
83S, Culloden will celebrate
its 195th Homecoming on
Sunday, July 24. Services will
start at 1 1 a.m. with lunch
following the morning service
in the fellowship hall. All are
invited to join the celebration.
Back-to-School Bash
at Philadelphia Baptist
Philadelphia Baptist Church,
3121 GA Hwy 42 N,
Forsyth, will have an excit
ing Back To School Bash on
Sunday, July 24 at 10:30 a.m.
Following the morning service
there will be a give-away of
backpacks filled with school
supplies. Food, fun and games
for the kids are planned,
including an inflatable water
slide. All are welcome.
July 24-26
Sanctuary Baptist has
VBS
The Sanctuary Baptist Church,
1 2643 Highway 87, Juliette
will host Vacation Bible
School on Sunday-Tuesday,
July 24-26 from 6:30 to 9
p.m. each night for pre-schoo
to 6th grade. A meal will be
served each night. Memory
verse is Philippians 1:6. For
more information, contact
Alan Beck at bigalan3000@
gmail.com
Aug. 10
Food Distribution at
Christ UMC
The Circle of Care Mobile
Food Distribution at Christ
United Methodist Church,
417 N. Frontage Road, For
syth will be on Wednesday,
Aug. 10 from 10 am - 12
noon.
Aug. 27
Sanctuary Baptist offers
Single Mothers/Grand-
mothers Free Oil Change
Plus
The Men's ministry of The
Sanctuary Baptist Church,
1 2643 Georgia Highway
87, Juliette will host a Single
Mothers/Grandmothers Free
Oil Change Plus on Saturday
Aug. 27 from 9 a.m.- 1 2
noon. The oil change will con
sist of oil, filter change and a
vehicle maintenance check
by appointment only. You
must make the appointment
by emailing Steve Skinner:
skinnersl963@att.net, or call
ing 478-394-1449 with the
following information, year,
make and model of car and
engine size; one vehicle per
appointment per mother (one
appointment only), registration
cutoff is Aug. 24. Mothers
will be reguired to sign a hold
harmless agreement prior
to having oil change done.
Childcare will be available.
Ongoing
Bread & Blessings
food pantry is open at
Bethany Baptist
The Bread & Blessing food
pantry is open at the fellow
ship hall of Bethany Baptist
Church, 365 Pea Ridge Road,
Bolingbroke every Monday
from 10 a.m.-12 noon. There
are a variety of shelf stable
items available for families
who need them. For more
information, call 478-974-
0002.
MONROE IN COLLEGE
Anokhi Patel of Forsyth
earned the distinction of
Faculty Honors for Spring
2022 at the Georgia Insti
tute of Technology. This
designation is awarded to
undergraduate students
who have earned a 4.0
academic average for the
semester. The Georgia
Institute of Technology, or
Georgia Tech, is a top 10
public research university
developing leaders who
advance technology and
improve the human con
dition. Its nearly 44,000
students, representing 50
states and 149 countries,
study at the main campus
in Atlanta, at campuses
in France and China, and
through distance and
online learning.
The following students
have earned the distinc
tion of Dean's List at the
Georgia Institute of
Technology for Spring
2022. This designation is
awarded to undergraduate
students who have earned
a 3.0 or higher academic
average for the semester:
Jacqueline Gore of For
syth, Katie Thomason of
Forsyth.
PUFFS
Continued from Page 1B
a pivotal moment in magical
history that has one of their
wizard classmates pitted in
an increasingly deadly battle
with the most evil Dark Lord
of modern history.
As described in the pro
gram, “the Puffs become far
more than secondary charac
ters in someone else’s grand
story. ‘Puffs’ is a fast-paced
comedy with an ensemble
cast that takes a whimsical
look at what life looks like for
the people never destined to
save the world.”
The three primary Puffs —
Wayne (Josh Humphreys),
Oliver (Isaiah Peterson) and
Megan (Kara Kahaian) — are
very different from, but also
somewhat similar to, another
trio of friends at Hogwarts
during the same timeframe
(1991-98). While their per
sonalities are different from
Harry, Ron and Hermione,
the Puffs trio of unlikely
friends in many ways mirror
the experiences of their Gryf-
findor counterparts.
Of these, Wayne is the most
similar. Like Harry, Wayne
is an orphan unaware of his
magical heritage until an owl
drops off his school accep
tance letter. Though Wayne
aspires to be the school’s hero
and ends up in situations
that could lead to his glory,
he — like the rest of the Puffs
— never seem to get that op
portunity, with the exception
of Cedric during year four.
Of course, glory comes with
tragic results for him.
Though it is a stand-alone
play, it helps to have a general
familiarity with the Potter
books or movies to truly
appreciate it and, frankly, not
be lost. The Puffs’ experi
ences are in reaction to key
events in the series. Without
prior knowledge, the context,
inside jokes, vague references,
characters and brief snippets
of scenes would be impos
sible to fully understand. For
example, Professor Severus
Snape is never identified by
name, but John Eyler’s vocal
drone, persona and hair
style make him immediately
identifiable.Part of the fun
is looking for show “Easter
eggs” — like a certain initial
sweater given by a parent as a
Christmas present.
We suggest parental guid
ance for kids under the age
13, due to a few cuss words,
crude humor, and thematic
elements, such as death, but
in a non-serious way.
Written by Matt Cox,
“Puffs” debuted in 2015 and
has been playing in a record-
breaking run Off-Broadway
since 2017.
The local cast includes
Josh Humphreys - Wayne;
Isaiah Peterson - Oliver;
Kara Kahaian - Megan; John
Eyler- Ernie Mac, A Certain
Potions Teacher, & various
other characters; Rachel
Hunter - Hannah, Professor
McG, & various other char
acters; Yohance Warren - J.
Finch, Clumsy Longbottom,
& various other characters;
Margaret Wilson - Leanne,
Ginny, & various other char
acters; Laura Ashlyn Pridgen
- Sally Perks, Blondo Malfoy,
& various other characters;
Leah Hunter - Susie Bones,
Harry, & various other char
acters; Derrick Buie - Cedric,
Mr. Voldy, & various other
characters; Elizabeth Hunter
- Narrator/Director.
“Puffs” can be seen at
7:30 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on
Sundays. The dates are July
22,23,24,29, 30 and 31st.
Tickets are $18 adults, $15
seniors, students and military
and $12 for groups of 10 or
more. Tickets are available
24/7 at Tickets to the City,
(visit thebacklotplayers.org
for the link) The box office
will be open 2 hours prior to
show times. Call 478-994-
0443 or email backlotreserva-
tions@gmail.com for more
information.
MP football tickets
go on sale July 27
The Mary Persons High School football sea
son is just around the corner. Regular season
reserved seats/season tickets for home games
will go on sale starting July 27,2022. There
are five regular home games this season and
the cost will be $50 per ticket. Please see Mrs.
Barbara Dennis in the Mary Persons High
School front office (main campus) Monday
- Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3
p.m. to purchase your tickets.
The Mary Persons vs Northeast (Macon)
game will be played at the Mercer University
football field, Aug. 20. Tickets for that game
will be sold at United Bank and at the high
school. Tickets will also be available at the
gate. All tickets for this game will be paper
tickets and not sold online. We encourage
you to purchase your tickets in advance at a
discounted price of $10 and to avoid the lines
at the gate.
Also, advance general admission tickets for
Mary Persons home football games will be
sold on the day of the game at United Bank.
The ticket price will be $10. All other tickets
will need to be purchased through GoFan.co.
Tickets will not be sold at the gate.
CHURCH PAGE MADE POSSIBLE BY:
AVOID BACK SURGERY
gnisc
V* CENTERS Of AMERICA
■ FORSYTH
DR. GARY BIGGS
IN PAIN?
BE SEEN TODAY!
We cater to PRE-SURGICAL
Back Pain Patients
that are considering spinal
injections OR back surgery.
Voted Best of Monroe County 2022 Best Chiropractor by readers of the Reporter
255 Tift College Drive • Forsyth • 478-994-1562
www.ForsythDiscCenter.com
Freeman Funeral home
A name that can be trusted for funeral and burial arrangements
26 Brentwood Place • Forsyth
994-6483 • 994-6576
“Servicing Each Family With Equal Respect”
Lee’s Haircutting
Lee Smith
994-1666
Mon - Fri 10 to 7
...Unless Playing Golf
WBIB-FM 89.1
Forsyth-based Christian Radio
Believers in Broadcasting
478-957-9164
www.wbibfm.com
We are here to serve the
local church and community.
Sunday morning local sermon schedule:
9 a.m. Dayspring Presbyterian Church
10 a.m. Rock Springs Church
11 a.m. New Providence Baptist Church
facebook.com/believersinbroadcasting
r ANIMAL^
MEDICAL
CLINIC
> i
Dr. Brandon Pinson
Ready to Meet
Your Pet Needs
• Boarding • Bathing
• Medical Management
• Wellness & Preventive
• After Hrs. & Emergency
60 S. Jackson St. * Forsyth.GA ♦ 478-994-4986
Voted 2014 Best Veterinarian by readers of the Reporter
RAFF, INC.
Better Built By Raff
Jerry Raff contractors
jerraff@bellsouth.net 478-256-0253
www.facebook.com/raffinc