Newspaper Page Text
Page 6B
August 31, 2022
sEeporter
PASTOR’S CORNER by Rev. MarilynTucker-Marek
Spotlight on Local Churches
Keep the Sabbath; let
the Sabbath keep us
O f the Ten Commandments,
only one offers two reasons for
keeping it and only one finds us
bragging about breaking it.
I’m talking about keeping the Sabbath.
Exodus 20:8-11 says, “Remember the
Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you
shall labor and do all your work. But the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the
Lord your God; you shall not
do any work—you, your son
or your daughter, your male
or female slave, your livestock,
or the alien resident in your
towns. For in six days the Lord
made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, but
rested the seventh day; therefore
the Lord blessed the Sabbath
day and consecrated it.”
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 says,
“Observe the Sabbath day and
keep it holy, as the Lord your God com
manded you. Six days you shall labor and
do all your work. But the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall
not do any work—you, or your son or your
daughter, or your male or female slave, or
your ox or your donkey, or any of your live
stock, or the resident alien in your towns, so
that your male and female slave may rest
as well as you. Remember that you were
a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord
your God brought you out from there with
a mighty hand and an outstretched arm;
therefore the Lord your God commanded
you to keep the Sabbath day”
Both passages agree Sabbath is for every
one who works, from beasts of burden, to
those with few socioeconomic opportuni
ties, to the most powerful and influential
people in the community.
Exodus tells us that Sabbath-keeping has
been part of Gods plan for the world since
creation, and Sabbath-keeping is an act of
gratitude for Gods creating work and plan.
Deuteronomy tells us that Sabbath-keeping
is the privilege of free people, and keeping
the Sabbath is an act of gratitude for Gods
delivering and saving work.
Both reasons root this spiritual practice, or
faith habit, in Gods power, love, and plan.
Yet too often we find ourselves bragging
about how hard we work. This makes sense
in a culture that values a good work ethic,
personal responsibility, and self-sufficiency.
But working non-stop keeps us
from the sacred pause God offers in
the Sabbath. It keeps us from mak
ing time for our relationship with
God and the other people in our
community, our family and friends.
And when we never keep the Sab
bath, we make it harder for others to
rest as well, such as our co-workers
or employees.
A spiritual practice is a good faith
habit, a way of engaging our faith
in our daily or weekly rhythms and
routines. God knew from the begin
ning keeping the Sabbath would make us
healthier, happier, more faithful people, who
live in more supportive, connected com
munities.
So, when we find ourselves over-worked,
exhausted, and disconnected from God and
the people we love, the commandment to
keep the Sabbath holy invites us to examine
how taking a break, and entering the sacred
pause of the Sabbath will refresh and restore
us.
Our Jewish brothers and sisters have a say
ing, “The Jews do not keep the Sabbath, the
Sabbath keeps the Jews.” Christians, people
of other faiths, and people who do not have
faith can share the practice of taking time to
rest, and “letting Sabbath keep us.”
Rev. Marilyn Tucker-Marek is pastor of
Forsyth Presbyterian Church, 63 N. Jackson
Street. The Pastors Corner is sponsored by
the Monroe County Ministerial Association,
which meets on the second Thursday of each
month at 9 a.m. at Christ United Methodist
Church, 417 N. Frontage Road, Forsyth.
Rev. Marilyn
Tucker-Marek
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 permit's.
Wednesdays until Sept.
28
Bethany Bapt. hosts
Womens Bible Study
Bethany Baptist Church, 365
Pea Ridge Road, Juliette wil
host a 7-session Women’s Bible
Study entitled "Elijah: Faith
and Fire" by Priscilla Shirer on
Wednesday nights from 6:30-
7:30 p.m. beginning Aug. 17
The study will be led by Karen
Wilson and is for young adult to
senior women. There will be a
nursery and children’s ministries
available. Cost of the study
guide is $ 17
Aug. 29-31
Pine Grove C.M.E.
Church of Culloden
Homecoming & Revival
Pine Grove C.M.E. Church
of Culloden will host Reviva
Services August 29-31 at 7:30
pm each evening featuring Rev.
Matthew Raines of Little Union
Community Church.
Aug. 30-31
Parker’s Chapel AME has
Homecoming, Revival
Parkers Chapel AME, 5744
Highway 83 South, Culloden in
vites everyone to its Revival ser
vices, which will begin Tuesday,
Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. with Rev.
Rufus Whatley and continue on
Wednesday, Aug. 31 with Rev.
C.W. Dumas. All are welcome.
Beginning Sept. 1
First Baptist Forsyth has
Lunch & Learn
First Baptist Forsyth, 95 West
Morse Street will begin a Lunch
& Learn program on Thursday,
Sept. 1 that will meet in the
Fellowship Hall every 1st &
3rd Thursday. All ages are
welcome. Pastor Dr. Hambric
Brooks will lead Bible Study.
Gather for coffee and fellow
ship at 11:30 a.m. Bible study
and lunch will begin at 12
noon. Participants are encour
aged to bring a sack lunch.
It will be an interactive study
where dialogue is encouraged,
and discussion and questions
are welcomed. Bring your Bible.
Sept. 4
Rocky Creek Baptist
restarts Sunday School
Program
Rocky Creek Baptist Church
located at 225 Rocky Creek Rd
in Forsyth will restart the Sunday
School program which has been
inactive since CoVid on Sunday
Sept 4, 2022 at 9:45 A.M.
St. Peter’s Rock cel
ebrates Pastor's Anniver
sary
St Peter’s Rock Missionary
Baptist Church, 10496 High
way 87 Juliette will celebrate
Rev. Tremaine Johnson Sr.s 1st
Pastor’s Anniversary on Sunday,
Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. with Rev.
Craig E. Moore of New Salem
Missionary Baptist Church in
Baconton as guest speaker
For more information, contact
Ruth Middlebrook at 478-986-
5269.
Sept. 11, Sept. 12-14
Kynette UMC has
Homecoming & Revival
Services
Kynette United Methodist
Church, 266 Martin Luther King
Jr. Drive, Forsyth and Rev. Dr.
Clarence E. Thrower, Jr. invite
everyone to celebrate Home
coming and Revival Services.
Homecoming service will be
Sunday, Sept. 11 at 11 a.m.;
Rev. Clarence E. Thrower, Jr.
will deliver the message. Revival
Services begin on Monday,
Sept. 12- Wednesday, Sept. 14
starting at 7 p.m. nightly. Reviv
alists Monday-Wednesday:
Monday: Minister Juanita D.
Hogan, Greater Friendship
Baptist Church. Tuesday: Rev.
Cleveland Jarrell, Greater
Friendship Baptist Church.
Wednesday: Rev. Carlos
Young, St. Luke AME Church.
All are welcome.
Sept. 14
Food Distribution at
Christ UMC
The Circle of Care Mobile
Food Distribution at Christ
United Methodist Church, 417
N. Frontage Road, Forsyth wil
be on Wednesday, Sept.14, 10
am-12 noon.
Sept. 18
First Baptist of High
Falls has Back to Church
Sunday
First Baptist Church of High
Falls, 4408 High Falls Road,
welcomes everyone to come
back to church on Back to
Church Sunday on Sept. 18
starting at 9:45 a.m. for Sunday
Bible Study and 11 a.m. for
Worship Celebration.
Sept. 27
St. James Baptist hosts
Food Distribution
St. James Baptist Church, 110
James Street, Forsyth will again
be hosting a Mobile Food Dis
tribution on the fourth Tuesday
of each month beginning on
Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 10 a.m.
Ongoing
Bread & Blessings
food pantry is open at
Bethany Baptist
The Bread & Blessing food
pantry is open at the fellowship
hall of Bethany Baptist Church,
365 Pea Ridge Road, Boling-
broke 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.
Rocky Creek Baptist
Church Motocyde Minis
try Community Break
fast
The Rocky Creek Motorcycle
Ministry hosts a Men’s break
fast every 2nd Saturday of the
month, and all are invited to
attend. The next breakfast is
Saturday, Sept. 10th, at 9 a.m.
at Rocky Creek Baptist Church
225 Rocky Creek Rd., Forsyth.
Rock Springs Clinic
The Rock Springs Church Health
Clinic in Forsyth is open every
Wednesday from 8:30 a.m-
noon. New patient consultations
are available at 1 p.m. on the
2nd and 4th Wednesday of
each month. The clinic is near
Monroe County Hospital at
100 MLK Jr. Drive; the phone
number is 478-992-9581
M.C. Library connects present with
past through genealogy lock-in
Monroe County Library branch manager Kimberly Clayton, center,
helps patrons use the librarys tools for genealogy reseach at a lock-in
on Aug. 23.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcrnet
Monroe County Library contin
ued its celebration of its 100 years
in operation with a ‘Genealogy
Lock-in on Tuesday evening, Aug.
23. Members of the commu
nity were invited to come to the
library at 6 p.m., when it closed to
other patrons, and explore the free
resources available at the library
to research ancestors and other
people of the past.
“What better way to celebrate
100 years!” said Monroe County
Library branch manager Kimberly
Clayton as she welcomed those
who came to check out the geneal
ogy research resources.
She said that copies of Monroe
County newspapers, including the
Reporter, are available on micro
film from the 1800 s to a couple of
years ago and pages from the mi
crofilm could be printed. The film
isn’t cross-referenced, meaning
one must read through an edition
looking for desired information.
Clayton said she did this as she
looked for references to the library
in 1922 papers as she prepared for
C H U R C
the library’s centennial.
The library has a local history
section with publications that can
be useful for research. The library
has an edition of ancestry.com
that patrons can use for free on the
library’s network through state-
funded Galileo.
Clayton’s quick survey of those
attending the lock-in showed that
some were just starting to explore
their genealogy while others had
already assembled a lot of informa
tion and were working on filling in
missing pieces to create a broader
picture. Two individuals said they
have recently moved to Monroe
County and want to learn more
about a cemetery on their prop
erty. They had written down some
of the names from the cemetery
markers as a starting point. There
are remains of other structures on
the property that they would also
like to learn more about.
Clayton said there are other
good sources outside of the library,
like the records of property deeds
at the courthouse. She said a
good place to start at the library
is Galileo.usg@edu and click on
H PAGE
‘Search! She said census records are
probably the most productive data
in genealogy research. Census re
cords are not released for 72 years
after the information is collected;
records from 1950 have recently
been released to the public.
In going through census records,
Clayton advised starting with
a family member about whom
you know things you can verify
through your research. She said to
keep in mind that as you go back
further, into the early 1900’s and
1800’s, data is less exact—spellings
vary and dates are approximate;
someone maybe listed at a nearby
residence because that’s where
they were the day the census taker
recorded the information.
“Make your search as broad as
possible and then adjust the pa
rameters,” she said. “Try different
spellings.”
She said to look at records of
nearby addresses because a cen
tury or so ago people tended to live
in pods. Check marriage, death
and cemetery records.
Clayton said genealogy research
can be very rewarding. She told
MADE
of helping a woman who was ad
opted find information about her
birth family. Clayton found that a
family member who was wealthy
had published extensive informa
tion on the family in the course
of creating her will; so they were
able to learn much more about the
family than they had anticipated.
Clayton said the woman was in
tears as she was amazed by what
P O S S I B
she was able to learn about her
birth family.
The dedication ceremony for
Monroe County Library’s Centen
nial will be on Wednesday, Aug. 31
at 10 a.m„ including recognition
of all past librarians and a birthday
cake.
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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
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