Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023
BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 7A
Church News
Give thanks with a grateful heart
As Christians, I know we all agree
that we have so much to be thankful
for every day, but in this season of
Thanksgiving, I want to be intention
al, and allow God to do a work in my
life that I will not forget. I pray, “Lord,
help me to be grateful now and even
when the seasons change!”
As I started my journey towards
giving more thanks, I was quickly re
minded of a song we sing at church.
It’s by Don Moen, and it goes like
this. “Give thanks with a grateful
heart; give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because He’s given, Jesus
Christ, His Son.”
Now that within itself, is a powerful
message of thanksgiving. It points us
to Almighty God and reminds us that
in Him, we should live a life of grati
tude. He created us. When we fell into
a life of sin, He sent the Lord Jesus to
be our sacrifice, so we can be forgiven.
As we ready ourselves for Thanksgiv
ing, let us be reminded to thank God
for His amazing grace that opens the
door to a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ on earth and in heaven.
Apostle Paul
echoes this in
Colossians 2:6-7
when he reminds
the church to be
thankful for what
they have in Christ
Jesus. He noted
that they received
Christ so they
should walk in
Him because they
have been taught,
rooted, and established in the faith, so
“abound therein with thanksgiving.”
There is a bountiful amount of
scripture that echoes the message of
thankfulness. Psalm 107; 1 reminds
us to, “give thanks to the Lord, for
he is good and his steadfast love en
dures forever.” Let that sink in for a
moment. The creator of the universe;
the one who hung the moon and stars;
the one who holds back the sea, will
always love us! He knows we are not
perfect, yet His promise is sure. When
we don’t get it right, He is there to for
give us, and continue our relationship.
While Colossians 4:2 reminds us to
devote ourselves to prayer. The verse
continues, “keeping alert with an at
titude of thanksgiving.” What a mes
sage! When we make our relationship
with Him a priority, we will surely
have an attitude of gratitude.
As this season of thanksgiving is
here, the Lord has a message for all of
us. It’s found in Psalms 100:4 where it
says, “Enter into his gates with thanks
giving and his courts with praise; give
thanks to him and praise his name.
“We have such as opportunity to enter
His presence with a thankful heart. He
inhabits the praise of His people.
While I realize this is a most busy
time of year, I cannot think of a better
way to spend it. Let us honor the one
who gave everything for us. May we
focus on the blessings from God and
never forget His great sacrifice and
his everlasting love for us. For these
things, may we be thankful today and
always.
Sherry Lewis is a resident of Mays-
ville and worship leader at Water’s
Edge Ministry.
sherry
lewis
Churches among those listed on Georgia
preservation group’s ‘10 Places in Peril’ list
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Ser
vice
Several churches and
schools, an old newspaper
building, and one of the last
remaining Gullah Geechee
communities in the coun
try are on the Georgia Trust
for Historic Preservation’s
annual “10 Places in Peril”
list.
Places in Peril is designed
to raise awareness about
Georgia’s significant his
toric, archaeological, and
cultural resources facing
such threats as demolition,
inappropriate development,
or just plain neglect.
“This is the Trust’s 19th
annual Places in Peril list,”
said W. Wright Mitchell, the
organization’s president and
CEO. “We hope the list will
continue to bring preserva
tion solutions to Georgia’s
imperiled historic resources
by highlighting representa
tive sites.”
Here is this year’s Top 10
list:
Hogg Hummock on Sape-
lo Island (McIntosh Coun
ty) - The Gullah Geechee
community, established by
direct descendants of en
slaved West Africans after
the Civil War, was listed
in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1996.
Recent zoning changes
will let homes be construct
ed that are double the size of
current limits, which could
force further removal of the
indigenous population.
Atlanta Constitution
Building (Fulton County) -
Built in 1947 in downtown
Atlanta, this rare example
of Art Modeme architecture
in Georgia was occupied
by the Atlanta Constitution
and later the Atlanta Jour
nal Constitution until 1955,
then by Georgia Power un
til 1972. It has been vacant
ever since.
Pine Log Mountain (Bar
tow County) - This private
ly owned wilderness area
contains historic resources
from three eras: a Wood
lands Era rock wall built
by indigenous peoples, four
1840s-era stone iron fur
naces used for mining, and
a convict labor camp that
existed before Georgia law
makers ended the convict
lease system in 1909. The
sites are now threatened
with demolition.
Cedar Grove, Martinez
(Columbia County) - Built
in 1851 in the Italianate
style, this home was owned
by several prominent fam
ilies. It later served as a
church and housed the first
integrated kindergarten in
Columbia County. The re
cent discovery of mold and
ongoing maintenance costs
threaten its continued use.
Church of the Good Shep
herd, Thomasville (Thomas
County) - Built in 1894,
this church is an example of
African American religious
expression and education in
the South. A classroom and
library operated there until
1964. Major repairs have
been deferred as church
membership has declined.
Grace Baptist Church,
Darien - McIntosh Coun
ty - Located on historic
Vernon Square, this church
was a significant institution
within the African Ameri
can community. The con
gregation disbanded in the
1990s, and the building fell
into disrepair. The city is
sued a citation last May that
could lead to demolition.
Old First Baptist Church,
Augusta - This significant
example of Beaux Arts ar
chitecture was built in 1902.
The Southern Baptist Con
vention was founded on the
site in 1845, and the build
ing was listed in the Nation
al Register of Historic Plac
es in 1972. Now privately
owned, the property is in
disrepair.
Broad Avenue Elemen
tary, Albany - Built in the
1930s in the city’s historic
district, the school served
the community until the
property was sold in 2005.
The building is under threat
of condemnation and demo
lition due to its deteriorated
condition.
Sugar Valley Consoli
dated School, Sugar Valley
(Gordon County) - Built in
1927 of indigenous Knox
Chert, the school closed in
1974. The building is now
owned by the county and
most recently operated as
a community center, vot
ing precinct, and events
space. The Gordon County
Commission has deemed it
unsafe and has announced
plans to tear it down and
replace it with a fire station.
Piney Grove Cemetery,
Atlanta - This historic Afri
can American burial ground
in the city’s Buckhead
neighborhood is one of the
last vestiges of several Afri
can American communities
that once thrived in the area.
The organization Friends of
Piney Grove Cemetery has
accused the homeowners’
association of an adjacent
condominium development
with failing to fulfill zon
ing conditions and a state
law requiring proper main
tenance of the cemetery, re
sulting in it becoming over
grown and inaccessible.
The Places in Peril list
aims to encourage property
owners as well as interested
organizations and commu
nities to work to revitalize
deteriorated historic prop
erties.
Email church news to angela@mainstreetnews.com
Christmas event planned
at Homer Baptist Church
Homer Baptist Church will hold Cookies With Santa
from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. The church is
located at 1172 Historic Homer Highway, Homer.
The event will include making Christmas ornaments,
face painting, decorating cookies, hearing the Christmas
story and photos with Santa and the Grinch.
Community Brotherhood
to meet Dec. 3 in Homer
Community Brotherhood will be held on Sunday, De
cember 3, at 7:30 a.m. in the Don Stewart Hall at Homer
United Methodist Church for a monthly breakfast and pro
gram.
The speaker will be Levi Ventrice, who is 14 years old
and is in the 8th grade at Banks County Middle School.
Levi is a member of Nails Creek Baptist Church and a
leader in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). For more
information on Nails Creek Baptist Church, go to https://
www.nailscreekchmch.com/.
Tim Harper is president of the Community Brotherhood.
The church is located at 141 Sycamore St., which is at
the comer of Sycamore and Church Streets in downtown
Homer. Brotherhood is the only ecumenical, basically lay,
group in the county. Churches of every denomination are
invited to participate.
Visitors are always welcome, leader’s state. Spouses/
families are welcome to attend the December meeting
along with their husbands.
For more information on Homer United Methodist
Church, go to https://www.homemmc.com/
Rock Springs plans
Breakfast with Santa
Rock Springs Baptist Church
747 Rock Springs Road
Lula, GA 30554
will be having a Breakfast With Santa event on Saturday,
December 2 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am
We will have pictures and story time with Santa. Also,
crafts, cookie decorating and more.
Beaverdam Baptist plans
Family Day on Sunday
Beaverdam Baptist Church will host Family Day of
Thanks on Sunday, Nov. 19, during the 11 a.m. worship
service.
“We invite the community to join us as we celebrate one
of God’s greatest blessings, the family,” church leaders
said. “Gather your family and join us in worship for this
special service. All are invited.”
Beaverdam Baptist is located at 1627 Hwy. 59, Com
merce.
For more information, call 706-255-0656.
WMU meets on Tuesdays
The WMU meets every second Tuesday of the month at
First Baptist Church of Commerce. “Come join the Bible
study, fellowship and fun,” organizers said. First Baptist
Church of Commerce is located at 1345 S. Elm St., Com
merce.
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