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Ashley Hartsoe, left, and Ashley Faircloth have joined forces to become a part of First Baptist Church, Clinton as they have served together on several mission trips to Haiti, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. (Billy Todd/Sampson Independent)
A call to service
If there is such a thing as catching the missions bug, two young ladies at First Baptist Church, Clinton have got it bad. Ashley Hartsoe and Ashley Faircloth have joined forces to be a part of the church’s missions team. They have traveled to Haiti, Pennsylvania and Kentucky and are making plans to go on more mission trips in the future. Hartsoe is 24 and is a senior at Mount Olive College. Faircloth is 31 and works with Southern Bank and i...
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Let the church say amen
“Let the church say amen.” The congregation repeated it in unison. After an emotionally charged sermon, those were the exodus words of Pastor Rosa Meredith of Deliverance Victory Temple Ministries. As the congregation sang the word in unison, a feeling of peace and tranquility descended in the sanctuary, unexpectedly changing the atmosphere. Upon observation, it was evident that the older generation recognized those inspiring words from the...
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Abusing your compassion
Matthew 20:33,34 says “ They say unto him Lord, that our eyes may be open. So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” This story is about two blind men who were in need of a miracle from God. They had heard that Jesus was passing by so they maximized their chance to reach out to him by faith to be healed. These two gentlemen could not help themselves so the Lord...
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Called to keep moving
Life today is busy. Folks everywhere have schedules brimming with tasks and activities. Some weeks, it’s hard enough to make sure the bills are paid, meals are cooked, and the laundry is done—let alone to keep up with job responsibilities and relationships. Who has time to focus on spiritual growth? The difficult truth is that as believers, we don’t have an option: we either grow spiritually or become stagnant. There’s no middle ground. Wha...
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The ‘wow’ moments that draw us closer to God
What wows you? Writing about a humbling experience when I was wowed encourages me to think on such things … actually Paul said to think on things that are lovely. The never-ending list grows with age and wisdom. These are a few of my favorite Wow things: rainbows that span the sky, baby turtles hatching and heading for the ocean, a blazing sunset slipping slowly out of sight, being saved, synchronized water and music shows at Disney World, st...
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Unintentional poisoning
A recently read report from the American Association of Poison Control stated that on average, their poison control centers handle one poison exposure every thirteen seconds. According to their records, most poisonings involve everyday household items such as medicines, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and such. One figure that really stood out however was that almost eighty four percent of poison exposures are unintentional. The fact of the matt...
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Native son returns home to celebrate 35th ministerial anniversary
Sampson County minister The Rev. Alonzo Bragg is coming home this weekend to celebrate with family and friends the journey he has been on for the past 35 years. It will be, friends, say, a time of fellowship and worship. On Saturday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m., at the Warner Temple A. M. E. Zion Church, Braggs will walk again down memory lane and sing several of his favorites. On Sunday, Aug. 19, at 11 a.m., Braggs will deliver his anniversary mess...
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Planning session set for Mount Olive College dinner
MOUNT OLIVE- The planning session for the 2012 Sampson, Harnett, and Cumberland counties gift support dinner for Mount Olive College will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28, at Oak Grove OFWB Church near Newton Grove. During the session, Jean F. Ackiss, director of Church Support at Mount Olive College, will give a presentation about the college. She will also coordinate final plans for the dinner, as well as distribute the dinner literatur...
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Robert’s Grove honors Jackson Shelby Jackson received the Woman of the Year award Aug. 5 during Ladies Day at Robert’s Grove OFWB Church. She has been the pianist at the church for more than 50 years and taught music for most of those years. She is an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary and Vanguard I Sunday School Class. Jackson has a daughter, Connie Gause; and a granddaughter, Amanda LeJune Gause. (Courtesy photo)
Robert’s Grove honors Jackson
Courtesy photo Shelby Jackson received the Woman of the Year award Aug. 5 during Ladies Day at Robert’s Grove OFWB Church. She has been the pianist for the church for more than 50 years and taught music for most of those years. She is an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary and Vanguard I Sunday School Class. Jackson has a daughter, Connie Gause; and a granddaughter, Amanda LeJune Gause.
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Women from both the Eastern Baptist Association and the New South River Association along with member of the state Women's Missionary Union came together to create blankets, pillows and dolls for their mission projects during MissionsCAROLINA that took place this week. (Billy Todd/Sampson Independent)
MissionsCAROLINA spreads God’s work, word
There has been a multitude of mission activities going on around the county this week. MissionsCAROLINA is a ministry of the N.C. Women’s Missionary Union that provides various projects for individuals and families to go and do missions in North Carolina. The ministry projects range from Vacation Bible School to wheelchair ramps/handyman projects, nursing home ministry, prayer walking, prison ministry, etc. The ministry provides a great oppor...
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Fostering relationships offers those ‘wow’ moments
Have you reflected on times in your life when you were Wowed? Last week, I shared how doing daily things we enjoy is often taken for granted. It’s a Wow when we wake up each morning. Throw in being able to hop out of bed, walk to a bathroom with running water and tons of toiletries, step into a shower or tub where warm water refreshes your body, choose what you’ll wear from a closet filled with clothes and shoes, dress yourself, grab ‘to go’ ...
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Restoring the Lord’s house
In a recent article, we presented the picture of the church as the Lord’s house. The apostle Paul pointed this truth out to Timothy when he wrote, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15). We also noted that the church was built by Christ (Matt. 16:18), that He is the head of it (Col. 1:18) and t...
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The Whisnants
The Whisnants to perform at Baptist Chapel
The Whisnants will perform at Baptist Chapel Church Sunday night, along with the Precious Jewels and The King’s Way Quartet. Concert time is 7 p.m. and admission is free. A love offering will be received. The church is located at 2208 Baptist Chapel Road, Autryville. Over the years, many Southern Gospel groups have come and gone. But there is one group that has stood the test of time. Since 1970, this Morganton based group has been singing ...
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Idella M. Fullwood
Mt. Plesant MBC to hold annual Women of Rhema Conference
The Annual Women of Rhema Conference will be held Aug. 15-18. The theme this year is “I Am Who God Says I Am.” What an incredible journey this has been! When elder Idella M. Fullwood began as first lady of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Ministries, she had a vision of what a Women’s Conference could be, but she had no idea what it would eventually become. This conference has expanded and has grown into a beautiful forum and fellowsh...
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Johnson
Johnson selected for recital
The Rev. Roosevelt Johnson was selected June 5 at the 98th Hampton University Minister’s Conference and 78th annual Choir Director’s and Organist Guild in an audition of 25 musicians to perform by way of singing and playing the piano at the Whalum Recital held at the Hampton University Coliseum, Hampton, Va. With an audience of about 10,000 people present, Johnson was selected by the music guild staff, Dr. Diane White Clayton and Linda Hall...
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Satan the root of all evil
Luke 22:2-6 says “And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; (Jesus) for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number twelve. And he went his way, and communed (conferred) with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad and covenanted (agreed) to give him money. And he (Judas) promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto th...
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Louise Todd poses with her gifts from Evergreen Baptist Church. (Doug Clark/Sampson Independent)
A gotcha moment
Louise Todd doesn’t get surprised too much. In fact, in her almost 88 years, she said she’d had only one major surprise and that was by the students at Union Elementary School when she retired back in 1990. Last Sunday was the second one, when she walked into Evergreen Baptist Church, a place where she has been teaching Sunday school for the past 70 years, and was honored by the congregation for her decades-long dedication to the church. ...
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Storms don’t always last
The storm had passed and it was a new day! It had been raining for the past couple of days; for some people this makes for a dismal existence, as it interrupts their pace and plans in life. It is the dawning of a new day and the inspiring song “Feeling Good,” by the incomparable Jennifer Hudson, originated by the iconic Nina Simone, is playing in the background. I’ve certainly heard the beats before. I’m quite familiar with the strong vocal...
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The Lord’s house
The sweet psalmist of Israel wrote what is often called, the “Shepherd’s Psalm” (Psalm 23). He ends this psalm with the words, “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psalm 23:6). David speaks often, eloquently and lovingly of the “house of the Lord”. Following the Egyptian exodus, the tabernacle was constructed and served as the house of the Lord throughout the wilderness wandering. Later, in the days of Solomon, the temple was...
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Handling your enemies
Matthew 26:63 says “ But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the son of God.” I would like to share with you this week a subject that I believe we all are in need of God showing us how to handle. The subject is “handling your enemies” or “how to handle the people who have done you wrong.” This is a hard thing to do and still show...
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Wowing our Lord with a fresh faith
Have you ever been wowed! There are times when the only word that fits an incredible moment is WOW! That mini word carries a mighty message. Are you remembering times you were wowed? Think of watching stars twinkle in the sky, the sun rising over the ocean, a full moon smiling down on you, snow blanketing your yard, dragonflies darting through the air, children laughing and playing, a kiss from someone who loves you, being surprised, hearing ...
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The thing about change …
Change is hard! Sometimes we don’t change because the fear of the unknown is very scary! To change requires us to do things differently, and frankly, many of us have become complacent or comfortable where we’re at. We like the way we’ve done things and we think it’s working for us, so why mess it up? Sometimes those around us see that we’re in need of desperate changes but we deny it, minimize it, blame shift or excuse our behaviors. Like a...
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Smith honored as Unity's Oustanding Older Adult Glenn Hardy Smith was honored Sunday at Unity Presbyterian Church with the Outstanding Older Adult Award. He was installed as an elder on April 2, 1978, and has served several terms since then. Glenn was a Sunday School superintendent for many years. He is currently serving on the Capital Improvements Committee and the Cemetery Committee as a Trustee. In the last few years, he has served on the Planning Committee, Pastoral Search Committee and the Pulpit Nominating Committee. He also helps with the church's Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper, mowing the church and cemetery lawns, and assistnig his wife, Betty Jo, with Communion preparation. He and Betty Jo have two daughters, Wendy and Mary, and two grandchildren, Teddy and Lauren. Wendy and Mary honored him with a song 'Daddy’s Hands.' A reception was given in the fellowship hall in his honor. (Courtesy photo)
Smith honored as Unity’s Oustanding Older Adult
Courtesy photo Glenn Hardy Smith was honored Sunday at Unity Presbyterian Church with the Outstanding Older Adult Award. He was installed as an elder on April 2, 1978, and has served several terms since then. Glenn was a Sunday School superintendent for many years. He is currently serving on the Capital Improvements Committee and the Cemetery Committee as a Trustee. In the last few years, he has served on the Planning Committee, Pastoral Se...
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Michael English is among the most powerful communicators the Gospel music industry has ever known.
The Martins, Michael English in Smithfield Aug. 10
The smooth, rich sounds of multi-Dove Award winning and Grammy nominated recording artists, The Martins and Michael English can be heard in Smithfield, on Friday, Aug. 10, at the Paul A Johnston Auditorium on the campus of Johnston Community College. The event will begin at 7 p.m. It’s a New Day for legendary vocal group, The Martins. Their three-year labor of love is complete, and the end result is a new recording, appropriately titled New...
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Dana and Prit Adams have spent the majority of their lives in service to God in Haiti. Following Prit's life changing experience the couple have refocus to raise funds for the ministry. The photo was taken at a restaurant in Fayetteville recently. (Billy Todd/Sampson Independent)
Into the Storm…
Growing up in the Taylors Bridge community, one might not think that what they will do in life will impact so many. Being born in a military family stationed in Germany, one might not think that their life’s work would be one of tribulations and miracles. But for Pritchard (Prit), and Dana Adams, their humble beginnings have been anything but small as they have spent most of their lives ministering to the citizens of Haiti. Little did this ...
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