Monticello Live

The Arkansas Baptist News, a statewide publication of the State Baptist Convention, has named Amy Brunson, as Monticello, as their 2013 “Arkansas Mother of the Year’.

Brunson is a teacher at Monticello High School and a member of Second Baptist Church.

Click here to read their full story.

Monticello native David Leonard, along with the male members of All Sons and Daughters, recently led a worship service at the MBSF at UAM.

The group began forming in 2009, where they worship at Journey Church in Franklin, Tennessee.  Leslie Jordan of the group was not able to attend, so this was a unique event, even before you consider the personal ties that David has with Monticello.

The center was filled to capacity with students, alumni, and others who enjoyed the time of worship.

Click here for the All Sons and Daughters website.

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Pauline Baptist Church wishes you Happy Thanksgiving, but that’s not where Thanksgiving ends for the group of  75 volunteers that gave up their Thanksgiving day to minister to others.

This morning, they prepared, packed, and delivered meals to over 475 local residents, and served several more to people  that came to the church’s fellowship hall for the traditional meal.

This is the second year that Pauline Baptist has turned Thanksgiving’s “warm feelings” into “hot meals”, as they share God’s love and campassion with Monticello.

Around a year ago, the photo for the MLive Sunday Bulletin changed.  It may not have been noticed by many readers, but there was a reason behind it.

When you operate a public medium (like MLive) there’s a certain amount of your personal life that you have to include; but there is also a limit.

Although only very close friends (and folks who read local church bulletin prayer lists) knew it, Sue (my wife) had a severe heart attack just over a year ago, spending two weeks in Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock.  After a double-bypass and a “valve job”, she was released, to come home and continue recovery.

MonticelloLive was posted twice every day, as usual, from the hospital, since “business MUST go on.”  (My Iphone and BMC wi-fi were awesome.) 

But when your nights are spent on a waiting room couch, and you don’t know if they’ll even be able do perform surgery, there are few sources of comfort to be found.  But there was one place I found……

The photo change took place so that every Sunday, I would go back to that same place of comfort I used for those two long weeks.  The Prayer Chapel at Baptist Medical Center. 

I hope that you can see the light and love of my Saviour, Jesus Christ, shining through, like I did then, and still do today.

Grant presented by Delta Kappa Gamma

FEED THE KIDS RECEIVES GRANT

Delta Kappa Gamma recently awarded a grant of $500 in support of Feed the Kids weekend snack bags. The Extension Homemakers also contributed the proceeds from their winter fundraiser and the Shepherd Center gave a portion of their fall session registration to support the project. Feed the Kids is funded strictly through donations with some assistance from Rice Depot and a few grants. The group is awaiting final determination from the IRS to become a 501c3 entity.

Bags prepared for students.

Feed the Kids is a snack pack weekend feeding program active in Monticello and Drew Central Schools. The mission originally started by the Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian Church has grown in the past five years from an experiment with six children to more than 150 children in both school districts. Children in Pre-K through 8th grade are identified by counselors, teachers, other school personnel, and sometimes even the children themselves as needing additional food.

beanie weenies to be distributed

The cost of each snack bag is about $6.00 and contains enough food to supplement a hungry child over the weekend. Clean-up bags are sent home on a quarterly basis and contain soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and seasonal items like socks, hats, and gloves. The cost to provide the bags has grown to over $2,000 per month.

Volunteers from the Methodist Youth Group, Second Baptist Church ladies’ mission group, Vera Lloyd Achievement Club, and individual community members pack and deliver the bags. The bags are packed the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. during the school year at the Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian Church. For more information, to volunteer, or to donate to Feed the Kids, contact Louisa Smith, Chair 367-7439 or Allison Collins, Vice Chair 367-2987

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In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, Pauline Baptist Church members spent yesterday morning preparing, serving, and delivering around 400 Thanksgiving dinners to Monticello area residents.

Giving their holiday to serve and minister to others; now that’s really celebrating the meaning of Thanksgiving.

A local National Day of Prayer Observance was held Thursday, around noon, on the front lawn of the Drew County Courthouse.

Around 70 people attended the event, as a series of prayers were lifted, asking God for his guidance over our country, state, and local leaders, schools, national security, military, law enforcement, justice system, churches, and people enduring hardships.

New Year’s Eve brought with it the usual activities, Thursday night, however the rain and cool temperatures seem to reduce the number of people celebrating.

Monticello Police arrested 3 drivers that were charged with DWI, proving the phrase, “if you drive hammered, you’ll probably get nailed” to be true.

Several churches held New Year’s events as well.  The top photo is from Mt. Pleasant Campground United Methodist Church held a  “sing in the new year” recognizing the music of Gospel Music Publisher, Songwriter, Music and Singing School Teacher, Singer and Musician Marty Phillips, and his wife Ann.  Marty’s song, “What a Meeting in the Air” has been featured in one of Bill Gaither’s Homecoming videos.

Immanuel Baptist Uth took part in a lock-in, overnight.  Shady Grove and Holmes Chapel also had activities planned.

The Robin Hood Family, Andy Brannon, and others joined together in an “all night singing” at Christ Church.

Rhonda Brooks recieved “Hospice Volunteer of the Year” at a volunteer appreciation “Luau”, Saturday, hosted by Hospice Home Care staff of Monticello.

Rhonda’s husband, Sanders Brooks serves as pastor of Northside Baptist Church, here in Monticello.

Wolf Creek Baptist Camp, which in located south of the Collins community, has had a positive effect on several generations of South Arkansas young people.

After a long day of volleyball, kickball, and waiting in line at the “snack shack”, I remember sitting in the same tabernacle back in the ’70’s, listening to speaker preaching to “kids my age”. Then everyone would gather around the campfire for “current” favorites, like Pass It On and He’s Everything To Me.

Well, Wolf Creek’s history of bringing kids out into the country, and into a spiritual week, filled with wholesome activities, as well as Bible study and worship, is still taking place, with the Delta Baptist Assocation’s Camp, which will be concluding today. 

This year, 107 children took part in the week long camp, representing 15 different churches.

The camp pastor this year is Terry Sayers, from Kelso Baptist Church. The director, Teresa Kelley, attends Bayou Mason Church, near Lake Village.  Also leading in the activities were Coy & Vivian Sample, who serve as Missionaries to Africa.

With all of the trials and temptations that our young people face everyday, it sure is good to see that God is still using camps like Wolf Creek, to give them a Godly based backgound to build upon.