Beautiful Wedding
Travis and Tiffianny had a beautiful wedding this afternoon. My Prayers are with them as they begin their lives together. God is good.
Ronnie
Americans Pick Obama as Personal Hero; Jesus Comes Second
President Barack Obama’s popularity overwhelms that of Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa, according to a new poll that shows Obama as the person Americans named as their hero.
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(Photo: AP/Ross D. Franklin)President Barack Obama waves to the crowd prior to speaking at Dobson High School in Mesa, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, regarding the housing foreclosure problem.
American adults (age 18 and over) spontaneously named President Obama as the person they admire enough to call their hero in a Harris Poll that did not provide a list for respondents to choose from.
The Harris Poll, released on Thursday, was conducted on 2,634 U.S. adults between Jan. 12 to 19, 2009 – just ahead of President Obama’s inauguration.
“The fact that President Obama is mentioned more often than Jesus Christ should not be misinterpreted,” The Harris Poll clarified in its report. “No list was used and nobody was asked to choose between them.”
Following Barack Obama, the next most popular personal heroes are Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger, and Mother Teresa, respectively, to round out the top 10 people Americans say they admire and would call their hero.
In the top 20 list, God held the No. 11 spot while evangelist Billy Graham tied with former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the 13th slot.
Respondents gave multiple reasons for their choice of heroes, including: doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences (89 percent); not giving up until the goal is accomplished (83 percent); doing more than what other people expect of them (82 percent); overcoming adversity (81 percent); and staying level-headed in a crisis (81 percent).
Only 14 percent of Americans said they admire either their mother or father enough to call them their hero. In contrast, nearly half (49 percent) said a public figure is someone they admire and consider a personal hero.
The public also named several well-known figures that they no longer consider their hero, which includes Colin Powell, George W. Bush, John McCain, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. In 2001, Bill Clinton topped the list for a similar survey conducted by Harris Poll.
Among other observations made by the poll’s conductors, six of the top ten heroes are dead (including Jesus Christ); the top 10 list includes five presidents; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ranks higher in the 2009 list (No. 12) than her husband, former President Bill Clinton (No. 16).
Since the 2001 list, several people have dropped off the list completely, including Pope John Paul (was 18th), Jimmy Carter (was 20th), Nelson Mandela (was 21st), Michael Jordan (was 9th), Princess Diana (was 16th), and Tiger Woods (was 23rd).
Blogging lag time
The blogging has been less over the last few days due to a load of seminary work that required my attention. As a matter of fact I am finishing up a paper today and that will bring tremendous relief. I love school and what I am learning but I am so ready to be finished so that I can feel normal again.
It has been a great week starting with a great SNL and 86 people in worship, Ash Wednesday Service @ Out Of The Box with Donna doing her drawing of death, its causes and its solution, FCA Club Day on Thursday @ CCHS, a wedding rehearsal last night and the wedding today.
I am anticipating the snow this evening, I haven’t been sledding in so many years and all my family would love to be able to just get out and play in the snow together.
God is good.
Ronnie
Ash Wednesday @ Out Of The Box
Ash Wednesday @ Out Of The Box
It was another great service with the youth. We had 45 in the box and God showed up!
Donna drew a picture that represented sin and death and then illustrated the effects of Jesus blood being applied to a life of sin and disobedience. We had a great time and we made some commitments for the future.
No regrets!
Ronnie
Lent
Lent is about mortality and transformation. We begin the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the sign of the cross smeared on our foreheads with ashes as the words are spoken over us, “Dust thou art, and to dust thou wilt return.” We begin this season of Lent not only reminded of our death, but also marked for death.
The Lenten journey, with its climax in Holy Week and Good Friday and Easter, is about participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Put somewhat abstractly, this means dying to an old identity.the identity conferred by culture, by tradition, by parents, perhaps.and being born into a new identity.an identity centered in the Spirit of God. It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God.
Put slightly more concretely, this path of death and resurrection, of radical centering in God, may mean for some of us that we need to die to specific things in our lives.perhaps to a behavior or a pattern of behavior that has become destructive or dysfunctional; perhaps to a relationship that has ended or gone bad; perhaps to an unresolved grief that needs to be let go of; perhaps to a career or job that has either been taken from us or that no longer nourishes us; or perhaps even we need to die to a deadness in our lives.
You can even die to deadness, and this dying is also oftentimes a daily rhythm in our lives.that daily occurrence that happens to some of us as we remind ourselves of the reality of God in our relationship to God; that reminder that can take us out of ourselves, lift us out of our confinement, take away our feeling of being burdened and weighed down.
That’s the first focal point of a life that takes Jesus seriously: that radical centering in the Spirit of God that is at the very center of the Christian life.
Dr. Marcus Borg – from “Taking Jesus Seriously”
SNL March 1st @ 6:30pm
Join us for SNL this Sunday Night at 6:30pm
5 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
Check Out SouledOut Website
SouledOut
A Message to Parents
The children in your ministry have grown up with the joys of the internet. It has opened their eyes to new worlds and distant cultures, exposing them to the depth of human creativity. However, in this flurry of information and interaction it is important to understand the potential dangers the internet can pose to your children.
It is no secret that sex offenders use the internet to gain access to children through the attention and affection of online friendships. As parents and ministry leaders it is important to be aware of the dangers posed by online child predators, and you must work to protect your children whenever you see the symptoms of potential online abuse.
The warning signs of potential online abuse include:
- Your child spending large amounts of time online, especially at night
- Finding pornography on your child’s computer
- Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know
- Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room
For more on the dangers, signs, and prevention of internet abuse, every parent should click here and read “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety” at ReducingTheRisk.com.
Stay safe!
The Freedom of Being Dust
Ash Wednesday [is] the beginning of Lent. And the church does a strange thing on this day. For those who desire it, we place ashes on their foreheads as we say, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Sounds like the ultimate reductionist view: Humanity is nothing but dust. So what is the insight here, and what more is there to say?.
There is nothing pretty about dust..To call someone dust in any other context would be fightin’ words. Don’t call me dirt. So why do we do this strange thing on this day. Remember, you are nothing but dust. What is this about?
First, this day reminds us of our creation. From Genesis 2, the second creation story in Genesis:
In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field had yet sprung up.for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground… then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being.
Dust is the material of a beloved creation. We cannot.must not.despise this loving work.. Remember that you are dust. You are not worth much as a commodity, but you are loved, beloved, shaped, molded, caressed, nurtured by the Loving God who made the stars and the moon, all the creatures of this world. Remember you are dust.precious, precious dust.
Second, this day reminds us of our mortality. “Dust your are and to dust you shall return.”
I am reminded of the words from the burial office, “We commit this body to its final resting place, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
It’s not morbid to think about death; it’s just the reality we all face. Death is the great equalizer. In death there are no presidents of corporations, no deans of universities, no lowly janitors, no prisoners, no homeless on the street, no rich folks, no poor folks. All of us are in the hands of the loving God.that’s it. The trinkets of honor and position.dust and ashes. The shame from others’ judgments.dust and ashes. When we remember, to dust you shall return, we remember that we are made for more than trinkets or shame. We are made for life with God – now and forever.
“And to dust you shall return.” Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are mortal, and in so doing confronts us with a simple question: We have only one life. How do we want to spend it?
Third, when we understand how precious we are to the One who created us from dust, and when we understand that we are made not just for this life but for eternity with God, then we can be free. Freedom.personal freedom.comes from knowing who we are and where we are going. We are free from being affected by other people’s judgment of us.
You know, it doesn’t matter who you are, others can find fault. If you work hard, people will say you’re uptight. If you enjoy life, people will say you’re lazy. If you’re wealthy, people will think you used and abused others to become rich. If you’re poor, people will look down on you, pity you, and assume you are incompetent. It doesn’t matter who you are, people can always find fault; they can always find a way to put you down..
The deep truth of Ash Wednesday .all those judgments do not matter..
We are human beings, dust, beloved of God; we.each one of us.are of ultimate worth..We are created for eternity! What is someone’s criticism compared to that? We are free, free of others’ judgment..
We spend so much energy on things that don’t matter: how we look.what people think of us.what we have or what others have. if we will get a promotion.whose sports team is going to win. We spend so much energy on things that don’t matter..
This, of course, is why Lent is a period of self-examination and penance. We need to stop and look at our lives.remember what we are made of, remember where we are going.and let go of all those things that don’t really matter, all those things that get in the way of loving God, loving others, and being loved by God and by others.
Remember, you are nothing but dust: Precious dust, molded and formed in the womb by a loving God, precious, precious and beloved are you.
Remember, you are nothing but dust, and to dust shall you return: Unique and precious, you are created for eternity.
Remember, you are nothing but dust: And that makes you free.free from human ambition.free from prideful denial .free from fear.free; free at last!
Remember, Dust you are, and as dust you are loved and free.
Rev. Ward B. Ewing – from “The Freedom of Being Dust”
What is the meaning and purpose of Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is a wake-up call. Ash Wednesday hits us squarely between the eyes, forcing us to face mortality and sinfulness. We hear Scripture readings that are urgent and vivid. We have black ashes rubbed into our foreheads. We recite a Litany of Penitence that takes our breath away, or should. It is a tough day, but take heart! This is one religious day that won’t fall into the clutches of retailers. There aren’t any Hallmark cards celebrating sin and death; no shop windows are decked out with sackcloth and ashes.
On Ash Wednesday we come to church to kneel, to pray, and to ask God’s forgiveness, surrounded by other sinners. Human sin is universal; we all do it, not only Christians. But our church tradition sets aside Ash Wednesday as a particular day to address sin and death. We do this mindful that “God hates nothing God has made and forgives the sins of all who are penitent.” We are ALL sinners, no better and no worse than our brothers and sisters. This is not a day to compete (“my sins are worse than yours are”), but to confess..
Ash Wednesday is the gateway to Lent. We have forty precious days to open ourselves up most particularly to God, to examine ourselves in the presence of one who created us, knows us, and loves us. We have forty days to face ourselves and learn to not be afraid of our sinfulness. We are dust, and to dust we shall return, but with God.s grace we can learn to live this life more fully, embracing our sinfulness, allowing God to transform us
The Rev. Margaret Jones – from “Ash Wednesday” A Wake-up Call.
What do Christians Celebrate on Ash Wednesday?
In Western Christianity, Ash Wednesday marks the first day, or the start of the season of Lent, which begins 40 days prior to Easter (Sundays are not included in the count).
Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers.
Not all Christian churches observe Ash Wednesday or Lent. They are mostly observed by the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican denominations, and also by Roman Catholics.
Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.
The Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3;
What in the World is Ash Wednesday?
For many people, especially youth, there is no understanding of why we observe Ash Wednesday. I will blog several pieces this week in order to give us all a better understanding. Keep in mind there is no mandate in scripture that we do this. Rather it is a discipline of the church, a reminder of many things, one being the brevity of life.
Ashes in the Bible
The origin of the custom of using ashes in religious ritual is lost in the mists of pre-history, but we find references to the practice in our own religious tradition in the Old Testament. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way: “O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes” (Jer 6:26).
The prophet Isaiah, on the other hand, critiques the use of sackcloth and ashes as inadequate to please God, but in the process he indicates that this practice was well-known in Israel: “Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: that a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” (Is 58:5).
The prophet Daniel pleaded for God to rescue Israel with sackcloth and ashes as a sign of Israel’s repentance: “I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes” (Dn 9:3).
Perhaps the best known example of repentance in the Old Testament also involves sackcloth and ashes. When the prophet Jonah finally obeyed God’s command and preached in the great city of Nineveh, his preaching was amazingly effective. Word of his message was carried to the king of Nineveh. “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes” (Jon 3:6).
In the book of Judith (Apocrypha), we find acts of repentance that specify that the ashes were put on people’s heads: “And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord” (Jdt 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1).
Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: “That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes” (1 Mc 3:47; see also 4:39).
In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes” (Mt 11:21, Lk 10:13).
Baby Collins (Judah Wayne Collins) @ Week 27
Your pregnancy: 27 weeks
How your baby’s growing:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.
See what your baby looks like this week.
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.
Here’s Lucy
Here’s Lucy. Lucy is one of the 7 puppies that Kyle and I found abandoned while riding bikes in the Fall of 2008. We were able to give most of the puppies away and a couple didn’t make and Lucy we have decided to keep. We have a fence but she can climb it like I can so it is hard keeping her in. I just pray that she will stay clear of the road. We hesitated to name her because I honestly didn’t plan to get attached to her but it is too late. Lucy is a great dog and loves to be hugged and petted. She loves everybody including Sophie who loves Lucy also unless I am around and then she is insanely jealous. Much like my wife. haha
Ronnie
Porn Addict
Wow, here is a great video for many reasons. #1 we have a very difficult time being honest about the things that hold us captive and there is true freedom in getting things off your chest. #2 I love the idea of text message questions during the message #3 If you are experiencing this same thing then contact me and lets work together to gain your freedom. #4 If this is something that has you locked up, you are not alone and your admitting it will help others to seek help.
Talk About Jesus
Great Advise!
Ronnie
Technology
We live in a world that is changing faster than ever. I recently went to a conference and realized that it was only a few short years ago that everyone at the conference had legal pad and pen. Just a couple of years ago they all had laptops and today most have cell phones that take care of their needs. It is a connected world in which we live. Even our latest President of the US wants to hang on to his blackberry.
Everything is changing including the way we do ministry. I am spending a lot of quality time with church members through facebook and myspace and recently we are discussing meeting online in a group for bible study when church is cancelled for weather reasons.
I am excited to see where we move from here. It is getting hard to imagine how much more connected we can become.
Ronnie
Being Homosexual and Part of the Church
Here is a great interview between Steve Brown and John Freeman on the debate in the world today and the debate in the church on the subject of homosexuality.
Click on the Play in Popup or MP3 Download. Or you can go to Steve’s site @ www.stevebrownetc.com
Homosexuals and the Church
ErikJune 1st, 2007
Should Christians be trying to “turn” gays to the hetero side of the force? What about pro-gay theology…is there anything to it? The answers presented by this week’s guest will blow you away with their compassion, simplicity, and orthodoxy.
Join Steve Brown and his friend John Freeman for this week’s edition of SBE. Freeman is the Executive Director of Harvest USA and author of many of the essays featured in the book, The Homosexual Debate and the Church
Gay, straight, or somewhere in between, don’t miss this show.
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This entry was posted on Friday, June 1st, 2007 at 8:06 am and is filed under Harvest USA, Homosexuality, John Freeman, Steve Brown, The Homosexual Debate and the Church, Theology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
What is the United Methodist Church position on homosexuality?
Only the General Conference speaks for The United Methodist Church. When the lay and clergy delegates to General Conference approve a statement, it is published in the Book of Discipline and/or the Book of Resolutions. These words come from the people of The United Methodist Church.
From the Social Principles
Other related statements include:
Regarding church membership
¶ 4. Article IV. Inclusiveness of the Church
The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status,4 or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.5 In The United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition.6
4. Amended 1992.
5. Amended 2000.
6. See Judicial Council Decisions 242, 246, 340, 351, 362, 377, 398, 594, 601, and Decisions 4 and 5, Interim Judicial Council.
¶ 214. Eligibility
The United Methodist Church is a part of the holy catholic (universal) church, as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed. In the church, Jesus Christ is proclaimed and professed as Lord and Savior. All people may attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments and become members in any local church in the connection (¶ 4). In the case of persons whose disabilities prevent them from reciting the vows, their legal guardian[s], themselves members in full covenant relationship with God and the Church, the community of faith, may recite the appropriate vows on their behalf.
Regarding the ministry of the ordained
¶304.3
While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals1 are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.2
1. “Self-avowed practicing homosexual” is understood to mean that a person openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee of ordained ministry, board of ordained ministry, or clergy session that the person is a practicing homosexual. See Judicial Council Decisions 702, 708, 722, 725, 764, 844.
2. See Judicial Council Decisions 984, 985.
¶ 341.6
Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.
¶ 2702. Chargeable Offenses
Regarding the General Council on Finance and Administration
¶806.9
[The General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church] shall be responsible for ensuring that no board, agency, committee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist funds to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. The council shall have the right to stop such expenditures. This restriction shall not limit the Church’s ministry in response to the HIV epidemic.
(From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2004. Copyright 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.)
The Heavy Cross
Matthew 16:24 (New Living Translation)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
With the problems of today I keep hearing from people that are discouraged and depressed. People have relationship problems, employment problems, problems with their children, problems with being single and wanting to be married, being married and wanting to be single, you name it and people are dealing with it.
I think of my nephews who lost their mom (my Sister) when they were only 4 and 7 years old. I think of our son Michael who lost his dad when he was only 3 years old. I think of our son Kyle who had a horrendous childhood and now he has no birth family at all. I think of my wife who was adopted and brought to America when she was only 2 years old and she knows none of her birth family.
These are all heavy crosses that we must bear and everyone has their own. I told my nephew last night that we have to bear these crosses and learn to be beter and not bitter. We live in a fallen world and bad things happen to good people.
But the best news you will ever hear is that God Created you to live forever in fellowship with Him. When God created Adam and Eve He intended for them to live forever and be close to him and Adam and Eve chose to try and become like God and know what He knew, they took from what God told them to stay clear of. When they decided to take it anyway it caused God’s created order to compensate for their disobedience. From that time things started to die. The first death was that of an animal that Adam and Eve no doubt loved very much and I believe it was likely a Lamb because through the scripture Jesus is referred to as The Lamb of God and He was His Father’s Son and He was loved very much but had to die for the World. Jesus had a cross to bear and it was a heavy one but it is the method and the way that God chose to bring you and I back to Him. Now, in this lifetime you and I have our own crosses to bear. They may be physical, emotional, financial, the list goes on and on. It is the way we respond to the crosses that we are called to bear that will determine who we are.
Jesus said, don’t focus on the cross so much (turn form your selfish ways) rather, just pick it up and keep following and one day it will be finished and there will be no more crosses and we will see that it was all worth it. Don’t get so focused on your crosses that you lose sight of all the others in the world who have even heavier crosses to bear. We were created to live forever and that we will do.
What is your Cross?
Ronnie
Think of Me
At a time when the economy is looking bleak at best you would think that people should buckle down and fight to keep what we have. However I think in God’s economy it is the opposite. I know tempers are running higher than ever. The stock market closed yesterday the lowest in 6 years. People have lost much of their retirement. But still God is in control and His children will not go hungry.
Spring fever: Flea Market: Bojangles and Breakfast March 21st
Spring Fever
Flea Market & Auction
March 21st
*INDOOR FLEA MARKET*
7 am to 11 am
Sausage Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast!
For questions, donations, or table rental
Please contact: Ed & June Howard
398-2616 or 733-5656
*All proceeds go to Missions & Outreach Ministries*
First United Methodist Church, Hillsville
225 Fulcher Street
Hillsville, VA 24343/728-2434
*AUCTION*
Starts at 5 pm
Bojangles Chicken Dinner! 4 pm to 7 pm
Children with Learning Disabilities: What Can Parents Do?
I share these updates from Love and Logic because this way of raising has changed my life when it comes to working with people in general. It works with children and youth as well as spouses and coworkers.
Ronnie
Children with Learning Disabilities: What Can Parents Do?
Dear Ronnie:
Growing up with significant learning difficulties, I can personally attest to the grief these challenges can create for both parents and their kids. Possibly the biggest difficulty involves helping your child avoid getting so discouraged that they give up on academics…and their relationship with you.
Fortunately, my parents…
Focused heavily on my strengths, allowing me to see that I could be successful at something. For me, these were mechanical sorts of things and baseball.
In our “Schoolwork and Homework Package,” we elaborate on each of these strategies, as well as many more. The most important theme involves helping your child learn to feel so good about their strengths that they’ll have the energy and courage to keep working on their weaknesses.
Thanks for reading!
Dr. Charles Fay
About Ronnie G. Collins
I am one of the Pastor’s of First United Methodist Church in Hillsville Virginia and FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”, Youth Ministry. We now have two campuses. The main church is at 225 Fulcher Street and our newest location is 522 North Main Street Hillsville, FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”. I have a rich history of different church backgrounds to pull from and I believe that is why I am where I am in my Christian Life today. I have a Passion to see hurting, lost people come to know Jesus Christ. I believe that we as Christians have to demonstrate God’s Love to them, rather than just telling them they are loved. I am married and have 4 sons two very special nephews that are like sons, 2 grandchildren and 3 great nephews that are like grandchildren. I am a blessed man.
