Archive for July 2011

Update: Paul Pitts To Perform Aug. 3 At Madison First Baptist

July 28, 2011 Church, Front Page Comments Off
Paul Pitts

Paul Pitts

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

“Mr. Pitts has one of the most beautiful voices in existence today with impeccable diction and admirable declamatory skills. In short, he is the Canio of our time.” Nino Pantano, a critic, reviewing Paul Pitts’ performance of Pagliacci.

Paul Pitts will bring his beautiful voice to Madison to perform The Scribe for the audience at the First Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, Aug. 3.

The two-act performance begins with the “Introduction of Andronicus” in Romans 16:7 where Paul urges the Romans to “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” (KJV) Paul was often in prison for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and Andronicus and Junia were probably there with him at some point.

Scenes that follow in the first act include “The Baptism of John,” found in Matthew 3:13-17; “Shepherd’s Story,” found in Luke 2:1-8; “Lord, Teach Us to Pray,” Matthew 6:5-15; “Sinner and the Saint,” from John 8:3-11; and “Triumphal Entry” from Matthew 21:1-11.

The second act begins with “The Centurion at Calvary” from Matthew 27:1-11. This is followed by “The Empty Tomb,” found in John 20:1-54. “House of Cornelius” follows from Acts 10:1-48. The play concludes with an invitation to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, found in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Powerful songs are interspersed throughout the play, including “The Stranger of Galilee,” “O, Holy Night,” “The Lord’s Prayer,” “He Has Forgiven Me,” “The Holy City,” “They Could Not,” “It is Finished,” “O Glorious Morning” and “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary.”

A former winner of the “Outstanding Young Men of America Award,” Pitts has shared the stage with Zig Ziglar and John Maxwell. He has also sang at a Billy Graham Crusade in Indianapolis, Ind. He has performed at the Crystal Cathedral, Alamo Dome, T.D. Waterhouse Arena, Cypress Gardens and Opryland USA.

Pitts was chosen as the soloist for the “Concert of Peace,” held in Belfast, Ireland, to unite North and South Ireland. He has sung for the President of the United States, the Queen of England and members of the Royal Family. In 2008, he was the soloist for a TV special celebrating Israel’s 60 years of statehood.

An invitation to sing at the Summer Olympics in London, England in 2012 has gladly been accepted by him.

Pitts has sung to over five billion people by television, radio and personal appearances on seven continents during over 5,500 performances in his career.

Pitts said, “I gave my heart to the Lord, and I’ve never turned back. I have received God’s wonderful forgiveness and such a peace in my heart that I want to share with everyone. This has become my passion and purpose in life. If I can touch someone’s heart with the love of God, I will have lived out my purpose for living.”

Pitts’ one-man performance of The Scribe begins at 6 p.m.

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Madison County’s Unemployment Woes Continue

July 28, 2011 Around Madison, Front Page Comments Off

Madison County looks to processing plant to halt unemployment slide

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

When the Agency on Workforce Innovation released its unemployment figures for June, they peppered their press release with some positive news.

The positive news was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizing Florida as the top station in the nation for workforce training programs. They garnered the top spot after being ranked number two in 2010.

Overall, the state’s unemployment rate was 10.6 percent with 982,000 people jobless, out of a work force of 9,234,000. The rate remained unchanged since May but was eight-tenths of a point lower than June 2010.

While Madison County did not have the highest unemployment rate in the state, it was the county with the highest unemployment rate in the Suwannee River Valley.

Madison County ranked eighth in the state with 12.2 percent unemployment.

The county hopes to get a small respite soon, when Ferris-Stahl-Meyer begins accepting applications for its meat processing plant towards the middle or end of August. The plant hopes to be in full production by late October. Plans are for the plant to hire 70 people at the start and then gradually hire more.

The processing plant will occupy the old Dixie Packers and Smithfield plant in the industrial park.

Sherilyn Lightcap, administrative assistant to County Coordinator Allen Cherry, said that it appears that Ferris-Stahl-Meyer is committed to hiring people locally.

Hamilton County, Madison County’s neighbor to the northeast, was right on Madison’s heels with 12.1 percent unemployment. Dixie County ranked number 12 with 12.0 percent unemployment. Taylor County was 33rd in the state with 10.5 percent unemployment. Suwannee County was 41st with a 9.9 percent jobless rate. Jefferson County ranked 53rd with a 8.5 percent jobless rate. Lafayette County ranked 63rd with 7.4 percent unemployment.

The top three counties with the highest unemployment rates were Hendry (16.2 percent), Flagler (14.6 percent) and Miami-Dade (13.9 percent).

 

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Get Your Cowboy Cards And Season Tickets Today

July 28, 2011 Front Page, Sports Comments Off
Members of the Madison County High School football team were selling their cards in McDonald’s Wednesday afternoon and thinking about upcoming football camp for the next three weekends. They’ll be selling their cards in a “blitz” until August 11. Front row, left to right: Jason Hayling, #16, WR; D.J. McKnight, #8, starting QB; second row, Neal Brown, #19, WR; Trent Robinson, #20, CB; third row, Tommie Young, #9, FB; back row, Gerard Brown, #55, LG.

Members of the Madison County High School football team were selling their cards in McDonald’s Wednesday afternoon and thinking about upcoming football camp for the next three weekends. They’ll be selling their cards in a “blitz” until August 11. Front row, left to right: Jason Hayling, #16, WR; D.J. McKnight, #8, starting QB; second row, Neal Brown, #19, WR; Trent Robinson, #20, CB; third row, Tommie Young, #9, FB; back row, Gerard Brown, #55, LG.

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

It may still be in the summer, where everyone suffers from heat exhaustion and high electric bills from running the air conditioning too much, but it’s never too early to start dreaming about football. The Madison County High School Cowboys are selling are selling their famous football cards, offering bargains at Madison businesses and businesses in Valdosta, Ga.

Season tickets for the Cowboys’ football games are also available by calling Lee Anne Hall at (850) 464-0321.

Most of the offers are for 10 percent off at restaurants locally and in Valdosta, Ga. There are a few other businesses participating. Local patrons featured on the card include: Denny’s, Burger King, Madison Sporting Goods, Rainbow Garden, Waffle House, Subway, Hungry Howie’s, Pizza Hut, O’Neal’s, Madison Florist, Rancho Grande, El Carrisal, Madison Sports Grill and T.T.’s Cakes and More.

The Madison County High School Cowboys football players are busy this week selling the cards in front of local businesses. People can get their cards from any of the Cowboy players or coaches. The players and coaches appreciate your support of the team in their quest for a state championship.

Cowboy cards are available through Aug. 11.

The Madison County High School football schedule is as follows:

  • Madison County High School at Colquitt County, Ga. on Aug. 26 in the Kickoff Classic
  • Home against Suwannee High School on Sept. 2
  • At Jefferson County Middle/High School on Sept. 9
  • Home against Trinity Christian Academy on Sept. 16.
  • At Taylor County High School on Sept. 23
  • Home against Providence School on Sept. 30
  • Home against Pine Forest High School on Oct. 7
  • Home against Pensacola Catholic High School on Oct. 21
  • At GHS on Oct. 28
  • At Florida High School on Nov. 4

Please go out and show your support for the team. Go, Cowboys!

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High Tech Redneck

July 28, 2011 Editorials Comments Off

Jacob’sLadder
Jacob Bembry – Columnist

Emails. Text messages. Tweets. Almost forgot phone calls and definitely almost forgot letters – you know the things that you stick a stamp to and send.

There is so much information out there that it’s hard to process some of it. This past week, I learned from information stuck in with a letter to the editor that Utah has the highest percentage of Internet porn subscribers of any state. I learned from a tweet that one of the people who follows me finished a cardio workout up in New Hampshire and has a new workout buddy. I also learned from a tweet that I missed seeing Maryse Oullett on TMZ. Of course, I never watch TMZ. I am too busy trying to process the information that is overloading my brain.

Tweets and emails I get from Poynter.org and Al Tompkins give information about the news business, as well as story ideas.

Some of my tweets, texts, emails and Facebook messages are uplifting. Tom Ziglar always sends uplifting quotes that his father, Zig, has either said or written in his books. Benjie Dyal, the pastor at New Home Baptist Church, sends an uplifting text message at least once a week. Delbert Redditt, the Faith Baptist pastor, sends a daily devotional by email and Judy Dean sends prayer requests and Bible verses.

Being a high tech redneck, I try to process what information I can and store it for future use. I try to apply the uplifting messages and prayers when I get them. It’s a crazy world when we get bombarded with information, but, being the geek that I am, I would not have it any other way.

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Becky’s Dancers And Amber Abbott To Perform At All Stars Baseball League

July 28, 2011 Around Madison 3 comments
Amber Abbott

Amber Abbott

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

“For its one, two, three strikes, your out, at the old ball game.” Come out and join in the celebration this weekend at the All Star Florida and Georgia Men’s Adult Baseball League. The League will be Rookies vs. Veterans and will include several players who have made a great name for themselves in baseball.

The game begins at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 31, but events begin at 6 p.m. The cost of admission will be one canned food item or a $1 donation for the Second Harvest Food Bank. The teams will be playing at the Lowndes High School baseball field, which is located on Norman Drive in Valdosta.

Amber Abbott, Madison local and very talented singer, will begin the baseball game by singing the National Anthem. She will begin singing at 6:45 p.m.

Who would have thought to combine baseball and dancing? While this combination may seem unusual, the dancers at Becky’s will be doing just that. The group of girls will be showing off their talents in front of the stands before the beginning of the seventh inning. Their dance is a little different than the flowing and graceful numbers that are usually seen from Becky’s Dance Step Studios. The group will be dressed in their best country attire and will be dancing to Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl.”

The girls will also be selling raffle tickets for American Aluminum. The cost for one ticket is $5 or a person can purchase five tickets for $20. The winner of the raffle will get a chrome toolbox or dog box for their truck. The toolbox or dog box can be customized any way they want. It is valued at $369.

Greg Vickers, League President, would like to ask the community to, “Come out and support not just baseball but also the other events that are included in this.

The girls from Madison, the Second Harvest, they are all really good things to come out and support them. It would be really positive to get the public from Madison to come support this event.”

Come out and show your support for the players, the dancers and Amber Abbott this Sunday.

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Overseas Military Members Need Your Expired Coupons

July 28, 2011 Around Madison Comments Off
By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Have a coupon but it’s expired? Before throwing it away, consider this…Military members who are serving overseas can use expired coupons for up to six months after their expiration date. For many military families that are stationed overseas, their household income comes from one person. This can put those families on a very tight budget. However, there is a way for people back home to help.

There are a few limitations on this deal. The coupons must be Manufacturer Coupons, which means that store or restaurant coupons are out. When the coupons are sent they can’t be more than 30 days past their expiration date. Also when they are sent, the coupons must be clipped together and sorted into “Food” and “Non-food” categories.

It is easy to determine if a coupon is “Food” or “Non-food.” “Food” items are things that people can eat, and would normally eat, that provide calories. So things such as gum, mints, meal drinks, cereal and anything else that is normally eaten, fall into that category. As for “Non-food,” these would be things like cat or dog food, dish detergent, soap, etc.

The coupons can be separated into plastic bags and labeled as “Food” or “Non-food” to make distribution easier. There is no limit to the amount of coupons you can send. People are asked to collect their coupons throughout the month and then send any they collect after the month is up. They ask that you not send more than once a month because it makes distributing them easier.

Families and communities can work together to send coupons overseas as well as individuals. Joyce Bethea is working with local businesses such as the Library to get drop off locations set up in Madison. However, until that time, coupons can be sent to

Coupon Chix Overseas Coupon Program
1260 Conference Road
Cantonment, FL 32533.

 

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Kurt LaBouve To Appear In Concert At Greenville Baptist Church

July 28, 2011 Church Comments Off
Kurt LaBouve, pictured with his wife, Dale, will appear in concert Sunday evening at Greenville Baptist Church.

Kurt LaBouve, pictured with his wife, Dale, will appear in concert Sunday evening at Greenville Baptist Church.

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Evangelist Kurt LaBouve, of Bowdon, Ga., will be in concert Sunday evening, July 31, at Greenville Baptist Church.

According to his website, www.kurtlabouve.com: “Evangelist Kurt LaBouve was born in a Catholic home and soon after losing his sight to a hereditary disease, he left home to attend a school for the blind. At the age of 18 he accepted Jesus Christ by faith as his personal Savior. In 1982, he recorded his first gospel song ‘I Just Want To Thank You Jesus’ in Nashville. Three years later, being heavily burdened to be used of God, he wrote a song entitled ‘Send Me’ not realizing that in just a few weeks God would call him to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Kurt LaBouve has been serving the Lord with his wife, Dale, since 1988 as a Baptist preacher in evangelism, songwriting and singing for the glory of God.”

Pastor Tony Hill cordially welcomes everyone to the gospel sing at his church.

Each fifth Sunday, a group of Baptist churches, including Greenville Baptist, come together to celebrate the evening with a sing.

The concert will begin at 6 p.m.

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Remembrance Of Things Past: Jenythel W. Woods

July 28, 2011 History 2 comments
Jenythel W. Woods is 78 years old. She has spent her entire life in Madison, and though things weren’t always easy, she says that her life was, “real good.”

Jenythel W. Woods is 78 years old. She has spent her entire life in Madison, and though things weren’t always easy, she says that her life was, “real good.”

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Jenythel W. Woods did not grow up surrounded by fortune or fame. Her family didn’t spend their evenings around the TV or going out to eat. But, when asked about her life, she would say, “It was really good.” Woods is 78 years old and spent her entire life in Madison.

Woods attended Midway school until the fourth grade. After the fourth grade she had to go work. While she was in school, she didn’t participate in sports or anything like that. One thing she did spend a lot of time doing during school, was reading. “I liked it all. I loved to read,” said Woods.

After school got out, Woods didn’t go home and play video games or check her Facebook like many kids do now. She and her siblings spent their evenings working out in the field at the farm. They were responsible for picking cotton, tobacco, sweet potatoes and corn. “We did it all. But it was good,” said Woods of working out in the fields.

When they weren’t working in the fields, Woods and her siblings helped their mom around the house. “We helped her with everything she had to do. We helped with the wash and cleaning. We helped her cook supper, too.” When she thinks about children now, and how much work they have to do, she said, “Things have changed a lot. I loved doing all of that. I loved it all.”

Woods’ family did not have a lot of money. They couldn’t go out to eat. They did all of their eating at home. “But it was OK, I liked being at home,” she said. For fun they would listen to the news on the radio. Their home did not have a TV. They would also go to church EVERY Sunday. “We had to go to church,” she said.

One of her fondest memories of her childhood was going to the grocery store with her mom on the weekends. “We rode a mule and wagon up town to the grocery store. But, they weren’t like the grocery stores we have now. These are all new grocery stores. Then, on Wednesday, the rollin’ store would come by, and Mama would buy us Silver Bells, Johnny Crackers and cheese.”

After the fourth grade, Woods began her first job. She worked in the homes of people in Madison, and continued to do that for a long time during her life. She also worked as a homemaker at the Madison Senior Citizen’s Center for 14 years.

At the age of 15 she married the love of her life, Artis Woods, Sr., who passed away four years ago. The two were married for 60 years, “I was married my whole life,” explained Woods.

They had seven beautiful children together.

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U-Pick Tuten Farming

July 28, 2011 Around Madison, Outdoors Comments Off
By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

On Tuten Farming’s Facebook page, there is a request from a former resident of Madison, now living in Auburn, Ala. Vicki Brown writes: “I’ll pay double for some Tuten acre peas…just sayin.’”

The reply comes from Sharon Underhill, who keeps the page updated for her family’s business. “Ms. Vicki, as much as we love yah, we refuse to deliver that far away.”

Underhill extends an invitation for Brown herself to travel back to Madison to come get the vegetables.

In addition to acre peas, there are requests for zipper peas and other vegetables that the Tuten family grows.

The orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Some may choose to go to the Tuten Farm, on Highway 14 South and pick the vegetables themselves or some may choose to pay a little extra and have the Tutens gather the food for them. If you are fortunate, you may just catch up with Lisa Tuten, wife of Timmy, on a day when she has some farm fresh vegetables on the back of her pickup.

Friends and neighbors have come from miles and miles to buy some food grown by the Tutens. This summer, the Tutens offered fresh cantaloupes, as well as those peas that people are pining for in northern Alabama.

The peas will be gone by the end of this week, but the Tutens will still have boiling peanuts. Tomatoes and sweet potatoes will be among the produce harvested in the fall.

In addition to Tuten’s U-Pick, Timmy and Mickey Tuten, who operate the farm with the aide of other family members, also truck farmed watermelons. The melons went to Browning & Sons for shipment to grocery stores.

Timmy and Mickey have been farming all of their lives and got into the U-pick business about 20 years ago.

If you want to visit Tuten Farms, go Highway 360 South for 13 miles. To place an order, call (850) 251-5463 or visit the Tuten Farming Facebook page.

 

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Dilan Lawson Plays On Dizzy Dean World Series Championship Team

July 28, 2011 Sports Comments Off

Congratulations to Dilan Lawson, who played on the 10 and under Dizzy Dean World Series Championship baseball team. The team won the tournament in Mississippi. Way to go, Dilan!

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