All in Columns
After separating from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.) in October 1884, Hickory Grove operated as an independent Baptist church. No longer a purely Baptist work, preachers from different denominations were invited to conduct worship services. Possibly by design, this was an opportunity for the Church to consider theological perspectives and doctrines other than Baptist.
When I asked about the recent service at Emmanuel Hill Church where Rev. Veronica Jackson is pastor, it was described as having been phenomenal.
Late summer and early Fall are season for welcoming juicy, sweet pears to your farm markets. Turn the crispy fruit into hot crisps, flakey pies, jams, and hearty salads. Generally, pears are in season in Eastern North Carolina from about August to October.
The nine-year-old boy sat in my office. He’d made an appointment to ask a few questions. His mom and little brother were with him. I tried to make them all as comfortable as possible, joked about a few things, and said, “well, hit me with it, man!”
Three years ago, the N.C. State Master Gardeners started the Lenoir County Children’s Garden near the museum at the Richard Caswell Memorial at 2612 West Vernon Avenue in Kinston.
A Kinston friend mentioned in a sermon that the old fellow gout messes with him sometime. Years ago a retired nurse, Prudie Joseph, suggested that I get some cherry juice to give my father for his bout with gout. It proved to be a magic elixir. Of course, he didn't want to drink the unsweetened kind as recommended. So he drank the better tasting one. Still it helped.
Bell peppers are in season from July through September and are plentiful at local farmers markets and roadside stands. Bell peppers make a delicious addition to summer salads, pizzas and pasta dishes. They are available in a variety of colors, with green, yellow, red and orange among the most popular.
Three years ago, the N.C. State Master Gardeners started the Lenoir County Children’s Garden near the museum at the Richard Caswell Memorial at 2612 West Vernon Avenue in Kinston.
When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Normally, what is on the inside of a person will somehow reveal itself. We just have to pay attention. We cannot rule out little hints of a person's true character. My mother used to say, "If you squeeze a lemon, lemon will come out." In other words, don't squeeze a pineapple or a pear and expect to get a cup full of grape juice. Popeye said I yam what I yam.
Withdrawal from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.) in 1884 did not mean Hickory Grove had rejected Baptist church beliefs altogether. Reportedly without a conference home that year, Hickory Grove continued to publicly operate as an Independent Baptist Church, absent external U.B.A. governance and oversight:
For several months, The Exchange at Hometowne has opened its doors to local non-profits for Bingo fundraising events. Tonya Adams is the woman behind these Bingo nights. As the owner of The Beauty Box and The Exchange, Tonya is a woman on a mission, working to make Lenoir County a better place.
I want to share with you a column written some time back because the person I wrote about was just funeralized on August 8th at Sharon Church in Kinston.
Preparing and presenting beautiful and delicious meals are truly an art form. Like painting on canvas, creating a food presentation involves combining colors, shapes, textures, and flavors.
Methodist preacher Rev. James D. Carpenter and Baptist preacher Rev. James D. Cavanaugh served as co-pastors at Hickory Grove Church in 1884. The congregation's attraction to Rev. Carpenter's preaching reflected an overall, growing fascination with the Methodist denomination, eventually resulting in the Church formally separating from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.). Why so few members were present for such a significant vote, even with advanced notice, is unknown:
Many of us remember the horror of September 11, 2001. We watched in disbelief as the news coverage of the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history that claimed the lives of 2,977 people unfolded.
I had planned to write about something else today, but there was such an outpouring of support about my last column that I had to pivot. More people could identify with misplacing things than I expected. Like me, some folk were feeling like their possessions had simply gone puff into thin air without rhyme or reason. Their things, too, were successfully hiding wherever they were.
Drought nor heat can hold back a high okra yield, this hardy vegetable is much more water tolerant than most of your garden vegetable plants, and they prefer full sunlight, conditions which are pretty common in southeastern North Carolina!
RALEIGH — It was 40 years ago this week that I wrote my first column for North Carolina newspapers. Still in journalism school at UNC-Chapel Hill, I was interning that summer at two outlets based in Nash County: the Spring Hope Enterprise, which covered the southern part of the county, and a startup called the Rocky Mount Record.
A couple of weeks ago, we had our bi-annual family reunion in Vinton, VA – my family’s old homeplace for more than 100 years. During our time together, Aunt Judy planned a trip to Bedford, a small Virginia town just over 25 miles away.
Many years ago, when my adult cousin was a teenager, she told me that I had influenced her to put things in their place. She said I had encouraged her to let all of her things have a designated place and to always put them there. That way, our rooms will be organized and neat. And, moreover, we won't have to waste time looking for misplaced items.
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