Addor

Poplar Springs Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate the fourth anniversary of its pastor, the Rev. James McKinnon, this Sunday with all-day services.

Lunch will be served after the 11 a.m. worship service. The afternoon service will begin at 3 p.m., with special guests the Rev. Bruce Hurst, his choir and members of his congregation at Lea's Spring Missionary Baptist Church in Raeford. Everyone is invited to attend.

The Sanford District will hold an appreciation program for its presiding elder, the Rev. Dr. Ricky Frazier, at 4 p.m. Sunday at Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford.

The 21st Century after-school program at New Zion AM.E. Zion Church operates from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for the kids in the community.

New Zion A.M.E. Zion Church will have open voter registration at 1 p.m. each Sunday in the fellowship hall by Alona Sloan and Juliebird Person.

Everyone in the community is invited to attend New Zion A.M.E. Zion Church each Sunday, with Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. Please notify the pastor, the Rev. Charles McKnight, of a sickness or the need for prayer at (910) 639-1893.

Poplar Springs Missionary Baptist Church invites everyone to attend Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. each week.

Birthday wishes go out this week to Jasmine Benymon (Oct. 3) and James Arnold (Oct. 5).

Sick and shut-ins: Betty Lou Moses and Philip McMillian are in the hospital. Rachel Hill, Betty Ellerbe, Nora Smith and Louise Jones are among the homebound. Portia Smith, Sampson Blue and Lewis Swan are in nursing homes or assisted living homes.

Please continue to pray for all the sick and shut-ins.

If anyone has church or other community news, please contact me at (910) 281-3385.

- Lorine McCants

Berkley

New Hope Christian Ministries will hold its first women's conference Friday and Saturday. The speaker at 7:30 p.m. Friday will be Pastor Debra Duncan, of New Jerusalem in Aberdeen.

Pastor Tina Moore, of Kingdom Connections in Rockingham, will speak at 10 a.m. Saturday. Pastor Patricia Bennett, of Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Rockingham, will speak at 1 p.m. A continental breakfast will be served from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, and lunch will be served between services Saturday.

New Hope Christian Ministries, where the pastor is Elder Brenda Brown, holds services at 160 Ridgeline Road off N.C. 5, just behind the Habitat for Humanity store. Sunday School is at 10 a.m. every week, and regular worship services are held at 11 a.m. on the first through fourth Sundays.

Morning prayer is held at 8 a.m. every Saturday. Bible study is at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Minister's study is held every second Tuesday at 6 p.m.

St. John Missionary Baptist Church, at 703 Harris St., where the pastor is the Rev. Jimmy Gilchrist, holds Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. every Sunday. Prayer meeting and Bible study are held at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.

St. Joseph A.M.E. Church will have an appreciation service for Charles Toomer at 3 p.m. Sunday at Aberdeen Elementary School on U.S. 1. Everyone is invited to attend.

St. Joseph A.M.E. Church holds Sunday services at Aberdeen Elementary School. Bible study has been canceled indefinitely.

Shiloh A.M.E. Zion Church, at 206 Keyser St., where the pastor is the Rev. Fred Goins Jr., holds Sunday School every week at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. every first and third Sunday. Bible study is held at 7 p.m. every Wednesday.

Sandhill Christian Church, on Keyser Street, has a new pastor, Jamal Brown. The church holds Sunday School every Sunday at 10 a.m. and worship services at 11 a.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

The Word of Life Holy Church of God in Christ, at 107 Spring St., where the pastor is Overseer Nathaniel Malloy, holds Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and worship services at 11 a.m. every Sunday. Bible study is held at 7 p.m. every Wednesday.

Happy birthday to all who are celebrating this week.

Please continue to pray for everyone.

Please submit your news to Elder Clarissa Nealy at (910) 986-9133 by Saturday afternoon.

- Clarissa Nealy

Eastwood

St. Peters will travel to Greater St. Mark of Deliverance on Sunday, Oct. 14, for Apostle Leonard and Mahalia Williams' pastoral anniversary.

Synagogue for Christ will have its annual Ushers Day at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21.

The United Church of God Union in Greensboro this past weekend was marvelous.

St. Peters holds Bible study at 7:30 p.m. on the Tuesdays after the first and third Sundays of the month. Prayer meeting is held at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday.

Birthday wishes go out to Laura Stancil (Oct. 2), Terri Locklear (Oct. 4), Lucy Howard (Oct. 5), Andrea Cattle (Oct. 7) and Kelvin Alston (Oct. 8).

Sick and shut-ins: Lewis McLaughlin, Paula Neal, Michael McLean, Charles Jackson, Joe Jackson, Samuel Brisbon, Darlene Harris, Ruth Rogers, Evelyn Clegg, Cornelia Adkins, Minister Wrencher, Margret Thompson and Alma Jones.

- Wilma Monroe

Hoffman

Pleasant Hill will hold a "Come One, Come All" pro gram at 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring song, dance and mime.

The United Gospel Singers will celebrate its 66th anniversary at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at Fletcher's Chapel.

Bible study is held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Macedonia and at 7:30 p.m. at Fletcher's Chapel. Pleasant Hill holds its Bible study at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday.

More than 35 people attended a birthday party Saturday for Latasha Little, hosted by her parents, Ivy and Dorothy Little.

Birthday wishes go out to Flossie Hagins on her 94th birthday on Oct. 11 and also to Jerk Alston on Oct. 11.

Latasha Little, daughter of Ivy ad Dorothy Little, granddaughter of Ivory and Janet Little, and great-granddaughter of Mrs. A.BV. Little, all of Hoffman, is moving to Houston to pursue a career in medicine at MD Andrews Cancer Center.

Sick and shut-ins: Earnest Gilmore, Beulah Jones, Letha Isaac, Henry Isaac, Nancy Haynes, Flossie Hagins, Frank Smith, Albert Hailey, Felton Hailey, Mattie White, Cathy Harrington, Lula Smith, Thelma McKoy, Dan McKoy, Eugene Martin, Lillie Ellerbe, Jimmy Ellerbe, Rebecca Utley, Mary Jamieson, Lowrine Nicholson, Janet Little, Robert Wadkins, Louis Gilmore and Bessie Little are among the homebound.

Please continue to pray for the sick and shut-ins, church leaders, our children, government and one another.

- Bea Little

Little River

Cypress Presbyterian Church's 60th annual harvest sale and supper - one of the biggest events of the year - will be held in the church fellowship hall Saturday.

Supper will be served from 4 until 7 p.m., with the auction following. The meal will be country ham, grits and red-eye gravy or fried chicken, rice and gravy. Both come with generous portions of sweet potatoes, green beans, dessert and roll. Adult plates are $8, and plates for children 12 and under are $3.

The auction will feature many handcrafted items, including three beautiful handmade quilts and every little girl's dream, a handcrafted three-story dollhouse. Everyone is invited to attend.

The youth groups will meet at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Cypress. The younger group is especially for children starting with third grade, while the older group is geared for middle and high school students. Anyone in these age groups are encouraged to join. A light supper is provided for all who attend.

Cypress homecoming will be held Sunday, Oct. 21. The 11 a.m. worship service will feature special music and a homecoming message from the Rev. Barbara Hedin. After the service, everyone is invited to stay for the covered-dish lunch in the fellowship hall.

The church holds Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. each Sunday. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. For more about Cypress, visit its website, www.cypresspres.org.

This past Saturday, Mount Pleasant was among many churches that took part in a special event in Sanford called "God in My City."

Nine members of Mount Pleasant, proudly wearing the church's witness shirts, met at Kiwanis Children's Park in Sanford along with more than 750 others from many churches across a three-county area. The one-mile walk ended at the Train Park in downtown Sanford, where the pastor of the sponsoring church's youth group (Grace Chapel) held a prayer for all those who are elected and have authority over us.

The junior and senior youth group will begin working on their Christmas program this coming Sunday. Play practice will be held immediately after worship services each Sunday, with lunch being provided for the children.

Plans are being finalized for this year's harvest sale and supper at Mount Pleasant on Oct. 20. Supper will be served from 4-7 p.m., with the auction of handmade crafts starting at 7 p.m. The ladies have made a beautiful quilt with a huge maple leaf pattern for the auction, and the one for the raffle has beautiful fall and harvest colors in its pattern.

Tickets for the quilt raffle are again a $1 donation to the church. The price of the meal this year is $8 and will again be served buffet style.

Stacey Joyner and Micheal VanCamp will exchange vows Oct. 13 in the church sanctuary. On Sunday, Oct. 14, the founding families of the church - Marks and Wright - will hold their annual reunion at the church, with a covered-dish lunch served in the fellowship hall after morning worship.

Those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week in the community are Alex Mora on Monday, Amber Blue on Tuesday, and Linda Gillenwater and Rick Harrison on Saturday.

Elaine and Scott Holub will celebrate their anniversary Thursday. Ryan and Tiffany Kramer will celebrate their anniversary Sunday.

The senior citizens group of the Mount Pleasant community is open to all who would like to attend. A covered-dish lunch will be held Tuesday, Oct. 9, with a special program of Christian music presented by Fairley and Joann Cameron. Fairley grew up in the Cypress community and has written many of the songs that will be presented. Everyone is welcome to come share this wonderful day of inspiration.

Please remember, with positive thoughts and prayers, all of our soldiers and their families, whether here in the States or abroad.

If you have any information you'd like to share with our community, please call me at (910) 245-4747.

- "Sunny" Sidley

Shawtown

The Deep River Missionary Baptist Association will hold its annual session Friday through Sunday at First Missionary Baptist Church, 576 Needmore St., in Carthage. The session will begin at 9:30 a.m. each day.

Holy Temple Church holds services every first and third Sunday. Everyone is invited to attend.

The Pinckney High School class of 1962 will hold its 50th class reunion Saturday, Nov. 24, from noon until 3 p.m., at the Days Inn, 805 South West Service Road off U.S. 1 in Southern Pines.

There will be a hospitality hour, buffet lunch and social hour. The cost is $30 a person. The attire will be casual. For more information, contact Velma Barrett Lane at (910) 692-6286 or Betty Person at (910) 245-7268.

Please pray for our president and all leaders, the sick, bereaved, shut-ins and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities and caregivers.

If anyone has community news, please email me at aminnieirene@yahoo.com or call me at (910) 783-7822 (cell) or (910) 947-2208 (home) and leave a message at least one week in advance.

- Irene Ray

Taylortown

Spaulding Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church will have its Seasons Rally at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The Rev. Zack Rogers and the congregation of St. John Holiness Church, of Laurinburg, will render the service. The pastor, Rev. Charles Allen, invites all to attend.

A plate sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today (Wednesday) and a gospel festival at 6 p.m. Saturday as part of the "Seasons Rally." Two drawings for great prizes from the donation tickets will be held Saturday. The Rev. Charles Allen, the pastor, looks forward to seeing you at these events.

Taylortown Day parade and festivities will be featured on the "Town Talk" television show on Time Warner Cable channel 3 of Southern Pines this month. The show airs daily at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The host is Rose Highland-Sharpe. Thanks for tuning in!

Remember these important dates for the general election: Oct. 12 is the deadline for voter registration. Early voting and same-day registration begins Oct. 18. Absentee ballot requests are due by Oct. 30. Early voting and same-day registration ends on Nov. 3. The general election is Nov. 6.

Condolences are extended to the family of the late Mary Ann Gibson, of Jackson Hamlet. Please continue to pray for the Gibson family.

Thank you to the local ministries for all they do for the community, including Fresh Discipleship Ministries, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, House of Prayer Holy Church of God in Christ, Spaulding Chapel AME Zion Church and Spruill Temple Church of God in Christ.

The Taylortown Ministerial Alliance meets on the second Saturday of each month in the early afternoon at one of the local churches. All local ministers are invited. The Rev. Kenneth Stewart is the president.

The Moore County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will have its branch elections Nov. 15 from 7 until 8 p.m. at 801 Mechanic St. in Southern Pines. To vote, one must be a member in good standing of the branch 30 days prior to the election. A form of identification is required.

Call Anita Cheatham, the branch secretary, at (910) 947-1422. O'Linda W. Gillis is the present of Moore County NAACP.

Join Town Councilman Jeff Moody and other health-minded residents each week for walks around the community. Get healthy and start moving! Contact Jeff on Richardson Street for more information.

Join Michael Robinson, the Taylortown "Music Man," for guitar lessons. Call (910) 691-9283. Michael also conducts "Taylortown Jams," which are music sessions open to experienced musicians from noon to 6 p.m. every Saturday at the Taylor House on Main Street. If you have a passion for playing any musical instrument, please join this lively "jam session." There is no charge for the jam session or music classes. The classes are open to all ages.

Ask the Rev. Rose Highland-Sharpe about keyboard playing opportunities at some local churches in Moore County. Call her at (910) 295-0013.

The "Hill Top Shops" thank you for your support. The shops include: Not "Jus" Any Bag, Sew What?, 360 Creations Beauty Salon, and New 2 U Everyday Rum-mage. Fresh Discipleship Center, with Pastor Cora Murphy, resides "on the Hill," too.

There is also an outreach ministry with household goods and clothing for those in need on "the Hill." It serves many throughout the county and is owned and managed by Minister Gerald and Tia Brown.

Inquire about free and/or low-cost classes for job seekers and those seeking a new career at Sandhills Community College by calling Tawana McKnight at (910) 695-3782, Jenny Troyer at (910) 695-3926 or Rose Highland-Sharpe at (910) 695-3783. Classes are offered in Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Robbins, Southern Pines and Westmoore. Jump-start your career at SCC.

"MANNA" continues to be held Tuesdays at 11 a.m. at Spaulding Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church. Thank you to the preparers and hostesses, including Melba Bostic, Esther McNeill, Hulene Morrison, Kathy Murphy, and others from Spaulding Chapel and the community. Pastor John Roberts is the day-to-day operations manager for MANNA. The pastor at Spaulding Chapel is the Rev. Charles Allen.

Consider making a donation to United Way of Moore County. The United Way supports many nonprofits, including those that help youths, victims of abuse and those recovering from substance abuse. Linda Mills Pearson is the executive director. Call (910) 692-2413 for information.

Evangelist Carolyn Mitchell (our town clerk) invites everyone to listen to her broadcast, "Words of Life," on WEEB 990-AM from 10:30-10:45 a.m. She has been providing this teaching ministry for many years at WEEB. Thanks for your prayers and support.

The Taylortown Ministerial Alliance meets monthly, usually the second Saturday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at one of the local churches. The president is the Rev. Kenneth Stewart. All local ministers are invited.

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church has Bible study on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. Rev. Angus Wade leads the services with prepared handouts on special subjects of interest and a lively discussion ensues. The pastor, Rev. Charles Nabors, invites everyone to attend.

Spruill Temple Church of God in Christ has a variety of weekly services. Call (910) 295-0071 for more information. The pastor, Elder Jerry Chesney, invites everyone to their services.

Join St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 198 Gaines St. in Jackson Hamlet, for weekly services. Sunday School is held at 10 a.m. Worship begins at 11 a.m. Prayer meeting and Bible study are held at 7 p.m. each Wednesday. The pastor is the Rev. Elgett Floyd.

Thank you for listening to "Good News Inspiration" on WEEB-990 AM, which airs from 6 until 11 a.m. each Sunday. Send your church and community announcements to the Sunday program director/announcer, Rose Highland-Sharpe, at P.O. Box 4653, Pinehurst, NC 28374, or email rose-sharpe 37@gmail. com.

WEEB gospel family members include substitute announcers Minister Jason Hackett (he also does the Solid Rock broadcast from 9:30-10 a.m.), Pastor Ren Lee, Niniji Lloyd and veteran announcer Felton J. Capel (9-9:30 a.m.).

Many thanks for your continued prayers and support of Edward and Sharonda Wilson.

Please remember the victims of the recent fires, storms and hurricanes. Donations can be made through the Red Cross.

October's prayer list includes Deacon Leroy Alford Sr., Jaion Barrett, Mr. and Mrs. George Brown, Bishop Larry Brown, Evelyn Clegg, Christine Ellerbe, Sandy George Gaines, Phyllis Goins, Cathy Harrington, Alice Jackson, Rosa Mills, Willa B. Monroe, Catherine Morrison, Dorothy R. Morrison, Evelyn Morrison, Vera Moses, James Murphy, Cheryl Parraway, Lolita Robinson, Mr. Shamberger, Johnnie Stanford and Patrice Taylor.

Please remember all the sick and shut-ins, the widowed, orphans, bereaved, incarcerated, homeless, youths and the United States military in your prayers and good deeds.

Submit community news and questions to Rose Highland-Sharpe at P.O. Box 4653, Pinehurst, NC 28374 or to rosesharpe37@gmail. com.

Announcements should be sent at least two weeks in advance.

- Rose Highland-Sharpe

Vass

God's House of Prayer Ministry has Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. every week. Bible study is held every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Intercessory prayer is held every Saturday at 8 a.m. Apostle Mary Kelly is the church pastor.

Oakridge A.M.E. Zion Church has services on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. The pastor is the Rev. Walter Cotton, of Bear Creek.

St. Mark has Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. and worship services at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday. Bible study is held at 5:30 p.m. each Thursday. The pastor is the Rev. Chester Little.

Word of Truth Christian Center of Vass, where the pastors are Micheal and Cheryl Blue and Overseer Helen Spencer, has Bible study at 6 p.m. every Wednesday. Sunday School is held every Sunday at 10 a.m., and the worship service starts at 11:15 p.m.

New Direction Outreach Ministries, where the pastor is Pastor Linnie M. Saunders, has worship services every Sunday at 11:30 a.m., except any fifth Sunday. Bible study is held from 7 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday. It is led by Elder C. Taylor.

The church is at 3623 North U.S. 1 Business in Vass across from the Vass ball park. For more information, call (910) 638-8441.

Birthday wishes go out to Mary Dobbins (Sept. 16), Minister Alexander Morris (Sept. 17) and Jovan Wilkins Gore (Sept. 18).

Continue to pray for all the sick and shut-ins, including all in the hospital and in rest homes, each other and our U.S. troops in Iraq and worldwide.

To have your news included in the Vass section, send an email to anitafinch38@ yahoo.com or mail items at least one week in advance to P.O. Box 176, Vass, NC 28394.

-- Anita Finch