By Pastor John Anderson Broken. Every time that word comes up I immediately go back in my mind to a day when I was in second grade. I was taken out of class and informed by my teacher and principal that my mother, on her way to pick me and my sisters up from school, was involved in a horrible automobile accident. We would find out later that she had barely survived and had suffered terrible injuries and several broken bones. I still remember going into the hospital room and seeing my strong and athletic mother lying in the bed...
Henry County Pregnancy Resource Center
By Janice Wright The Pregnancy Resource Center, in Henry County, is a Christ-centered ministry committed to upholding the sanctity of human life believing there is a purpose and a plan for every child. Board members, staff, and volunteers model Christ’s love in every aspect of their ministry. They serve teens, women, men and families by educating them on the benefits of healthy relationship development, biblical sexual boundaries, life-affirming pregnancy options, Godly parenting and continuing prenatal care. They offer encouragement, material assistance, local referrals, free education and loving spiritual support to those seeking assistance. They show the love of Christ by...
Martin Luther King, Sr. – Native Son of Stockbridge
by Diane Ide Martin Luther King, Sr. was born Michael King on December 19, 1899 in Stockbridge, GA at a time when Georgia’s Reconstruction period following the Civil War was coming to an end. Stockbridge was a railroad town surrounded by rural farmland and many who didn’t work on farms held jobs at the town’s vast rock quarry. Michael was the eldest of nine children born to Delia Linsey and James Albert King, sharecroppers who lived on and worked multiple large farms in the Stockbridge area of Henry County owned by Rosa Lee Smith. One of those farms was off...
5 Easy Ways to Start 2018 Financially Savvy
Happy New Year, Henry County! The new year is in front of us like a blank canvas waiting to be colored. Is that a bit dramatic? Possibly… But if you think about it, 2018 is waiting for all things new, or enhancements on all the things already in place within our lives. Here are some easy ways to start coloring that blank canvas in the financial corner of your life: Savings, Money Market or Traditional Savings? Saving money is never a bad thing, on the contrary, even change saved is a good thing…always. Two basic ways to save are to...
A Lifetime of Service
The Honorable Wade Crumbley leaves a legacy of 40 years of service as he retires from the Henry County justice system on December 31, 2017. His roots go deep in Henry County with his ancestors being among the first European settlers in the area. Growing up in Kelleytown, Wade enjoyed playing in the fields and woods, as well as swimming in nearby streams and rivers, nurturing within him a great love of nature. While at UGA he could be found hiking the area that is now the State Botanical Garden. He is still a member of the National Audubon Society....
Ordinary People / Extraordinary Lives
Randy Dodd and Sherri Wehunt grew up in Henry County where they attended Fairview Elementary and Stockbridge High. Randy, three years older, was first introduced to Sherri in the late sixties when Sherri came into the youth group at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Ellenwood. The youth group was a dynamic company of teens where every individual was given a substantial amount of mentoring, a public voice, and a nudge into active ministry. It was there Randy and Sherri surrendered for full-time ministry. And fell in love. They were officially engaged the night Sherri graduated from Stockbridge High. Academically, Sherri...
Cloudland Canyon Hike
Stepping outside at the beginning of September, there is a faint chill in the air. Summer is gathering her green belongings while Fall’s cool breezes drift through seasons door. Today we are day tripping to northwest Georgia to visit Cloudland Canyon State Park. This park is one of Georgia’s gateways to the Appalachian mountains. I have been enjoying this park since I was a youngster. It’s 10am and cool enough for a flannel. We load up the car and head north! Driving up I-75 the trucks and cars barrel up and down the freeway. Light rain falls as we pass through Marietta up towards...
Feeding the flocks
Who would do this? Who, on a fixed income themselves, would spend their own money and spend considerable time providing food for thousands of people every year? Fret over meeting nutritional needs, freshness and quality? Organize the volunteers, meet their spiritual needs, and ask for zero in return? Pastor Gussie Norwood Coley, that’s who. The founder and leader of the humble, 18-member House of Prayer and Fellowship operates a sizeable food pantry ministry, one of nine in the south Atla nta area. Why does she do it? “I love it,” she says, without hesitation. “I want to help people. It’s just in my heart.” It takes plenty...
Building a generational bridge
Sometimes the youngest among us can solve big problems. One such problem is social isolation among older adults. It is estimated that 43 percent of seniors experience some form of social isolation and this percentage is expected to continue to grow as Baby Boomers age over the next two decades. Regardless of whether seniors are living independently at home or living in a community setting with other seniors, they are often isolated from the fast paced world around them because of cultural changes and limits or constraints they face. In an effort to keep social isolation from happening, intergenerational programs...
Getting Ahead with Dual Enrollment
Getting on with life Teens earning a two-year college degree, even before leaving high school Finish high school and then go to college: It’s been the way of our education system for decades. But, like many other parts of life, the way children are being educated is changing, especially for high school students in Henry County. Since its opening in fall 2009, Henry County Schools’ Academy for Advanced Studies has served students from high schools across the county participating in the school system’s dual enrollment program. The program offers students the opportunity to complete credits needed to graduate high school...