Ronald McDonald House helps many families who are in need of a place to stay while their loved ones are in the hospital. Its pantry is in need of donations to provide food for the families staying there. The following items are needed for the pantry: individual bags of chips, individual boxes of cereal, pop-tarts, individual sweet snacks, tuna and other canned meats, sugar packets, creamer, juice boxes, fruit snacks, pasta, pasta sauces, noodles, healthy snacks, toilet tissue, plastic forks and spoons, paper towels, plastic plates and bowls, Clorox, Lysol wipes, liquid hand soap, Swiffer WetJet refills (green box) and Wal-Mart and Target gift cards. Donations would be greatly appreciated and can be left at Shady Grove Baptist Church. For more information, call the church at 256-773-5648.

“A Hometown Hero” was Chris Warnick’s program topic for the July 16 summer reading program at the Falkville Public Library and town courtroom. Children, leaders and parents enjoyed a meet and greet and checking out books before the story session. This summer’s theme is “Every Hero has a Story.” Chris is the director of Falkville’s Food Bank and Family Resource Center, the Carpenter’s Cabinet. He spoke about a phase of his childhood when his family was hungry. They eventually received aid from a local agency in their town near Chicago, Ill. He carries a can of green beans to show groups because he, his sister, brother and mother lived on one can of beans a day during those times. Jenny Asherbranner, the librarian, appreciated Chris’s help with summer reading and his encouragement for helping the needy involving children and adults.

Corinth West Baptist women’s representatives Gayle Miller of Neel and Christie Guthrie and Dana Henslee of Hartselle attended a women’s conference in Greenville, S.C., July 10-11. On Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Bon Secour Arena, Beth Moore was the headline speaker. She is a well-known Christian author and speaker. Moore’s topic for Friday and Saturday morning was gravity. She spoke of earthly gravity, what goes up must come down and divine gravity, God’s will that what goes down must come up. She made an acrostic for gravity,  G-God, R-Revealing, A, V-Vast, I-Intensity, T-Toward, Y-You. There were 12 examples Moore gave the 2,000 attendees Saturday of when God was down and then up. The crucifixion and then resurrection and ascension are the most familiar. The Corinth West Baptist women will be able to use the conference information and future Bible studies at their conferences.

“Off the map” was the theme for vacation Bible school at Corinth West Baptist Church. Some 50 children, leaders and family attended the program at 3:30 p.m., Sat., July 18, in the sanctuary. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hotdogs in the fellowship hall, cooked by David Shedd, Roger Guthrie and Jeff Reid. There were the usual sides, chips, fruit and cupcakes. Donna Smithson was the VBS director.

The members of Shady Grove Baptist Church express Christian love and heartfelt sympathy for the following families: Chuck and Kim Parker and family in the death of his aunt, Linda Parker; Dale and Shirley Bibb and family in the death of his brother, Robert Bibb; Kelly and Mike McLamb and family in the death of her grandmother, Virginia Cole; Heather and Greg Roden and family in the death of her grandmother, Nealey Elizabeth and Weaver and J. W. Blackwood and family in the death of his wife, Sandra Shell Blackwood.

Forrest Chapel Methodist men’s group met Sun., July 19, for their monthly breakfast meeting with 10 members present. Jim Robertson, president, gave the devotional and conducted the business session. He read a communication from World Gospel Missions, William and Lydia Allshouse. They expressed appreciation to the men for their support of the Allshouse Ministry. Another project the men have is publishing a calendar, which has the schedule for future events and fundraisers for support of numerous benevolent organizations. Volunteer committees take turns for planning and preparing breakfast for the members. Their next meeting and meal will be Sun., Aug. 16.

Monica Byrd and her niece, Ashley, of Hartselle visited Bessie Byrd in the Robertsdale Health Care Center in Baldwin County July 15-16. Bessie is formerly from the Salem community where she was actively helped members and taught Sunday school at Salem UMC. She was a caregiver for the elderly and sick in the Massey, Salem and Hartselle areas for many years. Monica reported her mother Bessie, was doing well, and they had a good visit.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Felicia Wilingham Cook from the Mt. Vernon community who is being transferred from Princeton Hospital to the UAB Cardiac Center in Birmingham. Felicia is on a list for heart transplant recipients. She is the daughter of Wilda Willingham of the Mt. Vernon community.