Supporting the community
?Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church has been supporting the community for 67 years.
Shady Grove meeting the needs
By Joe Holt
"// you don 7 say something en
couraging to a neighbor ...if you
don't aid the widow and the or
phan ...if you don't do something
to glorify the name of the Lord
"during the week, then there's not
much use in your coming in here
on Sunday morning, because
you're not going to accomplish a
whole lot in this sanctuary today!"
The words are those of the Rev.
Johnny W. Gorham, pastor. They
are strong words. They reverberate
from ceiling and walls to the ears
of some 90 attentive worshippers
at Shady Grove Missionary Baptist
Church on an otherwise calm Sun
day morning in June.
"Shady Grove is not where the
work is done," he chides. "Shady
Grove is not where the needs are,
where the mission is, where the
challenge lies. The need is out
there!" He points toward Wagram
and Laurinburg to the south.
"And out there\" toward
Raeford, seven miles to the north.
The Rev. Gorham means what
he is saying. His tone of voice is
not one of asking or beseeching.
He is commanding.
"Go out there," he adjures his
parishioners. "Help the needy!
Then compel them to come in."
Gorham is preaching to a con
gregation that loves and respects
him. In conversations with
members of Shady Grove, the
visitor who asks is found to hear
the words of praise everyone has
for the pastor. Called some 12
years ago (and educated since in
the ministry), Johnny Gorham,
they will tell you, is just what their
church had needed. His trial ser
mon was all it took to convince the
board of deacons that, if they
wanted this dedicated, capable
young man as their pastor, they'd
better grab him.
Once they had him, away he
went to seminary, earning his
masters and doctoral degrees in
ministries at Shaw University -this
on top of similar degrees in
agricultural education he already
had.
But while Gorham 's ministry
dates back only to 1973, the church
itself claims a history for older.
Shady Grove began as a humble
brush arbor set up by determined
worshippers somewhere just north
of Wagram circa 1919.
In later years it occupied a wood
frame building on the old Antioch
Road, near its present location.
Today, the modern edifice, built
in 1976, and spacious, well
manicured grounds project a com
manding image over the surroun
ding countryside.
Last week's activities at Shady
Grove centered around the celebra
tion of the church's 67th anniver
sary: 1919 to 1985. (Mathematics
be hanged ? a very senior member
said the correct anniversary
number is 67, so there!) Special
singing by the church's five choirs
was among the treats on the agen
da.
At a time when some rural com
munity churches are experiencing
declining enrollment and poor at
tendance, how is it that Shady
Grove grows and prospers? How
does a country church in Southern
Hoke County keep 147 faithful
sheep in its flock?
Deacon Henry Edwards says it is
all explained by two basic ap
proaches: "keeping the Lord at the
center of things" and "making
sure everyone has something to
do."
"That calls for special attention
to the young folks," says Ed
wards. "If you don't keep the
young folks, your church won't
have much future" -- a strong
point and a formidable challenge
in today's fast-moving world.
Shady Grove meets the
challenges by maintaining four
choirs -- the Gospel, the Senior,
the male and the junior; by sup
porting its own softball team; by
the order of a Girl Scout chapter in
the church, and scheduling usher
duty for the young men -- in short,
by providing opportunity for all its
members, young and old alike, to
participate personally in church
related activities. With this ap
proach, the consensus goes, the
church can't fail.
"You need a good pastor, too,"
interjects Sunday school teacher
Brenda Edwards. She says Rev.
Gorham has been instrumental in
organizing and structuring new ac
tivities in the church.
A good pastor, indeed. Accord
ing to members, the Rev. Gorham
is present at virtually all church
functions, from choir practice to
covered-dish dinner. By his interest
and enthusiasm, they say, their
pastor personifies his motto, as ex
pressed from the pulpit: "We want
to be the best."
"I'm not a rookie any longer,"
he tells his congregation, his lean
face breaking into a wide, confi
dent smile. "I am your pastor. "
The minister's wife, the former
Bernice McPhatter of Wagram,
teaches Sunday School and is
highly active in church functions.
Their daughter, LaVonda, is a
junior biology major at UNC
Chapel Hill.
In addition to his pastoral
duties, the Rev. Gorham teaches
horticulture at Scotland High
School, as he has done for the past
20 years. "It's a question of time
management," he says.
Whatever the plight of the
average country church
hereabouts, it seems likely that
Shady Grove Missionary Baptist
Church will continue to thrive in
its Christian service. Its members,
its leadership, and its emphasis on
youth provide the earthly ingre
dients that are apparently
necessary in trying to meet the
Lord halfway.
Flanked by chorus
Rev. Johnny Gorham is flanked by members of the Shady Grove Male Chorus during a recent service.
Mike's Pawn Shop
Will Be Closed
For Vacation
July 1st to July 7th
Will Reopen July 8th
Hope All Our
Customers, Friends &
Others Hove A Happy 4th
( Printing Plates)
Size 23 1/16 x 38. These
large sheets are ideal for
skirting mobile homes, lin
ing corn bins, garages, dog
houses, window boxes, rat
and mouseproofing, fixing
leaky roofs and you could
think of much more. Easily
cut with tin snipe or heavy
sheara. One sheet covers 6
sq. ft. A bundle will cover 7S
aq. ft.
ALUMINUM
SHEETS
Bundle of 15
hn<
J BUNDLES
BUNDLES
Pick Your Own Peos
Or We Will Pick For You.
875-2567
David Bakar
Raeford's
Man In Fayattavllla
Mike Crowdar
Saa RaaforcTs Mika now for
a graat buy on a now or
uaadcarortruofc.
Patrick
ftri/isizi, ik.
401 ByPaas
at Bragg Blvd.
?07-1121
LEGALS
North Carolina
County of Hoke
NOTICE OF SALE
Under and by virtue of the
power of sale contained in a cer
tain Deed of T rust executed by An
thony Holmes and wife, Mary L.
Holmes to Bobby Burns McNeill,
Trustee, dated the 8th day of
November, 1976, and recorded in
Book 195, Page 533 in the Office
of the Register of Deeds of Hoke
County, North Carolina, and
default having been made in the
payment of the indebtedness
thereby secured and said Deed of
Trust being by the terms thereof
subject to foreclosure, the under
signed Trustee will offer for sale at
public auction to the highest bid
der for cash at the courthouse door
in Raeford, North Carolina, at
12:00 o'cTbck ndoh drt thfc^tfl day
of July 1985, property conveyed by
said Deed of Trust, the same lying
and being in the County of Hoke,
State of North Carolina, Raeford
Township, and more particularly
described as follows:
BEGINNING at a point in the
center of U.S. 401 Highway, said
point being located 360 feet east
along Highway 401 from point
where the west line of Dunlap pro
perty intersects with the center of
the Old Turnpike Road, Dunlap
property, lying in an extension of
center line of Fulton Street Exten
sion and runs at the right angles
with Highway 401, 225 feet; thence
parallel with 401 Highway East 100
feet; thence in a southerly direction
225 feet to the center of Highway
No. 401 ; thence with Highway 401 ,
100 feet to the BEGINNING, con
taining one half ('/*) acre and being
the lot on which the Jesse Dunlap
jff l\
h
Truck Tops
souiii Aluml"'"" % ABS P,astic Caps
if wb ,w. u N<c
h'v> VZfZ WJKT- ' - ??' -
rjtovto*?,.*,. by Cobra a Thrasher
^RC^AST--'
of Reetord/Hok e
Chamber of Commerce
-R-fort
875-6075
Giving Away
PRIZE
T^"eL'SS^'Zr
For
Mike's Pawn Shop
LEGALS
dwelling now sits. The above
description is subject to the right
of way of U.S. 401 Highway.
This being the property devised
to Anthony Holmes according to
Item III of the Will of Jesse
Dunlap.
This sale will be made subject to
all outstanding taxes, if any, and
prior liens of record, if any.
Cash Deposits: Ten percent
(10%) on the first $1,000.00 and
five percent (5%) on any addi
tional amount of bid will be re
quired at the date of the sale.
Done, this the 18th day of June
1985.
Bobby Burns McNeill, Trustee
Hostetler & McNeill
Attorneys at Law
Raeford, N.C. 28376
10-1 lc
IN THE GENERAL
COURT OF JUSTICE
SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
85-E-48
85-1-331
State of North Carolina
Hoke County
CREDITOR'S NOTICE
Having qualified as Executor of
the estate of J.M. McGougan of
LEGALS
Hoke County, North Carolina,
this is to notify all persons having
claims against said estate to pre
sent them to the undersigned on or
before December 30, 1985 or this
notice will be pleaded in bar of
their recovery. All persons in
debted to said estate will please
make immediate payment to the
undersigned.
This the 21st day of June 1985.
James D. McGougan
Route 1, Box 82
Lumber Bridge, N.C. 28357
10-13c
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
GSX Services, Inc. will hold a
public meeting on Thursday, July
25, 1985, at 7:00 p.m., at the Main
Courtroom, Scotland County
Courthouse, Biggs Street, Laurin
burg, North Carolina. The pur
pose of the meeting is to address
the concerns or problems express
ed by the community at the public
meeting held on May 14, 1985, and
to attempt to resolve community
concerns.
This notice is given pursuant to
10 NCAC 10F. 0032 (q) (7).
10C
WATER WELLS BY
Graham & Currie Well Drilling, Co.
"Ours is a Heritage of Well Drilling Since 1910"
Residential - Commercial - Industrial
Pumps and Systems Sales
? BENFORD GRAHAM
? DAN GRAHAM
(819) 673-2921 Bus.
Route 1, Box V
West End. N.C. 27376
VINYL SIDING
NO MORE PAINTING TRIM, SHUTTERS,
WE DO TRAILERS
FLAGS ? FLAG POLES
Herbert Crumpler
875-8274
Raeford, N.C.