Page 2A
MIDWEEK MEDITATION
Hive faith that God
can work through you
BY REV. BOBBY QUINN
“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is
written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also
believe, and therefore speak.” 2 Corinthian 4:13
We have the same faith. Someone
once said, “It’s not what you can do for
God; it’s what God can do in and through
you.” That is true, but for God to do
those things you must have faith that He
can do in you and through you what He
says He can do.
The problem of the Church, many
believe, is unbelief, or not having faith in
what God has already said in His Word
concerning you. In Matthew 17:18 the
disciples asked Jesus, “Why could not we
cast out the spirit” and Jesus said,
“because of your unbelief, and that this kind (unbelief)
comes out only by prayer and fasting.”
The problem is never God, it’s us. Look at Jesus’ answer
to the disciples question on how to increase their faith in
Luke 17:5-6 “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase
our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith, ye might say
unto this sycamore tree, be though plucked up by the root,
and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
Matthew 21:21 says “Verily I say unto you, if ye have
faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done
to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, be
though removed and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be
done.”
If our faith isn’t working we then need to check our love
walk and what we are saying. Does it (what we are saying)
line up to the Word. Mark 11:22-23 says “Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, be though removed, and be thou cast into the
sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that
those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith.”
If faith comes by hearing, and it does, then unbelief
comes the same way. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me
(love) and my words (faith) abide (make their home in you)
you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.”
Keep speaking God's promises, walk in His love and you
will overcome.
Rev. Quinn is pastor at River of Life Fellowship.
MRI decision
could take months
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain Hospital
will have to wait several
months at least before find-
ing out if it can install a per-
manent MRI
The hospital got word in
late February that its appli-
cation had received condi-
tional approval by the state
Division of Facility Services
though Gaston County's
CaroMont Hospital is lodg-
ing an appeal.
“We're disappointed but
the process is there to pro-
tect all participants,” said
Mark Hudson, executive
vice-president at KMH.
In addition to KMH and
CaroMont, Rutherford
Hospital had applied for
permission to install the
machine. Regulations
require hospitals to get state
approval before adding
major equipment or making
big renovations to prevent
unnecessary and costly
duplication of services.
Hudson said all three
applicants were very serious
about the project.
“Everybody put their best
foot forward,” he said.
The appeal process could
take several months to over
a year.
“It just depends on how
they proceed,” Hudson said.
“We'll just have to see what
comes through the process.”
CaroMont wants to build
a freestanding building in
Kings Mountain for the
‘MRI. Kings Mountain
would install the machine at
its hospital. Currently, a
mobile MRI visits the hospi-
tal once a week.
Hudson argued during a
November public hearing
that having the MRI on site
is safer for critically ill
patients,
Because regulations
require expensive shielding
around MRI machines in *
hospitals, the expense
incurred there would
increase the price of the pro-
cedure approximately $100
over what CaroMont would
charge.
Rutherford told state reg-
ulators that it should be
considered apart from the
other two hospitals, saying
it is too far away to be com-
. petitive.
Rabies case reported
A raccoon found dead on
Wright Road, Kings
Mountain, on March 4 has
tested positive for rabies.
This makes the county’s
85th case since June 1998
and fifth case in 2004.
Residents need to make
The Family of
Kenneth
Downey
would like to
thank Second
Baptist and
Eastside Baptist
churches,
friends and
neighbors for
your prayers
and all
expressions of
love to us.
sure their animals are under
their direct control. Animals
that are allowed to run loose
are at risk of coming into
contact with a rabid animal,
and if the pets are not vacci-
nated they will have to be
euthanized, said County
Health Director Denese
Stallings.
For the next six months,
anyone living in the vicinity
of 246 Wright Road should
observe animals for unusual
behavior. In addition, resi-
dents need to make sure all
cats and dogs have current
rabies vaccinations.
000 a
LI’L YUMMY'S 4
Restaurant & Catering Service
(Formerly Allen’s O'Yummy’s) (Sa
BREAKFAST ~ LUNCH ~ DINNER ~~
«Full Service Ice J TA
Cream Parlor
Catering for
Any Occasion
(Hwy: 182) Faision. Ne. J O4= 538- 5991
|
Now Under New Ownership —
7
The Kings Mountain Herald
4 OBITUARIES
BERTHA BLALOCK
KINGS MOUNTAIN -
Bertha Conner Wright
Blalock, 85, 110 Colonial
Drive, died March 5, 2004 at
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center in Shelby.
She was a iE
native of
Cleveland
County,
daughter of f
the late :
Charlie
Pinkney
and
Florence Morrison Conner.
She was also preceded in
death by her first husband,
Rev. Raymond B. Wright,
and her second husband,
Herman W. Blalock Sr.
She was retired from tex-
tiles, was a homemaker and
a longtime member of
Macedonia Baptist Church
in Kings Mountain.
She is survived by her son,
Jerry R. Wright and wife
Kay of Decatur, GA; stepson,
Jerry Blalock and wife Judy
of Kings Mountain; daugh-
ter Carolyn W. Blalock and
husband “Dub” of Kings
Mountain; brothers Clyde
Conner of Belmont, Bill
Conner of Greenville, SC,
Gene Conner of Blacksburg,
SC, and Johnny Conner of
Wrightsville Beach; sisters
Bonnie Collins of
Blacksburg, SC, Eunice
Lovelace of Kings Mountain,
and Betty Bolin of
Blacksburg, SC; 12 grand-
children and 16 great-grand-
children.
The funeral was conduct-
ed by the Revs. David
Philbeck and Greg Moore at
11 a.m. Monday at
Macedonia Baptist Church.
Burial was in Mountain Rest
Cemetery.
Memorials may be made
to Macedonia Baptist
Church Building Fund, 1101
S. Battleground Avenue,
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
Harris Funeral Home was
in charge of arrangements.
ANNIE SUMMITT
CHARLOTTE - Annie
Laura Hicks Summitt, 87, |
formerly of 611 E. Kingston
Avenue, died February 24,
2004 at her residence in
Covenant Village in
Gastonia.
A
daughter
of the late
Henry
and Laura
Hicks
Summit,
she was
born April
2,1916 in
York, SC
but lived
much of her early life in
Kings Mountain. She resided
in Charlotte for 55 years and
was a charter member of
Covenant Presbyterian
Church. She was also very
active in the establishment
of the Dilworth Historic
Association and in the sup-
port of Shepard Center.
Her early years of employ-
ment were spent working
beside her father in
Summitt’s Nu-Way Grocery
in Kings Mountain, and dur-
ing World War II, for the
U.S. Rationing Board. She
was later employed in
Charlotte by the YWCA and
Hé&S Lumber Company. In
1981 she retired from North
Carolina National Bank after
33 years of service.
Survivors include her
nieces, Laura Barnes Costas
of Gastonia, Sarah Sissy E.
Parrett and Doris B. Bland of
Richmond, VA, Barbara R.
Munson of Lincolnton, Tina
R. Roberts of Taylors, SC
and one nephew, Alex T.
Randall of Jacksonville, FL.
She is also survived by a
group of close and loving
great and great great nieces
and ps Lt. Col. Dean
RE aaa CARA aa EWE EN ES ENE REE e
Costas, Chesapeake, VA;
Tika Miller, Gastonia;
Susanna Daley,
Mechanicsville, Va; Dr.
Matthew Parrett, Lexington,
VA; Joseph W. Bland III,
Chicago, IL; Eric B. Bland,
Brooklyn, NY; Abby and
Laura Bland, Richmond, VA;
Joellen and Heather Randall,
Richmond, Va; Kate and
Sam Roberts, Taylors, SC;
Emily and Sarah Miller,
Gastonia; Christina and
Michaella Costas,
Chesapeake, VA; and Grace,
Luke and Corinne Daley,
Mechanicsville, VA.
Her sisters, Barbara S.
Barnes and Sarah S. Randall,
as well as a nephew, T. Eric
Costas, preceded her in
death.
A memorial service will be
held in Charlotte at 11 a.m.
Saturday, March 13 in the
Morrison Chapel of
Covenant Presbyterian
Church with the Rev. Dr.
John Rogers officiating. The
family will receive friends in
the narthex of the sanctuary
45 minutes prior to the serv-
ice. Inurnment will follow
the service in the church
columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, memori-
als may be sent to Barium
Springs Home for Children,
P.O. Box 1, Barium Springs,
NC 28010 or to Gaston
Hospice, P.O. Box 3984,
Gastonia, NC 28054.
A very special expression
of gratitude is extended to
Dr. Henry Thomason and
the nursing staff and person-
nel of Covenant Village and
Gaston Hospice for their
compassionate care and con-
cern for Ms. Summitt and
her family.
Condolences may be
directed to Laura Costas,
2341 Robinwood Rd.,
Gastonia, NC 28054.
Arrangements are in the
care of Hankins &
Whittington Dilworth
Chapel, 1111 East Blvd.,
online at www.hankinsand-
whittington.com.
GEORGE CICERANO
ANDERSON; 5¢ - George
Cicerano, 80, 311 Simpson
Road Apt. E7, formerly of
Kings Mountain, died March
8, 2004 at National Health
Care Center, Anderson.
He was born in
Somerville, MA. He was son
of the late Andrew and
Anita JTerussi Cicerano. He
was also preceded in death
by brothers Angelo
Cicerano, Louie Cicerano,
Primo Cicerano, and Vincent
Cicerano.
He was retired from
Wilson Food, Boston, MA.
He served in the United
States Army 29th Infantry
Division during World War
II. He participated during
the first wave of D Day, June
6, 1944, Omaha Beach, and
he was awarded the Purple
Heart with Oak Leaf. He
was a member of the VFW.
He is survived by his wife
of 57 years, Margrace Ford
Cicerano; brother Alexander
Cicerano of Newbury, MA;
sister Theresa Accetta of
Belmont, MA and Justine
Cicerano of Newbury, MA;
and a number of nieces and
nephews.
The funeral will be con-
ducted by the Rev. David
Turner at 11 a.m. Friday at
Ollie Harris Memorial
Chapel. Interment will be in
Mountain Rest Cemetery.
Visitation will be
Thursday from 6:30-8 p.m.
at Harris Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made
to Macedonia Baptist
Church, 1101 S.
Battleground Ave., Kings
Mountain, NC 28086 or
Hospice of Cleveland
County, 951 Wendover
Heights Drive, Shelby, NC
28150.
Harris Funeral Home is in
charge of arrangements.
March 11, 2004
IVY JOHNSON
SHELBY - Ivy Lee
Johnson, 69, former resident
of 3635 Tryon Courthouse
Road, Cherryville, died
March 6, 2004 at Century
Care of Shelby.
She was born May 20,
1934 in Gulfport, MS,
daughter of the late Alton
Saucier
and
Lavider
Saucier
Pipkins.
Survivors
are son
and
daughter-
in-law,
Ronnie R.
and Frances Johnson of
Columbia, MS; son, Kenneth
Wayne Johnson of Freeport,
FL; daughter and son-in-law,
Karen and Mike Williams of
Bessemer City; daughter,
Dawn Ecnoyd of Gastonia;
sisters, Marie Landrum of
Gulfport, MS, Patsy
Sheridan and Pearlie Givens
of Pearl River, LA; brothers,
Robert Saucier and Richard
Saucier of Pearl River, LA;
three grandchildren and
three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, Olan W.
Johnson.
A memorial service will be
held at Saucier Baptist
Church, Gulfport, MS on
April 17, 2004 at 2 p.m. with
Rev. Carl Dickens officiating.
Condolences may be
shared with the family at
howellfuneral@aol.com.
Arrangements are under
the direction of Howell
Funeral Home, 2916 Union
Road, Gastonia.
WILLIAM MERRITT
ROANOKE, VA - William
Russell Merritt (Bill), 80, of
Roanoke, joined the Church
Triumphant with his Lord
on February 27, 2004, with
members of his beloved
family at his side.
He was born in Mullins,
SC on
January
4:21, 1924,
0 to the late
Willie -
David
Merritt
and
Leone
Yelverton
Merritt. He was also preced-
ed in death by his sister,
Mary Lou Dempsey of
Clinton, NC.
A man of many accom-
plishments and much great
service, he is most remem-
bered as a devoted and lov-
ing husband, father, and
grandfather, and an out-
standing churchman.
He leaves to cherish his
memory his wife and best
friend of 56 years, Elizabeth
Patrick Merritt; son and
daughter-in-law, William
Russell Merritt Jr. and
Kimberly Merritt of Rocky
Mount; son and daughter-
in-law, Patrick Dickson
Merritt and Lee Greene
Merritt of Raleigh; son and
daughter-in-law, David Page
Merritt and Sharon
Robertson Merritt of Rock
Mount; cherished grandchil-
dren, Owen Merritt; Kahra
Merritt, Patrick Merritt,
Jaeger Merritt, Laura Lee
Merritt, Hunter Merritt, and
Austin Merritt; brother, Jesse
Robert Merritt of Norfolk,
VA; special long-time family
friend, Elizabeth Carico; and
numerous nieces and
nephews and other family
members. He also leaves a
great many dear friends and
co-workers in the Lord's
vineyard from his many
years of Christian disciple-
ship and service.
He received his BS degree
in mathematics from
Davidson College and his
Masters degree in engineer-
ing from Georgia Tech,
where he also taught mathe-
matics. He did post-gradu-
ate work at the University of
The #1 Source for Carpet and Floorcovering
Gaston and Surrounding Counties
Floors To Go
Financing Available
704-445-4003
. 12 MONTHS NO INTEREST
NO PAYMENTS
www.tloorstogoche.com
“Activit
South Carolina and Duke
University. He enlisted in
the U.S. Navy in 1943 and
graduated from USNR
Midshipman’s School and
Northwestern Universityy.
He served his nation proud-
ly during World War II in
the Pacific and Asiatic
Theater, reaching the rank of
Lt. Commander, and served
again through the Naval
Reserves in the Asiatic
Theater during the Korean
War. :
With his family he has
lived in Roanoke since 1949.
He was employed as Senior
Industrial Engineer and as
Assistant Personnel
Manager by American
Viscose Corporation. He was
then employed by Roanoke
Iron and Bridge Works for
29 years, retiring as vice-
president in 1985. He was
widely known and respect-
ed for his volunteer service
and leadership throughout
the community and in his
church. He served as
President of the Roanoke
Area Manufacturers
Association, the Roanoke
Personnel Association, and
the Raleigh Court Lions
Club. He was a member of
the Presbytery of the Peaks
Camps and Conference
Board, and was a Board
member for the Presbyterian
Community Center, where
he received special joy tutor-
ing children. He was the
Clerk of Session for the
Raleigh Court Presbyterian
Church, and a Sunday
School teacher there for
many years. He also served
three times on the congrega-
tion’s Pulpit Nominating
Committee, and was at vari-
ous times in his church life
an elder, a deacon,
Chairman of the Trustees,
Sunday School School
Superintendent, youth
group leader, Finance
Committee Chairman, and
Stewardship Campaign
Chairman. In 1971, the
Roanoke Merchants
Association named his
“Roanoke Father of the
Year” in the field of religious
jes] That, same year his
family WAY Hamed Virginia
All-American Family, and
finished second runner-up
nationally.
With his sons, he was
active in scouting, serving as
Assistant Scoutmaster for
Boy Scout Troop 2 and as
Cub Master for Cub Scout
Pack 2. He also served with
his wife as Co-President of
the PTAs at Virginia
Heights Elementary School
and Woodrow Wilson Junior
High School.
He was an avid tennis
player, gardener, and sports
fan, and an accomplished
saxophonist. Most impor-
tantly, throughout his active
and successful career and
his many services to his
church and the community,
he was most involved in
supporting his family,
attending literally thousand
of sporting and cultural
events to cheer for his sons
and grandchildren. His
pride in and love for his
entire family and character,
kindness and humility, gen-
tle humor and loving sup-
port has served as an abid-
ing example for everyone
who has known him. He has
been a very special husband,
father, and grandfather, and
a true Christian gentleman,
and while he will be greatly
missed on this earth, he will
be joyfully received in heav-
en.
Graveside service was
held at Evergreen Cemetery
at 11 a.m. Monday morning,
followed by a service of cel-
ebration and witness to the
resurrection at 11:30 a.m. at
Raleigh Court Presbyterian
Church.
In lieu of flowers, the fam-
ily requests that memorials
be made to the Raleigh
Court Presbyterian Church
Building Fund.
We can help you find it,
buy it, or sell it.
104.139.1496
A at une ERE
SR