THE COMMUNICATOR
University
Baptist Church
June 2014
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
UBC Remembers
Freedom Summer Fiftieth Anniversary
1964 - 2014
Back Door Coffeehouse
June 6
Freedom Summer Conference at USM
June 19-21
Sermon Series
June 15 - July 6
Book Discussion
God’s Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights
by Charles Marsh
Monday Evenings in July
I’ve got the light of freedom
I’m gonna let it shine.
Jesus gave it to me,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Gonna shine all over the Delta,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Over the last few months I’ve been nourished by stories from Freedom Summer 1964,
when black and white people joined hands across the state of Mississippi to stand for
freedom and justice for all people. What has most intrigued me is the central role that
faith had in the work of Freedom Summer. Expressions of faith in the Way of Jesus are
heard in the electrifying sermons and songs that belted out of the mouth of Fannie Lou Hamer, they
are seen in the significant role clergy from the North had in Freedom Summer training and events,
and they are witnessed to in testimonies of Hattiesburg residents, like Peggy Jean Connor who testifies to God’s love abiding in and through her that long summer. If we’re honest, interpretations of the
Bible also grounded the faith of those who resisted the work of civil rights, even those who worked
violently against Freedom Summer efforts often quoted Scripture to justify their actions (a sober
reminder to us about how easily we can twist the stories of Scripture to justify the evil in our hearts
and actions).
This summer, we have a tremendous opportunity to pause for a moment and look back into the
history of our state and to reflect upon what it means to live our faith. In one sermon, Fannie Lou
Hamer said:
“People need to be serious about their faith in the Lord; it’s all too easy to say, ‘Sure, I’m a
Christian,’ and talk a big game. But if you are putting that claim to the test, where the rubber
meets the road, then it’s high time to stop talking about being a Christian. You can pray until
you faint, but if you’re not gonna get up and do something, God is not gonna put it in your
lap.”
My hope is that through our remembering and through our exploration of key biblical texts that
defined the Freedom Summer experience, we will think deeply about our call to put faith into action
today.
Along with the Sunday morning sermon series, I encourage you to register and attend the Freedom
Summer Conference taking place at USM, to join me in July for book discussions about Charles
Marsh’s God’s Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights, and to participate in other events
that will take place around our community and through UBC this summer. I also invite you to begin
your remembrance of Freedom Summer at the Backdoor Coffee House this Friday, June 6.
Fannie Lou Hamer helped make one of our childhood favorites an anthem of Freedom Summer.
This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let is Shine. May UBC continue to shine the light of Christ into
our community!
Journeying Together,
Rusty
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JUNE 2014 PAGE 2
UBC in Brief
Please note the following meetings for June:
♦
♦
MAP Council will meet at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, June 4.
Our monthly business meeting will be on Wednesday, June 18, at 6:30.
Join us as we welcome Tricia Walker to Back Door on Friday, June 6. The performance begins at 7:30 pm. Suggested donation is $10 and nursery care is provided. Tricia will be available after the show to sign her CDs.
PrimeTime is Tuesday, June 17! Join us for lunch and enjoy Bettye Kings’s decorative birdhouses and
Dr. Larry Smith as he presents a slide program on “Birds.” Dr. Smith is an avid birder and will share
with us the beauty of our feathered friends. Make your reservations with the committee member
responsible for calling you before Friday, June 30.
Please be in prayer for our youth as we travel to Queen's College in
Charlotte, NC, June 15-20 for Passport camp. Our last Passport experience
focused on mission; this particular version, PassportChoices, does not
include a service component, instead emphasizing group activities and interaction. Campers are given
options for how to spend their days, with an array of opportunities for fun and learning that cater to
individual interests and strengths with the aim of fostering vocational identity. My hope is for the guys
to be exposed to new possibilities and challenges for integrating their faith into their life passions. This
will be my final summer with this great group of youth, so here's to a week of fellowship, adventure,
and wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! — Cade
Library Spotlight
Submitted by Billie Hogan
Do Not Let The ”SUMMER SLIDE” Happen At Your Home
Don’t let your children have a “summer slide” from reading. For children, it is vital they continue to
read throughout the summer to retain the reading level achieved in the previous school year.
Dr. Seuss summed it up very nicely, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The
more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
Some educators believe that children who do not read during the summer can lose as much as a
month’s instruction. Visit your public libraries, your church library, your local bookstores and make
sure your children have age appropriate reading materials during the summer months. (Many
middle school children enjoy series books). Choose exciting recommended books that will pique
their interest and desire to keep reading.
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JUNE 2014 PAGE 3
Meet Our New Staff
Beverly Strong, Financial Secretary
Beverly comes to us after a long career in church-related accounting.
Most recently, she was Financial Secretary for the regional office of the
Presbyterian USA here in Hattiesburg until its closure last February.
Beverly is married to Jack Strong and is the proud grandmother of three
grandchildren who reside in Hattiesburg. Beverly’s regular office hours
are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings.
Willie Holloway, Custodian
Willie comes to us after 29 years of employment with the City of
Hattiesburg as a crew worker for the Sanitation Department. While a
full-time City employee, he also worked for Service Master cleaning
buildings around our city and currently works on a crew that cleans the
Hattiesburg Library three nights a week. Willie’s wife passed away in
2009 and his son and grandchildren live in the Hattiesburg area. Willie’s
regular work hours are from 8:00-12:00, Monday-Friday.
Maintaining our Buildings and Grounds
Due to the recent vacancy in our full-time custodian position, the Building and
Grounds Committee and Personnel Committee voted to restructure the position.
Instead of hiring a full-time custodian, the committees chose to contract with a
landscaping service to take care of lawn maintenance and a part-time custodian
to clean the building and prepare it for various meetings and meals. After
receiving multiple bids, the Building and Grounds Committee chose Parker’s
Landscaping to maintain the lawn while the Personnel Committee hired Willie
Holloway as part-time custodian (20 hours a week). This new division of the
position should result in an annual budget savings of approximately $14,000.
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JUNE 2014 PAGE 4
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JUNE 2014 PAGE 5
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
DEACON OF THE WEEK
1
8
15
22
29
LAY READERS
3
3
8
11
11
12
12
13
13
13
15
15
16
16
24
26
27
28
29
30
Kim Walker
Christy Thornton
Elizabeth Merritt
Bill Mitchell
Shirley McCraw
Jolly Matthews
Ellee Rigney
Paul Kennedy
Roger McDowell
Mike Ratliff
Ellen Hall
Charlie Parkman
Nancy McClelland
Joan Hampton
Julianne Paulk
Lida McDowell
Amy Hinton
Paul Laughlin
Linda Donnell
Jenny Edwards
Melinda Pope DeRocker,
daughter of Moran and Yvonne
Pope, who has sung solos at
UBC, will be a guest participant
in Hattiesburg’s 5th Cabaret
setting at the restaurant, 206
Front, in downtown Hattiesburg. The event will be on Monday, June 16, with dinner at
6:30 pm and the performance
at 7:30. The performance will
feature Melinda singing “An
Evening of Romance” from the
Great American Songbook.
She will be accompanied by
three musicians coming with
her from New York. Dinner and
ticket will be the restaurant
menu price. Reservations at
206 required at 601-545-5677.
THE COMMUNICATOR
1
8
15
22
29
Charles and Jean Trout
Jim and Ellen Hall
Bennie and Rosanne Crockett
TBA
Ember Ahua
Peggy Myatt
Lucy Parkman
Adam Rigney
Jan Davis
Rob King
OFFERING COUNTERS
1st Sun
2nd Sun
3rd Sun
4th Sun
5th Sun
Peggy and Bryant Myatt
Ruth Barton, Shirley McCraw
Al Butler, Bill Hughes
Sam Clinton, John Alcorn
Lida McDowell, Marion Poirier
EXTENDED SESSION WORKERS
1 Sarah Etheridge (Nursery), Wendy Carson (Toddlers), Russ Etheridge
(Preschool), Virginia Butler (Sunday School Nursery)
8 Jennifer Courtney (Nursery), Bethany Rigney (Toddlers), Adam Rigney
(Preschool), Virginia Butler (Sunday School Nursery)
15 TBA (Nursery), Sharon Harris (Toddlers), Dale Harris (Preschool),
Jenny Edwards (Sunday School Nursery)
22 Ellen Hall (Nursery), Kin Walker (Preschool), Virginia Butler
(Sunday School Nursery)
29 Mo Conville (Nursery), Dick Conville (Preschool), Virginia Butler
(Sunday School Nursery)
Have been received in
memory of
Phyllis Downey
Jo Nell Hales
Miriam Roney
Sunday Sermons
8
Acts 2:1-12
Wednesday Nights
4 The Other 3:16s: Ecclesiastes
15 Freedom Summer I
11 The Other 3:16s: Song of Solomon
22 Freedom Summer II
18 Business Meeting
29 Freedom Summer III
28 Mission Night (MAP Council)
JUNE 2014 PAGE 6
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JUNE 2014 PAGE 7
3200 Arlington Loop
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Phone: (601) 264-6908
Internet: www.ubchm.org
Rusty Edwards, M.Div., Th.M., D.Min. Senior Pastor
Kathryn Spangler, M.Div., Associate Minister
Taylor Hightower, DM, Minister of Music
Russell Lott, MBA, Church Administrator
Cade Jarrell, BA, Youth Director
Susan Fairchild, MM, Organist
Kerrin Hightower, MM, Children’s Music Coordinator
Cindy Hinton, Church Secretary
Beverly Strong, BS, Financial Secretary
Willie Holloway, Custodian
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Hattiesburg, MS
39401-7299
Permit No. 277
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