Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church to Celebrate 20th Anniversary Sunday, September 8

September 3, 2019
By:

A 20^th anniversary celebration of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church will be Sunday, September 8.

Sunday School is at 10 a.m. followed by the worship service at 11 a.m. A cookout on the grounds will follow the morning services. The anniversary program will get underway after the cookout featuring The Heritage Singers from Smithville and testimonials from congregational volunteers.

The church is located at Miller Road and Forrest Avenue and the Pastor is Larry Steffee.

The following is a history of the church provided by Pastor Steffee:

“The Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church came into existence January 3, 1999, after a small group of believers met on December 31, 1998, and decided to start a brand new congregation in Smithville. In just three days the first services were held, and by the third Sunday the current building was found. The building was remodeled to be made more suitable for church services, and was rented four years before it was purchased in 2003. The 20-year mortgage will be paid off in fewer than four years”.

“When church membership reached 12, the congregation officially became a part of the Brethren In Christ denomination, which originated in 1778. Members brought vinyl chairs to be used for seating for about four months, until permanent chairs, an organ, songbooks, and other equipment could be delivered by two members of a Brethren In Christ Church near Tampa, Florida, which had closed. Smithville First Methodist Church loaned hymnbooks to the congregation until the delivery from Florida. More hymnbooks were purchased from another Brethren In Christ Church in Orlando, Florida. A church from McMinnville, donated a piano, and a pulpit was donated by the Brethren In Christ Church from DeRossett, Tennessee”.

“Eventually, used pews with removable cushions were purchased from the Smithville Nazarene Church. These were used until 2006, at which time padded pews were donated by the Brethren In Christ Church in Sarasota, Florida. Smithport Cabinet Shop of Smithville, which sold cabinets in Florida, transported the pews at no charge, and also sent five men to unload them into the building. There are countless other marvelous ways that the Lord provided for the needs of the congregation over the past twenty years”.

“The building was fully insured after it was purchased, which turned out to be a good thing because the water lines froze and broke the next day, flooding the building. Insurance paid for all new floor coverings and drop ceilings, greatly improving the interior of the building. The original dome roof was eventually replaced by a gable roof”.

“The pastor of the congregation since its beginning has been Larry R. Steffee, who has been a pastor in the Brethren In Christ Church since 1967, following graduation from Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. The college is affiliated with the Brethren In Christ Church, and will become a university in 2020”.

“Of the original individuals who were part of the congregation in 1999, approximately seven are still members. Some who were part of the original group have graduated to their home in heaven. The congregation has a board of directors to advise the pastor, and its members are an important part of the life of the congregation”.

“The main goal of the congregation from the very beginning has been to reach out to the unchurched of the Smithville community and surrounding areas. Three individuals from Cannon County currently attend on a regular basis. The congregation is a very close-knit group which welcomes newcomers readily. Numerous people have been converted and baptized, and have become members”.

Everyone is invited to the 20^th anniversary celebration of Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Sunday, September 8.

September 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The tornado disaster drill conducted last Thursday by local emergency responders went well and DeKalb County’s Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie Parker was pleased with the response.

“I think it went very well. We did a critique afterwards and found areas where we can improve. We are required to have one full scale exercise each year and the whole purpose is to see how we can make our response and performance better if it were a real event,” said Parker.

Within minutes after receiving a 911 call, emergency responders sprung into action enroute to the scene of a simulated tornado touchdown on King Ridge Road near the DeKalb County Main Fire Station and at Green Brook Park.

Mannequins representing storm victims were placed at various spots at both locations.

“We have used LIVE patients in the past but this year we used mannequins and each one was tagged with what was wrong with them and how they needed to be treated. Some were tagged as walking wounded with minor injuries while others were tagged as more serious needing a lot of medical attention,” said Parker.

“Our responders in the field located all the patients and got them triaged to the appropriate facilities. We had several taken to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital and a few went to NHC Healthcare Center. I think altogether 16 patients were treated during the drill,” added Parker.

The Local Emergency Planning Committee was involved in organizing the drill. The purpose of the committee is to analyze, plan, prepare, and mitigate for disasters both natural and manmade that could potentially occur in the county. The Local LEPC is comprised of the combined efforts of city and county elected officials, law enforcement, emergency management, fire departments, EMS, Rescue Squad, hospital, nursing home, utilities, business, industry, media, Red Cross, school system, churches, and civic organizations. This committee meets on a regular basis to work on plans, share information and conduct exercises to make a safer and stronger community.

IMG_9504 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

September 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Christian rap artist B-SHOC will bring his Jesus Music back to the Smithville Church of God for a Holy Ghost party Wednesday night , September 4 at 6 p.m. as part of an After School Event.

It will be his fourth visit to the church.

(View video of WJLE interview with B-SHOC last year prior to his performance at the Smithville Church of God)

IMG_1003 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“We will be getting together to celebrate life and the grace of Jesus. It will be a lot of fun. There will be a lot of laser lighting, jumping, screaming, and shouting. It will really be hyped and the kids will have a good time while the adults will get to act like kids. A lot of families come here and this church in particular is awesome with a great outreach and they bring us to put on the fun time in church. We do about 85 shows a year across the country. We have over 6.5 million Youtube views. We have a lot of music videos on-line. We just celebrated 10 years in the ministry and we have seen 10,000 souls come to know Jesus through the ministry,” he said.

(VIEW B-SHOC MUSIC VIDEO BELOW)

The concert will be preceded by free food, fun, games, and inflatables for kids as part of the church’s community outreach after school program.

The Smithville Church of God has adopted DeKalb Middle School again this year and  will be hosting after school events like this for those students and others who want to participate.

Pastor Chris Moore said the idea is for the church to be more involved in the community and especially with youth.

Although he is known as a Christian rap artist, B-Shock said he would prefer to call his ministry “Jesus Music”.

“Some of it has a rap flavor but it is more of an upbeat dance style of music. We just call it high energy Jesus music. When I started the ministry I thought it would be geared toward youth but it turned out that a lot of adults come and have just as much fun as the kids,” he said

Bryan Edmonds (aka B-SHOC), was raised in a Christian home in the small town of Toccoa, GA. He gave his life to Jesus at a very young age. B-SHOC spent most of his childhood with a tennis racquet in his hand. He attended Garner Webb University on a tennis scholarship. At GWU, he was named All American and won a NCCAA College Championship.

His love for music began at the age of 16 when he was introduced to hip hop. It was love at first beat. The beat moved him in a special way, so much that he pursued a music career. After many years in the studio and mastering his talent, the music developed a whole new lifestyle for him, which landed him in the night clubs many nights of the week. As his success grew, and he partook of the lifestyle that came with it, depression set in. Something had to change.

He then understood for certain that nothing in the world would satisfy his heart like Jesus Christ. After leaving the night scene, and a lot prayer, the love for the beat still remained. He began writing and recording music about Jesus and his life using the same style of beat. Knowing this was not popular in churches, and that critics would arise, he was dedicated to do God’s will for his life.

Since then God has opened many doors for B-SHOC, traveling the country, and packing concerts full of energy and excitement for Jesus. Thru his concerts and music, he prays more people come to know Jesus and develop a closer relationship with Him. He gives ALL Glory to God.

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