Suwanee church is helping one neighborhood at a time
By Robert J. Lacey III
President, Suwanee Parish United Methodist Men
Special to GwinnettForum.com

SUWANEE, Ga., May 22, 2007 -- "We strengthen our communities, one neighborhood at a time."

My church, Suwanee Parish United Methodist, and its men, provide locally relevant humanitarian services that help people within the community be safer, healthier and more self-reliant. Our programs touch the lives of young and old throughout the neighborhood. The variety of services includes providing rides to sports events, mentoring sessions, and such activities. Leaders within the community, who know how good it can feel to lend a helping hand, make our vital work possible. We depend on volunteers, many from outside our parish, who constitute 99 percent of our total work force, to help with our community outreach work.

This year our target population is to assist 147,000 families. Our local level segmentation only includes 100 families that we wish to provide back-to-school back packs, which will equip100 needy children. With your help we can set the foundation in place by June 1, 2007.

The need for programs and volunteers to focus on our young people---particularly young people from disadvantaged backgrounds---is profound. I am not alone in the belief that every child can succeed. But today too few children are realizing their potential. We are dependent on contributions from individuals and foundations to provide the necessary financial support for our operations. We invite you to take a look at some of the good work we were able to accomplish by working together.

Volunteers are engaged in a variety of activities that help children develop the skills and experience they need to succeed as adults. Among these are:

• Programs that focus on keeping at-risk youth engaged in the education system through graduation;
• Reading programs that help young people develop the basic skills they will need to succeed in school; and
• Economic literacy programs that help young people develop basic financial knowledge and skills that they will need to run a household.

Our parish men have continually added programs for youth and young adults over the past year. We have seen many miracles take place as God has helped us build up something incredibly unique from virtually nothing. Besides, our monthly youth services we want to offer dance classes, mentoring, and health awareness. We see the need to expand our services and activities available to the community to be more effective. We need mentors to take on the challenge of alerting the community for the need for school book bags.

We know this venue would help us reach many more youth and young adults and keep them off the streets and in school. As we stated earlier, we need everyone's help to make this a reality. Suwanee Parish United Methodist Men is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization registered with the state of Georgia. We can provide paperwork for tax write offs to individual donors, businesses, and corporations. If you or someone you know can give a donation of money or material, it would be greatly appreciated.

Atlanta and Georgia could benefit from second Metro airport
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

MAY 22, 2007 -- There are few major cities that do not have two airports. Now talk is being revived about whether Atlanta needs another airport. With Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport being the world's busiest airport, you would expect that it would be among those needing more than one airport.

Brack

There are major ramifications. Perhaps the strongest effort for Atlanta not to have another airport comes from its two major airlines, Delta and Air Tran. After all, should Atlanta build another airport, it would be costly for the airlines to duplicate service at the second airport. Not only that, but a second airport would almost assuredly invite other airlines, including low-cost airlines (need we mention Southwest?) to set up operations only at the second airport.

That would be a happy day for Atlanta air travelers, who would find even lower fares, we would anticipate, at the second airport, because of its location, and because of additional carriers that would locate there.

However, Atlanta is the busiest of all airports not for the number of Atlanta area residents who fly, but because carriers use Atlanta as a central hub airport for the Southeast. Many a traveler, headed for some smaller southeastern city, has to fly for best connections through Atlanta. Therefore, though we get more takeoffs and landings and passengers through the airport, this traffic is not necessarily generated by Atlanta itself. In effect, those transferring passengers don't give a hoot about where they hop onto another airplane. It might even complicate their flight plans, with fewer flights into Hartsfield International Airport, since the second airport would no doubt drain off some Hartsfield flights.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Authority puts out money to study a second airport. Years ago, even Atlanta airport officials thought the idea was sound enough for the city to purchase land in both Paulding and Dawson counties for a possible second airport, though nothing has yet to come of these locations.

Other communities around Atlanta might be interested in being the location of a second airport. At one time the Gwinnett Chamber even proposed the use of Briscoe Field as a second airport. That was squashed by former County Commission Chairman Wayne Hill. And now, with even more build-up around Briscoe, an airport there would not be met with open arms by Gwinnett landowners, we anticipate. After all, most Gwinnett homeowners do not have to fight traffic to get to Hartsfield often.

We've wondered if the airport at Winder might be considered as an alternative, with its long runways and vast relatively open land surrounding it.. However, air passengers in northwest Atlanta might also want to see their land used for a second airport.

As for what would be best for Georgia, we wonder if even another site might be an even better choice for a second airport. We are thinking of an airport located somewhere south of Atlanta, possibly in the Macon area. We say this for we all know there are "two Georgias," meaning primarily Atlanta and booming North Georgia, and then the area distantly south of Atlanta.

We keep remembering the phrase from the movie, Field of Dreams: "Build it, and they will come." A second airport, strategically, could be a boon for the state, relieve some of the fast growth coming Atlanta's way, and direct that new growth to less developed parts of the state. Georgia could benefit from a second Atlanta airport.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Just Emissions, a firm performing State of Georgia emission testing as certified by the Georgia Clean Air Force (GCAF). We eliminate the potential conflict of interest in the test and repair facility by performing only the test, never the needed repairs. For our commercial accounts we offer charge accounts and a single source of record keeping eliminating the need to "scramble" when it is time to purchase vehicle tags. Just Emissions offers certified emission testing in minutes by our courteous, trained technicians. In Gwinnett, we are located at the corner of Scenic and Grayson Highways in Lawrenceville. There are also locations at 1830 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, close to Emory University. No appointment is needed.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm
  

Pastor leaves Hog Mountain Baptist after renaming it

Editor, the Forum:

Yes, it is true. After so much controversy regarding re-naming Hog Mountain Baptist Church, which existed for over 150 years, the pastor, Barney Williams, announced his retirement in April and preached his last sermon on the first Sunday in May.

The first Sunday in May is traditionally a special day when the congregation celebrates "Homecoming." Members, extended family and former members, as well as visitors, gather to celebrate with special singing and preaching culminating with "dinner on the grounds." In past years, the outdoor tables would be covered with food and the parking lot would be filled with cars and folks would be glad to see one another. The church inside would be filled to capacity.

Now those days are long gone. Many folks felt the church could not celebrate a "homecoming" this year in the true sense because the name was changed and the new church is not even a year old yet. Lately so many of the older members, as well as younger members of the former Hog Mountain Baptist Church, have been so discontented that they have chosen to attend other churches and did not feel they had a reason to celebrate homecoming. In reality, it seemed to be more like "leaving home" than returning home because of the new name.

The church with its remaining few members now is without a pastor or assistant pastor, since the assistant chose to leave for another church. So it appears the re-naming of the historic church, located in one of Gwinnett's most colorful and historical areas, did not help the church to grow as the former pastor proclaimed to the members. However, the opposite seems to be the case because now the membership, as well as the tithes, are dwindling away.

We hope the future holds something good for the former Hog Mountain Baptist Church. God is known for moving mountains! Now we just hope he will move this "mountain" church in the right direction to stimulate growth and spread the gospel to all as was done in the past. Hopefully, the historic "Hog Mountain Baptist Church" can be restored for the glory of God, including restoring the name.

-- Betty Warbington, Dacula

Teaching Bible in schools gives recall to quote from Justice

Editor, the Forum:

In response to a recent article about teaching the Bible in schools, I cannot help but quote a former well respected Supreme Court Justice, appointed by Ronald Reagan: "Those who would re-negotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question: why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?" -- Justice Sandra Day O'Conner on the Ten Commandments ruling, June 27, 2005.

I think that quote says it all.

-- Adam Pomeranz, Atlanta

Directs Forum to learning what empty utility poles are for

Editor the Forum:

We have an idea what those poles that Scott Phillips wondered about in the recent GwinnettForum may be. We understand that Gwinnett County DOT is in the process of installing/expanding an intelligent traffic system. These poles probably are for the cameras for that system.

-- Lynne Bohlman DeWilde, Suwanee

Editor's Note: Yes, Lynne, you are right. Chuck Bailey of the Gwinnett DOT says that his department is upgrading the Advanced Transportation Management System on Lawrenceville Highway, which was installed pre-1996, and installing new equipment along that highway. The project goes from Lawrenceville to Jimmy Carter Boulevard at the DeKalb line. It also includes Jimmy Carter Boulevard to Holcomb Bridge Road at the Chattahoochee River. Now we know. Thanks. -eeb

Parks unveil new neighborhood dog watch program May 23

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation now has a Park Watch program just for dog lovers. The Neighborhood Dog Park Watch will be meeting at Ronald Reagan Park in Lawrenceville on May 23 at 6 p.m. and Graves Park in Norcross on May 30 at 6 p.m.. Anyone 18 years of age or older who is interested in enhancing safety at the County's dog parks is invited to attend. Dogs also welcome!

The goal of the Neighborhood Dog Park Watch program is to enhance the quality of Gwinnett County parks through an alliance between park patrons, Neighborhood Park Watch volunteers, Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation, and the Gwinnett County Park Police. By serving as an extra pair of eyes and ears, members of the Neighborhood Dog Park Watch can help make the parks safer for park visitors and their pets. For more information call (770) 822-5007 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com.

Lawrenceville Friday night concert series begins May 25

Partnering with Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, the Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association (LTTA) presents the first of five live concerts on the lawn of the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse (GHC) on Friday, May 25 at 8 p.m.

The first Moonlight and Music Concert will feature the Savannah based Eric Culberson Blues Band. The band has kicked off the series three years in a row.

Held on the fourth Friday from May through September at 8 p.m., each show in the series will offer a different genre of music including blues, Motown/beach/swing, rock, folk/singer-songwriter, bluegrass & old-time, classical and more!

The concerts are FREE outdoor lawn events and reserved seating for tables of six can be purchased for only $40 by contacting the GHC at (770)822-5450. With seating different from past years' events, a seating chart is available to see prior to purchasing tickets by going to the LTTA website at www.visitlawrenceville.com.

Counseling service opens new facility on Sugarloaf Boulevard

Each day 34 certified Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) counselors at the new Gwinnett Service Center at Sugarloaf help people save their homes from foreclosure and begin to rebuild their financial futures. When fully staffed, the Sugarloaf center will house 100 degreed professionals helping consumers with mortgage and bankruptcy issues.

A nonprofit (501c3) agency, CCCS will hold a grand opening at the new facility Wednesday, May 23 at 10 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Sugarloaf Corporate Center at 2160 Satellite Boulevard in Duluth. CCCS President Suzanne Boas will welcome guests and speak briefly about the agency's mission of providing help and hope through financial counseling and education. Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Vice President Nick Masino, CCCS Executive Vice President Mark Cole of Suwanee and CCCS Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Beatriz Mauersberg will officially "open the door." Mauersberg, of Norcross, helps CCCS target services toward Atlanta's Hispanic community and is a frequent spokesperson for the agency's outreach efforts. She is a recent graduate of Leadership Gwinnett

While CCCS offers in-person counseling at 10 branch offices throughout north Georgia, including a Gwinnett branch also on Satellite Boulevard, the Sugarloaf Service Center is the agency's first location dedicated to helping consumers via telephone and online. Contributors to the facility are Bank of America, AGL Resources Foundation and Georgia Power Foundation as well as Wachovia-managed foundations and trusts including the Price Gilbert Jr. Charitable Fund, Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation, David Helen and Marian Woodward Fund and Ida Alice Ryan Trust.

Mountain Park church to host barbershop chorus on June 2

The Stone Mountain Men's Barbershop Chorus will present its 2007 Spring concert "Growing In Harmony" in one performance only on Saturday, June 2, at
3 p.m. at Mountain Park United Methodist Church. The church is located at 1405
Rockbridge Road. The 65-man Stone Mountain Chorus will present, four-part harmony in the barbershop style. The show will feature performances by several of the chapter quartets as well as inspirational selections performed by the entire chorus.

General admission tickets for this performance are $12 if purchased in advance. A special advanced purchase discount price of $10 is available for full time students, groups of 12 or more and seniors 60 and over. All tickets purchased at the door will be $15. Tickets may be purchased from any Stone Mountain Chorus member or may be requested by calling the chorus information line at 770-978-8053. Advanced purchases can also be made using charge cards.

Collins Hill Library to host author who wrote on Corbin case

In 2006, Gwinnett County residents and the national media closely followed the criminal trial of Dr. Barton Corbin, the Buford dentist accused of murdering his wife in 2004, and a former girlfriend in 1990. Corbin eventually confessed to the crime of murder.

Rule

On Wednesday, June 6, beginning at 7 p.m., the Gwinnett County Public Library will host bestselling author Ann Rule at the Collins Hill library branch for a discussion and author signing for her new book, Too Late To Say Goodbye, which chronicles the Corbin case. In conducting research for her new book, Rule interviewed the principal participants in the case.

The author event at the Collins Hill branch comes at the very beginning of Rule's national book tour, and just one day after the book is scheduled to appear in bookstores nationwide. The Collins Hill branch is located at 455 Camp Perrin Road in Lawrenceville. Barnes & Noble will be on hand to sell copies of the book.

Gwinnett Place CID reelects officers, adds board member

Named to the board of directors of the Gwinnett Place CID is Marcy Adams, general manager of the Atlanta Marriott at Gwinnett Place. Adams will take over the Board position previously occupied by Bruce Williams, who was one of the original CID organizers. In her role as Marriott Manager, Adams represents the District's second-highest landowner in terms of property value.

Adams

Adams joined the Marriott at Gwinnett Place in 1999, and she has served as controller, resident manager and director of operations. Her professional experience includes a 15-year history of finance and management, beginning with a start in public accounting. She is a graduate of Wichita State University and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting.

In addition to electing Marcy Adams, CID Board Members also elected other officers. They include Mark Williams, re-elected as chairman; Nick Nicolosi, new vice chairman and Glenn Wisdom returning as secretary/treasurer. Williams operates Printing Trade Company; Nicolosi is manager of Gwinnett Place Mall, and Wisdom is store manager with JC Penney at Gwinnett Place Mall.

Gwinnett Magazine captures coveted excellence award

Gwinnett Magazine, published by Tillman Allen Greer, has won the coveted Gold GAMMA Award for General Excellence from the Magazine Association of the Southeast, one of the highest honors the association bestows.

The Magazine Association of the Southeast's GAMMA Awards competition has been recognizing editorial and design excellence in magazine publishing for 18 years. This year, more than 400 publications competed for honors in 14 categories.

GAMMA Awards Judge Leara Rhodes noted that Gwinnett Magazine, a lifestyle publication for Gwinnett County, is "a major cheerleader for all things Gwinnett." "[The magazine] is positive about what people can do in the county from businesses, sports, education to buying homes, and attending events that keep people who are in Gwinnett, entertained in Gwinnett." Rhodes also recognized the magazine's bold design.

Earlier this year Gwinnett Magazine celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of community coverage and business success.

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
  

Chattahoochee Review founded at Georgia Perimeter College

The Chattahoochee Review is a literary journal published four times a year by Georgia Perimeter College. It features fiction, poetry, and essays by regional and national writers. The journal was founded in 1981 by Lamar York, a professor of English.

The publication has achieved a national reputation for publishing both new writers and established writers. Recently published authors include Michael Bishop, Nicole Cooley, Walter Griffin, Anthony Grooms, Seaborn Jones, Terry Kay, Marjorie Kemper, Marion Montgomery, Ron Rash, and Virgil Suarez. The Review has taken as one of its missions advocacy for writers from the Southeast, specifically from Georgia. The publication's staff not only co-sponsors the Townsend Prize for Fiction but also works to foster a literary community centered in Atlanta and north Georgia. Despite its regional emphasis, inclusiveness is an important principle of the Review, which features writers from all over the nation and the world.

The Review has published several single-author issues highlighting the work of important regional writers. A 1988 issue was devoted to the work of southern author and Agrarian Andrew Lytle. In the same year another issue was devoted to publishing Once upon a Time in Atlanta, a memoir written by Georgia native Raymond Andrews and illustrated by his brother, Benny Andrews. Entire issues have also been devoted to poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. A more typical issue includes a collection of stories, poetry, essays, and reviews.

Works first published in The Chattahoochee Review have been reprinted in New Stories from the South, Pushcart Prize Anthology, Anthology of Magazine Verse and Yearbook of American Poetry, Best American Mystery Stories, and Utne Reader.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  

Authors judged by strange rules, says English poet

"Authors are judged by strange capricious rules. The great ones are thought mad, the small ones fools."

-- English Poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744.)

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

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© 2007, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.

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GwinnettForum.com
Number 7.15, May 22, 2007

TODAY'S FOCUS: Church in Suwanee Helps Neighborhoods One at a Time
ELLIOTT BRACK: Second Atlanta Airport Could Be A Strategic Benefit for State
FEEDBACK: Pastor Leaves Church; Supreme Court Quote; What Utility Poles Are For
UPCOMING: On Dogs, Concerts, Counseling Service, and Author To Visit
NOTABLE: CID Elects Officers, New Board Member; Gwinnett Magazine Award
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Chattahoochee Review Published by Georgia Perimeter College
TODAY'S QUOTE: English Poet Thinks Authors Judged by Strange Rules

STRIKE UP THE BAND. The City of Suwanee's Memorial Day Weekend event will feature jazzy New Orleans Dixieland music and the high-flying thrills of a distinguished parachute demonstration team. This patriotic concert, sponsored by the Gwinnett Daily Post, begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 25, at Suwanee's Town Center Park. The event is free and open to the public. The featured musical group is the Old Flint River Dixieland Band, an ensemble from Fort McPherson that recalls simpler days with their performances of traditional New Orleans Dixieland music. The band will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. Members of Silver Wings, the Fort Benning Command Exhibition Parachute Demonstration Team, will enthrall spectators with their drop-from-the-sky arrival at Town Center Park around 8 p.m. The Sugar Hill LDS Choir kicks off the evening with a 7:30 p.m. performance.

FOR CHARITY. You can give "A Gift of Laughter," a new book of cartoons by Bill McLemore, to help raise money for Rainbow Village. At just $20, it's a fun way to help. To order, call 770 840 1003, or 770 446 3800, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com.

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