WESTMINSTER, SC - On Monday I e-mailed our mayor to see if he saw any relief in the future for us who live in the city limits and are faced each month with the high utilities bills.. I know last month was a hot one and the bill was for 35 days, but seems we just can’t go on with three and four hundred and even five hundred dollar utilities bills…

I keep seeing more FOR SALE signs in front of homes in the city limits. AND I still can count lots of empty buildings on Main Street up by the Depot. end of town. The mayor e-mailed a very positive response. He said he would check in to the reason for the extremely high bills but that he really saw no relief in sight. I still am amazed that we are tied so tightly to the current provider’s contract-I know other town that have left PMPA as a power provider.

I noticed I made an auditory mistake when the Mayor told me his son’s name on the morning of the Ingles’ ceremony. I heard it as I shared it but I read that his precious son’s name is Balise Aaron. Sorry for the error.

Congratulations to Chester and Paula Lee who celebrated their wedding anniversary last week,

Marvin and Gail Bryson celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary on October 4th. Best wishes to you.

Happy birthday to Basil Bibb. Dr. Carter Morgan, Lori McCall, Verna Mulder, John Barnum, Evelyn Short, Angela Lafaille, Stephanie Matheson, Ed Addis, Mary Ann Smith. Ann James Nathan Stephens, Glen Shelton,

Heartfelt sympathy is sent to the family of Alpha Butts.. Mrs. Butts was s long time correspondent of The Westminster news and had a place in so many hearts of her readers.

God Bless all of you.

Sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Raymond Crenshaw. Raymond gave much of his life in service for his country.

Sincere sympathy is extended to Dianne Kinard in the loss of her father last week. God bless you and yours.

I am so thankful to report that Joey Bryson a teacher at West-oak Middle School has experienced a miracle from God. She has been told that the mass thought to be cancer in one kidney is in fact NOT …PTL!

Get-well wishes go to Bob Reese, Sandra Bibb Betty Ruth Parker. Louise Simpson, C. H. Nelson, Joey Tubbs, Barbara B. McCann, Bill McCann, Dot Ruff, Marian Burton, Kathy Dickard, Jean Dover, Mrs. Elizabeth Adams, and Carroll Campbell,-

In an e-mail during the weekend from former Westminster resident and my next-door neighbor Karen Holcomb Hensley she asked for prayer for two people. Her e-e-mail follows.” Last week I found out that Richard father of my two children, Tammy and Dean, needed a biopsy for possible prostate cancer. There was only a 20% chance that it was cancer because it did not show up last year when he had his annual physical and he had no symptoms. Yesterday we found out that it is cancer. He goes for a nuclear scan to see how far it has progressed and if it has come from any other part of his body. As you can probably guess, we are all shocked and anxious. Please keep Richard and Phyllis, his wife, and Dean and Tammy in your prayers. We are praying for good results.”

Karen continued, “ My good high school buddy, Paula Marcengill Gantt ask for prayer for her brother, Buster. He has been given 6 months to live unless he can get a liver transplant. He goes to MUSC on Oct.15th for tests to see if he qualifies for a liver transplant. Please keep Paula and her brother and family in your prayers. Sending my love to all of you and thanking you for caring.”

UPDATE: Former Westminster resident Linda LeGette Faulkner’s husband Bob received a heart transplant last Sunday night (9/30) or early Monday morning. He has had some ups and downs this week, but overall is making progress. This is serious surgery and he was quite ill before the surgery, so obviously this will take awhile. Please pray for him during his recovery, and also for Linda as she is trying to hold down her full-time job and drive 80 miles from her home to the hospital in Memphis to be with Bob.

According to Ruth Brown, (WHS Class of 1933) in 1923 there was only 10 grades, in 1933 there were 11 grades and the Class of 1949 was the first to graduate after completing 12 grades. It has been reported several times that there was no graduation exercises held in Westminster in the year 1948.in the Westminster School System.

One day in late September several of us cousins met in the Research Room in Walhalla Library to research the Duke Family Lines…Meeting together were Susan Brock Booker, Joanne Ponder, Marilyn Duke Jones, Pauline Couch, Cindy Sheriff and Rolann Lee.

Judi Price e-mailed that she and Homer enjoyed a visit to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Pigeon Forge /Sevierville area. She said, “. It is fantastic, every kind of knife imaginable, displays, stuffed animals from deer, elk, moose, elephant, bobcat, bear, you name it. Dioramas, a stream running through the middle of the building, fantastic

place. Next day we had a wonderful day at Old Timers Day in the Cove,

music behind every tree, in every barn area, really great. Our friends the

Ross' were playing and we enjoyed visiting with them. Picnic lunch,

listened to music more then over Rich Mountain back to Pigeon Forge, then

down the mountain. We saw the Elk at the ranger station out of Cherokee.”

According to Julia Ballenger St. John's Lutheran Church, 301 West Main Street, Walhalla, SC will host its 2nd annual Craft and Market Day on November10th from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM in the fellowship hall of the church. There will be handmade crafts such as pocketbooks, woven baskets, wicker angels and snowmen, knitted and crocheted items (scarves, dish clothes, dish towels, baby sweaters, caps, booties, etc.), pickled okra and fruit jelly. Items may be purchased or ordered from vendors. These include Tupperware, Creative Memories, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Mary Kay, and Home Interiors.

Jack and Vicky Freeman visited last weekend with their son Richard and his waif Lori and their daughter Ashley in Hickory North Carolina.

Barbara Bearden McCann from Watkinsville Georgia shared last week that her neighbors’ son Josh Reeves was killed in Iraq the day after his first son was born and the funeral was last Saturday. She asked for prayer for many including his young wife Leslie who had talked with him the night of the birth and e-mailed him pictures of his son Joshua Jackson Reeves. Just hours before he was killed. Others on her prayer list were Josh’s parents James and Jean Reeves and his siblings Michael and Joanie and Jared and his wife Katie; also Leslie’s parents who are from Nashville Tennessee.

Last Sunday evening I attended the First Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir Concert Actually there are not words to express the blessing I received from hearing the singers. I understand there will be another performance in December. Plan to attend.

E W and Marthabelle Rabon are avid Furman Football supporters. She wrote, “Recently they had our All Access Weekend with the team this past Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately we lost. This weekend thing is a moneymaker for the football department. We had supper with the guys on Friday night at Tommy's Ham House in Greenville and were able to be in the dining hall on Saturday for pregame meal but could not interact with the guys then, as they were getting tense and planning for the game. We did talk with some of the coaches. We lead the team from the Athletic Offices to the field house on the field and got to spend a few minutes on the sidelines prior to the game. We were supposed to go into the field house afterwards but due to the terrible loss we stood outside. I was impressed that despite a terrible loss, several of the players stopped to thank us for supporting them. What gentlemen! One of the players, Scott Beckler who is from Anderson and TL Hanna had a huge crowd of youth there from a church in Greenville where he does missions work. How these guys can do extra stuff like that and do football and the modern day Furman academics is beyond me.”

Marthabell continued, “Thursday and Friday we went to Jonesborough, Tennessee for the National Story telling Festival. It has gotten so huge that it's not quite as much fun as it used to be but I love the shops in Jonesborough (oldest town in Tennessee).

Recently I saw Ashley Holbrooks Lee at the Westminster Baptist Church. As she gave me a hug she told me how much she enjoyed the Newsy Notes and the whole paper when she lived in Minnesota. She said, “It was like getting a letter from home. I could not wait each week for it to come. “ Thank you so much Ashely. Ashley and her husband Jason and twin sons Silas and Raiseland now live in Greenwood.

Last Sunday marked a very special day in the life of Faith Baptist Church as Joel Hoxit and Carlos McGuffin were ordained as Deacons. The Reverend Mark Nelson is the pastor.

Carlos his wife Edna and their family had many more family members and friends present for the beautiful service.

Wanda Meyers e-mailed:” This weekend I went to Branchville (above St George) for the Raylrode Daz Festival. Wanda said “ I know it is spelled funny that when I went on the website they explained it was ole days of speaking!” Brabara and Debbie who had a booth at The Apple Festival for two years were there. The festival was awesome:“They had built ole store buildings and that is where the crafters had their crafts set up. Each building had a name above it. They have a train Depot that also burned back in 1995 have restored it pretty good.”

THE FANTASTIC SHAKERS will perform in Walhalla at the Auditorium Friday, October 12, 20077-9 PM Tickets $20.00.

Remember to call 647-2042 for information about the Bike Rally at The Westminster Church Of God planned for November 10th and 11th,

I am so uplifted by the remarks I have heard this week. You are all much too kind. I love you all.

“NOTE” to Remember: “God’s help is only a prayer away.”