REACHING OUT: Brundidge community gathers for fellowship and fun
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, July 18, 2017
The 5th Annual Each One Reach One event on Saturday in Brundidge attracted a large crowd throughout the day. The communitywide event got underway with a parade at 10 a.m. Special guests watched from the viewing stand.
Messenger photo/Jaine Treadwell
Messenger photo/Jaine Treadwell
Messenger photo/Jaine Treadwell
Messenger photo/Jaine Treadwell
The 5th Annual Each One Reach One community-wide event on Saturday was an opportunity for people of all ages and from all walks of life to come together for a day of fellowship and friendship, strengthening the bond that exists in the extended Brundidge community.
The day’s activities began with the Each One Reach One parade, followed by a morning of music and motivational speeches. A highlight of the day was the issuance of up to 1,000 book bags for students from pre-K through 12th grades.
Karen Rouse, event coordinator, said first and foremost she had to give thanks to the Lord for fair weather and for the overwhelming turnout from the community.
“The Lord blessed us in so many ways,” Rouse said. “Each One there Reached One in some special way. The National Guardsmen who set up the tent for us, the man from Georgia who brought the bouncy for the kids, those who worked the book bags, those who delivered meals to the elderly and everyone on our program – our speakers and singers and musicians – and especially those who came to listen and reach out to others.”
Rouse said around 800 books bags were given to children, kindergarten through 12th grade.
“These children can start school with a positive attitude and ready to learn,” Rouse said. “They can go to school focused on having a successful school year.
“Each One Reach One was an opportunity for the community to come together as one and, with events like this, by being together for a time of fellowship, we are doing something that will positively impact our individual lives and our community.”
The messages that were shared by the guest motivational speakers, Pastor Anthony Wheeler of Huntsville and Alabama State Coach James Joseph, focused on the positives in one’s life.
Joseph shared how he overcame the negative influences in his life by devoting himself to athletic excellence.
Negative comments by his dad and his lack of support were reasons for Joseph to accept a defeatist attitude. But instead, he dedicated his efforts to excellence. He became an All-American high school football player, went on to play college ball at Auburn University and then in the NFL, all without the support of his dad.
“While my dad was telling me I was nothing, God was telling me I was everything,” Joseph said. “God gave me my worth.”
Later in his life, Joseph began to understand the reason his dad’s treatment of him.
“I got down on my knees and prayed,” he said. “I turned it over to God and was able to forgive my dad. It’s never too late to ask for forgiveness or to be forgiven unless you choose not to.”
Wheeler spoke from a world point of view. He acknowledged the turbulence in today’s world but he said the solution to the world’s problems is not found in Washington D.C. or Montgomery.
“The solutions to all of our problems are in each and every one of you and in me,” he said. “Nothing catches God by surprise. He already knows what it going to happen before it happens. The question is, what are you going to do? The solution is in you. It’s there because God has put the solution in you. You are to open up and unlock what God has put in your heart. You can make a difference.”
Wheeler said each and every one has a gift of passion that stirs them and moves them to action.
“But don’t be climbing without pulling someone with you,” he said. “Don’t listen to nay-sayers. Nothing is bigger than the God we serve. God has the solution to our problems and those solutions are inside of each of us. If we open up and release those solutions, then we can turn this world upside down.”
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