The Weekend Dispatch May 15, 2023

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in from Ohio. I am here to give you a glimpse into my weekend's activity. My weekend included food, family, friends, fun and fellowship.

The weather was threatening to be rainy on Friday, but I gladly enjoyed a little sun on my porch. While I was sitting outside, My cousin Lisa called, inviting me to dinner at Skyline.

We checked the hourly forecast and found a spot that looked like we could get dinner without getting wet. Our food was delicious! My choice this time was a Coney Bowl. It was probably the best one that I ever had.  

Time spent with Lisa is always fun! We had a great evening catching up! We were too busy talking, and I neglected to get a selfie that night.

Lisa bought us a couple Ande's mints to polish off the meal. Those mints always make me remember a special Mother's Day meal we enjoyed with Great Grandma Boggs.

I checked the calendar that night to see the date of the special meal with Grandma Boggs. It took place May 11,1997. Grandma went to Heaven the very next day. This past Friday marked 26 years since she left us! I thought it was fitting to have an Andes in her memory!

Saturday, we had an impromptu lunch meet up with friends. Lisa called, wanting to know if I was in the mood for some salsa. Of course, my answer was a quick yes!

Rick, Stephanie and Timmy Stancell joined us for a great meal. We had a blast spending some time together!

That evening my Mamaw and Papaw came over. They were on their way to a special Mother's Day dinner. I am thankful Mamaw was doing so good for Mother's Day this year! She is a walking miracle!

Sunday, it was time for church at DRPC.

Bro. Bob Dotson shared a couple of his poems about Mothers.

Bro. David Eldridge preached both Sunday services. He preached outstanding!

Then it was time to honor some special Mothers. Bro. Michael Alexander is the Sunday School Superintendant. He does a fantastic job!

Sis. Jane Sutherland, the Mother of our church, with her beautiful hanging basket of flowers.

Sis. Dorothy Hasty was the oldest Mother at 94 years old. She did not come up to get her flowers. Her children always come to church with her on Mother's Day. I am glad to see them honor their Mother.

Sis. Sarah Mitchell was the youngest Mother present.

Sis. Amy Mitchell received the award for most children present. They had to draw a name this year. Several ladies had four of their children with them.

Drawing for the 2023 Prettiest Mother of DRPC. 

The winner was Sis. RoseAnn Murphey 

The hat crew, Rachel, Odie, Debbie and Leah. We decided to wear hats for Mother's Day this year.

Sunday Selfie with Kiran.

Me with my "Church Mama", Sis. Sharon Whitley.

It was great to see my friend, Bro. David Eldridge. We always get a selfie for the blog.

Kiran was happy to have his Mom and baby sister at church!

Sunday night service

Sis. Renae Coffman is one the best ladies I know! I love her so much!

I enjoy having the Burris family as part of our DRPC family. Bro. Jared Burris, aka California, is a wonderful friend to our family!

Sis Jane Sutherland, Mother's Day 2023.

It is always good to see my "baby" cousin Jonas!

Well, another weekend is officially history. Thanks for stopping by today.

Odie

An Unexpected Surprise

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in with you for the second time this week. Did you catch my post on Tuesday? You can see it by clicking here. 

Today I am here to tell you about an unexpected surprise I had at church Tuesday night. This surprise caught me entirely off guard, but it made my day. I was smiling for the next two days.

You see, I was ready to have a good Tuesday night service at DRPC. I caught a ride with the Stancells. After we arrived at the church Tuesday evening. I was settled into my front row seat and had few moments to visit with my friends and family around me.

Then I saw somebody come down the side aisle, and the lady said, "Hey Friend." I looked up to see my dear friend Jessie Everett standing there! To say I was shocked is a vast understatement! Jess said my face was priceless. I know my mouth fell open in disbelief.

Bro. Andrew Blevins, our youth leader, invited Bro. Chad and Sis. Jessie Everette to minister at our church. This was a last minute addition to the schedule.

 

Jess did not expect me to be home, and she had decided to text me after the service. She wanted to tell me about their visit to my church. When she spotted me going into the church. That is when things changed; Jessie was able to surprise me!

The church service turned out to be extremely great. A lot of us came ready to have a good service. God anointed Bro. Chad Everett to deliver the message that we needed for that night. The Lord met us in the altars! I was thrilled that I went to church on Tuesday night! 

All too soon, it was time to say bye to my dear friend Jessie. We have been friends for many years. I love being with her. Life has taken us in separate directions, but our friendship remains. We do not get to connect often, but I am glad for every chance to see her.

Our last visit was 3 years ago, in 2020, and that had to be a socially distanced visit. You can read about that visit here. This time it was so good to hug my friend and get a couple good pictures together. 

Hopefully, we will not have to wait three years to connect again! I am so thankful for the last minute schedule change that allowed Tuesday's surprise to happen!

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Odie

DRPC Pastor Appreciation 2023

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting from my the Beach Cottage. People ask me all the time if I enjoy being home. The answer is a resounding, yes! This time around is no exception.

I am definitely ready for better weather. We have had some days that have felt more like winter rather than spring. I am ready to spend some time on my beautiful porch.

DRPC Pastor Appreciation 2023

Last weekend was a special time at Dryden Road Pentecostal Church. We took a couple days to show our appreciation for our Pastors. Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane Sutherland has been the Pastor of DRPC since January 1978.

 

Saturday

Saturday evening we gathered for a Pastor Appreciation church dinner. Our ladies and men of DRPC prepared a feast. I forgot to get pictures of the food tables. Everything that I ate was fantastic.

The food and fellowship with my church family were excellent! I was happy to be home to celebrate my amazing Pastor. Below are some pictures from Saturday.

Sunday Morning

The Sunday morning service was dedicated to Pastor Appreciation. I have a few pictures and commentary from the highlights of the service.

Bro. Andrew Blevins did a phenomenal job conducting the service and honoring our Pastor.

Sis. Kim Abner spoke about Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane. She was a young lady at DRPC when Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane came to Pastor.

Sis. Rachel Thompson, Sis. Sarah Boyd and Sis. Rebecca James sang a couple great songs.

Bro. Brandon James told us how Bro. Bennie's leadership has impacted and changed him.

It was good to have Bro. Dallas and Sis. Luvenia Lakes with us Saturday night and Sunday morning. Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane Sutherland have had a great influence on the Lakes family. Their ministry is just one of the many ministries that have come from Bro. Bennie's leadership.

Bro. John Gabbard was there to preach for Pastor's Appreciation this year. He preached wonderfully and gave honor to his friend, Bro. Bennie!

My family came to DRPC around 35 years ago. I am so grateful that I have had the privilege for most of my life to have Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane as my Pastors! I love and appreciate them so much! 

I am thankful for the influence, leadership, friendship, guidance and correction of my Pastors. They have stood by us and helped us thru the good and the bad times in life.

I truly believe it is because of their love and support that we have the life we do today. Words do not adequately express how much they mean to me.

Across this country we hear testimonies almost every week how Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane have helped countless lives! Their ministry is still bearing great fruit in 2023! 

I am proud to say that my Pastors are Bro. Bennie and Sis. Jane Sutherland! God directed the path of my life to intersect with them for a purpose!

Sunday Night

Bro. Bennie took a moment to recognize our Church Secretary, Sis. Kim Abner, and our Church Treasurer, Bro. Jeff Roberts. Both individuals work so hard for our church. They are dedicated to their jobs.

We were blessed with an excellent service Sunday night. God showed up with a mighty move of His Spirit. Then Bro. Gabbard gave us another word from the Lord! It was capped off with a great altar service. Many people received help and encouragement.

 

The night ended by honoring our Pastors with flowers and an offering! 

Those things are just a small token of appreciation for their labor of love! I am glad I was home for DRPC Pastor Appreciation 2023!

Thanks for visiting with me today. I appreciate you spending some of your time here.

Odie