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mypapernow > CIVIC LIFE / EventGreater Brandon's Fourth Of July Parade: "United We Stand" (July 4, 2009) photo
mypapernow > CIVIC LIFE / EventGreater Brandon's Fourth Of July Parade: "United We Stand" (July 4, 2009) photo
mypapernow > From St. Andrews United Methodist Church, from left, Kristina Sheppard, Rhys Campbell, Mark Rawls, and David Ervast.
mypapernow > "We're here to help spread the word of God," said Libby Juren, right, about the St. Andrews United Methodist Church youth group participation in the parade. The church is part of the River of Life Cluster of United Methodist Churches. As for the parade, Juren said, "I love it." It was her second Brandon Fourth of July Parade. "It's a lot of fun," she said, "and bigger than I expected." Click Here for coverage of the River of Life's participation in the Christmas Day Dinner for the homeless and needy of the Greater Brandon area.
mypapernow > "It's like an old-fashioned revival kind of thing," Bill Moore said of the outreach mission of Footsoldier Ministries at the Pole Barn at Winthrop in Riverview. Moore, of St. James United Methodist Church, is part of the church's men's group, which runs the "Meat Monkeys" outreach. "We go out and do things like this," Moore said, in reference to the group's mission to bring its cooker to offsite locations.
mypapernow > "I volunteered a couple years ago. It's a good opportunity to help out," said Madeline Backlinie, with her son, Robert, 15, a student at Jefferson High School. "I like helping out, especially on Christmas," added Robert. "Some people don't really have a family they can go to so they come here and we can be their family for a day." The two attend the First United Methodist Church of Brandon, a member of the River of Life cluster of churches that hosted the 2008 Christmas Day dinner at the Bill Carey Boys & Girls Club in Brandon, Fla. Madeline Backlinie remembered how years ago her church's pastor, the Rev. Van Dyke, had met a homeless man who ended up becoming a member of the church. "He saw him and could not get him out of his mind," Backlinie recalled her pastor telling them. "It's a good opportunity for my son to be able to learn about life. This is a part of life, poverty, and you have to know about it to be able to help."
mypapernow > Feeding those in need on Christmas Day 2008: Cynthia Pinckney of Cynthia Pinckney Ministries took a moment to reflect on these trying times. "I think this going to be a tough year, tougher than normal, because we are dealing with more homelessness, more joblessness," said Pinckney, pictured with her husband, Leroy, at the Boys & Girls Club in Brandon. "I've been doing my ministry in Brandon for five years and this is the worst I've ever seen it." People who do have jobs, she added, are seeing their hours and wages cut. Moreover, people who could depend on temporary day jobs are seeing even those jobs being cut back or held open for the more educated, career professional who also is out of work. In the past, people in addition to food reached out for clothes, toiletries and household supplies, but now the need overwhelmingly is food - just food - and especially on breaks from school. "Some of our families are being helped by the school lunch program," which gives a free breakfast and lunch to the needy, Pinckney said, "but what do they do for dinner or over the holidays when school is not in session?" Increasingly so, Pinckney said, "our homeless are really in trouble. Before they could work daily and get paid. Now, they might be working one day per week." Brandon, though, will rise to the occasion, as it always does, Pinckney said. "I'm seeing more of an outppouring of support from the community than I've ever seen," she said. Area churches, she noted, instead of sending resources to missionaries in other states or countries "are giving more to the smaller communities right here at home." The increase in support, with the hope that it continues, is a good thing Pinckney said, "but it's still a drop in the bucket and the need is becoming even greater." As for ministry work, Pinckney had this to offer for those wishing to extend themselves beyond volunteerism and making donations. "This is work," she said. "This is sacrifice. Before you start on this journey you need to make up your mind that this is something you will persevere at until the end." In ministry, Pinckney said, "your hands will be dirty for a lifetime." Related News/Photo Galleries: Fifth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner hosted by Cynthia Pinckney Ministries at the Brandon Boys & Girls Club I Am Hope Cafe Hosts Open House; Mission Is To Feed And Assist The Homeless Back To Self-Sufficiency National Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Hits Home At Echo (May 10, 2008) Feeding The Homeless, Cynthia Pinckney Ministries (Thanksgiving 2007)
mypapernow > From left, Scott Young and Deb and Rob Hastings, at the Fifth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner hosted by Cynthia Pinckney Ministries . The Nov. 27, 2008 event took place at the Bill Carey Boys & Girls Club in Brandon, Fla. The trio learned of the event through the First United Methodist Church of Brandon.
CIVIC LIFE / EventGreater Brandon's Fourth Of July Parade: "United We Stand" (July 4, 2009) photo
See photo in original gallery.
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