Fork Presbyterian Church held a Back-To-School cookout and snowball fling on Sunday.
The service began with a prelude by Daphne Hayes, welcome and announcements and celebrations by James David Lane, and the call to worship, “Jesus, Name Above All Names,” by the adult choir. This was followed by the congregation singing the hymn, “O Come, Let Us Adore Him,” and special music.
Rev. Adrienne Anderson then issued a challenge to the students. She said,
It is time for some of you to go back to school. I want to challenge you to do some things when you return and have to get back into the routine of studying and following rules that don’t seem to make any sense.
1. I challenge you to plant seeds of greatness and to cultivate them in your daily life. You must remember that you are the sum total of your actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were meant to meet the whim of the moment.
(1) You are responsible for your actions.
(2) You can control your thoughts, and your creative imagination.
(3) You are in charge of what you say and how you say it.
2. I challenge you to be a goal setter…to have a vision! Remember that a goal cannot be reached until it has been set! You must decide just what you want to become…and then go for it.
3. The goals you set should be specific, action-oriented targets that can be defined, discussed, visualized, and even written down! Your goals should be set just out of your current reach, but not out of your sight. Decide what kind of grades you want to make, write them down, and then set your goal as to how you will reach those grades!
4. Your future in school is not a game of chance…it is a game of choice! You are responsible for the choices that you make! I believe that everyone wants success, but few are willing to make the effort, to pay the price, and do what is requires.
5. When you get back to school, I challenge you to set your goals…don’t give up…use every opportunity to grow into the kind of person God wants you to be,
6. I want you to live every single minute with love, grace, and gratitude. The treasure of life is within you…it only needs to be uncovered and discovered. You always get out of life what you put in. Plant seeds of great ideas and you will find that God will use you to do great things.
7. I challenge you today to be the very best that you can and to always let your life be a blessing to God!
The Scripture lesson was Numbers 13: 26-33. This was followed by a prayer and the children’s lesson on the topic, “Teddy Bears and Jesus.”
This was followed by special music from the children’s choir.
After this, the congregation sang “Jesus Is Lord Of All.” The offertory was taken and the doxology was sung.
The adult choir sang “To God Be The Glory.”
Then Rev. Anderson gave her sermon. Her topic was “Claiming The Good Life.”
This was followed by a special Back To School prayer.
The hymn, “In The Garden,” was sung by the congregation, and the benediction and blessing of the meal was held.
After the service, a hot dog lunch was all the trimmings was enjoyed.
Sno balls in a variety of flavors were available on the grounds. It was a great way for the children to kick off the school year.
Fork Presbyterian Church will have their monthly Family Night on Wednesday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the church. The public is invited to attend.

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