A special Memorial Day Service and lunch was held at Fork Presbyterian Church on Sunday in honor of Memorial Day.

By Betsy Finklea
Fork Presbyterian Church held a special Memorial Day observance and lunch on Sunday, May 27th.
The church was decorated in red, white, and blue inside and out. Flags lined the yard outside of the church, and red, white, and blue balloons and decorations were inside.
Daphne Hayes opened up the service with the playing of the prelude.
Rev. Adrienne Anderson gave the welcome and announcements. She noted that the painting of the outside of the church had commenced. On Sunday, June 3rd, they will begin their three months of powerful prayer, where the focus of their prayers will be about their church and their attendance. They will place stickers on a prayer board each time they remember to pray and to represent their commitment to the project.
The processional, which included the presentation of the flags and the Holy Bible, was to the song, “You’re A Grand Old Flag.” Presenting the Holy Bible was L.R. Perritte. Presenting the Christian flag was Bobby Perritte. Presenting the American flag was Tommy Hayes.
The congregation sang the National Anthem.
A Memorial Day Tribute was read by Sandra Perritte.
Rev. Anderson played Taps, and the wreath was placed by Denise Hammond.
Rev. Anderson gave the children’s lesson on the American flag. She said the stars represented the 50 states, and the stripes represented the 13 colonies. The red color represents courage. The white color represents purity. The blue color represents justice. The red can also represent the blood Jesus Christ shed. The white represents the purity of Jesus Christ. The blue shows God is faithful.
The scripture lesson was 2 Chronicles 7:14, which was read aloud by the congregation. It says, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”
This was followed by the prayer. The choir sang, “America The Beautiful.”
The congregation sang the offertory hymn, “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Rev. Anderson then introduced a Memorial Day slide presentation by Perry Ford.
The congregation gave a choral response called “The Bond of Love.”
Rev. Anderson gave the Memorial Day thought. Rev. Anderson said we have the opportunity for freedom, the opportunity for peace, and the opportunity for worship due to the commitment of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. She said we have so many opportunities in a country filled with God’s many blessings and gifts. She spoke about how nowadays people don’t feel safe in schools, churches, etc. She said we need to make a move and pray humbly and seek God’s way. She said we must turn from our wicked ways. She said one person’s prayer can make a difference. Prayer does wonderful things.
She said America can be restored when the church is brought back where it should be. She said God has done His part and now it is up to us.
The congregation sang “God Bless America.” James David Lane gave the benediction and blessing of the meal. The postlude was played by Daphne Hayes.
Afterwards everyone went to a chicken bog and macaroni and cheese lunch prepared by Charles Taylor with various sides and desserts prepared by church members.