A community hymn sing is scheduled 6 p.m. Sept. 15 at First Presbyterian Church, located at 492 N. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview. All are welcome to this fun time of singing hymns, which the congregation gets to choose.
Bring your family; you will enjoy praising the Lord with other Christians from our community. Please bring a finger food to share for the fellowship afterward, time when we can get to know each other better.
This is one of my favorite events in our community and I would like to see you there. Bring your voice and get ready to make a joyful noise.
Hurricane readiness
We got to test our preparedness skills this past week with Hurricane Dorian. Did you and your family pass? Did you have enough water, canned food and pet food to last for at least a week? Did you remember to get your prescriptions filled?
Do you and your family have an evacuation plan in place that includes your pets, as they are more vulnerable than we are? Do you have all of your financial records easily available should you need to evacuate, your mortgage information, birth and marriage certificates, passports, banking records and so forth?
Don't forget your phone, tablet and computer chargers, as well as your contacts or eyeglasses.
Hurricane Dorian was a visible reminder that we cannot let our guard down during hurricane season, which lasts until Nov. 30 each year. We must be vigilant and prepared and not take storm season lightly. Make sure you have plenty of fresh batteries and flashlights on hand should we lose power.
As of this writing, the Carolinas are getting hit by heavy wind, rain, tornadoes and may get storm surges. This will no doubt affect many people and they will need our help, both money and supplies.
The devastation in the Bahamas is horrific. If you would like to donate money or supplies, for either the Bahamas or the Carolinas, here is a partial list of organizations that are helping restore life for those affected by the hurricane.
Of course, your local church may also be participating in this relief effort, so you may wish to check with them.
•Salvation Army: www.salvationarmy.org/
•Operation Blessing: www.cbn.com/
•Samaritan's Purse: www.samaritanspurse.org/
•United Methodist Committee on Relief: www.umcor.org/
•Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: http://pda.pcusa.org/
•Southern Baptist Disaster Relief: www.namb.net/southern-baptist-disaster-relief/
Remember, we could be in this situation too, so please give generously.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hymn sing set, hurricane preparedness tested