“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16
“You look very familiar to me. Do I know you?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.” I replied. “That will be $5.”
Last year, my family volunteered in the 4H building at the county fair. We sold concessions to fundraise for 4H. My wife and kids worked in the kitchen. My job was to run the cash register. The man handed me $10 and I gave him $5 back.
“You really look familiar. Didn’t I see you last night at the brewhouse?”
“No.”
“The brewhouse has got the best beer, and now you can get liquor by the drink there.”
About that time, a young woman walked up to pay for her hamburger. The man stepped aside and stood there. He stared at her.
“Wow! She’s hot.” he said as she walked away. He continued expressing how good looking he believed she was with several vulgar words. As he stood there talking to me, he dropped five or ten more cuss words.
“Are you sure I don’t know you from somewhere?”
“No.”
“I can’t get over how familiar you look. What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a Baptist preacher. I’m the pastor at First Southern Baptist Church here in Fort Scott.”
I cannot describe the color his face turned at that moment.
He spit, sputtered, and finally said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I read your newspaper column every week. I’m a Baptist too. I’ve even been to your church once or twice. I just don’t go like I ought to.”
There’s a lot of that going around. According to a Pew Research Study, tomorrow morning in America, 70 percent of all those who profess the name of Jesus will not be in church. The same poll found that almost half (46 percent) said the reason they don’t go to church is because they practice their faith in some other way. They believe, as one man once told me, “I don’t have to go to church to be a part of the universal church.”
It is impossible to be a part of the universal church without being part of a local church. To think so, doesn’t make sense. You can’t be part of Kiwanis International without also being a member of a local chapter. You can’t be part of the universal human family without first being a part of a small immediate family.
Every letter in the New Testament was written to Christians in local churches. The phrase “one another” is mentioned 59 times in the New Testament. Fifty-nine times, the Bible gives us a command that we can’t obey without turning to another member of the church and demonstrating the love of God. It is impossible to “one another” by yourself. It is impossible to “one another” in your heart.
The point is:Christianity is not a choose-your-own-path religion. God says you need to go to church. Find a Bible believing church. Then, in the morning, get up and go.
James Collins is pastor of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. He can be reached by phone at (620) 223-2986 or by email at [email protected].
Minority and women-owned businesses are important to the Kansas economy, said David Toland, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Because of this, the department is recognizing businesses across the state, with two from Bourbon County being honored.
“We greatly value the contributions these businesses and advocates provide to our state, from the jobs they create to the way they enrich communities and lives,” Toland said. “On behalf of Governor Kelly, the Department of Commerce and citizens across the state, thank you for keeping our economy strong and vibrant.”
Lindsey Watts, submitted photo.
Lindsey Watts will be honored as Young Enrepreneur by the department.
Watts and her husband own Smallville Crossfit Center in Fort Scott.
To qualify for the Young Entrepreneur, nominees must:
Must be under the age of 30
Must be a minority- or woman-owned business
Must be a small business located in Kansas
Must be in business for at least six months
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, submitted photos.
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, owners of Perry’s Pork Rinds, Bronson are honored in the Supplier/Distributor Firm category.
Criteria for this award is they must be a small business located in Kansas, must be a minority or woman women owned business and must be in business for at least one year.
“In the judging process we have a committee that rates the nominations we receive,” said Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at the Ks. Dept. of Commerce. “The ratings are based on the impact the businesses have made in the community i.e. revenues brought to the community and jobs created. We also look at their growth and development, as well obstacles they have overcome. Their community involvement is also important in the judging process.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development will host its 35th Annual Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon at Capitol Plaza Hotel’s Emerald Ballroom in Topeka on October 10, 2019, with doors opening at 11:20 am.
The event will take place during Kansas Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week and will recognize 12 minority- and women-owned companies, three individuals and one corporation from across the state for their support and efforts to create new opportunities.
Registration for the luncheon is $45 per person or $360 for a table of eight.
This event is open to the public, but registration is required and must be submitted by October 1.
Please visit KansasCommerce.gov/MEDWeek to register or contact Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at (785) 296-3425 or [email protected].
Companies being recognized include:
Women-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJ Industries, LLC
Kansas City, KS
Manufacturing Firm
Safely Delicious, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Professional Service Firm
Century Business Technologies, Inc.
Topeka, KS
Retail Firm
Monroe 816
Garnett, KS
Service Industry Firm
Rosewood Services
Great Bend, KS
Supplier Distributor Firm
Technology Group Solutions, LLC
Lenexa, KS
Minority-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJR Construction Group, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Recently I spent three days in Charlotte, North Carolina, with my friend, Robin, who makes me laugh like no one else I know. No matter if we were walking, shopping, eating (too much) or just hanging out, our conversation almost always turned to Jesus. (And yes, many times Jesus and laughter existed on the same timeline.)
Robin constantly seems to be in the middle of a predicament in which God blesses her unexpectedly. Sunday was no exception. Her husband told us about an after-church street fair that “stretched for several blocks.” We both love craft shows where booths line the curbs and you can find anything from yard ornaments to fresh tomatoes to crazy-fun jewelry.
Since Robin is as directionally-challenged as I am, I set my phone GPS on the location, and off we went. About six blocks from her house, Robin put on the brakes. “We aren’t going to get on a FREEWAY, are we?” Yes, we were. Her jolting U-turn, accompanied by “I CAN’T DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY!” let me know that I would need to look for an alternate route.
When we finally did arrive, I noticed the perfect parking spot and told Robin, “We won’t get closer than this.” Her answer shouldn’t have surprised me. “I CAN’T PARALLEL PARK!”
“You’re not serious!” I said. “What can you do?” Her answer cracked us both up. “Well, I’ve gotten us this far, haven’t I?” Mind you, this is the same person who drove herself into downtown Charlotte a few weeks ago to listen to a band. When the concert ended and she tried to exit the indoor parking facility, the bar (that prevents cars from leaving until the driver pays) would not go up. Thirty minutes after she had alerted everyone but the F.B.I., a parking attendant was sent to fix the problem. Apparently, Robin was sitting at the entrance where you get your ticket and not the exit where you pay. Need I say more?
Anyway, after finding an easier parking spot, we walked around a bend and up a hill, dodging dozens of bikes and strollers as we did. The first booth was occupied by an elderly man with a cassette player, singing “New York, New York” off-key while reading the words from his I-phone. Not exactly the excitement we anticipated.
Six small tents later—two selling snow cones and the other four handing out health information—the booths ended. I stopped a man walking our direction and asked if there were more up the hill and around the bend. He said the booths were scattered for a few miles and questioned what we were looking for. “Crafts and jewelry and things like that.”
“This is a bikeathon and a walkathon,” he responded. “There aren’t any crafts here. Just booths with water and some things for kids to do like chalk painting and bubble blowing.” I turned to Robin and said, “Yes indeedy, you’ve gotten us this far, haven’t you?”
All the way home, driving, of course, on back streets, we laughed, a blessing that exceeded any craft expectations. It wasn’t the only time that day that being in the wrong place was the right thing to do, as we found out later that evening. Robin and I exited a downtown Charlotte restaurant and walked towards our parking garage, my friend insisting that we turn left a block before I thought we should. Soon we passed a homeless man crouched against a building, trying to light a cigarette while clutching a box of cereal. A few steps past him, Robin said, “I can’t go on.” I said that was smart because we were on the wrong street. “No,” she answered. “Did you see how skinny that man was?” (I had not; my priority was to find the garage.) We turned around, gave the man money and hugs, and Robin told him that God loved him. He answered that he wasn’t “a religious person,” but he “sure” was grateful.
“See?” Robin said. “We weren’t on the wrong street after all. God wanted us here to meet that poor man.” She was right. I mean, maybe my sweet friend can’t drive on a freeway or parallel park or find a craft fair, but she recognizes God’s presence when I miss it. I think we all know which is more important.
Kansas Leadership Center’s book “Your Leadership Edge: Lead Anytime, Anywhere.”, and the afternoon session includes a community guest speaker & tour related around the leadership topic of the month.
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
October 3rd-5th at the
Gordon Parks Museum
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW
for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, cast members in The Learning Tree film by Gordon Parks, will receive “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” at the annual celebration this October 3-5, 2019 in Fort Scott, Kansas. The celebration is in honor of Fort Scott Native Gordon Parks, noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker. This year’s celebration is a special one as we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the
Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Treethat was filmed in Fort Scott.
The celebration events will take place at the Gordon Parks Museum, located at the Danny and Willa Ellis Fine Arts Museum at Fort Scott Community College,
2018 S. Horton St., in Fort Scott.
There are 3 special events during the celebration that require ticket reservations:
“A Night of Jazz”
“Picnic at the Park”
“Celebration Tribute Dinner”
SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION FORM BELOW
(Tickets also available from the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.)
For a printable copy of the event schedule and the registration sheet, clickHERE
R2 Construction is building the water feature in the Unsung Heroes Park on Main Street.
A new park is in construction near Wall and Main Street.
The Unsung Heroes Park is located south of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes at 1 S. Main.
The grassy area has been vacant since 2005 when the building sitting on it, burned down.
R2 Construction is currently is doing the excavation and concrete work on the grassy site, and the water-fall will be constructed by DreamScape Innovations, Inc from Mound City, Nuss said
A stage is being planned for the northside of the old Kress building on the south side of the park, and the Rotary Club is donating benches and trash receptacles.
A frontal view of the water feature in an artist’s rendition. This will be a part of the new Unsung Heroes Park. Elaine Buerge is the artist. Submitted photo.
The idea began in 2017 when a small group began planning a park for the green space on the vacant lot in historic Fort Scott.
The group is currently comprised of Elaine Buerge, Bernita Hill, Beth Nuss, and Carolyn Sinn.
After the original research and planning took place, bids were let.
“The bids were not financially feasible,” Nuss said. “So we needed to revisit the plan.”
“All the money we had was donated,” she said.
Then the Timken Company stepped in with a grant of $25,000, “which got us to the top,” Nuss said.
There will be a small fenced area for dogs in the park.
“The area for dogs will try to accommodate pets of people living downtown,” she said.
Governor launches first Council on Tax Reform meeting
Governor Laura Kelly today lauded the successful start of a bipartisan, in-depth study of the state’s tax system.
The Governor’s Council on Tax Reform, which will make specific statutory recommendations to state lawmakers, met for the first time Tuesday and Wednesday in the Capitol.
The meeting began with an overview of state tax policy changes since 2012 and continued with presentations on the current status of revenue, economic development, transportation and labor in Kansas; sales tax requirements; and an overview of property taxes.
“The information helped establish a solid foundation for Council members as they study strategies for tax reform,” Governor Kelly said. “While Kansas continues to recover from the failed Brownback-Colyer tax experiment – and with economic uncertainty in mind – we need to find balance in tax fairness and stability. I expect the Council to deliver recommendations for reform that benefits all Kansans.
“Even with the fiscal fallout we inherited, I presented a balanced budget this past session without increasing taxes – as promised, and we still were able to start rebuilding our foster-care system, infrastructure and other critical programs,” the governor said. “I’ve assembled a Council with wide-ranging expertise needed to address lingering budgetary challenges and make recommendations on ways to keep moving forward in providing services Kansans need and expect.”
The co-chairs of the bipartisan Council reiterated the importance of keeping the tax burden as low as possible.
“As the governor has said, it’s important to proceed with caution,” co-chair Steve Morris, a Republican and former Senate president, said. “While Kansas continues to recover, we must make sure the tax code can support important public investment in core services such as public safety and infrastructure, but without any undue burden on taxpayers.”
Co-chair Janis Lee, a former state senator who was ranking Democrat on the Senate’s tax committee and a chief hearing officer for the Kansas Court of Tax Appeals, agreed. “Poor policymaking by the previous administration put Kansas in the hole. We cannot repeat the mistakes that led to a self-inflicted budget crisis as we pursue commonsense tax reform beneficial to all Kansans.”
Among issues cited during the initial Council meeting:
Sales taxes are high and complicated, with a number of inconsistencies.
High property taxes, a situation worsened by shrinking state support.
The economic health of the state relies on business and population growth, making it imperative to pursue quality-of-life improvements that require stable revenue.
Future meetings of the Council in 2019 are set for Oct. 15-16, Nov. 14 and Dec. 3-4. An interim report by the Council is planned for December 2019, in advance of the 2020 legislative session. A final report is due in December 2020, in advance of the 2021 legislative session.
The Gordon Parks Museum is celebrating the production of the movie The Learning Tree, fifty years ago, during its annual Gordon Parks Celebration Oct. 3-5 in the museum located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
The movie had Fort Scott residents as “extras” and featured scenes from the town, where Parks lived in his youth.
Some of the movie film’s characters will be highlighted at the annual celebration.
Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp were cast members in the movie produced by Gordon Parks 50 years ago and are the recipients of the “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” for 2019.
The “extras” are being asked to come to a reunion of cast members on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The annual event is in honor Parks- noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker.
This year’s celebration will feature several events to include: presentations, special events, tours, reunions, music performances, picnic cookout and a celebration tribute dinner.
Ticket registration is at the bottom of this story.
All events open to the public.
Please reserve tickets early by Wed, Oct 2, 2019 for all the reserved events.
“We are very excited to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Learning Tree film during The 16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration this year with a wide range of great events and activities for all to enjoy,” Sharp said. “The celebration is for everyone to attend. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the life and work of Gordon Parks.”
The Celebration kicks off on Thursday, Oct 3 with a Fort Scott Chamber Coffee at the Gordon Parks Museum and ends with a Tribute Celebration Dinner at The River Room, 3 West Oak, Fort Scott on Saturday, Oct 5, 2019.
2019 GORDON PARKS CELEBRATION
(50th Anniversary of the film The Learning Tree) Schedule of Events
Thursday, October 3
PHOTO EXHIBIT in the Lunt Lobby of the Fine Arts Center. The Merl Humphrey Photography-sponsored photo contest will be on display with the theme of “My Learning Tree, Life Lessons Learned.” Winners will be announced at the Chamber Coffee.
PHOTO EXHIBIT in the Gordon Parks Museum and Lobby of the Fine Arts Center. The Gordon Parks Mercy Foundation Collection with some of Gordon’s photos and poems will be on display.
PHOTO EXHIBIT in the Lobby of the Fine Arts Center. Some behind the scenes photographs of the film The Learning Tree will be on display.
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Registration open outside of Gordon Parks museum.
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. — Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee at the Gordon Parks Museum.
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. — Showing of the film The Learning Tree in the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Guided Trolley Tour of Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott & The Learning Tree Film Scene Locations. Meet at the entrance of the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. See the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. Fee: $7.
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. — Showing of the film The Learning Tree in the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
7:30 p.m. – “Looking Through the Lens at the Historical Greenwood District in Tulsa”
Photographer, Painter, Author and Photo Journalist; Don Thompson will show through photographs and short stories the demise and rise of the Greenwood District during the 1960s and ’70s and the recovery that is now taking place in the 21st century through the faces and spaces he captured with over 50 years of photographic experience. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
Friday, October 4
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Registration open outside of the museum.
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. — Showing of the film The Learning Tree in the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. — “Masters Class of Jazz and Blues” Queen Bey, Kansas City’s Ambassador of Jazz will make a presentation on music and the history of jazz and blues. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center Auditorium. This presentation was supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. FREE.
10:05 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. — “A Conversation with Choice of Weapon Honorees.” The 2019 “Choice of Weapons Award” honorees Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Auditorium. FREE.
11:30 a.m. —“Remembrance Service of Gordon Parks.” Come and gather at the gravesite of Gordon Parks for a memorial service. Evergreen Cemetery. (If inclement weather, the location will be in the Ellis Fine Arts Center). Buses are not allowed in the cemetery.
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. — Grab a sack lunch from the lobby ($8-purchase that day) and join us in the museum.
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. — “Gordon Parks Projects Presentation” Students from the Gordon Parks High School in St. Paul, MN will share some of their latest work and projects about Gordon Parks. FREE.
2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. — “Sarah, Ella, and Bessie: The Mothers of Gordon Parks” John Mason, Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and University of Virginia Department of History. Three women, all of them mothers, played crucial roles in Gordon Parks’ life. His own mother, Sarah Parks, profoundly shaped his character. Ella Watson, who resembled Sarah in many ways, was the subject of his first great photograph. Bessie Fontanelle, like Sarah and Ella, was the glue which held her family together and was the center around which one of his finest photo-essays revolved. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. — “From The Czar of Black Hollywood to the Oscars: Fiction and Filmmaking from Kansas”. Shayna Israel, Project on the History of Black Writing/Department of English, the University of Kansas and Danyelle M. Greene, Film and Media Studies, University of Kansas. The presentation will focus on three major Kansas filmmakers: Oscar Micheaux (Great Bend) Gordon Parks (Ft. Scott), and Kevin Wilmott (Junction City), comparing and contrasting the contributions of three groundbreaking authors and filmmakers in three different eras of American cultural history. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center/Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
5:30 p.m. – 6:30p.m. Guided Trolley Tour Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott & The Learning Tree Film Scene Locations. Meet at the entrance of the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. See the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. Fee: $7.
7:00 p.m. – “A Night of Jazz” (Social Hour starts at 6:00 p.m.) Featuring, Queen Bey (Kansas City’s Ambassador of Jazz) along with heavy hors d’oeuvres and cash bar available. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. Fee: $25.00 which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and tea or water. Reserve Tickets by Wed, Oct.2. This performance was supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Queen Bey
Saturday, October 5
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. — Showing of the film The Learning Tree in the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Registration open outside of the museum.
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – “Behind The Learning Tree” Reunion with some of The Learning Tree cast members: Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, along with David Parks, photographer, film director and author, film crew and extras along with panel discussion and presentations. FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. FREE.
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.— “Picnic at the Park” Come and enjoy a cook-out lunch at Gunn Park, a scene location in the film The Learning Tree. Shelter House #1. (In case of inclement weather, the location will be in the Ellis Fine Arts Center). Please Reserve Tickets by Friday, Oct 4. Fee $8.
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Guided Trolley Tour of Gordon Parks’ Fort Scott and The Learning Tree movie scene locations. Meet at the entrance of the FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Center. See the places in Fort Scott that are part of Gordon Parks’ history. Fee: $7
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. — Showing of the film The Learning Tree in the Gordon Parks Museum. FREE.
7:00 p.m. – “Celebration Tribute Dinner.” (Social Hour starts at 6:00 p.m.) Dinner and evening of tribute; 50th-year anniversary retrospective of the release of the film The Learning Tree and presentation of the 2019 “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” to Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, cast members of the film The Learning Tree. The River Room, 3 W. Oak. This tribute dinner is supported in part by Peerless Products, Inc. in Fort Scott, KS. All seats reserved. Fee: $30.00. (Reserve by Wed, Oct.2)
Sunday, October 6
10:00 a.m. — Breakfast at Nate’s Place. Enjoy breakfast at one of Fort Scott’s finest! Located on the corner of National & 8th Street, you’re sure to find something on the menu to please. Check it out at lyonstwinmansions.com/nates-place-restaurant. (No ticket required-everyone pays for their own)
TICKET PURCHASE FOR THE 2019 CELEBRATION:
Friday, October 4th Night of Jazz -Reservation Only (all other tickets may be purchased on-site). Please reserve by Wednesday, October 2, please!
Saturday, October 5th Picnic at the Park -Reservation Only (all other tickets may be purchased on-site).
Please reserve by Friday, October 4, please!
Saturday, October 5th Tribute Dinner-Reservation Only (all other tickets may be purchased on-site).
Please reserve by Wednesday, October 2, please!
A Night of Jazz: I would like to purchase _______ tickets at $25 each for a total of $ ________.
Picnic at the Park: I would like to purchase _______ tickets at $8 each for a total of $ ________.
Celebration Tribute Dinner: I would like to purchase _______ tickets at $30 each for a total of $ ________.
Total Registration Cost………………………………………………………………..$________.
Name, Address: __________________________________________________________________________
Phone # & Email: _________________________________________________________________________
__________CHECK ENCLOSED payable to the Gordon Parks Museum or
__________Bill to my _________VISA or ________ MasterCard. Card #______________________________
Exp. Date______________ 3-digit Security Code ______________
Questions? Call us at 620-223-2700, ext. 5850 or email: [email protected]
This 16th annual celebration was supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Thank you to Peerless Products, Inc. for their generous support to our Celebration Dinner at the River Room.
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