CRESTVIEW — October is Clergy/Pastor Appreciation Month. Have you thought about the amount of time and effort our pastors put into their jobs? Pastors make the time to be there for their congregants when a member is ill, they make hospital visits, they comfort us when our loved ones go to heaven and they pray for us regularly.

Additionally, congregations expect relevant weekly sermons that are interesting and based on Scripture, which requires intense sermon preparation time. As the spiritual leader of the local congregation, the pastor must have a strong personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to be effective and be a mature Christian with strong moral character. Additionally, they must be well versed in the Scripture, which requires hours of Biblical study.

An effective pastor spends hours in prayer to discern the will of God and get his wisdom. In addition to the preaching and teaching duties, they are generally the church's Administrator. They are available almost 24 hours a day.

These days pastors are under a great deal of stress. Many hospitals don't allow in-person visitation and so these types of visits are either on the phone or perhaps through Skype or Zoom. Because of the stress that people feel, pastors are counseling and comforting their members more than usual.

Pastors are also required to have terrific listening skills, be tactful under all circumstances, as well as being organized and methodical to ensure all church programs run smoothly. Congregations have many expectations for their Pastor, but we must remember that our pastors are human and need our love, encouragement and support.

Here are some practical ways to show appreciation and be a blessing to your pastor.

• Faithfully pray every day for the pastor.
• Pray for his/her family.
• Pray for his/her study time that the Lord would be with them and bestow his discernment.
• Pray for wisdom for the pastor.
• Pray the Lord will strengthen your pastors marriage and family.
• Pray for protection from spiritual attacks.
• Pray for God's guidance for your pastor.
• Offer to babysit so the pastor and his wife can go out to dinner.
• Offer to mow the lawn or run errands for their family.
• Buy them a gift card to a local restaurant or home improvement store.
• Pay for them to attend a pastors conference.
• Write a note of encouragement to your pastor and their spouse.
• Invite them over for a meal.

Please make an effort during October to convey your genuine gratitude and thankfulness for all that your pastor does to make your church run smoothly.

We have many terrific pastors here in Crestview. Please give them your thanks.

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: HAPPENINGS: Ways to show your appreciation for pastors in October

CRESTVIEW — As the county seat continues to “raise the bar” when it comes to its citizens’ quality of life, a new division of the Parks and Recreation Department has been established specifically to enhance the city’s cultural life.

With the start of the new fiscal year, the new Cultural Services Division officially became operational Oct. 1. Crestview’s former public information officer, Brian Hughes, heads the new office, eventually operating out of the historic Bush House after its planned renovation.

One of Hughes’ first tasks is overseeing the renovation project that will give what was originally the 1926 home of Louisville and Nashville Railroad track supervisor Lorenza Bush and his family a new life as a Crestview history museum.

“I love museums,” Hughes said. “I have been in probably hundreds of them, good and not-so-good here and abroad. My hope is our museum will effectively tell the story of Crestview and some of our most interesting people in a setting that is already historic.”

Currently, the Bush House, adjacent to City Hall on the south side of the railroad tracks, houses Okaloosa County Elder Services, which will most likely relocate to the Woodruff Avenue Public Safety building.

The museum’s creation will be done in partnership with the city’s Historic Preservation Board, which for many years has searched for a space to share Crestview’s history. A state allocation will fund the renovation without using Crestview tax money.

Transformed and refitted

Over its 95 years as a residence, boarding house, public offices and even a storm shelter, the solidly-built home has been transformed, refitted and altered. Electrical conduit snakes around the walls and ceilings, bare fluorescent tubes light almost every room, and gray industrial carpet covers almost every square foot of heart pine floor, and what it doesn’t cover, linoleum does.

“I think as the renovation work begins, this wonderful old house is going to share some surprises with us, as old houses do, and maybe dictate what approaches we take as we get this grand old lady in shape to again receive callers,” Hughes said.

Because no interior photographs or blueprints have been found, the restoration will not be an exact recreation of what the house was like when the Bush family lived in it. However, Hughes plans to restore the north front living room and the dining room to period accuracy.

“It will be a great opportunity to exhibit early 20th-century and late 19th-century domestic wares like china, cookware, furnishings, and so on that local homes might have had,” Hughes said. “The American Victorian was still very much alive well into the '20s and was a marvelous hodgepodge of patterns and styles.”

The main exhibit room is in the house’s southwest section, and was originally two separate rooms plus a formerly open porch that were opened up into one large, unusually shaped room over the years. Some of the exhibits will change from time to time.

“For a town that is officially only 105 years old, we’ve had a pretty colorful history,” Hughes said. “We won’t have enough space to share it all, so I foresee rotating exhibits that will encourage our residents and visitors to keep coming back as new materials go up.”

City leaders plan for the museum to open next spring or early summer, depending on what secrets the Bush House reveals as renovations get underway within weeks.

Nature and arts

The new Cultural Services Division will also encompass the McMahon Environmental Center in Crestview.

A ribbon cutting for the center's children's playground is scheduled 2-5 p.m. Oct. 23 at the center, 130 Butler Circle, Crestview.

Visitors can also peruse the new exhibit hall, which includes artifacts curated by the park’s founder, the late forester John McMahon. The collection includes stuffed local wildlife and artifacts from local forestry industries.

Future plans call for renovating and restoring the Environmental Center’s old Boy Scout hut, one of several still surviving in Okaloosa County, a project for which a community effort is already underway.

Other Cultural Services programs will include partnering with Mayor JB Whitten on his Mayor’s Cultural Series events; supporting the Crestview Community Chorus; and helping establish a community theatre troupe.

The division will also partner with organizations including the Main Street Crestview Association and Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce during local events, and with the Crestview Public Library on art exhibitions, cultural displays and historic programs and classes. Area history institution partners will include the Carver-Hill Museum and the Baker Block Museum, Hughes said.

“Just imagine a daylong museum crawl taking you through our regional Black history and culture, North Okaloosa heritage, and the story of our county seat,” Hughes said.

Upcoming events presented by Cultural Services include a Pearl Harbor 80th anniversary commemoration and Christmas Ball Nov. 27; and a major World War II commemoration in Twin Hills Park in April 2022 for the 80th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. For the latter event, the Cultural Services Division will partner with living history corps from around the country.

“This new division truly displays the city’s commitment to enhancing our community’s cultural life,” Hughes said. “Through our partnerships with community organizations, a wide array of cultural opportunities for our families and visitors is about to open up.”

Crestview’s new arts specialist

Since childhood, Brian Hughes has been an enthusiast of the visual and performing arts. As a toddler, he’d ride a bus with his mom into New York from their rural New Jersey to see Broadway plays, and remembers being captivated by live actors — performing, he assumed, just for him. He has served the Crestview community by volunteering with organizations such as the Okaloosa Arts Alliance-North and the Friends of the Arts.

He was one of the originators of the Music and Arts on Main Street events in the early 2010s, and is chairman of the annual Laurel Hill Arts and Heritage Festival.

He has periodically mounted exhibits of film memorabilia, World War II artifacts “and other stuff,” as he puts it, at the Crestview Public Library, and conducts presentations on a variety of topics, his most recent being a look behind “The Sound of Music” and the lives of the original von Trapp family.

For Crestview’s recent 9/11 Remembrance Day, he wrote and directed a short drama called “Spirits of 9/11.” Hughes also has produced several programs under the Mayor’s Cultural Series, including Crestview’s D-Day and World War II events in 2019 and 2020.

Hughes is Crestview Area Sister City Program president. He holds a master’s degree in architecture from Tulane University and is loving planning the renovation of the historic Bush House into a Crestview history museum.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview establishes Cultural Services Division, to be led by Brian Hughes

CRESTVIEW — The Concerned Citizens Group of Crestview's clothing and shoes give away has been extended.

Everything must go, and everything is free.

"Please come and get whatever you may need," a CCGC spokesperson said.

Further giveaway events are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 16 and 23 at 247 S. Booker St., Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Clothing and shoes giveaway scheduled in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Some years ago John Barrier of Spokane, Washington, dressed in his dirty construction clothes, asked the bank teller to validate his parking ticket. He wanted to save the 60 cents. But because of his appearance, his request was refused.

Barrier asked to speak to a manager, who also refused to validate his parking stub. He then contacted the bank's regional headquarters and threatened to take his money from the bank unless an apology was given by the staff who refused to help him.

No apology came, so he withdrew his money from the bank — $1 million at a time.

Barrier was judged simply by his appearance. A man in construction clothing, dirty from a day of work, couldn’t have been worth what he claimed. Yet he was.

Barrier said, “If you have $100 in a bank or $1 million, I think they owe you the courtesy of stamping your parking ticket.”

It is so easy to judge someone simply by their appearance. Looking at someone creates an impression within us. Our brain unconsciously sifts through countless past encounters with persons who may have had a similar appearance. In a split second, we have an emotional reaction toward a person we have never met – for good or for ill.

For example, did you have an unfortunate bad encounter with a man who, let’s say, had a long ponytail and sported a scraggly beard? You may not consciously remember, but your brain does. As a result, the initial reaction toward all men you see or meet that have the same physical characteristics will be one of caution or dislike.

Yes, many are quick to judge others by their appearance, even though we are called not to as Christians.

We are called to remember that all persons are created in the image of God and worthy of respect. We are not to judge a person by their appearance. We are not to judge another unjustly.

Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

He also said, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

The type of clothing a person wears, the color of one’s skin, the physical appearance one has is not important. We are to show no partiality.

So, love your neighbor as yourself. Show kindness and compassion. Treat all persons with respect.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Christians are to treat all others with respect

4-H is having a 4-H Day at Nixon's Farm Corn Maze. The event starts 9 a.m. Saturday Oct. 16 at 486 Martin Mill Road, Baker.

4-H Day showcases the independent work of youths ages 5 through 18. 

It is not too late to get involved. Don't delay, pick up your entry packet with all of the details for this fun opportunity from the Extension office today!

The excitement starts at 9 a.m. for those bringing entries to the contests. You will not want to miss this day full of family fun and fall memories.

The categories open to entries include Amateur Photo, Craft Corner, Egg Judging, Poultry Show and Auction, and Poster Contest. The entries have to be exhibited in the owner's name only, and only one entry per person is allowed in each category.

This contest is open to everyone 5 through 18 years old. All items for the contest need to be picked up at 1 p.m. the same day.

The poultry show will be an exciting accumulation of all the work that youths have put in since purchasing their chicks from 4-H on June 11, 2021.

The show begins at 10:30 a.m., with the auction to immediately follow. Potential buyers can bid on groups of four hens. The money from the sales is given to the child who raised them.

There are two separate categories for displayed eggs; a dozen eggs in a carton or an egg basket.

Poster contestants can be any 4-H'er or non-4-H’er and will feature 4-H as the poster topic. It may include any variety of methods such as drawing, painting, cutouts, etc.. Posters need to be 14 inches by 22 inches and horizontal. Loose glitter, three-dimensional objects extending greater than 1/8th inch above surface of poster, and well-known cartoon figures cannot be used.

There is also a category for amateur photos that is open to any youth not involved in any way with commercial or professional photography. There are six lots to enter, including nature/landscape, people and animals. The photos may be in color or black and white.

In the Craft Corner category there are five creativity-inspiring lots to enter. The contestants can choose to make a wreath for any season, a Pinterest craft (which should include the picture of the project from Pinterest), a single page layout Scrapbook page, a painted pumpkin, or a carved pumpkin.

Anyone in need of additional information should contact Okaloosa County 4-H Agent Ronnie Cowan at rcowan1@ufl.edu or call 850-826-1316.

Sheila Dunning is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Poultry show, auction, poster contest part of 4-H Day in Baker

CRESTVIEW— November is almost upon us, and that means National Novel Writing Month!

National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) began 22 years ago with a simple premise: to write a minimum of 50,000 words in one month. Now hundreds of thousands of writers from around the world participate each year, with nanowrimo.org as the central hub of support from published authors, mentors, and peers.

At the Crestview Public Library, you can find guidance on your literary adventure at one of our two writer’s groups!

We host a Youth Writer’s Group for ages up to 17 on the first Monday of every month and an Adult Writer’s Group for 18 and above on the last Monday.

Don’t miss this opportunity to write a new chapter in your journey, and join us next month:

• Youth Writer’s Group: 6 p.m. Nov. 1
• Adult Writer’s Group: 6 p.m. Nov. 22

Both groups meet at the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive. We hope to see you there!

If you would like to learn more about all the programs offered at the Crestview Public Library, visit www.cityofcrestview.org/178/library.

Bryan Sarrasin is a clerk at the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: November is National Novel Writing Month

CRESTVIEW — Kindness and compassion never go out of style.

No matter what the latest fashion might be, being thoughtful, polite and compassionate is always the latest "fashion." Since no one knows what tomorrow holds, always be nice to others.

We can't predict the future, so we need to use our time wisely, helping others and sharing our talents. Instead of complaining about each other, let's encourage one another and be thankful for the time we get to spend with them.

One thing that the lockdowns have taught us all is that we may not get to see someone again for a long time and should the Lord call them home, we may not see them again this side of heaven. I have lost many family members and close friends over the past few years and sometimes it is difficult to realize that I will never see nor speak to them again while on this earth.

This got me thinking that while we can, we need to use our time wisely and help others. Here are some constructive ways to help that we can share with others.

• Donate to your church's benevolence fund, so those in need have food and their essential utility bills can be paid.
• Be a supporter of Crestview's homeless shelter. For information call 850-398-5670. They can always use food, clothing, cleaning supplies and other items. Winter is coming, jackets and warm clothing will be needed.
• Foster homeless dogs or cats. Our shelters are full and there are still pets that need food, medical care and a safe place to live until they find a lasting home.
• SOCKS (Save Our Cats and Kittens) and PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society) always need volunteers, pet food, cleaning supplies, and money is always needed for medical care for these sweet pets. Call SOCKS, 850-863-5756; or PAWS, 850-243-1525.

You may also wish to:

• Make and send cards to elderly and home-bound friends, relatives, and church members. A card will cheer up their day and let them know they are remembered and loved.
• Have your children make thank you cards for our firefighters, police officers and sheriff's deputies.
• Make cards with your children to send to a local nursing home or rehab center. There are several here in Crestview.
• Pay a bill for someone you know is struggling financially.
• Make or buy dinner for a single parent who could use a night off from cooking. It doesn't have to be fancy, just plenty of nutritious food for the family. Our local grocery stores have wonderful foods on their deli counters.

These are just some of the ways that we, as residents of Crestview, can reach out and help others in our community and churches.

I have said before that a smile goes a long way when one meets a stranger in a store or other place of business. Say hello and wish them a good day. Many people need a positive word and smile.

Have a great week, and be friendly and gracious.

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: HAPPENINGS: Kindness and compassion are always in fashion

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Public Library has come a long way since Bertha Henry started loaning books to the public out of her East Pine Avenue home in the 1940s.

Now, several buildings and locations around the city later, the library’s current 19-year-old home on Commerce Drive has received some technological and physical upgrades.

And — at last — it even has a café.

“People have asked us for a café for years,” Director Jean McCarthy said. “We’re not at the stage where we have a barista and a selection of baked goods, but we have a place where patrons can bring their own snacks and beverages.”

Located near the Sandra Dreaden Gallery Wall, the Quiet Café offers a spot to sip a coffee, enjoy a treat, and peruse a book.

“But food and drinks have to stay in the café,” McCarthy said.

For younger patrons, the library has added three new early literacy computers and an after-school learning computer for older kids. For smaller patrons, a new reading nook near the story room features kid-sized furniture.

A newly designed circulation desk includes a high-tech check-out system and features a self-check-out kiosk. Behind the scenes, new state-of-the-art technology allows library staff to work more efficiently and provides more information at their fingertips.

More than 160 patrons got a sneak peek at the new facilities Sept. 17. During the hour-long preview, kids enjoyed skewering marshmallows on pretzel sticks and “roasting” them over a tissue paper “campfire” while Youth Librarian Heather Nitzel told stories.

“Public libraries have been around since our country was founded,” McCarthy said. “Our foundation is built on books and service. We may be going high-tech, but we’ll never change what we’re built on.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview library upgrades check-out, adds café

CRESTVIEW — Some years ago, I read a little pamphlet entitled "Missing Heaven by 18 Inches."

The title conjured up an image of someone jumping on a trampoline trying to reach up to heaven’s gate, but who was not able to attain quite enough altitude to reach heaven. Of course, that was not the pamphlet’s message.

How does one miss heaven by 18 inches? If you stop to think about it, the distance from our head to our heart is about 18 inches. 

You can know the entire content of the Bible. You can know a great deal about Jesus Christ, God, and God’s Holy Spirit. You may be able to memorize scripture and recite it word for word. You can have all kinds of facts and figures neatly tucked away in your memory.

But unless you write the word of God on your heart and live it, unless you let the scriptures guide your decisions and actions, your thoughts and beliefs, you will miss heaven by 18 inches. 

The letter of James says, “Those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.” (James 1:25) 

It can be very easy to forget something we hear because we don’t take it into ourselves and engage it. We don’t listen.

Living the word of God in every circumstance brings about God’s blessings in our lives. It may be frightening to follow where God leads. It may be confusing to do as he says instead of what we would sometimes rather do. Yet, when we remain faithful to God, we understand God’s faithfulness more clearly.

James doesn’t mince his words. He comes flat out and says in James 1:26, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”

If we say we are disciples of Jesus Christ but live like we’re not, we become liars.

We may be able to talk the talk, but are we able to walk the talk? Are we able to live what we declare? If we don’t live God’s word, we gain absolutely nothing.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to rise above what the world says. We are called to rise above natural instincts that may want to drive us. We are called to live what God says. 

There is a phrase we all know: “Put your money where your mouth is.” A turn of that phrase might be, “Put your actions where God’s word is.” As a believer in Jesus Christ, don’t let your words of the faith be empty words. Actually live them.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Do not miss heaven by 18 inches

CRESTVIEW — The Concerned Citizens Group of Crestview will have a clothing and shoes give away.

Everything must go, and everything is free!

"Please come and get whatever you may need," a CCGC spokesperson said.

The give away is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9 at 247 S. Booker St., Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Clothing and shoes giveaway scheduled in Crestview