Meredith Gunter was baptized in a beautiful and touching ceremony Sunday morning by Rev. Jim Newsome at Sardis Baptist Church. We will have another exciting day this Sunday with Sheila McGinty coming from Florida to be baptized especially by Rev. Newsome. Jim is special to all of us at Sardis as he was in Vero Beach, Fla.. He has been back to Florida to perform weddings and baptize a person in the ocean since coming to Sardis in September of last year. As the service continued, Joyce Fry led in the wonderful singing of hymns as Rebekah Echols played the piano. The children had their message and prayer at the altar with Rev. Newsome after which they went downstairs to the annex for children's church with Denise Armour and Jackson Armour. The sermon for us was "What Kind of Branch Are You?" with Bible reading from John 15:1-8. Special prayer was given for rain and the sick and bereaved. Sunday School was held for the residents of the Echols Home by Nina Boatwright. Prayer meeting is held every Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Echols Home. ƒRev. Newsome introduced a special little girl to the congregation Sunday morning. Five-week-old Madison LeAnne Armour was at church for her very first time with her parents, John and Jennifer Armour, and brother, Mason. ƒWe have missed Thomas Fleming at Sardis for the past two Sundays due to his farm accident. He was always sitting there in his same seat every Sunday. He is doing as well as he can but has a long road to recovery. He is at home on the Sardis Road and being taken care of by his wife Ann and son Larry with tender loving care with help of family and friends. They are so appreciative for all the prayers, acts of kindness, and the concern of their family and friends. Please continue your prayers for him. ƒVacation Bible School began Sunday evening at Sardis with a large crowd attending. The commencement will be held at 6:30 pm. Friday evening with family and friends invited for the program and fellowship with refreshments in the annex following. ƒThe WMU of Sardis Baptist Church is sponsoring a Bible study and invites all ladies to attend. The Bible study will start Tuesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. and will be held in the annex of the church. Ruth Rogers will lead this eight-week study of the Book of Mark. If you would like to learn more and understand the Bible better, please come and join us on Tuesday evenings for the next eight weeks. ƒGeorge and Ann Wideman visited at Beggs Funeral Home in Lincolnton one day last week for their cousin, Norman Kendall McCall, who passed away at the age of 25. Our sympathy goes out to the family. ƒBonnie Boatwright visited Linda and Gene Stevens in Ficklen Monday afternoon of last week. Linda, who has had treatments for lung cancer, is having some after-affects of her treatments, but is doing pretty good. She received good test results Friday of last week, but is awaiting the results of other testing later. Please keep Linda in your prayers. ƒ Our prayer list continues for Thomas Fleming, Danny (son of Rev. Newsome's friend), Ruby (caregiver of Martha Hall's sister-in-law Helen), the family of Keith Standard, Betty Hight (Loretta Cates' sister), Loyd Echols, Jerry Robinson, Ed and Velma Crook, Frank Turner Jr., James Poss, Vince Price, Ann Williamson, Mildred Sisson, Sue Davis, Ruth Bell, Genelle Gill, Jenelle Newsome, Charles Blakey, Becky Thomasson, Sherry Newsome, George Wideman, Gary Rogers, Mike Webb, Kathryn Padgett, Eric Arnold, Chris Charping, Joe Charping, Linda Stevens, Nancy Moon, Les Goddard, George Casey, Joyce Bowen, Roberta Roper, Sonny Chafin, Bob Hall, Frances Moon, Cindy McCarty, Pete Poss, Pete Hardy, Emily Rorie, Thomas Goolsby, Sallie Mae Arnold, Nell Hubbard, Dorothy Callaway, Tom Bufford, Morrison and Priscilla Maxwell, Frankie Shank, Harold Barnes, Adriane Rymes, Connie Pete, Stephanie Adams, Dan and Mildred McAvoy, Jerry McAvoy, Herman and Maude Mauldin, Katie Goolsby, Fran Thaxton, and Bonnie Boatwright. ƒWe extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of Joe Bufford and Keith Standard. They will be greatly missed by their family and friends. ƒJ.W. and Bonnie Boatwright attended a class reunion Saturday at Ryan's in East Athens of the 1956 Class of Oglethorpe County of which Bonnie was a member. Twenty classmates were present with their spouses. Present were J.W. and Bonnie Boatwright, Minan Blanchard Maxwell, Carole Deane Morgan, Helen Jones Smith, Ann Capes Graham, Jeanette Stewart Parham, Betty Wray Glover, Syble Murray Holloman, Jane Buckman Ridgeway, Martha Rogers Shedd, Ladyne Brooks McDonald, Joyce Pledger Silvey, Basil and Sylvia Thomas Esco, Billy and Nelle Bradshaw White, Morris and Dare Paul Smith, Jimmy Coile, Wiley and Martha Stockton, Dallas Grimes, Jacob and Thelma Day, and Harvard and Jody Hurt Hopkins. ƒBilly Amason joined his sister, Susan Amason of Flowery Branch, and his aunt, Kate Nicholson of Winder, for a seven-day trip to Florida, visiting Dick and Nellie Jane Burklew in Melborne. While there they attended the high school graduation of Ricky Burklew, son of Richard and Laura Burklew in Palm Bay. They traveled on to Clermont where they attended the pre-kindergarten graduation of Loah Burklew, daughter of Matt and Terri Burklew. ƒEthan Armour joined 10 of his classmates for an exciting and funfilledsenior trip to Cancun, Mexico, last week. ƒ Frances Fendley accompanied Debra (Bobby) Armour to Crawford to visit Melvie Esco at Quiet Oaks while Debra attended a meeting. ƒBonnie Boatwright spent Wednesday in Bogart with her sister, Martha Jones. They met their sister, Frankie Jones of Athens, and brother and sister-in-law, James and Sharon Smith of Stephens, for lunch at Fatz in Athens. ƒGeorge and Mozelle Casey visited her sister, Frances Fendley, Sunday afternoon. ƒRichard Burkett, Joan Perez and Frances Fendley went to Lexington and visited Jennifer Glenn and family. ƒ Jackson Armour celebrated his 11th birthday Thursday and Friday by having friends to spend the night. Friday, a party was given for Jackson with family and friends attending. ƒBobby and Jane Shedd and two of their grandchildren of Atlanta visited Johnny and Kathryn Shedd Sunday. ƒAaliya Berry has been attending a two-week basketball camp in Washington. Ruby Arnold takes her every day and visits with Julie Berry while Aaliya is at camp. ƒFaye Johnson of Gray spent the weekend with Ruby Arnold. Saturday, Ruby, Faye, Dorothy Callaway, Kim and Aaliya Berry joined other family members for dinner at the home of Robbie Hubbard in Lexington honoring Martha Williford on her 75th birthday. Robbie cooked a wonderful dinner with several desserts including a coconut cake which everyone enjoyed. A good time was enjoyed by all. ƒPeggy Echols was a bit under the weather with a virus Sunday evening when I called her. We hope she is feeling much better by now. ƒBoyce and Pam Hall, Lindley and Avery camped out at Elijah Clark Park for several days during the week. Josh Callaway joined them some of the time. ƒBonnie Boatwright enjoyed going to eat Sunday dinner with Lamar and Kay Berry, Trey Berry, Brooke Berry, Kaitlyn and Bryson Porter. J.W. and Bonnie went to Thomson Thursday and while there enjoyed eating at Ivery's. ƒThe beautiful flower arrangement in the sanctuary of Beaverdam Baptist Church Sunday was placed by Barry Echols in memory of his mother, Ann Corbett.