Pastor Eric Goes to Washington

On Wednesday morning (7/7/12 from 9-1), I will join 64 other Baptists in a Baptist Briefing and Dialogue at the White House.  In preparation for this event, I held a listening session with my congregation - First Baptist Cornelia - to better understand our community - Habersham County, GA.  Here are the raw results gathered together around common concepts.  

1. Describe Habersham County and Cornelia, GA to an outsider.

·         Great Community:  Friendly, rural community, Friendliness of people, Best place to raise children, Safety on all city streets – all hours, Small town, Friendly, Tourist area, Great people, Friendly people, 35,000 – 40,000 people, Lots of outdoor recreation

·         Natural Beauty:  foothills of the Appalachian mountain range, Beautiful ‘hills’ of north Georgia, Pastoral and has many mountain views, Wonderful climate, Rivers with pure, clean water, Mountains, Pleasant weather, Beautiful, scenic county in foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, The hills, mountains, & rivers

·         Religious:  You can tell we are in the Bible belt, Have a variety of churches, Over 150 + churches of different denominations, Lots of churches – lots of Baptists

·         Close to everything:  Close proximity to mountains and cities, An hour and a half from Atlanta

·         Mixed culturally – Hispanic and Caucasian

·         Business (strong/struggling):  Chicken processing plant, Johnson & Johnson division that makes sutures sold world-wide, Depressed economically, Many banks have been closed by FDIC, We have an airport, Apple orchards, Vineyards, Trains all across the county

2. Describe the brightest horizon for our county and city – what is our biggest hope, opportunity for the future?

·         Growing Economy:  New opportunities for work, Tourism/movie industry, Agriculture & poultry industry, Primed & ready for industry

·         Education:  Our school facilities are excellent, Piedmont College for higher education, Good schools

·         Public Resources:  Up-to-date airport, public schools, modern hospital, New high school, fabulous hospital, Nice city park

·         Hope for the future:  That things will at least be as good as they were a few years ago financially for all the small towns in Habersham, Bright future for our children, Our hope is to reach out to the hungry & hurting people

·         Strong Community:  Grows in a way that maintains character of the county, Very little racial problems, We have caring people,

·         Community Partners:  Habersham United Believers – to have ministry center, Celebrate Recovery/Freedom Hill, Child Abuse Habersham

3. Describe the Biggest Challenges to our county and city. What must we overcome to achieve the best for our county?

·         Drugs:  Get rid of drug manufacture, Drug problem, Drug control, Drug problem, Drug problems, especially meth

·         Poor Economy:  Lack of work and jobs, Need industries and jobs, Employment growth, Housing problem, Foreclosures, Economic recession, Unemployment is very high

·         Infrastructure:  Need drought-proof water system, Efective law enforcement

·         Poverty: Unwed teenage mothers, Poverty – many Title 1 schools

·         Education:  Lack of education, Drop-out rate is high

·         Immigration/multi-cultural:  Illegal aliens, Gaps between the cultures in our county

·         Health Care:  The health care system needs a complete overhaul

4. Have each person name a constructive idea, thought or dream to be presented to leaders of our federal government.

·         Campaign Finance:  Not spend so much money in running for office

·         Government Safety nets:  Protect social security, Better care for children and seniors, Teach people to be self-sufficient rather than relying on government, Address the problem of people abusing Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, child                    welfare

·         Government Process:  Congress to work together, all incumbent in office resign and Christian people to get involved in the political arena, No raises for people in office – can’t vote to raise your salary, Government elected officers should have same healthcare as the public

·         Leadership:  We need real followers of Jesus in office in our government and them not be afraid to let it be known!

·         Religious Liberty:  Christians and their beliefs are being put down. As Baptists, we believe in freedom of religion and separation of church and state.

·         Economy:  Hire more teachers, More incentives for small businesses

           

5. What is most on your heart? What else needs to be said?

·         Care for the Underclass:  We need facilities for those who are homeless, need to get off drugs (something other than jail), are jobless, and have lost everything. It seems that people who try the hardest get the least help

·         Economy:  Unemployment, Economy, Gas prices

·         Government:  Control government spending, Control over identify theft

·         Religion:  We need more prayer for our nation, The government & the church should remain separate but the government should not treat churches differently than other organizations, family values are important, Protection of our religious freedoms

           

6. What Washington DC monument or location do you most want to see in a picture with  Pastor Eric?

·         Martin Luther Memorial

·         Vietnam Memorial

·         On top of the Washington Monument

·         Mount Vernon

·         Lincoln Memorial, On top steps of Lincoln Memorial

·         White House (inside)

·         Smithsonian

·         Ted Bundy’s VW @ the Criminal Justice Museum