All in Columns
Hickory Grove's Methodist leanings in the mid to late 1860s ended by the close of the decade. Although the Church would eventually become a permanent Methodist work, the 1870s brought about a denominational interlude with the Baptists that lasted a dozen years.
This Saturday, April 18, promises to be a busy day for those interested in food and music. The CSS Neuse Foundation is hosting this year’s first “Breakfast on the Boat” on April 18. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the CSS Neuse II, the replica gunboat in dry dock at the corner of Herritage and Gordon streets.
The Young Professionals of Lenoir County are sponsoring a KickBall Tournament on April 25, 2026 at Fairfield Park. It promises to be a lot of fun as well as an opportunity for networking.
The observance of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday is one of the largest of the year. Maundy Monday is the Monday of Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. It is the day following Palm Sunday. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum meaning commandment, reflecting Jesus having given a new commandment.
The Lenoir County Farmers Market will resume business beginning Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 a.m., and there is no doubt this is one of the most anticipated dates of the year. Nothing beats fresh, farm-grown local vegetables, and two favorites are always strawberries and asparagus.
Historical records indicate that Hickory Grove Church of Bucklesberry began as a Free Will Baptist (F.W.B.) work. Organized by 1841, it remained F.W.B. until dismissal from the Original F.W.B. Conference in 1864 for reasons unknown. By 1867, evidence suggests it was leaning Methodist through a loose association with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (M.E.C.S.) Conference.
As is the theme of my life, I am a day late and a dollar short on writing anything for Women’s History Month. The last column I wrote was about famous women who did good, but were terrible humans. This time, I thought I’d write about the women who are making history every day.
If you type “Ed Terry The Circuit Riding Preacher” into a Google or YouTube search, you will arrive at a link to a video that features a historic church in Lenoir County: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGn0l7ovnnc
Finally, Spring is springing, daffodils are blooming Easter decorations are everywhere, and some yummy produce is in season. Carrots are such a symbol of spring and Easter and all things bunnies, so be sure to take advantage of them while they are fresh.
A prayer partner Minister Linda Greene of New Bern asked me to write about an experience with a flower. A neighbor rang my door bell one day and she and her daughter stood there with a flower to give to me as a a gift. First the flower was a bulb with long roots hanging down already, ready to plant in soil. But it was housed in a beautiful little glass vase to keep it in. So I set it on a table in a room by the window.
Thinking back to the years I spent as a classroom teacher sometimes makes me proud. One of a teacher’s most gratifying experiences is giving students an assignment that seems to resonate with them – well, most of them.
I was reminded the other day that some people were not taught to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Some people did not attend Sunday School or have parents who drilled the Golden Rule into them. They bully their way through life making up stories to fit what their goals are. They lie on people with no regard to what it does to the other person. As long as they get what they want, they steam-roll over and through others to get it.
For a couple of years or more protein has been the buzz word for dieting, especially among the aging population. What are the benefits of increasing the amount of protein in your diet and what are some ways to do it safely?
Imagine going to school every day with statues of long-dead men lining the walkway. Their names are memorized through deliberate instruction in South Carolina classrooms. Wade Hampton III, Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, Thomas Sumter and Andrew Pickens are known far and wide for their Revolutionary War prowess.
I’m a creature of habit. Every workday, the alarm sounds at the same time. The coffee brews on schedule. The first hour of our day is in quiet: meditating, reading, orienting, caffeinating, praying, planning. Most evenings for 12 years, we’ve walked the dog after dinner.
Although women did not have the guarantee of general voting rights until the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920, women who owned property in New Jersey were allowed to vote from 1776 through 1807. Beginning in 1869, women in the Western territories won the right to vote.
When I was young, my camp counselor at the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Camp taught me how to relax into floating on my back in the swimming pool. The body of water seemed so big to me then. I felt the need to control my little body in it. But the wise counselor taught me how to allow the water to support me. And when I followed her advice, swimming became easy peasy. She simply said to "Lean back and let go."
Hickory Grove was organized as a Free Will Baptist (F.W.B.) congregation by 1841. Evidence suggests they met as a house church until their building was constructed around 1860. Although it continued as an F.W.B. work throughout the 1840s and 1850s, little is known about Hickory Grove during the 1860s.
St. Patrick's Day is a holiday known for parades, shamrocks and all things Irish. From leprechauns to the color green, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage. Some even celebrate with Shepherd’s pie.
I woke up with the sun streaming through the windows and knew the time had come to commune with nature, drop my kayak in the water, and float down the Neuse. The plans were set. I was ready to go. There is something deeply soul-soothing about spending an hour or two away from civilization.
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