Church Women United give awards

More than 100 people were present for the fifth annual Church Women United Human Rights Celebration Friday evening, August 6, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

The theme for the evening program was “Living The Challenge, Differently Enabled, Uniquely Called.” The theme was carried out by guest speaker Wanda Osborne Foil as she spoke on the topic “I Hold in my Hands A Treasure.” The “logo” for the celebration depicted many hands of different colors, shapes, and sizes reaching out to one another in love to share each one’s unique ‘treasure.’

Wanda was born blind and has accomplished amazing things in her life. She told of the challenges in her life and witnessed to her deep faith in God as she related her own life experience with stories of outstanding women in the Bible, who each also had “treasures” in their hands and who used them for God. Just as Deborah in the Bible was given the treasure of wisdom and used that wisdom to become an important judge in her day and to lead the Israelites to defeat the Canaanites, Wanda’s parents used their faith and wisdom to provide opportunity for her to be educated at the Gov. Morehead School for the Blind and to go on to earn a degree in psychology at Pfeiffer College and a master’s degree in communications at UNC-Greensboro.

Wanda challenged those present with the words, “We each hold in our hands many God-given treasures and we can realize the rewards of those treasures through our relationship with God. The treasure of wisdom comes from prayer and daily Bible reading. Reading each chapter of the Bible is as though you are panning for gold, and each chapter holds a gold nugget for us to discover.”

Other biblical examples that Wanda used were Rachel and Leah in Genesis who were so involved with comparing themselves with each other that they missed the treasure of wisdom; Hannah in I Samuel who was bitter because of her barrenness but used the treasure of worship to find God’s favor in giving her son totally to the Lord; and the widow woman in Mark who used all the treasures God had given her, which included wisdom, obedience, worship, God’s favor and faith that God would provide for her when she gave her last two mites as an offering to God. We, too, can hold all these treasures if we know God. In summary, Wanda challenged us to seek and acquire these treasures and to use them to help others, to contribute to the world and to praise God. She concluded with an a cappella solo “In everything I do, let my life praise you.” Adding much significance to the program was the lovely, flowing signing for the deaf done by Beverly Maulden of Concord.

President of the Salisbury-Rowan Unit of CWU, Betty Jo Hardy, opened the meeting with a welcome, and a welcome to Sacred Heart Catholic Church was given by Father John Putnam, host pastor. Hardy introduced and welcomed special guests, the Rev. Aldin E. Damon and his wife Shirley Damon, N.C. State CWU President. Shirley Damon gave words of welcome and encouraged members to attend the Southeast Regional CWU Gathering at Lake Junaluska in October. Mary Frances Rouche, a long-time member of CWU and a member of Sacred Heart, also gave words of welcome.

Others participating in the program were Dorothy Gill-Smith, coordinator of the whole celebration, Shirley Holness, Dellene Gudger, Montrella Davis, Hilda Pyatt, Jean Kennedy, Mavis Moss, Ginny Reed and Lynn Bolick.

Two Human Rights Awards were given as a highlight of the evening Pal Barbara Turner, of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church was recognized for her untiring work (in spite of her physical challenges of diabetes, a heart condition and two knee replacements), of helping to care for and feed her community and surrounding communities, of providing transportation for those in need, of babysitting, of hospital sitting, and of helping anyone with any possible need. Her husband, Dewitt Turner, and 23 of her fellow church members were there to see her receive the award.

Wanda Osborne Foil, guest speaker for the event, was surprised with the second of the two awards. Her husband, George Foil, accompanied her.

Wanda, who is a member of First Baptist Church, sings in the choir, is a prayer leader, and often leads Bibles studies there. She speaks and sings frequently elsewhere as well as plays guitar. She teaches communication classes part time at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and has worked as a consultant for several sight-impaired students. She and George have one daughter, Robin, who is a sophomore a East Rowan High School.

Twenty churches were represented by the 101 people who attended the celebration. Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church earned the attendance banner with 23 present, and Sacred Heart Catholic had nine present. The Catholic Daughters of Sacred Heart offered a refreshment and hospitality period following the program.