VBS 2011
We had a great time this year during Vacation Bible School. Our VBS enjoyed great attendance,
and we offered classes for all ages. VBS is a time of making new friends, seeing some old faces, having fun and learning
about the love of God. It is also a time of sowing seeds: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth; it shall not return unto my void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Pastor Emeritus T. H. Hawkins Passes Away
(September 30, 1918 --- February 13, 2011)
On February 13, 2011, Rev. Thomas
Houston Hawkins, 92, went home to be with the Lord. Following 28 years of service
as pastor of Poplar Springs, Rev. Hawkins continued to be an essential element of our church upon his retirement from the
pastorate in 1980. Always supportive of our pastors and deacons, willing to deliver a sermon (at Poplar Springs or elsewhere)
when needed and eager to delight us with a song, Brother Hawkins leaves a tremendous void. However, we know he would
want us to rejoice and be glad. For he is with the Father and his dear wife, Mary, to whom he was so devoted for 65
years prior to her passing in 2005. Often, Rev. Hawkins sang a song titled "Heaven," in which his rich voice
would reverberate throughout the sanctuary with the chorus line, "Heaven, can you imagine?......" Today, Heaven
is a reality for Brother Hawkins. Let us therefore celebrate his life, cherish the wonderful memories and strive to
be Godly examples that others might see Christ in us as we did in him.
Steeple Moved from
Educational Building to Sanctuary
Subsequent to the re-roofing of
our sanctuary in 2009, we had desired to remove the white fiberglass steeple and replace it with the beautiful copper steeple
that has sat atop our educational building (old sanctuary) for decades. On October 28, 2010, the steeple was moved,
and we are very pleased with how the steeple's verdigris has enhanced the building's appearance. Our objective
is to eventually replace the current educational building with a modern facility. By moving the old steeple to our main
building, we are able to preserve a portion of a building that bore witness to much of our church's history.
