Mt. Olivet News

By Donna Traywick

I will start off this week’s column by announcing the loss of my sister Ruby Williams this past week who was just shy of her 95th birthday. Her graveside service was held Nov. 6 at Forrest Memorial Park.

After attending Ole Miss, Ruby taught business at Black Jack High School then moved to Sledge where she resided for the next 74 years. Upon moving there she worked for F.O.James Gas Company until she retired. She was a member of Sledge United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School. I called her each Sunday to tell her about church.She never forgot her Mt.Olivet friends.

I got a call from former Governor ,the honorable Ronnie Musgrove, last week to give his condolences. During his teenage years he spent his summers in Sledge where he earned money by driving a tractor for his sister Cathy and Calvin Johnson who farmed there.

Like almost all Delta farmers, they did business with the gas company and wondered who that nice lady was that always waited on them that turned out to be my sister. I appreciated his condolences as well as the many others that my family received.

While waiting at the Methodist Church recently for Jay Westfaul to come give me a demonstration on the pipe organ, I began walking around to admire the beautiful structure when a gentleman in a white pickup was leaving the parking lot when he saw me walking around and stopped to ask me if I needed any help.

I explained what I was doing and we enjoyed a nice little chat. As he turned to leave I asked him, “Are you the custodian?”

“No,”he replied, “I am the pastor.”

Mt. Olivet Methodist Church is collecting items for the Shoe Box Ministry. 

In the summer of 1993, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham received a call from a man in England asking if he would be willing to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in war torn Bosnia. Franklin agreed, but because it was summer he forgot about it until he received a call around Thanksgiving asking about the gifts.

Franklin asked the pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, NC, to help and within weeks the church had 11,000 shoeboxes lining the hallway.Since 1993, more than 188 million children in more than 170 countries have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.

Did you enjoy your extra hour this week? My choice is daylight saving time, but I will put up with it until March 13, 2022. Daylight saving time was first used in Canada in 1908 and was imposed by President Roosevlt during WWI to save fuel.

In 1966 congress passed legislation setting a standard that superseded local habits. All states observe Daylight Savings Time except for Hawaii and Arizona.

It’s getting close to Thanksgiving Harvest supper time. Mt. Olivet’s harvest supper will be Sunday, Nov.14 at 2 p.m while Black Jack will hold its harvest Saturday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m.

Send me your Thanksgiving traditions by text or phone at 901-828-8824.