#reverend lester lowe

[mostlyghostlyy]

The feminine urge to put pathetic men in a snowglobe and shake it wildly

[bacteriophaggot]

delusional yaoi from a fandom that doesnt exist,, me and my friends love this movie/book tho lol

[oh-men-of-dark-and-dismal-fate]

Fellow monster fuckers and hierophiliacs alike...Can someone explain to me why we're sleeping on this freak?!

Rev. Lester Lowe Silver Bullet

[goomo]

hi girl <3

[halloween-post-its]

Day 10 ⛪ Reverend Lester Lowe - Silver Bullet 🐺

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"One of [the new Colony of Vancouver Island's] first orders of business was to appoint [Reverend Edward] Cridge as the superintendent of education, a position he held for nearly ten years. Cridge took his responsibilities seriously, producing a series of detailed reports that catalogued the successes and failures of the common schools.

Cridge ’s reports revealed that the common school system was plagued by problems of poor attendance, improper facilities, and inadequate educational materials. A number of variables explained the low attendance. Weather was one. In his 1860 report, Cridge explained that twenty six students had left the Victoria school during the winter “on account of the state of the weather, intending as the teacher understood, to return in the spring.” Tuition fees, ranging anywhere from five to twelve dollars per year, also posed a barrier for some poor families and contributed to irregular attendance. During the winter of 1857, the classroom at the Victoria school was unusable. Cridge recorded that “the scholars were at present taught in the Kitchen … the Schoolroom being too cold for winter occupation.” Teachers developed creative strategies to address such challenges, including sending some students out for recess while teaching the remainder in the school building. Despite these rough conditions, Cridge noted that the students who managed to attend received a satisfactory education in the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and geography, with some religious instruction as well. Cridge’s reports also showed that the student body of some schools was more heterogeneous than has previously been thought. Reflecting on his experience at the Victoria school, Edgar Fawcett remembered, “our school might be aptly termed a mixed one … There were white boys and black boys, Hebrews and Gentiles, rich and poor, and we all sat close together to economize room.” Cridge reported that twelve “colored” students attended in 1864–65, including “Peter Lester” and “Isabella Lester.” The category of “colored” might have included Iroquois and Pacifc Islanders, or Kanakas, who worked for the HBC, but the Lesters were probably the children of Peter Lester, a Black leader of the National Negro Convention Movement in California who fed north to Victoria. Though “colored” is the only racialized designation to appear on the school lists, simply to assume that all the other children were “white” would be a mistake. Below the Lester children on the roll is listed “James Douglas Govrs Son.” The Indigenous ancestry of Douglas’s children, including his son James, was widely recognized in the colony. Perry notes that the Douglas children grew up enmeshed in “elite Creole-Metis life.” Douglas himself was likely born in Demerara, now Guyana, to a Scottish father and a Creole mother who was classified as a free woman of colour from Barbados. His wife, Amelia Connolly, was the Métis daughter of an influential fur trader with ties to the Red River settlement in what is now Manitoba. Similarly, other children listed in the 1860s attendance records cannot simply be assumed to be white. In the words of critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha, they were “not quite/not white.” Indeed, Perry argues that “whiteness was far from given or salient” in mid-nineteenth-century British Columbia. The attendance records list Isaac Tod as “HBC Farmers Son,” and William Tod has only “HBC” scribbled beside his name. Isaac and William were the sons of HBC chief trader John Tod and his Indigenous wife, Sophia “Martha” Lolo. Student David Work was the son of John Work and his Indigenous wife, Josette Legace. Work moved his family from Fort Simpson on the Northwest Coast to Fort Victoria specifically so that his children could attend school. In analyzing fur-trade societies, historian Sylvia Van Kirk argues that it is “important to differentiate racism along sex lines because prejudice affected males in different ways and usually earlier than it did their female counterparts.” Sons of fur-trade marriages, sometimes racialized as “half-breeds,” were often denied access to elite society. This can explain why Douglas’s son attended a common school, whereas his daughters went to private schools. Douglas even enrolled his youngest daughter, Martha, in a prestigious private school in England and counselled her to keep her Indigeneity a secret."

- Sean Carleton, Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 2022. p. 30-33.

[euggiee]

Draw Reverend Werewolf rn or the pigs get it

Here you go you stinky butt

[rammoram]

Def feeling AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA rn

How are you feelin today? I'm feelin pretty rawr myself

[blackkudos]

A. Philip Randolph

Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was an American labor unionist, civil rights activist, and socialist politician.

In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly African-American labor union. In the early Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, Randolph was a voice that would not be silenced. His continuous agitation with the support of fellow labor rights activists against unfair labor practices in relation to people of color eventually led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802 in 1941, banning discrimination in the defense industries during World War II. The group then successfully pressured President Harry S. Truman to issue Executive Order 9981 in 1948, ending segregation in the armed services.

In 1963, Randolph was the head of the March on Washington, which was organized by Bayard Rustin, at which Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech. Randolph inspired the "Freedom Budget", sometimes called the "Randolph Freedom budget", which aimed to deal with the economic problems facing the black community, it was published by the Randolph Institute in January 1967 as "A Freedom Budget for All Americans".

Early life and education

Randolph was born April 15, 1889, in Crescent City, Florida, the second son of the Rev. James William Randolph, a tailor and minister in an African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Elizabeth Robinson Randolph, a skilled seamstress. In 1891, the family moved to Jacksonville, Florida, which had a thriving, well-established African-American community.

From his father, Randolph learned that color was less important than a person's character and conduct. From his mother, he learned the importance of education and of defending oneself physically against those who would seek to hurt one or one's family, if necessary. Randolph remembered vividly the night his mother sat in the front room of their house with a loaded shotgun across her lap, while his father tucked a pistol under his coat and went off to prevent a mob from lynching a man at the local county jail.

Asa and his brother, James, were superior students. They attended the Cookman Institute in East Jacksonville, the only academic high school in Florida for African Americans. Asa excelled in literature, drama, and public speaking; he also starred on the school's baseball team, sang solos with the school choir, and was valedictorian of the 1907 graduating class.

After graduation, Randolph worked odd jobs and devoted his time to singing, acting, and reading. Reading W. E. B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk convinced him that the fight for social equality was most important. Barred by discrimination from all but manual jobs in the South, Randolph moved to New York City in 1911, where he worked at odd jobs and took social sciences courses at City College.

Marriage and family

In 1913 Randolph courted and married Mrs. Lucille Campbell Green, a widow, Howard University graduate, and entrepreneur who shared his socialist politics. She earned enough money to support them both. The couple had no children.

Early career

Shortly after Randolph's marriage, he helped organize the Shakespearean Society in Harlem. With them he played the roles of Hamlet, Othello, and Romeo, among others. Randolph aimed to become an actor but gave up after failing to win his parents' approval.

In New York, Randolph became familiar with socialism and the ideologies espoused by the Industrial Workers of the World. He met Columbia University Law student Chandler Owen, and the two developed a synthesis of Marxist economics and the sociological ideas of Lester Frank Ward, arguing that people could only be free if not subject to economic deprivation. At this point, Randolph developed what would become his distinctive form of civil rights activism, which emphasized the importance of collective action as a way for black people to gain legal and economic equality. To this end, he and Owen opened an employment office in Harlem to provide job training for southern migrants and encourage them to join trade unions.

Like others in the labor movement, Randolph favored immigration restriction. He opposed African Americans' having to compete with people willing to work for low wages. Unlike other immigration restrictionists, however, he rejected the notions of racial hierarchy that became popular in the 1920s.

In 1917, Randolph and Chandler Owen founded The Messenger with the help of the Socialist Party of America. It was a radical monthly magazine, which campaigned against lynching, opposed U.S. participation in World War I, urged African Americans to resist being drafted, to fight for an integrated society, and urged them to join radical unions. The Department of Justice called The Messenger "the most able and the most dangerous of all the Negro publications." When The Messenger began publishing the work of black poets and authors, a critic called it "one of the most brilliantly edited magazines in the history of Negro journalism."

Soon thereafter, however, the editorial staff of The Messenger became divided by three issues – the growing rift between West Indian and African Americans, support for the Bolshevik revolution, and support for Marcus Garvey's Back-to-Africa movement. In 1919, most West Indian radicals joined the new Communist Party, while African-American leftists – Randolph included – mostly supported the Socialist Party. The infighting left The Messenger short of financial support, and it went into decline.

Randolph ran on the Socialist Party ticket for New York State Comptroller in 1920, and for Secretary of State of New York in 1922, unsuccessfully.

Union organizer

Randolph's first experience with labor organization came in 1917, when he organized a union of elevator operators in New York City. In 1919 he became president of the National Brotherhood of Workers of America, a union which organized among African-American shipyard and dock workers in the Tidewater region of Virginia. The union dissolved in 1921, under pressure from the American Federation of Labor.

His greatest success came with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, who elected him President in 1925. This was the first serious effort to form a labor institution for employees of the Pullman Company, which was a major employer of African Americans. The railroads had expanded dramatically in the early 20th century, and the jobs offered relatively good employment at a time of widespread racial discrimination. Because porters were not unionized, however, most suffered poor working conditions and were underpaid.

Under Randolph's direction, the BSCP managed to enroll 51 percent of porters within a year, to which Pullman responded with violence and firings. In 1928, after failing to win mediation under the Watson-Parker Railway Labor Act, Randolph planned a strike. This was postponed after rumors circulated that Pullman had 5,000 replacement workers ready to take the place of BSCP members. As a result of its perceived ineffectiveness membership of the union declined; by 1933 it had only 658 members and electricity and telephone service at headquarters had been disconnected because of nonpayment of bills.

Fortunes of the BSCP changed with the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. With amendments to the Railway Labor Act in 1934, porters were granted rights under federal law. Membership in the Brotherhood jumped to more than 7,000. After years of bitter struggle, the Pullman Company finally began to negotiate with the Brotherhood in 1935, and agreed to a contract with them in 1937. Employees gained $2,000,000 in pay increases, a shorter workweek, and overtime pay. Randolph maintained the Brotherhood's affiliation with the American Federation of Labor through the 1955 AFL-CIO merger.

Civil rights leader

Through his success with the BSCP, Randolph emerged as one of the most visible spokespeople for African-American civil rights. In 1941, he, Bayard Rustin, and A. J. Muste proposed a march on Washington to protest racial discrimination in war industries, an end to segregation, access to defense employment, the proposal of an anti-lynching law and of the desegregation of the American Armed forces. Randolph's belief in the power of peaceful direct action was inspired partly by Mahatma Gandhi's success in using such tactics against British occupation in India. Randolph threatened to have 50,000 blacks march on the city; it was cancelled after President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, or the Fair Employment Act. Some activists, including Rustin, felt betrayed because Roosevelt's order applied only to banning discrimination within war industries and not the armed forces. Nonetheless, the Fair Employment Act is generally considered an important early civil rights victory.

And the movement continued to gain momentum. In 1942, an estimated 18,000 blacks gathered at Madison Square Garden to hear Randolph kick off a campaign against discrimination in the military, in war industries, in government agencies, and in labor unions. Following passage of the Act, during the Philadelphia transit strike of 1944, the government backed African-American workers' striking to gain positions formerly limited to white employees.

Buoyed by these successes, Randolph and other activists continued to press for the rights of African Americans. In 1947, Randolph, along with colleague Grant Reynolds, renewed efforts to end discrimination in the armed services, forming the Committee Against Jim Crow in Military Service, later renamed the League for Non-Violent Civil disobedience. When President Truman asked Congress for a peacetime draft law, Randolph urged young black men to refuse to register. Since Truman was vulnerable to defeat in 1948 and needed the support of the growing black population in northern states, he eventually capitulated. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman abolished racial segregation in the armed forces through Executive Order 9981.

In 1950, along with Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, and, Arnold Aronson, a leader of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, Randolph founded the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). LCCR has been a major civil rights coalition. It coordinated a national legislative campaign on behalf of every major civil rights law since 1957.

Randolph and Rustin also formed an important alliance with Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1957, when schools in the south resisted school integration following Brown v. Board of Education, Randolph organized the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom with Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1958 and 1959, Randolph organized Youth Marches for Integrated Schools in Washington, DC. At the same time, he arranged for Rustin to teach King how to organize peaceful demonstrations in Alabama and to form alliances with progressive whites. The protests directed by James Bevel in cities such as Birmingham and Montgomery provoked a violent backlash by police and the local Ku Klux Klan throughout the summer of 1963, which was captured on television and broadcast throughout the nation and the world. Rustin later remarked that Birmingham "was one of television's finest hours. Evening after evening, television brought into the living-rooms of America the violence, brutality, stupidity, and ugliness of {police commissioner} Eugene "Bull" Connor's effort to maintain racial segregation." Partly as a result of the violent spectacle in Birmingham, which was becoming an international embarrassment, the Kennedy administration drafted civil rights legislation aimed at ending Jim Crow once and for all.

Randolph finally realized his vision for a March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, which attracted between 200,000–300,000 to the nation's capital. The rally is often remembered as the high-point of the Civil Rights Movement, and it did help keep the issue in the public consciousness. However, when President Kennedy was assassinated three months later, Civil Rights legislation was stalled in the Senate. It was not until the following year, under President Lyndon B. Johnson, that the Civil Rights Act was finally passed. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed. Although King and Bevel rightly deserve great credit for these legislative victories, the importance of Randolph's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement is large.

Religion

Randolph avoided speaking publicly about his religious beliefs to avoid alienating his diverse constituencies. Though he is sometimes identified as an atheist, particularly by his detractors, Randolph identified with the African Methodist Episcopal Church he was raised in. He pioneered the use of prayer protests, which became a key tactic of the civil rights movement. In 1973, he signed the Humanist Manifesto II.

Death

Randolph died in his Manhattan apartment on May 16, 1979. For several years prior to his death, he had a heart condition and high blood pressure. He had no known living relatives, as his wife had died in 1963, before the March on Washington.

Awards and accolades

In 1942, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded Randolph the Spingarn Medal.

In 1953, the IBPOEW (Black Elks) awarded him their Elijah P. Lovejoy Medal, given "to that American who shall have worked most successfully to advance the cause of human rights, and for the freedom of Negro people."

On September 14, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Randolph with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 1967 awarded the Eugene V. Debs Award

In 1967 awarded the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award. It was named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations.

Named Humanist of the Year in 1970 by the American Humanist Association.

Named to the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in January 2014.

Legacy

Randolph had a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement from the 1930s onward. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama was directed by E.D. Nixon, who had been a member of the BSCP and was influenced by Randolph's methods of nonviolent confrontation. Nationwide, the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s used tactics pioneered by Randolph, such as encouraging African Americans to vote as a bloc, mass voter registration, and training activists for nonviolent direct action.

In buildings, streets, and trains

Amtrak named one of their best sleeping cars, Superliner II Deluxe Sleeper 32503, the "A. Philip Randolph" in his honor.

A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology, in Jacksonville, FL, is named in his honor.

A. Phillip Randolph Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida, formerly named Florida Avenue, was renamed in A. Phillip Randolph's honor. It is located on Jacksonville's east side, near EverBank Field.

A. Philip Randolph Campus High School (New York City High School 540), located on the City College of New York campus, is named in honor of Randolph. The school serves students predominantly from Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods.

The A. Philip Randolph Career Academy in Philadelphia, Pa was named in his honor.

The A. Philip Randolph Career and Technician Center in Detroit, MI is named in his honor.

The A. Philip Randolph Institute is named in his honor.

PS 76 A. Philip Randolph in New York City, NY is named in his honor

A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is in Chicago's Pullman Historic District.

Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida houses a permanent exhibit on the life and accomplishments of A. Philip Randolph.

Randolph Street, in Crescent City, Florida, was dedicated to him.

A. Philip Randolph Library, at Borough of Manhattan Community College

A. Philip Randolph Square park in Central Harlem was renamed to honor A. Philip Randolph in 1964 by the City Council, under a local law introduced by Council Member J. Raymond Jones and signed by Mayor John V. Lindsay. In 1981, a group of loosely organized residents began acting as stewards of the park, during the dark days of abandonment and disinvestment in Central Harlem. By 2010 that group, now the Friends of A. Philip Randolph Square--founded by Gregory C. Baggett, who named longterm residents Ms. Gloria Wright; Ms. Ivy Walker; and Mr. Cleveland Manley, as Trustee of the park--would be formally incorporated to provide better stewardship and programming at a time when the neighborhood would be undergoing rapid growth and diversification. In 2018, the Friends of A. Philip Randolph Square would further expand the scope of its work beyond stewardship over the park to prepare a major revitalization plan "to improve conditions in the park and the neighborhood around the park" operating under a new entity, the A. Philip Randolph Neighborhood Development Alliance that seeks to obtain broad neighborhood and community representation for its revitalization plan based on building the personal and collective assets within the neighborhood.

Arts, entertainment, and media

+ 1994 Documentary A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom, PBS

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed A. Philip Randolph on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

The story of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was made into the 2002 Robert Townsend film 10,000 Black Men Named George starring Andre Braugher as A. Philip Randolph. The title refers to the demeaning custom of the time when Pullman porters, all of whom were black, were just addressed as "George".

A statue of A. Philip Randolph was erected in his honor in the concourse of Union Station in Washington, D.C..

In 1986 a nine-foot bronze statue of Randolph by Tina Allen was erected in Boston's Back Bay commuter train station.

On February 3, 1989, the United States Postal Service issued a 25-cent postage stamp in Randolph's honor.

Other

James L. Farmer, Jr., co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), cited Randolph as one of his primary influences as a Civil Rights leader.

Randolph is a member of the Labor Hall of Fame.

[theyearoftheking]

Book Fifteen: Cycle of the Werewolf

“But she plans to leave the Mills by summer...this wolf business has begun to scare her...”

I don’t know what I was expecting with this strange little book, but it sure wasn’t what I read. Truth be told, it was a delightful (and relevant!) way to spend an hour on an airplane. 

BTW: I’m not a monster trying to passively spread Coronavirus all over the world. We had booked a trip back in January, and when we left for NOLA, they were not advising against travel. And I drank plenty of alcohol to kill any and all germs in my system. And then I poured some Tito’s on my hands to make sure they were completely disinfected. That’s how it works, right?

Calm down, people; I’m totally kidding.

 I wouldn’t waste good alcohol that way. 

Anyway, Cycle of the Werewolf is more of a graphic novel, with each chapter a month of the year that Tarker’s Mills, Maine, is terrorized by a werewolf. Each chapter is full of quirky little illustrations, and tales of how the werewolf has killed another resident.

This illustration really had me pause for a second; it looks like the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. So much of our world is drawn in black and white these days. If you believe THIS, you���re obviously against me. If you believe THAT, you’re on my side and an ally. There is very little room for middle ground right now. Whether it be the presidential election, Trump’s presidency as a whole, and even people taking sides about Coronavirus. 

If you leave your house and potentially spread germs, you’re a MONSTER and you obviously hate humanity. If you stay home, you’re obviously buying into fear and panic. Maybe there’s some middle ground. Maybe there’s some gray area for us to all come together in. 

But I think we can all agree anyone buying fifteen cases of toilet paper and not leaving any for families in actual need is a real asshole. Ha! No pun intended, but now totally intended.

Yes, I got all of that from just the one illustration. Steve, he really makes my brain work overtime. 

So, then we get to July. And then shit gets more real. 

“They cancelled the Fourth of July. Marty Coslaw gets remarkably little sympathy from the people closest to him when he tells them that. Perhaps it is because they simply don’t understand the depth of his pain.” 

I think a lot of people wanting to drink green beer and listen to some bagpipe music this past weekend can relate to Marty’s plight. 

Marty is a plucky kid, he’s wheelchair bound and pissed about missing out on fireworks. But his bad-ass Uncle Al shows up with some contraband fireworks for his favorite nephew. Marty waits until everyone goes to bed, and then sneaks outside to light them off. Marty is putting on the fireworks show of his dreams when the werewolf appears! Marty doesn’t think twice, and throws a firecracker right in the beast’s face. 

Boom, bitches.

Sadly it doesn’t kill the wolf, just blinds it in one eye. But score one point for the good guys. Marty tells the police what happened, and describes the beast as having one eye. The police scoff at this. The only one-eyed man in town is Reverend Lester Lowe. It can’t be!

Spoiler: it is. 

Marty starts sending him charming little anonymous notes urging the Reverend to kill himself. Or leave town. Or maybe kill himself. The Reverend is confused, he has no idea why someone would send him such horrible notes! He’s got a little bit of the Jekyll/Hyde thing going on. He has no idea he’s actually the beast going around killing everyone. 

Oops he does it again.

But don’t worry, Marty’s got a plan. Christmas time rolls around, and he asks Uncle Al for a shotgun and silver bullets. Uncle Al asks the requisite amount of questions, and then makes his favorite nephew’s Christmas dreams come true. 

The werewolf appears on New Year’s Eve, Marty shoots it, the end. Peace and sanity is restored to Tarker’s Mills.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope our current pandemic situation doesn’t last until January. Although, it’s exactly what my food and alcohol hoarding husband has been dreaming about. We might finally find the bottom of our chest freezer, praise the Lord. 

No Dark Tower references, no Wisconsin references; just good old graphic novel pandemonium. But it was a fun, quick read. My eleven year-old has been asking for a Stephen King book, this might be the perfect one for her to start with. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 14

Total Dark Tower References: 10

Book Grade: B-

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

Different Seasons: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Christine: D

Next up is The Talisman, one of my all-time favorites. Jack Sawyer is bae. As I type this, I wonder if I’m going to be working next week, and how quickly I’ll be able to read it. 

In the meantime, be kind to one another. Leave resources behind for people who need them more than you. Donate a few jars of peanut butter to the local food pantry. Offer to host a (small) homeschooling co-op with your neighborhood parents. Wash your hands, use sanitizer, and sneeze into your elbow. 

This could be the moment that elevates our level of humanity again. I for one am all in on that movement. Who’s with me?

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[phoenixmaiden-reading]

Cycle of the Werewolf Book Review

Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

Read: March 9, 2020 – March 10, 2020

I’ve been wanting to read this book for years and have never been able to find it. But I found it at the book store and I had to get it. The one I had had illustrations, so that was an added bonus. It wasn’t a very long book and the story was broken up by month. Which makes sense since it is about killings from a Werewolf that only comes during the full moon. Each month goes through a murder of the townspeople and the fear it invokes in them. It was a quick read and I couldn’t put it down. I probably would have finished it in one day if I hadn’t read it during my lunch break. Loved it.

Stars:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Spoiler Summary ahead!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The story takes place in Maine, of course, in the town of Tarker’s Mills and starts in January. There is a snowstorm and everyone in town is shut down for the night. There is one man, Arnie, who got caught out with his tractor. So he stayed in a tool shack to wait it out. While there he hears a scratching at the door, but before he could decide to open it, a big wolf breaks down the door and kills him. Something inhumane has come to the little town.

Now February, a woman named Stella, is by herself on Valentine’s Day. She has sent herself valentines from celebrities and thinks about falling in love. The kids in town make fun of her because of her size but on the night of the moon, she dreams of love. She dreams that a nameless man will come and sweep her off her feet. She hears scratching at her window and thinks she can see a man, and then a shape of a wolf, but she’s in a dream, as it could be a man. So she opens her window. There is no one there until a big wolf jumps through her window and along with the cold winter breeze come in she knows this is no dream. She remembers too late what happened to Arnie at the railroad shack and it is upon her.

It is now March, and the town has a blizzard and the power goes out. The town librarian is thinking about how Mother Nature is cleaning up the deadwood. He finds pleasure in making his wife feel scared of him and when she hurts herself fumbling in the dark he laughs. (jerk) During the night, several people in town hear a howl, but don’t know where it comes from. The next morning a linesman out to fix the power lines finds a drifter frozen in terror, arms up to defend himself, with his shirt chewed open and frozen blood pooled around him. There are also paw prints around him. Wolf prints.

The snow has melted as it turns to April. There is talk now of a wolf that is attacking people. Some are considering leaving where it is safer. But the weather is good with a nice breeze, so there are people out flying kites. One such person is a boy named Brady. He got a new kite for his birthday and he flies it all day. He doesn’t notice that everyone else has gone home until it is almost dark. So he starts to wind up the sting on his kite. His dad is going to be made he was out so late, but he also remembers the rumors that the kids at school are talking about. About the wolf that killed the drifter last month, and Stella and Arnie before that. But he doesn’t believe it. Until now. As he’s rolling up his kite, it snags on something so he goes to look and comes face to face with the wolf running toward him on two legs. The search party find him the next morning, headless and disemboweled leaning against the War Memorial.

In May, the Reverend Lester Lowe wakes up from a nightmare. He has dreamed that he was giving the best sermon of his life to a church filled with the townspeople. He was claiming that The Beast Walks Among Us, that he was everywhere. It was then that the people in the pews started turning into werewolves, people he knows. And when looking down at himself, he has turned into one too. The Reverend wakes and realizes it is just a dream, that’s all. Yet in the morning when he opens the church, he finds the janitor, Clyde, that had worked there for years, sprawled out on the pulpit, his broom nearby. The Reverend screams.

June rolls around and Alfie, who runs the only café in town, starts thinking of maybe closing early and going to watch a movie since no one is coming in. Everyone in town is afraid of the killer that comes during the full moon. But he isn’t scared, he still has the muscle he earned in the Navy and weighed over 200 pounds. As he thinks about closing, the bell goes off at the door indicating a customer. And it’s one of his regulars. He turns to get a cup of coffee and is stunned when he sees in the polished chrome of a canister, his customer suddenly starts to change. His face is shifting, fur is growing, and his clothes start to tear. He can’t believe what he is seeing, that one of Tarker’s Mills own residents, who he sees every day is the changing. Alfie screams in fear and tries to stumble away, but the Beast is soon upon him, tearing him open.

Marty, a boy in a wheelchair, is disappointed that the fourth of July fireworks have been canceled. His parents say it’s fine, there’s always next year and his sister is gleeful because he finally didn’t get what he wanted because he was a cripple. No one understands; he had been looking forward to it for months. Having to sit in his wheelchair just watching the kids play in the snow, it had been one thing he could enjoy. But it had been canceled because of The Full Moon Killer. Some kids at school said it was some supernatural being, but Marty didn’t believe it- that only happened in the movies. But there could be some crazy guy out there that just killed during the full moon. But they had canceled the fourth of July because of it. Only his Uncle Al understood and without anyone knowing, he gave Marty a package of fireworks so he could have his own fourth of July. He just said to use it at night and not the noisy ones or he will be in trouble with his sister. So that night, Marty waited until the house was asleep, got himself out of bed by moonlight and rode out of the French doors to the outdoors. He opened up the package of fireworks and lights some of the smaller, noiseless ones. He is happy he gets to have his fourth of July. But suddenly by the light of a firework, he notices something coming toward him. It is the Beast. He is frozen in terror in his wheelchair and watches as the thing approaches him on 2 legs and reaches for him with vaguely human hands. Without really know what he’s doing, Marty lights one of the big fireworks and throws it at the Beast’s face. The firework goes off and the beast screeches in pain and Marty sees one of the lamp-like green eyes go out. The Beast then runs off. The noise of the fireworks has woken up Marty’s parents and sister. The next day they will ship him out to his Aunt and Uncle’s house for the rest of the summer because the Full Moon Killer might come back to finish the job. Yet even though he is shocked, he believes it is the best fourth of July he’s ever had because he had looked into the face of the Beast and survived.

Constable Neary is telling his captive audience of the Barber Shop in August that he does think there’s a werewolf but not in the traditional sense. He believes that there is a guy out there with a split personality and that on the full moon he goes out and kills someone. It could be anyone, hell it could be someone sitting in the room now, he’ll look normal on the outside, but someone who sprouts hair and teeth, no. That’s kids’ stuff. The Barber asked about Marty Coslaw and what he saw, and Neary said again kids’ stuff. He hadn’t been able to talk to Marty Colslaw about what he saw that night. He was the first eye witness to someone who had killed 6 people so far and he hadn’t been allowed to interview him. He had to make do with a deposition by the state police. Not that it was worth anything. According to the report, the Coslaw boy saw a “beast” that was seven feet, covered in fur, big teeth, green eyes and had claws that looked like hands. Neary thought it was bullshit. One of the patrons of the barber said it could be a mask, but Neary didn’t believe any of it. The boy saw a werewolf because kids at school were talking about a werewolf that was all. Yet because of his disgust of the report, Neary overlooked the last line that said that the fireworks went off in its face and took out its left eye. He could have been looking for someone in town wearing an eyepatch and at that time, there was only one person wearing one, but it was impossible to believe that person could be a killer. No, the only way that this killer was going to be caught was by good police work. Yet later that night, Neary’s life comes to an end when parked at a crossroads outside town. He believes it then because outside his car door is a being with fur, teeth, and snout. He tries to scream but the Beast tears out his cheek. He forgets about the guns in his belt but remembers what the patron said at the barber about it being a mask, so he grabs at the fur on the Beast and yanks it, but it doesn’t budge. Only a sound of pain and rage comes from the beast and it then swipes at his throat with a human-like hand with claws and he bleeds out. The beast then feeds on him.

The weather is still hot when September comes. Students suffer from being back in school in stuffy classrooms. Husband and Wives argue for no reason. At the gas station, a tourist gives the attendant, Pucky, some lip about the price of gas and Pucky hits him with the gas nozzle. The tourist had to get stitches and mutters of lawsuits. But Pucky later tells a friend at the Pub that he only hit him half-force. Milt the librarian puts his wife in the hospital over a dirty dish; she has a broken nose and the back of her head is bleeding. He tells the hospital doctors that she fell down the stairs; his wife, too scared to refute him goes along with the story. On the night of the full moon, the heat breaks and a cool wind springs up. Early that morning, Elmer hears his pigs in their pen squealing, more like screaming. He gets up to check, taking his rifle with him, but his wife pleads with him not to go out there. They then hear a wolf-cry and she is able to pull him back to the living room where they sit and wait, listening to the pigs crying, slowly stop. They hear a wolf-cry again and Elmer looks out the window to see a shape running out to the woods. Later that morning, Elmer finds all his pigs dead, disemboweled and partly eaten. He calls his brother Pete over and Pete tells him this has to stop. That the next full moon, there should be a hunting party to get this creature who is doing this, it’s clear it’s a werewolf with the tracks left behind in the mud. People in town have to start pretending it isn’t happening. Elmer agrees but says not this full moon, but the next when there’s snow for getter tracking. But people better look out this coming full moon.

October is pretty quiet compared to the last months. There has been no new murder and people in town think that the threat is over, that it was just a drifter or tramp that had just moved on. But others are not sure because there had been four deer found dead on the turnpike after the October full moon and Elmer’s pigs in September. And Marty knows better too. He has just come back from Halloween trick-or-treating with his father. He went as Yoda with a rubber mask and a robe to hide his skinny legs. While out getting candy, he finds out who the werewolf is. It was during his outing and the werewolf had dropped candy into his bag, though now he had his human face on. Marty knows it is because he’s wearing an eye patch and there is a similarity to the man’s human face and the beast he saw that summer night in July. Ever since he had come back after the summer, he had kept an eye out for anyone in an eyepatch, but hadn’t seen anyone. The town was small but spread out, so he hadn’t come across anyone with an eye patch, until now. He had told the police he was sure the fireworks had taken out his eye, but they didn’t seem to believe him. He hadn’t been able to figure it out because the man was not Catholic because…it was the Reverend Lowe of the Baptist Church. When Marty’s father commented on his eye, the Reverend said that it had been a tumor and the eye had to be removed. But it was God’s Will and he was adjusting. Marty lay in bed later but was wide awake. What did he do now?

Now November, Reverend Lowe stands at the door to his church watching the line of trucks leaving town. They are the townspeople led by Elmer and Pete to go hunt the werewolf with their rifles and their dogs to bring an end to this nightmare. Some of them go to just skylarking, out to have fun and drink beer and hunt squirrels, but some are serious like Elmer and Pete. But it is not them that makes Reverend Lowe worry, it is the letters he has been receiving. The notes are written on a child’s school paper in childish writing, addressed to him and unsigned. It is one line, like the others. This one says “Why don’t you kill yourself?” He burns it like the others. What the Reverend Lowe is, comes to him in stages. The first is discovering Clyde’s body in the church after the dream he had. He realizes that he feels really good the days of the full moon.  He has also noticed that he has bruises and scratches on him that he can’t explain, his clothes are dirty and torn and sometimes he has found blood on his hands and lips. But it is easy to just not think about it. But then one day, the day after the fourth of July, he woke up blind in one eye. There had been no pain, but the gored, blasted socket where his eye had been. He couldn’t deny it anymore, he was the Beast. Reverend Lowe can now feel the sensations of the change coming, but he is smart. The hunters think only of the wolf and not the human, he will simply drive down to Portland and wait it out. But there is still the notes. He doesn’t know where they are coming from. They began at the beginning of the month with “I know who you are” There were 5 notes total now telling him to end his life or leave. He doesn’t want to though. He didn’t ask for this, he didn’t even know how it happened. He wasn’t bitten or cursed, but he did remember picking some flowers in a cemetery last November but they had wilted and turned black before he even got to town. That may have been when it started. But he is not an animal. Yet he still doesn’t know who wrote the notes. He doesn’t know about Marty because the attack had not been reported in the newspaper and he didn’t listen to gossip, nor does he remember anything when he is the Beast. But he will not kill himself, he is a man of God. He does good, even if he does some bad things. God will strike him down when He wills it. But as he thinks, he paces and wonders who has written the letter, how did he lose his eye, and if he should ask around and listen to gossip. As he paces, he starts to change so he jumps into his car and drives down the coast and checks into a hotel. At that hotel is Milt. He has told his wife he is away on business and is instead in this hotel with another woman. Later that night Milt leaves the room to get some Bourbon from the car he was attacked by the one-eyed Beast. The last thing he hears is the snarl of the wolf before his head is torn off. The next day, Reverend Lowe reads about Milt’s death in the paper but does not feel bad because Milt was not a good man. It was the Lord at work. He then thinks that he has to find the kid sending him the letters, the kid he attacked in July and silence him. Forever.

December comes cold and with changes. Milt’s wife, not free of her abusive husband, leaves town. Gramma Hague who made the best pies died of a heart attack and the library got a sizable donation and will begin construction on the new children’s wing. But nothing has changed for Marty. The Beast is still around and he knows it will come after him. So he calls his Uncle Al, the only one who will listen to him, and tells him everything. What he saw and who it is, and what he has been doing, writing letters to Reverend Lowe. He had even signed his name to the last two notes he sent. But the Reverend did nothing. He then tells his uncle that he wants a gun with 2 silver bullets because while the Reverend as a human couldn’t do anything, but the werewolf could on the night of the full moon on New Year's Eve. And unless his uncle wants his death on his conscience, he would get him a gun. So, he did. He went to a friend of his and had a silver spoon melted down and made into 2 silver bullets. And much to his mother’s disproval since she was still mad at him for giving Marty the fireworks, Marty announced that Uncle Al was coming over for New Year’s Eve. So the last day of the month, the day of the full moon, Marty and Uncle Al were staying up while everyone else went to bed. They were waiting. Marty had a gun with the 2 silver bullets while Uncle Al had a normal gun with lead bullets. And they continued to wait, it was getting close to midnight and Uncle Al thought nothing was going to happen until the window suddenly busted open and the Beast appeared. Uncle Al couldn’t move in shock but could see that the Beast was exactly as his nephew described. Marty was calm as the Beast came toward him and shot him when he got close. The werewolf screeched in pain and crashed into the wall, but it wasn’t dead. It was confused and then went to attack Marty again. But he just waits until the Beast leaps and shoots him again, this time through the other eye. The Beast screamed in pain and staggered back out the broken window and got caught in the curtains; it collapsed in the snow and dies. Hearing the commotion, Marty’s father comes running down the stairs and sees the Beast and stares at it in shock. As they watch, the Beast twitches and starts to change back revealing the human form of Reverend Lowe. Uncle Al hugged Marty close who was crying, but it was now over. The Beast is now history in the New Year.

[mostlyghostlyy]

Please please just hear me out, PLEASE

[the-record-obituaries]

Feb. 19, 2020: Obituaries

Chloe Huskey, 12

Miss Chloe Reese Huskey, age 12 of North Wilkesboro, daughter of Ronnie Huskey and Alisha Adams Huskey, passed away Saturday, February 15, 2020, at her home.                               Reese touched the lives of many with her infectious smile, her sincere kindness, and her incredible and courageous journey.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM, Thursday, February 20, 2020, at Fairplains Baptist Church with Pastor David Dyer officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 PM Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home.

Reese was born February 7, 2008, in Catawba County to Ronnie and Alisha Adams Huskey. She was a member of Arbor Grove United Methodist Church.  Reese was a student at Central Wilkes Middle School and attended North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro Elementary  Schools during her elementary school years.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather; Gene Adams, her paternal grandfather; Troy Huskey and an uncle; Tommy Huskey.

Reese is survived by her parents of the home, maternal grandparents; Dean and Linda  Absher of Wilkesboro and Cleo Huskey of North Wilkesboro, a sister; Reagan Adams of Charlotte, a brother; Reid Huskey of North Wilkesboro, aunts and uncles; Angel Minton and husband Jeff of Wilkesboro, Alison Thornton of Mooresville and Alison Huskey McCormick, cousins; Alex Minton, Lauren Minton, Raylan Minton, Aubree Thornton, Pierce Thornton, Cole Huskey, Alaina Grit, her special person, Deana Wyatt, and other relatives and friends who loved Reese very much.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff of Levine's Children's Medical Center CVICU and Sanger Pediatric Heart Institute for their excellent care provided to Reese.  A very special thank you to Mountain Valley Hospice for the incredible care and compassion provided to Reese and the entire family.  The family appreciates all of the prayers and concerns extended to them during this time.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice 401 Technology Lane Suite 200 Mount Airy, NC 27030, Camp Luck PO Box 5159 Charlotte, NC 28299, American Heart Association 10 Glenlake Pkwy NE South Tower Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30328 or Ronald McDonald House Charities 26345 Network Place Chicago, IL 60673-1263.

 Eldon Gentry, 81

Mr. Eldon Gentry age 81, of Roaring River passed away Saturday February 15, 2020 at SECU Hospice Center. Mr. Gentry was born March 30, 1938 in Wilkes County, to Lonnie Spurgeon and Ruby Walters Gentry.

Eldon was a Retired farmer and a member of Benham Baptist Church.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mable Billings Gentry; and a brother, Bob Gentry. Survivors include: son, Eddie Gentry and wife Rhonda of Wilkesboro; brother, Raymond Gentry of Roaring River; granddaughter, Meagan Leigh Gentry of Raleigh, and several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service with be conducted Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 2:00 pm at Benham Baptist Church, with Rev. Keith Lyon, and Rev. Joe Souther officiating. Burial will follow in the Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at Elkin Funeral Service.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to Mtn. Valley Hospice and Palliative care, 688 N. Bridge St., Elkin N.C. 28621

  William Jennings, 51

William "Billy" Jennings, age 51, of Hays, passed away, Saturday, February 15, 2020 at his home. He was born May 29, 1968 in Portsmouth, Virginia to Roy Glenn and Onnolea Jean Johnson Jennings. Billy loved his model car collection, building and collecting hundreds of models. He loved NASCAR, the Pittsburgh Steelers and golf. He Loved and adored his family. Mr. Jennings was preceded in death by his parents; and wife Chrystal Jennings.

Surviving are his wife, Natasha Wingler Jennings; daughters, Stormy Dawn Davalos and spouse Alejandro of North Wilkesboro, Shandy Rae Miller and spouse Daniel, Kaylea Gentle all of Hays; grandchildren, Davari Davalos, Leticia Davalos, Zaiden Davalos; sisters, Angela Jennings Reed of Jefferson, Vickie Fox of Hays.

Funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at Miller Funeral Chapel with Jamie Rollyson speaking. Burial will follow in Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Miller Funeral Service from 12:00 until 2:00 on Wednesday, prior to the service. Flowers will be accepted. Memorials may be made to the SECU Family House, 1970  Baldwin Lane, Winston Salem, NC 27103. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Gary Miller, 66

Gary Wayne Miller, age 66, of Millers Creek, passed away Friday, February 14, 2020 at Alleghany Health. He was born June 11, 1953 in Wilkes County to Issac Lester and Adna Ruth Miller. Mr. Miller was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Loretta Miller; several brothers and sisters. He was of the Baptist Faith and employed with W&L Motor Lines as a truck driver.

He is survived by his daughter, Rebecca Billings and spouse Dwayne of Millers Creek; son, Richard Bryant and spouse Shelley of Millers Creek; brother, Lee Miller of Millers Creek; sister, Louise Beverley of Greensboro; grandchildren, Christopher Queen and spouse Rebecca, and Breanna Billings all of Millers Creek.

Funeral service was February 17, at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Danny Dillard and Rev. Don Bowling officiating. Burial followed in Miller Cemetery.  Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Linda Brown, 66

Mrs. Linda Mae Wagoner Brown, 66, of North Wilkesboro, passed away on February 12, 2020 at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.  

Linda was born on March 25, 1953 in Wilkes County to Dollie Odell Wagoner and Gladys Eddie Brown Wagoner.

Linda is preceded in death by her parents; sons, Randall Shannon Wagoner, Allen Parsons and many brothers and sisters.  

Linda is survived by her husband, Christopher Brown; granddaughters, Kaitlyn Wagoner and Erica "Hannah" Wagoner both of North Wilkesboro ; mother in law and father in law, Vea and Paul Brown of North Wilkesboro; sisters, Marlene Testerman ( Jerry) of Millers Creek, Rebeca Blevins (Dewey) of Wilkesboro, Jeanne Shumate of Millers Creek, Sue Absher of Wilkesboro, Shirley Osborne (Robbie) Gallatin, TN, Sandra Stewart of Grover, NC; brothers, Fred Wagoner (Delores) Taylorsville, James Brown of Forrest City, Danny Brown (Kathy) of China Grove.

A visitation was held at the Mountlawn Memorial Park Chapel  February 14, and graveside service   followed.  

Pastor Scott Wagoner  be officiated. The family request no flowers or food please.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to the American Heart Association, 128  S Tryon St #1588, Charlotte, NC 28202.

Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes has the honor of serving the Brown Family.

 Billy Anderson, 75

Mr. Billy George Anderson, 75, of North Wilkesboro, passed away on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at his home.  

Billy was born on August 3, 1944 in Wilkes County to John Olden Anderson and Johnsie Bell Miller Anderson.

Billy is preceded in death by his parents; son, Jason Dewayne Anderson; brother James "Jimmy" Anderson; sister, Mary Jane Lowe and grandson, Zackary Cochran.  

Billy is survived by his wife of 57 years, Wanda Lee Cain Anderson; daughters, Gail Parks (Ricky) of Yadkinville, Penny Cochran (Larry) of North Wilkesboro; sons, Tim Anderson of Denver NC, Dalton Anderson (Anne) of North Wilkesboro; brother, David Lee Anderson of North Wilkesboro; five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held February 22,  at Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes Chapel, 2109 Moravian  Falls Rd, Moravian Falls.  

Rev. Charles Cain will be officiating.

Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes has the honor of serving the Anderson Family.

 Kent Greer, 81

Mr. Kent Tracy Greer, age 81 of Wilkesboro, passed away Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

A private burial service for the family was at Mount Lawn Cemetery in Boone, February 15. Masonic rites were conducted by Ashler #373 and Military Honors were provided by the United States Air Force Honor Guard.  A Celebration of Life service followed with Reverend Shannon Critcher and Reverend Jim Gore officiated.

Mr. Greer was born on February 9, 1939, in Watauga County, North Carolina, to Walter Monroe and Viola Nichols Greer. He was a devoted husband to Kate for fifty-two years, a beloved father, and grandfather. He was a member of Millers Creek Baptist Church. Throughout his entire life, Kent had an adventuresome, entrepreneurial and get it done spirit. He served in the United States Air force for four years, which took him to several countries. Later, he took his wife, Kate, to many more countries abroad and all fifty states. Known for his sense of humor and fun-loving nature, Kent readily shared laughs, jokes, and hugs with people he knew and didn't know. Regularly, Kent stated, "I've had the best life of anybody I know."

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife; Lenna Kate Greene Greer, a sister; Anna Lee Greene and four brothers; W.M. Greer, Jr., Fayne Greer, Brook Greer, and Quentin Greer.

He is survived by a daughter; Janet Greer Brown and husband Mike of Banner Ek, North Carolina, two sons; David Kent Greer and wife Nicole of Concord and Philip Ray Greer of Wilkesboro, six grandchildren; Zach Brown and wife Emily, Jenna Brown, Kent Richard Greer, Katelyn Greer, Tracy Greer, and wife Kelsey and Amanda Greer Stewart and husband Chris and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 9, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 or Mountain Valley Hospice, 201 Technology  Lane, Suite 200, Mount Airy, NC 27030.

  Brenda Savage, 74

Mrs. Brenda Joyce Caul Savage age 74 of Wilkesboro passed away Sunday February 9. 2020 at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem.

Funeral Services were February 15,  at Rickards Chapel AME Zion Church with Rev Richard Watts Officiating.  

Mrs. Savage was born January 24, 1946 in Wilkes County to Anthony and Cynthia Marie Rouseau Caul. She retired from Tyson Foods and was a member of Rickards Chapel AME Zion Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Bobby Joe Campbell and a brother Reginald Keith Caul.

She is survived by her husband, Lavon Savage, two daughters Yolanda Burgess and husband Stephen of Walnut Cove and Lola Porter of Statesville;  two sons John Porter and wife Staci of Louisville, KY, Billy Campbell of Wilkesboro, and two step sons Terry Calhoun of Wilkesboro and Rashaun Calhoun of Wilkesboro; nine grandchildren, three great grandchildren and four sisters Jacqueline Barber and husband Marvin of Wilkesboro, Deborah Carlton of Wilkesboro, Linda Howell of Wilkesboro, Maria Harris and husband Ronald of Wilkesboro; and one brother Timothy Caul of New Philadelphia OH.

Flowers will be accepted.

 William Childress, 64

Mr. William Cole Childress, better known as Bill, age 64, passed away Sunday, February 9, 2020 at his home in Moravian Falls.

Funeral services were February, 14, 2020 at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Ronnie Murray and Pastor Rodney Blake officiating. Burial will be in Scenic Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 1:00 until 2:00 prior to the service at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home.

Mr. Childress was born March 19, 1955 in Wilkes County to Luther and Pauline Annalee Porter Childress. He retired from Louisiana Pacific after 44 years of service. Bill liked to fish, loved to go out on his boat and going to Auctions. He loved his family and grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife; Ellie Minton Childress, a daughter; Jennifer Childress, two sisters; Florence White and Mary Kay Childress and a brother; Edward Gray Childress.

He is survived by a daughter; Sally Hampton of North Wilkesboro, three grandchildren; Katie Hackett, Michael Walker and Malcolm Walker, a great granddaughter; Journee Hackett, two sisters; Elizabeth Murray and husband, Ronnie of North Wilkesboro and Carolyn Parks and husband, Alan of Lenoir, a brother; Harold Childress and wife Betsy of North Wilkesboro and a girlfriend and caregiver; Virginia Dancy and her family of Purlear.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wake Forest Hospice 126 Executive Drive Suite 110 Wilkesboro, NC 28697 or American Cancer Society PO Box 9 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

 James Garris, 94

James Arthur Garris, age 94, of Traphill, passed away Sunday, February 9, 2020 at Woltz Hospice Home. He was born June 9, 1925 in Wilkes County to Isom and Oma Wiles Garris. He was a member of Christian Home Baptist Church. He enjoyed coon hunting and fishing. James was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Floie Prevette Garris; daughter, Lois Gregory; son, Willie Garris; brothers, Guilford Garris, Troy Garris, Lester Garris; sisters, Estelle Walls and Edith Tucker.

Surviving are his children, Billy Garris and spouse Janet of Traphill, Dottie Stanley of State  Road, Buck Garris of Traphill; sisters, Cordie Bauguess of Traphill, Ruth Martin of Lexington; special friend, Mary Pruitt of Hays; eleven grandchildren; eighteen great grandchildren; and ten great great grandchildren.

Funeral service was February 13,   at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. David Key officiating. Burial   followed in Christian Home Baptist Church Cemetery.  Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Joan & Howard Woltz Hospice Home, 945 Zephyr Road, Dobson, NC 27017. A special thanks to Rose Glen Manor and Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice.                                 Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made to www.millerfuneralservice.com

Pallbearers were Scotty Garris, Marty Garris, Rocky Garris, Tracy Ward, Chris Gregory, Aaron Thomas.

 Angel Brown, 31

Angel Nicole Brown, age 31, of North Wilkesboro, was called home early on Thursday, February 6, 2020 and left her worldly struggles behind. Angel was born June 3, 1988 in Wilkes County to Gary Maurice and Bessie Bell Bledsoe Brown. She enjoyed cooking, camping, wild crafting herbs and loved to sing.      

Angel graduated from North Wilkes High  School with honors and was a former cashier with Dollar General. She was preceded in death by her father, Gary Brown; grandparents, Ruth Ann Edwards and Faye S. Goss.

Surviving are her son, Channon Roark of the home; fiancé, Chancey Roark of the home; mother, Bessie Brown of Hays; sister, Ashley Brown and spouse Kenny Ashley of Hays; niece, Riley Ashley of Hays; nephew, Bentley Ashley of Hays.

Memorial service was February 16,  at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Robert Harris officiating. Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to the family for her son, Channon.

Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

[michael-mcgruder]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Twin Peaks Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Ed Hurley/Norma Jennings, Big Ed Hurley/Nadine Hurley Characters: Big Ed Hurley, Norma Jennings, Nadine Hurley, Harry Truman (Twin Peaks), Tommy "Hawk" Hill, Andy Brennan, William "Doc" Hayward Summary:

"If there's any word of comfort I can offer it's just this, that the face of the beast always becomes known, and the time of the beast always passes." Reverend Lester Lowe

[csenews]

Lane College announces guest speaker for baccalaureate ceremony

Lane College announces guest speaker for baccalaureate ceremony

Lane College is proud to announce the Rev. Peris J. Lester, I, will be the guest speaker at their

baccalaureate ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28 in the William H. Graves Auditorium and

Chapel of the Chambers-McClure Academic Center.

The Rev. Lester is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and is the sixth child of the late T.C. and Lina M.

Lester. After his mother died, the Rev. Lester was raised by his aunt and uncle Rural and Donald

Andrews. The Rev. Lester was educated in the public schools of Chicago and is a graduate of

Chicago Vocational High School (CVS).

After completing high school, the Rev. Lester received a full scholarship to Southern Illinois

University in Mortuary Science. After submitting to the will of God, he turned it down to preach

the Word of God. He then attended Lane College and received a B.A. in English and also served

as the Administrator for Chapel Services and President of the prestigious Lane College Concert

Choir from 1991-1993.

On October 22, 1989 the Rev. Lester accepted his call to ministry at his home church, Carter

Temple CME Church in Chicago, under the pastorate of the Rev. (now Bishop) Henry M.

Williamson Sr. Since that time, God has blessed him to serve several CME churches across the

country: New Carmel CME, Jackson, Tenn., Farmer Chapel CME, Brownville, Tenn., Saint Paul

CME, Lone Oak, Ga., Lowes Temple CME, Grantville, Ga. and Jamison Memorial CME in St.

Louis, Mo.

From August 2002 through August 2010 the Rev. Lester served as the proud reverend of the

Lewis Metropolitan CME Church, affectionately known as “The Metro” in Los Angeles, Ca.

Also from 2008-2010 he served as the Presiding Elder of the Great Los Angeles District, while

continuing to serve as reverend of Lewis Metropolitan. While in Los Angeles, the Rev. Lester

led that congregation in restructuring its financial operations. By consolidating and eradicating

debt, the congregation was placed back on a solid foundation, members were added to the church

and new ministries were initiated.

Additionally, the KIPP charter school was established at the Lewis Metropolitan site, where 300

first to fifth graders are receiving a high quality education. After KIPP outgrew the space at

Lewis Metropolitan, the Rev. Lester worked to secure another school to assist in educating the

youth of Los Angeles.

From 2010 to 2012, the Rev. Lester served as pastor of Carter Metropolitan CME in Fort Worth,

Texas. While in Texas, the Rev. Lester served as the treasurer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Region

and was also a board member of Texas College. From 2012-2014, the Rev. Lester served as the

pastor of Saint John C.M.E. Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. Presently, the Rev. Lester serves as

the proud and immanent pastor of the Mount Olive Cathedral C.M.E. in Memphis, Tenn.

The Rev. Lester is a sought out preacher and teacher of the Gospel.

“We are excited to have Rev. Peris Lester as our guest speaker for our baccalaureate this year,”

Dr. Moses Goldmon, Lane College Executive Vice President and Chaplin, said. “The Rev. Lester

is a well-travelled CME preacher, a graduate of the college, now a member of the [Lane College]

Board of Trustees and we expect him to send our students out with a great message of inspiration

and hope that will inspire them to go on and continue their lives.”

[riverdamien]

Peniel, Newsletter Temenos Catholic Worker, Lent

Peniel "Where Jacob wrestled with God!" Newsletter of Temenos Catholic Workier P.O. Box 642656 San Francisco, CA 94164 Fr. River Sims, Director www.temenos.org 415-305-2124 Lent, 2020 ----------------------------------------------- Journal of An Alien Street Priest: One of my fondest memories is listening to the church bells in Amsterdam, especially late at night, as one wandered the streets. They rang with hymns every four hours, a reminder of God's presence. Each day as we awoke we were reminded of God's presence being with us during the day, and in our final moments before sleep they put us to sleep with the assurance God was with us. In the day time as we wandered in and out of the cathedrals one would find tourist shops, and museums--they were simply shells of a faith long past. The institutional church is becoming a shell of what it once was: severe decline in membership and worship attendance, under law suit and judgement by society over all, what once was, is now in decline. The "none"s, those who have no membership are now the majority. On Ash Wednesday, February 26, many of us will receive the mark of the ashes reminding us that we are mortal, and that Jesus is our Savior. Hearing the words, "Remember O man, you are dust, and to dust you shall return," is a chilling reminder of our mortality, and frees us from the prison of perfection, and the judgment of others, and is a call to accept our own wrong doings. When we are naked before our Creator we begin to understand the salvation that Jesus offers us with his love. In Mark's Gospel, as the food was gathered up after the feeding of the five thousand we read: "They picked up the fragments left over--. . ." reminding us of the extraordinary ability of Jesus to multiply and make limitless what seems, at the moment, limited; teaching that when we feel we are worthless, mere crumbs in the eyes of the world, God sees something more. Muriel Lester observes, "We should stop praying the Lord's Prayer until we can see that we are tied to the same living tether not only with our fellow countrymen and people of the same faith, but with everybody on the planet." Rather than hold on to what was, we should walk into what is, and into the future, striving to be the Beloved Community, recognizing Christ is Universal, and is Cosmic, reflecting all faith expressions, calling us into caring for every creature on earth. In so doing every fragment is a treasure. Every piece has value. And God want let any of it be tossed aside. Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God! --------------------------------------------------------- Ash Wednesday--February 26, 2020 On Ash Wednesday we will walk Polk Street and Haight Street, sharing food, fellowship, and offering ashes. We will begin at 3:00 p.m. in the Haight, and continue at 9:00 p.m, on Polk. If any one is interested please call at 415-305-2124. We will be taking our time. So there are no time limits. ------------------------------------------------------------ Lenten Reflection 2020: Repenting of Ecological Sin and Cultivating Ecological Virtues: In the recent Roman Catholic Synod on the Amazon, ecological sin was defined "as an action or omission against God, against one's neighbor, the community and the environment." The seven deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, sloth) can be away where we have turned away from our Creator and creation. Through Lent--each week-on Facebook, and our website--we will examine each of these sins through the lens of creation and is paired with an ecological virtue that can help us restore our relationships and to live in sublime communion. We invite you to reflect with us on each one of these sins during this time. We would love to discuss your feelings and reflection on each one. Our preference is for you to call us, where we can personally interact, but as always email, face book, snap chat, and text are available any time. ----------------------------------------------------------- Holy Thursday, April 9, 2020: We will begin at 3:00 p.m. blessing sandwiches and chips, as elements of the Eucharist, and than walk through the Haight, visiting, and sharing. We will follow the same process on Polk at 9:00 p.m. Any one is welcome but simply know there is no time limit, and our focus is on our celebration. ------------------------------------------------------------ Good Friday, April 10, 2020--12 Noon-until 2:00 p.m. Nineteen Annual Tenderloin Stations of the Cross "Small Pebbles" Each of our acts is a small pebble that has consequences through out eternity. Beginning at Polk side City Hall If you would like to read a Station please contact us at 415-305-2124 This is a witness to Christ being crucified in front of us in the people on the streets, those who are struggling to keep their housing, and keep food on the table. We are not about numbers, but a witness. ---------------------------------------------------------- Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020--Service of Holy Communion Golden Gate Park 9:00 a.m. We will take anyone in attendance or who is around out for breakfast afterward. ---------------------------------------------------------- WE ARE BEGGARS: We are begging for money, we depend on your gifts to support our ministry. We are a 501 c.3, non-profit. Our needs have increased--we give a thousand pairs of socks a week, feed, and provide pastoral care. With the increase in our beloved on the street our funds are low. Personally I will begin working with the Census in order to raise extra money, so if you can give, please do so. Temenos Catholic Worker P.O. Box 642656 San Francisco, CA 94164 www.temenos.org 415-305-2124 ---------------------------------------------------------- Our thanks to the Reverend Gregory Weeks for being our editor on the Good Friday Service. Our thanks to Bill and Dina Tieje for the donation of our van. ----------------------------------------------------------- May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and may the Lord make his countenance shine on you and grant you peace!Amen. Thank you, River+