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Christians hold that the eight survivors of The Great Flood (Noah and his wife, their three sons, and their wives) disembarked the Ark on Mount Ararat and then migrated to the Plains of Shinar in ancient Mesopotamia. There, rather than multiply and spread throughout the entire earth as God had commanded, this remnant of humanity collectively built a city and a great tower that "reached up to the heavens" and attempted to compete with God. It was there and then that the entire human race was gathered as one race, one people, speaking one language, all the while disobeying God's command to disperse.

Sometimes we accomplish a certain task and we think our work is done.
I have noticed over my years as a Pastor that one task done is just the beginning of something greater. Such was the case in Nehemiah 7.
The people had worked hard for 52 days. The wall around Jerusalem had been reduced to rubble but after much ridicule and taunting, the wall is complete and the gates are hung. But Nehemiah realizes God is not finished.

Women in Action met together on Tuesday, May 12 at Red Oak Baptist Church. They will be collecting baby items to donate to Your Choice Resource Center. Their next meeting will be Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the church. This will be an exciting time of planning for the rest of the year and looking forward to the new year in Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) in September.
Red Oak Baptist Church held their End of Year Kingdom Kids Celebration on Wednesday, May 13.

NASHVILLE - An estimated 30,000 people packed downtown Nashville for the 28th annual Blooming Festival, the event highlighted by headliner Drew Baldridge, who at one point came down off the stage to play his guitar directly in the crowd.
"It was the perfect weekend," said Jill Boone, owner of Jody's of Nashville, who said she had more sales than last year and was appreciative of multiple new customers during peak vendor hours Saturday.

RED OAK - Approval for conditional rezoning to permit a new subdivision and planning for a new pop-up Farmers Market were among action items at the May 11th Red Oak town meeting.

When the fireworks erupt over Castalia this July, they will shine a little brighter in memory of the woman who first brought them to the town.
Ellene Leonard, affectionately known by "Nene," passed away on Friday, May 8 at the age of 89. Her death marks the loss of a leader whose vision quite literally shaped the landscape of the community she loved.
Leonard was born and raised in Castalia. She became the mayor of the town in 2004 but her service to her hometown started long before that. Leonard was instrumental in the formation of the town's July 4th celebration, which began in 1985 and will soon celebrate its 41st year.

RALEIGH- Senator Lisa Barnes of Nash County, along with Senator Buck Newton of Wilson County and Tim Moffitt (R-Henderson), have filed a bill to prevent the City of Rocky Mount from using its electric and natural gas utility money to shore up the city's sagging finances.
A May 6 press release from Barnes states that Senate Bill 1076 would stipulate that all revenue from the city's electric system would stay in that account to be used only for "operating expenses, system maintenance and improvements, debt service or to reduce electric rates for customers."

NASHVILLE- A 41-year-old Nashville man has been arrested for a hit and run incident in his own neighborhood that left a pedestrian with extensive injuries.
Roy Earl Allen III of 504 Golfers Lane, in Nashville's Birchwood neighborhood, has been charged with felony hit & run resulting in serious bodily injury and misdemeanor failure to stop and provide information to an injured person, according to a May 11 press release from the Nashville Police Department.
Allen was charged in connection with a hit and run incident that happened December 1, 2025, at about 7:47 p.m. in the 1000 block of Birchwood Drive.

NASHVILLE - More attractive signage, including better "Welcome" signs are on the drawing table for the town's Downtown Nashville Strong Advisory Board (DSNAB) after a recent after-hours work session April 14.
While there is a 'Welcome to Nashville' sign by the US 64 bridge, board members said at their April 28th meeting that they would prefer something with more curb appeal like Rocky Mount has on 64 near Winstead Avenue and like Greenville has on 264.

NASHVILLE - The 26th Annual Nash County Soil & Water Conservation District Catfish Luncheon, this year named in honor of the late Bobby Fisher, served up a mix of camaraderie, farmer appreciation and some dire warnings about threats to the Tar River from potential data centers.
Guest speaker Jason Brown, a Louisburg farmer and retired NFL player, urged Nash County citizens to formulate plans now to stave off data center construction, and not wait to pass a moratorium.

NASHVILLE
A brief, but powerful ceremony held at 9 a.m. by the flagpole outside the Nashville Police and Fire Complex attracted a small but dedicated crowd.
Randy "Chappy" Garner, NPD Chaplain, conducted the bulk of the program, which began with a welcome from Caleb Shockley, Police Chief, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Chris Joyner, Fire Chief.

An old friend posted on social media the other day that next year would be our high school class's 40th year.
I won't use my exact word-reaction here, but I'll say that as a young teenage reporter at this fine newspaper, when I was sent out to photograph high school reunions, any group marking 25 years or more was surely a bunch of "old heads."
Forty years? Good grief. Those folks were in their LATE FIFTIES. HOW COULD THEY STILL BE ALIVE?

This may be the shortest column I've ever penned over the span of four decades.
Post Blooming Festival days are always super busy, sometimes just as busy as during the event with many loose ends to tie up. Those loose ends, combined with normal newspaper activities, plus adding budget season - makes for days that just are not long enough to get everything done!
A quick recap of Blooming Festival weekend is no longer possible as the event has grown far beyond expectations from the days in 1997 when the event was launched.