Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1025129
22 UCW SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Meetings For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center. • Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, Wil- liam "Bill" Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters. • Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. • Mayor's Youth Leadership Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. • Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept 24, 7 p.m. Activities • Hope Mills Citizens Academy is designed to help citizens gain insight into how local government works and promote open lines of communication. e sessions began Sept. 6. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424- 4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com. • Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio's, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. • Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo ursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot be- tween Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m. • Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Regis- tration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. e pageant is for ages are 3-22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. e pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22. • Ole Mills Days 2018 Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details and vendor information, contact Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Bullock: 910- 426-4107 or kwbullock@townofhopemills.com. • Pumpkin decorating for seniors Tuesday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-noon in the small activity room of Parks and Rec. No fee, but advanced sign-up is required. Only 20 pumpkins available. Prizes will be awarded for the best three pumpkins. • Ghostly Gala for seniors Wednesday, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Parks and Rec community room. Advanced sign-up at the reception desk required. Costumes are preferred but not required. ere will be a costume contest and pumpkin decorating contest. Potluck social. Bring main dish, side dish or dessert. Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. CALENDAR NEWS EARL VAUGHAN JR., Senior Staff Writer. COMMENTS? EarlUCWS- ports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. The town of Hope Mills recently joined the city of Fayetteville in establishing a law prohibiting citizens from engaging with panhandlers seeking donations from pedestrians or people in motor vehicles. This is a sensitive issue for many people, espe- cially those who feel genuine compassion for those who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own and are seeking assistance until they can get back on their feet. But the problem in roadside requests for help is determining whether they are genuine or coming from someone who wants money to feed a drug or alcohol addiction. Rev. Bob Kretzu of Hope Mills United Methodist Church is familiar with the problem. Before com- ing to Hope Mills, he served pastorates in different communities and saw how those communities tried to offer real assistance to those in need. "One part is compassion, and another part is obe- dience, if you're a Christian,'' Kretzu said. "Nobody likes to be taken advantage of.'' Kretzu has been on the receiving end of numerous requests for assistance during his time as a minister. He tries to track each of them down and sadly reports it's been his experience that nine out of 10 calls he has gotten for help over the years weren't genuine. He recalled one experience when he was in Goldsboro helping with a relief effort following the devastation of Hurricane Floyd. At one benefit event, he said, a man walked in and began yelling, "I'm here for the free stuff.'' Kretzu said he is pleased when he comes to a community like Hope Mills where there is an exist- ing cooperative ministry like ALMSHOUSE. Similar ministries exist in Fayetteville with Fayetteville Urban Ministry and the Salvation Army. The purpose of the ALMSHOUSE is helping fami- lies reach goals of sufficiency, along with feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and providing coun- seling and financial assistance. The town supports the ALMSHOUSE by holding regular collections of food in conjunction with its Food Truck Rodeos. "There, you feel like your compassion is satisfied,'' Kretzu said of a community-based charity like the ALMSHOUSE. "Your sense of obedience to care for those in need is satisfied, and your safety is preserved. You know the majority of (the benefits) are going to be used for a really redemptive purpose and not to support somebody's addiction or other choice.'' The safety of the public is a major part of the problem with panhandling, Kretzu said. He previ- ously worked in Durham, where over a period of eight years, the number of people panhandling on street corners and at intersections doubled. "It got to a point where they were fighting each other over the prime locations,'' Kretzu said. "You worry about the safety of passengers in cars and interrupted traffic patterns.'' One person Kretzu worked closely with was actually pushed into oncoming traffic by a "home- less'' person. That is one reason Kretzu is glad to work with an organization like the ALMSHOUSE in Hope Mills, which offers tangible support for people who have been identified as being in genuine need. "To me, it's a win-win,'' Kretzu said. "It's a more redemptive use of my time to support a ministry like that than to try to meet the needs of individuals that come by the church. I love when I go into a commu- nity and one is already established. "I really believe in cooperative ministries.'' Kretzu shares thoughts on panhandling ordinance by EARL VAUGHAN JR. A new Hope Mills law prohibits citizens from engaging with panhandlers. Rev. Bob Kretzu