Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, Nov. 25, The Gadsden County Jail was once again blessed by the generosity of a private donor and the dedication and hard work of the First United Methodist Church in Monticello, who provided nearly 200 meals for Gadsden County Jail inmates and first responders working on Thanksgiving Day. Bureau Chief Colonel Robert E. Barkley is very appreciative of the continued support for inmates while incarcerated, and the Bureau of Corrections, under the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office, is grateful for all of the hard work and efforts made by the volunteers of First United Methodist Church to spread Thanksgiving cheer and a delicious meal to both staff and inmates alike.
The First United Methodist Church has been serving the community with their Thanksgiving outreach for around 15 years, says event coordinator Dean Jerger, who added that this year, including meals sent to the Gadsden County Jail, the event was able to serve 1109 meals to members of Monticello and the surrounding areas. “This year, everything went great, and we didn't really have any setbacks or anything,” Jerger stated, “The volunteers worked together so well, and you can tell that everyone really enjoys what they do.”
Recently, the church finished their seasonal live nativity scene, called Bethlehem in Monticello, which took place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4. The event featured camels, donkeys, sheep and a large cast of characters in a re-created town of Bethlehem. Over 650 people showed up over the course of the weekend event to enjoy the living nativity, which was free to the public.
Additionally, the church participated in Operation Christmas Child, also known as Shoebox Ministry, for the first time in several years. The church gave out 188 boxes to children all around the world, including many who may have never received Christmas gifts before. Included in each box was a bible study in the child's native language.
While there are no current events or drives planned at this time, brainstorming is in the works for future projects, to be announced at a later time.