by Roger Zotti

Joshua A. McClure is the Senior Pastor of the Pleasant Street Baptist Church, Westerly, since 1986.  He’s also the author of  two highly acclaimed books: 2006’s “Can These Bones Live? ” and 2008’s “Almost Persuaded, Now to Believe.” In the works is “From the Pleasant Street Pulpit, “a book of sermons. Also, Pastor McClure intends to pen a children’s book because “my granddaughter has been after me to do it.”

There’s more: Pastor McClure said the “Almost Persuaded Workbook”  is “a companion to the book and will aid and enhance one’s understanding of the Christian faith.” The “Almost Persuaded Teaching Guide” presents “a new dynamic teaching method designed to transform and restore God’s creations back to Himself.” He and Leslie McClure-A’Vant  have written “Almost Persuaded, Now To Believe, Church School Studies,” a two year Bible-based curriculum (kindergarten through adult), while  “Foundations of Faith Bible Study” is, Pastor McClure pointed out, “a  comprehensive Bible-based curriculum… developed for church Bible studies, home-school, and family Bible study.”

Certainly, today times are tough. Times are cruel. People struggle. “So where do we stand?” I asked Pastor McClure. “I mean, are we near the end of the line? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Is there any hope?” Without missing a beat, he replied: “Yes, things are pretty bad. But they’re definitely going to get better. I believe things are going to really turn around because I see people starting to come together. I see people starting to help each other out. In these tough times, I see people really beginning to care about other people. It’s like we’re almost in the same boat and the only way we’re going to get out of it is if we work together. I see positive things beginning to happen.”

Pastor McClure continued: “I see a different spirit in people, too, even though things are bad. [Hope] is important and I see people having hope. My job has always been, since the day I began to minister people, to  help bring hope to them. That’s what I have to do – bring hope into people’s lives.”

You only have to read Pastor McClure’s books, or listen to his sermons, to know he’s a biblical scholar and a man of humility, compassion and far-ranging vision. His writings and sermons are understandable without ever being condescending. That he loves his work is proved when he said, “I really can’t say anything I do is difficult. It’s something  that I enjoy and love doing and, you know,  I can’t do anything else. So it’s not difficult.  But I guess if there was any one thing that’s hard, it’s not  being able to do more for people. I sure wish I could do a lot more.”

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“Dying in the Twilight of Summer” spins the fascinating tale of Great Pines. It is a story about lost innocence and the challenges of growing up in a small town. Great Pines could easily be any number of the small towns that continue to vanish in what remains of the once rugged American West. The story is told through the eyes of four young men growing up in a town losing its culture and everything that makes it unique. The boys find themselves waging a losing battle against the hands of time that only seem to continually bring more hardship and crush their dreams.

“Dying in the Twilight of Summer” offers something to readers of all ages. The themes of friendship and ambition are entirely American, and the difficulties in coming of age and defining of one’s self are timeless reflections that every free spirit has faced and typically never solved. First time author, Seth O’Connell, bursts onto the scene with a raw first hand account of contemporary American youth. Seth’s writing gives readers a glimpse into the obscure and uncomfortable time between youthful idealism and adult realism and exposes emotional self-conflicts with straight-forward, poignant prose.

Seth is a native of Montana. Born and raised in the tiny map dot of Marysville, he attended college in California’s Bay Area from 2003-2008, where he played baseball for one of California’s premiere junior colleges and went on to earn his degree in Biology from San Francisco State University. He also had two short stories recognized as finalists for the school’s Young Writers Fellowship Award. Seth returned to Montana after college, where he works as a journalist and is currently writing his second novel.

“Dying in the Twilight of Summer” is available for order at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, or through Seth’s website, www.OConnellbooks.com.

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The first railroad in Connecticut – the Stonington-Providence Railroad – started operations in 1837.  Since then, railroads in the Stonington region have seen booms and declines – and one major disaster.

Bob Suppicich, noted railroad expert, will explore this dramatic history in his illustrated discussion on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 PM.  The program, presented by the Stonington Historical Society, will be held at the United Church of Stonington, 65 Main Street – next to where Stonington’s first railroad ran.

Bob will explore, among other things, Stonington’s swift rise as a transportation hub.  Passengers from New York to Providence or Boston would travel from New York to Stonington on the Stonington Steamship Line and continue their journey on the Stonington-Providence Railroad.  Stonington’s importance as a hub declined as railroads were built from Providence to New York.

Bob will also describe the terrible railroad accident in 1873 when a broken dam on the Pawcatuck River caused a flood that washed away the railroad bridge across the river, causing the wreck of the Stonington-Boston train.

Admission is free for members of the Historical Society, and $5 for non-members.  A reception will follow the discussion.

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Enjoy your Landscape Forever with our “Landscapes for Life” Program

Now is the time of year when your thoughts naturally turn to the upcoming spring.  The warm weather; the crocuses and daffodils popping up means that spring is just days away.  This is also the time of year where you may have a feeling of dread about those garden beds that are harder and harder each year to maintain or that were out of control when you left them last fall. No need to worry, Sprigs & Twigs Landscapes is here to help! We have maintained properties since 1997 and we are only a phone call away.

We refurbish old landscapes; provide landscape makeover and renovation services, absentee owner services and offer a comprehensive garden maintenance program.

Our garden maintenance program lets you enjoy your property worry-free.  We provide a customized service, tailored to your landscape.  In the spring, we rejuvenate your garden beds, prune shrubs and perennials, re-edge, fertilize and re-mulch as needed.  Throughout the year we also provide weekly or bi-weekly maintenance where we visit your property and keep it up to snuff.  In the fall, we close-down your garden for the long winter months by doing final pruning, weeding.

We are now making the incredible offer to guarantee your plants for life as long as we maintain your landscape.  This new program is called “Landscapes for Life.”  If any plant we take care of dies, we will replace it, free-of-charge, for life!  See more details at www.SprigsandTwigs.net.

Doing business with Sprigs & Twigs Landscapes will be an unforgettable experience.

• We are low maintenance, naturalistic landscape specialists; we care about our environment.  We will treat your landscape in an eco-friendly way, creating a better environment for your family, neighborhood and community.

• We have the experience, education and equipment to professionally design, install and maintain high value landscapes that are good for the environment, beautiful and low maintenance.

• We are a woman-owned, local, family business and active members of the community. We buy from local suppliers to promote growth of our local economy while keeping our carbon footprint as small as we can.

• We provide high quality work and outstanding customer service. We take your worry out of landscaping and give you back your weekends.

• We have hundred’s of satisfied customers ready to give you their recommendations on request.

• Our work has been recognized nationally as 2008 Landscaper of the Year National Finalist.

Give me a call at 860.235.0752.

Best Wishes,

Linda K. Lillie
Owner

Sprigs & Twigs Landscapes, LLC

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