Civil rights and musical nights
page 13
Union County
Q&A with Marvin Ridge football coach Aubrey Carter
page 17
Serving Indian Trail, Marvin, Stallings, Waxhaw, Weddington and Wesley Chapel
Locally Owned & Operated www.unioncountyweekly.com
Volume 10, Number 26 • June 25 to July 1, 2015
Red Cross sends Union County residents to Texas, Oklahoma for disaster relief Local volunteers help lead recover efforts after floods, tornadoes by Hannah Chronis hannah@unioncountyweekly.com
Matthews-based Threshold Church to build in Union County Courtney Schultz/UCW photo
by Courtney Schultz courtney@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com
WEDDINGTON – Serving others has always been Threshold Church’s mission, which Lead Pastor Jeff Gardner said never required a church building. The congregation has met in the Siskey Family YMCA’s gymnasium in Matthews since the church’s inception in 2002. However, to meet its growing needs, Threshold, a church plant of Forest Hill Church, found a home in a standalone, unconventional building in Weddington. “We’re a church like every other
church, where our mission is pretty much the same – every church’s mission ought to be the same – but we like to think in a little different way. We’re very authentic and transparent with people. We’re a church that loves to serve; it’s not about us, which is why the (YMCA) has worked for so long,� Gardner said. “It just keeps our focus on other people and not just ourselves.� The Siskey YMCA allowed the church to build storage sheds to conduct its services and the church attracted multiple members from the Siskey community. Threshold and the
Siskey YMCA built a strong partnership over the years, which encouraged them to stay in the rented space. The congregation, which has about 140 families, hadn’t talked about moving to an independent location for 11 years, Gardner added. “We were thinking money that would go into a building would better served in serving the community,� Gardner said. “We began to realize that it’s a really great church, but in our culture, people want a building.� Over the years, Gardner watched hundreds of people come and go in
Thirty-one individuals in Oklahoma and Texas died after record-breaking floods and tornadoes swept across the Southern Plains in late May. Oklahoma recorded its wettest month in history, shattering a 74-yearold record as 14.41 inches of rain fell in May, according to the National Weather Service. Texas averaged nearly nine inches of rain across the state, while cities like Austin (17.59 inches), Corpus Christi (14.32 inches), Dallas (16.96 inches) and Houston (14.17 inches) fared worse than others. More than 37 trillion gallons of water fell across the state, according to the National Weather Service. Flooded rivers and streams damaged more than 5,000 properties, left vehicles abandoned in the streets and forced residents to evacuate, losing almost everything as President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency. American Red Cross volunteer Deb Patton said she knew she had to act. Patton, a Monroe resident, has volunteered with the Southern Piedmont chapter of the Red Cross for more
(see Threshold Church on page 10)
(see Red Cross on page 3)
INDEX: News Briefs, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Education, 11; Honor Roll, 12; Arts, 13; Calendar, 14; Sports, 16; Classifieds, 19
Pe d i a t r i c B ou l eva rd
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