Vol. 24| Iss. 7 | July 2020
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9 Hooked On Books
DRIVETHROUGH PRAYER BOX OFFERS HOPE DURING TRYING TIMES By Kelly Wise Valdes
16 Amy Grant
16 From The Newswire
Columns: Grace Notes: Hooked On Books: Scouts Go Virtual: Faith & Footprints:
04 09 11 15
God promises us in the Bible that He hears every word that we pray to Him. In the spirit of community and prayer, Disciples of Christ Christian Fellowship erected the Community Drive-Through Prayer Box soon after it opened its doors as a new church last year in Riverview. “We wanted to let the community know that we here for them and that they didn’t have to be a member to get prayer,” said Mary Jo McKay, co-founder of the church and wife of the church’s pastor, Reverend Kenneth McKay. “We increased the advertisement of the prayer box during COVID as a reminder to the community that Jesus is the answer and prayer is the key.” Prayer forms are available at the prayer box site, or people can come with their prayer requests already written. They can drive up or walk up and simply drop the prayer in the secure box. The prayers are collected each day. “We pray over them daily,” said McKay. “Our church has always had a strong focus on prayer. We truly believe that prayer will heal our communities and
Disciples of Christ Christian Fellowship Church invites the public to drop off prayer requests at the community prayer box located at 11116 Rhodine Rd. in Riverview.
our nation.” Currently, the Disciples of Christ Christian Fellowship is conducting all of its regularly scheduled services virtually and added three additional daily services, Monday-Friday, during COVID-19. The new services are: 9 a.m. morning devotion, 12 Noon prayer and 7 p.m. words of encouragement. “We wanted to ensure we kept in touch with our members, offered sufficient tools for them to maintain their faith, encouraged trust in God and assuaged fear,” said McKay. “We also sped up the completion of our prayer
garden to provide members the opportunity to safely leave their homes, enjoy nature and pray alone or with their families.” Regularly scheduled church services are all being held virtually: Bible study on Wednesday at 7 p.m., intercessory prayer on Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday morning worship service at 11 a.m. “We will resume in-person services once the CDC and local health professionals indicate it’s advisable to do so,” said McKay. “In the meantime, we’re installing hand sanitizer stations, and once reopened, we will frequently sanitize highly utilized areas, we will require masks when we’re unable to maintain 6 ft. distance, allow only families to sit together, discontinue breakfast and luncheons and discontinue group socializing before and after church.” For more information or to watch the online services, visit www.doccf.org. The church and prayer box is located at 11116 Rhodine Rd. in Riverview. You can also call 677-8600 to reach the church office.
NEWSOME SOPHOMORE BAKES UP SWEET NEW BUSINESS
By Kelly Wise Valdes
Like many teenagers, Emily Finch often pondered about the secret recipe to success. Especially during the height of the quarantine, this soon-to-be Newsome High School sophomore wondered what she could do to make a difference in the community. With the encouragement of her father and mother, Christian and Beth Finch, Emily’s Curbside Bakery was born. “I have always liked to bake, especially different holiday treats. When the stay-at-home order started, I began trying out new recipes,” said Emily. “My dad kept posting pictures of what I was baking on Facebook and there were a lot of positive comments. We arranged a pickup one night for a friend who wanted some of my pretzels. This was the point where I really felt inspired to start the bakery.” Emily has donated 15 percent of her profits to those in need, including a donation to FishHawk Fellowship Church’s food drive benefitting the Seeds of Hope food bank. She has also donated her baked goods to the church staff. The Finch family, including younger sister Peyton, have been FishHawk residents for the past 11 years and have been attending FishHawk Fellowship Church for four years. Emily Finch, an upcoming sophomore at Newsome High School, “Christian and I have loved watching Emily develop started Emily’s Curbside Bakery during quarantine and has her passion for baking,” said her mother, Beth. “As her donated 15 percent of her profits to people in need.
parents, it’s been inspiring to see her really take ownership of this and develop it into what it is now. We are incredibly proud of her work ethic and passion to do things that bring joy to others.” In addition to baking, Emily plays the clarinet and decided to audition for a leadership position in the Newsome band. One of the audition requirements was to participate in a service project. “I felt like this was God’s way of telling me I needed to give back to the community. In the end, it all came together very nicely, and I believe that it was all God’s doing.” Emily’s Curbside Bakery’s most popular baked goods include pretzel bites, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls. To place an order, visit and like Emily’s Curbside Bakery on Facebook. Each week, Emily posts what she will be baking and pickup days. After orders are placed, customers receive confirmation of the pickup date and time. Emily’s Curbside Bakery will continue throughout the summer; however, there may be adjustments in orders to accommodate her summer schedule. As the new school year begins, Emily is considering scaling her bakery to special requests, events and parties. For more information, visit www.facebook.com and search for Emily’s Curbside Bakery.