TIGERS POUNCE INTO TOP 5
Woman, 85, a newly ordained minister. A2
Win over Georgia gives Clemson its highest AP poll ranking in 25 years B1 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 118, NO. 271 WWW.THEITEM.COM
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Obama gains Syria-strike support Never tire of the calling for your life
“I
don’t want to rust out.” Don Barber spoke these words to me recently as he described his faith-sharing activity. By most standards, the 77-year-old retired educator has every right to settle down, to let a younger generation take the lead in active ministry. Some might say that he has served his time, paid dues and is now entitled to a little rest and relaxation. This is not Barber’s plan for his golden years. For 30 years, Barber served in the local education system as an educator at Edmunds High School and Willow Drive Elementary School, where he was promoted to principal. He then made it to the position of director of instruction and staff development in what once was Sumter School District 17 before retiring in 1992. Upon his retirement, Barber and his wife went to China, where they were charged with educating teachers and principals. While there, they managed to print about 30,000 pieces of religious scripture and distribute them to the people in communist China, an act that could have landed them in prison. When you ask Barber about his transition into ministry from his career in education, he answers quickly. “I can’t separate it,” he told me. “It was all ministry.” You see, for Barber, ministry isn’t a hobby. It’s his life. His faith is pervasive, and it affects everything he does. Most of us view our life in compartmentalized
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama gained ground Tuesday in his drive for congressional backing of a military strike against Syria, winning critical support from House Speaker John Boehner while administration officials agreed to explicitly rule out the use of U.S. combat troops in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack. “You’re probably going
SEE FAITH MATTERS, PAGE A6
to win” Congress’ backing, Rand Paul of Kentucky, a conservative senator and likely opponent of the measure, conceded in a late-afternoon exchange with Secretary of State John Kerry. The leader of House Republicans, Boehner emerged from a meeting at the White House and said the United States has
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio listens as President Obama speaks to media in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday before a meeting with between the president and Congressional leaders to discuss the situation in Syria.
SEE SYRIA, PAGE A6
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Relationship specialist will speak at church
SHAWSOME MEGA SUNDAY DRAWS CROWD
BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com
PHOTOS BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS KRYSTAL M. JEFFERS / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM
Patricia “Trixi” Huth, a member of Lowcountry Party Animals, paints the face of a child during the Shawsome Mega Sunday event at Shaw Air Force Base on Aug. 25. Shawsome was a free fair hosted by the chapel to promote base morale. In addition to clowns who painted faces and made balloon creations, there was also a petting ing zoo with sheep, horses, donkeys and rabbits.
ing contest Children compete in a watermelon-eat during the event.
Senior Airman Ashlynn Clemens, 20th Equipment Mainte nance Squadron armament crew member, holds one of the rabbits at the petting zoo dur ing the event. For information about future events with the chapel call (803) 895-1106 or visit the website at www.shaw chapel.org.
About b 2,000 people l enjoyed d the h Shawsome h Mega Sunday on Aug. 25 at Shaw Air Force Base, which was free and open to anyone with access to the base. It was put on by the Shaw chapel with its tithes and offering fund. “It was a celebration of the community, and it gave people an opportunity to connect,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Matthew Boarts, 20th Fighter Wing deputy wing chaplain. “There is plenty of bad news in the world, and we wanted to share something good.”
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Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott like to tell people that they not only share the same name, but also the same passion for building healthy relationships. Les Parrott will be bringing the advice that has made the New York Times best-selling authors and guests of numerous TV shows to Alice Drive Baptist Church on PARROTT Sunday, according to Dr. Clay Smith. “Hosting Les Parrott is our way of offering to the Sumter, Clarendon and Lee (communities) a chance to hear a nationally known expert in family relationships,” said Smith, who is lead pastor for the church. “We want to love and encourage families and marriages — and Dr. Parrott will do a great job with his message.” That message is titled “Making bad relationships better and good relationships great,” according to the Parrotts’ website. Since founding the Center for Relationships Development at Seattle Pacific University in SEE PARROTTS, PAGE A8
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