This month of May, I am celebrating my 30th year as a correspondent for the St. Clair News-Aegis. My first Coal City column was posted on the first Thursday of May 1991. I greatly appreciate the employees with whom I have worked with the last 30 years. I greatly appreciate all you readers for your contributions of news items to this column, and I appreciate your kind words of encouragement to me regarding my writing this column.

Congratulations to my granddaughter, Ashley Scott, who graduated from high school May 7, 2021. Ashley plans to enroll in nursing school this Fall.

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church will have our annual Homecoming and 96th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, May 16 beginning at 10 a.m. “Crystal River” from Anniston will be the guest group. It will be an all-day event. Attendees will break for a “pot luck” dinner and fellowship in the Howard Savage Fellowship Hall at noon. Singing will resume at about 1 p.m. and go until about 2:30 p.m. Homecoming chairmen will be Mrs. Redena King and Landon King. The church will provide the meats, tableware and coffee. Attendees are asked to bring side dishes and drinks. Everyone is invited.

At about 1 p.m. attendees will reconvene in the church’s sanctuary for an afternoon of singing and testimonies until about 2:30 p.m.

Belated congratulations and happy anniversary to my friends Caleb and Meighan Middlebrooks of Riverside who celebrated May 5.

Our prayers and condolences are with the family of the Rev. Ted Brady St. John, 76, of Ragland who passed away on May 2, 2021. He was the current pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Ragland. He served as a pastor for numerous Baptist churches in this area during his ministry. He was a former pastor of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Pell City. He will be sadly missed by all of us who knew and loved him.

Readers, when you have news items to share, please call me at 205-884-0040.