Are you enjoying these beautiful May days that we have been having this February? I know that I have! But, it should be remember that during this month of February, it has thundered at least twice - on the 9th and on the 16th. That means, according to weather folklore that our later springtime weather will be affected.

Here are some recently been celebrated birthdays: Feb. 27- Laura Matthews Bigner, Lois Matthews Ballard, Terri Ray VanNoy; March 1- Nikki Lewis Neal, Malcolm Johnson, Bob Owens; March 4- Janet Holmes Buchanan Carson, Rex McCord. The granddaughter of Julia Sanford Hughes (Charleigh Ray) and the grandson of Willie Mae Porter Davis (Charley “Scoot” Davis) have also had recent birthdays.

The announcement that the pastor of the First Baptist Church on Raymond Street will be departing the congregation next month was made on Sunday. Rev. Lee Faler posted the following on Sunday: “Today was a bittersweet day for the Faler family as we announced that the Lord has called us to pastor my home church, Willow Grove Baptist Church. Words cannot express how much FBC Terry has meant to us. We are saddened because we are leaving people that we love, and we are excited because we are coming to pastor people that we love. Our last Sunday at FBC Terry will be March 12 and we will begin our ministry at WGBC March 19. Please be in prayer for us as seek to transition well, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

A fellowship in honor of his family is being planned for the evening of March 12. The congregation is also in preparation of a new church pictorial.

Please keep the names of Patsy Kitchens and Glenn Yarbrough in your prayers. Also, let us thank God for the birth of the Ladner quintuples from Purvis. This rare birth (occurring in roughly one in 60 million births) took place in our University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Adalyn Elizabeth was born weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 13.38 inches long. Shortly after, little sister Everleigh Rose came, weighing 2 pounds, .8 ounces and measuring 12.59 inches. Sister Malley Kate was delivered at 1 pound, 11 ounces and 12.99 inches long. Magnolia Mae was the last sister delivered, weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 13.18 inches. Little brother Jake Easton was the last to be born at 9:23 a.m., the biggest at 2 pounds, 5 ounces and 13.77 inches long. These five are the first quintuplets born inside Mississippi.

This was the eighth week of the 2023 Legislative Session. Wednesday, Feb. 22 marked the deadline for original floor action on House appropriations and revenue bills. While most of these bills were taken up last week, a few were discussed before Wednesday’s deadline. House Bill 1671 would provide tax credits for businesses and individuals for making contributions to crisis pregnancy centers. After 2 amendments were tabled that would expand postpartum Medicaid coverage and increase TANF benefits, a motion to the previous question was made, thus ending debate on the bill. The bill passed 104-9 and has been sent to the Senate.

House Bill 1721 would appropriate funding to the Department of Health to provide funding to Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson to establish a burn center. Before being amended, the bill originally appropriated funds to the University of MS Medical Center for a burn unit. HB 1721 passed the House 102-11 and has been transmitted to the Senate.

House Bill 1715 would appropriate funds to the Department of Health to fund the ARPA Rural Water Associations Infrastructure Grant Program. House Bill 1716 would appropriate funds to the Department of Environmental Quality to fund the MS Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program. Both bills passed the House overwhelmingly.

House Bill 1702 would exempt sales of books at the Mississippi Book Festival from sales tax. HB 1702 passed unanimously by a vote of 117-0.

Committees also began to meet again this week to discuss general bills originating in the Senate. Before the deadline on Tuesday, Feb. 28, Senate bills will come out of House committees and onto the House floor for discussion. While the deadline to pass these Senate general bills on the floor is a few weeks away, more than 30 Senate bills were discussed this week.

Several bills regarding elections were introduced this week. Senate Bill 2352 would penalize any person who fraudulently requests or submits an absentee ballot. SB 2352 passed the House 81-36, and it has been returned to the Senate. Senate Bill 2353 would increase the wages for poll managers and workers.

SB 2353 passed by a vote of 113-5 and has been returned to the Senate. Senate Bill 2358 would ban certain in-stances of ballot harvesting, a practice in which a person other than the voter turns in an absentee ballot. The bill would authorize election officials, U.S. Postal workers and family members or caregivers to deliver these absentee ballots. After much discussion, the bill was laid on the table subject to call.

A section of Interstate 220 North in Hinds County would be designated as the “Senator Douglas Anderson Memorial Highway” in memory of former legislator Douglas Anderson who passed away in 2013. Senator Anderson served in the Legislature from 1976 to 1993.

Senate Bill 2562 would allow public and private partnerships to establish electric vehicle charging stations and would allow the MS Transportation Com-mission to provide grants to companies that provide electric vehicle charging stations. Senate Bill 2853 would prohibit the state from purchasing drones made in China and would require that small, unmanned aircrafts only be purchased and serviced from American companies.

The softball team of Terry High School will compete against West Lincoln High School on Monday, March 6 at 5:30PM, against Enter-prise High School (Lin-coln County) on Tues., March 7 at 5:00PM, against Raymond High School on Thursday, March 9, (again) against West Lincoln High School on Friday, March 10 at 5:30PM, and against Clinton High School on Saturday, March 11 at noon. The school’s baseball team will compete against Yazoo County High School on Tuesday, March 7 and against Pearl High School (Rankin County) on Friday, March 10 (both games beginning at 5:00). The school’s track team will be competing at Clinton High School on Thursday, March 9 at 3:00PM.

We are currently in the Lenten season of the church calendar. The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 17:1-7 (water from a rock), Psalm 95 (a call to praise and obedience), Romans 5:1-11 (right with God) and John 4:5-42 (Jesus and a Samaritan woman).

In 1898, Mrs. Joseph Conkling copyrighted “This Is the Savior for Me,” and it was published in Danfield, New Jersey. It was later set to music. I share the edited text of that hymn with you this week.
“The Savior who saw, from His home in the sky, From sin we could never be free, And loved us so well that He came down to die—
This, this is the Savior for me.
“Who loved us so well that He came down to die, This, this is the Savior for me.
“The Savior who left all the glories of Heav’n, And died a vile death on the tree, That I a bright crown, and a robe might be giv’n—
This, this is the Savior for me.
“Who loved us so well that He came down to die, This, this is the Savior for me.
“The Savior who feels every sorrow we bear, And asks us His children to be, That safe He may keep, in His tenderest care—
This, this is the Savior for me.
“Who loved us so well that He came down to die, This, this is the Savior for me.
“The Savior who leads us to trust in His love, And there we His glory shall see, And safely will guard, and will take us above—
This, this is the Savior for me.
“Who loved us so well that He came down to die, This, this is the Savior for me.”
Thank you for reading this week’s Hinds County Gazette.