Men's 710 of 2005 Each second Tuesday of the month, Zion Lutheran Church hosts a Men's Fellowship, which includes a complimentary breakfast and a special guest speaker beginning at 7:10 a.m. in the Fellowship Building to last about an hour. Visitors are always welcome to leave early if work schedule requires. Men's 710 - December 13, 2005 Melanie Wilks, our December guest, has served as a counselor with Save-a-Life of Baldwin County, for the last ten years. Her counseling skills are not limited to her specialty areas of abstinence, post-abortion, and sexual abuse recovery, because Melanie is also the "You are Unique Coordinator" for the Save-a-Life Ministry in Baldwin, a program that enables teens and young children to understand the importance of good self worth and emotional and physical purity. Heart to Heart Family Resource Center’s Service Coordinator, Melanie Wilks, checks donated baby items in its resource room. New baby items like diapers and clothing are always welcome. The Heart to Heart Family Resource Center in Robertsdale is in the process of buying its building and bringing ultrasound services to its clients. Service Coordinator Melanie Wilks explains that there are alternatives to abortion and that just seeing new baby life within through an ultrasound brings a change of heart for keeping a baby that had been destined for death through abortion. STD testing and other services will soon be standard with that ultrasound program there in Robertsdale. Just as it is first in the Yellow Pages under “Abortion Alternatives,” Heart to Heart Family Resource Center plans to be first in preserving the lives of the unborn through its ministry in Baldwin County. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - November 8, 2005 Baldwin County Archivist John Jackson brought his expertise to this month's meeting. He is the head of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History and has the specific charge to collect and maintain the historical record of the county government. Materials like manuscripts, diaries, correspondence, and artifacts document where we as a County have been. His long-term projects include scanning of maps and documents for access on the County’s website, employment and instruction of archivist interns from the University of South Alabama, Auburn University, and the University of Alabama, and indexing existing county documents. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - October 11, 2005 Bill Persons was Zion's guest in October. His presentation topic was a mystery. In Koinia Greek, the original language of the New Testament, a "mystery" was something that was hidden and unknown, but which was being revealed progressively, a little bit at a time. The mystery revealed had to do with honor and integrity and how we deal with death and preserving the memory of both loved ones and acquaintances who impact our lives. This mystery even had to do with comfort for the grieving. Men's 710 - September 13, 2005 Social Security Public Affairs Specialist, Pam Matthews discussed the New Prescription Drug Benefit during this month's breakfast. Ms. Matthews, from the Fairhope office, provided information about the new plan and who is eligible to be on the plan at little or no cost. "Beginning January 2006, the Social Security Administration will offer prescription drug coverage for everyone with Medicare. Certain citizens, who have low income and assets will receive help in offsetting the cost of this program if they apply for the help," according to Pam. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - August 8, 2005 Bob Higgins, Vice President of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, discussed the status of Baldwin County's business and development climate. The Alliance assesses existing business activities to better manage the Baldwin County Business Incubator with its revolving loan funds and seed capital network. Higgins chairs the Business & Marketing Education Advisory Committee to the Alabama State Board of Education and is president of the Harbour Place Property Owners Association in Orange Beach. He is a member of the Baldwin County Public Transit Coalition, the Economic Development Association of Alabama, Envision Coastal Alabama, the National Business Incubator Association, and the Alabama Information Technology Association. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - July 12, 2005 Dalton Head will discuss the why of restoration instead of refinishing, the replication of missing furniture components, the strategy of preserving the history of a piece during restoration, the matching of color and texture in restoration, and the range of products used in the process. Dalton Head of “Silverhill Antiques & Furniture,” points out repair that must take place in an 1800s chair that is currently being restored - estimated time, two hours. Eloise and Dalton Head own and operate “Silverhill Antiques & Furniture” in the heart of Silverhill, Alabama. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - June 14, 2005 Zion hosted Silverhill resident and master model craftsman Peco Forsman for June's meeting. Peco discussed how all problems can be worked through in building a model that pleases the eye and is historically accurate. Peco is pictured with a model of an early Wright Brothers' engine, current project under construction. The model Peco built of the Wright Brothers' 1910 Flyer took lots of time, documents from the Smithsonian, measurements and scaling for this model, assembly and choice of materials, and then the labor of love in fabricating the pieces and getting them to fit. Dean Mosher, an artist from Fairhope, owns this unique model plane and is using it to craft artwork that accurately reflects what those Wright Brothers might have experienced in 1910. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - May 10, 2005 Zion welcomed Fairhope Audiologist Candace Bell to May’s Men’s Breakfast. Bell, originally from Colfax, Louisiana, has been in audiology practice in Alabama for the past year. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, she received Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Audiology. She is associated with Eastern Shore ENT in Fairhope (Otolaryngologists Norris and Hixon and Audiologist Gentry). Audiologist Bell and family have put down roots in our area. She is married with two little boys. She says that “they keep us very busy! We love living here and my patients are so great! They make my job very enjoyable and fulfilling.” Men's 710 - April 12, 2005 Editor John Marshall Underwood explored the impact of technological change on the newspaper industry over this past decade, bringing his technological expertise to bear on his own newspaper experience. Underwood, a five-generation native Baldwin Countian with years of experience as an editor and reporter, is a graduate of Bayside Academy in Daphne and the University of South Alabama. He worked on The Independent in Robertsdale prior to moving to Washington, N.C., in 1995 where he served as managing editor of the Washington Daily News. Underwood returned to Baldwin County in 1997 and served as editor of The Foley Onlooker from 1997 to 1998 when he took over duties of sports editor for The Onlooker and The Islander in Gulf Shores. This past year he returned as editor of The Independent. John and his wife Linda live in the Summerdale/Magnolia Springs area of Baldwin and attend St. Andrew By The Sea Community Church in Gulf Shores. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - March 8, 2005 Captain Huey Hoss Mack, Jr., discussed the fastest growing crime category in the 21st Century, Identity Theft. Captain Huey Hoss Mack, Jr., now Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, has been with the Division since 1989 after serving as Chief Forensic Investigator with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences from 1985 to 1989. He holds an MS in Management from Troy State University along with a BS in Criminal Justice. He is a Graduate of the Southwest Alabama Police Academy. He is involved with the local business community and has recently served as a Lay Leader in the Robertsdale United Methodist Church. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - February 8, 2005 Park Manager Vernon Schaab presented Ken Zadnicheck's vision for "Wales West". Wales West is a planned light railway and RV resort aimed at the Christian family. Schaab - an experienced carpenter, long-term church youth worker, gospel singer from St. Louis, Missouri, and a spokesman for Wales West - is manager of operations for "the world's most westerly located Welsh steam powered railway, located 7500 miles due southwest of Manchester, Wales, British Isles!" Wales West, located just beyond Silverhill proper, is currently serving 43 RV units with full set-up and additional longer-term mobile home units within the park. Still in development, the grand design for Wales West will include a 4-acre spring-fed lake with water recreation, e.g., water slides, fishing, paddleboating, etc., and an 18 acre wetland traversed by protected walkways leading to a 144 year old Manchester chapel. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men's 710 - January 11, 2005 Foley City Administrator Perry Wilbourne was the speaker at January's breakfast. Wilbourne, at home with Foley's "Historic Street Scape" project impacting city streets, sidewalks, landscaping, and buildings in Foley's "Historic District," explored the impact of weather effects on city planning. Wilbourne, who began his association with the City of Foley twelve years ago, is familiar with a broad variety of civic issues, including historic district redevelopment. A graduate of the University of Alabama and with a history of military and business service, Wilbourne has worked with both county and city entities since 1986. He and wife Susan have three married children and three grandchildren. Click here to read more about this fellowship meeting. Men in Baldwin County are invited to join us for a complimentary breakfast and short program to last about an hour. Visitors are always welcome to leave early if work schedule requires. Click here to see past gatherings of Men's 710 from 2004.