The JOY Sunday school class at Emmanuel Baptist Church met for their quarterly lunch to celebrate birthdays and other celebrations last Thursday. The Manning Times received a call that day at around 11:00am. A woman’s voice came through the phone and let us know that the group of senior ladies pictured below would be at Calla Lily for the next “thirty or so minutes.” She thought it would be nice for these women to see their photo in the paper, and we agreed. When a member of our staff approached their table to snap a photo, the class teacher, Sue Coward, was happy to coordinate everyone in the direction of the camera. She later gave us a call to let us and our readers know everything one might need to know about her Sunday School class. Their group name, JOY, stands for “Jesus, Others, and You,” and it represents their core values of placing Jesus before all else and others before yourself.
Made up of ladies between the ages of 50 and 88 years-old, the group meets for lunch at restaurants like Calla Lily once every quarter and weekly at 9:00 a.m. before worship service begins at 10:00 a.m. Coward also shared that they like to put effort toward outreach in their community at least once a month. The majority of these ladies are retired, according to Coward, and her class provides a wonderful way to contribute to the community and make new friendships.
The group is always accepting new members, and you can join them at Emmanuel Baptist Church in room 3 at 1794 Old Georgetown Road Manning, SC 29102; visit www.emmanuelmanning.com for more information.
