A Great Banquet!

Our second annual His Branches Banquet, hosted last week at the Oak Hill Country Club, was a great success thanks to many behind-the-scenes workers and wonderful community support! Over 200 staff, friends, and new supporters of our ministry gathered for an evening of celebration of past and ongoing accomplishments and exhortations to keep up and expand the good work.

After enjoying a delicious dinner and time of fellowship with friends, both old and new, we were ministered to with music, testimony, and a new video that refreshed and stirred our spirits. Our guest speaker, Dr. Karl Johnson, inspired us with a comparison between what His Branches is doing now and the moving story of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's classic "To Kill a Mockingbird," and our host for the evening, John Gramlich, urged us to pull together to reach even deeper in meeting the needs and opportunities that surround us.

When it was all over, we were left with not only the encouraging glow of spiritual support but the tangible reality of profoundly encouraged staff, new volunteers, and nearly $40,000 in donations and pledges to undergird our ministries in the months ahead. A hearty "thank you" goes out to all who participated in making our 2011 "Healing Hands" Banquet such a success. We're already starting to talk about next year!