Corey Perrine/Staff

Chris Smith has devoted 85 acres of his land near Thomson to spreading Christianity through a cowboy-style ministry at The Old Frontier. Smith says it's a comfortable approach to God. He felt God's call to the work in 2004 and it now includes a cowboy church, camp, therapeutic riding and job training.

This year has flown by. It’s contest time for most newspapers right now, which means we comb the archives for the year’s best.

I’ll post with those in the coming days, but had these few recent stories to share.

The Augusta Chronicle’s Saturday faith section fell on Christmas day this year. I wrote about the Salvation Army’s church in Augusta, which is often over-shadowed (in a very good way) by its charitable work. Nationally, that means the number of soldiers is falling. But that’s not so in Augusta. The Corps is expanding here with the development of the Kroc Center. Read on for more on the Salvation Army’s history – and future – in Augusta.

(P.S. I love our copy editors. This story ran with the headling ‘Ringing Church Bells, too,’ which is just … perfection.)

A week or two earlier, I worked with photographer Corey Perrine for this story and photo essay on The Old Fronteir, a unqiue Cowboy Church that’s growing into a youth retreat center outside on Tomson, Ga. Click through just to have a look at these photos. They’re amazing. So is the sort of determination and vision it takes to get a program like this off the ground.

That same week, we produced a three-part package on 12 Bands, an Augusta charity that benefits childhood cancers. The group took a well-publicized haitus last year. We followed up with articles on the group’s new national focus, and stories of the children 12 Bands hopes to help. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

By Kelly Jasper

Staff Writer

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Karen Gordon pondered the question she posted to Garden City Jazz's Web site earlier in the week.

Zach Boyden-Holmes/Staff

Jazz Musician Karen Gordon plays at Davor's in Aiken.

Just what, exactly, is the state of jazz in Augusta?

"I don't even know where you begin," said Gordon, a jazz vocalist and piano player. "In one word? It's complicated."

Gordon founded Garden City Jazz in 2003 to promote, book and produce jazz in the Augusta area. She's found that opinions on just what jazz is in Augusta -- and what jazz should be in Augusta -- vary.

As soon as she posted the question, responses poured in.

"Nobody agrees, but at least they're all eager to talk about it," she said.

Depending on who you ask, jazz is alive and well, tired and forgotten, or dead and gone.

That's because jazz exists in a paradox.

There are always acts and big names who draw crowds while local musicians can hardly pay their bills. Shiny young talent breaks through while the community mourns the passing of one of its greats, as Augusta did recently with the death of Tommie W. Gulley, who founded Jazz Unlimited, a non-profit in support of jazz.

It's easy to reminisce about the old days and about what jazz must have been like here in the '50s and '60s, Gordon said.

"Live music was huge then. They played at clubs and people danced. It's just different now," she said. "All the dances you dance today, you dance by yourself. People think they don't need jazz."

Read more at augustachronicle.com

Photo by Michael Holahan/Staff

Anyone with half an ear to the ground has heard plenty about the going ons of Angel Food Ministries these past few years. The Georgia nonprofit distributes massive amounts of low-cost food across the country and has, since 2009, endured a lawsuit, a federal investigation and controversy over legislation introduced by one of its employees, a state representative.

I wondered about the impact was of that sort of ongoing controversy. Do churches, which partner with Angel Food to distribute food, have any misgivings about the organization? Do allegations of corporate misuse of credit cards, a jet, and other perks, matter to the people fed by one of Angel Food’s boxes each month?

Here’s the story, plus a sidebar detailing the ministry’s troubles.

Angel Food Ministries, a service under fire

FBI search, lawsuit made for a troubled ’09 for ministry

This was a staff-wide effort I oversaw for the front page of the Jan. 1 paper. Read on for details on all sorts of beats, including faith, education, sports, city government …

A lot lies ahead for the Augusta area this year

By Kelly Jasper | Staff Writer

Friday, January 01, 2010

There's the usual, such as the Masters Tournament and the Westobou Festival, and also new events and big-name concerts.

The International Mountain Bike Association World Summit will come to Augusta from May 5-8. About 500 riders are expected to compete on trails in nearby Sumter National Forest in Edgefield and McCormick counties.

The ESi Ironman 70.3 returns in September. The inaugural event in 2009 set a world record with 3,000 competitors and drew 5,000 to 6,000 spectators downtown. Economic impact was estimated at $4.7 million.

A new $24 million library will open in downtown Augusta in June. The three-floor library will offer 30,000 new books, self-checkout stations, a children's reading room and puppet stage and a Georgia resource room. Several other projects, including the Kroc Center and a trade, exhibit and event center, will start construction.

Celebrations include Aiken's 175 anniversary and The Augusta Chronicle's 225th year. Changes are on the way for schools, businesses, churches and community groups.

We have a sampling of the major events and happenings of the new year. Read on at augustachronicle.com.

Questions? kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com

This story ran on Christmas Eve to showcase the phenomenal effort it takes to provide for homeless families at Christmas.

Interfaith helps homeless of Augusta

Yearlong effort of 24 churches soon to expand

By Kelly Jasper | Staff Writer

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Three weeks ago, Lawanda and Timothy Howard were homeless. Their Christmas, however, will be dry and warm, with plenty of gifts for their four children and food for the family.

That's because the Howards are one of three families enrolled in the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Augusta, an organization that uses various member church facilities to shelter families in need. For Christmas, volunteers step up their contributions to provide an experience that parallels holidays at home.

"Each and every need our children had has been provided for," said Mrs. Howard, a mother of two boys and two girls, ages 11, 6 and 5 years old, and 21 months. "Interfaith is a door God opened up. He touched hearts and made this possible. It's something we'll never have the words for the gratitude we want to express."

The families are spending Christmas Week at Wesley United Methodist Church in Evans. It's one of 24 churches that participate throughout the year. As a host congregation, Wesley provides meals, activities and volunteers who spend each night at the church with the families.

"The churches do this 365 days of the year," said Sarah MacDonald, Interfaith's director. "There's an everyday need and they're there to meet it. This organization wouldn't be anywhere without its volunteers. They do so much."

Volunteers shopped for gifts for the seven children staying at Wesley this week.

On Sunday, the three families arrived at Wesley to find that their bedrooms -- classrooms, really -- had been decorated by Sunday school classes. Ornaments and baubles hung from house plants, and garland draped the windows. Stuffed animals were placed on children's beds. There was also a Christmas tree. Volunteers left boxes of ornaments at the base of the tree for the children to decorate later in the week.

Read more at augustachronicle.com.

Questions? kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com

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