Gospel singing planned at Eolia Community Park

Greetings from the hills and valleys of Eolia and Eolia Christian Community Outreach.

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Proverbs 22:1

The above scripture truly applies to Susan Cook, who went to be with the Lord Sept. 8. It was a sad week for her family, the Eolia Baptist Mission, and the community. We mourn the loss of a mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, friend and matriarch of the Eolia Baptist Church. Sue battled health issues for years and I clearly recall the times she came to church in a wheelchair when most people in her condition would have been in the hospital. Sue was a tiny women, weighing under 100 pounds yet she was one of the strongest people I knew. Sue's life was focused around three things that were more important to her than anything in the world — the Lord, her family and church. Evidence of the love for her church can been seen in the flowers she arranged, the colorful murals painted on the walls of the children's Sunday School rooms and much more. That tiny women with the giant faith and love for family, friends and church has left a void in the lives of many that cannot be filled. We extend deepest sympathy to her family.

The Eolia Community Park will be sponsoring a gospel singing Saturday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free to everyone and the concession stand will be open with lots of good food. I will announce the singing groups in a later column.

I don't know how many women think of Lowe's as their overall favorite place to shop, I know it's most men's favorite, especially my husband who loves to drool over the tool section. During a recent visit while waiting for Tony to get his Lowe's "fix", I thumbed through some of the magazines and spotted a recipe for sweet potato pie that looked great. Not having a photographic memory, I decided to buy it just for that recipe. I quickly looked over the front cover for a price but thought, what the heck, a magazine can't be terribly expensive. We purchased a few more items and after we were home I glanced over the receipt. Good heavens, $8.99 for a magazine! Thinking a mistake had been made, I again checked the front cover and sure enough, there it was in tiny print over the bar code, $8.99. Since I paid that much for a magazine just for the recipe I'm determined to get my money's worth and the only way to do that is share it with you. So here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Toffee Pie.

You will need a 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crust; 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes; 2 1/2cups toffee bits, divided; 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg; 1/ 4 tsp. salt; 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted; garnish: whipped cream, toffee bits.

Preheat oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust. Roll into a 12-inch circle. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, folding edges under and crimping edges, if desired. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, 1 cup toffee bits, milk, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared crust. Bake, loosely covered with foil, for 40 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 1/4 cups toffee bits, remaining 1/4 cup butter, brown sugar, and flour. Stir until combined. Gently spread on top of pie, and bake, uncovered for an additional 20 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Garnish with whipped cream and toffee bits, if desired.

Community bulletin board: Kids' Time beginning Friday, Sept. 12., 10-11:15 a.m. at ECCO, Good News Club Sept. 10 at the Eolia Mission Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. for children 3 and up, call 633-5015 for transportation. Neighborhood Watch meeting at ECCO the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Rockvine Baptist Church youth group meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m., Bible study also 6 p.m.; the bus will run. Call Mindy at (606) 589-6226 or Linda at 633- 4948. The Eolia Community Park Committee meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at ECCO. Cumberland River Volunteer Fire Department meets at 11 a.m. the second Sunday of each month at the Partridge station. Volunteers are welcome. The Partridge Lions Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Ovenfork Senior Citizen Center. Come and bring a guest.

This week our prayer list includes the family of Susan Cook, Seth Collins, Betty Gross, Barb Shelton, Josh Lewis, Stephanie Estep, Raymond Kiser, Lois Young, Judy Branham, Lucy Maggard, Lillian and Nora Walker, Bear Hissom, Kess "Rusty" Halcomb, Ruth Halcomb, Olivia Blair, Geneva Tolaver, Curt Sturgill, Johnny Sturgill, Jr. Carter, Marie Snell, Dorothy Nease, Cora Sturgill and Brenda Gross. Also to be lifted up in prayer are those enslaved by drugs and alcohol, may they be delivered, the troops in Iraq, the United States and Iraq, the leaders of our country, all the children hurt by war and the ministry of ECCO.

You may contact us by writing to ECCO, 135 Emily Lane, Eolia, Ky. 40826 or e-mail us at eccotruth@peoplepc.com.

Until next week from the folks at ECCO, "God bless"