June 27, 2018
New COT Site Coordinator at Pine Hill
Our westernmost site is undergoing a few changes! The site formerly known as "Demopolis District" is now being called "Pine Hill." In addition to getting a new name, the site also welcomes new coordinator Brenda Autry. When Reba Wiley began her COT journey in the Demopolis District, she had experience working with COT in Selma. She knew a site in a more rural area would bring unique challenges. The mission-minded members of the United Methodist Women at Pine Hill UMC, led by pastor Dawn Bond, expressed a commitment to COT in their church. They worked together with Reba for a full year before scheduling their first Taste and See. Then it snowed. The Taste and See was rescheduled, and COT was finally and officially launched at Pine Hill in January of 2018.
Brenda Autry had been part of COT since she traveled with Reba and others to hear Robert Lupton, author of Toxic Charity, speak in Daphne, Alabama, in 2016. Brenda was working as a school principal then, and she understood the vision of COT from the beginning. She and her sister volunteered with COT in the Demopolis District. When Brenda felt it was time to retire from the school system to care for her family, she became more involved with COT.
Reba Wiley knew that for COT to be successful in Pine Hill, she needed to work with someone who was local. She also knew she could not continue the 45-minute commute from her home to the COT site. Brenda had grass-roots connections in Pine Hill, having grown up there. She was trusted in the community. Reba felt like Brenda would be the perfect site coordinator for COT Pine Hill.
Brenda's commitment to COT is based on her own story. She shared support from her family allowed her to attend college. Her experience has taught her that while success doesn't come easy, it is attainable with hard work and a good support system. Brenda is patient and full of faith, with a passion for helping people. We thank God for both Reba and Brenda and their work in Pine Hill!
COT at Annual Conference
Fred Blackwell spoke of COT's beginnings and its impact at the opening worship service.
COT staff members loved the opportunity to fellowship with one another!
Oh, the places we will go! Deaconesses Clara Ester, Celeste Eubanks, Laurel Akin, and Susan Hunt have all been part of COT.
We had such a good time visiting with all who stopped by to see us at Annual Conference! COT was honored and humbled to receive this year's Missional Offering. Thank you so much for allowing us to share the story of how lives are being changed across the Alabama West Florida Conference! So many of you expressed interest in how COT could work in your communities, and we look forward to seeing how our ministry will continue to grow!
Emergency Preparedness
Weather in Alabama can be unpredictable, especially in the spring. Two of our sites recently hosted speakers to help participants and volunteers learn how to plan for an emergency.
COT Dothan hosted Wanda Carpenter from the Houston County Cooperative Extension Service. Wanda presented information on personal disaster preparedness. Her presentation focused on three main areas: evacuation, home loss, and recovery. We learned what we need to have with us if the need to evacuate arises. We also learned what to discard from refrigerators and freezers after a loss of power and how to discard items properly. In addition, we learned how to catalog personal belongings in the event of home loss.
COT Eufaula hosted Allie Corcoran, Barbour County Extension Office Coordinator, and David Logan, EMA Director for Eufaula, We took a "pretest" to see how much we already knew about emergency preparedness, and we checked our answers after the presentation. We learned so much! Perhaps the most important thing we learned was that we don't have to build an emergency kit in a day. We should start with the supplies we have and add to them as we can. Both facilitators stressed the importance of being ready to care for their families' needs for at least three days.
Our site coordinators are always working to provide meaningful programming for all our members. We are thankful for the members of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service who help keep us informed!
July 2018 Events
All meetings are 5:30 - 8:00 p. m. unless otherwise noted. Please check the website Events page for locations.
Brewton
Tuesday, July 3 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 10 Meeting
Tuesday, July 17 Meeting
Tuesday, July 24 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 31 Meeting
Dothan
Tuesday, July 3 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 10 Meeting
Tuesday, July 17 Meeting
Tuesday, July 24 Meeting
Tuesday, July 31 Meeting
Eufaula
COT Eufaula will not meet in July.
Evergreen
Thursday, July 5 NO Meeting
Thursday, July 12 Meeting
Tuesday, July 17 Financial Workshop
Thursday, July 24 Financial Workshop
Mobile
Thursday, July 5 Meeting
Thursday, July 12 NO Meeting
Thursday, July 19 NO Meeting
Thursday, July 26 NO Meeting
Montgomery
Tuesday, July 3 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 10 Celebration
Tuesday, July 17 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 24 Meeting
Tuesday, July 31 NO Meeting
Phenix City (all times Eastern)
Tuesday, July 3 NO Meeting
Tuesday, July 10 Meeting
Tuesday, July 17 Meeting
Tuesday, July 24 Meeting
Tuesday, July 31 Meeting
Pine Hill (meetings start at 6:00)
Thursday, July 5 NO Meeting
Thursday, July 12 Meeting
Thursday, July 19 Meeting
Thursday, July 26 Meeting
Selma
COT Selma will not meet in July.
