Devil's money

Area pastors talk about whether they would accept
tithe from lottery winnings

March 22, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD and MEGAN VARNER
Of The Index-Journal staff

Sure, everyone who plays the lottery dreams of winning the big one and using the new-found fortune — whether $100 or $1,000,000 — to buy a fast car, a dream home, new clothes or take a much-needed vacation.
But if you felt a little more benevolent with your jackpot winnings and decided to drop some of the lottery dollars into the offering plate on Sunday, would your church be willing to accept money some might say is sinful?
Local pastors — at least those who agreed to talk about the subject — seem split on the moral dilemma of accepting this manna.
Pastor Hal Lane, with West Side Baptist Church in Greenwood, said he has been very open with his opinion that he does not think the church should accept donations from lottery winnings.
“It seems to me to be hypocritical to take a firm stance against the lottery and then accept the proceeds from the practice,” he said. “To me, the money, no matter what amount, is not worth the moral compromise.”
He admitted that, with a 1,000-member congregation, there’s a likelihood that someone who sits in the pews on Sunday has played the lottery. But Lane said he has never bought a ticket.
Carroll Harrison, pastor of South Greenwood Assembly of God, said he would not accept a tithe derived from lottery winnings. “Absolutely, unequivocally not,” he said.
“It’s a continuation of the influence of gambling,” Harrison said. “The pastor and the congregation are accepting it, maybe silently saying it’s OK. You’re receiving goods from (gambling). I could not accept it.”
But Byron Jones, senior pastor of Refiner’s Fire Christian Assembly, said, “Yes, I would,” based on biblical teachings.
“The Bible teaches the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous, and money has no spirit but takes up the spirit of those who own it,” he said. “I do not advocate playing the lottery. I advocate obtaining wealth as the Bible says — little by little. We see story after story of people (who won the lottery) who lost everything and wind up dead, divorced, broke.”
Jones said the ultimate motivation of the person making the tithe comes into play in this situation. “Are they playing to obtain wealth quickly or to help the education system? I imagine there are far more people playing for one reason than the other.”
Jones said that “back in the day,” he bought lottery tickets, before he learned the biblical teaching about money.
“The Bible says, in the end time, there will be an in-kind shift in the world’s wealth. If the church refuses to handle any money that comes from the world, it is not fulfilling the prophecy. Money has no spirit of its own. It is neither moral nor immoral, it is amoral.”
Probably half the money put into collection plates is “one or two people away from a drug deal or something immoral,” Jones said. “We can’t get dogmatic about that.”
Local pastors might never have the opportunity to make this judgment call.
“It has not happened to me very much,” Harrison said of the chance to receive a large, but questionable, tithe. But they will have their own opinions and experiences, and teachings from the Bible should they face the question.

AHS gets footing on new sport

March 22, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

ABBEVILLE — For many years, spring sports at Abbeville High School has been centered around baseball and softball, with liberal amounts of track and golf mixed in.
Now, the Panthers have a new member of their spring sports family.
Abbeville is sporting a soccer team for the first time this spring. Keith Cozart, the former the soccer coach at Ware Shoals, is the coach of a team that fields 15 boys and four girls.
“I think it’s gone pretty well so far, especially for a first-year program,” said Cozart of the team’s 2-3 start. “We still have to fight through some inexperience , but these guys really are improving.”
There is indeed some inexperience on the Panthers’ roster, with most team members only time playing organized soccer previously coming in Abbeville’s youth recreation league. Four of Abbeville’s 19 players had never played organized soccer at all before this season.
Cozart said the fact the Panthers have been able to come out and be competitive speaks highly of the youth program in Abbeville, headed by Brad Cutill.
“Brad does a great job leading that,” Cozart said. “The youth program here has been building for some time now.
However, the kids were coming out of the program with nowhere to go as far as high school soccer. Administration saw there was an interest, especially in the upper grades.”
The coach said there was originally a plan in place to field only a jayvee team this season, but those plans changed when a number of upperclassmen showed interest in playing.
For Cozart, the opportunity to coach the Panthers came about unexpectedly.
The John De La Howe school teacher said he had decided not to coach at Ware Shoals at the end of last year.
However, when he bumped into Abbeville athletic director Phillip Boyles at last fall’s Greenwood football jamboree, Boyles mentioned to Cozart that Abbeville was beginning a soccer program, but was without a coach.
“I told him I’d be glad to do it,” Cozart said. “I thought my coaching days were over and I was going to be a referee. But I was glad to help this program get started.”
Cozart faced a familiar foe in Abbeville’s two wins so far this season, as the Panthers took two games from Ware Shoals. Abbeville freshman forward Tyler Bryan scored seven goals over the two victories.
“I just try to stay aggressive and get after the ball,” Bryan said.
“I just want to help the team out. We’re doing pretty well for a first year team. It will just take time.”
Panthers’ senior Jason Maddox agreed with his freshman teammate.
“It certainly has gone better than I thought it would,” said Maddox with a laugh, as teammates and fellow seniors Justin Bladon and Sam Cann also laughed and nodded their approval. “We still have a long way to go as far as fundamentals and basic skills. We still make some bad passes in games.”
The three seniors lauded the efforts of the of the four female competitors on the Panthers’ squad. Maddox especially praised the courage of the the girls in their fervor to compete with the boys.
“We like having them out there,” Maddox said. “They’re not afraid of anybody. Look at Caroline Sherard, for example. She’s 4-foot-11, and she doesn’t mind a bit banging around with guys who are 6-foot tall and 200 pounds. It’s great.”
Cozart said the Panthers will be facing stiff competition as they head into play in Region I-AA.
“We play in one of the toughest regions in the state as far as AA,” Cozart said. “West-Oak is strong, Pendleton has a good team. We’re playing Wallhalla this week and they’re number two in the state. So we’ve got our work cut out for us, but competition will make us better.”

Opinion

Teachers are often left with an impossible task

March 22, 2006

Sometimes, these days, public school teachers have impossible jobs. That’s not surprising, of course. Anyone who pays attention knows it happens more than it should.
Teachers are preached to all the time about bringing discipline to their classrooms. That, however, very often puts them in a situation where they cannot win. Discipline students and they are criticized ..... or worse. Don’t discipline students and they are criticized for not doing the job.
Consider a case in a Columbia elementary school. It illustrates the situation very well. A teacher was arrested and charged recently with simple assault and battery involving an 8-year-old pupil in her class.

AN ARREST WARRANT SAID the child’s teacher was seen by another school employee “holding the victim with both hands about his shoulders and shoving him into his chair repeatedly.”
In the first place, if the student had to be put back in his seat repeatedly, that must mean that the student kept leaving his seat against instructions. When students ignore teachers if they apply discipline, what should a teacher do? And, if discipline is challenged and/or ignored, and nothing’s done, the possibility of discipline ever again being a valid consideration ceases. That, without a doubt, makes discipline, practically speaking, a joke ..... but it definitely is no laughing matter.
The Columbia teacher’s attorney put it in a perspective that everyone should be able to understand. “If we’re not going to allow teachers to interfere with a disruptive 8-year-old,” the attorney said, “We might as well shut our schools down. This is absolutely ludicrous,” he said.

INDEED! STILL, TEACHERS are always in a quandary about what to do. Do they try to discipline their students? If they do, they are liable to face charges ..... or even danger. If they allow disruptive students to destroy the teaching /learning environment, we might as well forget education.
That’s really a problem for all of society, though, not the teachers or schools. Parents and other adults must support teachers where discipline is involved. If that’s not done, and done soon, conditions in the classroom can only deteriorate further, no matter how much money is spent on education or how many days school is required ..... or whether anything else is done.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Myrtle S. Cole

GREENWOOD — Myrtle Scott Cole, 78, of 223 Blyth Road, wife of Arnold C. Cole, died Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at her home.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late George Scott and Vivian Wells Scott Haupfear. She was retired from Monsanto and was a member of Coronaca Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, Raymond Haupfear and Willie T. Scott, Sr.
A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, she is survived by her husband of 53 years of the home; her son and daughter-in-law, Arnie and Lisa Maddox Cole of Greenwood; her grandson, Hunter Cole; her sister, Barbara Evans of Greenwood and two nephews raised in the home, Tommy Scott and Rudy Scott.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Wade Burton and the Rev. Tim Ellenburg officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Sid Cole, Troy Cole, Dale Cole, Kenny Cole, Rudy Scott and Gerald Rinehart.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood SC 29646. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com PAID OBITUARY

Sue Ellen Gaines Hyatt

DeLAND, FL — Sue Ellen Gaines Hyatt, 59, of DeLand, FL., wife of Larry Boyd Hyatt, died Sunday, March 19, 2006 at the Florida Hospital DeLand. Sue was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to the late Thomas Ervin and Lucille Dellinger Gaines. Sue was a graduate of Dorman High School in Spartanburg.
In addition to her husband of 40 years, Sue is survived by two sons, Thomas Boyd and Jason Brent Hyatt of DeLand, FL., and a sister, Marsha Hartsfield of Auburn, AL.
Graveside services will be 11:00AM Thursday, March 23, 2006 in Long Cane Cemetery.
Online condolences may be sent to the Hyatt family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Hyatt family.
PAID OBITUARY

Jake LeCroy

J.W. “Jake” LeCroy, 67, of 114 Columbia Ave., husband of Nancy Fuller LeCroy, died Monday, March 20, 2006 at his home.
Born in Walhalla, he was a son of the late Archie W. LeCroy and Marie Sheriff Hastings. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School, served in the U.S. Air Force and was retired from Liberty Life Insurance Co. He was a member of the Greenwood Moose Lodge, Greenwood Jaycees, Providence Pentecostal Holiness Church and was actively involved with the church youth.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a daughter, Tracey L. Barger of Hodges; two sons, Donnie B. LeCroy of MacClenny, Fla. and Gregory W. LeCroy of Greenwood; two brothers, Larry LeCroy of Wildwood, Fla. and Jimmy Smith of Newberry; a stepfather, Frank Hastings of Greenwood; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Harley Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Revs. John Abrams and Hayes Riddle.
Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Terry LeCroy, Mack Tharpe, Tony Ray Griffin, David Gunnells, Bill Garvin, Lynn Doolittle, Townes Jones and Walt Echols.
Honorary escorts are members of Providence Pentecostal Holiness Church Youth Group, Zachary Bell, Brian Walters, Chad Echols and Chris Turner.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Mark McCarthy

NINETY SIX — John Mark McCarthy, Sr., 43, of 102 Arrowhead Drive, husband of Mary Harvley McCarthy, died Monday, March 20, 2006 at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of Martha Finley Riley and the late Toyce Ned McCarthy. He had been employed by Greenwood Music Company and was of the Baptist faith.
He was preceded in death by two sons, John Mark McCarthy, Jr. and Dakota McCarthy.
Surviving is his wife; his mother of Ninety Six; his stepfather, Carl Riley of Epworth; two daughters, Alisha Alinda McCarthy of Greenwood and Jackie McCarthy of Ninety Six; two sons, Toyce Ned McCarthy, III of Greenwood and Daryl Luke McCarthy of the home; two stepdaughters, Misty Hastings and Leslie Hastings, both of Ninety Six; a sister, Joy Smith of Williamston; a brother, Rev. Ned McCarthy, Jr. of McCormick and a grandson, John Damion McCarthy-Miller of Greenwood.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Bob Philyaw and the Rev. Ned McCarthy, Jr. officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Luke McCarthy, Ned McCarthy, III, Michael Harvley, Josh Hamrick, Mathew Hamrick, Craig Southerland, David Moss and Ricky Tipton.
The family is at the home of his mother, 201 Pinelake Drive, Greenwood Shores #2, where the body will be taken on Thursday morning.
The body will be returned to the funeral home on Friday, where the family will receive friends from 1 - 2 p.m.
Memorials may be made to the National Mental Health Association, Attn: Gift Office, PO Box 16810, Alexandria, VA 22302-0810.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.
PAID OBITUARY