The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1293358
By Grace Miller David James "D.J." Bryant is the pastor at Petersburg First Christian Church. With the call to lead God's people and through an internship in Washington, Bryant ended up in Petersburg, where he has been now for nearly two years. Bryant grew up in Georgia, in the Atlanta metropolitan ar- ea, and has always been drawn to the church, having grown up in a Christian home. He was baptized at a young age, and while he understood why he was choosing Jesus, he found himself discovering just how important his decision was as he matured. He said that he saw "faith becoming a way of life and not just some- thing to do." Early in high school, Bryant became heavily involved in his youth group. His youth minis- ter took notice of his leader- ship potential and took Bryant under his wing. As Bryant be- gan to grow, he felt called to help lead God's church and people full time. Bryant stated that learning more in college about leading only reaffirmed to him that it was what he was called to do. He attended Johnson Univer- sity in Knoxville, Tenn., where he earned a dual major in Bi- ble and theology, along with a degree in preaching and church leadership. During the first half of his senior year, Bryant interned at Bethany Christian Church in Washington, Ind. He moved up from Tennessee full-time for seven months and interned under lead pastor Matt Mer- old, Vincennes campus pas- tor Evan Nave and Tom Wat- son, who is in charge of pas- toral care. "I spent those seven months really learning the day-to-day life of ministry; them [the Bethany staff] kind of put- ting me to the test, as far as writing sermons every week, while also juggling that with pastoral care calls and learn- ing how to interact with the people that I see on Sun- day morning, and getting to know them and doing life with them. It was a very quick sev- en months, but a very intense seven months…" He said that learning how to be a pastor in college was very different from actually learning how to be a pastor hands on. During those seven months, Bryant began filling in at the Petersburg First Christian Church. A fter returning to college for his last semester, Bryant continued to make trips back up to Petersburg ev- ery couple of weeks to preach. This built up his relationship with the church and the peo- ple, and lead him to where he is now. While Bryant mainly over- sees the preaching and teach- ing, he has a wide range of re- sponsibility. He makes house calls and talks with individ- uals directly to check in on them and help them grow in their faith. He also oversees day-to-day activities and has some administrative tasks. Describing himself as an In- diana transplant, Bryant said, "I've grown to love this area, and I think that Petersburg's an amazing place with some amazing people… I hope to see many more come to the Lord and that we can grow in that together, and that Jesus would be proclaimed as a cen- tral point and focus." Jesus be proclaimed PASTOR D.J. BRYANT'S JOURNEY OF FAITH Petersburg First Christian Church Pastor D.J. Bry- ant and his wife, Shannon. The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, September 30, 2020 A-3 LOCAL Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. Vote for a Qualifi ed Candidate Vote for an Experienced Candidate Vote for a Hard-Working Candidate Vote for a Candidate who will work for the Best Interests of All Pike County Your Vote is Greatly Appreciated! Keep Knowledge and Experience Working For Pike County GREG K. WILLIS GREG K. WILLIS RE-ELECT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL AT-LARGE Voters should be aware that straight party voting will: NOT vote for county council NOT select school board NOT vote public questions or referendum I Will Treasure Your Vote! STRAIGHT TICKET VOTERS BE AWARE Voters should review their ballots to make sure selections are made in every race before casting it. JODY HOOVER FO R C O U N T Y T R E A S U R E R Paid for by Jody Hoover for County Treasurer NEWS BRIEFS SWCD seeking participation in the local working group meeting Oct. 6 The Pike County Soil and Water Conservation Dis- trict are requesting your participation in the local work- ing group meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. EDT at shelter house #1 at Hornady Park (take the first left after entering the park). The purpose of the meeting is to fo- cus on resource priorities of Pike County. Winslow hydrant flushing The Town of Winslow will be flushing hydrants on Thursday and Friday, October 8 and 9. This often causes a discoloration of water, however it is safe to drink. Wash- ing light-colored clothes on these days is discouraged. Prides Creek golf cart parade is Oct. 12 Prides Creek will have its annual golf cart parade as a light-up parade on Saturday, October 12. Line-up for the parade will start at the beach parking lot at 7:30 p.m., with the parade starting at 8 p.m. Anyone with a golf cart can participate. The other annual events, such as the wiener roast, pumpkin painting and trick or treating have been cancelled due to COVID-19. United Way of Pike County now accepting applications for grant funding United Way of Pike County is now accepting applica- tions for grant funding. To apply, an organization or agency has to have a 501(c) (3) tax exempt status, serve Pike County and provide health and human services. For more information or to receive an application, call 812-582-9781 or email united- waypike@frontier.com. The deadline for completed appli- cations is October 30, 2020. READER GUIDE Subscriptions: Change of address: subscribers changing addresses will please give old address as well as new one along with phone number. We cannot guarantee prompt change unless this is done. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Press-Dispatch., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 or e-mail to subscribe@ pressdispatch.net. Subscription rates: One year: $35 for Pike County and all 475/476 zip codes; $38 in the state of Indiana; $55 elsewhere in the USA. Paid in advance. Subscriptions taken after noon on Friday will not receive a paper until the second edition after their subscription date. About us: Andy Heuring and John B. Heuring, Publishers Andy Heuring, Editor John B. Heuring, Adv. Mgr. Eric Gogel, Production Mgr. Monica Sinclair, Office Mgr. Cindy Petty, Adv. Sales Pam Lemond, Adv. Sales Kate Lindsey, Adv. Designer • • • Published every Wednesday by the Pike County Publishing Co. Phone: 812-354-8500 820 E. Poplar St., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 • • • Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg, Indiana for transmission through the mails as Periodical Mail, postage paid at Petersburg, Indiana – published weekly. (USPS 205-620) DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND THE STORYTELLER. The Ernie Pyle WWll Museum now open. Explore the history of the famous writer and war correspondent. 120 W Briarwood Ave. Dana, IN 47847 765-665-3633 | erniepyle.org Admission: Adults $5, Children $3 Sat 10am-5pm Sun 1-4 pm Injury avoided in Friday crash A Jeffersonville man driving a mail van avoided a truck that pulled out in front of him, but went off the road and hit a tree. William Talajkowski, 65, of Jeffersonville, was driving north on Highway 257 when a 2005 F150 Ford truck, driven by John Gray, 78, of Otwell, pulled out on front of him from a private drive, near CR 550 N., at about 10:57 a.m., according to Master Trooper Paul Bastin. Bastin said Talajkowski was driving a rental van carrying U.S. Postal parcels. The impact set off the air bags. Bastin said Talajkoski was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. The van was a rental van that was contracted to deliver parcels for the US Postal Service.