•May 28, 2025•

Jonathan Creek Christian Church is beginning their “True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World” June 2nd through June 6th, and is open to children from three years of age to 5th grade, running from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. daily at 1425 Jonathan Creek Rd, Sullivan. 

At True North, children will discover what it means to trust Jesus in a wild world. Children will participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, prepare and eat treats, collect Bible Memory Buddies to remind them of Jesus’ love, test out fun science experiments, and experience one-of-a-kind Bible adventures.

Children will also learn to look for evidence of God all around them through the “God Sightings” aspect of the program. Each day concludes with a Compass Closing that gets everyone involved in living what they are learning. Family members and friends are encouraged to join in daily for this special time at 7:50 for Compass Closing. Children at True North will join a mission effort to provide families in North America with new, warm clothing and blankets. For more information, call (217) 728-4369. 

•May 28, 2025•

On July 19th from 6:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Lovington Firehouse, the Gary Davis pancake breakfast and silent auction will be held. This event is open to all friends and family of Gary, as well as the public.

Gary went to Springfield Memorial Hospital on March 31st for a video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to remove a carcinoma asbestos cell on his right lung. The surgeon was unable to complete the VATS procedure and had to use the traditional thoracotomy surgery, a much larger, open incision, to remove the cancerous cell and entire lobe of the lung. During recovery, Gary developed hospital-acquired pneumonia and required a ventilator to breathe. He has remained at Springfield Memorial Hospital since March 31st and is still requiring ventilator support.

Moving forward, Gary will need to be placed in a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH), which specializes in weaning ventilator-dependent patients off a ventilator in hopes of resuming a normal life. His daughter, Nikki Trower, is his primary caregiver and lives 30 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and two small children. For this reason, the family would like to move Gary to Regional One LTACH in Memphis to ensure he has family support while working towards breathing on his own again. In addition to family support, this facility has a 97% success rate in weaning patients from ventilators, with the national average only 52.8%. Insurance will not cover transportation from Springfield to Memphis.

All proceeds will be used to cover the transportation costs as well as the medical bills incurred during his lengthy hospital stay. To donate silent auction items, contact Nikki Trower at (217) 521-7267, Kelly Creek at (217) 521-7422, or Pam Anklam at (217) 201-0662. Money can also be sent by PayPal at www.sparrows-unlimited.com, and put “Davis benefit” in the description field.

•May 21, 2025•

The Lovington First Christian Church will be sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, May 29th, from 12:00 to 5:30 p.m. at 301 S. County St, Lovington.

Those wishing to donate can pre-register by calling Darlene Barlow at (217) 855-9397 or registering online at Blood.org with the Lovington First Christian Church site. Walk-ins are welcome.

•May 21, 2025•

The Moultrie County News Progress will be closed on May 26th, in observance of the Memorial Day. All advertising and news items are due by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, the 23rd.

•May 14, 2025•

Sarah Bush Lincoln will provide sports physicals to athletes from Sullivan schools.

Sports physical clinics will be held from 8:00 a.m. to noon, and from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4th, and on Wednesday, August 6th at the SBL Sullivan Clinic, 7 Hawthorne Lane, Sullivan.

“We’re proud to offer these sports physicals as a way to give back to our local schools and support student-athletes,” SBL Vice President of Practice Management Brooke Zerrusen said. “By donating the fee to the schools’ athletic booster clubs, we’re helping strengthen programs that mean so much to our communities.”

The cost is $20 per physical, with all fees being donated to the Sullivan Sports Boosters. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 217-728-8441. For more information, visit https://www.sarahbush.org/sportsphysicals/.