Crowd gathers to hear message at Stump Service in Abbeville

Monday morning brought some cold temperatures.
That didn’t keep a fired-up crowd from taking part in a long-standing Martin Luther King Jr. Day tradition in Abbeville.
More than two dozen gathered at the corner of I.J. Joiner Street and Greene Street to participate in the annual Stump Service.
Minister Dwayne Briggs of Greater Pleasant Green Baptist Church told those in attendance that service is an important word to remember on a day that honors Dr. King.
“It is about service,” Briggs said. “It is to be a day of service. So, yes, we do celebrate, but there is work yet to be done.”
That work can be built on the melding of individual dreams.
“I have a dream, and you have a dream,” Briggs said, echoing Dr. King. “We all have a dream. We can dream together.
“My dream should not conflict with your dream on this morning.”
Briggs said dreams are important because of the mind’s strength.
“Your mind is so strong,” Briggs said, “that whatever you are dealing with during the day, when the Lord allows you to go to sleep at night, you will find yourself dreaming about it.”
Briggs urged those in attendance not to ignore dreams, even if they lead the dreamer in an unfamiliar direction.
“Trust the word of God,” Briggs said. “He instructs us. Our dreams may take us from our comfort zone. You may have to make some decisions concerning your priorities.
“You have to go get up out of your comfort zone.”
That does not mean the journey will remain uncomfortable.
“Whatever it is that God has planted on the inside of you,” Briggs said, “he will see it to fruition. So it behooves us to keep the faith and not be weary.”
Briggs ended with words of encouragement.
“Keep your hope on things that are eternal,” Briggs said.
Abbeville High head football coach Roderick Moy served along with Mayor Mark Piazza as the co-Grand Marshal of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day motorcade in Abbeville. Moy attended the Stump Service, where he left encouraged.
“It’s an honor to be associated with a program honoring Dr. King,” Moy said. “I’m not the head coach and athletic director at Abbeville without the works of Dr. King. The events I have taken part in this weekend have been tremendous.
“Today’s service was fantastic. The message and turnout were great.”
Moy said he wants to bring positive energy to those around him, including his players.
“The youth have the energy to effect change,” Moy said. “We’re trying to bring the message from something like this to them, and marry that with their youthful energy.
“Hopefully, it creates a better Abbeville.”