- April 25, 2024
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After 15 years of serving as Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church's senior pastor, Rev. Dr. R. Michael Foley was bestowed the honorary title of Pastor Emeritus by the congregation during a special presentation on Sept. 13.
Foley will retire on Oct. 1, closing a chapter of 41 years of active ordained ministry, according to a press release. The title is one of the highest honors a congregation can bestow upon a retiring pastor for a longstanding ministry marked by distinguished service in the church, the release states. Foley was presented with a plaque.
“The title of Pastor Emeritus is bestowed out of deep gratitude, affection, and respect from a thankful congregation for 15 years of dedicated service,” Elder Dr. Jim Carley said in the press release.
Under Foley's leadership, the church dedicated itself to "making disciples who are 'Growing to know Christ and Living to show Christ." Foley also led the session and staff in strategic planning initiatives that resulted in the congregation's growth and transformation. In addition, the church completed two major renovation projects: remodeling the Christian education building and the church sanctuary.
“I give thanks to God for the honor of serving Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church as its senior pastor," Foley said in the press release.
He intends to remain active with the Central Florida Presbytery and looks forward to sitting next to his wife Janet in Sunday worship, as well as enjoy spending time with their two grandchildren.
A 64-year-old Ormond Beach woman has claimed a $1 million prize from the Florida Lottery's $15 million Gold Rush Special Edition scratch-off game after mailing in her winning ticket to Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee, according to a press release.
Marie Sidun purchased her winning ticket from the 7-Eleven located at 690 S. Nova Road and the retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket. Sidun chose to receive her winnings as a one-time lump sum of $700,000.
The $15 million Gold Rush Special Edition game launched in February 2019 and has overall odds of winning of one-in-2.60.
The League of Women Voters of Volusia County recently released a video titled, "I Vote Because," a nonpartisan campaign aimed at getting people to register to vote ahead of the 2020 election.
A press release stated the project was spearheaded by the LWVVC social justice and diversity team. The video, part of a national effort, was inspired by PROOF: Media for Social Justice because of poor voter turnout in the 2016 elections. It is a collaboration between PROOF, the LWVVC, You Can Vote, TOKY and the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
The LWVVC version of the video is in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union, Stetson University, Stetson Votes, NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. Gamma Mu Omega chapter, Daytona Beach alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Daytona Beach chapter of The Links.
Watch the video at https://youtu.be/mi-iBObe-TE
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5.
Three local chamber executives were recently elected to serve of the Florida Association of Chambers 2020-2021 Board of Directors. The board is the governing body responsible for overseeing the operations of the chamber, according to a press release.
The chamber executives from Volusia County are:
Connors will also serve as the regional chair of the chamber's southeast region.
Two seniors at Father Lopez Catholic High School have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program, which has about 16,000 semifinalists nationwide.
Marlena Lowe and Michael Rossen are the only Daytona Beach high school seniors and two of five of the Volusia County seniors to qualify for the honor, according to a press release.
More than 1.5 million students entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019 preliminary SAT in the fall.
“These students amaze us every day, with their commitment to their learning, and their achievements,” said Leigh
Svajko, principal of Father Lopez, in the release. “In addition to being scholars, they embody the mission of our school through service to the community. At Father Lopez, we have always known that Marlena and Michael are exceptional students, but it is wonderful to see them recognized on the national stage.”
Lowe and Rossen will now compete to win of the 7,600 scholarships, worth more than $30 million in total. The scholarships will be offered in Spring 2021.
