a conversation with Pastor Matt Titus | The Lutheran Church of The Redeemer photographs by Ted B. Williams At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a pastor? How did this calling come about? I think there is a part of me that has always wanted to be involved in ministry in some way. I remember from an early age where I felt drawn and captivated by worship and ministry life. My family moved around quite often when I was young (my mother is a retired US Navy nurse) so we were never able to really establish roots anywhere, but we always strived to become part of a worship com ..read more

When you travel Off the Interstate (OTI), you are often traveling the “super highways” of the past. Many these early “super highways” started as Native American trails, following the ridge lines of the land. These foot paths soon became grooved with wagon wheels and much later paved for families in sedans on vacation and truckers stopping at road side diners. While Highway 66 is probably the most nostalgically remembered of pre-interstate American roads, Highway 76 is our “super highway” of the past. It went from Native American trail, to colonial trail, to paved in 1926. Heather Hawkins, who ..read more

Ty and Teri-Lee Holland have a bird dog named Otter. Ty jokes that he got himself a bird dog, and then got his bird dog 320 acres of land. Purchased in November of 2020, Gunrise Farms has 14 fields, 22 roads, and seven creeks connecting to the Enoree River and Indian Creek. At first I thought it was a business, but I’m not sure they’re turning a profit. It seems like a private hunting area for quail, deer, and turkey, but it’s also more than that. Gunrise Farms is a family-owned conservation effort aimed at restoring the habitats required to support native species. Surrounded by the Sumter Nat ..read more

Trezkilla and Bruhdilli At the ages of 10 and 12, when most brothers are fighting over video games, Trezkilla and Bruhdilli were freestyling fire verses to their family and friends. Together Trezkilla and Bruhdilli, now 17 and 15 respectively, make up Newberry’s iconic rapping brother duo, YFM Boys.  To date, YFM Boys have released two albums and swept up fans from across the world with their viral Tik Tok song, “Star Student.” With nearly 42,000 views and 120,000 listens from across the globe “Star Student” is easily one of YFM Boys’ biggest hits Fortunately for Newberry, as the YFM Boy ..read more

The Importance of Family I am embarrassed. I live on McNeary Street in Prosperity, also known as Highway 391. My husband has lived on this street his entire life. Between us, we thought we knew everything there was to know about Prosperity and the surrounding area. Not so. Just a few miles out of town on Highway 391, hidden in the woods, is one of the premier pet companies in America, Carolina Pet Company. If you have a dog bed that you bought from a catalog, it probably was made in Prosperity. If you have a PurrPadd® for your cat, it was made here. Who knew? Carolina Pet Company is located in ..read more

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a pastor? How did this calling come about? Growing up in a creative, artistic family, I naturally gravitated toward being a professional illustrator or designer. I loved drawing and design from a young age and was rarely seen without a sketchbook in hand. During those years, the natural direction for me seemed to be art college. Beginning in my teenage years, my Christian faith grew to be a very important aspect of my life (particularly shown in a deep desire for the Bible and for spending time with God in prayer). Not long after enterin ..read more

An interview with Newberry Made featured artist and filmmaker Michael Tolbert. Why did you first start making films? From an early age I knew that I was a storyteller. I also knew the medium I wanted to tell stories was through film; both in front and behind the camera. What has always attracted me to filmmaking and to telling stories is the hope that by telling the right story I’m able to really connect with others by sharing experiences and perspectives that might not come natural to us and with those stories will make people a little more empathetic. How do you describe your work? The best ..read more

It is time for “take two”—take two of a movie dream of Terrence Gallman. The film-in-process has been a dream of his for over ten years. Thanks to some help from a writing mentor, local media connections and some just plain good luck, Gallman believes this film adaptation of his autobiographical book Finding Me, will soon become a reality. For over ten years, Terrence Gallman has devoted his energy, passion and creative vision to helping reconcile racial conflict and inspiring others. His creative vision is that film and media can show aspects of the better potential of America, of a country t ..read more

2021 has brought the topic of mental health to the forefront of our conversations about athletics. In May, tennis player Naomi Osaka announced her decision not to do media interviews during the French Open to prioritize her mental health; she was subsequently fined $15,000 and threatened with suspension. Rather than backing down, she withdrew from the tournament and made a statement discussing her depression, anxiety, and difficulty speaking with the media. At the Tokyo Olympics, ‘GOAT’ (greatest of all time) gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from both the team final and the individual all-around ..read more

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, aka NOAA, is not predicting the same winter for you and me as the Farmers’ Almanac. NOAA says mild and wet, but the Farmers’ Almanac is calling for above average wet, below average temperatures, a circumstance that increases the welcome, wonderful, exciting possibility of SNOW in the ‘BERRY! Early and late February, according to Farmers, will be chilled by Arctic air, and our best chance of snow is late February. Believe the Farmers’, dear children. Over the past 100+ years, the Almanac has an 80-85 percent accu ..read more