FOCUS— Three Sisters

This month’s focus is on three women. God has blessed TOF by placing three of the Dotson sisters in our Church family. Vera, Linda and Annette grew up just a bit down the road from TOF along with three more sisters and two brothers.

The family is very close and tries to get together once a month and on each other’s birthdays. Sadly, one brother passed away and the other moved to New Mexico but he stays in touch by calling each sister once a week.

Vera is formerly married to Howard Ray and has three sons: Ron, Sam and Tom along with eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. Vera has lived in Texas, Mississippi and Georgia then moved back to the home place in 1991.

Linda is formerly married to D.A. Todd who passed away in 2007. She has two children: Tim and Tammy (Bell) and four grandchildren. Linda has lived in the area and been an active member of TOF for many years.

Annette is married to Gerald Wright and has three children: Sandy (Dalton), Dean and Karen (Jones) along with eight grandchildren and one “great on the way.” Sandy was born in New York State while Gerald was in the military. They returned to Fairview when she was nine months old.

The Dotson family’s spiritual journey started at Tweed’s Chapel, which was Methodist, but the siblings enjoyed visiting Oak Grove Baptist on Sunday evenings for Baptist Training Union. Eventually, Vera, Linda and Annette ended up at TOF and they have had a lot of involvement in the Church over the years. All three have been in the choir and Annette used to play piano.

Vera likes to help Manuel Franquez weed the TOF lawn and volunteers as needed. She is a member of the Singles Sunday School class. Linda likes to volunteer as she is able and appreciates the various social functions at TOF. She reminisced about D.A.’s involvement in starting the Royal Ambassadors and coaching the Church’s basketball team. Annette has recently accepted the position of food coordinator for the monthly visitation at Steadfast House and serves on the Building and Grounds Committee. All three sisters enjoying the trips sponsored by the Joy Seekers.

These sisters are crafty, too. They teach a craft class at the Cane Creek Community Center each first and third Thursday at 10am. Everyone is welcome and the only cost is for materials which is minimal. The three even formed their own Weight Watchers group meeting weekly to support each other in their quest for good health!

When asked what they feel is the most important characteristic of our Church, all three agreed it is the love and friendliness of the people. Annette added that over the 34 years she has attended, she has seen the Church grow from being just another Baptist Church to a Kingdom Church. Vera made this wise observation, “God has a place for all of us and we need to find it.” All three hope that everyone at TOF will be diligent in searching out how God wants each to be involved and are grateful for the opportunities they have enjoyed.