The Kick-Off for the 2025 Food For The Hungry Drive is tomorrow, Friday, November 7th!
Kathy Brechler, Executive Director, and Olivia Stern, Digital Content and Marketing Director for FFTH, shared a brief history of their involvement with the ministry. They also explained their roles, talked about the Kick-off, and shared ways that the community can help FFTH and Knox County.
To learn more about Food For The Hungry click HERE!
If you would like to volunteer click HERE!
MVNU student Zane Menzie is the director of the production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The show is taking place this weekend at the Thorne Performance Hall at MVNU.
Zane shares a little about his acting history, the show, and what it looks to be the director!
For more information about MVNU theatre click HERE.
Orange Barrel’s Production of The Little Princess is coming soon!
We got to talk with a cast member, Glenn Hissong. Glenn tells us about his acting history, how he has been preparing for this show, and the story of The Little Princess! He also shares some of his favorite parts of the production.
The show opens up Friday, November 14th!
For more information on the production click HERE!
Orange Barrel’s Production of The Little Princess is coming soon! And we got to talk with a cast member, Rachel Steele. Rachel tells us how she has been preparing and she details what her costume will look like. She also lets us know about the plot of the play and some of her favorite parts.
For more details on the show click HERE!
Xander got to have a sit down with Coach Mark Richt! Coach Richt is a former college football coach and player that spoke at the Tragedy Into Triumph event last night on MVNU’s campus. Coach tells us about his football career and his testimony on how he came to know Jesus!
Tragedy Into Triumph will happen again tonight and tomorrow with more amazing speakers! Doors open at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm.
For more info on Tragedy Into Triumph click HERE!
Kandee Popham, Executive Director, and Nykol King, Family Services Director of Place4Grace stopped by to talk about their upcoming event, Flannel Fest on Friday, November 7th.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation!
They talk about what Place 4 Grace is about what they do for people. They talk about how they got started and how Kandee’s history brought it up. Nicole shares a little bit about her position and how she helps the moms out and manage volunteers.
Nykol explains how Place 4 Grace isn’t just a housing program; they help people find apartments and schooling. They talk about how their services help break the cycle of poverty in families.
They talk about their new residential maternity housing program, and how they’re able to have 24-hour housing care. They have four main goals that after they leave, they have stable housing, employment, transportation, and childcare. They also talk about how they have worked with many people in the community.
Kandee says if you’re interested in this type of ministry, they need board members and volunteers. They will also talk about Flannel Fest that’s happening on November 7th at Lake Home Church in Mount Vernon doors open at 6:15pm. They say this event is very important because since they are a non-profit they work on the support of the people in the community. They then talk about their transparency about where donations are going.
They say that prayer is one way that people can help them in their ministry, they also say to step out of your comfort zone if you feel a call to help. They just want people to know that all the moms they help are really trying to survive, they believe that relationships will truly help.
Flannel Fest ’25
Friday November, 7th from 6:15 PM to 10:00 PM
@Lakeholm Church of the Nazarene
Click HERE to learn more about Flannel Fest!
Hera Shupp sat down with WNZR’s Eric Brown to talk about her role in the upcoming Orange Barrel Production of the Little Princess.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation!
She got interested in acting from elementary school and high school she took a break while she started raising a family. She got back into acting after seeing Oliver at the Knox Memorial Theatre and when she heard about Orange Barrel she started with them.
Hera played Rachel Lynn in “Anne of Green Gables” last year. She is playing as the main antagonist, Miss Maria Minchin in “The Little Princess”, she’s been preparing by watching how other people played the character and by coming up with her own unique backstory for the character. She likes getting to be challenged by being a villain. She talks about her costume she’ll be wearing during the show.
She talks briefly about the show and the basic outline of the show. She talks about her favorite part of the show, she likes getting to be villainous with the janitor during the show, and her other favorite scene is when the main character stands up to her. She talks about one of her favorite memories of the show.
Performances:
November 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 7:00 PM
Location:
Mount Vernon Developmental Center – Crossroads Theater, Administration Building
1250 Vernonview Drive, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050
Click HERE to learn more and purchase tickets for The Little Princess!
Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shared updates on the City with The Morning Thing on Friday, October 31st, 2025.
Some of the topics covered include:
Stay up to date with what is happening in our community!
On Thursday, we continued to highlight speakers coming to MVNU for the special Tragedy Into Triumph event. The mission of this event is to share real-life stories of transformation so that people will believe in Christ, find hope for their lives and overcome the struggles of life.
We got the chance to talk with Super Bowl Champion Michael Oher! Michael’s story from homelessness to the NFL became the 2009 movie The Blind Side.
He shared with us some of the real story behind his life, how he stays disciplined, and about his foundation.
Michael will be speaking at Tragedy Into Triumph on the campus of MVNU on Wednesday, November 5th.
We also shared a podcast with Wendell Brown and Riley Gaines. Click HERE to hear their conversation.
Riley is a twelve-time NCAA All-American swimmer who competed for the University of Kentucky. Riley is now hosting a podcast called Gaines for Girls.
Riley will be speaking at Tragedy Into Triumph on the campus of MVNU on Tuesday, November 4th.
Click HERE to stay connected with Tragedy into Triumph!
Siran Stacy was an all-SEC Conference Running Back at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the NFL Draft.
He is now in full time ministry and is the host for Tragedy Into Triumph which is coming to MVNU on November 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
Siran shared with us some of his life experiences, and he told us about his ministry and involvement with Tragedy Into Triumph.
Click HERE to stay connected with Tragedy into Triumph!
Rise and Shine 