My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the congregation at First Baptist Church of Covington.

Unfortunately, we do not yet know many of you. However that didn’t matter.

Shortly before moving to Covington — a day to be exact — my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. My wife did a heroic job dealing with this at the same time as turning our new house into a home, while I remained busy trying to produce the highest quality newspaper for the community as possible.

A week after moving into town we headed to Tampa, Fla. as her father met with doctors and devised a plan. As we were preparing for the trip, we informed our landlord, Lee Durden, that we would be in and out of town, and told him why.

A few days later he informed us that his church, First Baptist Church of Covington, put my wife’s father on its prayer list. His mother, another neighbor of ours, told us he was in her thoughts as well. Whether or not you believe in the power of prayer, complete strangers put us in their thoughts. We have never been to their church, and, in full disclosure, are not even Baptists. However we were still welcomed to their community.

A week later my father-in-law had his surgery and it seems to have been a resounding success.

I will say the power of community really shined through for my family.

Coming from Atlanta, community seems to be strictly within your household. Having been here barely more than a month, the community of Covington has already proven itself much more than that.

So we would like to thank the warm and welcoming community of Covington, and in particular the community of First Baptist Church of Covington for being so gracious with their prayers, thoughts and kindness. It was a help beyond measure.

Sincerely,
Bryan and Amelia Fazio