Heading a new campaign, presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee will be making his way to Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon to speak, endorsing his fifth book, From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America’s Greatness. Located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon, Bell Shoals is readying itself for Huckabee’s arrival, scheduled for Sunday, December 7, at both the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. worship services. Having made plans of Huckabee’s visiting before the passing of both Pastor Forrest Pollock and Pastor of Music and Worship Simeon Nix, his visit was rescheduled in order to bring “a message of hope and encouragement to our church,” states Minister of Outreach Ministries and Women Debbie Weisemann. “In our world today, with the economy and everything else that is going on, I think everyone needs a word of hope.” An avid speaker, Huckabee mentioned his continued desire to visit Bell Shoals, revamping his entire itinerary to make it work, which gave members of the congregation great encouragement that he would want to visit their church in small-town Brandon. Here, the 44th governor of Arkansas will cover the topics of his writings. According to his Website, Huckabee’s latest book “points out that progress for our Country cannot happen with the continued bipartisan rift dividing it. He taps into the fundamental core of every American, confronting matters closest at hand with the call for a critical change in perspective and a clear plan of action that shows what we can become as a truly indivisible nation. The governor presents 12 key things we need to STOP doing in order to make America stronger, speaking out on immigration, the job market, health care, education and taxes, and provides practical solutions that could bring our nation to higher ground.” Serving as Arkansas’ governor from 1996-2007, Huckabee would leave office in January of 2007 to promote his fifth book, later campaigning for the presidential ticket in 2008. What you may not know about this well-rounded political figure is that he lost 110 lbs. due to being diagnosed with Type II diabetes, he completed four marathons, he stood behind the pulpit for years as a pastor, he was the youngest president to ever be selected for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, he has written his sixth book Do the Right Thing, recently released in November, and he plays bass guitar in his band Capitol Offense. The 52-year-old, who lives with his wife, Janet, in North Little Rock, together having had three children – John Mark, David and Sarah – now grown, doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon, being felt led to do more to help those like his past congregations whose “experiences gave him a deep sense of the problems faced by individuals and families,” according to his Website. “The Bell Shoals Baptist Church family is honored to have former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee as their pulpit guest on December 7,” says Senior Associate Pastor George Thomasson. “Tickets are not necessary, and the public is graciously invited to attend.” For more information, call 689-4229 or visit www.bellshoals.com. To learn more about Huckabee, visit www.mikehuckabee.com.
