Dear Family and Friends,
Things are going back to normal this year. The fear of Covid seems to be taking a back seat these days so we feel safe to resume our regular activities. This reunion marks 66 years that we have been meeting at Kemp to celebrate our family heritage. It’s also a time to renew old acquaintances and make new ones.
Sunday, October 1st is our Big Day at Ebenezer Church on Kemp Road west of Swainsboro. We are finally going back in the church with the doors opening at 9:30 and the program starting at 10:30. Casual dress is fine and children are welcome. Instead of a speaker, we are having a music program this year featuring some of our kin with chances for all of us to take part.
Thanks to a generous donation by one of our family members, many things are happening. We had some trees cut down around the shelter and at the Reubin Thompson Cemetery as they were threatening those spaces. We had a new gutter system put in at the picnic shelter. Also, the board is considering remodeling the outside restrooms. More projects are on the horizon. Mike Barwick is starting a Facebook page for the Reubin Thompson Memorial Foundation which should be up by the reunion. This will allow us to share stories of the past as well as dreams of the future such as marriages and births and more.
Brothers Elmer and Bill Thompson will again be serving their delicious barbecue. Please take time to thank them and find a donation bucket to help cover the cost of the meat. Bring several side dishes to add to the barbecue. Once again there will be a special dessert table. Plates, cups, utensils, napkins, table covering, tea, ice and hand sanitizer will be provided. Some folks enjoy bringing tables and chairs so they can linger in comfort.
If you lost loved ones in the last year or know of someone who has, send me their names, dates, etc. so they can be included in our memorial reading. Please send this information right away as it is difficult to put together on the morning of the reunion. Also, please consider mailing a donation or giving it at the reunion. As you know, our Foundation supports numerous important projects including church insurance, mowing, fence and tombstone maintenance and more. Remember that gifts to the Reubin Thompson Memorial Foundation are tax deductible. Join us on October 1st to see the improvements that have been made and visit with your kinfolk!!
Yours truly,
Philip Stephens, President home: 912-529-3624
Reubin Thompson Memorial Foundation cell: 478-290-0903
1083 Woodland Drive
Soperton, GA 30457 wphilipstephens@yahoo.com