The Friendship House of Jesus hopes to have kids around Bainbridge humming Scripture, Josh Paske told members of the Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday morning.

Paske, the administrative director of the Friendship House, said it now has a studio for recording music, and creating and mass producing CDs. The hope is that Bible verses can be turned into music at the new studio.

“The things that we hear and the things that we see turn into our thoughts. And our thoughts, without discipline and self control, turn into actions,” Paske said. “Do you think that music influences young people? Absolutely.”

He said music has a tremendous influence on young people—some of it glorifying young girls to become unwed mothers, or young men to go to prison.

He hopes to counter that with music that would glorify what’s in the Bible by putting Scripture to music.

Johnny Payne, the workforce coordinator at the Friendship House, played the piano and sang along with Jill Wells, a seven-and-eight-years-old teacher at the Friendship House. They performed during the breakfast, taking the verses from the Bible, such as John 14:23, and tying the words to music that kids could sing.

Paske said hundreds of kids at the house are learning positive messages from the music, and that the positive message in the music will have a positive influence on those kids. The Friendship House has served 825 children in the last year.

“Our vision with this is, that not only are our children hearing this music and memorizing this music, but that they are taking it home to their parents. That’s where it all starts,” Paske said. He hopes that musical circle of influence is expanded to the kids’ siblings, neighbors, community and then country and world.

Paske, who has been with the Friendship House for 10 years, began his talk on how he has found his purpose because of the passion he has developed of positively influencing the kids at the Friendship House.

When you find your passion, you will find your purpose, Paske said.

So far, the Friendship House has accomplished two missions it had set out to do—establish an after-school program for kids and to assist the kids in finding jobs, which the Friendship House has successfully done through its workforce investment program.

Sixteen-year-old Ladonta Milline, a junior at Bainbridge High School and an employee at McDonald’s, said he likes to work and his experience has helped him develop goals. Milline, son of Debbie Lindsey Milline, is on the A-B honor roll at the high school.

Park Avenue Bank sponsors breakfast

Park Avenue Bank was the breakfast sponsor, which turned the program over to the Friendship House shortly after bank President Frank Posey summarized the state of the economy.

“Things are looking better. It’s scary and it’s tough, and we are in a bad time,” Posey said. “But there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Posey said the federal government is contemplating backing mortgage securities, which helped lead to the current economic downturn.

“If they do that, it will be the first step toward a true recovery. All we have done so far is put Band-Aids on it,” Posey said.

Announcements

• Chamber Director Evelyn Clay said the Fall Fair did quite well. The chamber netted more than $3,300 over last year’s net, raising $51,997.90.

• The Atlanta Rhythm Section will be the main entertainment during River Town Days.

• Bainbridge Pharmacy’s ribbon cutting will be one of four in December. That ribbon will include a Business After Hours event to mark the pharmacy’s recent remodeling project. The other three ribbon cuttings was Friday’s Natural Alternatives, and on Monday, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m., Next Gen Integrated Computer Services will cut its ribbon, and Aaron’s Sales and Leasing will cut its ribbon on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 11:30 a.m.