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Tuesday, 16 December 2025
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Written by Dr. Shanessa Fenner
Camp Ground United Methodist Church will host various activities during December.
“We began the month of December by inviting the congregation on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. to our fellowship hall for a planning meeting for our A Light in the Darkness neighborhood events,” said Bobby Tyson, senior pastor at Camp Ground United Methodist Church. “We have invited the congregation to participate, and we want to gather folks who want to volunteer for every activity that we have planned, as we are doing everything from caroling to communion.”
Tyson added, “My administrative assistant has put together a book containing 20 traditional Christmas carols that we have printed and will sing as we go about. There are more than 10 stops on the route. The afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m., we handed out flyers that contain 2 invitations around the neighborhood.”
On Sunday, Dec. 21, at 4 p.m., the congregation will go door to door in the neighborhood to sing carols. Later on that evening at 5:30 p.m., neighbors can enjoy a home-cooked chili meal in the fellowship hall. There will also be a fire pit to enjoy while eating delicious s’mores.
“We’ve got great vision and hope as we are inviting the neighborhood that is three blocks or so from the church, all around the church, surrounding from the back and across the street over on that side of Skibo Road to come to the church to have a chili supper as long as the chili lasts,” said Tyson. “At least a half a dozen individuals are preparing commercial pots of homemade chili, so we are hoping and anticipating a crowd.”
There will be a Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the church.
“We will have a live nativity portrayed by the youth on the front portico of the church,” said Tyson. “At 6:15 p.m., we are going to serve holy communion in the front yard, light and lift up real candles and sing, ‘Silent Night.’ Then we’ll go home to be with our families.”
How did this idea come
into fruition?
“We embarked on the past season of Lent with The Art of Neighboring book,” said Tyson. “We looked at this book that talked about trying to be a witness out into your neighborhood by being intentionally invitational.”
He added, “We thought about what we could envision to do at Camp Ground.”
Tyson reflected on the present state of the church and how things have changed.
“The United Methodist Church is in a post-pandemic time and season, and going to church is not what it once was,” said Tyson. “We are wanting to be the church and to reach out into the community instead of being in the church building and just hoping they will show up.”
Tyson added, “We are intentional by taking the first step by reaching out to the community and saying we care.”
The goal is to begin to sow these seeds by offering Christ.
“We want to invite the community and let them know that there is a church that exists and they are welcome to attend and sing the Lord’s blessings,” said Tyson. “We are going outside of our walls to meet people where they are.”
Camp Ground United Methodist Church is located at 4625 Camp Ground Road. For more information or to volunteer, call 910-867-9436.
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Wednesday, 10 December 2025
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Written by Anna White
Ladies Lift night is standard fare at Gracefully Fit LLC. A high-energy evening of team-style training, it’s a recurring event that sells out every time, attracting fitness enthusiasts who can’t resist breaking a good sweat and the sisterhood Gracefully Fit LLC is known for. This year, their impact is expanding.
Announced as “the biggest Ladies Lift Night in history,” the Super Bowl-themed evening is about lifting not just weights, but those who need a helping hand. Through the launch of their Lift Her Initiative, Gracefully Fit LLC has partnered with a local women's shelter. Connections of Cumberland County will receive 10% of every ticket sold to support their mission of providing safety, stability and resources for women in crisis and victims of domestic violence.
Additionally, individuals and organizations can give women the chance to attend Ladies Lift Night through the new “Buy a Ticket for Her” initiative.
Behind the event are Grace Bex and Charlotte Robinson. Bex, a military spouse, mother of three, and personal trainer, is the founder of Gracefully Fit LLC. Robinson, co-founder of the T.J Robinson Life Center, serves youth, veterans, seniors, and at-risk populations at her multi-sport and wellness facility, where the Jan. 9 Ladies Lift Night will be held.
Bex’s fitness journey began after a long history of chronic illness and a particularly challenging pregnancy. During her postpartum weight loss journey, family and friends saw her progress and started reaching out, asking what she was doing.
Always trusting that God had a greater purpose in her suffering, Bex took a leap of faith and became a Certified Personal Trainer through Auburn University’s American College of Sports Medicine. Ladies Lift Nights were a favorite even when Gracefully Fit LLC was located in Bex’s home gym. When Bex opened a permanent location in Fayetteville in December 2024, she fought unexpected battles to secure the location. That fight connects her to co-host Charlotte Robinson.
“She and I have very similar yet different stories,” Bex said of Robinson. “We’re both female entrepreneurs. She’s black, I’m white. I’m young; she’s what I would call a bit more seasoned than I am. She’s faced a lot of adversity in trying to open her facility. She fought for over 10 years to actually get it open. I fought for 115 days to be able to get the keys to my space and everything. So I guess all around this event embodies us empowering women in the community with what we’ve built and trying to give back.”
The evening starts with a 30-minute bootcamp. Described as an explosive, high-energy, team-style training that’ll get your adrenaline pumping, Bex still describes it as modifiable and suitable for all ability levels. Then comes a 30-minute MixxedFit dance and fitness mashup, and finally a 30-minute CIRCL Mobility stretching routine.
Lest attendees think the night is winding down as they take a breath and stretch out, the Half Time show is gearing up.
“We have a little dance crew coming out to do a dance routine. And then, one of the coolest things I’ve seen come from this initiative, we have someone from Group Therapy who has stepped up. She’s a survivor of domestic violence and sex trafficking, and she’s stepped forward and wants to speak at the event. She’s going to speak during the halftime show,” Bex explained.
“That, for me, is a full circle moment. Having started this event to really give back to Connections of Cumberland County, it is now giving women a platform and a voice who have experienced domestic violence.”
Attendees can grab swag bags filled with items from women-owned businesses across Fayetteville, event T-shirts—which come free with admission—win prizes, shop local vendors, and enjoy incredible food throughout the evening.
Pre-sweat or post-sweat, grab a photo with your besties at the photobooth. But more than anything, Bex says, come and find a tribe of women who are there to empower you.
“Whatever walk of life you’re in, this event is for you,” she shared. “You don’t have to have a background in fitness; you don’t have to know anybody to come. You can just come, and I guarantee you’re going to leave knowing at least 10 ladies.”
Bex and Robinson say they embody one message: women rising together—lifting each other physically, emotionally and socially.
“It’s going to be a night where women can step away from normal life, find community, sweat it out a little bit, and just have some fun.”
Purchase tickets online at begracefullyfit.com. Ladies Lift Night: Strength Bowl MMXXVI will be held Jan. 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at T.J. Robinson Life Center at 4221 Black Bridge Rd, Hope Mills.
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