JUNE 2025
SPONSORED BY
Revive Cycle & Fitness LLC
Faith-Infused Fitness |||
Revive Cycling & Fitness creates an uplifting environment where every workout is energized by inspiring Christian music and a commitment to strength - both physical and spiritual.
Neighbor’s Natural Wine, Bay City, Michigan
Neighbors Natural Wine
Tucked into one of downtown Bay City’s most historic buildings, a fresh, forward-thinking business is bringing old-world charm and new-world values to the heart of Mid-Michigan.
Neighbors Natural Wine & Bottle Shop, founded by hospitality entrepreneur Lyndsay Edmonds, is more than a wine bar—it’s a deeply personal celebration of natural wine, local farms, and architectural heritage.
Inspired by her travels across Europe, Lyndsay has reimagined the classic wine bar for Mid-Michigan sensibilities—offering thoughtfully selected bottles made from hand-harvested grapes, free of pesticides and mass-production shortcuts. Every pour tells a story of soil, season, and small-scale craftsmanship.
What makes Neighbors so special?
🍷 Natural Wine, Local Roots: Every bottle comes from small family farms in Michigan, New York, Oregon, and select European regions. The grapes are grown naturally, bottled with care, and completely chemical-free.
🏛 A Space with Soul: Located in the historic Shearer Building—once the private office of architect James Shearer—this space features the original fireplace, a walk-in vault turned bottle shop, and layers of local history preserved in every brick.
🙌 Powered by Community: Lyndsay is quick to credit her team and partner Julia Ross, along with Bay City’s support, for making this venture possible. Neighbors is built on shared vision and a belief that hospitality, when done right, brings people closer together.
🍇 No Middlemen, No Mass Production: Every glass and bottle offered at Neighbors was touched by real human hands—not corporate machines. This isn’t wine for the masses. It’s wine for people who care about where things come from and who made them.
“It’s actual human hands touching the soil, every grape, and every bottle,” says Edmonds.
“People love that family story and that connection.”
📍 Visit Neighbors Natural Wine
Thurs: 4–11 PM
Fri–Sat: 4 PM–Midnight
Sun: 10 AM–2 PM
(Slow Sunday Coffee Club)
🌐 809 Adams St, Bay City, MI
TEACHER OF THE MONTH
2025 Saginaw Valley League Teacher of the Year for H.H. Dow High School: Erin Royalty
Erin Royalty
Business & Marketing Educator | H.H. Dow High School
Saginaw Valley League Teacher of the Year, 2025
This month, we’re honored to recognize Erin Royalty, a standout business educator at H.H. Dow High School, as a Saginaw Valley League Teacher of the Year—and a true force of inspiration in the lives of her students.
Since joining the Dow High team in 2016, Erin has made an indelible impact through her engaging career and technical education courses, including Advanced Marketing, Entrepreneurship, IB Business Management, and more. But it's her leadership outside the classroom that’s turned heads across the state.
Under her direction, Dow’s DECA program has grown into one of Michigan’s largest and most successful, recently taking 19 students to the International DECA competition in Orlando—a testament to her ability to bring out the best in others.
Her students know her classroom isn’t just about business plans or case studies—it’s a safe haven. One nominator wrote:
“At lunch, her classroom is a safe place where students come to destress, eat lunch, socialize, and know they are cared for by Mrs. Royalty.”
Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in business and history education from Central Michigan University and a master’s in instructional technology from Saginaw Valley State University. But beyond degrees, she brings something you can’t teach: unshakable dedication.
She spends countless hours preparing her students for real-world success—through competitions, mentorship, and moments of personal encouragement that her students never forget.
Please join us in celebrating Erin Royalty—a champion for young leaders, a mentor in and out of the classroom, and a teacher who truly lives up to her name.
👏 Congratulations, Erin—and thank you for investing in the future of Mid-Michigan, one student at a time.
GOOD NEWS
Matthew 23:9, NIV
“And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven.”
Jesus addresses the crowds and His disciples—not to condemn the Law, but to expose the pride and hypocrisy of those who wielded it.
He begins with a warning: Be careful to do what the teachers of the Law say, but do not imitate their example.
Why?
Because they preach without practicing.
They burden others while avoiding responsibility themselves.
Their actions are done for applause, status, and outward appearances—not for the glory of God.
Jesus then says something radical for His time—and ours:
"You are not to be called ‘Rabbi’... And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.”
This wasn’t about our earthly dads.
It wasn’t a commentary on family language.
This was about the spiritual titles used inside religious communities.
Jesus is making it unmistakably clear:
No religious leader deserves the title "Father"—because only God the Father holds that position.
No one should be called "Rabbi"—because only Christ is our Teacher.
No one should be called "Instructor"—because only the Messiah leads us into all truth.
Instead, He calls us something beautifully simple:
Brothers.
Equals.
Family.
Servants.
This is a stunning reminder that the Kingdom of God doesn’t run on titles—it runs on humility.
Jesus says,
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
We are all students under the same Teacher.
Children under the same Father.
No one is above.
No one is beneath.
Only brothers and sisters—learning to walk in truth, grace, and love together.