Office Update

A picture of the ongoing work in my office.

Parish Visitor Corrections

A couple of corrections to the calendar that was published in March's edition of The Parish Visitor:
McPherson College Choir is at 7:30 p.m. (It was listed as 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Visitor).
Cindy Powell's Concert is Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. (It was listed as May 11 in the Parish Visitor).

March Parish Visitor

The March edition of The Parish Visitor, our church newsletter, is now available on our website.

We're Back!

More to follow soon.

We're Off: Cancellations for the Week

We're just now leaving for Vacation. I probably won't be posting anything here until next week. Just a reminder of some cancellations due to our absence:
Wednesday Gathering
Tuesday Books Studies
Choir Practice (Because Henry and Dan will be gone)

No Pilates Monday

The Pilates (exercise) class for Monday has been canceled.

Church-going, hollow-hearted Prosperity

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.

—Frederic D. Huntington, in Forum magazine, 1890

It seems to me that not much has changed in 117 years.

Wednesday Evening Gathering

We had 21 at last night's gathering, I'm happy to report that 12 of those 21 were younger than I am.

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

I wanted to climb up on my anti-torture soap box again and point you to this website: http://www.nrcat.org/.

No Yoga Tonight

The title of this post pretty much says it all.

Operation Helmet

Betty Gossard forwarded information from her daughters church on Operation Helmet to us. Operation Helmet's goal is to provide upgrade kits free of charge to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why do the helmets need upgraded, from their website:

"The helmets currently in use by the Marines as well as those projected for the future are engineered to protect against 'ballistics' (bullets) and have only fair protection from blast forces and fragment impacts from IED's and other types of newly appreciated combat dangers."

If you would like to make a contribution go to www.operation-helmet.org. I should probably note that military is providing upgrades, but that operation helmet is providing them (to troops already in the field and under fire) much faster.

Update: The army has apparently taken over and is providing the updates for almost all soldiers on the ground, upgrades are still needed for Marines, Airmen, and Navy Personnel. The cost for helmet upgrades ranges from $71 to $99 (depending upon the helmet), but you don't need to donate the full amount. All donations of any amount are welcome.

Yoga Benefits

April Foreman passes on the following reasons you might consider joining the church's Yoga classes at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and 10:00 a.m. Saturday:

Here's how yoga slows the signs of aging:

Minimizes wrinkles
Yoga can reduce stress by nearly a third, reports a German study of 24 women. As a result, clenched jaws and furrowed brows relax, helping to smooth away wrinkles. Yoga may also rejuvenate skin's glow by reducing oxidative stress, which breaks down skin's elasticity. In an Indian study of 104 people, oxidative stress levels dropped by 9% after just 10 days of yoga.

Slows weight gain
During a 10-year University of Washington study of 15,500 men and women over age 45, those who didn't do yoga gained up to 13.5 pounds. Those who practiced regularly lost up to 5 pounds.

Eases pain
Yoga is twice as effective as stretching at relieving back pain, according to another University of Washington study that had 101 people with lower-back pain do either yoga or stretching once a week for 3 months.

Helps you sleep like a baby
Levels of the brain's natural nighttime sedative, melatonin, decrease with age, but another Indian study found that when 15 men, ages 25 to 35, practiced yoga daily for 3 months, their melatonin levels increased.

Keeps you sharp
Researchers at Jefferson Medical College discovered that just one yoga class helps keep the stress hormone cortisol in line. Elevated amounts may contribute to age-related memory problems.

Change in Movie Event Plans

A change to our plans for the next Movie Event on Sunday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m. Instead of Little Joe, the "prequel" to Moe and the Big Exit, we'll be watching An Easter Carol (also a VeggieTales show). Please let John or Jenny know if you are willing to help.

Another Technology Workshop

I've been asked and agreed to another workshop on "Technology for Small Churches" on April 29 from 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Parsons' Wesley United Methodist Church. This will be immediately following the District Pre-(Annual) Conference Briefing.

Sermon for Sunday

I plan to preach on Luke 4.1-13 this Sunday. It's the lectionary passage from two weeks ago, but I feel the subject is extremely pertinent.

Dempsey Funeral

Funeral services for Mr. Jack Dempsey will be held 11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 8, 2007 in the Sanctuary.

No Yoga Saturday

We won't be having Yoga this coming Saturday because April will be unavailable.

Habitat For Humanity News

A Press Release from Habitat for Humanity:

Habitat for Humanity is looking, with eager expectation, to begin construction of the newest Habitat Home in Montgomery County. A Partner Family has been selected, Matilda Stewart and her two children Tyler and Megan, and it is now time to begin construction of their new home in Cherryvale. Therefore, the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity invites the public to come out for the groundbreaking ceremony on March 11, 2007 at 2:00 P.M. at the Habitat for Humanity home property, 511 E. 8th St. in Cherryvale, where the Stewart family will reside. The property is located across the street from the high school.
At the conclusion of the groundbreaking service there will be a time of fellowship with refreshments, providing everyone an opportunity to meet the Stewart family. If you, your church, or your group is interested in finding out how to be involved in making this Habitat for Humanity home a reality, then please come to the groundbreaking ceremony.