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A Civilization of Love: The Pope's Call to the West
by Dan Nichols
A Civilization of Love
Note: the following statement, signed by representatives of a number of Catholic publications, appeared with the editorial which follows it.
The collapse of international communism has destroyed one of the most obvious enemies of human freedom, but it has left the starving of the Third World in their misery, even while the moral anarchy of a mass popular culture prevails in the affluent West—destroying those “common things” (G.K. Chesterton) that lie at the root of social order and organic community. In the long run, communism itself may have had less power to destroy traditional morality and historic cultures than the disintegrative consumerism of the West.
And so, when Pope John Paul II criticizes the complacency of the developed nations, and looks to them to make “important changes in established life-styles, in order to limit the waste of environmental and human resources” (Centesimus Annus, n. 52), this is no mere “vestigial rhetorical fragment that somehow wandered into the text…notable chiefly for its incongruity with the argument that the Pope is otherwise making” (as one leading neo-conservative theologian has asserted). The Pope is setting out one of the most fundamental requirements of the new evangelization.
The universal call to holiness, made concrete in the promotion of justice and leading towards a civilization of love, demands nothing less than a change of life-styles. The pope goes so far as to question the “models of production and consumption” that dominate present-day economic theory, and even “the established structures of power which today govern societies” (ibid., n. 58). The need to respond to this call could not be more urgent. “Everyone should put his hand to the work which falls to his share, and that at once and straightaway, lest the evil which is already so great become through delay absolutely beyond remedy” (ibid., n. 56, citing Rerum Novarum).
Signed,Jennifer Belisle (Catholic Worker)
Fr. Ian Boyd, CSB (The Chesterton Review)
Stratford Caldecott (The Chesterton Review
Fr. Daniel D. Callam, CSB (The Canadian Catholic Review)
Frank Donovan (Catholic Worker)
James Hanink (New Oxford Review)
Maclin Horton (Caelum et Terra)
Fr. William McNamara, OCD (Desert Call/Forefront)
Robert Moynihan (Inside the Vatican)
Daniel Nichols (Caelum et Terra)
Michael O’Brien (Nazareth)
David L. Schindler (Communio)
David D. Spesia (Communio)
Dale Vree (New Oxford Review)
(affiliations given for identification only)
From the Editor
This statement, A Civilization of Love, drafted by a group of Catholic editors and journalists and published concurrently in each of the signers’ journals, addresses a grave and certain danger not only to the integrity of the Faith and the good of souls but to the cultures, economies, and ecologies of our poorer brothers and sisters around the world. Will communism disappear only to be replaced by another form of materialism, this one more insidious and seductive than communism itself?
It is in this historical context that we must challenge the claims of Catholic “neo-conservatives” on behalf of “the spirit of democratic capitalism.” Since the release of the encyclical Centesimus Annus in May of 1991 there has been a well-orchestrated (and well-funded) campaign to convince the world that the encyclical constitutes both a profound break with previous Catholic social teaching and a ringing endorsement of the American economic system and contemporary capitalism in general. “The pope showed an extraordinary grasp of American ideas, achievements, and points of view” wrote neo-conservative thinker Michael Novak. “His vision of a free economy, within a culture moral and religious to its core, guided and energized by a democratic polity, is American in spirit and definition.”
Such self-congratulatory reading of the encyclical betrays a profoundly un-Catholic spirit. Rather, it is an ideological approach to papal teaching which takes, not only a few passages of the encyclical out of their context within it, but the encyclical itself out of the context of the long tradition of Catholic social teaching which preceded it. That the Catholic “left” has often done this in the past to promote Marxist ideology does not justify attempts by the Catholic “right” to promote capitalist ideology now. In fact, a critical attitude toward capitalism and the consumerism it spawns is nothing new in Catholic social teaching, John Paul II’s two previous social encyclicals, Laborem Exercens and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, being among the most pointed of those critiques. Lest one be tempted to think that the Pope has subsequently changed his mind, it should be noted that since this publication of Centesimus Annus he has many times reiterated his criticism, saying, for example, in an interview on September 9, 1993, that “…the Church, since Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum has always distanced herself from capitalist ideology, holding it responsible for grave social injustices.”
Of course, neo-conservative thinkers would be quick to point out that they are not promoting mere acceptance of the status quo. Rev. Richard Neuhaus, for example, in his post-encyclical book Doing well and Doing Good says, “It would be a most serious mistake to think that the affirmation of capitalism means an uncritical endorsement of, for instance, the political and economic system of the United States.” However much this may seem to contrast with Mr. Novak’s previously quoted American triumphalism, a glance at the dust jacket of Rev. Neuhaus’ book, which contains ringing endorsements by a former Secretary of Treasury, two CEO’s of huge corporations, and a wealthy conservative pundit, ought to make it clear that what is proposed is not radical reform but, if anything, mere tinkering. The economic establishment is apparently not too threatened by Rev. Neuhaus and company.
The neo-conservatives, however, do seem threatened by the Holy Father’s call for reform, which is in truth a call for conversion:This is the culture which is hoped for, one which fosters trust in the human potential of the poor, and consequently in their ability to improve their condition through work or to make a positive contribution to economic prosperity. But to accomplish this, the poor—be they individuals or nations—need to be provided with realistic opportunities. Creating such conditions calls for a concerted worldwide effort to promote development, an effort which involves sacrificing the positions of income and of power enjoyed by the more developed economies.This may mean making important changes in established life-styles, in order to limit the waste of environmental and human resources, thus enabling every individual and all peoples of the earth to have a sufficient share of those resources.
(Centesimus Annus 52, emphasis in original)
Rev. Neuhaus responds to this call as follows: “Talk about changing established life-styles in order to achieve justice or sustain the planet is a commonplace in political rhetorics…. The single use of that language in Centesimus Annus does tend to stick out…. It has, in short, all the appearances of being a throwaway line. Should we all consume less, and, if so, of what? And how will that help include the poor within the circle of production and exchange?.... The sentence about ‘changing established life-styles’ is most likely a vestigial rhetorical fragment that somehow wandered into the text.”
Rev. Neuhaus’ condescension aside, the Pope’s call to the West to correct economic injustice by conversion and generosity, far from being a “vestigial rhetorical fragment,” is, rather a central theme of his papacy, most recently and most eloquently reiterated in response to the Cairo conference on population.
But if this flippant dismissal of the Pope’s words when they happen to contradict the neo-conservative thesis seems startling, even more startling things await anyone who examines what I call “Centesimus Lite,” the abridged version of the encyclical that appeared in both Rev. Neuhaus’ Doing Well and Doing Good and A New Worldly Order, a post-CA collection of essays edited by George Weigel.
Why these two books, with their rather telling titles, required condensation of the encyclical is puzzling. Would the publishers of such noted thinkers really have objected to a few more pages of text? That seems doubtful. What is not doubtful is that the reader who reads only “Centesimus Lite” and does not read the encyclical in its entirety has not read the encyclical at all but rather a highly (and dishonestly) edited version which conveys a message shaped to the contours of neo-conservative ideology.
For example, in the passage cited above the Pope says that creating conditions for justice “involves sacrificing the positions of income and power enjoyed by the more developed economies.” The neo-conservative abridgement reads that this “involves [surrendering the advantages] of income and power,” etc.—a most creative use of the editorial device of brackets, and, as we shall see, not the only one. (It is also worth noting that no space is saved by this edit.)
Most of the condensation’s sins, though, are sins of omission. If you read only the Pope as edited by Rev. Neuhaus and Mr. Weigel, for example, you won’t know that the Pope, after discussing Rerum Novarum’s condemnation of economic injustice, says “Would that these words, written at a time when what has been called ‘unbridled capitalism’ was pressing forward, should not have to be repeated today with the same severity.” The neo-conservatives, you see, hold that capitalism has mostly reformed itself. The Pope apparently does not.
You will not know, reading the abridged version, that the Pope praises cooperatives (C.A. 16) or says that “the worker movement is part of a more general movement among workers and other people of good will for the liberation of the human person and for the affirmation of human rights” (C.A. 26). You will not know that the Pope quotes St. Thomas Aquinas: “…the Church replies without hesitation that man should not consider his material possessions as his own, but as common to all” (C.A. 30). Nor will you know that John Paul II says that “the human inadequacies of capitalism and the resulting domination of things over people are far from disappearing” (C.A. 33).
You will miss entirely the Holy Father’s fierce denunciation of economic oppression: “Ownership of the means of production, whether in industry or agriculture, is just and legitimate if it serves useful work. It becomes illegitimate, however, when it is not utilized or when it serves to impede the work of others, in an effort to gain a profit which is not the result of the overall expansion of work and the wealth of society, but rather is the result of curbing them or of illicit exploitation, speculation, or the breaking of solidarity among working people. Ownership of this kind has no justification, and represents an abuse in the sight of God and man” (C.A. 43).
The encyclical also, of course, praises the role of “free human creativity in the economic sector,” albeit “circumscribed by a strong juridical framework” (C.A. 42). But this appreciation of economic freedom is balanced by the current of criticism that runs through Centesimus Annus, a current mostly edited out of the neo-condensation of the encyclical.
But when the Pope’s ideas couldn’t be tamed by omission, whoever edited “Centesimus Lite” did not hesitate to edit in their own ideas. The encyclical reads, for example, in one key passage, “We have seen that it is unacceptable to say that the defeat of so-called ‘Real Socialism’ leaves capitalism as the only model of economic organization” (C.A. 35). This is rather straightforward. Here is how the passage reads after neo-conservative editing: “It is unacceptable to say that the defeat of ‘real socialism’ leaves [the present operation of capitalism] as the only model of economic organization.” (Here again, the edited version occupies more space than the original.) While the Pope indicates that a modified form of capitalism, one in which market forces are balanced by the demands of the common good, can meet the standards of justice, he also clearly indicates that other forms of economic organization can also meet these standards. The neo-conservatives, though, believe that capitalism is the only game in town and here do not hesitate to add their own words to “correct” the Holy Father. As Rev. Neuhaus states elsewhere “despite his disclaimer, capitalism is ‘the only model of economic organization’.”
It is apparent that the neo-conservatives are not truly interested in being formed by Catholic social doctrine, but rather in selectively appropriating aspects of it for their own ends. To a large degree they have accomplished this, at least in terms of public perception. Most otherwise orthodox Catholics in this country seem to have joined in this perception. It isn’t difficult to see why: as Catholics have moved into the American mainstream Catholic teaching, doctrinal, moral and social, has for the most part been jettisoned. Then, too, most of the criticism of the neo-conservative interpretation of Centesimus Annus has come from the Catholic Left, which has no credibility with orthodox believers because of their general dissent on other moral issues, or it has come from obscure journals such as this one. On the other hand, the neo-conservatives do seem to assent to Catholic teaching about things like abortion and sexual morality, however recent a development in this assent is for some of them. And the whole movement has been framed by Rev. Neuhaus’ tempting thesis that America is ripe for “the Catholic Movement,” a curious phrase when one examines his writings: he freely acknowledges the Enlightenment and the Reformation as his primary inspirations on economic matters while rejecting more traditional Catholic approaches to social and economic organization (distributism, solidarism, etc.) as “holistic.” Indeed, it seems that what is proposed is not so much a “Catholic movement” for America as a Protestant Movement for the Church, complete with the Reformation’s dualistic view of Church and society, faith and culture.
These are crucial times, when America and its allies dominate the world economically, politically, and militarily. International corporations extract consumer goods from poor countries who have no unions, minimum wage standards or environmental laws to hinder profits. In return America offers decadent pop culture and the consumerist ethic: the unholy trinity of Mickey Mouse, Ronald McDonald and the Playboy Bunny is coming soon, to a village near you.
It would be a tragic blow to the Church’s credibility and to its mission of a new evangelization if the impression is given that the Pope has blessed this exploitative dominance and the attendant destruction of the world’s economies, ecologies and cultures. We stand with the Pope, who said only recently “At the root of many serious problems troubling Europe and the world are the degenerative aspects of capitalism.”
Americans may be eager to believe that we possess “a culture moral and religious to the core” in spite of the glaring evidence to the contrary, but we must instead hear the prophetic word the Holy Father speaks to us, a word that calls us to conversion, conversion that remains incomplete until it includes a social dimension. A failure to recognize that existing social structures are in need of radical reform would be but another expression of the separation of faith from culture decried by successive popes as “the great tragedy of our times.” Let us embrace the call to build the civilization of love, and let us return to an honest and faithful reading of the whole of Catholic doctrine, which continues to be a “sign of contradiction” and a call to reform, both personal and social.
--Daniel Nichols, Editor Caelum et Terra (Fall 1994, 3-5)
Transcribed by Justin Nickelsen
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I have chosen to use four steps in scriptural journaling. These steps include: Passage, Points, Personalize, & Prayer.
Place: Find a quiet place with no distractions.
Prepare: Items you will need: a Bible, notebook, and pencil.
Passage – Read the scripture passage for the day.
Point – What are journey points this passage reveals?
Personalize – How will the scripture lessons impact your life?
Prayer – Write out your prayer of commitment to apply the lessons learned.
To read the Scripture Journaling of Pastor Tim, click here.
Another acrostic to use for LifeJournaling is S.O.A.P.
This comes from Wayne Cordeiro, the author of The Divine Mentor where he describes the purpose of daily Bible study and how to do it. For more information on the Life Journal approach go to: http://www.lifejournal.cc. There you will see a link to journaling resources and the daily reading plan information. I would also encourage you to view his video below describing his journaling method.
View an instruction video by clicking below.
Make Us Wise, Wayne Cordeirvo


A major role of the Foundation is to assist local churches and conference agencies in establishing permanent endowment committees and funds for the purpose of ensuring that God’s ministries will continue for generations to come.
Churches may establish endowment programs to fund specific ministries, missions, scholarships, facility maintenance and improvements and/or general (undesignated) funds, which can be tapped as special needs arise. Types of funds vary according to specific needs of individual churches.
Foundation staff will meet with local churches, free of charge, to help establish a permanent endowment program, and frequently provide materials and workshops on such planned giving subjects as wills and charitable estate planning. Likewise, they are available to meet, on a confidential basis, with individual donors to discuss opportunities whereby personal asset accumulations may be used to benefit the individual and the ministries and churches of the United Methodist Church .
Through an Investment Management Agreement, the Foundation will invest endowment funds or other permanent funds on behalf of churches or related institutions. The Foundation offers a range of investment options, including a professionally managed stock fund, balanced fund and income fund.
Further, the Foundation as a not-for-profit organization is legally authorized to serve as trustee in the administration of charitable trusts created for the benefit of a United Methodist institution. Trustee services include professional management of trust assets; record keeping and reporting, accounting and regular payment of income to the donor or other beneficiaries.
The Foundation provides Charitable Gift Annuities to individuals who wish to give a meaningful charitable gift to their church and, at the same time, retain the security of regular income payments over their lifetime.
Finally, the Foundation, through the Mustard Seed Society, will assist churches in recognizing and thanking donors. The Foundation encourages churches to recognize every individual who makes a planned gift of any size by inducting them into the Mustard Seed Society. Each donor receives a lapel pin and a certificate signed by the Bishop, the President of the Foundation and the recipient’s Pastor.
Download a copy of the Foundation’s Planned Giving Handbook, a step-by-step guide to how churches may establish a permanent endowment program and our companion handbook, Marketing Your Endowment Program.
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|Funeral service for the late Kimberley MacGrath-Jackson of New Glasgow formerly of East River St. Mary's will be held at 2 pm on Friday in Bethany United Church, East River St. Mary's with Rev. Derek Elsworth officiating. A reception will follow in the East River St. Mary's Fire Hall. The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm on Thursday in the H.W. Angus Funeral Home, New Glasgow. Donations in her memory may be made to the Mental Health Foundation, Clarence United Baptist Church, Maple Grove Cemetery or Bethany United Church, East River St. Mary's. |
|FUNERAL SERVICES FOR THE LATE PAULINE ANN HAYMAN OF NEW GLASGOW FORMERLY OF STELLARTON AND TRENTON WILL BE HELD 11AM FRIDAY FROM THE H.W. ANGUS FUNERAL HOME CHAPEL, NEW GLASGOW WITH REV. ART BOURRE PRESIDING. A RECEPTION TO FOLLOW IN THE FUNERAL HOME. BURIAL WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE BROOKSIDE CEMETERY, NEW GLASGOW .
HER REMAINS WILL REST AT THE H.W. ANGUS FUNERAL HOME FOR VISITING FROM 2-4 AND 7-9PM THURSDAY.
DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF PAULINE MAY BE MADE TO THE CANADIAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION.
OBITUARY MAY BE VIEWED AT ANGUSFUNERALHOMES.COM||


This is a continuation of our post earlier this week:
That sweet little boy at the Birthday Party, looking and hoping he could find more presents hidden within the gift wrap piled on the floor. He was frantically searching; he was positive, he would find one more present. he was showing he had total faith in his situation. His thoughts alive with the feeling of hope. He just knew he would find one more present. So adorable searching.
Before we had wrapping paper all over the house, we got a bag and played gift wrap basketball. Making a game out of the cleanup, let him see there were no more presents. he was able to focus on the gifts he received and the house full of people who came to celebrate with him and his sister.
Hope covers many aspects of our lives.Dealing with a serious illness brings hope into your life in several ways. you hope the illness will not get bad, you hope to live through whatever illness you are going through, you hope your families will be there for you and not change their minds as you get worse, you hope the people you have called friends for years will be there when you need them.
There is so much hope involved in illnesses. It is hard to deal with hope, when you are fighting so hard to stay healthy and you find yourself surrounded by people you cannot count on. You need to remember that God is always there. Giving your troubles and burdens to God must be done with total faith, then we can continue our walk in life with the assurance that when trouble comes; we know God is there and that whatever the new trouble is,God is never surprised, for He is with you.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the middle of the sea. If your faith is not strong, we lose hope and start looking for a quick fix.
Psalm 46:1-God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble
Psalm 31:24-Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord
Psalm 33:18-Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
Psalm 33:22-Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Psalm 38:15-For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
King James Version (KJV)
It is that faith, is our Hope and knowledge that God knows when we are on this rocky bumpy road, and holding that faith is when God puts his loving arms around us and smooths out the road ahead.
Though we may never know the why, but really do we need to know, because this is where we gain Wisdom as we talk to God and, no matter what comes our way, you know God will see you through it.
Through my illness, I have struggled with worry, stress, and anything else that made me worry. It wasn’t until I started praying for hope, mercy and understanding that I was able to but my health in God’s hands. I recently went through a breast cancer ordeal that I had no worries about I knew it would be ok. God was doing the hard work for me.
I am currently struggling with another issue. I am handing it over to the good Lord tonight hoping he can lead me in the right direction with re-motivating my partner in crime, I’m wearing my husband out. Barry suffered a stroke a few years ago and is doing wonderful, but he’s worn out. I need to see what I can do to give him a break. We both need a break, but that will have to wait a little longer. I do not know what I would do without him.
One day at a time!
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“In a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead” (Acts 20:9).
A few years ago, Konrad Lightner and his wife were moving a box spring mattress when they noticed a three-year-old child tossing toys out of a third-story apartment window. Worried that the boy might follow his toys, they tried to warn him to stop and then called 911. When the toddler began climbing out, the Lightners set their box spring beneath the window, expecting the worst. After briefly tangling in some wires, the boy plummeted toward the ground and was caught by Konrad. Both child and rescuer fell onto the mattress, relatively unharmed.
Did you know that over 5,000 children fall from windows every year in the United States? About one out of four of these children end up in the hospital or die as a result of their injuries, and boys are more likely to fall from windows than girls. Young adults, too, often fall from windows and balconies as a result of drug and alcohol abuse.
So, it was a fairly common accident that took the life of Eutychus, the young man who fell from a third-story window in a home where Paul was preaching one night. But what happened next was anything but common.
Horrified by the sudden death of the young man, Paul ran downstairs and “fell on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him’ ” (Acts 20:10). God worked a miracle for Eutychus, and the Bible tells us that this grateful group of believers “brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted” (verse 12). They were overjoyed!
Death is a cruel and heartless enemy but, according to Scripture, Jesus has already conquered it and will one day soon destroy it completely and permanently. When He returns, those who belong to God will be reunited with their loved ones, and they will be “not a little comforted.” They too will be overjoyed, and their joy will never end!
Dear Father, thank You for our Jesus who has conquered death and has destroyed its power.
For Further Study: Acts 20:7–12; 1 Cor. 15:26; 2 Timothy 1:10


First we will visit Mustafapaşa, an old and charming Greek Village. Then we will go to the Keslik Monastery located in the middle of a bizzare landscape. In the heart of the monastery is the Church of St. Michael with frescoes from the 13/14 Century. From Keslik we will go to Taskinpaşa Village. Here we find an old Medrese (religious seminary) which is not in use anymore. Later we will see the working archaeological site of the ancient ruins of Sobesos with its mosaics and the outer buildings which are the first traces of a Roman and Christian settlement mix in Cappadocia. Our next stop will be the churches of Soğanlı Valley, where we will enjoy our lunch before we go on to an underground city.


The word “Gospel” just means “Good News”. The best way to appreciate the good news is to understand the bad news first! THE BAD NEWS the Bible explains, is that all of the human race is at enmity with God because of our sinful nature i.e. the fact that we commit sin [i.e. anything that falls short of God’s standards].
It says in Romans 3 v 23 “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.
This means that mankind as sinners cannot gain entry to heaven where God dwells.
THE GOOD NEWS is that God in his love has provided a potential solution to the problem. He sent His son – Jesus Christ- who whilst he brought so much blessing to people during His life time in the land of Israel, He did a greater work in His death. The Bible says "Christ died for our sins" [ 1 Corinthians 15 v 3 ].
However, just as in society there may be remedies for people’s physical ailments which can only be of benefit if people believe the remedies are there for the taking and then actually take them, so too the benefit of what Christ did in His death at Calvary can only be of personal benefit to those who confess to believe it and accept the truth of it and seek God’s forgiveness and become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ – i.e. become a Christian.
INFORMATION AND OTHER HELP
Visitors to our web site may wish to avail themselves of resources explained below.
- A daily audio Bible based message of help and encouragement can be heard by telephoning a UK number and just listening – 015-542-53-542
- A text based daily Bible based message can be read by linking to gospelfolio.com/category/choice-gleanings
- A free booklet called “Considering Christianity” can be requested from our “Contact Page”
- A free DVD called “The Cross” by American evangelist, Billy Graham, can be requested on our “Contact Page”
- Audio Bible based messages can also be heard by linking to hebrongospelhall.org
- Bible stories and messages of relevance to children can be accessed on postalbibleschool.com [This website has the facility to select language choice]


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Under the leadership of Leon Gambrell and with great encouragement from Mr. and Mrs. Coe Howard, First Baptist Church, Portales began to minister to orphans in their area. Mr. Gambrell served as chairman on the committee to seek answers to the question of how Baptist of NM could meet the needs of orphans in NM.
Mr. and Mrs. Gambrell prepared to welcome orphaned children into the Baptist Orphan’s Home. They collected furniture and needed items from Baptist all over the state of NM. They were called to another ministry before the first children arrived.
Mrs. Mary Joiner, WMU state secretary and former missionary who served with Lottie Moon in China became the first matron of NM Baptist Orphan’s Home.
At the state convention held in Santa Fe, the Baptist Convention of New Mexico voted to assume direct control of the Orphan’s Home, after a request from FBC, Portales and to keep the NM Baptist Orphan’s Home in Portales.
The first children, a sibling group of four, were welcomed into the NM Baptist Orphan’s Home. The Baptist orphanage began in a 10 room house. They soon outgrew this location and moved to a 40 acre farm north of Portales.
After Mother Joiner left to care for her ailing son, Beulah Fonville took over as matron. Following her were Mr. and Mrs. WG MacArthur, Mr. and Mrs. William Couch, Mr. and Mrs. William Hunters, Mr. and Mrs. JT Riddle, Mr. and Mrs. WB Oldhams and Mr. and Mrs. CE Saxon. In 1930, Mr. and Mrs. WC Grant came to the Baptist Orphan’s Home and served as superintendent and matron for seven years.
February 3, 1937 saw the arrival of Walker and Dorothy Hubbard, who agreed to come for a trial period of one year and stayed for 34 years. They became known as “Daddy” and “Mother” Hubbard.
The Little Boys’s Cottage was added to the campus
Due to the generosity of Mr. Mark Owen, the Little Girl’s Cottage was added to the campus.
After outgrowing two locations, the Home purchased 160 acres south of town and later added to it for a total of 331 acres. A fireproof, brick building was completed in September 1924
The NM Baptist Orphan’s Home became New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home.


You Wear What’s Inside of You.
Colossians 3:12-15 (KJV) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Kindness is often lacking in the church. One of the major complaints non-Christians have about the church is that its people are proud, self righteous and unloving. Certainly, this is not always the case, but it happens easily in those who live their lives according to their own wisdom and strength and not the wisdom and strength of God. We are told how to be more Christlike. We are to “put on:”
bowels of mercies
According to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, the phrase “put on” means to put on like a garment, in the sense of “sinking into a garment.” The phrase “bowels of” invokes a deep inward placement of the qualities of mercy, kindness, meekness and long-suffering.
We are told to
forebear one another
forgive one another
forgive those who have quarrels against us
forgive as Christ forgave us
Put on charity (love).
Herein is the paradox. As believers, what we wear (what the world sees) is what is deep within us. If anger is what is deep within you, then you will wear a garment of rage, and that is what others will see and know of you. But if Christ is deep within you, then you will be clothed in His righteousness, and that is what others will see and know of you. Which look did you choose for yourself today?
So the next time you are tempted to hold a grudge, be dismissive of another person’s feelings, reject someone, or speak unkind or abusive words: Stop and pray for God’s strength to be merciful, kind, meek. long-suffering. When someone wrongs you, forgive them, even as Christ forgave you. “…let the peace of God rule in your hearts…and be ye thankful.”
© Verneda Lights. All Rights Reserved.
- Put On the New Man (thechristiangazette.wordpress.com)
- Are You Crucified With Christ or a Punk for the World? (e-graphx.com)
- Kindness (perseveringthroughlifeschallenges.wordpress.com)


By Web Team | Go
So, you are on your campus, doing your campus missionary thing, and someone objects to what you are saying about God.
What do you do?
Let’s talk about handling objections to Jesus. It’s important to think through how to respond ahead of time.
Your responses should be gentle and full of love. Responding to someone’s objections is not the time to start an argument, but an opportunity to share love.
- Some people will say, “How can I believe in a God who allows evil and suffering in the world?”
If you formed your opinion of Beethoven’s composing skills based on how a deaf and blind orchestra played one of his symphonies, you would seriously his ability as a composer.
When God created the world, it was beautiful and good. Everything was in perfect harmony. Sickness, death, and evil were not part of God’s original composition.
But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their sin opened the door to all that and more. No longer perfect and forfeiting a right relationship with God, humanity, and all the earth became subject to death.
Although society plays on, blind and deaf to the beauty of God’s original creation, this is not how the symphony will end. God’s new world will be reborn beauty and perfection.
Suffering, sickness, and death will disappear forever. Romans 8:21 says, “Creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious from death and decay.”
- Many people say, “All religions have truth in them and lead to heaven.”
Many people sincerely believe things that are simply not true and even fatal. Many world religions share some common moral principles, but that does make them Truth.
Too many of their core teachings are incompatible with or opposite of the Truth.
If it were simply a matter of picking what we want to believe or think is best, then our faith would have no real foundation, security, or value outside ourselves.
Only true Christianity acknowledges that God, the Creator, laid out the way to true life and spiritual salvation, which he provided through the life, death, resurrection of his Son, Jesus.
And it is Jesus himself who said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. If that is true, then can trust everything He said.
- If someone says to you, “I’m as good as anyone.”
You may be. But the catch is that no one is good enough. Psalm 53:3 says, “No one does good, not a single one!” Even our best human efforts are not good enough.
“When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). That is because sin is not like ordinary dirt; it is more like nuclear or radioactive contamination.
You may look clean. You may shower and scrub your skin and clothes, but it will still kill you if you are contaminated.
Workers in contaminated areas wear protective garments, but they still go through decontamination.
Why? Because it is the only way to be safe. Every human is born into a sin-contaminated zone. And we are all infected—infected with inevitable death.
Approaching God through faith in Jesus is the only effective way to be decontaminated from sin.
You may be as good or better than everyone else, but you are not good enough. You need God.


Welcome! We are happy for you to visit us and see our vibrant, beautiful, faithful, classical Catholic school for yourself. By means of the Great Books and the classical liberal arts, the sacramental life of our Church, and the mentorship of caring and wise Catholic teachers who are models of integrity and virtue, we usher students into their rich heritage of our tradition. By doing so, we help them fall in love with Truth, Goodness, and Beauty—and the One who is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: Jesus Christ.
We invite you to visit for a personal tour at your convenience. Please let us know if we can ever be of assistance to your family. We are at your service.
* Indicates a required field.


Faithful readers might remember the name David Annandale. He’s been a member of the Upcomingdisc family since it started. You may have also noticed he hasn’t been reviewing much of late. That’s because he’s busy getting his novels published. That’s right our man David is hitting the big time. We want you to check him out. So, here’s an excerpt from his exceptional horror book: Gethsemane Hall.
In the dream, he was back at St. Rose’s Church, going through the funeral again. He knew he was dreaming because he felt the pain of repetition, sensed the sadism of a force that would make him experience ritualized loss once again. Knowing that he was dreaming didn’t diminish the pain. The anguish pressed him down, a granite weight, as he tried to stand for the hymn. The injustice of the re-enactment was colossal and could only be for the benefit of a cruel deity’s amusement. Something was laughing at him. He looked up. Standing above the altar was a large wooden crucifix, its Christ bigger than life. The Christ was laughing at him. Now he was looking at the face in close-up, was staring into its wide mouth, could see where the red paint of its throat had chipped, saw lips peeled back from tree-ringed teeth. He couldn’t see Christ’s eyes. He couldn’t see anything but the laugh, the maw of red disappearing to black. The laugh itself was looking at him, the mouth so contorted with mirth that the very expression had become sentient. He tried to yell back at it, to give back his hatred, but the laugh was too huge, too strong, visible even when he closed his eyes. The laugh grew from howl to tsunami roar. Its register climbed hysteria’s ladder, from exultation to frenzy, and finally it was the scream of the heart of the universe.
Want to read more? Of course, you do. Pick up the book today and be sure to keep an extra light on when you’re finished reading. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.


Welcome to the Parish of Headley with Box Hill.
We have two churches, St Mary's Headley and St Andrew's Box Hill.
Registered Charity no. 1151029
CHRISTMAS SERVICES and EVENTS
Please refer to our Christmas Services and Events Page for full details of our Christmas activities.
Sunday 11th December
10.30am Nativity Service at St Mary's, led by The Venerable Paul Bryer, Archdeacon of Dorking
6.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols at St Mary's
~ Everybody most welcome ~
IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE PCC
Please click here to read an important update from the PCC regarding the recruitment of a new priest, as well as the formation of a United Benefice with Walton-on-the-Hill.
Although our Parish is now in vacancy, our priest Linda having retired, SERVICES WILL CONTINUE AS USUAL IN BOTH CHURCHES, as visiting priests have been arranged. For details and timings of services, please click on this link Services - please do come along and join us at our services to enjoy a variety of preachers.
For details of special services or events, click on this link to view What's On
We do hope to see you soon!
CAUSES AND CHARITIES
To view the December/January edition of the Parish Magazine, please click this link: Magazine
ST MARY'S EXTENSION
Please click on this link St Mary's Extension to view the plans that have now received planning permission from Mole Valley District Council. Please also keep your eye out for fundraising events - we rely on your support to ensure we can raise the money to build the extension!
BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE
We now have a Book of Remembrance. If you would like to have an inscription for your loved one, please click this link: Book of Remembrance
To view the rota for St Mary's, including readings, please click this link Duty Rota
Please note that the same readings are generally used at St Andrew's.


I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of my first piano album, Views from Avigdell. I am producing this piece in collaboration with E. H. Kindred. It will feature all original compositions more »
A bit of music I wrote for the Reader.
Americans are frothing themselves into frenzy of rage, and it is a fury which puts the whole world at risk. We are seeing the gathering clouds of a perfect storm, more »
A topic that comes up with some frequency in my discussions with the Reader is how to reconcile the vengeful God of the Old Testament with the God of Love more »
We are all part of an infinite universe. We are thoughts of God. Within each of us lives the spark that was kindled by God, and connects us to God, more »


Skagway Borough AK Church Records
USA (1,373,456) > Alaska (2,314) > Skagway Borough (86) > Skagway Borough County Church Records (2)
USA (1,373,456) > Alaska (2,314) > Alaska Church Records (88) > Skagway Borough Church Records (2)
NOTE: Additional records that apply to Skagway Borough are also on the Alaska Church Records page.
Skagway Borough Church Records
Session minutes, 1899-1910 (Skagway Presbyterian Church (Skagway, Alaska)) FamilySearch Library
St. Saviour's Church, baptisms, 1899-1956, Skagway, Alaska FamilySearch Library
Not sure what to do next in your genealogy research? Get some new ideas by using our Ancestor Source Finder tool.
Additions or corrections to this page? We welcome your suggestions through our Contact Us page


A NIGHT FOR LIFE
TIME: 7:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.
These are all-night worship burns
from dusk to dawn. These nights
filled with Praise, Prophecy, and Prayer
see Christians from around the nation
join voices to see the dominion of death
bow to the person of LIFE and the
spirit of deception bow to the person of TRUTH!
*Contact us to schedule the next event near you!
The educational components of these events provide both the
history and impact of the First & Second Great Awakenings.
I AM Project
Young people are declaring to the world "this is who I am," redefining themselves and subjectively choosing their respective pronouns. It's time we helped them know who they are in the Lord. Come join us as we invite them to grasp their value and worth by receiving fresh revelation on, "this is who I am" by introducing them to the great I AM!


There is a beautiful church in Belford.
St. Mary's Church
A church has existed on the site of the present St. Mary's since the 12th Century, but today's building is much more recent, and was comprehensively redesigned by John Dobson in the 1820s. For those interested in the history of St. Mary's, copies of Joan Wright's "Guide to the Parish Church of St. Mary, Belford" are available for purchase in the inner porch of the church.
St. Mary's Parish Church offers Sunday and mid-week services. Sunday morning service is sung Eucharist at 9.00 am, and mid-week service times are posted on the notice board at the entrance to the church from the Market Square. Normally, mid-week services are said Eucharist on Wednesday mornings at 9.00 am but other services, depending on the season, are advertised in the church magazine as well as being posted on the notice board. When there is a 5th Sunday in the month there is a shared service with our sister parish, St. Hilda's, Lucker, at 10.00 am, alternating between St. Mary's and St. Hilda's. Coffee, tea and biscuits are offered after Sunday service every week in the Gallery, and everyone is welcome.
Baptisms, marriages and funerals in St. Mary's may be arranged with the Vicar.
St. Mary's has strong links to the village schools, and services are held every term for pupils, staff and parents.
The Gallery is available for use by individuals or groups, by arrangement with the Vicar. A permanent exhibition of photographs and material relating to local history is housed in the Gallery, which also houses a small kitchen facility and WC. There is a stairlift for those with mobility difficulties.
The church is open daily for those who wish to walk around, enjoy a few moments' peace or private prayer, and copies of the Link magazine, the church magazine and other information are all usually available from the outer and inner porches.
If you would like to join us for worship, or if you would like to be involved in our church community in other ways, for example by being part of our team of flower arrangers or becoming involved with our Friends of St. Mary's group, you would be most welcome. For more information please contact either of the Churchwardens or the Vicar.
The APCM & Vestry Meetings will be held in the Gallery at St. Mary’s at 6.00 pm on Tuesday 27 February 2018. This is the meeting at which elections are held for churchwardens and others, and a review of the previous year’s activities is given. Please do come and hear what has been happening, and have your say in the elections.
“Stars hung on the Christmas tree in church after Christmas, in memory of loved ones, have been blessed and are on a side table by the pulpit. If you have not yet collected yours and still wish to do so, please feel free to come into church and pick them up. Church is open throughout the day, every day.”


We know that God established Sabbath as a day of rest at the end of the 7-day week. On the 6th day human beings were created. So clearly there wasn’t much work, if any at all, for humankind to do between them being created and Sabbath rest being instituted. So, if not to rest from work, what then was the purpose of that very first sabbath? And what can that teach us about sabbath rest today?
Imagine that you’re Adam or Eve. It’s Friday and you came to know yourself and to meet the One who created you. And together with your Creator you start to explore the vastness of your garden-home. You are enveloped in nature. You go off to sleep with wonderment and immense joy and wake up just as blissful with jubilant expectation to see what else the Creator has to reveal of His eARTh. And He bids you “good morning, welcome to your first Sabbath!” He invites you to explore and reflect on all He did for you despite you having done nothing. He invites you to receive Sabbath grace.
Grace, simply defined in Christian theology, is a favor given to us by God only on the basis that He desires for us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it (i.e. it’s unmerited).
Nature is one way grace is demonstrated. We did nothing to have received the gift of nature. All its wonder and splendor is the grace that Sabbath affords us to reflect on.
Join me on this pictorial ode to nature, journeying through Arizona:
In every direction throughout Arizona there is the beauty of the natural wonders of nature, and this too is a reminder of the grace of Sabbath.
Shabbat Shalom. May you experience the grace of the Sabbath in nature today and every day.


How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
When I was a young girl my aunt raised chickens. I loved to help her, often sitting in the coop with the hens, hand feeding them. So Scriptures about chickens hold special significance for me.
I am not alone in my interest in chickens. Chickens are one of the most studied and researched species. I recently learned some interesting facts about chicks and hens from an article posted on eXtension.org entitled, “Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks”:
- Chicks know their mother’s voice and can find her even when blindfolded. Hens will cluck in a certain way when danger is near. The chicks learn to run to her when they hear this sound.
- Similarly, if a chick expresses distress, as soon as the mother hen hears it, she will quickly come to check on the chick.
- Hens will shield chicks from heavy rain, intense heat, and extreme cold.
- A mother hen will aggressively defend her young against other birds (even other hens who approach her nest) and will bravely fight off formidable creatures such as cats and foxes to protect her offspring.
How often I have wanted to gather your children together
as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings,
but you wouldn't let me.
When Jesus likened himself to a hen, he painted a picture of a fierce defender and self-abasing shelter. Note the similarities:
Do you feel alone with your problems? Are you overwhelmed? Do you need comfort or a hiding place? Psalm 91:1 says, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
- Through His Word we can learn to recognize Jesus’ voice. In it He warns us of spiritual dangers and predators so we can recognize them and avoid them.
- Through prayer, we lift our voices to Jesus, who hears and takes action.
- When life pelts us with one thing after another, we can find rest and shelter in the arms of Jesus. He will not only help us shoulder our burdens, he will carry us.
- Jesus never leaves us to fend for ourselves. He is always with us, defending us against the fiery arrows thrown by both our fellow humans and by Satan.
Will you let Jesus gather you under His mighty wings?
©2014 Pamela D. Williams


The annual general meeting took place at Holy Trinity Dunfermline on the 4th December. You can read the reports through the full AGM papers, some of which we will highlight as separate articles on our website.
Fife Cluster Youth Fellowship
YF has had a positive but at time challenging year. Whilst the overwhelming memory has been happy, full of laughs, banter and fellowship we have also faced a declining number which does of course worry us all.
During the pandemic the YF saw around 15 young adults attend online to a point we had two sessions. Since then many have gone onto university but we have kept in touch. We have also met up socially and continue to keep that connection of love and support.
Our small returning band of around 5 have done us more than proud. They have lead services, joined up in diocesan events, attended the provincial youth camp and represented us at events in our own diocese and across the province. I could not be prouder of all they have achieved.
One of our leaders took the opportunity to represent us and the whole of the SEC at the world council of churches, first as a youth delegate and latterly as a voting delegate of behalf of the SEC. With meetings with key leaders, bishops and arch bishops including Justin Welby. Not only this but they led worship, created action groups, set up meetings and influenced people from around the world.
We then spend the rest of the warmer weather making the most of no longer being locked down. Starting with a diocesan sleepover in Birnam where our YF again took the lead in the service. We held a wonderful music night using our new sound system in the church. We raided Wedges Lego box and built a range of contraptions. We spent time at the beach, the park, swimming, and rounded the summer programme off by leading a diocesan pilgrimage form Culross to Dunfermline with members from across the diocese joining us.
3 of our leaders and many of our delegates attended the provincial youth camp. The first post lockdown to be fully in person which became a moving and spiritual event of fellowship.
This term we started by taking part in a pilgrimage and leading a service in the cathedral in Dundee, we’ve had hitting sticks, autumnal adventures, All Hallows’ Eve night, looked at remembrance and will be now focusing on fun advent adventures until Christmas. We even had our YF represented directly at the interviews of our recent candidates for Rector with their opinions making a huge element of our decision process.
As we raised at the last AGM number didn’t return post lockdown. Without a young church and crèche we find it almost impossible to grow YF. We continue to provide a wide range of events and opportunities but with numbers reducing it makes it all the harder to retain those we have.
After Christmas the YF will have to reduce the amount of meetings from once a week. We are in discussions on how frequently we will meet after the holidays. We hope for all your prayers for the delegates and leaders as we go through a reluctant transition.
Since 2014 we have met weekly and this is a disappointing change however we are sure we will make the most of it and will continue to reach out and support our young people and help them grow in faith.
Our leaders will still continue to support diocesan and provincial events which our youth will still I am sure take an active and leading part. I would like to thank them so much for their dedication, hard work and love. Without them we would not have continued as positively and driven as we are. I can’t wait to built a new programme with them for next year in whatever form we feel gods calling to be.
Lastly I would like to thank my delegates and their families. You have been so understanding and supportive and I know all the leaders genuinely have enjoyed every minute sharing food, faith and fellowship with you all. We will continue to give you a space and a voice in our church.
Currently the children’s area at the back of the church is available for families to use during the Sunday services. Thank you to Elaine and the volunteers who ran Young Church prior to lockdown. The group is looking for a new leader to organise and run YC. If you think you could help on a rota basis please get in touch.


Crazy fun that's crazy good! Hey, kids! Try your skills on this collection of crossword puzzles, word searches, and trivia questions based on the Old and New Testaments. Crafty riddles will challenge your imagination, amazing mazes will test your mind, and incredible Bible verse challenges - well, succeeding at those will make you a winner in every way. You'll - hop aboard Noah's ark to untangle an animal riddle - lead a lonely sheep safely through a maze to join the Good Shepherd - find the hidden words from your favourite Bible stories With 101 awesome ways to learn about God and His people, you're sure to have a great time and a ton of fun to share with everyone! Limited Supply Items are offered on a first come, first serve basis. There is no guarantee that the item is still in stock when you place your order. You will be contacted if it is out of stock.


By: Lexie Murphy
On Monday, November 13th, 2017, Chancellor James Beingessner and President and Vice-Chancellor Katherine Bergman welcomed many individuals to an Illuminated High Tea in support of the St. Jerome’s University Library Expansion, set to take place in 2018. Guests came to St. Jerome’s from near and far to enjoy a very special talk and homemade finger foods and were treated to a special guest lecture by Dr. Greti Dinkova-Brunn, librarian of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) at the University of Toronto, entitled “Selecting Sacred Scripture: How the Biblical Canon was Created”. Dr. Dinkova-Brunn spoke about the Biblical Canon’s uniqueness and beauty that is seen throughout the set of texts as well as the history behind creating them. After her engaging talk, individuals at the High Tea received an exclusive viewing of a priceless original tenth-century Carolingian manuscript and a gorgeous fifteenth-century book of hours.
The week following the High Tea, November 13th-18th, an exhibit of precious medieval manuscript facsimiles on loan from the PIMS was on display in the St. Jerome’s University Atrium for all to come and experience. Members of the D.R.A.G.E.N.S Lab were very excited to share their knowledge with the community and help look after the manuscripts throughout the week. Groups ventured in all week to experience the display for themselves, all of whom have been looking forward to the event for some time. The week was a great success for the manuscripts and the D.R.A.G.E.N.S Lab who organized the event.
The St. Jerome’s University Library is in the final stages of planning and preparation for the upcoming renovation that is set to take place in 2018. The Library staff are hard at work fine tuning all the details in order to make a library for research, comfort and focus for everyone to enjoy in the future years of St. Jerome’s. If you are interested in the library renovation, take a look around and come talk to Zack MacDonald in the Library. Leave some feedback or suggestions on this page. Don’t forget to check back in for new updates on the New St. Jerome’s Library!


When congregations seek new church construction, it generates so much excitement and hope. It’s a step into the future that consolidates the expectations of your entire congregation. It’s also a challenging project that can pose as many problems as it solves. To avoid costly mistakes during church construction, it’s important to understand the potential pitfalls.
Hiring a Church Building Contractor: Seven Mistakes to Avoid
1. Getting Everyone Involved
You need input from everyone in your congregation, but too many heads can complicate decision-making. Settle on a building committee of five or six individuals who enjoy everyone’s confidence with the understanding that they are responsible for delivering project reports back to the congregation.
2. Hiring a Church Building Contractor Based on the Lowest Bid
As you manage the process of hiring the best contractor for your project, don’t make your final decision based on the lowest bid. Look for a church building construction firm with proven expertise in church design and construction. You also want a general contractor who values your working relationship as a long-term partnership.
3. Over-Projecting Your Growth Goals
One of the most important goals of building a new church is to expand space that accommodates a growing congregation. However, a larger building doesn’t guarantee increased membership. Your church construction contractor can help you develop realistic plans with square footage that can be repurposed as church membership grows as well as community outreach.
4. Overlooking the Value of Independent Advice
Building a church is a massive project. You need professional advice for navigating everything from financial considerations to zoning compliance. Stay open to input from your congregation, but invest in outside advisors. This strategy helps you maintain a solid construction track, and that helps control church building costs.
5. Moving on Plans Too Quickly
Recognize from the start that church construction planning is time-consuming. Be patient as you work on funding, design and church building plans. Listen carefully to your advisors and building contractor as they outline each job phase. When all plans are finalized, revisit every detail before breaking ground.
6. Assuming Nothing Will Go Wrong
When problems come up, you have to stay flexible, so anticipate contingencies. Develop a budget that allows for adjustments. Work with a church building contractor who can demonstrate a successful track record dealing with scheduling or supply delays. When construction begins, the delicate coordinate of all moving parts is essential to the completion of the project. Make sure you choose a church building construction company with experience.
7. Trying to Do It Yourself
Members of the congregation all have different talents they can contribute, but DIY strategies don’t hold down construction costs. Make it clear how much you appreciate an offer of donated time and labor, but let your church building contractor take care of all design and building phases.
Helping You During Church Construction
These are just a few of the mistakes we run into when talking to congregations and other construction companies about building a church. Our goal is to help you make the best development decision possible so that you can move forward with confidence. If we can assist with your plans for building a new church or you’d just like more information, give us a call at 814-745-3000. CBF Contracting is a full-service Pennsylvania construction company with more than 40 years of church building experience. Let us bring that experience to your church construction project.


5 Fingers of Life
Well, I did not ask you to stumble into this section of my site, but since you did…. let me share with you some of my personal beliefs. This section has nothing to do with my ability to be your healthcare insurance broker or financial advisor. This is personal; not professional. Philosophical, if you will.
I belief our lives have five (5) key components and the key to success in life is getting these areas to all work together. They include;
Five Fingers of Life; Our Five Lives
- Our Family Life – We have our family life. This is that portion of our life that involves the people we love the most. Sometimes, our family life is our parents or spouse or other love interest, sometimes our kids, sometimes our sibs and cousins; or, our family life can be our friends, drinking-golf-fishing buddies, or the people we see every day that brings us our breakfast at McDonalds. Some people we encounter in that way over a long period of time can become like family to us. For the purpose of this discussion, I will mostly focus on our spouses and children.
- Our Spiritual Life – God; whomever and whatever God is to you, I believe is important. Our relationship with God matters as much as anything else in our life. I do not believe we can ever find peace and happiness in life without having a strong connection to our Father in Heaven.
- Our Physical Life – Our bodies. This is our physical self. For me, I have to always work to be of the best health possible. For most of us, this is a challenge. For many of us, including myself, life finds me mostly taking care of others, and not myself. My physical life has to be one of the most neglected parts of our life. Staying strong; living a healthy lifestyle… do you do it? I know I do not as I should… although, I am doing better in this regard. Aging has such a profound impact on every other aspect of our life; so for sure it does on our physical side as well. I know for me, “I walk or I die”. These are the words I live by. I try to every day walk 3-5 miles.
- Emotional Lives – Are we strong inside? Do we have courage to face another day? Do we expect only the best out of the people around us, or are we willing to accept them at their worst? Do we let people abuse and take advantage of us? Do we have hope or have we lost our dreams? How do we feel about ourselves? To me, this is our emotional life. How strong am I?!?!?!?
- Our Professional Lives – This is our job. This is what we do. Are we happy and content in our career? I know for men especially, we really identify with our work. Our work is largely who we are. I think we really cannot be happy with our professional life if we wake up every day, dreading work… you know? If that is your case, you just have to find something different; something better. Something that makes us jump out of our bed in the mornings.
On the other hand, our professional life should never take over our whole life. Sometimes, especially when we DO love our work, we let everything else fall apart by over focusing on our careers. Gotta have balance in our lives.
Ok, so why do I call this section the “Five Fingers of Life”? Because to me, each of these five areas are like the fingers on our hand. Let’s presume for a moment that you wanted to put a glove on that hand. Well, for sure, you would have to have all those fingers pointing in the same direction, if you wanted to get that glove on. It just will not work otherwise.
So, for me, I am always trying to get my hand in that “glove of peace and happiness” (LOL)… and therefore I am always trying (and never succeeding) with the task. For, I think… it’s just impossible to get all these fingers pointed in the same direction at the same time. Sure, we can get 2-3 going well… but the other two are always falling apart. Aren’t they?
Look at your own life right now? How many of your fingers are pointing up? 1, 2, 3… and how many are pointing down?
More coming when i have time.


Report on the Deanery Conference and Festival 2019
REPORT ON THE DEANERY CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL, 24-27 MAY 2019
At our first session Dr Mary Cunningham introduced the theme: Let your light so shine; Living and bearing witness in Britain today. Looking to the year ahead, how do we let the light shine? It is easy to feel we are in no position to proclaim the Gospel. But we are, as Metropolitan Anthony said, 'The vanguard of Heaven'. How do we explain the different roles of men and women? We need to equip ourselves, to educate ourselves.
Dr Elena Narinskaya spoke on Women in Church and Society; The Women's Ministry Initiative and Ways to go forward. She began with a video of Metropolitan Kallistos who looked at women's ministry in creation, at women in the sacraments – women and men receive the same baptism and chrismation. Why is there a distinction over which gender is carried into the altar? The fact is that women are not ordained as priests. What other ministries can they perform? For example, a ministry of spiritual counsel. Look not just at the fact but at the reasons why women are not ordained. The Metropolitan hopes for a revival of the order of deaconesses.
Dr Narinskaya explained how the Women's Ministries Initiative works through networking, creating a safe and respectful environment, educating and communicating including feeding an Orthodox view into the wider discussion. So far there had been a number of study days and two pilgrimages with both male and female, Orthodox and non-Orthodox participants.
We need to consider the place of women, or rather of humans in the Church and life. What are the right questions to ask? What has God in mind for his Creation? Men and women are equally in God's image, receive the same Baptism and Chrismation. Look at the theological and anthropological matters that lie behind the non-ordination of women. Rejoice in what we have. Look also for the gifts of men. Do we recognise the gender or the gifts?
Next day Fr Dragos Herescu spoke on Receiving and reflecting Christ's Light in a secular world.
A secular world is one in which unbelief is dominant, faith moves to the periphery, the world is disenchanted and what Christians say does not make sense to others. 'Religion' is on the decline but 'spirituality' is on the increase, a self-defined and self-referential spirituality. Secularisation has been a long process beginning after the14-18 war. It has a variety of lights, allowing people to find their own niche and making it difficult for Christ's gentle/gladsome light to enter.
W hat is Christ's light? Is it the Gospel, or the Eucharist, or the Canons, or works of charity, or unconditional love for others? We should have a sense of urgency, for while we think we are walking in light we may be walking in darkness e.g. when we exclude others or think that the light shines only on us. Christ's words 'Let your light shine' are used twice in our Liturgies, at Baptism when the candle is given and when a bishop is given the trikirion and dikirion. The same calling is given to each Christian as is given to a bishop. In Orthodoxy we tend to institutionalise so see we showing light as the job of clergy but we are all to be vessels of light. We confuse the Church with the Source of light when it is the recipient of light.
Saint Maria of Paris spoke of us being swaddled in our traditions. We need a more creative agenda. What questions are on the agenda? Questions like; why do we go to church?, what are the practical implications? Why is our Orthodoxy defined by what we cannot do? (Here Fr Dragos cited the difficulty of getting three parishes of different jurisdictions to hold a joint service.)
It is our own behaviour that pushes us into irrelevance, that obscures and distorts the light. Start by living sacramentally, by being healing in the world. The sacrament of relationship is fundamentally the light of Christ, making visible a Person, reflecting our own relationship with Him.
Fr Christopher Knight spoke on Defending the Faith in an age of science. Against whom are we defending the faith? Against sceptics, or those who are interested but do not want to commit intellectual suicide, or against ourselves when we have 'difficulties'. We must avoid fundamentalism and scientism. There are four ways of relating scence and faith, conflict, independence, dialogue and integration. Fr Christopher cited writers who represented these.
What does science do? It tells us how the world works, not what it consists of. The Orthodox apophatic tradition tells us that what we can say cannot fully comprehend that of which we speak. So can we understand 'matter' in a purely materialistic way? Authors from Gregory of Nyssa through Bishop Berkley to Neils Bohr give ways of answering this. From an Orthodox perspective matter is sacramental, transparent to God. God is always immanent, not just occasionally.
For Maximos the Confessor, as understood by e.g. Andrew Louth, evolution is not a problem.
We cannot separate grace and nature; there is no 'pure nature” to which grace is added to produce the 'supernatural'. We believe in panentheism not pantheism, because the Essence of God is totally transcendent but His Energies are totally immanent. St Maximos speaks of the logos within each of us as a manifestation of the Logos/Word within us drawing us to the Logos. Does the universe similarly have a predetermined end, are there potentialities within it, what Augustine calls seeds, which develop towards that end? There are scientific ideas that relate to this, e.g. the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, the idea of Evolutionary Convergence and Evolutionary Psychology.
Is there a cosmic process through a series of goals following what Augustine called 'higher laws of nature' as evident in miracles. What is our natural state? Is the world sub-natural? Can we believe in the Fall? Death and pain pre-exist humans. Is 'Eden' a memory of the future? Were Creation and Fall simultaneous?
Fr Christopher has a book forthcoming, God and Science, which will unpack all what he said more fully and at less speed.
Building up the Church was the title of a panel presentation.
Anne-Marie Angus spoke of her experience as a cradle Orthodox. Supposed to learn by experience she found that being an Orthodox child involved a lot of hanging around and she did not feel welcome. Camp was a revelation of the Liturgy's beauty. Now the Redbourne community sings Vespers once a month in the playroom in her house (the toys are covered up). Fr Alexander celebrates the Liturgy on 25 December, so much better than the post Christmas, school term time, of 6January she remembers from childhood. Again she emphasised the Camp with its sense of community and belonging, which are vital for any church. How do we make people welcome? It is important to welcome children.
James Heywood read the statistics of Anglican, RC, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu state schools in England. In the Byzantine empire and under Turkish rule schools were important for building the church. Now each of the listed religious groups outnumbers the two Orthodox schools, one primary,and one secondary, both in different areas of London. This is not enough. James went on to suggest a curriculum for an Orthodox school. As for his own formation when he beame Orthodox, he was told to read the Liturgy.
Fr Julian Lowe told us of his many years listening to people as a Samaritan. Now he has been accepted as an university chaplain, because he told the selection panel he wanted to listen, that he is about people not about church . Listen,love,support. By listening we will grow the church, we will show the light of Christ.
Fr John and Presbytera Jenny Musther spoke on Living Wtness and Local Saints. They listed 20 representative saints who had witnessed in the North of England and in Scotland. There was a long history of Christian presence; an apsidal chapel dating from c385 has been found in the headquarters area of the Roman fort at Vindolanda. The faith was spread by itinerant bishops such as Mungo/Kentigern and hermits like Herbert. They wished to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In the Shetlands 34 monasteries have been identified as sited on seastacks, looking outwards to whatever lands are beyond the horizon. The principles of life for all these saints can be seen as 'Live by faith, by mercy and compassion.' The parish room of the Keswick parish has icons of these saints and information about their lives so that everyone can come to know them. Importantly they are at a height where children can see and read them.
The Conference meets as a worshipping community. Each day we prayed together morning and evening, with the Liturgy on Sunday morning the highlight. A debt of gratitude is owed to the members of the choir who sang brilliantly with minimal time to practice and to those who took it in turns to act as choir leader.
In the activity groups and workshops and in conversations over meals and drinks we confirmed existing friendships and made new ones. Our parishes are scattered across the country but at the conference it is clear that we are one body.
Subdeacon Ian Randall


Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place. All we have to do is follow Him—His life, His example, and His teachings. In doing so, we can help #LIGHTtheWORLD.
We always love being able to share our beliefs and family values with you, our friends, through our blog and YouTube channel. We know there is always a need for more good, more morals, more faith, and more kindness in the world. We hope our message today will help inspire a little more of that this Christmas season.
Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has a program this month they are calling
You can download a calendar of ways to serve each day this month, to help spread goodness and light in your little corner of the world. Or you can make your own calendar! Download here.


Report and photos by Ruth and Jonathan Lucas
Santiago de Compostela - for centuries the goal for tens of thousands of pilgrims every year. They came from all over Europe along the pilgrim route - like a river through the mountains of northern Spain, with tributaries from France to the north, from Italy and beyond to the east, and from Spain itself to the south.
The focal point for the pilgrims was of course the Cathedral. For us, not pilgrims but tourists from Nerja, our trip was in two parts. Santiago was the first destination, the Cathedral and City and the legend of St James and how it shaped the City.
Our second destination was the Atlantic coast of Galicia, a remote and relatively wild landscape with the Atlantic on two sides and Portugal to the south, and a language and culture distinct from the rest of Spain.
Our thanks to those who worked so hard to make it happen.


Our area has a large choice of places to worship, links to which can be found on the Churches Together website.
Please click on the Church name to bring up it’s latest newsletter
St Marys with St Peters weekly news & What’s on from 5th March 2015
St Dunstan’s Church & St Peter’s Chapel October/November 2014 – Monks Risborough Parish
St Marys with St Peters November 2014 – Princes Risborough and Ilmer
St Dunstan’s Church & St Peter’s Chapel – Monks Risborough Parish
Chilterns Christian Fellowship July 2014


Bethlehem – Beit Lahem in Arabic (“The house of Lahman – a Canaanite God”) – is about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Its population used to be exclusively Christian but is nowadays a mix of Christian and Muslim Palestinians. Bethlehem is the home of the Nativity Church (Basilica of the Nativity), built above the cave where Jesus is said to have been born. Poor Bethlehem families used the region’s rocky hollows as dwellings and stables making the 2nd century Christian tradition which places the nativity in a cave plausible, even though Western teachings mention the birth of Jesus in a manger.
The original sanctuary of Nativity Church was built in AD 323 by the Emperor Constantine, at the request of his mother, Saint Helen who supervised the work in AD 326. Nothing remains of the first building except the nave and its four rows of columns.
Every year, Bethlehem is filled with Christian pilgrims who are warmly welcomed. The city is busiest on Christmas eve with the traditional Christmas mass.
Southeast of the basilica, is the Milk Grotto, where according to tradition, the Holy Family stayed before fleeing to Egypt. The walls of this cave were reputed to possess the properties of making suckling easier. In the 19th Century, a church was built by the Franciscans over the chapel dating back from protochristian times located above the cave.
Nearby are the Shepherd’s Fields (Beit Sahour), where it is believed the Shepherds of the Nativity came. Also in this location are ruins of a Byzantine monastery built on top of important military relics from the Herodion period.
Bethlehem is currently under sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority. Olive wood souvenirs are the main product of this city along with olives, olive oil and of course tourism.


Morning Prayer: What It Means to Us
We are grateful to Pastor Jen for having started a fixed time for group daily prayer at the start of the pandemic and for continuing it until her departure and we are so very privileged to have continued this practice during this transition period.
Words cannot adequately describe how uplifting it is to start each morning [except Sundays] in the company of this band of “Prayer Warriors.” It is a blessing to be able to pray for, on behalf of, and with individual family members and friends, as well as for members of our congregation and the church community as a whole. It is also empowering to have the opportunity to lift our collective voice along with that of fellow believers across the country, and around the globe, in support of the marginalized, the outcast, the poor, and on specially designated days of recognition.
Everyone is welcome to join this daily ministry whenever they can. Feel free to email prayer requests. We look forward to continuing to serve Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in this ministry as long as there continues to be a need.
Brenda Froberg and Lisa Howard


Together Let Us Impact Africa
The Scripture in the book of Matthews 9:37-38, says: "Then said He unto His disciples. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into His harvest."
The best time to make a difference and impact your world is NOW. Be encouraged and enthused to join us in the Missions Committee to reach out to the needy both spiritually and socially in Africa. The door is wide open for us to give gifts and Gospel, the needs and suffering out there is mounting on a higher dimension every day. Jesus used the same methodology "Gift and Gospel" during some of His Evangelistic outreaches. He went to villages and healed the sick, He then gives them the Gospel of repentance and the Kingdom of God.
In the South Region membership, we are blessed with very diverse talents of professional disciplines. We also have friends and colleagues who are available and willing to share their knowledge and expertise if we ask them to volunteer. I am therefore imploring you to plug into one or two of our professional subcommittees:
- Medicine and
- Ministers Forum
There is plenty opportunity in every department mentioned above for voluntary professional services. Please, join us. We need volunteers, we need connections, participation and collaboration both within and outside the Fellowship.
How about giving back to Africa, and how about impacting Africa through you with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have an open door and opportunity through the African Christian Fellowship, USA, South Region.


Find Hosanna (It's Really Easy)
What’s Going On at Hosanna?
July 23-27, 2018
5:30 pm - 8 pm
134 Camp Meeting Road
Includes dinner each night!
or call: 830-257-6767
500 years later, Martin Luther’s simple definition of worship remains valid: “nothing else” need ever happen “except that our dear Lord himself may speak to us through his holy Word and we respond to him through prayer and praise.”
Starting June 3
(through Labor Day):
8:30 AM - Blended:
Blended worship is a balance between the heritage of the Lutheran church and new songs composed by today's artists. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated the first and third and fifth Sundays of each month.
10 AM - Praise Worship:
The praise worship service rests on the heritage of the Lutheran church while moving us into the future. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated the first, third and fifth Sundays of each month.
Young Adult Gathering
(God, Fellowship and Beer)
Where: Pint and Plow Brewing Co.
332 Clay Street, Kerrville, TX
Every other Thursday at 7 PM (see calendar for dates)
Purpose: Find fellowship with others who share similar life experiences,
Young Family Group:
(For families with children still in school or younger)
Contacts: Pastor Dave and Katy Bass
Two Sundays per month @ 4 PM (see calendar for dates)
Ask the Pastor
Do you have questions about the Bible and Bible study, last Sunday's sermon, faith, Lutheran beliefs, life-issues or other concerns? Get answers here.


Families who arrived at Goodwill Baptist Church in Seattle’s Central District on Nov. 19 received a double bonus: A turkey for their Thanksgiving meal and free ORCA youth passes for each member of the family 18 years and younger!
As part of the Free Youth Transit Pass program, Metro passed youth ORCA cards to the young people who came with their families to receive the turkeys provided by Goodwill Church.
While it’s good to have, you don’t need an ORCA card to take advantage of the Free Youth Transit Program. A school ID will work, or just hop on and ride for free! Having the card, and tapping it when you board, helps us understand if our service is meeting the needs of youth.
Transit costs can be a strain on family budgets. The passes, which allow young people to ride at no cost on transit systems across Washington, remove that barrier. It’s free transportation to school, a part-time job, visiting a friend or relative, or even taking a trip to a movie or museum during the Thanksgiving break.
Youth can ride for free on:
- King County Metro buses and water taxis
- Link light rail
- Seattle Streetcar
- Access paratransit and on-demand services, including Ride Pingo and Via to Transit
- Sound Transit, Pierce Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit and Snoqualmie Valley Transit
- Washington State Ferries
“We’re glad to be able to provide the cards to the families who came,” said Ina Percival, the Metro supervisor in charge of the Youth Transit Pass program. “These cards, and the ability to use them on so many transit systems, are a license to explore, the opportunity to go beyond a neighborhood.”
“The ORCA cards will be a tremendous help to families who are struggling financially post-pandemic,” said Bishop Garry Tyson, pastor at Goodwill Baptist Church and president of the General Baptist Convention Northwest (GBCNW). “Just to know our youth have a great option to move around the city is a blessing.”
Along with the turkeys and the youth passes, the families who came to Goodwill Church also had the opportunity to get a free COVID-19 vaccination from the Washington state Department of Health’s (WDOH) Care-A-Van.
The event was held in collaboration with the General Baptist Convention Northwest, a nonprofit faith-based organization with over 35 churches and 5,000 members in six states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, California and Florida.


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We are the Kitchens, Josh, Sarah, Makenna, Connor and Reagan. Several years ago, we decided to leave the business world in New Jersey that we knew, and sort of loved, and headed south to Charlotte, NC to go to seminary. We felt called to go into ministry, but weren’t sure exactly which ministry.
Living in Charlotte was a great experience, with many challenges and blessings that we hope have helped us to grow. It was also at this time that we began to explore the idea of a future in missions. We took a tour of JAARS in Waxhaw, NC and felt we were being called to bible translation.
Since leaving New Jersey, we have lived in Charlotte, NC; Whitinsville, MA and Dallas, TX all in order to prepare for our future in missions. We are excited to finally be beginning our ministry in Papua New Guinea, helping to bring God’s Word and the Good News of Jesus Christ to the lost. If you are as interested in this as we are, keep an eye on our blog to see what we’re up to.


King Coal Rules in Australian Vote King Coal Rules in Australian vote north dakota oil producers are wasting billions of cubic feet of natural gas North dakota oil drillers are falling far short of the state’s goals to limit the burning of excess natural gas at well heads, five years after the state adopted rules to reduce the wasteful and environmentally harmful practice.
Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist church 540 west maxwell street Lexington , KY 40508 t. (859) 254-7387
But Comer told the newspaper that she thought that the longstanding political controversy over evolution education in Texas was. First to decry Comer’s termination was Americans United for.
Transcript. He doesn’t want anything that interferes, that sows discord with our relationship with Him, and He doesn’t want anything that sows discord in our relationship with one another. And He doesn’t want anything to sow discord between the relationship of the flock and the servants of God.
An archive of the famous early 20th century Anarchist magazine. Mother Earth was an anarchist journal that described itself as "A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Social Science and Literature", edited by.
Lexington church says ‘agitators’ are responsible for discord over pastor December 02, 2017 08:59 PM state After lawsuit, more turmoil at Lexington church.
Sowing and Reaping The Seeds of Discord. Unfortunately, discord is like a bad apple that will spoil the whole barrel – an infection that the Devil uses to spread his evil disease. Jeff continued to spread the seeds of discord. Dozens left the church and the discontent spread, severely damaging the ministry.
Shortage of cheaper houses stifles U.S. homes sales · As the mortgage crisis continues to inundate the market with distressed properties, today’s house hunter has no shortage of cheap, foreclosed homes to pick through. But despite all those deals in the previously-owned home market, consumers shouldn’t overlook the potential benefits of buying a new home.
Bible verses about Sowing Discord In The Church. Proverbs 6:1-35 ESV / 17 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead.
Church Pastors in Lexington on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Baptist Churches in Lexington, KY.
Lexington Church Members File Lawsuit Against Pastor And Wife To Bar Them From Spending Church Money. In addition to the troubled pastor, his wife, and another pastor, Tim Jones, are on the board. The lawsuit says that the three earn salaries from the church, which, according to them, is a first in the history of Southern Acres.
Jonas Clark was born on Christmas Day in Lexington, Massachusetts. He graduated from Cambridge University at the age of 22 and was ordained as a minister three years later. While serving as a minister, he also worked a farm of 60 acres in order to supply his family with food. He continued as the pastor of the church at Lexington for half-a-century.


Tracking Down Lost Relics
In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204), European crusaders returned home not only with stories of battle and conquest but also with precious religious relics from the Middle East and Byzantium. These were objects as seemingly mundane as stones from Jerusalem, vials of water from the Jordan River, or grains of sand from the Holy Land. But there were also hundreds of more significant objects, such as nails and wood fragments believed to be from the True Cross, upon which Jesus Christ was crucified.
How these relics shaped religious practice and Christian ontology in Europe, and primarily in France, is the subject of an ongoing book project by Anne E. Lester, the John W. Baldwin and Jenny Jochens Associate Professor of Medieval History. The book sprung from research she had conducted on the lives of medieval Cistercian nuns in northern France. “I kept running into these references of these really opulent reliquaries that housed these relics,” she says. “And I thought, ‘What were these things doing in these little monastic communities?’ These were not communities that were patronized by the king of France. I wanted to figure that out.”
Lester has spent months visiting museums and poring over 13th-century archives in France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
It was mainly chaplains and clerics accompanying the crusaders who brought these objects back to Europe. They would often give the best of them—bones supposedly from John the Baptist’s face, for instance (still on display at France’s Amiens Cathedral)—to bishops or other church officials. But they would return to their hometowns with other relics to be displayed in the local church or chapel.
What surprised Lester was how widespread the dissemination of relics was. “It’s not just that they were only in cathedrals, they were part of the devotional lives of a lot of people down to the smallest communities,” she says.
Lester estimates that roughly 10 percent of these medieval relics still remain in European churches and museums. Most of them were confiscated and destroyed during the French Revolution, since the wealth embodied by the reliquaries was exactly what the revolutionaries were revolting against. Fortunately, they recorded the details of what they did, which Lester found particularly helpful for her research.