Rajon Das, Khang Kim, Mohammed Sarker
SECTION 4: (The Reformation Continues)
The reformation was not only a religious movement during the 16th century; it was something more.
The reformation was an fascinating time. It began by Huldrych Zwingli in Switzerland. Mentioned in, history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/reformation-switzerland-calvin.html, it was influenced by reforms of Luther and Christian humanism of Erasmus, hence happened AFTER. Similarly, the Switzerland reformation tried working with the nobles of the states they were involved in. He openly attacked abuses in Catholic Church so it can be more like early Christianity and believers have more control over the Church. Although cities such as Zurich adopted his reforms and customs, a war broke out in 1531 between the Swiss Protestants and Catholics. This was the period where Zwingli died. In my opinion, Zwingli should have migrated for a bit. This is because when the five states declared war, his men were weak due to an surprised encounter before. This was an example of religious conflicts between people due to humanities inability to accept different faiths at the time. Wars like these made the Reformation a very dangerous place to live and contributed to the sharp divide between Christians even to this day.
However, it was also the time where a law student named John Calvin was grew more passionate about his religious beliefs. The book Calvin published, Institutes of the Christian Religion, was A SIGNIFICANT creation. It led to Calvinism, a MAJOR branch of Protestantism. According to www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/Protestant, protestants were a follower of reformation. They were apart of Western Christian Churches and separated from Roman Catholic Churches, the part of the church that acknowledges the pope as its head. In the current day, it has developed more than reformation. The current pope, Pope Francis, served as as provincial for Argentina and was the first Jesuit pope, according to www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/pope-francis-fast-facts/. The Institutes Of the Christian Churches displayed his thoughts/ideas about God and human behavior. According to www.goodsheppc.com/theological/mastersummaryword97reverse.pdf, it showed god as the creator. Other interesting points include making life horrible to show the glory of heaven, the justification of humans is determined by only FAITH and there were 4 categories a human could be classified in. These include, “1) no knowledge of God, 2) those whose mouths say yes I know God, but whose actions say they do not, 3) hypocrites, and 4) the regenerate who make holiness their concern. We should note that even unbelievers are given gifts of God.”
The video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR17M9aEnKs, taught me a lot about Calvin’s impact in society. He believed in theocracy, meaning a government controlled of its religious leaders and inspired many people. One of them was John Knox, who took Calvin’s ideas and expanded it in Geneva. He followed a theocracy and all of his followers became known as Presbyterians. He helped make Calvinism a MAIN religion, as other people,such as the Dutch and French, started adopting their form of church organization via cultural diffusion possibly? Although some French people adopted this (known as Huguenots), the French Catholics did not, causing there to a deadly massacre lasting six months. The relationship between Calvin and John Knox can be connected to the later Mahatma Gandhi’s influence on Martin Luther King Jr. During the time India was attempting to gain independence from Britain, Gandhi promoted no violence. Martin Luther King Jr. took his ideas and expanded it to fight against discrimination in America many years later!
Teachings of the Protestants included that all religious truth came from the Bible. There were different types of Protestants however. One such type were the Anabaptist
- must be re-baptized as adults if baptized as children
- church and state are isolated
- never fight in wars
- teachings influenced Quakers and Baptists
*A map showing where each division lives today*R
Women such as Fransic I, Marguerite of Narvae, Katherina Zell and Katherina von Bora also had made an impact during reformation. They made an impact by providing protection from execution, speaking out and managing family finances. According to www.eldrbarry.net/heidel/wivesref.pdf, women during this time period set the alarm clock allowing significant women to come through in future history such as Harriet Tubman during the Civil War or Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement.
The followers who stayed loyal to Catholicism allowed for the movement known as Catholic Reformation. There were many SIGNIFICANT reformers:
Ignatius of Loyola thought of sins and life of Jesus. He wrote a book called Spiritual Experiences.This book consisted of all of his thoughts and prayers. Here are some of my favorite quotes from his book:
- “Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.”
- “Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”
“To give, and not to count the cost, to fight, and not to heed the wounds,
to toil, and not to seek for rest, to labor, and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do thy will” (http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/336357.Ignatius_of_Loyola)
His followers were called Jesuits. What major fact I learned from the VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PLzg7fhG70 was that the Jesuits had three goals: teachers well trained for classical studies and theology, convert non Christians to Catholicism and to stop the spread of Protestantism.
|Pope Paul III
|| Pope Paul IV
- directed a council of cardinals to see any abuses going on in Church
- approved Jesuit order
- Inquisition to seek out territory
- called for Council of Trent, where Church leaders agreed on doctrines
- carried out council decrees
- made officials mark dangerous books (“Index of Forbidden Books”) <- sort of like places in the Middle East of Asia where citizens are forced to be close minded and read/see only what the government decides they could read/see
The result of the reformation ended with social, religious and political effects. In the book, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Reformation by Peter Marshall, it discusses how in the end, the impacts of reformation was good with some negative aspects. The reformation divided Christianity across Europe into two different sects. There was a Protestant and Catholic branch with many sub-branches including Calvinism, Methodism and the Anabaptist. Each had different interpretations on the necessary deeds of the Christian man and what was considered right. For example, Calvinism believed in a very strict form of religion in which people lived in a utopia and many forms of entertainment were banned. The Catholics believed that the Church and the Pope had authority equal to that of the Bible and selling indulgences were believed to be justified. Due to the different philosophies between the religions conflict broke out and many nations became divided over their religion. This relates to today since the divide has shaped the culture of many nations today. To attract followers many people from both sides of Christianity began printing out their own viewpoints on religion with the printing press. They also started constructing colleges and universities around Europe. This encouraged many people to start reading literature and learning more about religion. This boosted the literacy rate across Europe and helped people become more educated.


LIFT is a semester long leadership and discipleship program located in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Throughout the semester our students will be challenged in a variety of ways. They will be stretched spiritually, emotionally, academically, and physically. The LIFT program involves college level Bible classes, servant leadership while working at CAMP-of-the-WOODS, community outreach, a two week mission trip, and physically challenging outdoor adventures in the Adirondacks. If you would like to know more about the LIFT program you can visit our webpage: www.liftdiscipleship.org.
Thank you for your help in determining if this is the right program for the applicant. We want to make sure everyone that comes to the LIFT program is able to be successful, so any additional insight you can provide would be appreciated.
Thank you for your candid assessment of the applicant. This reference will be used in conjunction with other referrals, a personal interview, and an application.


ANGEL NUMBER 777 CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL MEANING | 777 Repeating Numbers – It’s Time | Angels of Christ
What an immense joy it is to be able to be in contact with you and to get your attention through the repeated numbers, and to see you finally able to hear us and feel that we are here by your side, wanting to communicate with you, wanting to re-establish that bond of friendship and companionship that you miss so much without knowing it. I, Angel number 777, am the angel who invites you to Christian spiritual development. There are many paths, there are many ways to spiritualize yourself, and many of them you have already traveled and experienced, but there is only one path that will lead you to feeling truly loved by God. On this path there is a legion of angels who are ready to help you in this process of development, there is a multitude ready to obey God’s orders and finally transform you into a spiritual being who lives a human experience of learning, redeeming past mistakes, and developing your free will.
Only knowing the truth will make you understand how this life really works, and will give you the possibility of making better choices with each learning cycle. The time has come to develop spiritually, the time has come for you to understand that you have a differentiated spiritual sensitivity, and that it needs to be cared for, developed through study, and strengthened through practice. No more theoretical knowledge, now is the time for practice, the time for true worshippers to become loyal instruments and fulfill their call for inner and outer transformation. The world is crying out for change, and it is you and a multitude of other brothers and sisters who will carry out this task. Never alone, because we will always be with you just a prayer away. Cry out for our help and heaven will descend on you. That’s why you were born, that’s why everything has happened in your life, all to awaken you, to empower you, to make you understand that you came to earth with the purpose of regaining awareness that you are an immortal spirit, and that your body is only a temporary garment. And that the most important thing is the experience you gain through trials, and the redemption of mistakes you make through atonements, towards progress, towards your human and spiritual development and maturity.
Learn to hear our voice, a spiritual phenomenon known as clairaudience or intuition. Learn to speak what we want you to speak, a phenomenon known as psychophony. Learn to write what we want you to write, a spiritual phenomenon known as psychography. Learn to obtain images of near futures, a phenomenon known as precognition or prophecy, or images and moments from the past, a phenomenon known as retrocognition. Learn to sense other people’s souls or protect yourself from them, a spiritual skill that a spiritually sensitive person needs to develop in order to no longer suffer. Learn to become an instrument of healing, and to be used by spirituality as a spiritual doctor, a spiritual phenomenon known as healing mediumship. Learn to be used as a spiritual liberator by developing the ability to transmit ideas and concepts, and learn to access the higher frequencies and bring information and wisdom to people who need it so much, starting with yourself. There are many spiritual qualities and potentials that you can activate and develop, knowing that with each step in this direction, new and beautiful opportunities will arise. The time has come when these spiritual phenomena will once again be commonplace, just as they were at the beginning of primitive Christianity. “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams” – this is the outpouring of the spirit spoken of in God’s teachings. It’s time to align yourself with this higher will that cries out for progress, that cries out for people willing to take on these jobs for a more connected and happier humanity. The Age of Regeneration has already begun, the labor pains can already be heard and felt, and this is only the beginning. But fear not, for all those who place themselves under God’s guidance through the teachings of Jesus will be protected and supported, being empowered to work for the Relief of those who suffer and will suffer from these inevitable changes that are approaching every day.
No more illusions, it’s time for the Truth. Seek God in Christian places and know that new guidance will be offered to you when the time comes. It’s time to develop, it’s time to overcome fear and get started. We need you, we need your unique qualities that few see, but that God knew even before you were born, and that’s why he sent you to earth. The earth has begun its phase of regeneration, and the separation is already being made between those who wish to live in this new era of purification and those who do not. Therefore, spiritual development and inner reform of thoughts, attitudes and feelings must be carried out.


A Feast of Song
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Chapel
Henry Street, Gunnedah
13 May 2017 @ 3pm
Gunnedah Conservatorium presents, with thanks to St Joseph's Parish Gunnedah, a beautiful afternoon of song at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Chapel, Henry Street, Gunnedah.
The afternoon will be lead by our vocal teacher, Jamie Brown and will showcase our talented vocal students and choirs.
Includes afternoon tea on arrival at 3pm
Tickets available from Gunnedah Conservatorium at the Gunnedah Town Hall 6742 3998, Second Edition Bookshop and at the door.


I have been too busy to blog like I should this season, but I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very merry, magical, and blessed Christmas. After wrapping up my very full portrait season last week, my family and I headed to Orlando for a week with Mickey, the Princesses, and even a day in Hogsmeade. It was just what I needed – time away from everyday life and work to just smile and cherish special memories with my husband and kids. We had a glorious week, returning to life at home yesterday. We are watching our favorite Christmas movies, wrapping gifts, and laughing at the latest escapades of our visiting elf. Tonight we will celebrate our Savior’s birth with a birthday cake and delicious dinner, and we look forward to our day with extended family tomorrow. (… and hoping for snow!!!!)
Now that I have time to breathe and sleep again, I’ll be back to blogging regularly soon. I’ll be sharing some of this Fall’s sessions and some personal photographic memories from this year. I also have some new things for Shannon Holden Photography coming up in the New Year, so stay tuned!
I hope all of you out there have a year of smiles, love, and wonder in 2011. Thank you for the blessing you have been to me this year. I have the best clients in the world.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6 NIV


I find myself praying for strength a lot. I’ve learned to not be surprised when God answers my prayer in ways different than I imagined. He never said It would be easy... It actually gets a lot more challenging at first. So, it gets harder and heavier and you almost convince yourself to just quit dreaming so hard — then you realize your prayer was being answered all along. Don’t pray for God to take AWAY the load... pray for Him to PREPARE you to have shoulders strong enough to carry it.


Master’s College of Theology is a part of Vision Natives (a Non-profit organization) and is an interdenominational institution. Her faculty members belong to major Christian traditions and the students represents various places of India and abroad.
MCT is being affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College since 2003. We look forward to pursue our mission through training students in all aspects. We want to look in them scholars, teachers/pastors and dynamic leaders.
This college is set with all requirements to equip every person focusing on them minutely the art of campus discipline, worship, public life style and personal relationship with the Lord.
We look forward as you become a part of this ministry, the Lord will lead and guide your paths carefully towards a meaningful theological education.
Rev. Dr. Arjuna Rao Chiguluri
Vision Nationals and MCT
Welcome to Master’s College of Theology (Serampore University), Visakhapatnam. It gives me immense pleasure to introduce you to this great learning experience called MCT. One can trace back the humble beginning of MCT to the year 1992 when Rev. Arjuna Rao Chiguluri and his beloved wife Mrs. Hema listening to the call of God to work among the people of Visakhapatnam started a church planting ministry in Gajuwaka. From the beginning they had the desire to train young men and women for Christian ministry. In 1996 they began a one year diploma in Telugu medium. It was conducted in a rented building with nine students who sat on the floor for their classes. From 1997-2000 they moved to a bigger house where they continued to train both in English and Telugu. In 2000 they moved to the present campus in Madhurawada where temporary sheds were erected for the stay and training of the students. By then the students were trained for Bachelor of Theology. In 2002 God helped in the construction of the buildings. Realizing the need for theologically trained mission workers Rev. Rao and his team approached the Senate of Serampore College (University), West Bengal for affiliation in 2003. As desired by and ordained by God, Master’s College of Theology came into being in 2004 and was affiliated to the Senate for its Bachelor of Theology program from the academic year 2003-04. In 2006 MCT got the full affiliation. During these years the college grew in number. More staff was added. Volumes increased in the library. In 2007 affiliation for Bachelor of Divinity was sought and it was granted. God gave a good team of faculty members and staff which propelled the college to excellence. We are especially thankful to the three former principals: Rev. S. George Thomas (2001-05); Rev. Dr. Daniel Kirubaraj (2006-08) and Rev. Bandi George Livingstone (2008-12) and Dr. Samuel George (2012-2015) for their immense contribution towards making it a centre of learning and ministerial training. Currently, we have 8 well-qualified faculty members and students from various parts of India and elsewhere. Today, MCT boasts of a good campus and a good and a very progressive library. Training Leaders is our motto, and for this we give equal importance to theologizing both as an academic exercise as well as a praxiological commitment. I invite you to visit us for a wonderful experience called MCT.


SALINA — At noon Wednesday in Rome (5 a.m. Central Time), Pope Francis named Monsignor Gerald Lee Vincke, Bishop Elect of the Diocese of Salina. His current assignment with the Diocese of Lansing is Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Grand Blanc, Mich. Msgr. Vincke currently serves on the Presbyteral Council, the Priest Assignment Committee and the College of Consultors of the Diocese of Lansing.
Bishop-elect Vincke is scheduled to be ordained and installed as the 12th Bishop of Salina at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The date and time of the Ordination and Installation will be announced at a later date. Until that time, Rev. Francis E. Coady will continue to serve as Diocesan Administrator.
— Catholic Diocese of Salina


Design No: 512R - John 3:16
This scripture printed on the box...”For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Metallic accents: Antique coppertone / antique goldtone
Length: approximately 18 inches
Composition: featuring 4mm and 6mm Fancy Agate rounds, two 10mm x 15mm Red Aventurine crosses and a 20mm Picture Jasper heart pendant. Matching pierced earrings as pictured. Comes pre-boxed with information on the stones used in the piece under the cotton liner. Very earth-toned!
Price: $14.00 per necklace set.
John 3:16 series Necklace Set
- Brand: Naturecrafts of Texas
- Product Code: 512R
- Availability: 1


This 2017 release from First Loved Ministries includes 45 minutes of spoken Bible verses with instrumental music and nature sounds, for meditation, prayer and quiet times with God. These recordings come from our “Love Verse” meditation videos on our YouTube channel, which you can subscribe to and watch beautiful visuals that accompany these audio tracks. We wanted to provide this version, however, as a resource to listen to God love you at any given moment—from his heart to yours.
REJOICE OVER YOU
This premiere CD from First Loved Ministries includes 46 minutes of music and spoken scripture personalized from the Lord to you directly. The original songs by Mark Fee are intertwined with the scriptures making this a complete listening experience soaked in God’s love directly from His Word. This can be used as a tool to help memorize and internalize various scriptures (“love texts”) used in FLM’s training programs. It is also a helpful tool for meditation, prayer and encouragement.
If you wish to order any of the following CD titles by mail, please email us at email@example.com and we will make arrangements to get them to you!


Rhonda has been painting since a teen but took time out to raise a family. Once her children set out on their own, Rhonda returned to her love of painting.
She has been mentored by Rena Blake Dillman, and has also learned under great teachers like C.W. Mundy, Scott Tallman Power, Ron Mack, Julie Houck and Pam Newell.
She feels God has given her a gift to share with others. Her hope is that viewers will look beyond the work itself, to see the meaning behind it.


The Mysteries of God
– August 12, 2017
In Matthew 13:10-11 it says, "And the disciples came and said to Him, (Jesus) "Why do You speak to them (the crowds of people) in parables?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. What are the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and how do they affect and impact our relationship with God and Christ?
Runtime: 44 Minutes
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Down in the valley, valley so low, lies the beautiful grounds of dear Glendalough...
Glendalough is a beautiful monastery founded by St. Kevin. It is nestled between two lakes in a valley of the Wicklow Mountains.
Scroll over gallery picture to read hidden captions . . .
A poem by Seamus Heaney describes St. Kevin holding out his hand
so that blackbirds can build their nest there. St. Kevin stays in this stance until the baby blackbirds hatch and fly away.
This is one of the offsprings from St. Kevin's nest.
To navigate click on the three lines at the top left corner of this page . . .


Birthday: December 17
The history of the city of Aparecida is directly linked with the history of the image of the Patron Saint, who gave rise to all this path of faith and devotion. Located in the Vale do Paraíba, halfway of the two largest cities in the country, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is cut off by the most important Brazilian Highway, the Via Dutra. This privileged location facilitates accessibility to the city, both for road transport as air, due to the proximity with the two capitals, which have the largest and busiest airports in Brazil. Featured in Brazil s tourist scene, Agha is known as Marian Capital of faith and receives annually more than eleven million visitors, if constituting the biggest centre of religious pilgrimage of Latin America.


What we believe
What do we believe?
When you attend a church, it's important to know that they hold true to the word of God. So here is what we believe, so you can judge for yourself whether we are right for you.
Our beliefs are firmly founded upon the Word of God - the Bible. The teaching of the Bible governs and directs all that we do and the way in which we are organised.
The key elements of our beliefs are outlined below, if you would like to discuss them please do not hesitate to get in contact.
1. God - There is one true God who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God created everything and controls all things.
2. The Bible - God has revealed Himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments. Every word was inspired by God through human authors so that the Bible is the holy, written word of God. The Bible alone speaks with final authority in every matter of Christian faith and how this faith is to be lived out.
3. The Human Race was created by God in His own image but is now fallen and lost as a result of sin that first entered the human race through Adam. The consequence of this is: that the entire nature of every human being is corrupted by sin - leaving them unwilling and unable to meet the demands of God’s holy laws; the relationship we were designed to have with God has been broken. Although human beings are unable to meet the demands of God’s holy laws, they are fully responsible for their sins and accountable to God for them. Human beings will answer for those sins on the Day of Judgement unless they are brought to repentance and faith. Under construction.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became a real human being – truly God and truly human, but without sin. He was born of the virgin Mary, died on a cross, was buried, but rose physically from the dead and ascended to Heaven.
5. The Cross - The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to reconcile sinful humans with God and restore our broken relationship with Him. Jesus achieved this by His atoning sacrifice on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of our sin so that we can be forgiven.
6. Salvation - Those who repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ are eternally saved by what He achieved on the cross. They are brought back into a right relationship with God that they will enjoy forever. None of us can earn a right standing with God through personal merit, good works or effort – we only receive it by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even our faith is a gift from God.
7. The Holy Spirit draws people to repentance, convincing them of sin, giving a true understanding of God’s word and leading them to put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. He gives new spiritual life to the people He saves and lives in them, enabling them to live for Christ and working to make them more like Him. He does all this by His irresistible grace and power, in accordance with the will of God.
8. Assurance - Those whom God draws to Himself in repentance and faith will never lose their right standing with Him. They will be kept for all eternity by His power and love.
9. The Church - both local and universal, is the body of Christ united in love and service for Him. All Christians have been given spiritual gifts [i.e. talents and abilities] by the Holy Spirit which they are to use faithfully to worship God and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
10. The Future - At the end of human history, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to judge all the people of the world, resurrecting those who have died. He will bring everlasting punishment to the lost but bring His saved people into eternal life.
11. Baptism - The Lord Jesus Christ commands that when someone becomes a Christian, they publicly announce their faith and identify themselves as one of His followers by being baptised. The pattern of the early church is that Christians are baptised prior to becoming members of a Christian church or participating in the Lord’s supper [“Communion”].
12. Lifestyle - A Christian’s life must be consistently lived out in accordance with the Bible’s teaching.


Paul Onant Edouarzin
Paul spent his formative years in the town of Bezin, just outside of Cayes, Haiti’s third largest city. A lifelong learner, he has studied both engineering and agronomy. For the past 22 years, he has been an active member of the Atlanta Haitian Church of God where he has filled various roles from chairing the pastoral council to assisting the senior pastor. In addition to his compassionate leadership, Paul brings to the Institute his vast knowledge of life and culture in the city of Atlanta, having worked in the limousine industry for many years. He lives with his wife, Marie Anne, in Austell, Georgia.
With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Mount Olive College, a Masters Degree in Community Counseling from Campbell University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Thomas University, Bekah is an experienced Behavioral Health Therapist and Admissions Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in the mental health care industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Crisis Intervention, Family Therapy, and Volunteer Management, she thrives in compassionate environments where the individual’s needs come first. She is a strong Mental Health Counselor who brings her gentle spirit to the work of the Institute in a sincere and holistic manner. Bekah lives in Sunrise, Florida, with her husband Dr. Jonathan Best, and their cat, Bella.
REV. Livingstone D. Marcelin, M.Div.
Livingstone was born and raised in Haiti. He holds degrees in both political science and theological studies, which he completed in France and the United States respectively. An ordained minister, Livingstone serves as Senior Pastor of First Haitian Church of God of Blades, Delaware. Livingstone knows the Atlanta Haitian community intimately having ministered there for several years after completing his seminary studies. He brings to the Institute his strong organization and leadership skills, in addition to his passion for service. Livingstone lives in Blades, Delaware with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children.


Joy and Brilliance are within reach for all of us. No matter who you are, what you’ve been through. You can reach out, grab it and bring it into your life. Sure we all have challenges we are faced with and we must overcome. However it’s our attitude towards those challenges that make the biggest difference in our journey.
We can either embrace them with a sense of adventure and willingness to go through it to see what is on the other side. OR we can choose despair, frustration, depression, anger and resentment about those challenges.
Before you jump to conclusions and say – “well, she doesn’t know what I’ve been through and if she had been through what I had she wouldn’t be saying that.” Know this – I have been through a heck of a lot in my 41 years of life. Among what I have experienced is deep depression, sorrow, failures, an assault, abusive relationship and yes – even date rape. All of which has shaped me into who I am, what I hold true in my heart and what I believe about myself. I don’t have regrets because of what each experience has taught me and the understanding I have gained from them. Through it all there was one constant…God was always by my side.
So today I choose joy.
Psalm 30Good News Translation (GNT)
A Prayer of Thanksgiving[a]
30 I praise you, Lord, because you have saved me
and kept my enemies from gloating over me.
2 I cried to you for help, O Lord my God,
and you healed me;
3 you kept me from the grave.
I was on my way to the depths below,[b]
but you restored my life.
4 Sing praise to the Lord,
all his faithful people!
Remember what the Holy One has done,
and give him thanks!
5 His anger lasts only a moment,
his goodness for a lifetime.
Tears may flow in the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6 I felt secure and said to myself,
“I will never be defeated.”
7 You were good to me, Lord;
you protected me like a mountain fortress.
But then you hid yourself from me,
and I was afraid.
8 I called to you, Lord;
I begged for your help:
9 “What will you gain from my death?
What profit from my going to the grave?
Are dead people able to praise you?
Can they proclaim your unfailing goodness?
10 Hear me, Lord, and be merciful!
Help me, Lord!”
11 You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;
you have taken away my sorrow
and surrounded me with joy.
12 So I will not be silent;
I will sing praise to you.
Lord, you are my God;
I will give you thanks forever.
So today – choose joy. Even if you are faced with a challenge. Find something in that challenge that you can grow from; learn from; or grow stronger.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/denisedaysmith/6873792787


Build Your Faith In Our Pickering Church
Come and join us this Sunday. We are a warm and friendly congregation that welcomes visitors.
Pickering Church answers "Where did I come from and why?"
It's hard to move forward when you don't know where you're headed or why. God's plan gives us the answers to life's most basic questions like, "Where did I come from?" "What's my purpose here?" And, "What happens when I die?" Knowing the answers gives us hope and helps us find peace and joy.
Your life didn't begin at birth and it won't end at death. Before you came to earth, your spirit lived with Heavenly Father who created you. You knew Him, and He knew and loved you. It was a happy time during which you were taught God's plan of happiness and the path to true joy. But just as most of us leave our home and parents when we grow up, God knew you needed to do the same. He knew you couldn't progress unless you left for a while. So he allowed you to come to earth to experience the joy-as well as pain-of a physical body.
One thing that makes this life so hard sometimes is that we're out of God's physical presence. Not only that, but we can't remember our pre-earth life which means we have to operate by faith rather than sight. God didn't say it would be easy, but He promised His spirit would be there when we needed Him. Even though it feels like it sometimes, we're not alone in our journey.
All Visitors are Welcome. We love visitors and hope you'll join us.
We also understand that you might have some concerns. Maybe you're afraid of looking or feeling out of place, worried you might have to say or do something that would make you feel uncomfortable. We hope this will alleviate some of your concerns.
What to Expect
What should I wear?
You're welcome to wear any modest clothes that you feel comfortable in. But just so you know, most men wear suits, sport coats and shirts and ties, and women wear dresses or skirts. Children also typically dress up.
Do I have to donate money?
No. We don't solicit donations or pass a plate.
Do I have to participate?
No. Visitors aren't required to participate in any way. You can simply sit back and enjoy the service.
Will I feel uncomfortable attending alone?
We hope not. Many of our members come to Church by themselves each week. However, if you'd like someone to attend with you for the first time, feel free to contact the missionaries or the bishop of the ward when you arrive and they'll find you a friend to sit with. It's always hard to be new, regardless of the situation, but in time you'll get to know the other members and feel more at home.
Will everyone know I'm a visitor and not a Member?
This probably depends on the size of the branch or congregation you're visiting. Some congregations are so large (up to 600 members) that its regular members may or may not realize you're a visitor. Others are so tiny the members all know each other and will definitely recognize and welcome a newcomer.
How long does church last?
Our primary family worship service is called sacrament meeting. It's held in our chapels on Sunday and lasts approximately one hour. You're welcome to come alone or bring your family; children are present in virtually all our congregations.
What happens during sacrament meeting?
We sing hymns (hymn books are provided). Church members say opening and closing prayers. We partake of the sacrament (communion), which consists of prepared bread and water, blessed and passed to members of the congregation by priesthood holders. And we listen to two or more speakers who are usually members of the congregation. You might be surprised that we don't have just one pastor or preacher. We do have an unpaid bishop who presides over each congregation (called a ward).
Are there any other meetings on Sunday?
Before or after sacrament meeting there are a variety of other age-appropriate meetings you and your children can attend. If you want to attend these additional meetings: Ask someone for directions. If they don't know, they'll find someone who does. Visit the Meetinghouse Locator to find the beginning time of the three-hour block of meetings and the starting time of sacrament meeting.
Other Meetings on Sundays
- Sunday school classes (called Primary) for children ages 3 through 11.
- A nursery is available for children ages 18 months to 3 years.
- Sunday school classes for teens and adults.
- Young Women meetings for those 12 through 17 years of age.
- Relief Society for women ages 18 and older.
- Priesthood meetings for males 12 years and older.


I have not written in a while, but it seemed like this was something good to write about. Story-telling is not one of my strengths, especially in writing. But, for those who care to read on, I hope you enjoy.
Lately, I have been reading this book called Tell To Win, and I’m not even close to finishing the book. The motivation to read this book was to help myself for the future. Title of the book says it all, it was in order to help me win in life. Interestingly, this book really helped me to realize how to win in life. I based the title of this blog on the chapter I have currently read. It was about grasping several things. For me, I thought about three things- what is the story in my life that motivates me and gives fuel my engine? what kind of stories do people tell about me? what are the stories that motivate and fuel others? Mainly, I thought about the story that runs my story; it was about what gets me going every morning and to helps me to try my best.
I have been struggling to find out where my life is going to head past few months. I wanted to be successful and surpass everyone’s expectations about me. However, I believe that it was not for the right reason. I wanted it to be, but it was not. There was nothing that drove me to be successful and rich except my selfish ambitions and desires. The recognition I would get from others and how no one would look down on me. This gas only got me so far; it was definitely weaker than the fuel I was running on previously. My grades were going down and I also began to feel the lack of push to become the best I can be.
As I began to notice these changes, I had a clue what the problem was but I rejected that idea. I thought it was because my walk with God has fallen. My ways seemed okay, I thought I was still doing this for God, but honestly, I wasn’t even sure. I hoped that it wasn’t and I didn’t want it to be true. But, as I look at my past and see the time in my life where I tried my best in life, it was when God was my fuel and my motivation. There are many other factors that contribute to my effort, but it is the story in my life where God revealed His love for me that drives me to do my best. He gave me my parents, my friends and Jesus. That’s all I have to know to see how much He loves me and get me do my best for His everlasting kingdom.
Yeah, this is just another typical story of God showing truth in someone’s (my) life. However, I wanted to not only share what God has shown me, but also find out what God has shown everyone of us. If you took your time to read this, I hope that we can take sometime one day to share the story that runs our story.


Mike Forbes is married to a wonderful wife, Tonya of Hanover and they have two children, Mikey and Madison. He serves as an outreach director in a local area church. He is driven by the principles of honesty, fairness, integrity, and compassion. Having grown up in the Hanover area, his relationship with Christ was life changing. A close relationship with his pastor, Wayne Hammonds, helped Mike gain a good set of leadership skills and the ability to lead. His work experience over the last decade has helped him to gain much needed experience in various areas such as computers, electronics, and production. He acquired a good skill set from his employment at Tyco and Gould in the Southeastern York county area. Mike is currently mentoring his son, Mikey to help with the business to ensure great service and glass supplies for years to come. See the Forbes Family below: Mikey, Tonya, Mike, and Madison.
Please email us with questions.
Custom Glass Supply * 2816 Pine Tree Road * Spring Grove, Pa. 17362 * Office (717) 229.9821
The Forbes Family
Mikey, Tonya, Mike, and Madison.
Mike Forbes with son Mikey
The Forbes Family love their home in Pennsylvania and they
love America. Christian values are their foundation.


James "Jim" Burbick
Mr. James "Jim" Burbick, age 83 of 24 Burbick Lane, Hartwell, Ga., went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at his home.
He was born June 30, 1934 in Lisbon, OH to the late Wendell H. Burbick and Hilda Weaver Burbick. Jim was a former accountant with the Singer Company and a retired poultry farmer. He was a member of Sardis Baptist Church where he was a former deacon. He was a member of the Antique Car Club of America, Classic Chevy Cars Member, and was a founding member of Nancy Hart Volunteer Fire Department. Jim was a U.S. Navy Veteran.
He is survived by; his son, David Burbick and his wife, Christina of Hartwell, Ga., sister, Ellen Law of Florida. Grandchildren, Alainna Burbick, Donald Stapler, Jr., Lamar Stapler, James Stapler and Vincent Duey and seven great-grandchildren also survive. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Olivia Evans Burbick daughter, Dana Olivia Burbick and sister, Mary Ann Scaia.
Funeral services for Mr. Burbick will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at Eleven o'clock a.m. from the sanctuary of Sardis Baptist Church. Dr. Dan Vincent and Rev. John Silver will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors provided by the U.S. Navy Honor Guard.
The body is at the funeral home, where the family will receive friends Friday 6-8 p.m. The family will be at the home of David Burbick, 2969 Cokesbury Highway in Hartwell. In lieu of flowers please make memorials to Sardis Baptist Church Family Life Center, 4359 Anderson Highway, Hartwell, Ga. 30643
Coile and Hall Funeral Directors, 333 E. Johnson Street in Hartwell will be serving the Burbick family.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.chsfuneralhome.com


“Make yourself at home” – we might say to a friend who is a guest at our house. Planet Earth is, as the sub-title of the Pope’s new encyclical calls it, the ‘common home’ for humanity. And it’s a home that is increasingly falling into disrepair, due to lack of care by the tenants to whom it has been entrusted.
There’s been much theological debate about the precise mandate given by God to humans at the beginning of the book of Genesis. But I’d take “make yourselves at home” as a rough paraphrase of what God says to Adam and Eve back then. However, what sort of home are we currently making for ourselves and generations to come, and for the other species with which we share this planet? After all, the story of Noah indicates that bio-diversity matters to God. And let’s remember that Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose ‘Francis’ as his papal name – after Saint Francis who celebrated nature in his teaching and his songs.
Echoing the ‘common home’ in its title, the ‘common good’ is a persistent theme through the encyclical. The common good builds on an extensive library of Catholic social teaching, going back through Aquinas and Augustine (whom I studied for my Masters degree in theology at Edinburgh) to the early days of the Christian church. The encyclical develops and applies this already well-established theology to the more recently emerged common challenge of climate change and the rapidly increasing loss of biodiversity and of the ecosystems that support life on earth.
Notably, the encyclical is addressed to all people of goodwill, not just Catholics; and the ‘common good’ is not restricted to the Catholic tradition. For example, the protestant activist and theologian Jim Wallis has been championing the case for using the ‘common good’ to guide Christian engagement in politics and community life, captured in his book, ‘(Un)Common Good: How the Gospel Brings Hope to a World Divided’(2014).
Studying for my Masters in Finance at London Business School involved much focus on the role of markets. For all the talk about ‘free markets’, we know that markets function best when there is effective regulation that ensures they serve our common good. This regulation is often to protect ‘public goods’: we all need clean air to breathe – that’s a ‘public good’; likewise, we rely on safe water to drink and healthy food to eat. Public health systems which tackle infectious diseases likewise contribute to public goods.
In short, ‘public goods’ are needed not just for well-functioning markets, but also to enable human beings to flourish. And that means we need to look after the public goods that nature provides and that underpin all of our economic and social activities in order to work towards our common good.
Having a climate in which people and nature can thrive is also a ‘public good’. Without it, seas will rise, forests will wither, and the natural cycles of inter-dependent environmental systems such as those involving the birds, the bees and the crops, will fail. As the papal encyclical points out, we need to act on the overwhelming scientific evidence that the climate and nature’s health is at risk, and that this is mainly due to human activities.
‘Public goods’ – our natural resources – and the ‘common good’ – our well-being – are not identical, but they are related. I am not surprised that Pope Francis in his encyclical engages with issues which involve economics as well as theology. Justice is a strong theme in the teaching of Jesus, as well as in most world religions. The demands of justice require that we collaborate to protect those things which promote the common good for all, and especially for those living in poverty – including public goods such as a stable climate. As Pope Francis points out, this implies that we need more sustainable consumption and production patterns, and we need to look at different ways to run our economies.
The papal encyclical is a clear call to action – to everyone, everywhere. It chimes well with our beliefs, which is shared by many faith-based organisations, for example the Alliance of Religions and Conservations (ARC), in the intrinsic link between humans and nature, and between development and economic activities.
We can now all sing from the same hymn sheet that the loss of biodiversity, resource scarcity and the changing climate need to be addressed by everyone, including the international community. And we are happy to join the choir in praising new approaches to economics and lifestyles that will lead us to a low-carbon, sustainable world with a future in which people live in harmony with nature.
What are your thoughts on David’s blog? Please leave a comment.


- The Church of Scotland issued a 30-page booklet teaching the congregation about accepting transgender people.
- Intended as a resource, the booklet was created in response to a discovery that some transgender parishioners were harassed and had to hide their identity.
- It included the stories of 11 people with the goal of helping the community to give pastoral support to trans people and their friends and families.
After discovering that its transgender parishioners were harassed and had to hide their gender identities, a church in Scotland releases a guide to aid believers to the path to acceptance.
The Church of Scotland issued a 30-page booklet teaching the congregation about accepting transgender people according to latest transgender news stories by The Times UK on March 6.
The booklet, made up of 30 pages, would be delivered to churches in Scotland this month. It included the stories of 11 people with the goal of helping the community to give pastoral support to trans people and their friends and families.
The story of Judith was featured in the booklet. She said she attended the village church as Brian as her wife was worried about fitting in.
Additionally, she experienced attending services in other churches as a woman, but the response was not positive
“Some of the greeters hesitate and back away and look so awkward,” Judith said. “I go to church as Brian. I help serve communion and put up trestle tables for the summer fair and all the things that all the other men do. It upsets me that I feel like I can’t be Judith when I go to church.”
Others reported more escalated form of abuse.
Jo revealed, “I have had conservative traditional Christians call me an abomination, an affront to decency, a profound threat to the natural order, but I don’t see that in the Bible.”
A transgender woman, Anna, claimed she lives a double life, explaining, “I had legally changed my name and was living as Anna six days a week, but on Sundays I was still attending church and leading worship in disguise.”
Also included were series of questions that ministers of the church can discuss with the congregation, asking them to use more inclusive language in religious services and readings of the Scriptures.
In addition, it claimed that some parishioners were reportedly subjected to abuse and were forced to conceal their true selves.
For instance, they were referred as abomination by other Christian faithful, pushing them to lead a double life out of fear that others will treat them negatively.
One minister shared the difficulties in terms of discussing the issue when he was asked by a family, saying, “The statistics show that more and more people are being open about their difficulties with gender and the Church needs to be ready for this.”
According to church leaders, the guide was meant as a guide.
“What this is not is a kind of wider statement on the transgender community by the church. It is a pastoral resource,” Reverend Norman Smith, convener of the mission and discipleship council of the Church of Scotland, explained.
The minister said that the Church would welcome people from all walks of life and that he would be crestfallen when anyone would decide to leave the faith as a response to the booklet.
Making his own church in Granton, Edinburgh more inclusive, he said that the booklet will be useful in instituting changes such as updating the labels of the bathrooms.
He explained, “It is about recognising that things we do not think about can cause hurt for others.”
The Church was helped by the Scottish Trans Alliance in creating the resource.


This post is dedicated to Jesus Christ, my savior, who keeps me out of darkness; Mary, who watches over me with a mother’s love; and God who molded me into the woman I am today.
There are many cruel rumors that circulate about Catholicism, such as the infamous saying, “Catholics are idolators; they worship statues, instead of God.” Most of these accusations we can brush off, because as Catholics, we know they are just false rumors. However, there is one rumor that is not so easily tossed aside, particularly, our devotion to Mother Mary. There is a reason why we feel the need to defend Mary, to be devoted to her. In the next few paragraphs, I will explain why we honor her, the important role she plays in the Christian (Catholic) faith, and attempt to de-bunk modern Marian heresies.
Contrary to what some denominations may think of Mary, she is a blessed woman. What does the word blessed mean exactly? It means to be consecrated; holy; sanctified; and/or worthy of adoration. We know Mary is blessed this for two reasons: 1. She gave birth to Jesus Christ, savior to the world; 2. Biblical proof. In Luke 1:28 the archangel, Gabriel visits Mary to deliver a message, calling her “blessed.” As an archangel, Gabriel delivers a message from who? God! Therefore, the message given to Mary was from God. If God said Mary is blessed, how can we deny that truth?
*Note: More examples of Mary being called “blessed” Luke 1:42 (by Elizabeth); Luke 11:27 (by a woman in the crowd); Luke 1:48 (Mary said “.. henceforth, all generations shall call be blessed”).
Clearly Mary is a blessed woman, but why do we need her? She’s not as important as Jesus, right? Wrong. When Gabriel was communicating God’s message, he told Mary that she had found favor with God. God needed Mary to carry God’s son. Riddle me this, if God needed Mary, then do we not all need her, as well? Of course.
Alright, she’s an important figure in the church, but we don’t need to honor her, right? Wrong again. If we are all called to imitate Christ, as the bible tells us, then why do we not also honor Mary, as Jesus did? In the ten commandments, one of the commandments is to ‘honor your mother and father.’ That means we are honor our own earthly mothers and father, yes, but according to the bible we are to imitate Christ. Therefore, we honor Mary, as well. What does the word honor mean? It means to highly respect; recognize. Are we to worship Mary? No, not at all. We worship God, solely. Are we to honor Mary– highly respect her? Of course. She gave birth to our Savior, Jesus, that is something worth respecting. Don’t you think?
Let’s talk about Mary’s role in the church. Mary is a woman who went through a roller coaster of emotions in her life, just as we did. For this reason, this why we can also look to Mary as a role-model, and mother. She understands. She had the great joy of being chosen by God to deliver, Jesus. She watched Him grow into adulthood, loved and took care of Him. Mary, like any mother, was devastated to see her son be ridiculed, tortured, and sacrificed to save all mankind. Can you imagine her heart break? Just as her heart broke for her son, her heart breaks for us too. Mary is a mother to the world, who doesn’t want to see her children hurting. She has the divine authority to pray for us, and help us. Since Mary is the mother of Jesus, she can ask Him for certain things, and He will honor and listen to her. How do we know this? In John 2:1-11, a wedding is taking place in Cana and Jesus, His disciples, and Mary were there. Mary tells Jesus, “they have no wine left.” Jesus took the empty basins and He filled them with water, and the water turned to wine. Jesus preformed His first miracle here. Did you get that? Jesus preformed a miracle, because Mary asked him to. Knowing that information, do you think that if we ask Mary to pray for us, that she will relay that message to Jesus? Of course she will, and Jesus will listen to her, and honor her.
I always like to tell people that it’s great to ask fellow Catholics to pray for you, in fact, the bible asks us to do so, but because we’re human sometimes we forget to pray for one another, it’s actually more beneficial to ask Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mother of Jesus, to pray for you. This is not worship, but asking for help from a friend, except this friend is blessed and in heaven.
I hope this helps clear any doubts, or controversial questions you may have about Mary, and I also pray that the biblical evidence provided encourages you to stand up for the faith, defend Mother Mary, and honor her. She is a very blessed, beautiful, and holy mother to us all. I encourage you to go to your adoration chapel and spend some time praying to Mother Mary, asking her to pray for you if you are struggling with something difficult in your life. Also, pray to Jesus. Ask Him to lead, guide, and protect you all the days of your life. Thank them.


Directed by Jennie Gray Connard
Musical Direction by Kirk Valles
Special Industry Night Performance on Tuesday, April 3rd at 8pm
Jesus Christ Superstar has wowed audiences for over 40 years. A timeless work, the rock opera is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.
Loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Superstar follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.
The iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Gethsemane.” A true global phenomenon and a perfect pick for schools, community theatres and professionals alike, Superstar continues to touch new generations of audiences and performers.
Amazing photos by Adriana Zuniga-Williams


We are taking a sudden trip tomorrow to go look at a house in the new city. We are super excited and I have spent a lot of time praying about this house in the last three days. It feels like this is the right house for us. It is amazing. You will all want to come and visit. I will post results and pictures when I get home! It is a quick drive there and drive back.
Please pray that this is what God wants for us for starters and that if it is meant to be? WE WILL LOVE IT!


Meet the My41st Day Team
Please allow me to introduce the My41st Day team. I’m Deacon Ken, a permanent deacon ordained in September of 2016.
It has been an interesting journey to get to this point. I have to admit I have slow-walked this project trying to do everything on my own. Just as the apostles realized they needed support to achieve the mission handed down to them from Christ, I finally accepted the virtue of humility and asked for help.
The team was formed with the addition of my wife Judy and Nora, who oversee research and selection of the inspirational saint contributions for each virtue. Additionally, Nora closely collaborates with my son Philip on editing and overall content structure.
Why are we here?
One of my responsibilities as a deacon is to share the joys which come from being in a relationship with Christ. When I’m asked, “How can I grow closer to Christ?” I explain, it is a combination of things, starting with prayer, closely followed by living a life journey in which you live by Christ’s teachings. I strongly believe if one works to intentionally make the virtues a habitual part of who they are, a closer union with Christ is soon to follow.
Judy, Nora, Philip, and I all humbly invite you to join our team, not just as a client, but also as an advocate for the joy, peace, and happiness which comes from living a virtue centered life.


I cannot believe it has been five months since I have last written with an update. But then again, I guess I can believe it. I actually started this post on Easter Sunday and it has taken that long to finish. There has been a subject weighing on my mind for some time now. I feel as though I have not had the words to express it, but while celebrating Christ’s Resurrection today, I believe the Holy Spirit can help me.
I feel I need to apologize to so many people for two and a half years of having a pessimistic, complaining, and down-trodden attitude. My mother-in-law and Dane have a joke between the two of them about being “Bottom-Locker” people. Dane jokes that I came to the “Bottom Locker” when I married him (not anything against him, just his bad luck). This meaning, if things can go wrong, then they will go wrong. For example; you wait in line at the Social Security office for over two hours to see how to get your daughter’s number (because of course they will not give this information over the phone) only to be told when you get to the front that the U.S. Embassy didn’t request a card on her behalf as you had checked off in the correct box on the correct paperwork when you were in her native country over a year ago. Therefore, even though she’s been home you cannot claim it on taxes. Another example; it is pouring rain outside while you are driving in your car, it finally stops, only to then have it literally rain inside of your car because apparently there are tubes in your car that can get clogged so it will no longer keep the water from coming inside your car. Another example; you go to take a picture of your childs first snow and are only two feet from the door when you fall and break your wrist in two places and one fracture. These are just a few true stories that have happened very recently. And lastly one very costly example; you back into your husbands Jeep in your own driveway causing a few thousand dollars worth of damage. Of course there is also our two adoption stories that are filled with many bottom-locker incidents. I have let my trials and circumstances make me more bitter than joyful, more frustrated than grateful, and more sad than happy. This is where I need to beg forgiveness, most importantly to my Heavenly Father.
Do I really think I am the only person that feels they are “Bottom-Locker”? How self-centered am I? I have seen how differently much of the world lives than the majority of Americans. And yet, I still lament over my half-homeless state for the past six months. But let us truly think who in history really had a Right to feel “Bottom-Locker” and yet died on a cross for you and me. Our timeline of history is based on His birth and after His death yet the world mocks him. He was born in a manger that had at one time been filled with slop, how is that for “Bottom-Locker”. His brothers, best friends, and community betrayed Him to the cross. On the way to that cross He was beaten savagely, humiliated to the fullest, and yet He prayed for them in the garden hours before this and asked for their forgiveness while hanging on that cross and even had compassion and empathy for the thief hanging beside him. Sounds like my definition of “Bottom-Locker”. But that’s not the end of the story. Three days later this “Bottom-Locker” man named Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin and death; Matthew 20:17-19
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
This man proved that He was the Son of God not the “Bottom-Locker” man they all believed Him to be. God is starting to open my eyes to the fact that I am most certainly not the only human being that feels like they are in the “Bottom Locker” at times. But the truth of the matter is that I am not, nor have I, or will ever be since the moment I gave my life to Jesus. As a follower of Jesus I have been adopted into his kingdom and will one day be in Heaven with the one and only God who created the Universe! It tells me this in Romans 8:14-17
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
That is not the Bottom Locker! That is glorious and wonderful, and miraculous! So, are you feeling like you are having a “Bottom Locker” day, week, month, or maybe even year? We all have them. There is a season for everything and I promise you are not alone. The even better part? There is a God who cares about you and your situation and longs to have a relationship with you. Unfortunately, at times it takes us hitting rock bottom before we turn to the Lord. Don’t wait that long. As many bad situations I have been in, there have been as many miraculous moments and a sincere peace that passes all understanding. Please don’t think I am down-playing any hardship or tragedy. Your suffering is legitimate, but there is a purpose for it, and when you come to grips with that, everything changes.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So, I hope this was worth the wait. =) The Loves are finally settling into our new home and just kicked off Summer break with a hiking trip and picnic to Morrow Mountain State Park. Joyce and Faith will be starting dance next week so I will be excited to see how that goes, but not quite sure if I’m dreading Summer break or going to enjoy it. Only time will tell.


The St. Matthews Pastoral Counseling Center (SMPCC) is located on the campus of St. Matthews Baptist Church, 3515 Grandview Avenue, Louisville KY 40207. The center's offices are located at entrance D on Macon Avenue. Go up the stairs and past the church offices. We are midway down the hall on the left and directly across from the Oates Media Center.
SMPCC is an accredited CPE Center with the Association for ACPE (Level I, Level II, and Supervisory). We offer a Spring, Summer, and Fall program in a Parish and Community context. This involves nine hours on Monday and one additional hour each week for individual supervision. Participants use their ministry employment or internships for their clinical hours. Each placement signs a clinical placement agreement with SMPCC. Monday’s involve worship, two didactics, two case groups and an interpersonal relationship group with all participants. Please call 502-893-9831 with any questions.


THE EFFECTS OF THE FALL OF MAN
The Fall of Man came as a result of disobedience, Adam ate the fruit God asked him not to eat and so God banished him from the Garden of Eden where they were supposed to live eternally with Him, immediately placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22-24
THREE EFFECTS OF THE FALL OF MAN
1) Recognition of Sin by disobedience – Sin came as a result of Adam’s disobedience to God’s order where Man ate the fruit of good and evil, hence man was separated from God. Adam listened to his wife Eve when she gave him the fruit that they were asked not to eat, for Eve was deceived by the serpent, telling her that God knows when they eat of the fruit they will be like Him knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5.
2) Man lost fellowship with the Father – God always went to meet Adam in the cool evening almost every time, but when Adam and Eve’s eyes were open they noticed that they were both naked and were afraid. That fellowship was interrupted Gen 3:7 Man no longer had that relationship again for several years up until Jesus came to redeem man back to himself again.
3)Spiritual and Physical death – Man died a spiritual death when He couldn’t relate with God as usual because of separation, while the physical death was when God said you shall not eat it nor shall you touch it, lest you die Gen 3:3. This now confirms the “ You shall surely die, meaning Man’s days on earth automatically shortening and God reminding himself that if a man stays longer in the Garden of Eden He will eat of the tree of life and become like him to live forever and so He banished Man.
All the ripple effects happening to man to date were caused by Man but thank God for sending Jesus in the gap to bring Man back to fellowship again.


“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19)”
Welcome, all friends! We are glad to meet you!
Thanks for visiting our website. We hope to see you soon in our Worship Services and Small Group Fellowships.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Under God’s guidance, the Cantonese and Mandarin Bible study groups in the Greater New Orleans area joined in September 1981 through Rev. Peter Kung of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The following year in June, the New Orleans Chinese Baptist Church (NOCBC) was established. Sunday services and all other church activities were conducted at the Memorial Baptist Church in Metairie while the members were planning for a permanent church building.Read more


Conferences, Content, and more!
Insightful thoughts here that are also applicable beyond the specific context youth/young adult ministry.
Two comments. . .
1. Re. Your point "Even if a conference has no ministry content, why does that matter if people show up?" I'd add: "... and spend money, or will eventually become paying consumers in the church." So often it seems (esp in institutional Orthodoxy of an ethnically restrictive variety) that the objective behind events and so-called "ministries" (for adults as well as young adults) is fundraising and making money rather than spiritual formation, following Christ, loving our neighbour, etc. It's disorienting and disillusioning.
2. I too wanted to praise the work of OCF. I recently had the blessing of speaking at one of their regional conferences for the first time and was blown away by how focused it was on truly ministering to and spiritually challenging participants. It was also, by 'worldly' standards, just a tremendously well organized and high-quality conference. It kind of shows it doesn't totally have to he either-or. When a ministry environment is rich, well thought out, and inviting, it becomes 'fun' in its own way. Drawing closer to Christ and one another becomes something we experience as fulfilling and enjoyable.
Thanks, Steve. I had an older woman complaining to me that we don't have enough activities for the teens to do what we "used to do" - basketball tourneys and lots of Greek dancing. Yup, those were good social events, but were the kids really converted to Jesus Christ? Since they rarely come to church except on Pascha and for weddings and funerals, I sort of doubt it.
Steven, this is all a great article and a very important fact to highlight. Engagement without ministry oftentimes numbs a person's appreciation for the Church and desire for the Lord. They have checked a box as being part of the church after going to a conference or a networking night without engaging their faith at all. Then when the need arises in their life or they are convicted and feel a need for repentance and His light they look elsewhere because the "church" stuff was more of the same from the world.
You're right, Steve, and I see a similar thing more and more from pastors (fellow chaplains, mostly) who believe their greatest contribution is clinical-style counselling, rather than making the presence of Christ real in the midst of a conflicted and confusing world. And when apologetics take center stage away from sacramental theology, the results are predictable. You can't have a relationship with a theory or doctrine, but you must have a relationship with Christ. We approach Him and try to engage with the Gospel as if it were and idea, rather than a Person. This is definitely at least a western, enlightenment approach, if not specifically American. If you're weird, you aren't the only one.
I think we mustn't worry about whether or not we're weird, and fall back on the premise that "if we always do what we always did, we'll always get what we always got". Because clearly what we're getting now, in terms of young adult retention and engagement isn't what we want to get.
I agree with you about the internet! I wonder about internet ministry because the young adults I talk with are overwhelmed by the amount of information they find labelled "Orthodox". Some of it is valuable and some of it is questionable and some of it is outright heresy - and there's no good way of distilling the good from the bad. We are probably naive if we think we can get away without an internet presence today, but I struggle with the right way to start that. Person to person (or groups of persons) provides the benefit of prayer and quiet and easy discussion with some control over the message and the experience. It's hard to make this happen on the internet.
The para-church angle is very interesting! Maybe we need to step back and refocus on one individual at a time. Thinking in terms of the Group of Young Adults has maybe diluted and obfuscated the goal because the target it so big and broad. Dialing it back to one individual, then a small group, etc might help us realize the value of experiential learning, relationships, prayer and quiet time. Maybe we should be thinking in terms of the parable of the lost sheep, get good at ministering to a few and relearn what works with a few before extrapolating that to a group of ten, fifty, a hundred etc. If we can do well with one, that's a start. Because a group of young adults at a conference or event is just a collection of individuals, right?
I've run into Orthodox Christians using Jordan Peterson too. It's really discouraging when we have so many great writings from Orthodox or even other actual Christians already.
Nice article, and you’re definitely on to something. The problems (weirdness) you’re calling out are incorrect solutions applied to a set of larger more complex problems. The good new is that there most certainly *are* solutions that will work - but it will take a lot of leadership, thinking and experimenting to figure them out.
Kudos to how you very clearly and correctly call out the goal of young adult ministries, e.g. “Helping to form one faithful young adult…” or more generally stated as “forming faithful young adults.” That’s a critical, and non-trivial part of the solution space. Without that clarity, there will be no improvements.
While I think it’s ideal if you can obtain your goal by shaping your vision for ministry on someone from within the church, that is a secondary consideration. The more important one is achieving your goal while staying true to the faith. Like St. John Damascus said, “First of all I shall set forth the best contributions of the philosophers of the Greeks, because whatever there is of good has been given to men by God…” Someone like Jordan Peterson or Joe Rogan or whoever is your favorite is successful for a reason. Figure out why and use that. It’s today’s equivalent of the “best contributions of the Greeks” and if it’s good enough for St John Damascus, it should be good enough for us.
I completely agree with your viewpoints noted in this article. As a long time youth ministry volunteer and mother of 3- I often see the problem. “Kids” (is it the kids though? I myself have fallen into the FOMO trap) go through hoops to get tickets to the next “event” before it sells out and yet church on Sunday morning is not met with the same priority.
The thing is and why I keep going is that albeit “not the best approach” they do hear a message at our Goya meetings and pray that at some point in time that “distant voice” becomes top of consciousness and they come back to the church. Until a better way is figured out I keep thinking this is better than no message at all, because trust me that “time” will be filled up with some other not as fulfilling time waster.


JulianS Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 Hello, this will be our first cruise. Naturally, we are very excited. I’m sure I’ll have a ton of questions and I’m thrilled to make new friends on this trip. A potentially unusual inquiry- I want to know about prayer or Bible study on the cruise. Is this something that happens ever? I understand this may be an unusual question. Also, I’m one who enjoys a beer (or two) during Bible study. If not, could it be organized and who should I talk to? For the record, I’m simply trying to maintain a prayerful state while aboard. I understand Biblical study isn’t a choice that everyone makes and I’m certainly not here to judge anyone’s heart nor qualified/authorized to do so. The question I have for the experienced cruisers, do cruisers ever meet for prayer or Bible study? WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Argyle UMC has been actively praying and seeking how we can engage young adults in life-changing relationships with Jesus and the Church. The Denton Wesley Foundation is home to hundreds of local college students who come for study, fellowship, worship, meals, community and more. Last fall, Argyle UMC members Paul and Sue Herring boldly walked in to the Denton Wesley Foundation to ask how our church can partner with their mission and ministry. They were embraced by the students and staff and began to build relationships with service, engagement and of course, food!
A team of cooks and hosts arrive every Thursday at the Denton Wesley to prepare, cook and serve a free lunch to the students. Many students will come in to sit and eat, share about their lives, receive hugs from the volunteers and friends, and find rest and community during lunch.
The Shiloh Food Bank is open every other Friday for the students to come and receive fresh groceries and home items at no charge. Argyle UMC has helped to stock the food bank that will reach up to 200 students. Our Volunteers are present to welcome, share hugs and support, as well as offer tips on how to prepare meals with the food they have received.
As we talk about having a “Daring Faith” and living our faith “out loud,” Argyle UMC continues to respond to God’s call to engage with young adults in life-changing relationships through Denton Wesley Foundation. The students and staff have been greatly impacted by the relationships they have with our church members who volunteer to love and serve them.
Argyle UMC has an opportunity in Jan. & Feb. to donate non-perishable food and other needed items for Argyle Food Bank and Shiloh Food Bank at the Denton Wesley Foundation. You are also invited to serve at the Shiloh Food Bank, reaching 200 students every other Friday from 1-3 pm. Contact Sue Herring 214-277-9548 or firstname.lastname@example.org to volunteer.


The story behind Veil of Veronica is based on what is believed to be a religious fact. A number of artists have painted their version of the miracle. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3. Suffering is not generally considered an inspirational topic, but Christâs suffering has to be the most inspiring act in the history of humanity. And he hasâ¦ The cloth is also known by Roman Catholics as the âsudariumâ, âvolto santoâ, or âvernicleâ. El Greco Museo de Santa Cruz, Castilla-La Mancha Spain. The Veil of Veronica "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." Nov 9, 2019 - Explore Mina erfn's board "Veil of veronica" on Pinterest. Veronica kept this veil until her death, and hung it at the head of her bed; it was then given to the Blessed Virgin, who left it to the Apostles and they afterwards passed it on to the Church. On the traditonal Roman calender, July 12 is the feast day of St. Veronica.. There are six known copies in the world, and there is one kept in St. Peter's basilica which is allegedly the same one from the Medieval period. See more ideas about veil of veronica, st veronica, jesus face. The Veil of Veronica Foundation for the Elderly, Inc. envisions a life where hope is restored and burdens lifted by filling in the gaps and inspiring change. The above veil of veronica 1618-1622 Oil on panel (on the left), was painted by Roman artist, Domenico Fetti. A ZENIT DAILY DISPATCH. Almost four centuries after its mysterious disappearance, German Jesuit Fr. Suffering is not generally considered an inspirational topic, but Christâs suffering has to be the most inspiring act in the history of humanity. Veil of Veronica ï»¿ Veronica was moved with pity when she saw Jesus carrying his cross to Golgotha and gave him her veil that he might wipe his forehead Jesus accepted the offering, held it to his face, and then handed it back to herâthe image of his face miraculously impressed upon it. The Veil of Veronica. Then the image of Jesus's face appeared on it. The Relic of Veronicaâs Veil was exposed for public veneration. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3. Detail of the Twelve Apostles Altarpiece (1466) by German painter Friedrich Herlin in Saint James' Church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. The Veronica has been stolen and passed around in taverns from person to person without a word of protestâââ¦ (To be continued in âFour Stories â One Face, Pt. The Veil of Veronica "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." 4) The reliquary frame which formerly held the Veronica Veil on display in the Vatican Museum. Historical records show that the veil was in Rome from at least the fourth century. Burfield, Brian // Treasure Hunting; Oct2015, p80 . Pope Benedict XVI looks at the âVeronicaâs Veilâ during a visit to the Saint Veil monastery in Manoppello, central Italy, September 1, 2006. In France, Veronica was reportedly married to the convert Zaccheus the tax collector (Luke 19:1â10). VERONICA'S VEIL. There is no reference to the story of St Veronica and her veil in the canonical Gospels. The Veronica Veil is often confused with the Sudarium Christi. The towel which tradition says was used to wipe the face of Christ on the way to Calvary and His death is one of the major relics preserved at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The Veil of Veronica has since been kept from the public and rarely has been seen since. Badde tells of skeptical professors who become enthusiastic campaigners for the Veilâs authenticity, of the links between the Veil â¦ The face is identical to the face as seen in the Shroud of Turin, several books have been written about my discovery including my own called The Veronica Veil Code available online in a paperback 132 pages. According to Roman Catholicism, Saint Veronica encountered Jesus in Jerusalem on the way to Calvary. The Veil of Veronica, Domenico Fetti On the road to Calvary, tradition says St. Veronica â¦ Veil of Veronica. Difficult choices. The Sudarium, on the other hand, is the Face Cloth wrapped around His head from His death on the ROME, 3 JUN 1999 (ZENIT). Francisco de Zurbarán Nationalmuseum Stockholm, Sweden. The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face, is a Roman Catholic relic, which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus that was imprinted on it prior to Jesus' crucifixion. Domenico Fetti National Gallery of Art Washington, DC, USA. The Veronica was thought to be a legend but I have now provan it to be a fact. St. Veronica In St. Veronica â¦is commonly known as the Veil of Veronica, or simply Veronica, and there are several existing images that are each purported to be the original relic or an early copy of it. The Veil of Veronica, or Sudarium (Latin for sweat-cloth), often called simply "The Veronica" and known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face (but not to be confused with the carved crucifix Volto Santo of Lucca), is a Christian relic of a piece of cloth which, according to tradition, bears the likeness of the face of Jesus not made by human hand (i.e. 4. Deeply moved by His suffering, looking into His face pouring with sweat and blood, she wiped it with her veil â and found His portrait imprinted on the cloth when He returned it to her. Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644) not only prohibited reproductions of Veronicaâs veil but also ordered all existing copies to be destroyed. A short time later, records show that a cloth thought to be Veronicaâs Veil was given to the monks at a monastery in Manoppello, a small town about 150 miles from Rome, where it has resided until now. Later tradition held that Christ gave the healed Veronica a miraculous cloth, which was allegedly used to cure the emperor Tiberius of leprosy, and the cloth was eventually understood as being the Veil of Veronica. Upon it the face of Jesus was miraculously imprinted. The original Veil showed the eyes open since Jesus was alive at the time Veronica wiped His face. Veronicaâs veil is known as one of the most valued Christian relics. PRIEST REDISCOVERS "VEIL OF VERONICA" Relic Stolen from Vatican in 17th Century. Veil of Veronica. Citations with the tag: VEIL of Veronica Results 1 - 10. However, the Veronica Veil is an imaged cloth that allegedly touched Jesus during His walk to Golgotha while He was still alive. 78 relations. For a person contemplating conversion to the Catholic faith, there are choices to be made. (The 14th century reliquary frame, built to display the miraculous veil. Heinrich Pfeiffer reports that he has rediscovered the legendary veil of Veronica, with which Jesus wiped his face on the road to Calvary. Miracles and Vernicles. According to ancient tradition, Veronica was from Jerusalem and was one of the pious women who encountered Christ on the Via Dolorosa to Mount Calvary. However, the Vatican maintains that it still holds the original veil. The Veil of Veronica, or Sudarium (Latin for sweat-cloth), often called simply "The Veronica" and known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face (but not to be confused with the carved crucifix Volto Santo of Lucca), is a Catholic relic of a piece of cloth which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the face of Jesus not made by human hand (i.e. Michael Rennier. Saint Veronica, also known as Berenike, was a woman from Jerusalem who lived in the 1st century AD, according to extra-biblical Christian sacred tradition. Jump to navigation Jump to search. In this 1955 photo of a reenactment, a child holds Veronicaâs Veil, which reveals Christâs image that was imprinted on the cloth when a woman kindly wiped Jesusâ face before His crucifixion. To view it's likeness click on the banner. Seraphis and John the Baptist were cousins, her father and Zacharias being brothers. an Acheiropoieton). an acheiropoieton). If true, then it is possible this is the original relic. She is known as the woman who wiped Jesus's face with her veil. Paintings . Many believe the similarities between the veil and the Turin Shroud occur because the veil was a deliberate copy of the larger cloth. Mission. Veronica was the lady who had wiped the sweat and blood of Jesus with her veil and he had miraculously imprinted his facial image on the fabric. The book asks if the Veil is the same cloth as that used by Veronica, the woman depicted in the Sixth Station of the Cross wiping the face of Christ. Getty Images. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. The Veil of Veronica Foundation for the Elderly, Inc. envisions a life where hope is restored and burdens lifted by filling in the gaps and inspiring change.


From July 3, 2020
THEMATIC EXHIBITION AT SUȚU PALACE
MEDIEVAL BUCHAREST OF THE MAVROCORDAT FAMILY
The Bucharest Municipality Museum invites the public to discover a new thematic exhibition at Suțu Palace (2 Ion C. Brătianu Blvd) – „Medieval Bucharest of the Mavrocordat family” ‒ which opens on Friday, July 3, 2020, 11:00.
“The age of the Phanariot rulers, blamed by historians especially for the oppressing of the lower classes, entered the national consciousness as a dark age in the country’s past. This happened without taking into account the cultural and artistic benefits brought by the former Greek translators (dragomani) of the Sublime Gate who became temporary princes (bey) in the Romanian Lands: building churches or repairing pre-existing ones, building hospitals, bringing of teachers and the organization of higher education, the encouragement of chronicles and translations from foreign languages (especially French), the printing of fiction books in Romanian, the inauguration of Romanian theater performances, in a word, the intellectual emancipation of the Principalities. The Phanariot boyars, who came to the Principalities following the chariots with the baggage of the Phanariot prince, amazed by the luxury of the earthly boyars and eager to maintain the rank given to them by the prince, want to compete and surpass even the earthly boyars. Byzantium had collapsed for almost 300 years, but these princes, Orthodox Christians, considered themselves the heirs of the basileis and, according to the powers, wealth and education of each family, continued the traditions of aulic splendor adopted at the court of Palaeologus and Comnenus.
A city of faith, adorned with countless churches that amaze visitors, but also a city of worldly delights, Bucharest of the Phanariot rulers (humble slaves of the sultan in Istanbul, but omnipotent sovereigns in Wallachia) becomes a light of Christianity in the Ottoman Empire. The city of Bucur appears to foreign travelers as a city of churches and monasteries whose presence greets them at every step, offering a varied picture and a captivating view that aroused the imagination, looking like a Persian city with its towers, domes and minarets that rose above gardens, according to Sir Robert Ker Porter. Like many other travelers in these lands at the Gates of the Orient, he said that the churches are so many in Bucharest „that it is said that they would be more than the days of a year.”
Bucharest, the undisputed capital of Wallachia in the Phanariot era, devastated by wars and periodic calamities, manages to regenerate several times from its own ashes, acquiring an eclectic and cosmopolitan aspect, both Eastern and Western. The Christian faith continues, in the Phanariot age, to be one of the most important landmarks of Bucharest, regardless of the social environment. The founders of Bucharest churches belong to all social classes, they were even craftsmen and merchants, clergymen, but also gentlemen. Despite their growing financial obligations to the High Gate and the relatively short duration of their reign, many of the early Phanariots wanted to link their name to at least one foundation. The first Phanariot prince in Wallachia, Nicolae Mavrocordat (1716, 1719-1730) built at Văcărești the largest monastic ensemble that Wallachia has ever known. He also rebuilt the Chapel of the Metropolitan Church of Bucharest, while his son, Constantin Mavrocordat (1730, 1731-1733, 1735-1741, 1744-1748, 1756-1758, 1761-1763) built the Old St. Spiridon Monastery in 1747, repaired and expanded the Church of the Annunciation at the Royal Court.
The tradition of building a princely house in the great monastic complexes was also continued by Nicolae Mavrocordat at Văcărești. In addition to these house, Nicolae Mavrocordat will soon build another residence, on a plot of land belonging to the Radu Vodă Monastery, to offer him moments of peace in the middle of an inviting natural setting. This will be called ”The Summerhouse” (”Casa de la Foișor”). As the prince has not endowed the princely house with a chapel, as was customary, his lady, Smaranda (Smaragda) will build a church in 1745, the „Church near the Summerhouse” („Biserica de lângă Casa de Priveală”), which retained the name Foișor Church.
The Bucharest Municipality Museum is the keeper of the vestiges from the Văcărești Monastery, which had the terrible fate of being demolished in December 1984. Frescoes from the whole monument honor with their presence the exhibition halls of the Suțu Palace, a place where the story of Bucharest during the reign of the Văcărești monastic ensemble founder may be completed.
Lithographs with places of worship erected in Bucharest in the first half of the 18th century recompose the city image of churches and monasteries. The exhibition realized around the frescoes from Văcărești revives convincingly the image of the Capital in a fascinating epoch which prepared the transition to the Romanian modernity.
We can also imagine the urban space where the clothes, the luxury, but also the color were displayed, through this short incursion in the space between the royal walls. Icons and objects of worship, 18th century coins, pieces of medieval archeology, period clothing and accessories, engravings, documents, lithographs, decorative art objects, all coming from the collections of the Bucharest Municipality Museum, offer us, in an exhibition design situated in the hall with frescoes from the Suțu Palace, an image of the Wallachian-Phanariot Bucharest during the reign of the Văcărești Monastery founder, Nicolae Mavrocordat, an image of the Christian life, with elements from everyday life.”
Dr Maria-Camelia Ene


Our Mission serves Christ by building relationships with the people of Grand Bahama, through construction efforts, service projects, and Christian education.
Mission Team Experiences
Each year GBI takes mission teams from the states to experience serving Jesus in the Bahamas.
It is hard to make a big impact on the Bahamas in just one week. Instead let the week change you! In one week the people of the Islands have a way of finding their way into your heart forever. Mission teams vary in their activity based on the makeup of the team and the needs the partnering churches identify. Some teams work with the kids on the Island, teaching them about Jesus. Some teams work on repairing roofs and serving in various construction projects.
Feeding the Islands
Each year GBI seeks to find practical ways to serve the people of the Bahamas.
GBI serves the islands is by bringing food to help stock food banks within our partnering churches. Food Banks give the people of the Islands access to food when they need it the most. We also work with a local trade school ministry that seeks to train men and women in various trades. We seek to find solutions that solve systemic problems within Bahamian society.
“ As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17


Is the Church Prioritizing Evangelism?
The Size of the Church Near Me Huntsville AL
Searching for A Church That Is Right For You When trying to find a church residence, you need to recognize what your goals and also top priorities are. More details about Churches Near Me. It is additionally essential to have an understanding of what a biblical church is and how they work. This is not a simple job, yet there are some pointers that can assist you discover a church that will certainly be the excellent suitable for you as well as your household. The best Local Churches Near Me. Search for a Biblically Audio Preaching Ministry. The most crucial element to seek is if the pastor’s preaching and teachings associate scriptural fact and the doctrine of the Church Near Me Huntsville AL. You can check this by reading the Church’s Declaration of Belief or doctrinal statement and afterwards listening to the priest speak. Does he use Scripture as his source or is he simply extending his own suggestions? A church that preaches expository lectures will certainly promote spiritual health in their members. Click here if your looking for Church Near Me Madison AL. A healthy Church Near Me Huntsville AL is comprised of followers from all walks of life as well as every background and religion. We need to be willing to reach out and also embrace those that are various than us, particularly when they are following Jesus. Churches Near Me are not just 4 wall surfaces as well as a roof; they are people who belong to God’s Kingdom and family members. The best Local Churches Near Me. This suggests that we must be open to checking out churches where the priest and also people could not speak your language, put on the exact same clothing, believe similarly or elect the very same political event as you do. Click here if your looking for Church Near Me Madison AL. Some people choose the heat and also quaintness of a tiny nation church while others are brought in to the splendour of a large metropolitan ministry. Whether you choose a smaller sized or bigger church, it is necessary to seek the Lord’s assistance in choosing one that will certainly be your house. Click here if your looking for Church Near Me Madison AL. Songs is frequently a vital element of church for many people. Anne Marie Rodgers and also her husband were looking for a church with a great music program when they transferred to a brand-new community. They ended up discovering a United Methodist Church Near Me Huntsville AL that had an extensive music as well as movie theater program. Some like the cozy and enchanting feeling of a small, historic church while others choose the exhilaration of a big, urban ministry. The best Local Churches Near Me. Whatever your choice, it is essential to go to a church face to face and identify how comfortable you will certainly be with the dimension of the church neighborhood. Click here if your looking for Church Near Me Madison AL. Choosing the best church for you can be an interesting and also satisfying experience. More details about Churches Near Me. It is essential to adhere to the Lord’s support in choosing a place to praise that is really your house and that will certainly supply you with the fellowship, assistance as well as spiritual development you need. The best Local Churches Near Me. If you take the time to take into consideration these ideas, you ought to have the ability to find a church in your area that fits you and your family members’s demands. It may take some experimentation, however it should not be a long as well as unpleasant procedure. Good luck!
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The Bruna and Anthony Ciccotto Award is given to TWO Graduating High School Seniors each year that will be pursuing a college education. There will be Two – $500.00 Awards and up to Three $100 Honorable Mention Awards given. Charitable service to our parish and community and devotion to family united by our faith is what we the Knights are about. We wish to recognize two young adults that have already shown this commitment to charitable service that the Knights of Columbus represent. Applicants must be a high school senior graduating this school year, and be a parishioner of St. Frances de Chantal Parish. They must attend Wantagh High School, MacArthur High School, one of the Diocese of Rockville Centre Catholic High Schools, or a parishioner that is “Home Schooled”.