|
The Open Door
VOL. 34 NO. 5 Marc Sherrod, Minister May, 2006 
E-Mail & On-Line Newsletter
I have a list of miscellaneous bits of information to pass along . . . Join me in giving thanks for the recent and rich series of Holy Week, Easter, and Youth Sunday services. The joint re-creation, with our friends at Kingston United Methodist, of reflections from the disciples at the Last Supper and, then, our Tenebrae service at Bethel on Good Friday, were solemn reminders of the faith we share. The Easter community sunrise service was memorable for many, and, as always, our Easter worship numbers swelled at the 11 am service. Thanks to Greg Murr and our young people for an inspiring, joyous service last Sunday and their plans for the annual Youth Auction on April 30. . . . A few weeks ago, I received an urgent phone call from Samuel Wambugu concerning the Grace School in Kenya. As you may know, the famine in that part of Africa has been quite severe, and with food supplies and money running low, Samuel asked if we could help with a substantial financial contribution beyond what we have given through budgeted and designated giving. Members of the Mission Outreach Committee responded by collecting, among ourselves, money to address the immediate need to purchase food to feed the children of that school. Samuel recently contacted me and expressed his and the school’s deep gratitude for this additional gesture of generosity. . . . Courtesy of the Design and Development Committee for our building program, the multi-colored tapes gracing the church lawn have helped us all to visualize the layout of the new building, including the location of additions, old sanctuary, doors, and kitchen. The committee is currently trying to finalize the conceptual design, which is the information Foxhollow-Goodsen will need to move towards giving us a dollar figure to accomplish our building desires. It is absolutely critical that we get our plans accurate now, because if we make changes later, that will only add to the final cost. The committee hopes to wrap up this phase of its work at the end of May, so the clock is running if you have comments or suggestions. I remind you that the current drawings are on display in the fellowship hall. The committee prefers comments in writing, which you can either give to a committee member or drop off at the church office. On Fellowship Sunday, May 14, members of the committee will be in the fellowship hall during Sunday School and the fellowship time to answer any questions you might have. Standing committees of the church have been encouraged to invite members of Design and Development to attend their May committee meetings in order to get feedback. . . . Finally, I’ve been thinking about a process that I have been using in session meetings which is a lectio continua (continuous reading) from our Book of Order. Over the last several years, we have reviewed the chapters that comprise our “Form of Government” and are now working our way through the “Directory for Worship.” In the “Directory for Worship,” one of the responsibilities incumbent upon the minister of a particular church is to “preach the whole counsel of God,” which means, as I understand it, to avoid preaching only familiar texts or those that would seem to agree with his or her usual interpretation of scripture. Since I also believe that the interpretation of scripture is best done as a communal enterprise, I’d like to invite you to suggest to me biblical texts that have engaged your faith in a particularly dynamic fashion and that you think bear further reflection from the pulpit. As I receive these suggestions, I’d like to designate several Sundays this summer to exegete and interpret them homiletically. Write down your suggestion and why you think it is a good one for the pulpit and get it to me. I look forward to hearing from you!
Happy May to you! As I was in the Knox County Health Department yesterday to finish off my second Hepatitis A (preventative) vaccine; I found some new information on vaccinations. As you may remember, last year Hurricane Katrina blasted the Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi areas. In October, Bethel sent four from our congregation to Bayou la Batre, Alabama on a medical mission. Before I went on this trip I visited the health department and looked at the vaccinations that might help me as I went down into the “bayou” country. Being a health care worker for more than twenty years, I had already had the set of three Hepatitis B shots. The health department required that I have a tetanus shot before I went and suggested the set of two Hepatitis A vaccinations. So, I had my initial Hepatitis A shot along with my tetanus toxoid. The health department stated I needed to wait at least six months before having my second (and last) Hepatitis A shot. As of August 2005, it is recommended by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, that everyone ages 1 and up get the pair of Hepatitis A injections. You might ask, “What causes Hepatitis A?” Hepatitis A is found in the stool of persons infected with this disease. It is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing Hepatitis A. In 2003, a man from Rockwood ate green onions off a salad bar at an O’Charley’s Restaurant in Knoxville. Those green onions were imported from another country and had been contaminated by the Hepatitis A virus (by irrigating with sewage water). As a result of this infection, he died. When we buy food, we often don’t know its point of origin. Hepatitis A can be prevented by having two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine six months apart. And, yes, Hepatitis A vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Some persons should not get the Hepatitis A vaccine. Those who are allergic to Alum and 2-phenoxyethanol (both are present in the vaccine) or are moderately or severely ill at the time of the injection or are pregnant should not be vaccinated. As with any other vaccination, one should wait in the health department or doctor’s waiting room for at least 20 minutes to see if they are going to have an allergic reaction. To your health ...
... none reported this month ... MOTHER/DAUGHTER LUNCHEON, MAY 13, 2006. Our Mother/Daughter Luncheon will be on Saturday, May 13th, noon, at Ivan's in Rockwood. Let's prepare for another wonderful time of fun, food and fellowship. Ivan usually has 3 or 4 "specials" we can chose from or we can chose from the menu. We will leave the tip on the table and pay for the food as we go out. Please make your reservations as soon as possible, but not later than Monday, May 8th. A sign-up sheet is with Alicia in the church office. New Web Photo Center Ready for Your Photos Bethel’s web site has a new Photo Center and it is ready for YOUR Bethel-related photos. Whereas you used to have to send your pictures to our web master in order to get them on the web site, the new Photo Center allows you to upload your own photos and have them automatically placed on the site for everyone to see. Uploading is easy, and all you need to get started is a Photo Center user account. To get an account, all that’s required is that you be a member of Bethel and that your or your family’s e-mail address be on file with the church office. If you meet those two criteria, then just contact Marianne Shadden, our web site editor, at editor00@bethelpcusa.org. Give her your full name, the e-mail address that is registered with the church office, and what you want your User ID to be (this is a 3 – 8 character sequence that will identify you to the Photo Center); if you have no User ID preference, then Marianne will choose one for you. Once your Photo Center account is established, you will receive a welcoming e-mail message with all your access information, including the web link for uploading your pictures (be sure to set your spam blocker, if you are using one, to accept e-mail from editor00@bethelpcusa.org). Then all you need to do is go to the link that you received and follow the instructions. Please note that the Photo Center is only for pictures that relate to Bethel. What does that mean? Well, a photo of that zucchini that you grew last summer, which resembled the profile of a duck, wouldn’t be appropriate for the web site (unless, perhaps, it showed the veggie baked and served at the Fun Lunch!). However, your pictures of Bethel youth at the Youth Summit, of activities at the Loaves and Fishes conference, of the Mother/Daughter Luncheon, of the annual church picnic, or of any other Bethel event—all those would absolutely be right for the site. We look forward to seeing your photographic work on the web site! Super Saturday Series The next session of our Super Saturday lecture/discussion series will be May 6 at 10 AM. Our topic will be Katrina Relief missions of Presbytery of East Tennessee. Rev. Fritz Schilling, Coordinator for the Katrina Relief efforts will be informing us about the activities and missions of the Presbytery of East Tennessee. Rev Schilling will give an overview of past and future missions in the disaster stricken area. Participants of previous work trips are encouraged to attend and to share their experiences. Refreshments will be provided. Mission Trip As this newsletter goes to press, plans are still being finalized for our inter-generational mission trip. Tentatively, the trip is scheduled for the week of June 4-10. We hope to return to Bayou le Batre in Alabama, to continue our work with cleanup efforts in the wake of hurricane Katrina. As they say on TV, stay tuned!This ‘n That... Due to vacation schedules, the Open Door is being printed a little early this month, and that means that some news articles didn’t get in on time. Please watch upcoming Sunday Bulletins for news on youth activities, plans for summer Sunday School, graduation announcements, and so forth. Prison Ministry Thanks so much to all the youth, and their leaders, who pitched in and dyed 15 dozen hard-boiled eggs on Palm Sunday afternoon. The eggs were taken to the regional prison and used for an Easter Egg Hunt for the children who come to visit their fathers at Easter time. Book Discussion Group The book discussion group meets on the last Thursday of each month at 1:30 in the church lounge for an informal discussion of our book of the month. Anyone who loves to read and likes to talk is welcome! The book for May is Saint Dale by Sharyn McCrumb. STEWARDSHIP & FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
Mission and Outreach News from Kenya Our friends at Grace School in Limuru, Kenya, have just sent the latest electronic version of their quarterly newsletter. It’s full of news and color photographs – check it out at http://graceministries-limuru.org/news update.html Environmental Stewardship It is not too early to start thinking about bringing jars and lids to the church for RCCM. RCCM provides seeds to many people in this area who want to plant a garden. When the produce comes in, jars and lids are needed for processing. The jars that some spaghetti sauces come in are perfect for canning. They just need new lids. Any other clean canning (Mason, Ball) jars are acceptable. Make sure there are no broken areas or chips. If you wish to purchase new jars and lids, any of the grocery stores carry them as well as the discount stores such as Dollar General. The rings can be reused many times as long as they are not rusted or bent. New lids are required for each new processing. Reminder: Keep saving all size cans with labels attached for the Christmas project, and also keep saving Campbell soup labels for Sunset Gap. ... none reported this month ... ... none reported this month ... Yoga in Kingston What do you think when someone mentions a yoga class? Twisted pretzel poses suitable for gymnasts? Eastern religion? Strict diets and herbal supplements? Crystal healing? If you answered, “None of the above”, congratulations! You might want to try a yoga class at the Kingston Community Center where “None of the above” will be practiced. And the first class is free! Every Tuesday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. a diverse group of Roane Countians meets for yoga class in Room D. Attendees are all levels of age, from high school to retired; and all levels of fitness, from couch potato to athlete. The group practices deep breathing, relaxation, and basic yoga positions to promote strength and flexibility. The instructor, Marie Rorvik, has been teaching yoga at Roane State in Harriman for the past 24 years. Her style is relaxed and humorous. She specializes in introducing newcomers to the fundamentals of yoga practice, especially deep breathing and inner awareness. “Yoga increases your awareness of what is happening inside your body – physically and emotionally,” Marie said. “Practicing yoga even once a week will extend your control over the internal effects of stress, so that you can make changes before stress can create illness.” Yoga is offered quarterly for ten weeks at $10 per class. You will receive a class calendar, and you pay for as many classes as you want to attend. If you miss a class or two, Marie will credit what you miss to the next quarter. Full-time students may attend for half-price. If you would like to try a class for free, wear loose comfortable clothing, bring a yoga mat or a heavy blanket for the floor, and come to the Kingston Community Center on a Tuesday evening. Everyone is welcome to attend. Bethel folks, Thank you so much for your generous contribution of Food City receipts to Roane County Schools this school year. They have been collected and donated to the schools. While collection is over for this school year, we hope the program will continue for the 2006-07 School Year when you will be once again asked to donate these receipts for technology purchases. Thanks. Mary B. Hines We have a request from an elderly couple, Lelia and William Day. Their ages are 84 and 89; they need assistance with shopping. We referred them to Mid-East but I was just wondering if your church has volunteers that could assist this couple. If so, their number is 376-9228. Jeff Winsbro visited with us during worship on Youth Sunday and passed along his deep appreciation for Bethel's support when he was deployed in Afghanistan. He also expressed thanksgiving for the life and witness of his grandmother Ella Winsbro. Caleb Sherrod passes along a big thank you for the many Bethel folks who came out to the Common Ground Restaurant for Jazz Night. He invites any jazz fans to come to the Stir Fry Restaurant at Turkey Creek for jazz on Saturday, May 13, 8:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. ... nothing to ponder this month ...
Bethel Family Prayer Calendar - May, 2006  The members and regularly attending friends of Bethel are assigned to elder care groups. Each month in the newsletter for your prayers, we publish the list of one or more elder care groups. The elder’s name and phone at the top of the list are listed as a reminder of their role in nurturing and supporting those who belong to Bethel. You should feel free to contact your elder or the pastor if you have a particular spiritual need or other matter that needs to be brought to our attention. (*Non-member ^Shut-in +Inactive)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denise Martin