03
Jul 2020
Dear ones, I pray that you are all staying well and avoiding high risk places and activities as we move into our fifth month of this new, crazy life I’ve begun calling “Covid-Chaos 2020.” For many (if not most) of us this has added a layer of stress to our already complex lives. We know that intermittent stress can be good for us (that’s another article) but when it becomes chronic it can affect all aspects of our health. So please remember to do the things that keep you grounded in life......
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26
Jun 2020
Hello again! This past week, we had an OWLs Zoom meeting on good neighbor practices in COVID-19 and racism. Wonderful discussion and shared stories resulted. Pastor Susan and I attended a webinar this week from the Southeastern Synod on Senior Care in the midst of COVID-19. I will be sending the recording out to the OWLS members in the Parish Nurse News this week. The webinar featured speakers from the CDC, a counselor who specializes in gerontology, and a parish/faith community nurse. I continue to monitor and track COVID-19 across our county,......
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16
Jun 2020
COME CELEBRATE WITH US! Please join us in a unique, virtual celebration of our refugee communities in East Tennessee—World Refugee Day: Together at Home. You will have the chance to experience the local diversity and contributions refugees make in a unique way—via live online broadcast. There will be client stories, language lessons, fashion and music. Learn to make Ajiaco from Columbia and Mandazi Congo-style, grab a pot or a bucket for an East African drum lesson, try a DIY henna tattoo. There will be music, gardening, community shout-outs to our refugee friends—and, of......
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09
Jun 2020
THURSDAY, June 18 OWLS June 18, 2020 at 12 Noon Please join us for the OWLS Zoom Meeting!! We will catch up with each other to start the meeting and then discuss good neighbor practices with COVID-19 and racism. We would like to offer meals for this time. Please RSVP to Mary Sophia by Thursday, June 11, for more information or to register your intent to attend and receive meal. Further instructions will be sent in response to your RSVP. Step by Step Instructions for ZOOM 1) On you computer, tablet or phone, Click on the......
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14
Apr 2019
Caring for Our Neighbors in Need This class will run for three weeks beginning Sunday, April 28. Members of Messiah’s Benevolence Team (Gloria Frye and Kristin Kennedy) will lead the sessions with guest speakers from Compassion Coalition and Knoxville Police Department. WEEK 1–April 28. Carolyn Hansen of Compassion Coalition will be with us to share her wealth of knowledge and experience from her years working at Compassion Coalition. She will bring thoughts and perspective on how to respond to and help those less fortunate in our community. She will give us an......
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01
Feb 2019
The OWLs (Older Wiser Lutherans) Ministry is tailored to individuals over the age of 55, especially those of retirement age and older. This ministry is made possible by a generous endowment fund established by Kathleen and Merton Badenhop. Messiah has used these funds to hire Mary Sophia Hawks, BSN, RN, FCN, as Parish Nurse and provide her with tools to care for our elders. The fund also allows us to provide her with administrative support. We have used the funds to provide the monthly OWLs luncheon, which also features a speaker, health......
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31
Jan 2019
By Beth Ford It is that time of year again. Did we not just finish 2017? How did 2018 pass so quickly? It is a logical time to consider all the gifts that we were given in 2018 and how we shared those gifts. It is, also, the time to think about how we can better serve God in 2019. In 2018, our Messiah family grew. When it could have been a temptation to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves, no one gave in to that as a possibility. We became......
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31
Jan 2019
I recently had a medical checkup, (turned out OK), that included a memory check. I sometimes forget where I parked my car when I visit the mall or the hospital so I, (and some of my friends), thought it would be a good idea to see if I was losing my mind. After answering about an hour’s worth of questions, the doctor came to the conclusion that my memory was fine, I just didn’t pay attention! (Something my wife has been saying for years.) Still, as my wife pointed out, it could......
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31
Jan 2019
Brothers at Messiah (BAM) together with Great Schools Partnership is offering our members and friends the opportunity to join Leaders for Readers! Leaders for Readers volunteers are committed to helping 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students practice and grow in their reading. Volunteers pick a 1-hour schedule and stick with it consistently each week for the entire semester or, ideally, the whole school year. In that one hour, volunteers will work with up to three students individually for about 15 minutes each and note their progress. You can learn more about Great......
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12
Aug 2018
By: Beth Ford, 2018 Council President Sometimes I wait late in the year before I do what many people do at the first of the year when it is resolution time. I just do not always have time to spend in self examination in the middle of the holidays, the end of the semester, regular work, and the general busyness of December and January. This year that self reflection did not happen until June. Better late than never. During my week at the beach without the company of grandchildren, I did a......
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