Prayers in the wake of Hurricane Sandy; help with Episcopal Relief and Development

The morning after Hurricane Sandy in Central Virginia, photo from my front porch:

 "By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us 

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace."  -- Luke 1:78-29

Pray for those who have died, are left homeless, who mourn, who are without power or clean water, here in the U.S. and in the Caribbean:

You can help by donating today to Episcopal Relief and Development by clicking HERE.

The Monday Funnies -- Hurricane Sandy Edition

We haven't had the Monday Funnies in awhile -- my apologies! What better day to laugh than when a hurricane is bearing down on us.

Hope you are hunkered down, safe and dry. Here are some groaners at the expense of organized religion from Pat Hill in the overpaid, overstaffed deadbeat Jokester Department of Fiat Lux, and a new cartoon from Dave Walker showing an aerial view of the St. Paul's Memorial Church parish hall.

Enjoy your Monday as best you can!

+ + +

One Sunday the Pastor announced, "Now, before we pass the collection plate, I would like to request that the person who stole the chickens from Brother Martin's hen house please refrain from giving any money to the Lord. The Lord doesn't want money from a thief!"

The collection plate was passed around, and for the first time in months everybody gave.

* * * 

Little Johnny was in church when the wine and wafers were passed out. His mother leaned over and told him that he was not old enough to partake in the Communion.

When the offering plate was passed around she leaned over once again to tell him to drop his money in, but Little Johhny held his dollar firmly in his hand, loudly stating, "If I can't eat, I won't pay!"

* * * 

A young minister and Mr. Smith, an elderly parishioner, were playing golf. The minister's game was off and the old man was beating him rather soundly.

At the end of the game, the Mr. Smith tried to console his minister by saying, "don't worry, Reverend. One of these days you'll be burying me."

"Yes," sighed the minister, "but even then, it will be your hole!"

* * * 

We were painting the church steeple grey, 

When the wind blew our brushes away. 

We said to the pastor, "We've had a disaster!" 

He calmly replied, "Let us spray."

The power of words

My friend Mildred sent this to me. It is worth a couple of minutes of your time:

UVA TODAY: Women’s Economic Empowerment Groups Change Life in Rural Kenya

• 
• 

OCTOBER 10, 2012

In Kenya’s Kitui District, home to a million people, Janet Mumo is the only woman ever known to ride a motorcycle. She must, she said, to reach her rural constituents.

Mumo will visit the University of Virginia on Oct. 18 to give a talk on "Transforming Lives: Community-Based Development in Kenya" in Minor Hall’s auditorium. A reception will follow. The event, which begins at 5 p.m., is hosted by the U.Va. Women's Center.

She is the founder and director of the Kitui Development Center in southeastern Kenya. Its mission is to build leadership in village women, who then improve the quality of life for those suffering from severe drought, famine and other effects of poverty. In just one Kitui program, Mumo works with 1,753 women who feed 7,400 children.

Their strategy: Women pool their small resources to buy seeds, goats and chickens; start small businesses; and use their aggregate income to provide school fees, schools, medicine, clean water and more for their children and their communities.

One past project involved helping women get started in planting and harvesting sunflowers, along with beekeeping. The sunflowers provide bees with nectar, and they produce more honey. The sunflowers also provide edible oil to the community, and the sunflower seedcake is used as animal feed.

To respond to the many children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, the center strengthens the agricultural self-sufficiency of rural village families, who feed scores of orphans and care for them in their homes. Mumo’s center does not provide money, but teaches a wide variety of skills to rural Kenyan women, who then work in small groups to transform lives. Other projects focus on water, health and positive youth development. The women are especially determined that their female children, as well as their young boys, are allowed to go to school – a privilege most of them were denied, said Sharon Davie, who directs the Women’s Center and is writing about women’s programs in Kenya.

Full of energy, with an unflagging sense of humor and a deep belief in human potential, Mumo – the only woman on the Kitui Town Council – has been recognized in Kenya and internationally for her strategic approach to community-based development.

Her visit is co-sponsored by the Women, Gender and Sexuality program in the College of Arts & Sciences, the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies and the African Development Project at St. Paul’s Memorial Church.

The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP should be sent by Oct. 15 to Bri Goode atwcevents@eservices.virginia.edu.

Walk and Be Well

I am signing up for this, and hope you will too. And it's free! Brought to you by The Episcopal Church's Credo program . . .

Introducing a new Walking Program from CREDO

Jesus spent much of his ministry walking. From town to town across Galilee, Samaria and Judea, he walked and talked, in the company of his disciples, his followers and God.

CREDO's Walk and Be Well offers a way to follow Jesus both in words and action, with a walking program attuned to both body and soul. For four weeks beginning October 1, CREDO will provide daily Walk and Be Well reflections in both text and audio that can motivate, encourage and educate you on the benefits of walking and help you commit to 28 days devoted to better wellness. You'll begin your daily walk with a reflection from one of three CREDO writers and faculty members: Jackie Cameron, Elizabeth Moosbrugger and Bill Watson. Each writer starts and finishes his or her reflection with the same scriptural anchors, but along the way approaches walking from a unique perspective. The entire series weaves together a broad and holistic look at health and wellness.

Reflections can be downloaded as podcasts, streamed from the CREDO website and printed as PDFs; use them while walking solely or share them with your walking partner or group. And if you would like to receive your daily reflection by email, just sign up below and we will send it to you in the early morning.

Walk and Be Well begins on September 30, with an introduction from Jackie Cameron. October 1 begins the walking days, which continue through October 28, then Jackie offers a concluding reflection on October 29. The distance and pace is up to you. Walk and Be Well is your opportunity to join other CREDO participants, whether they're in your area or they live far away, in committing to four weeks of walking as a benefit to your physical and spiritual health and well-being.

For those on Facebook who would like to discuss the Walk and Be Well experience and the daily reflections, CREDOwalk is an open Facebook group. Come on over.

Sign up today.

 

Join CREDO Walk and Be Well There are a couple of steps to start or change your CREDO profile, which help protect you against SPAM. The simple process starts with your email address below.

Email: