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Officiating for May
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Marcella Phillips |
Carl Troxel |
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May
4..........................................Pam Rees |
Coffee Hour Hosts May
4..............................................Deacons |
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There are lots of seemingly disparate events that are finding a web of connectedness inside my brain right now. This Friday the Polk County Board of Supervisors is dedicating a plaque in memory of David Buhr and his work with at-risk teenagers. We know that we are all going to die someday, but when death occurs to one as young as David, it is especially tragic. My remembrances of David connect with a flurry of e-mails that I have been receiving lately because the daughter of one of my high school classmates was recently killed when she was hit by a car. Her father, Mick, is president Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids. As concern for Mick and his family was shared across the Internet, I took a look at all the names on the mailing list, trying to remember each person, most of whom I haven’t seen for forty years. Harking back to high school days, I remember our senior year prank. We obtained an old, unused outhouse and, under the direction of future engineers, hoisted it atop our two-story high school. Not much of a prank by today’s standards. I have been reading the accounts of the “prank” at Southeast Polk High School, where apparently valve stems of the school bus tires were removed and fish bait and cat litter were smeared on the buses. There has also been the video made by some high school girls as they beat up a “friend,” apparently so they could post the video on YouTube and gain some notoriety. Violence against people and property is becoming all too common. Paul in his letter to the church in Rome wrote, “Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. 
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Thinking about respect to whom respect is due, I am reminded that there is respect that you get because of position, and respect that is earned. The seniors at Fern Ridge High School in Missouri’s Parkway School District selected George Smith to be the speaker at their graduation ceremony. They selected Smith because they considered him to be a role model. And because he had influenced their lives. Smith accepted the honor. After all, how often is a school custodian asked to speak at his school’s graduation ceremony? That’s right, Smith is not a sports star or a music idol whom kids have admired from afar. He’s a janitor—someone they see day after day, close up. Someone who serves them, and whose example has helped shape them. Along the way, the seniors at Fern Ridge learned to respect George Smith. (Whether they learned to pick up after themselves is unknown.) Something to think about: when you were a teenager, who is a person that you respected and what did that person do to earn your respect? Dave
Paul Harvey Riddle When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten children got the right answer, compared to only 17% of Stanford University students. Riddle: What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you’ll die? Answer may be found below. |
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A few nights ago one of the students in my Grand View College art therapy class showed me an intricate drawing that he had created. The artwork presented a very detailed image replete with black, white, and gray designs. The student described its relevance to him, stating that life, like his art, is not simply black and white. It is filled with lots of gray areas in which things must be examined more closely to be understood. This description of the artwork reminded me of a client that I had worked with earlier in the month. The client’s actions do not fit neatly into a clearly delineated sense of right and wrong. Let me share his story. A 42-year-old man came to CROSS Ministries to ask for assistance in paying his rent for the month of April. Kevin has some cognitive limitations but is typically able to work and pay the rent on his one-room apartment by working at a local fast food restaurant. While at work one day last month, Kevin grew hungry, which would not ordinarily be a problem since the restaurant allows employees to purchase food at half price. Unfortunately, Kevin had run out of money and payday was still a couple of days away. Although he knew that what he was doing was wrong, Kevin took a package of chicken nuggets and ate them, which resulted in the loss of his job. He is currently looking for new employment. Kevin came into my office expressing a great deal of shame for his action. I was able to help him with the rent money so he could focus his energies on locating a new job without a fear of being evicted this month.
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Yes, this man’s actions were wrong, since stealing is wrong. And a normally-functioning person might have seen other solutions, but at the end of the day, I am happy that this mentally-challenged man doesn’t have to live under a bridge as a result of stealing a package of chicken nuggets to deal with his hunger. Life is full of lots of gray zones. At the point he was fired, two possibilities existed. First, he could have become homeless and a drain on society, or second, he could have been helped back on track, enabling him again toward self-sufficiency. What a blessing that CROSS Ministries was there to help with the latter! Roberta
Donate Blood, Benefit CROSS When Westminster Presbyterian Church hosts its next Blood Drive on Monday, May 12, the Deacons will offer a unique “incentive plan” to benefit CROSS Ministries and hopefully increase blood donations at the same time. For each person who donates blood (or attempts to donate), the Deacons will contribute $5 to CROSS Ministries. In addition, $10 will be contributed for all first-time blood donors. Please consider donating blood on May 12, knowing that your donation will help people in need in two very important ways! To make an appointment, contact Sue Freeman at 473-4699. The Blood Drive hours on May 12 are 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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Thank You! |
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Please bring a covered dish to share and your own table service. Drinks will be provided. If the weather permits, we will be outside, so bring a lawn chair. There will be no more choir rehearsals on Wednesdays until the fall. However, the choir will continue to sing for worship through the first Sunday in June.
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The Deacons express their THANKS for supporting the annual Easter breakfast. We were pleased to serve approximately forty. The food was all voluntarily prepared, provided and served by Deacon members.
Marcella Phillips
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