Threads of Hope Update
By Joe and Linda Schnorr Beginning in 2014 Threads of Hope has worked with the ladies in several villages to develop sewing talents both to pay forward their gifts and also create products for sale. As we continued expand the classes for sewing to several villages,...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse Last Sunday, I quoted from a sermon delivered after the 1960 Presidential election. Kennedy defeated Nixon that year, and in his inaugural address he gave the famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse You have heard it said, “Leave your bumper stickers in the parking lot”. In fact, I’ve heard many of you say it recently. Apparently it’s a favorite mantra here. Not all churches follow that advice. In fact, most churches have cars with...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse You are a gracious bunch. Every food event I’ve been to displayed epic cooking and quantities. Your responses to genuine needs like flood relief or Family Promise are swift and generous. You’re so willing to pray for each other…half of the...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse You have amazing caverns and waterfalls in East Tennessee. Denise and I enjoy hiking along streams where the sound of water provides ambient “white noise” to accompany the bird songs and rustling leaves. While the recent floods remind us of...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse Thank you for the 1-year anniversary moment (and flowers!) during the announcements October 13. Since we arrived for your centennial last year, Denise and I have experienced a steady flow of warmth and kindness from you all. We’re grateful...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse For my birthday, Denise got tickets to see Marty Stuart at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, VA last Friday. Much of the show, also featuring the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, reminded me of old Hee Haw episodes: awkward humor, drinking songs,...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse Too often, religion in general and spirituality in particular are treated as private, individual matters: What I believe is none of your business; my spiritual director has me doing eight spiritual disciplines that have really helped me...
True Confessions of an Interim
By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse You might remember a prayer that starts, “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.” It’s often called The Prayer of St. Francis, but there’s no evidence of it before a French Catholic devotional magazine called La Clochette published it in...
True Confessions of an Interim
Recently, the Surgeon General issued an advisory focused on Parental Mental Health & Well-Being | HHS.gov . Among the findings driving the advisory were that parents of children aged birth-18 have far more high stress than other adults, and these parents are way...