Church Women United is hosting a public program on Friday, April 10, in Columbus Hall at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Cherie Phillips of the Anderson County Office on Aging and Jo Bruce of the Family Resource Center will speak.
Fellowship with refreshments begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a brief meeting and the program at noon.
The program makes up for the March meeting that was canceled due to winter weather. [Read more…]
The Kern Church United Methodist Men, assisted by Kern Youth, will host a Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 11, 8 a.m. until noon in the church Family Life Center. Alora, left, and Haley Rejman are pictured getting ready to enjoy the breakfast. A Plant and Rummage Sale will also be held that day. (Submitted photo)
The Kern United Methodist Men’s group, assisted by Kern Youth, will host their annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 11, in the church Family Life Center. Pancakes with sausage, juice, and coffee will be served from 8 a.m. until noon for the cost of $5 for adults, $3 for children 3-12 years, and under 3 free.
The Men’s Group will also take orders for carpenter bee traps and beautiful handcrafted desk pen holders made from Tennessee red cedar donated and harvested by Kern members. Proceeds from the Pancake Breakfast finance the valuable work the Men’s Group does around the church.
In conjunction with the breakfast, a Plant and Rummage Sale will be held. [Read more…]
Jim Henry washing an Agape property. (Submitted photos)
The Agape House…has been a sanctuary for us and made us feel normal again. I cannot believe we are finally coming out of this unbelievable nightmare we have been living…You have taken tattered lives and sewn them back together with love and kindness. I will carry you in my heart forever. — A temporary resident of Agape House
The Agape House resident who wrote this letter was a military veteran who became seriously ill just as her husband lost his job. Facing medical bills without health insurance led to bankruptcy and left the couple homeless, an unexpected situation that created their unbelievable nightmare.
After one month in the temporary residence established to help the homeless get their lives in order, the couple began to stitch their lives back together again. They were among nine individuals or families who found temporary shelter at Agape House of Oak Ridge in 2014, when the nonprofit began offering shelter for the homeless. Each of them is now permanently housed.
“They are struggling, yes, because these things don’t get fixed in six months. But they are housed, plugged into the resources they need and working toward self-sufficiency,” said Michael McCutcheon, who with his wife Lynn Ross founded Agape House in 2013. [Read more…]
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“Are We There Yet? A glance in the rearview mirror on the winding journey to liberty, justice and equality” will be the topic of the next Oak Ridge PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting.
The meeting, held at the new Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike on Monday, April 6, is open to all who are interested. Social Hour will begin at 6:45 p.m., with the meeting scheduled from 7-8 p.m.
Partners Gina Grubb and Beth Meyer will share their perspectives and experiences as gay rights activists during the past 16 years. Grubb is a native Oak Ridger and served nearly 15 years in the Oak Ridge Police Department. She is currently a STEM and science teacher at Eagleton Middle School in Blount County. Meyer has lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years and teaches fourth grade at Webb School of Knoxville. [Read more…]
The annual Concert of Darkness at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will feature a variety of choral, instrumental, and solo selections that offer a time to reflect on the somber occasion of Good Friday, a press release said.
The concert starts at 4 p.m. Friday, April 3, at the church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church will provide four services on Easter Sunday, including a 7 a.m. Sunrise service, in addition to its regular services at 8:30, 9:30, and 11:15 a.m. The men of the church will provide breakfast following the first three services, a press release said.
Also, there will be a Good Friday service at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 3.
“Everyone is welcome,” the release said.
Easter is Sunday, April 5.
The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. Call (865) 483-3787 for more information.
The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge has scheduled a group visit to the Alex Haley Farm in Clinton on April 6, and participants will enjoy a presentation and a lunch on site. Those who wish may stay for a 90-minute walking tour (for a $5 fee) of the expansive grounds.
Purchased in 1994 by the Children’s Defense Fund, the 157-acre Haley Farm is a countryside retreat consisting of guest cottages, chapel, meeting lodge, and library. The facility connects young leaders and activists with the heritage of the struggle for freedom, and it is where policy makers and community builders come to connect, recharge their spiritual and physical batteries, and brainstorm strategies. The Children’s Defense Fund and its many programs have transformed Haley Farm into a training ground for the next generation of leadership, advocacy, and service for children and families.
Haley Farm houses several programs for the CDF, including Freedom Schools. The Freedom Schools are “inspired by the civil rights movement’s Freedom Summer of 1964, when community leaders organized Black Americans to register to vote,” a press release said. The program has trained more than 6,000 high school and college-age leaders who serve first and then lead in order to increase service to institutions and individuals. These young leaders, in turn, teach “children ages 5 to 18 for six to eight weeks, integrating reading, conflict resolution, and social action in activity-based curricula.” [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has a free community meal on Friday, March 27. Everyone is invited, a press release said.
The Stone Soup Ministry team will be serving a homemade meal of chili, corn muffins, cookies, and fruit. Dine-in or take-out will be available in the ORUUC Social Hall from 5 to 6 p.m. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Central Baptist Church will have its Easter Resurrection Celebration and Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 28, at 1:30 p.m. There will be carnival games, bouncy houses, an egg hunt, prizes, and snacks, a press release said. The children will be told the story of the resurrection.
The celebration and egg hunt are for children two and older.
Central Baptist Church is at 130 Providence Road in Oak Ridge. Call (865) 483-7495 for more information.
This quilt is one of the items in a live auction on Friday, March 20, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. (Submitted)
Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is having its annual silent/live auction on Friday, March 20.
The auction starts at 6 p.m. at the church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It is $5 to participate in the live auction starting at 8 p.m. with auctioneer Bear Stephenson. The quilt pictured at left is one of the live auction items. Organizers said there will be 25 more items, mostly by local craftspeople as well as cabin rentals and more.
There will be food and live music from 6-8 p.m. during the silent auction, which starts at 6 p.m. [Read more…]
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Combat veterans can face a number of mental health-related issues upon coming home. Problems such as post traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety can be debilitating and affect both veterans and their families. These can surface immediately upon a veteran’s return or even decades later.
On Saturday, March 21, Vietnam veterans Ed Junod and Freddie Owens of the Knoxville Regional Veterans Mental Health Council will discuss services available to veterans such as peer support, court treatment program assistance, recovery groups, and more. [Read more…]
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March
On March 8, Knoxville and Oak Ridge-based groups will march in Selma, Alabama, much like civil rights demonstrators did a half century ago. Members of various local groups will participate in the march to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March.
Planned by Organizing for Action, Northeast Tennessee (OFA-TN) and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, the Knoxville area groups will join others from across the country—including President Barack Obama—to participate in the Bridge Crossing and Backward March. Like the historical 1965 march, the path of the commemorative march begins in Selma and crosses the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a total of six blocks. The march begins at 2:30 p.m. [Read more…]
