Oak Ridge Today

Summer menu to begin at Unitarian Universalist free community meal Friday

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at an earlier ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served on Friday, June 27. Everyone is welcome. (File photo)

The summer menu will begin at the Stone Soup Ministry free community meal on Friday, June 27, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited for the homemade meal of pimiento cheese sandwiches, three-bean salad, and melon, a press release said. Dine-in or take-out will be available from 5 to 6 p.m.

The Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall of the Church. Food for the free monthly meal is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the Oak Ridge community.

For more information about the June 27 meal, call the ORUUC office at (865) 483-6761.

Vacation Bible School at First Presbyterian on June 12-13

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“Abundant Life” is the theme of the free Vacation Bible School at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge. The VBS will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday, June 12-13, in the Activities building.

“Learning to care about God’s creation will be our emphasis,” said Karissa Stewart, director of youth and children’s ministries at First Presbyterian.

Parents may drop off their children ranging in age from pre-K to fourth grade between 8 and 9 a.m. and pick them up between 4 and 5 p.m.

The children will learn about creation through crafts, music, games, and storytelling. Volunteers are needed to assist with the crafts and games. Call (865) 483-1318 to register your child for the VBS.

Spotlight: Banners showcase art of the late Peggy Heddleson

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Peggy Heddleson

Peggy Heddleson

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“Peggy Heddleson Banners: A Celebration of Poetry in Felt,” a special proclaiming event honoring the memory of the late Margaret “Peggy” Thompson Heddleson, will be held from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, June 8, in the fellowship hall at Grace Lutheran Church at 131 W. Gettysburg Ave. in Oak Ridge.

Heddleson, who died in 2009, achieved acclaim as an artist in ceramics, painting, and basket weaving, but her banners, made of felt cloth with words, were her crowning artistic achievement.

Many of her banners were gifted to Grace Church, where she was a longtime member. On display in the sanctuary and the fellowship hall, they carry a message of faith and healing. Also on display for this event will be additional banners loaned by Peg’s daughter, Tina Armstrong. Many of the loaned banners deal with domestic violence and rape, topics with which Heddleson had some familiarity both from her own life and the stories many women shared with her as she traveled, giving “banner talks” advocating for battered women to church and civic groups. [Read more…]

Mindfulness meditation program in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Claudio Barrientos

Claudio Barrientos

Claudio Barrientos, director of the Mindful Center in Knoxville, will present a program on mindfulness meditation on Saturday, June 7, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. The free 90-minute program, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the fellowship hall, is hosted by the church’s Mental Health Ministry Team.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 131 W. Gettysburg Ave.

Barrientos will introduce ways to incorporate a few minutes of meditation in one’s daily life to help with many health issues, a press release said. The teachings are non-religious and evidence-based, rooted in the latest science of the mind, body, and brain, according to notes from Barrientos about the program. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Unitarian Universal Church has music festival fundraiser

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Sanctuary

The sanctuary of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is pictured above. (File photo)

There is a free music festival at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universal Church on Saturday. It will feature local bands and food for sale, a press release said.

Two of the bands scheduled to play are Haze of Oliver Springs and Scarlet Victory of Clinton, the press release said. Haze has been described as a “groove” based rock band that plays what the crowd wants to hear, the release said. Both bands have a large local fan base.

The festival is free, but a suggested donation of $5 would gratefully be accepted, the release said. The event will be held in the ORUUC Social Hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Combined choirs to sing ‘Sunrise Mass’ Sunday

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Anna Thomas and Andrew Duncan

Anna Thomas, FPC music director, will conduct the first half of the concert, and Andrew Duncan, FUMC music director, will conduct the four-movement “Sunrise Mass.” (Submitted photo)

The combined choirs of First Presbyterian and First United Methodist churches will sing the “Sunrise Mass” by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo during a concert on Sunday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church.

String players from the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and FUMC’s Sandi Henry on piano will accompany the choirs. The 32-minute symphony mass will be performed in the second half of the concert.

The first half of the concert will include choral music by various composers, including “Ave Verum Corpus” by W.A. Mozart, Dan Forrest’s setting of John Wesley’s “Covenant Prayer,” and Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of Isaac Watts’ version of Psalm 23, as well as works by Kevin Siegfried, Philip R. Dietterich, and Stephen Paulus. [Read more…]

Twenty dragon boat teams ready to race May 31

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Dragon Boat Races

Teams take part in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei on May 28, 2009. Originally the summer event was a time to ward off bad spirits but now it is a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet who opposed the corruption of the imperial court. More than 200 teams from Taiwan and abroad will compete in the three-day race. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK LIN (Photo credit should read PATRICK LIN/ AFP/ Getty Images)

 

Commit to a competitive sport and community support. 

That could be the motto of the inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival, a fundraiser for community nonprofit service organizations that will be launched by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge.

Already at least 20 boat teams are being organized, with more expected to register soon at http://oakridge.racedragonboats.com/.

At least 15 companies and organizations have paid or pledged a total of more than $25,000.

The Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival will be held Saturday, May 31, at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park. [Read more…]

Juvenile Court judge to discuss children, courts on Monday

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Brandon FIsher

Brandon FIsher

Brandon K. Fisher, Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, will discuss children and the courts during a Monday forum hosted by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue.

The forum starts at 11 a.m. Monday, and it will be held at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge at 101 W. Madison Lane, a press release said.

Fisher has served in the Juvenile Court since his appointment to the bench in January 2010. He replaced April Meldrum after she resigned, and he was elected to position in August 2010. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner in the law firm of Cantrell, Cantrell, and Fisher, where he engaged in a general practice of law with an emphasis on civil litigation.

“Serving as Anderson County juvenile judge has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life,” Fisher said in an earlier press release. “I am proud of our efforts to improve outcomes for children and families.” [Read more…]

Church Women United celebrates friendship, service

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Church Women United invites the public to a program entitled “Through God Our Hands Can Serve” on Friday, May 2, in the parish hall of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 212 N. Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge. The program celebrates May Friendship Day by focusing on the gifts that God has provided each of us to serve others.

Fellowship begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a brief meeting and program at noon. A potluck lunch will be held afterward. Please bring something to share. Reservations are appreciated but not required.

CWU was founded in 1941 as a national interdenominational women’s movement to bring together women of diverse races, cultures, and traditions in closer Christian fellowship, prayer, advocacy, and service to strengthen communities and build peace with justice. For more information, contact Gay Marie Logsdon at (865) 483-7940.

Biblical scholar to give science, religion talk on Sunday

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Stan Saunders

Stan Saunders

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The topic for the 11th annual Jackson B. Davidson Memorial Lecture on Science and Religion will be “A Dwelling Place for God: Recovering the Forgotten Story of God, Humankind, Temple, and Creation.”

Stanley Saunders, associate professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., will deliver the lecture at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike (at Lafayette Drive).

Refreshments will be served after the lecture, and childcare will be provided during and after the free talk.

“Modern, western Christians typically presume that Christian salvation entails escape from our bodies and this earth, so that we can dwell with God in an ethereal heavenly realm,” Saunders said. “The New Testament, on the other hand, much more clearly affirms a vision of God coming to dwell with us.” [Read more…]

‘Legends of the Knight’ screening to benefit ADFAC this Sunday

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Legends of the Knight

A movie poster for “Legends of the Knight,” which will be screened at the Historic Grove Theater on April 27 to benefit ADFAC.

A special screening of “Legends of the Knight,” a documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Brett Culp, will be held at the Historic Grove Theater on Sunday, and it will benefit a local nonprofit.

“Legends of the Knight” weaves together the uplifting true stories of individuals who have overcome devastating obstacles, unselfishly given to the community, and embraced their inner superhero because of their love of Batman, a press release said.

The screening starts at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at the Grove Theater, which is at 123 Randolph Road. It will benefit Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. [Read more…]

Stone Soup Ministry serving free community meal Friday

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at a recent ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served on April 25. (File photo)

Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will be serving a free community meal on Friday, April 25. Dine-in or takeout will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Social Hall of the church.

This month’s meal includes homemade tomato soup, sandwiches, chocolate cupcakes, and milk.

The Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall of the church. Food for the free monthly meal is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the Oak Ridge Community. [Read more…]