Oak Ridge Today

Class on Islam starts Sunday at First Presbyterian

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Phillip-Sherman

Phillip Sherman

Phillip Sherman, associate professor of religion at Maryville College, will present a free course on Islam for five Sundays at 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, which is at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive.

The classes will start this Sunday, January 10, in the fellowship hall of the sanctuary building.

“This will be an excellent opportunity to separate fact from fiction with respect to the beliefs of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” said the Reverend Sharon Youngs, church pastor. The lecture-and-discussion course, which will end on February 7, is open to the public.

With about 1.6 billion followers, or 23 percent of the global population, Islam is the second-largest religion (after Christianity) by number of adherents (Muslims). According to many sources, it’s the fastest-growing major religion in the world. Most Muslims are of two denominations: Sunni (75 to 90 percent) and Shia (10 to 20 percent). [Read more…]

Quinn to discuss homelessness, TORCH in Monday program

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Torch Logo

The director of an organization that helps homeless families in Oak Ridge and Anderson County will discuss homelessness during a Monday morning program in Oak Ridge.

Anthony “Andy” O. Quinn is executive director of TORCH, or Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope.

Besides homelessness, Quinn will also discuss TORCH during the Monday program, which starts at 11 a.m. January 4 at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane. The program is presented by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Grace Covenant Church has community meal this evening

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Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge will serve its regular third Thursday community meal on Thursday, December 17, from 5-6 p.m.

The menu includes Honey Baked ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, congealed salad, and dessert.

The meal is free, and all members of the community are welcome. Please park in the church’s upper parking lot at 320 Robertsville Road, and follow the sidewalk to the Social Hall on the lower level.

Disabled parking only is available in the lower parking lot.

‘Blue Christmas’ gathering at First Presbyterian on Tuesday

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Sharon Youngs

Sharon Youngs

The holiday season can be difficult for many folks. It can be marked by sadness and disappointment. The color of Christmas for some is blue, not “merry and bright,” red and green.

Recognizing this truth, the staff of First Presbyterian Church (Oak Ridge Turnpike at Lafayette Drive) will hold the third annual Service of Memory and Hope on Tuesday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary.

The service will provide comforting words and music for those who find the holiday season difficult.

In addition, “Everyone who desires a quiet, reflective worship experience will find it in this service,” said the Rev. Sharon Youngs, church pastor.

“It is a helpful way to remember loved ones who are no longer with us, to gather strength for present challenges and to simply be still in the midst of a bustling, frantic season,” Youngs said.

ORUUC Annual Holiday Craft Fair is Sunday

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Annual Holiday Craft Fair will be held on Sunday, December 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

A tradition in the community and a holiday favorite, the Craft Fair has become a source of inspiration and a place of diversity for those “one of a kind” gifts on one’s gift giving list, a press release said. Featured will be work of some of the region’s finest artisans working with glass, clay, wood, quilts, and other hand sewn items, and photographs.

A percentage of the sales will benefit the Senior High class. The class will hold a fund raiser lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For more information call the ORUUC church office at (865) 483-6761.

Alternative Gift Fair, Bake Sale/Mini-Bazaar at Kern Church on Saturday

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Kern-Church-Santa-12-5-15

Kern Church will host its annual Alternative Gift Fair Saturday, Dec. 5, in conjunction with the UMW Bake Sale/Mini-Bazaar. Thelma Douglass, center, will bake her famous apple stack cake. Beautiful Fair Trade items such as the scarves worn by Debbie Shope, left, and Ashley Lockridge, right, will be offered for sale, and Santa, back, will be available for free pictures. (Submitted photo)

 

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Kern United Methodist Church will hold its annual Alternative Gift Fair Saturday, December 5, in the church’s Family Life Center from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“Shop the World Gifts” of Englewood, Tennessee, a Fair Trade ministry, will have booths full of beautiful, useful gifts for everyone on your list. Fair Trade is a global ministry that has been fighting world poverty and hunger successfully for more than 60 years. They help some of the poorest people in the world…third world artisans who certainly are among “the least of these.” These artisans have been blessed with tremendous artistic ability but have no market for their products. Every purchase makes a difference. By bringing these handmade creations (e.g., jewelry, purses, pottery, woven goods, baskets, table linens, musical instruments, shawls, scarves, skirts, etc.) to their customers, “Shop the World Gifts” helps these artisans feed and educate their children and build better lives. Their customers benefit by receiving a unique quality product at a reasonable price, knowing there was no forced or child labor involved and that the product was made in an environmentally sustainable manner.

At the Heifer International booth, shoppers may choose to donate farm animals to help families around the world become self-reliant. In honor of Heifer, a live llama will visit Kern Church during the Alternative Gift Fair. Your favorite Fair Trade Equal Exchange coffees and chocolates will be available for purchase. Local programs that serve people in our community and beyond will also have items for sale. All proceeds go to support ministries and programs for people in need. [Read more…]

Clinton Church of Christ has ‘Trunk-or-Treat’ on Halloween

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The Clinton Church of Christ has a “Trunk-or-Treat” on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, starting at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of their facility at 500 North Main Street in Clinton.

“Stop by on your trick-or-treat route and join us!” the church said.

Grace Covenant Church has community meal today (Thursday, Oct. 15)

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Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge will serve its regular third Thursday community meal on Thursday, October 15, from 5-6 p.m.

The menu calls for creamy baked chicken, rice, salad, and dessert.

The meal is free, and all members of the community are welcome.

Please park in the church’s upper parking lot at 320 Robertsville Road, and follow the sidewalk to the Social Hall on the lower level, a press release said. Disabled parking only is available in the lower parking lot.

St. Mary’s Fall Festival this weekend

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The 65th Annual St. Mary’s Fall Festival is this weekend.

“The public is welcomed and wholeheartedly invited to join us,” a press release said. “We will be celebrating this tradition and community celebration the weekend of October 16-17, and we look for the turnout to be the best yet!”

The festivities begin on Friday, October 16, with the Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Dinner kicking off at 5 p.m. The dinner will be held in the family life center/Columbus Hall until 7 p.m., with “take out dinners” available.

“The most exciting part of Friday evening is the live auction that begins at 7 p.m.,” the release said. “Attendees thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to bid on those prized items! Some up for bid this year are date nights and family fun packages, artwork, vintage glass and silver serving pieces, exercise equipment including a bow flex and elliptical, living room, bedroom, dining and outdoor furniture, handmade quilts and afghans, jewelry, golf clubs, and a craftsman 42” riding mower. And this is to name just a few!” [Read more…]

Opinion: Community leaders convene Community Matters forums

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Editor’s Note: We are including this column on our news page in addition to our opinion page because it includes information about upcoming community forums.

Last November, a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown. Given the many strong feelings all over the country, several clergy in Oak Ridge decided to address our community. In our public statement, we called for “inspiration, perspiration, and collaboration” in our shared efforts for racial justice. We concluded, “We, the faith community, look forward to partnering in 2015 to foster holistic, long-term, and systemic solutions to the complex set of social, economic, and community challenges that plague our great society.”

In the 11 months since, painful conversations about race across our country have continued in Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; and even now, in Oak Ridge.

This summer, the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church began to display a message on its electronic Oak Ridge Turnpike sign, which reads, “Black Lives Matter.” Given the national scope of this slogan, people have taken this to mean different things. Some have responded, “All lives matter,” while others have answered with, “Police lives matter.” One thing is sure: It has stirred conversation and fostered what Martin Luther King Jr. called “a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” [Read more…]

Kern United Methodist presents The Shine Effect in concert Sunday

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The Shine Effect

 

Kern United Methodist Church presents Christian rock band The Shine Effect in concert on Sunday.

The concert starts at 5 p.m. Sunday, September 20, during reViVe@5. It’s a free all-ages concert.

Organizers said child care will be provided for kids under age 4. Light snacks will be provided.

Find out more at kernchurch.org. [Read more…]

Yoga, Christian contemplation offered at FUMC

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First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge

The First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo by First United Methodist Church)

 

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For some yoga and prayer go well together because they experience yoga as a way to pray with the body, uniting body, mind, and spirit. For others, yoga, with its careful use of breathing and postures, serves to quiet and focus the mind, thus beautifully preparing us for prayer. First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, will again be offering classes which combine yoga and Christian prayer. The classes will be led by professional yoga instructors and the Rev. Jenny Caughman.

In these classes, we will practice yoga with conscious awareness of God’s constant presence with us. Yoga can be used to open ourselves up to the spirit. In the words of Fr. Thomas Ryan, when practicing yoga “one creates an atmosphere of calm, peace, and silence without and within, establishing a harmony between body and spirit so that nothing hinders the working of grace, the Holy Spirit. The aim is to bring tranquility to one’s mind from anxieties and problems; and to render it available to the Spirit.” This class will seek to make us increasingly open to the Spirit by integrating Christian contemplative prayer with the practice of yoga. [Read more…]