Oak Ridge Today



 










Service of memory and hope Dec. 17 at First Presbyterian

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Submitted

December is filled with twinkling lights, decorated trees, and lots of eggnog and presents. But some folks experience the holiday season as difficult for many reasons.

Sometimes called a “blue Christmas” gathering, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge will hold its annual “service of memory and hope” for the public on Tuesday, December 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. The all-woman, ecumenical River of Grace Threshold Choir will provide special music designed to offer comfort through music to those at the threshold of life.

FPCOR member and social worker Elaine Wilson will speak on “memory.” Barbara McCord, a leader of the Baha’i community in Oak Ridge, will talk about “hope.” [Read more…]


Advertisement

Francisco Franco to be discussed at ‘Dictator’s Playbook’ today7

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Community Education and Development group is hosting viewings and discussions of the PBS series, “The Dictator’s Playbook.”

You can join them from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, November 17, in the social hall of Oak Ridge Universal Unitarian Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, to learn about Francisco Franco’s rise and fall, a press release said. This is the fifth of six sessions, with each session covering a dictator who arose to infamy in the 20th century, the press release said. A final discussion and reception will be held on Sunday, December 8.

[Read more…]
Advertisements

Opportunity to view and discuss PBS series on six 20th century dictators

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

As part of its Community Education and Development Ministry, the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will offer a series of viewings and discussions of the PBS series, “The Dictator’s Playbook.”

You can join them on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 p.m. from October 20 through November 24. A final discussion and reception will be held on Sunday, December 8, a press release said.

The group will meet in the Social Hall at ORUUC, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Six moderator-led sessions will focus on the rise of a particular dictator who arose to infamy in the 20th century, the press release said: Kim II Sung (October 20), Saddam Hussein (October 27), Benito Mussolini (November 3), Manuel Noriega (November 10), Francisco Franco (November 17), and Idi Amin (November 24). The seventh session will be a discussion of common themes and lessons to be learned from the rise, rule, and fall of these modern dictators (December 8), the press release said.

[Read more…]
Advertisement



Advertisement



Oak Ridge church to host Emmy-nominated vocal ensemble in free holiday concert

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Inversion (Submitted photo)

An Oak Ridge church will host a free holiday concert in December that will feature Inversion, an Emmy Award-nominated vocal ensemble.

The special concert will be presented by Masskus Productions in cooperation with Oak Valley Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. The concert will be at the church at 194 Hampton Road at 5 p.m. Sunday, December 8, a press release said.

“We feel blessed here in Oak Ridge and are delighted to offer this musical celebration to the community free of charge,” said Pastor Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church.  “This is just one way for folks to settle down and relax during this hectic holiday season. We hope everyone will bring friends to enjoy a beautiful Sunday afternoon.”

Under the direction of David Ragland Jr., Inversions was born from a desire to showcase an array of talented friends, the press release said.

“They bring an eclectic vibe to a variety of musical genres,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Pet Fest and Blessing is Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Horse Haven of Tennessee will have their popular miniature horse Twinkles at the 18th Annual Pet Fest and Blessing, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. (Submitted photo)

Grace Lutheran Church of Oak Ridge will celebrate its 18th Annual Pet Fest and Blessing on Saturday, October 5.

“This year’s event will provide a chance to spend an enjoyable afternoon with your pet while you gather important information about the services and associations available to pets and their owners,” a press release said.

The Blessing of the Animals will be held in the pavilion behind the church at 4 p.m. The church will also hold a bake sale, rummage sale, and silent auction to raise funds for all the participating rescue groups. Boy Scouts and other volunteers will walk your pet while you shop, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Minister, climate activist to speak Sunday, Sept. 29, at First Presbyterian

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

On Sunday, September 29, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge will host the Reverend Jim Antal, a climate activist, a press release said. He will teach Sunday school at 9 a.m., following a continental breakfast, and deliver the sermon during the 10:30 a.m. worship service, the press release said.

Antal is the author of “Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change.”

The press release said Antal is a graduate of Princeton University, Andover Newton Theological School, and Yale Divinity School, which in 2017, honored him with the William Sloane Coffin Award for Peace and Justice. [Read more…]

Learn more about history of desegregation on Sept. 9

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rose Weaver
Rose Weaver

You can learn more about the history of desegregation and profiles of those who have shaped the area during a September 9 meeting in Oak Ridge.

It’s a kick-off meeting for Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. It is scheduled to start with a brief meet-and-greet at 10:45 a.m. Monday, Saturday 9, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church at 212 North Tulane Avenue, and the program will start at 11 a.m.

Rose Weaver—an active member of the Oak Ridge community, a poet, and a historian—is currently working on researching the history of desegregation of the area and the people who have had the greatest impacts in shaping Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Weaver will also speak about the exciting NAACP Tennessee State Convention that is being hosted in Oak Ridge from Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Two churches plan forum on local opioid crisis

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Michael Yates

Michael Yates

Abuse of addictive prescription pain pills and other opioids, as well as deaths from overdoses, are plaguing the nation, state, and local communities. In 2018, nearly 200 Americans every day died from drug overdoses.

What are the consequences of opioid use and abuse in Anderson County? What are the overt and hidden costs to our local communities?

To begin to address the need for local understanding of this mental health issue and public health crisis, two Oak Ridge churches—First Presbyterian and Oak Valley Baptist—will co-sponsor a public forum on three Sunday afternoons in September on the crisis of drug addiction in Anderson County.

The forum sessions will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall of the Sanctuary building at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the corner of Lafayette Avenue.

David Clark, district attorney general of Anderson County, will speak on September 8 on criminal justice and the opioid epidemic. [Read more…]

Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival this weekend

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above from left to right are Carmen Agra Deedy, Bill Lepp, and Bobby Norfolk.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will feature three world renowned storytellers in Oak Ridge this weekend.

This annual event is led by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers. This second annual storytelling festival will be held at the Historic Grove Theater. Due to public demand at the 2018 performances, a larger venue and an additional performance have been added, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Bobby Norfolk will perform for the 2019 festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

On Saturday, June 1, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of live storytelling with three performances at the Historic Grove Theater: 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 5 p.m. (with intermission), and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (with intermission). There will be different stories at each session. Although the stories would be rated PG, it is suggested that the 10 a.m. performance would be most enjoyable for children five and older as it is a special family-oriented performance, the press release said. A free crafts-for-kids activity will be offered beginning at 9 a.m. at the Grove Theater.

[Read more…]

Holocaust Remembrance Program this Sunday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Holocaust Remembrance Program 2018 Proclamation Reading (Submitted photo)

Holocaust Remembrance Day: The City of Oak Ridge has proclaimed May 5 to be Holocaust Remembrance Day for 2019.

The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge (JCOR) and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church (ORUUC) have partnered together to present the annual Holocaust Remembrance Program, a press release said. It will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the JCOR Sanctuary, 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge, on May 5. There will be a candle lighting ceremony, songs, readings, and prayers. The Holocaust Remembrance Service is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership, and the public is encouraged to attend, the press release said. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, Holocaust survivor

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mira Ryczke Kimmelman

Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, 95, of 969 West Outer Drive, died peacefully at home at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.

Mira’s long and purposeful life was dotted with tragic events and redeeming joys. She was born on September 17, 1923, in the seaside resort of Zoppot, a suburb of the free City of Danzig. Her father Moritz was a grain merchant and her mother Eugenia dedicated herself to raising Mira and her younger brother Benno.

This happy life came to an abrupt end in 1939 when the Nazis invaded Danzig and drove Mira and her family from their home, first to ghettos in Warsaw and Tomaszow Mazowiecki, then to concentration camps Blizyn-Majdanek and Auschwitz, and thereafter on a horrific death march to Bergen-Belsen, where Mira was liberated and reunited with her father. Sadly, her mother and brother did not survive the Holocaust.

In 1946, she met another survivor, Max Kimmelman, who had lost his wife and daughter in the Holocaust. They married on May 19, 1946, in Germany. With the assistance of family in Cincinnati, Ohio, they were able to immigrate to the United States and arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 2, 1948.

[Read more…]

Faith & science lecture on archaeology of Israeli women on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Erin Darby

Erin Darby

Were the women depicted in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible more than mothers of the children of Israel? Did they contribute to Israelite tribal survival by experimenting with food plants and seeds, shearing wool and weaving cloth, making pots and devising ways to cook, preserve, and store food? And what about their religious lives?

The second talk in the First Presbyterian–First United Methodist Church Faith-and-Science Lecture Series will be on “The Archaeology of Women in Ancient Israel.” The lecture will be presented by Erin Darby, associate professor of religious studies and co-director of the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project at the University of Tennessee.

Darby will deliver her lecture at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 2, in the fellowship hall of the sanctuary building of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Refreshments will be served.

An archaeologist, Darby takes UT students to Jordan every other summer to learn about human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. [Read more…]

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today