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Habitat for Humanity celebrates special day with mortgage burning

Posted at 4:23 pm October 11, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Sherrea Seiber

Sherrea Seiber

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County will celebrate World Habitat Day with a special mortgage burning ceremony on Sunday morning at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge.

The ceremony will feature Sherrea Seiber, who has paid her mortgage in full after 20 years, a press release said.

World Habitat Day was Monday, October 6. The Sunday morning ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at St. Stephen’s at 212 North Tulane Avenue.

The press release said Seiber applied for a house in 1993. At that time, she had two children living at home. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits Tagged With: Charlotte Bowers, Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, HFHAC, housing, mortgage burning, Oak Ridge Housing Development Corporation, partnership agreement, Sherrea Seiber, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Tennessee Housing Development Association, The Episcopal Diocese, Thompson Charitable Foundation, World Habitat Day

Local DAR chapter has Constitution Celebration on Sept. 13

Posted at 9:33 pm August 27, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Clinch Bend Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will have its annual Constitution Celebration during a fall meeting on Saturday, September 13, in Oak Ridge.

The guest speaker will be Anderson County General Sessions Judge Don Layton. He will our constitutional rights since 9/11, a press release said. Refreshments will be served.

The meeting starts at 1 p.m. September 13 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge. For more information, call (865) 945-5605 or visit http://www.tndar.org/~clinchbend/.

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News Tagged With: Clinch Bend Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Constitution Celebration, constitutional rights, Daughters of the American Revolution, Don Layton, fall meeting, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Church Women United celebrates friendship, service

Posted at 9:53 pm April 30, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Submitted

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.

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Faith, Front Page News Tagged With: Church Women United, CWU, Friendship Day, Gay Marie Logsdon, God, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Faith: Funeral Homily to Bill Wilcox

Posted at 11:11 pm September 10, 2013
By Craig Kallio Leave a Comment

William Jenkins Wilcox Jr.

William Jenkins Wilcox Jr.

In act two of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” Malvolio is reading a piece of prose which begins, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great; some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Among the 75,000 people who were working in Oak Ridge when its role in bringing an end to the war was revealed, there was a man who, in that moment, felt the prescient weight of greatness thrust upon him.

Bill Wilcox wrote a letter to his parents in Pennsylvania on the day the Hiroshima bomb was dropped. Excerpts are captured in Denise Kiernan’s “The Girls of Atomic City.” Assessing his life and his place in that moment of history Bill writes, “Never before has the knowledge of so vital a nature been entrusted to so many with so great a success…Never before in the history of the world has so much responsibility been placed on the shoulders of such young people.” The writing of this letter was the beginning of what would become a life vocation of helping us understand more clearly the reality of what happened in Oak Ridge. As a result, his influence will continue to trickle down in a thousand ways. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Bill Wilcox, Craig Kallio, funeral homily, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, William Jenkins Wilcox Jr.

Faith: Rev. Kallio explains cremation in the Episcopal Church

Posted at 10:54 pm September 10, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Craig Kallio

Craig M. Kallio

Editor’s note: After the Saturday funeral for Bill Wilcox, I asked the Rev. Craig M. Kallio of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church a few questions about Wilcox’s cremation and burial in St. Stephen’s Memorial Garden. 

Here is his response to my question about cremation, and Wilcox’s burial in a handmade linen bag tied with a hand-knotted cord. 

Kallio: Bill was cremated and interred in our Memorial Garden. This burial option has become more popular among Episcopalians within the last 20 years, though the custom is quite ancient.

One reason for opting to use cremation is that of being good stewards. It takes into consideration the simplicity and cost. Rather than going with an elaborate funeral, our resources are better used elsewhere. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: ashes, Bill Wilcox, burial, Craig M. Kallio, cremation, Episcoplians, pall, Paschal, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen’s Memorial Garden

Wilcox never gave up on plan to preserve K-25 history, former DOE manager says

Posted at 7:20 pm September 8, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Aerial View

Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. Bill Wilcox, a former technical director at K-25 and the Y-12 National Security Complex, led the fight to preserve K-25’s history. Wilcox died Monday, Sept. 2, and his funeral was Saturday. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

The fight to preserve the history of the K-25 site in west Oak Ridge was long and arduous. Among the challenges were federal funding battles and deteriorated building conditions.

Other people might have considered the dilapidated K-25 Building, once the world’s largest building under one roof, a “useless hulk,” one friend and colleague said. But historic preservationist Bill Wilcox, who died Monday evening, never gave up on his dream of honoring the site’s history.

Now mostly demolished, the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building was erected as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. But the four-story building has been shut down since 1964 and fallen into disrepair, and the U.S. Department of Energy is converting the site into a massive industrial park and demolishing many of the original buildings. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, atomic bombs, Atomic Heritage Foundation, Bill Wilcox, Cindy Kelly, Cold War, Craig M. Kallio, D. Ray Smith, DOE, Ed Westcott, Gerald Boyd, Gordon Fee, Hanford, history, K-25, K-25 Building, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Mercury Task Force, National Park Service, north end, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Partnership for K-25 Preservation, PKP, Pollard Auditorium, Secret City Commemorative Walk, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen’s Memorial Garden, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

Funeral, community reception for city historian Bill Wilcox on Saturday

Posted at 9:09 am September 4, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bill Wilcox

Bill Wilcox

A funeral and community reception have been scheduled for Saturday for Bill Wilcox, a chemist who came to Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in World War II and went on to become technical director for federal facilities K-25 and Y-12, was named Oak Ridge city historian, and led the fight to preserve the history of the former K-25 site, which was built during World War II to enrich uranium for atomic bombs.

The funeral is at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 212 N. Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge. The community reception is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the lobby at Pollard Auditorium at Oak Ridge Associated Universities at 120 Badger Ave. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bill Wilcox, Birth of a City, city historian, community reception, funeral, K-25, K-25 site, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Pollard Auditorium, Ray Smith, Secret City Commemorative Walk, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Tom Beehan, World War II, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

First local Habitat for Humanity family celebrates mortgage payoff with mortgage burning

Posted at 3:07 pm August 28, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Habitat for Humanity Mortgage Burning

The first family to pay off its mortgage in the traditional manner through Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County celebrates with a mortgage burning ceremony last week. Pictured from left are homeowners Becky and Ray Seiber and HFHAC Executive Director Jennifer Sheehan.

The first family to pay off its mortgage in the traditional manner through Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, making monthly mortgage payments, celebrated with a mortgage burning ceremony last week.

Owned by Becky and Ray Seiber, the home just north of Oliver Springs in the Cove community was also the first house built by the then-new Habitat for Humanity chapter in 1992. The Seibers are considered the affiliate’s first family. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Becky Seiber, Breeden Lane, Cove, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, HFHAC, Jennifer Sheehan, mortgage, mortgage burning, Oliver Springs, Ray Seiber, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Faith column: This ‘High Tech…Low Touch’ world of ours

Posted at 12:11 pm April 14, 2013
By Craig Kallio Leave a Comment

Occasionally while holding our grandson in my lap as he begins to drift off to sleep, he will look up into my face with all the inquisitiveness of any four-year-old. Slowly and gently, he will reach upward to touch my nose, lips, and eyebrows and with his tiny fingers begin to explore what to him must seem like a vast terrain of the unknown. My eyes follow his, and then unexpectedly I begin to experience the kind of bonding that develops when one gazes intently into the face of another. This small gesture of a child touched my soul in a way I didn’t anticipate, much different than, for instance, shaking someone’s hand, even of family and friends.

A book came out some 30 years ago called “Megatrends,” which predicted a major shift in the world, in one instance characteristically described as “high tech…low touch.” The more technologically advanced we are, the less is our interpersonal connectedness. We see evidence of this today in our relationships with one another, especially in the fracturing of the traditional family and the steady decline of meaningful interaction within households. This brings to mind how important it was for Jesus to gather his disciples around a table and be able to look into the faces of those whom he loved dearly. The next time we gather with family and friends around the table, take a moment to gaze into the faces of those around us. There is something magical and perhaps even mystical about what happens to us when we are intently focused on the face of another, especially when we remember it is one shaped in God’s own image.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: bonding, Christ, Craig M. Kallio, Easter, family, God, high tech, interaction, Jesus, low touch, Mary Magdalene, Megatrends, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Bullying prevention seminar: Creating a safe environment

Posted at 2:04 pm January 31, 2013
By Kay Brookshire Leave a Comment

Join in the discussion of how you can help create a safe environment for youth at a bullying prevention seminar on Thursday, Feb. 7, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

“Creating a Safe Environment” is the theme of the seminar focused on the impact and prevention of bullying. The community is invited to participate.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Ande Bradford-Baker, Anderson County deputy sheriff, bullying, bullying prevention, Creating a Safe Environment, Oak Ridge Boys and Girls Club, Scott Lucas, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Faith column: For the time being

Posted at 10:00 am January 27, 2013
By Craig Kallio Leave a Comment

For many of us, it is emotionally challenging to move on from those momentous occasions which have gifted us with abundant joy, especially the celebration of Christmas. The warm and joyous presence of family and friends, unfortunately, fades quickly.

Just the other day, I passed a large pile of discarded Christmas trees waiting to be picked up, fodder for the fire or chipper. It brought to mind something we all face every year at this time: How does one come down from the glorious celebration of Christmas? The question, though, is really about the transition we all must make when, in the afterglow, we find ourselves landed squarely in all the drabness of the anticlimax of Christmas.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Christmas, Craig M. Kallio, God, Holy Family, ordinary life, Season of Epiphany, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, The Time Being, transition, W.H. Auden

St. Stephen’s Church has Christmas bazaar this weekend

Posted at 10:49 am November 28, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge has a Christmas bazaar this weekend.

The bazaar will feature a wonderful selection of gifts, gourmet foods, and holiday decor, a press release said. Featured items are expected to range from art, jewelry, books, and compact discs to baked goods, bird feeders, jewelry boxes, candy, and soaps and bath products.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Faith, Top Stories Tagged With: Christmas Around the World Bazaar, Oak Ridge, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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