The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1991-05-08, Page 6SAMre>.s.w o,rwq{ wM w not w�a.sem yds Mai 1i 1991 Page 6 Times -Advocate, May 8, 1991 Read-a-thon benefits students first CREDITON - While the physical benefits of a recent read-a-thon at Stephen Central Public School ar- rived on Friday, the more intellec- tual benefits were already "in the bank". Nearly the entire school joined in a Partners in Excellence read-a- thon to raise money for new refer- ence volumes for the school includ- ing dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases. They read a total of 1,637 books and with their sponsors, raised about $2,600. Forthcoming maniage - Mr. and Mrs.. Ken Inch of Exeter are pleased to announce the forth- coming marriage of their daugh- ter, Peggy Lynn to Ralf Otto Mundinger, son of Arno and Mara Mundinger of Aurora. Their wedding will take place on Saturday, May 25, 1991 at 3:30 p.m. at Exeter United Church. Open reception to fol- low in Exeter. Coughlin - Kovach Jacqul and Charlie Regier are pleased to announce the mar- riage of Jacqui's brother, Mike Coughlin to Mary -Ellen Kovach. Mike is the son of Mrs. Bonnie Saska of London and the late Jack Coughlin of Exeter. Mary Ellen is the daughter of Eva Kovach and the late Louis Kov.1 ach of London. The wedding will take place Saturday, June 1, 1991 at The Perrin Williams Es- tate in London. Engagement - Mr. and Mrs. Jack Schade, Dashwood are pleased to announce the en- gagement of their daughter, Janice Patricia to'Marlow Samu- el, son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Gingesich, Zurich. The wedding will take place on June 1, 1991 at Zurich Mennonite Church, Zu- rich, Ontario • Shout for Joy So often we hear the message of the Church as being one of 'joy'. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Singoyful praises." I guess the fust impression has to be one of joy as being gaiety, fun, or good cheer. This week I spent time with a man who was depressed and disap- pointed about having to live yet another day. Filled with cancer, and unable to do anything but cry out in pain - he longed for the release of death. While sitting in the hospital lounge, I watched a young mother rock back and forth in complete and utter disbelief. All she could say was, "I didn't know children could get MDS!" I chatted with a friend who had given up smoking over eight months ago. She said she still missed it - and then burst into tears. Obviously tl+me was more going on. She had developed stomach problems an her diet was reduced to eating Arrowroot biscuits and boiled potatoes. Life was no fun! The thought of sharing any message of "Joy in Jesus" seemed inap- propriate and hollow. Let's rethink what we mean by "Joy in the Lord". Serene Self -Esteem Joy is more than a giddy gaiety. Faith invites us to love our neigh- bour as we love ourselves. The key word here being 'ourselves'. That's tough for us to do these days. The latest diet fad is to pin up a poster of a skinny, beautiful model and then stand in front of a mirror, completely naked, and repeat the words "I hate myself...I hate myself". This is supposed to give you the incentive to stick to a diet. Really it just makes you a ripe sucker for any diet craze that's being offered. When you don't like yourself, you'll be desperate to buy into any- thing. As Robert Schuller tells us, in his book Be Happy You are Loved, "The person who does not love themselves is too empty of love to give it away and feels too unworthy to accept it from God or from others." It is the love of God that' creates in us a sense of joy. This knowl- edge of God's love for us - regardless of what's happening in our lives - creates a serene sense of self-esteem within us. Perceiving Possibilities Joy is more than a chemical cheer. As Rabbi Kushner says in his book Bad Things Do Happen to Good People, the key to handling life's stresses and challenges is to be able to perceive good possibili- ties in what otherwise appears to be a hopeless situation. I read a magazine article about a woman who had given birth to a Downs Syndrome child. Cathy Cook was advised to put her son into an institution for the rest of his life. Friends refused to acknowledge the birth of Caleb. • Refusing to give up on her son, Cathy wanted to create an opportu- nity for he to•work '�id e eetkif share this vii ns 13*dt�'" And so this mother established Seabird Bakers in Mystic, Connec- idcut. All her employees learn self-sufficiency and self-respect Oar',' as they earn regular salaries and gain useful job skills. • Living out her faith, Cathy Cook found joy in the Lord and was able to perceive possibilities in what others saw as a futile situation. Healthy Hope Joy is more than loud laughter. In the Biblical sense, joy seems to imply a healthy hope in whatever our situation in life may be. We know a Saving God. One day a young man kissed his wife and kids goodbye, left for work and just a few hours later received a call telling him that his family had all been killed in a car accident. Sometime later, this young man, reflecting on his time of grief and crisis said, "The good Lord gave me a number of things to help me through the biggest hole I've ever been in in my life. He gave me the support of my church. The support of friends, cards and letter. But more than anything else, it was the internal security of know- ing a Saving God that got me through." God gave His son to die for all of us, so that we could experience our grief with the knowledge that our lives have meaning and pur- pose and that heaven is a very real place. And even though our pam is real, our loneliness often • times un- bearable and our knowledge of this heavenly life so very limited, we have the assurance of Gods eternal love. From this we are surely given a healthy hope... a sense of joy that penetrates to our inner most selves to that we can indeed shout a song of joy and praise unto the Lord. "If you divide that by the 250 stu- dents we have, that's a pretty good average," principal John Siertsema told those who gathered at the school's general assembly Friday afternoon. The read-a-thon also raised enough money for the school to purchase a World Book Encyclope- dia which is contained on a single CD-ROM computer disk. When loaded into a special drive the school hopes to have by next fall, it will allow students to find encyclo- pedia information using a computer m a fraction of the time it takes to search through volumes. The participating students who read seven books in the seven -week read-a-thon period received certifi- cates from the World Book compa- ny, and those who read eight books receiver silver medals. Gold med- als went to students who read 10 books or more. "The whole focus is motivating children to read," said World Book representative Robert McCall who presented the medals and the new books to the school. "And beyond that is getting the resources." McCall said this is the second time Stephen Central has used the read-a-thon to raise money for new classroom texts and library books, but many other .schools in the area take advantage of it as well. "It's the kind d of thing you do eve- ry few years to keep your resources current," said McCall. The top fundraising class at Ste- phen Central were the grade one room, who raised $454.50, far and away the highest total of all class- rooms. Munchkin 1n, now where's Toto? GRAND BEND - Thirty Munch kins and 20 Palace Guards have been chosen by artistic director Tony Lloyd and staff at Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend. Following four days and 210 au- ditions April 25 through April 28, final selections were made. "It was a most difficult job", said Lloyd. "Our greatest disappoint- ment is that we didn't have a show ; ,with 200 people in it." }� eThe• f50 Munchkins and Guards � fi da= =i ltheir Ur*, f�'Gd�i• de* y`r•�aj► 1� gging Huron Country Playhouse is, 11. rite• selection of Dorothy's canine companion, Toto. "We want and need a Toto,” said Lloyd "The dog should be reason- ably trained, be transported to all rehearsals and should be able to get to know Dorothy". If you think your dog is a candi- date please call Huron Country Playhouse at (519) 238-8387. �ther's may Treat Mom to something Special ... a tangerine floral jumpsuit, a feminine lace blouse, perriwinkle madras shorts and co-ordinating t -shirt... Let us help you select something special ... gift certificates available.... 25% 011 all raincoats and jackets Open 7 days 238-2818 Read4thon , Robert McCall of World Book presented the top read- ers in Stephen Cen�J„Sf)go1's Jv ton with sinner and gold medals. • Scotiabank cordially inviteyou. to be ourguest at a Retirement Income Discussion. • TIME: 7:00 p.m. May 16, 1991. lt • PLACE: Lions Youth Centre, John St . , Exetez . TOPICS • PLANNING FOR A SECURE RETIREMENT • DEFERRING INCOME TAXES • UNDERSTANDING RRSPs, RRIFs AND ANNUITIES At the meeting, you will also have an opportunity. . to arrange for a private consultation with one of our investment and retirement planning specialists:For furth etaif§ #p ipto register for this discussion, please h it ii BARI3ARA RAT Z 235-1142 Scotiabank GE A wide assortment of MING W $3099 availably All 3 speed and reversible as well as Tight kit adaptable. • • Solid polished brass and bevelled glass outdoor fixture. =£' gg Reg. $49.99 SALE • 4.. +(• $ I.rb Calling Fhlws. AvaIlable in White only. Req. $4999 SALE 82r LIVING UGHTING LONDON HOME AND DESIGN CENTRE 785 EXETER ROAD LONDON, ONTARIO (519) 881-0212 • NORTH LONDON 1873 RICHMOND ST. NORTH, LONDON ONTARIO (519) .667-3022 • :':?`.` yli �'��'. .-. • .1?' �„t 4