www.MySpace.com/MCCGSL
"You and I are both the Whosoevers:) Welcome Home!"
Be sure to stop by and say hello! Great music, photos, and an online community.
YOU are a part of our Vision... "One St. Louis"
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Friday, October 31, 2008
MCCGSL Launches to MySpace!!
www.MySpace.com/MCCGSL
"You and I are both the Whosoevers:) Welcome Home!"
Be sure to stop by and say hello! Great music, photos, and an online community.
YOU are a part of our Vision... "One St. Louis"
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Black Leadership Roundtable
St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable’s
Center for the Acceleration of African American Business
Center for the Acceleration of African American Business
(CAAAB)
and
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Presents
“Leveraging Capital from the Public and Private Sectors”
Friday, November 14, 2008, 5-8pm
University of Missouri – St. Louis, Millennium Student Center
Program
Opening Remarks
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Presents
“Leveraging Capital from the Public and Private Sectors”
Friday, November 14, 2008, 5-8pm
University of Missouri – St. Louis, Millennium Student Center
Program
Opening Remarks
Introduction of the MC
Eddie G. Davis,
Director Center for the Acceleration of African American Business
Introduction of Dignitaries
Introduction of Dignitaries
Charlotte Ottley,
Director of Communications & Special Initiatives for License Collector, City of St. Louis
Remarks
Remarks
Rev. Sammie E. Jones, Chair,
St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable
David Price,
Sire, Archon, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Michael McMillan,
Michael McMillan,
License Collector, City of St. Louis
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Charlotte Ottley
Keynote Address
Keynote Address
Vincent T. Volpe, Assistant Professor of Management,
John Cook School of Business, Saint Louis University
Brief Introductions of Panelists
Move to Panel Discussions
Brief Introductions of Panelists
Move to Panel Discussions
Charlotte Ottley
Public Sector Financing Panelists - Session 1
Moderator: Donnell Reid, Member, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and former
Public Sector Financing Panelists - Session 1
Moderator: Donnell Reid, Member, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and former
President, Gateway National Bank
Patrick Banister, Director Business Development,
Patrick Banister, Director Business Development,
St. Louis Development Corporation
Celeste Metcalf,
Celeste Metcalf,
Manager, Urban Enterprise Loan Program, St. Louis Minority Business Council
Page 2
Richard M. (Rick) Palank,
Page 2
Richard M. (Rick) Palank,
Senior Vice President of Business Finance, St. Louis County Economic Council
Lynne C. Steele, Director of Economic Development, Grace Hill Settlement House
Private Sector Financing Panelists - Session 2
Moderator: Carter Dunkin,
Lynne C. Steele, Director of Economic Development, Grace Hill Settlement House
Private Sector Financing Panelists - Session 2
Moderator: Carter Dunkin,
Member, CAAAB Business Roundtable Advisory Group and former Senior Vice President, Advantage Capital Partners Craig Fowler,
Managing Director/Senior Vice-President, Bank of America Capital Access Funds
Sibila Bacon,
Assistant, Home and Micro Business Loans, Justine Petersen.
Temeshia Qualls,
Micro-Enterprise Specialist, Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment, Inc
W. Thomas Reeves,
President, Pulaski Bank
Sponsors
St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Ingersol Rand
KAI – Kennedy Associates Architects
Z's Layout Design Graphics
Pulaski Bank
Grace Hill Settlement House
Sponsors
St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Ingersol Rand
KAI – Kennedy Associates Architects
Z's Layout Design Graphics
Pulaski Bank
Grace Hill Settlement House
Celebration Sunday NOV 2nd
www.HopeandHelpCenter.Org
November 2nd, 2008
9:30 AM & 11:30 AM
112 Sidney Street
On this special Sunday, we invite those who have
not yet made a commitment to do so. We will
celebrate all of the commitments made
throughout the campaign on this day.
For more info visit: http://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org
or email: info@mccgsl.org
November 2nd, 2008
9:30 AM & 11:30 AM
112 Sidney Street
On this special Sunday, we invite those who have
not yet made a commitment to do so. We will
celebrate all of the commitments made
throughout the campaign on this day.
For more info visit: http://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org
or email: info@mccgsl.org
Day of Prayer EVENT tommorow (NOV 1)
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
November 1st , 2008
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1919 S. Broadway
in the parking lot*
There will be a brief (approximately 30 minutes)
time to meet, pray, sing a song, read scripture,
hear the Shofar sounded, and perhaps lay
hands on the building.
* weather permitting
November 1st , 2008
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
1919 S. Broadway
in the parking lot*
There will be a brief (approximately 30 minutes)
time to meet, pray, sing a song, read scripture,
hear the Shofar sounded, and perhaps lay
hands on the building.
* weather permitting
for more information: info@mccgsl.org OR
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Science Cafe NOV 20th- @ Monarch Cafe
November Science Cafe
Learn more about Sustainability.... thinking Green....
being environmentally wise.... helping Mother Earth.
Attend our November 20th
Science Cafe at the Monarch Cafe
6401 ManchesterRd., Maplewood, MO 63143
No charge to attend.
Food and beverage will beavailable for purchase.
No RSVP necessary.
What do scientific issues in the news mean to you? Find out through honest dialogue with those in the know about the most intriguing and controversial subjects of our time. Sit, relax, listen and question. We provide the experts - you bring an open mind.
These events are free and take place at the Monarch Restaurant, 7401 Manchester Road. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
November 20 - Sustainability: Finding Your Way Around
Glenda Abney, Director, EarthWays Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
During this interactive presentation/discussion, the EarthWays Center will explore the rising interest in all things green and will help participants find the right set of steps to advance their own personal sustainability efforts. Resources will be shared, both topically and through local references, on how to incorporate more sustainability options into your daily life.
January 15, 2009 - Medicinal Plants
Dr. Rainer Bussman, William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany, William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources
Plants provide humankind with our most basic resources - food, medicines, fiber, and a whole array of other useful products. Plants provide the molecular basis of many pharmaceuticals, as direct compounds or molecular blueprints. Modern science begins to confirm that the distinction between nutrition and medicine is blurred. More than eighty percent of the world population still depends on plant medicines as their primary health care.
Learn more about Sustainability.... thinking Green....
being environmentally wise.... helping Mother Earth.
Attend our November 20th
Science Cafe at the Monarch Cafe
6401 ManchesterRd., Maplewood, MO 63143
No charge to attend.
Food and beverage will beavailable for purchase.
No RSVP necessary.
What do scientific issues in the news mean to you? Find out through honest dialogue with those in the know about the most intriguing and controversial subjects of our time. Sit, relax, listen and question. We provide the experts - you bring an open mind.
These events are free and take place at the Monarch Restaurant, 7401 Manchester Road. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
November 20 - Sustainability: Finding Your Way Around
Glenda Abney, Director, EarthWays Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
During this interactive presentation/discussion, the EarthWays Center will explore the rising interest in all things green and will help participants find the right set of steps to advance their own personal sustainability efforts. Resources will be shared, both topically and through local references, on how to incorporate more sustainability options into your daily life.
January 15, 2009 - Medicinal Plants
Dr. Rainer Bussman, William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany, William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources
Plants provide humankind with our most basic resources - food, medicines, fiber, and a whole array of other useful products. Plants provide the molecular basis of many pharmaceuticals, as direct compounds or molecular blueprints. Modern science begins to confirm that the distinction between nutrition and medicine is blurred. More than eighty percent of the world population still depends on plant medicines as their primary health care.
Web-based Survey Participants needed
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
The Global Health Council is conducting a web-based survey to assess the
public health community's experience and interest in combating commercial
sexual exploitation of children, an important and vastly under-researched
topic of public health.
Whether you work on this issue or not, please take a brief moment to
complete the Council's survey:
http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=233655971&u=2465514
and share with us your insight into this critical topic. To learn more
about the project - and an opportunity to win a free gift - please read the
letter below.
We greatly appreciate your time,
Todd Lawrence
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial
The Global Health Council is conducting a web-based survey to assess the
public health community's experience and interest in combating commercial
sexual exploitation of children, an important and vastly under-researched
topic of public health.
Whether you work on this issue or not, please take a brief moment to
complete the Council's survey:
http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=233655971&u=2465514
and share with us your insight into this critical topic. To learn more
about the project - and an opportunity to win a free gift - please read the
letter below.
We greatly appreciate your time,
Todd Lawrence
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
GLBT friendly Roomshare U-city
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
$400 Room with bath for GLBT/GLBT friendly student (Univ CIty) (map)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: hous-897296833@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-10-28, 5:19PM CDT
Older GWM has spare room with bath for rent to responsible GLBT or GLBT friendly student.
In good area of town on major bus route.
Must be willing to help keep apartment clean but not at the price of your education.
I'm not looking for anything more than a responsible tenant who's working hard towards his/her goals in life.
W Canterbury at Delmar google map yahoo map
Location: Univ CIty
$400 Room with bath for GLBT/GLBT friendly student (Univ CIty) (map)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: hous-897296833@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-10-28, 5:19PM CDT
Older GWM has spare room with bath for rent to responsible GLBT or GLBT friendly student.
In good area of town on major bus route.
Must be willing to help keep apartment clean but not at the price of your education.
I'm not looking for anything more than a responsible tenant who's working hard towards his/her goals in life.
W Canterbury at Delmar google map yahoo map
Location: Univ CIty
Prescribing HIV drugs sooner is better
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Prescribing HIV drugs sooner is better, new study suggests
By Marilynn Marchione
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
10/27/2008
WASHINGTON — People who have the AIDS virus should start drug treatments sooner than current guidelines recommend, suggests a large new study that could change the care of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
The study found that delaying treatment until a patient's immune system is badly damaged nearly doubles the risk of dying in the next few years compared with patients whose treatment started earlier.
Doctors have thought it would be better to spare patients the side effects of HIV drugs as long as possible.
"The data are rather compelling that the risk of death appears to be higher if you wait than if you treat," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped pay for the study.
If the results prompt doctors to change practice — as Fauci and other AIDS specialists predict — several hundred thousand Americans who are not taking HIV drugs now would be advised to start.
The study was reported Sunday at an infectious diseases conference in Washington.
'HELPER CELLS' FAIL
About 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year. The virus ravages T-cells — "helper cells" of the immune system that fight off germs. Once that happens, people can fall prey to a host of diseases that prove fatal.
Powerful drug combinations available since the mid-1990s have transformed HIV infection into a manageable chronic condition rather than the death sentence it once was. But the drugs can cause heart and cholesterol problems, diarrhea, nausea and other side effects. They also must be taken faithfully or resistance develops and the drugs stop working.
That is why guidelines by the government and the International AIDS Society recommend that patients who are not yet having AIDS symptoms delay starting on the drugs until their T-cell counts fall below 350 per cubic millimeter of blood (healthy people have more than 800). RELATED
Studies: Newer HIV drugs more tolerable for many
"There was this thinking, maybe the drugs were worse than the disease. If you could wait as long as you possibly could wait, you would have fewer side effects," said Dr. Robert Schooley, infectious diseases chief at the University of California in San Diego.
SIDE EFFECTS
The new study is the largest to look at whether that advice is sound. Researchers led by Dr. Mari Kitahata of the University of Washington in Seattle pooled information on 8,374 people in the United States and Canada with T-cell counts of 351 to 500 from 1996 to 2006.
About 30 percent started taking HIV drugs right away; the rest waited until their T-cell counts fell below 350, as guidelines recommend.
"We found a 70 percent improvement in survival for patients who initiated therapy between 350 and 500" compared with those who waited, Kitahata said.
Two other recent studies found that people who start taking HIV drugs while their T-cell count is above 350 have a better chance of getting their count back to normal than those who start later. Another key study found that briefly interrupting treatment to give patients "drug holidays" puts them at grave risk.
"These studies have all shown the same thing — that we were starting too late" and need to keep treatment going once it starts, said Schooley. He helped write the AIDS society guidelines and consults for several companies that make the HIV drugs.
The bigger problem is that as many as a third of people diagnosed with HIV discover they are infected only after their T-cell counts have already fallen below 350 and they have serious complications.
"People are still being tested and identified way too late," and the new study shows how important it is to test and find people sooner, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, an AIDS specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
DRUG ADVANCES
Newer drug combinations that have come out in recent years have fewer side effects. Also, some require only a pill or two a day, making adherence less of an issue.
These advances and the new study justify a fresh look at the guidelines, Fauci said. He predicted that doctors would not wait for them to change to start treating patients sooner.
The new study's findings do not apply to HIV patients who also have hepatitis, kidney damage or other medical problems, or who are pregnant — doctors have long advised that these people start treatment as soon as they are diagnosed.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/461AA64578BE9EB8862574EF000CAF49?OpenDocument
Prescribing HIV drugs sooner is better, new study suggests
By Marilynn Marchione
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
10/27/2008
WASHINGTON — People who have the AIDS virus should start drug treatments sooner than current guidelines recommend, suggests a large new study that could change the care of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
The study found that delaying treatment until a patient's immune system is badly damaged nearly doubles the risk of dying in the next few years compared with patients whose treatment started earlier.
Doctors have thought it would be better to spare patients the side effects of HIV drugs as long as possible.
"The data are rather compelling that the risk of death appears to be higher if you wait than if you treat," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped pay for the study.
If the results prompt doctors to change practice — as Fauci and other AIDS specialists predict — several hundred thousand Americans who are not taking HIV drugs now would be advised to start.
The study was reported Sunday at an infectious diseases conference in Washington.
'HELPER CELLS' FAIL
About 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year. The virus ravages T-cells — "helper cells" of the immune system that fight off germs. Once that happens, people can fall prey to a host of diseases that prove fatal.
Powerful drug combinations available since the mid-1990s have transformed HIV infection into a manageable chronic condition rather than the death sentence it once was. But the drugs can cause heart and cholesterol problems, diarrhea, nausea and other side effects. They also must be taken faithfully or resistance develops and the drugs stop working.
That is why guidelines by the government and the International AIDS Society recommend that patients who are not yet having AIDS symptoms delay starting on the drugs until their T-cell counts fall below 350 per cubic millimeter of blood (healthy people have more than 800). RELATED
Studies: Newer HIV drugs more tolerable for many
"There was this thinking, maybe the drugs were worse than the disease. If you could wait as long as you possibly could wait, you would have fewer side effects," said Dr. Robert Schooley, infectious diseases chief at the University of California in San Diego.
SIDE EFFECTS
The new study is the largest to look at whether that advice is sound. Researchers led by Dr. Mari Kitahata of the University of Washington in Seattle pooled information on 8,374 people in the United States and Canada with T-cell counts of 351 to 500 from 1996 to 2006.
About 30 percent started taking HIV drugs right away; the rest waited until their T-cell counts fell below 350, as guidelines recommend.
"We found a 70 percent improvement in survival for patients who initiated therapy between 350 and 500" compared with those who waited, Kitahata said.
Two other recent studies found that people who start taking HIV drugs while their T-cell count is above 350 have a better chance of getting their count back to normal than those who start later. Another key study found that briefly interrupting treatment to give patients "drug holidays" puts them at grave risk.
"These studies have all shown the same thing — that we were starting too late" and need to keep treatment going once it starts, said Schooley. He helped write the AIDS society guidelines and consults for several companies that make the HIV drugs.
The bigger problem is that as many as a third of people diagnosed with HIV discover they are infected only after their T-cell counts have already fallen below 350 and they have serious complications.
"People are still being tested and identified way too late," and the new study shows how important it is to test and find people sooner, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, an AIDS specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
DRUG ADVANCES
Newer drug combinations that have come out in recent years have fewer side effects. Also, some require only a pill or two a day, making adherence less of an issue.
These advances and the new study justify a fresh look at the guidelines, Fauci said. He predicted that doctors would not wait for them to change to start treating patients sooner.
The new study's findings do not apply to HIV patients who also have hepatitis, kidney damage or other medical problems, or who are pregnant — doctors have long advised that these people start treatment as soon as they are diagnosed.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/461AA64578BE9EB8862574EF000CAF49?OpenDocument
Volunteer Needed (Driver)
A volunteer (DRIVER) is needed to help someone get to work.
A community member that lives on South Broadway at Davis street.
She works assisting people in Home Nursing and Cleaning. She has been helped for a long time by another volenteer, who is no longer financially able to afford driving her.
The worksite Varies: kingshighway & delmar, hampton & tamm, and union road at sunrise.
Anyone able to help (sometimes or often) may contact us: webmaster@hopeandhelpcenter.org
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
SAGE's Expert Forum now available
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
SAGE is excited to announce a new resource available to you through the SAGE Metro St. Louis Website. "SAGE's Ask the Expert Forum Directory" is an online resource forum hosted by the founding SAGE, SAGE USA, and made available to SAGE affiliates. At SAGE's Ask the Expert, you can ask questions related to LGBT aging, life planning, your rights and the law. To access this sight simply go to the SAGE Metro St. Louis website and click on the "Ask the Expert" tab.
We thank SAGE USA for making this resource available to LGBT older adults in Metro St. Louis. Please feel free to share this information with your family and friends!
SAGE Metro St. Louis
(314) 821-4845
http://www.sagemetrostl.org/
ASK THE EXPERTS ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS AND THE LAW
Kate Kendell, Esq., (Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights) and Rose Saxe (Staff Attorney, ACLU) answer your questions about civil rights of lgbt people and their families, public
SAGE is excited to announce a new resource available to you through the SAGE Metro St. Louis Website. "SAGE's Ask the Expert Forum Directory" is an online resource forum hosted by the founding SAGE, SAGE USA, and made available to SAGE affiliates. At SAGE's Ask the Expert, you can ask questions related to LGBT aging, life planning, your rights and the law. To access this sight simply go to the SAGE Metro St. Louis website and click on the "Ask the Expert" tab.
We thank SAGE USA for making this resource available to LGBT older adults in Metro St. Louis. Please feel free to share this information with your family and friends!
SAGE Metro St. Louis
(314) 821-4845
http://www.sagemetrostl.org/
ASK THE EXPERTS ABOUT GENERAL LGBT AGING ISSUES
Harold Kooden (Clinical Psychologist) and Kenneth Stewart (Village Care NY) answer your questions about senior housing, socializing, dealing with loss, coming out and more.
ASK THE EXPERTS ABOUT LIFE PLANNING
Thomas Sciacca (attorney) and William Bowden (financial representative) answer your questions about government entitlements, health care proxy, domestic partnerships, landlord and tenant rights, retirement solutions, insurance (life and disability), investment services, and estate planning (including charitable giving and long term care insurance).
ASK THE EXPERTS ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS AND THE LAW
Kate Kendell, Esq., (Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights) and Rose Saxe (Staff Attorney, ACLU) answer your questions about civil rights of lgbt people and their families, public
"Remembrance & Hope" OCT 30 (THURS)
October 30th 2008-
The Ezekiel Project Ministry Team invites you to
The Ezekiel Project Ministry Team invites you to
"Remembrance & Hope",
a service to celebrate and remember those who have died and those who live daily with HIV/AIDS.
Thursday October 30th at 7pm at Central Reform Congregation (CRC)
http://www.centralreform.org/
5020 Waterman BlvdSt Louis, MO 63108(314) 361-3919Get directions
Thursday October 30th at 7pm at Central Reform Congregation (CRC)
http://www.centralreform.org/
5020 Waterman BlvdSt Louis, MO 63108(314) 361-3919Get directions
Monday, October 27, 2008
Weekly Devotional 10-26-08
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Building Together: Interior Decorating
October 26, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
A house is made a home when loving people gather and they bring expressions of God's love to life. Color, design, furnishings, and artwork all tell us about the person or people who own/s the house; these elements bring warmth, creativity and character to the home. When I think about my home, I want it to be welcoming and comfortable for guests. I want it to reflect who I am, my values, my tastes, and my character. My home is a place for me to extend hospitality to others. My fondest memories are long meals with friends gathered around one of our dining rooms tables; evenings that included laughter, games, fellowship and fabulous food. Hospitality feeds us spiritually as well as physically. It draws us in, invites us into relationship with one another and moves us to a new level of safety with each other.
We have laid a solid foundation with Christ as our cornerstone. We have built walls that separate us from the world so that we can experience renewal. We have put up a roof to protect us from the outside elements and given our highest praise to God. Now we can turn our attention to interior decorating. We can select the furnishings that will allow us to convey our unique character and our best self to the world. In my home it is the small details of color and shape that pull the individual rooms together. Each room in our place to call home will have its own distinct character and yet, there will be congruent themes running throughout the whole place.
The gospel of John states that "In my Heavenly Parent's house there are many rooms..." and so it will be with our new church facility. Not everyone will be drawn to the same room, we all have many gifts and they are different from one another. The spirit has gifted each one of us differently and so some will want to design the kitchen, and they will gather there to offer the hospitality of food. Others will have visions about the children's ministry or the choir room. I trust that God will bless us with lots of ideas and lots of creative energy. With God's love and guidance as our highest good, we cannot make a mistake in determining the form or function of the spaces we will call home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
Building Together: Interior Decorating
October 26, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
A house is made a home when loving people gather and they bring expressions of God's love to life. Color, design, furnishings, and artwork all tell us about the person or people who own/s the house; these elements bring warmth, creativity and character to the home. When I think about my home, I want it to be welcoming and comfortable for guests. I want it to reflect who I am, my values, my tastes, and my character. My home is a place for me to extend hospitality to others. My fondest memories are long meals with friends gathered around one of our dining rooms tables; evenings that included laughter, games, fellowship and fabulous food. Hospitality feeds us spiritually as well as physically. It draws us in, invites us into relationship with one another and moves us to a new level of safety with each other.
We have laid a solid foundation with Christ as our cornerstone. We have built walls that separate us from the world so that we can experience renewal. We have put up a roof to protect us from the outside elements and given our highest praise to God. Now we can turn our attention to interior decorating. We can select the furnishings that will allow us to convey our unique character and our best self to the world. In my home it is the small details of color and shape that pull the individual rooms together. Each room in our place to call home will have its own distinct character and yet, there will be congruent themes running throughout the whole place.
The gospel of John states that "In my Heavenly Parent's house there are many rooms..." and so it will be with our new church facility. Not everyone will be drawn to the same room, we all have many gifts and they are different from one another. The spirit has gifted each one of us differently and so some will want to design the kitchen, and they will gather there to offer the hospitality of food. Others will have visions about the children's ministry or the choir room. I trust that God will bless us with lots of ideas and lots of creative energy. With God's love and guidance as our highest good, we cannot make a mistake in determining the form or function of the spaces we will call home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
Creating a Life That Matters NOV 3RD
Next Class is November 3rd at 1919 South Broadway
Creating a Life that Matters is all about relationships: intentional, authentic relationships - with the Sacred, our Self, and our Passion. CLM transforms lives and inspires people to more directed, clear, passionate involvement in their life and in the life of the planet, through the support of their local MCC.
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Weekly Devotional 10-26-08
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Building Together: Interior Decorating
October 26, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
A house is made a home when loving people gather and they bring expressions of God's love to life. Color, design, furnishings, and artwork all tell us about the person or people who own/s the house; these elements bring warmth, creativity and character to the home. When I think about my home, I want it to be welcoming and comfortable for guests. I want it to reflect who I am, my values, my tastes, and my character. My home is a place for me to extend hospitality to others. My fondest memories are long meals with friends gathered around one of our dining rooms tables; evenings that included laughter, games, fellowship and fabulous food. Hospitality feeds us spiritually as well as physically. It draws us in, invites us into relationship with one another and moves us to a new level of safety with each other.
We have laid a solid foundation with Christ as our cornerstone. We have built walls that separate us from the world so that we can experience renewal. We have put up a roof to protect us from the outside elements and given our highest praise to God. Now we can turn our attention to interior decorating. We can select the furnishings that will allow us to convey our unique character and our best self to the world. In my home it is the small details of color and shape that pull the individual rooms together. Each room in our place to call home will have its own distinct character and yet, there will be congruent themes running throughout the whole place.
The gospel of John states that "In my Heavenly Parent's house there are many rooms..." and so it will be with our new church facility. Not everyone will be drawn to the same room, we all have many gifts and they are different from one another. The spirit has gifted each one of us differently and so some will want to design the kitchen, and they will gather there to offer the hospitality of food. Others will have visions about the children's ministry or the choir room. I trust that God will bless us with lots of ideas and lots of creative energy. With God's love and guidance as our highest good, we cannot make a mistake in determining the form or function of the spaces we will call home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
Building Together: Interior Decorating
October 26, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
A house is made a home when loving people gather and they bring expressions of God's love to life. Color, design, furnishings, and artwork all tell us about the person or people who own/s the house; these elements bring warmth, creativity and character to the home. When I think about my home, I want it to be welcoming and comfortable for guests. I want it to reflect who I am, my values, my tastes, and my character. My home is a place for me to extend hospitality to others. My fondest memories are long meals with friends gathered around one of our dining rooms tables; evenings that included laughter, games, fellowship and fabulous food. Hospitality feeds us spiritually as well as physically. It draws us in, invites us into relationship with one another and moves us to a new level of safety with each other.
We have laid a solid foundation with Christ as our cornerstone. We have built walls that separate us from the world so that we can experience renewal. We have put up a roof to protect us from the outside elements and given our highest praise to God. Now we can turn our attention to interior decorating. We can select the furnishings that will allow us to convey our unique character and our best self to the world. In my home it is the small details of color and shape that pull the individual rooms together. Each room in our place to call home will have its own distinct character and yet, there will be congruent themes running throughout the whole place.
The gospel of John states that "In my Heavenly Parent's house there are many rooms..." and so it will be with our new church facility. Not everyone will be drawn to the same room, we all have many gifts and they are different from one another. The spirit has gifted each one of us differently and so some will want to design the kitchen, and they will gather there to offer the hospitality of food. Others will have visions about the children's ministry or the choir room. I trust that God will bless us with lots of ideas and lots of creative energy. With God's love and guidance as our highest good, we cannot make a mistake in determining the form or function of the spaces we will call home.
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You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
"The Spot" New Teen Center now OPEN!
www .HopeandHelpCenter.org
The "SPOT" is the Place to Be!
(A community center for Teens & Youth)
Ages 13 to 24)
Are you looking for something to do?
Visit the "SPOT" a local youth community center!
LEARN MORE
**Cool Place to hang out, Watch TV, use a Computer or play GAMES
**Get a Snack, and relax!
** Find a JOB,Talk to a Counselor, Find a Doctor, ask questions and get answers...
**Safe and Confidential services (Just for you!)
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL
WHERE?
(Between Boyle & Sarah)
First Floor
4169 Laclede
St. Louis, MO 63108
WHEN? MONDAY - FRIDAY 1 to 5 PM
WHO's Gonna be there?
Anyone 13 to 24 is Welcome!
Project ARK
AIDS/HIV Resources & Knowledge
4169 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
phone: 314.535.7275
fax: 314.535.1814
http://projectark.wustl.edu/
The colorful and modern drop-in center has a living room with cozy furniture and computers, offices for physicians and staff, exam rooms, a kitchenette, showers, lockers and laundry facilities.
The SPOT relies on a variety of community partnerships for clients and services, including Youth in Need, Epworth Children & Family Services, Planned Parenthood/St. Louis Region, St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and local health departments.
The "SPOT" is the Place to Be!
(A community center for Teens & Youth)
Ages 13 to 24)
Are you looking for something to do?
Visit the "SPOT" a local youth community center!
LEARN MORE
**Cool Place to hang out, Watch TV, use a Computer or play GAMES
**Get a Snack, and relax!
** Find a JOB,Talk to a Counselor, Find a Doctor, ask questions and get answers...
**Safe and Confidential services (Just for you!)
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL
WHERE?
(Between Boyle & Sarah)
First Floor
4169 Laclede
St. Louis, MO 63108
WHEN? MONDAY - FRIDAY 1 to 5 PM
WHO's Gonna be there?
Anyone 13 to 24 is Welcome!
Project ARK
AIDS/HIV Resources & Knowledge
4169 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
phone: 314.535.7275
fax: 314.535.1814
http://projectark.wustl.edu/
The colorful and modern drop-in center has a living room with cozy furniture and computers, offices for physicians and staff, exam rooms, a kitchenette, showers, lockers and laundry facilities.
The SPOT relies on a variety of community partnerships for clients and services, including Youth in Need, Epworth Children & Family Services, Planned Parenthood/St. Louis Region, St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and local health departments.
Creating a Life That Matters NOV 3RD
Next Class is November 3rd at 1919 South Broadway
Creating a Life that Matters is all about relationships: intentional, authentic relationships - with the Sacred, our Self, and our Passion. CLM transforms lives and inspires people to more directed, clear, passionate involvement in their life and in the life of the planet, through the support of their local MCC.
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Free FLU SHOTS - until December
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
2008 FREE FLU SHOTS
Here is a list BY ZIP CODE, where to receive your free FLU SHOTS.
63101 – St. Patrick Center – Shamrock Club
800 N. Tucker
11/17/2008, Monday
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
63104 – Isaiah 58 Food Pantry & Thrift Store
2149 S. Grand
11/24/2008, Monday
8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
63104 – St. Vincent’s Church Meal Program for the Underserved
1410 S. 10th St.
10/28/2008, Tuesday
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
63108 – Pilgrim Congregation UCC Meal Program for the Underserved
826 N. Union
10/29/2008, Wednesday
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
63111 – St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church
5418 Louisiana
11/9/2008, Sunday
9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
63111 – St. Trinity Lutheran Food Pantry
517 W. Koeln
11/22/2008, Saturday
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63112 – St. Augustine Wellston Food Pantry
1705 Kienlen
12/2/2008, Tuesday
8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
63116 – Aboussie (Bevo) Senior Residence
4635 Ridgewood Ave.
11/11/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
63116 – Grand Oak Hill Senior Center
4168 Juniata
10/30/2008, Thursday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – 5 Star Senior Center
2832 Arsenal
10/24/2008, Friday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – Guardian Angel Settlement
Hosea House Food Pantry & Thrift Store
2635 Gravois
11/4/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – St. Agatha’s Church Food Pantry
930 Withnell
11/3/2008, Monday
11/6/2008, Thursday
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
63147 – Our Lady of the Holy Cross Food Pantry
8115 Church Rd.
11/11/2008, Tuesday
6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
ESL Family Center and Food Pantry
East St. Louis, IL
11/18/2008, Tuesday
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Food Pantry
Festus, MO
10/28/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Free flu shots are also being offered by Barnes Jewish and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Call 314-867-3627 for locations and times.
2008 FREE FLU SHOTS
Here is a list BY ZIP CODE, where to receive your free FLU SHOTS.
63101 – St. Patrick Center – Shamrock Club
800 N. Tucker
11/17/2008, Monday
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
63104 – Isaiah 58 Food Pantry & Thrift Store
2149 S. Grand
11/24/2008, Monday
8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
63104 – St. Vincent’s Church Meal Program for the Underserved
1410 S. 10th St.
10/28/2008, Tuesday
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
63108 – Pilgrim Congregation UCC Meal Program for the Underserved
826 N. Union
10/29/2008, Wednesday
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
63111 – St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church
5418 Louisiana
11/9/2008, Sunday
9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
63111 – St. Trinity Lutheran Food Pantry
517 W. Koeln
11/22/2008, Saturday
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63112 – St. Augustine Wellston Food Pantry
1705 Kienlen
12/2/2008, Tuesday
8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
63116 – Aboussie (Bevo) Senior Residence
4635 Ridgewood Ave.
11/11/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
63116 – Grand Oak Hill Senior Center
4168 Juniata
10/30/2008, Thursday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – 5 Star Senior Center
2832 Arsenal
10/24/2008, Friday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – Guardian Angel Settlement
Hosea House Food Pantry & Thrift Store
2635 Gravois
11/4/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
63118 – St. Agatha’s Church Food Pantry
930 Withnell
11/3/2008, Monday
11/6/2008, Thursday
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
63147 – Our Lady of the Holy Cross Food Pantry
8115 Church Rd.
11/11/2008, Tuesday
6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
ESL Family Center and Food Pantry
East St. Louis, IL
11/18/2008, Tuesday
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Food Pantry
Festus, MO
10/28/2008, Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Free flu shots are also being offered by Barnes Jewish and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Call 314-867-3627 for locations and times.
Creating a Life That Matters NOV 3RD
Next Class is November 3rd at 1919 South Broadway
Creating a Life that Matters is all about relationships: intentional, authentic relationships - with the Sacred, our Self, and our Passion. CLM transforms lives and inspires people to more directed, clear, passionate involvement in their life and in the life of the planet, through the support of their local MCC.
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Download the CLM Informational Brochure!
Church-Wide EVENT TONITE at 7PM
Building Together Church Wide Event-October 25
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis invites you to join us in celebrating God's vision for the future of our churchBuilding Together: A Place to Call HomeOctober 25th, 20087:00 PM - 10:00 PMJames S. McDonnell PlanetariumForest Park Entrancehttp://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org/Dressy casual attire is suggestedLight hors d'oeuvres will be servedCash bar will be availableCLICK HERE TO RSVPor: 314-361-3221 x 14A member of the Building Together Teamwill call to confirm your reservation.
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis invites you to join us in celebrating God's vision for the future of our churchBuilding Together: A Place to Call HomeOctober 25th, 20087:00 PM - 10:00 PMJames S. McDonnell PlanetariumForest Park Entrancehttp://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org/Dressy casual attire is suggestedLight hors d'oeuvres will be servedCash bar will be availableCLICK HERE TO RSVPor: 314-361-3221 x 14A member of the Building Together Teamwill call to confirm your reservation.
Friday, October 24, 2008
October E-News Update
MCCGSL E-News Update is now available!
www.HopeandHelpCenter.Org
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WHOLE STORY
In this issue:
In This Issue
Building Together Online
Construction Zone
Letter from Rev. Carol
Our need
Faith Stories
Upcoming Events
The Hope and Help Center
Tid Bits
Calendar of Activities
To Subscribe to E-updates email: danny@mccgsl.org
www.HopeandHelpCenter.Org
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WHOLE STORY
In this issue:
In This Issue
Building Together Online
Construction Zone
Letter from Rev. Carol
Our need
Faith Stories
Upcoming Events
The Hope and Help Center
Tid Bits
Calendar of Activities
To Subscribe to E-updates email: danny@mccgsl.org
Volunteer Needed (Driver)
A volunteer (DRIVER) is needed to help someone get to work.
A community member that lives on South Broadway at Davis street.
She works assisting people in Home Nursing and Cleaning. She has been helped for a long time by another volenteer, who is no longer financially able to afford driving her.
The worksite Varies: kingshighway & delmar, hampton & tamm, and union road at sunrise.
Anyone able to help (sometimes or often) may contact us: webmaster@hopeandhelpcenter.org
New Video Sermons now available!
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
The communications team have released the lastest video features available at http://vimeo.com/2049870 (Prophethood of all Believers) A special thanks to Katie Hotze for all of her hard work in allowing people around the globe share in our amazing gifts available at MCCGSL
from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
"The Prophethood of All Believers" from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
The communications team have released the lastest video features available at http://vimeo.com/2049870 (Prophethood of all Believers) A special thanks to Katie Hotze for all of her hard work in allowing people around the globe share in our amazing gifts available at MCCGSL
from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
"The Prophethood of All Believers" from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Volunteer Needed
A volunteer (DRIVER) is needed to help someone get to work.
A community member that lives on South Broadway at Davis street.
She works assisting people in Home Nursing and Cleaning. She has been helped for a long time by another volenteer, who is no longer financially able to afford driving her.
The worksite Varies: kingshighway & delmar, hampton & tamm, and union road at sunrise.
Anyone able to help (sometimes or often) may contact us: webmaster@hopeandhelpcenter.org
New Video Sermons now available!
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
The communications team have released the lastest video features available at http://vimeo.com/2047082 (Groundbreaking Ceremony) is just one of several now available.
A special thanks to Katie Hotze for all of her hard work in allowing people around the globe share in our amazing gifts available at MCCGSSL
Ground Breaking Ceremony from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
The communications team have released the lastest video features available at http://vimeo.com/2047082 (Groundbreaking Ceremony) is just one of several now available.
A special thanks to Katie Hotze for all of her hard work in allowing people around the globe share in our amazing gifts available at MCCGSSL
Ground Breaking Ceremony from MCC of Greater St. Louis on Vimeo.
Warm Hands, Warm Heart?
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Warm Hands, Warm Heart?
Holding Warm Things May Make People More Generous, Likely to View Others More Favorably, Researchers Say
By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDOct. 23, 2008 --
You're probably familiar with the expression, "cold hands, warm heart." Now there's science to show the opposite is true.
Lawrence Williams, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and John A. Bargh, PhD, professor of psychology at Yale University, conducted two studies on undergraduate students to assess how temperatures affect emotions. They found that holding warm things may actually make people view others more favorably and may also make people more generous.
The first study included 41 college students with an average age of 18.5. A tester met each participant in the lobby of the building where the tests were being conducted. In the elevator on the way up, the tester casually asked the participant to hold his cup of coffee while he recorded some information on his clipboard. The participant did not know the coffee was part of the experiment. Half the participants were asked to hold a cup of warm coffee and half were asked to hold a cup of iced coffee.
Once in the testing room, participants were given a packet of information on an unknown person described with words like intelligent, skillful, industrious, practical, and cautious. Participants were then asked to evaluate the person's personality using a questionnaire. Participants who had held the warm coffee were much more likely to score the pretend person as warmer than those who had held the iced coffee.
"When we ask whether someone is a warm person or cold person, they both have a temperature of 98.6," Bargh, co-author of the paper, says in a news release. "These terms implicitly tap into the primitive experience of what it means to be warm and cold."
In the second experiment, 53 participants were asked to hold either a hot or cold therapeutic pad. Participants thought their role was to evaluate the product. After the "test," they were offered a reward for themselves or a treat for a friend. The people who had held the warm pad were more likely to choose the reward for the friend.
"It appears that the effect of physical temperature is not just on how we see others, it affects our own behavior as well," Bargh says. "Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer -- more generous and trusting -- as well."
Williams, the study's lead author, says in a news release, "At a board meeting, for instance, being willing to reach out and touch another human being, to share their hand, those experiences do matter although we may not always be aware of them."
Warm Hands, Warm Heart?
Holding Warm Things May Make People More Generous, Likely to View Others More Favorably, Researchers Say
By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDOct. 23, 2008 --
You're probably familiar with the expression, "cold hands, warm heart." Now there's science to show the opposite is true.
Lawrence Williams, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and John A. Bargh, PhD, professor of psychology at Yale University, conducted two studies on undergraduate students to assess how temperatures affect emotions. They found that holding warm things may actually make people view others more favorably and may also make people more generous.
The first study included 41 college students with an average age of 18.5. A tester met each participant in the lobby of the building where the tests were being conducted. In the elevator on the way up, the tester casually asked the participant to hold his cup of coffee while he recorded some information on his clipboard. The participant did not know the coffee was part of the experiment. Half the participants were asked to hold a cup of warm coffee and half were asked to hold a cup of iced coffee.
Once in the testing room, participants were given a packet of information on an unknown person described with words like intelligent, skillful, industrious, practical, and cautious. Participants were then asked to evaluate the person's personality using a questionnaire. Participants who had held the warm coffee were much more likely to score the pretend person as warmer than those who had held the iced coffee.
"When we ask whether someone is a warm person or cold person, they both have a temperature of 98.6," Bargh, co-author of the paper, says in a news release. "These terms implicitly tap into the primitive experience of what it means to be warm and cold."
In the second experiment, 53 participants were asked to hold either a hot or cold therapeutic pad. Participants thought their role was to evaluate the product. After the "test," they were offered a reward for themselves or a treat for a friend. The people who had held the warm pad were more likely to choose the reward for the friend.
"It appears that the effect of physical temperature is not just on how we see others, it affects our own behavior as well," Bargh says. "Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer -- more generous and trusting -- as well."
Williams, the study's lead author, says in a news release, "At a board meeting, for instance, being willing to reach out and touch another human being, to share their hand, those experiences do matter although we may not always be aware of them."
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Black Leadership Roundtable NOV 14th
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
The St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable’s Center for the Acceleration of African American Business and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity are hosting a series of conferences, beginning with “Leveraging Capital from the Public and Private Sectors”, 5 – 8 pm Friday, November 14, 2008, Millennium Student Center University of Missouri – St. Louis. We are expecting between 150 – 200 business owners to attend this meeting.
Three other conferences are being planned in 2009 for our Business Conference Series:
· Part II: Leveraging Opportunities in Construction: City/County Development
· Part III: Leveraging Procurement Opportunities with Corporations and Large Organizations, and
· Part IV: Leveraging Opportunities on Consumer Products: Franchises and Retail Operations
Each workshop in the series is designed to provide actionable information that will help propel your business forward. Please see the attached flyer for additional information and to register go online to www.wecareworldwide.com/aabc.htm or call (314) 367-8822.
We are looking forward to seeing you on November 14th.
Thanks,
Eddie G. Davis
Chair, Economic Development Committee, St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable and
Director, Center for the Acceleration of African-American Business
415 DeBaliviere
St. Louis, MO 63112
(314) 367-8822 office
(314) 367-9865 fax
(314) 322-9542 cell
The Roundtable’s mission is to improve the quality of life for African–Americans in the St. Louis metropolitan region. This is accomplished through dialogue, catalytic partnership and direct action. The Roundtable focuses on education, economic development, healthcare, voter awareness and social justice. The Economic Development Committee designs and implements a regional economic development strategy with an emphasis on promoting African–American business ownership. The committee has created the Center for the Acceleration of African American Business (the Center) to provide resources to support the growth and development of businesses owned by African Americans.
The St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable’s Center for the Acceleration of African American Business and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity are hosting a series of conferences, beginning with “Leveraging Capital from the Public and Private Sectors”, 5 – 8 pm Friday, November 14, 2008, Millennium Student Center University of Missouri – St. Louis. We are expecting between 150 – 200 business owners to attend this meeting.
Three other conferences are being planned in 2009 for our Business Conference Series:
· Part II: Leveraging Opportunities in Construction: City/County Development
· Part III: Leveraging Procurement Opportunities with Corporations and Large Organizations, and
· Part IV: Leveraging Opportunities on Consumer Products: Franchises and Retail Operations
Each workshop in the series is designed to provide actionable information that will help propel your business forward. Please see the attached flyer for additional information and to register go online to www.wecareworldwide.com/aabc.htm or call (314) 367-8822.
We are looking forward to seeing you on November 14th.
Thanks,
Eddie G. Davis
Chair, Economic Development Committee, St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable and
Director, Center for the Acceleration of African-American Business
415 DeBaliviere
St. Louis, MO 63112
(314) 367-8822 office
(314) 367-9865 fax
(314) 322-9542 cell
The Roundtable’s mission is to improve the quality of life for African–Americans in the St. Louis metropolitan region. This is accomplished through dialogue, catalytic partnership and direct action. The Roundtable focuses on education, economic development, healthcare, voter awareness and social justice. The Economic Development Committee designs and implements a regional economic development strategy with an emphasis on promoting African–American business ownership. The committee has created the Center for the Acceleration of African American Business (the Center) to provide resources to support the growth and development of businesses owned by African Americans.
Free Breast Cancer Screens Nov 19th
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Community Breast Cancer Screening
Date: Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008
Place: Pilgrim Congregational
UCC Church
826 N. Union Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63108
Free Mammograms and Breast Exams for Uninsured Women
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Appointments are required
Please call Sheila, the Parish Nurse, at
Sheila's direct line is 314-584-6447.
$10 Schnucks Gift Card
for All Women
Who Have a Mammogram
All women 40 years of age and older are encouraged to have yearly mammograms.
If uninsured bring: If insured bring:
— Proof of income — Insurance card
— Picture ID
Community Breast Cancer Screening
Date: Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008
Place: Pilgrim Congregational
UCC Church
826 N. Union Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63108
Free Mammograms and Breast Exams for Uninsured Women
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Appointments are required
Please call Sheila, the Parish Nurse, at
Sheila's direct line is 314-584-6447.
$10 Schnucks Gift Card
for All Women
Who Have a Mammogram
All women 40 years of age and older are encouraged to have yearly mammograms.
If uninsured bring: If insured bring:
— Proof of income — Insurance card
— Picture ID
Viral Loads and Inflammation Explain Increased Cardio Risk
October 21, 2008
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
SMART Study: Viral Loads and Inflammation Explain Increased Cardio Risk
Untreated HIV may increase the risk of artery blockage and blood clots, according to new data from the international Strategies for the Management of Anti-Retroviral Therapy
(SMART) published October 21 in the online journal PLoS Medicine. According to the SMART authors, a high viral load is associated with increases in specific proteins that have been linked to blood vessel inflammation and may explain higher rates of cardiovascular disease among HIV-positive people not on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the study.
Much has been written about the greater risk of heart attacks and deaths among people who interrupted or delayed ARV therapy in the SMART study. SMART compared people who remained on continuous ARV therapy with people who either delayed or stopped treatment until their CD4 counts fell below 250 cells.
The study’s authors have suggested that uncontrolled HIV replication while people were off ARV therapy over-stimulated the body’s defense mechanisms, ultimately increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the exact mechanism by which this would have occurred has not been proved.
To determine the role of inflammatory markers in the risk of cardiovascular disease and deaths, Lewis Kuller, MD, PhD, from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and his SMART colleagues examined stored blood samples from SMART study participants. Kuller’s team first compared the levels of the six proteins between the 85 people who died of any cause in the study with the levels of 170 survivors of similar ages and other characteristics. The team found that three proteins—hsCRP, IL-6 and D-dimer—were significantly higher in those who died than in the survivors.
The team then looked for the relationship between these three inflammatory proteins and whether people remained on continuous treatment, with undetectable viral loads, or were off treatment, and thus had elevated viral loads. Higher levels of IL-6 and D-dimer, both of which have been tied to artery blockage (arteriosclerosis) and blood clots (thrombosis), were much more common in people with high viral loads.
The authors write that the association between deaths and the proteins IL-6 and D-dimer was particularly strong in the SMART study, even more so than in other studies that have examined the role of these inflammatory markers and cardiovascular disease and deaths in HIV-negative people.
Moreover, because high IL-6 and D-dimer levels were more likely to be seen in people with higher viral loads, the authors state that viral replication most likely drives inflammation, which in turn is strongly associated with deaths. Kuller and his colleagues suggest that further research be conducted to confirm these results and to explore whether limiting inflammation could reduce the risk of death in people with HIV.
Search: Inflammation, SMART, INSIGHT, treatment interruption, Interleukin-6, IL6, C reactive protein, hsCRP, D-dimer, thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, deaths, cardiovascular, Lewis Kuller, University of Pittsburgh
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Remembering Buck Postawko this Oct 21st
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
James (Buck) Michael Postawko (12)
December 9 1994 - October 21 2007
Fenton, MO (Suicide while at home)
Buck Postawko is only ONE of the more than 1,700 LGBT youth that commit suicide each year. As the editor at DanielMcCree.Org, it was Buck who inspired much of what the website is today. And I have come to know Roxanne, his loving mother- through her work with virtual memorials.
I invite everyone to learn more about this boys amazing life!
http://danielmccree.org/postawko.aspx
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Monday, October 20, 2008
"The Spot" New Teen Center now OPEN!
www .HopeandHelpCenter.org
The "SPOT" is the Place to Be!
(A community center for Teens & Youth)
Ages 13 to 24)
Are you looking for something to do?
Visit the "SPOT" a local youth community center!
LEARN MORE
**Cool Place to hang out, Watch TV, use a Computer or play GAMES
**Get a Snack, and relax!
** Find a JOB,Talk to a Counselor, Find a Doctor, ask questions and get answers...
**Safe and Confidential services (Just for you!)
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL
WHERE?
(Between Boyle & Sarah)
First Floor
4169 Laclede
St. Louis, MO 63108
WHEN? MONDAY - FRIDAY 1 to 5 PM
WHO's Gonna be there?
Anyone 13 to 24 is Welcome!
Project ARK
AIDS/HIV Resources & Knowledge
4169 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
phone: 314.535.7275
fax: 314.535.1814
http://projectark.wustl.edu/
The colorful and modern drop-in center has a living room with cozy furniture and computers, offices for physicians and staff, exam rooms, a kitchenette, showers, lockers and laundry facilities.
The SPOT relies on a variety of community partnerships for clients and services, including Youth in Need, Epworth Children & Family Services, Planned Parenthood/St. Louis Region, St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and local health departments.
The "SPOT" is the Place to Be!
(A community center for Teens & Youth)
Ages 13 to 24)
Are you looking for something to do?
Visit the "SPOT" a local youth community center!
LEARN MORE
**Cool Place to hang out, Watch TV, use a Computer or play GAMES
**Get a Snack, and relax!
** Find a JOB,Talk to a Counselor, Find a Doctor, ask questions and get answers...
**Safe and Confidential services (Just for you!)
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL
WHERE?
(Between Boyle & Sarah)
First Floor
4169 Laclede
St. Louis, MO 63108
WHEN? MONDAY - FRIDAY 1 to 5 PM
WHO's Gonna be there?
Anyone 13 to 24 is Welcome!
Project ARK
AIDS/HIV Resources & Knowledge
4169 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
phone: 314.535.7275
fax: 314.535.1814
http://projectark.wustl.edu/
The colorful and modern drop-in center has a living room with cozy furniture and computers, offices for physicians and staff, exam rooms, a kitchenette, showers, lockers and laundry facilities.
The SPOT relies on a variety of community partnerships for clients and services, including Youth in Need, Epworth Children & Family Services, Planned Parenthood/St. Louis Region, St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and local health departments.
Breast Cancer Screening NOV 19th
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Community Breast Cancer Screening
Date: Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008
Place: Pilgrim Congregational
UCC Church
826 N. Union Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63108
Free Mammograms and Breast Exams for Uninsured Women
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Appointments are required
Please call Sheila, the Parish Nurse, at
Sheila's direct line is 314-584-6447.
$10 Schnucks Gift Card
for All Women
Who Have a Mammogram
All women 40 years of age and older are encouraged to have yearly mammograms.
If uninsured bring: If insured bring:
— Proof of income — Insurance card
— Picture ID
Community Breast Cancer Screening
Date: Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008
Place: Pilgrim Congregational
UCC Church
826 N. Union Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63108
Free Mammograms and Breast Exams for Uninsured Women
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Appointments are required
Please call Sheila, the Parish Nurse, at
Sheila's direct line is 314-584-6447.
$10 Schnucks Gift Card
for All Women
Who Have a Mammogram
All women 40 years of age and older are encouraged to have yearly mammograms.
If uninsured bring: If insured bring:
— Proof of income — Insurance card
— Picture ID
Sunday, October 19, 2008
"Remembrance & Hope", Oct 30th (THURS)
October 30th 2008-
The Ezekiel Project Ministry Team invites you to
The Ezekiel Project Ministry Team invites you to
"Remembrance & Hope",
a service to celebrate and remember those who have died and those who live daily with HIV/AIDS.
Thursday October 30th at 7pm at Central Reform Congregation (CRC)
http://www.centralreform.org/
5020 Waterman BlvdSt Louis, MO 63108(314) 361-3919Get directions
Thursday October 30th at 7pm at Central Reform Congregation (CRC)
http://www.centralreform.org/
5020 Waterman BlvdSt Louis, MO 63108(314) 361-3919Get directions
Church Wide Event-October 25
Building Together Church Wide Event-October 25
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis invites you to join us in celebrating God's vision for the future of our churchBuilding Together: A Place to Call HomeOctober 25th, 20087:00 PM - 10:00 PMJames S. McDonnell PlanetariumForest Park Entrancehttp://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org/Dressy casual attire is suggestedLight hors d'oeuvres will be servedCash bar will be availableCLICK HERE TO RSVPor: 314-361-3221 x 14A member of the Building Together Teamwill call to confirm your reservation.
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis invites you to join us in celebrating God's vision for the future of our churchBuilding Together: A Place to Call HomeOctober 25th, 20087:00 PM - 10:00 PMJames S. McDonnell PlanetariumForest Park Entrancehttp://buildingtogether.mccgsl.org/Dressy casual attire is suggestedLight hors d'oeuvres will be servedCash bar will be availableCLICK HERE TO RSVPor: 314-361-3221 x 14A member of the Building Together Teamwill call to confirm your reservation.
JP has a job opening!
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
justinePETERSEN, a non-profit housing organzation has an immediate opening for someone with cash-handling experience, to assist us in clerical needs preparing for micro loan closings.
The position offers 40 hrs/wk, and may be ideal for anyone with experience as Bank Teller or other financial institution. (All applicants considered). Compensation will depend on experience.
JP is a great organization to work for, and a healthy work environment with steady income.
Anyone interested can contact: ckluthe@justinepetersen.org
Visit online at: http://www.justinepetersen.org/
Posted by "D's Cheeze" at 10:57 AM 0 comments
Labels: Community News, jobs
justinePETERSEN, a non-profit housing organzation has an immediate opening for someone with cash-handling experience, to assist us in clerical needs preparing for micro loan closings.
The position offers 40 hrs/wk, and may be ideal for anyone with experience as Bank Teller or other financial institution. (All applicants considered). Compensation will depend on experience.
JP is a great organization to work for, and a healthy work environment with steady income.
Anyone interested can contact: ckluthe@justinepetersen.org
Visit online at: http://www.justinepetersen.org/
Posted by "D's Cheeze" at 10:57 AM 0 comments
Labels: Community News, jobs
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Tomorrow is PINK SUNDAY!!
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
This Sunday MCC will commerate the "Race for the Cure", and encourage everyone to "Wear Pink" this Sunday. *Support the Local Race by purchasing a "Race for the Cure" Pin.
GET YOUR Breast Cancer Pins from MCC Choir!Get your Breast Cancer Pin from the MCC Chior!
These are availabe for $5 (or donation) from a member of the MCC Chior on Sundays. All proceeds are donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, in the name of MCCGSL.(Ask any chior member for more information)choir@mccgsl.org
In Our Own Words MCC Oral History
www.HopeandHelpCenter.orgwww.InOurOwnWordsMCC.org
Launch of New In Our Own Words MCC Oral History and Archives Website
Sunday, 05 October 2008
Dear friends and family of MCC,
We are so proud to announce the official launch of the MCC Oral History and Archives Project at www.inourownwordsmcc.org . Please go visit today and see the video greetings from MCC churches around the world in celebration of our 40th anniversary as well as the oral histories of many of our founders. Take time to tell your own story! This site will now receive and archive photos, digital recordings and important documents so please send your contributions.
I want to thank and congratulate the amazing team of young leaders within MCC who made this happen; Angel Collie, Rev. Karla Fleshman, Carlos Chavez, Jason O'Neill, Katie Hotze, Leah Sloan, Melanie Martinez, Kathy Beasley and Adrain Bowie. Please take a moment to thank them for blessing us with this gift that will serve generations to come.
Blessings and Peace,
Rev. Dr. Cindi Love
Executive Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
Friday, October 17, 2008
Crime and community development policy event
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Crime and community development policy event
Did you know that worsening economic conditions increase the attractiveness of criminal activity because the opportunity cost of committing a crime (foregoing employment, wages, etc...) is reduced?
Changes in economic conditions and deterrence affect property crimes more than they affect violent crimes. Have you heard about the latest property crime -- stealing the catalytic converter right from out under your vehicle?
In the wake of real estate market upheaval and in light of current economic conditions (rising unemployment rates), what policy options and practical actions can we expect in relation to crime, deterrence to crime, and neighborhoods?
You're invited to hear a panel discuss policy and practical actions about:
Local Crime and Local Business Cycles
The panelists will be: Gina Ryan, executive director, St. Louis Association of Community Organizations; Charles Bryson, director of public safety, city of St. Louis; James Gilsinan, professor of public policy studies, St. Louis University (narrator); Joe Thele, program manager, St. Louis Neighborhood Stabilization Team; Col. Jerry Lee, chief of police, St. Louis County Police Department; and Kitty Ratcliffe, president, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
8 a.m. to noon
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Gateway Conference Center
One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza
(Broadway and Locust Street)
St. Louis, MO 63102
The program runs from 9 a.m. to noon, with registration and continental breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
strong>There is no charge to attend and this invitation may be shared with your associates. However, advance registration is required.
Why is this issue important to community development?
The more visible the crime is to residents, businesses, and tourists, the more likely it is to impede business relocation, tourist traffic, conventions, area development, etc. In light of the current economic conditions and foreclosure crisis, this concern is heightened as the glut of vacant, lender-owned homes grows. A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis looks at local business cycles in 23 major cities and how they influence crime rates. The report, written by Fed economist Thomas A. Garrett and senior research associate Lesli S. Ott, includes data for St. Louis. Rather focusing on long-run trends, the study looks at month-to-month changes in city economic conditions and crime. Register online by Oct. 24. For more information, contact Cynthia Davis at 314-444-8761 or cynthia.a.davis@stls.frb.org.
Thank you,MattMatthew AshbySenior Development SpecialistThe Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisP.O. Box 442St. Louis, MO 63166Phone 314.444.8891Fax 314.444.8318
"Innovation in Changing Times"2009 Exploring Innovation in Community Development Conference: www.exploringinnovation.org
Crime and community development policy event
Did you know that worsening economic conditions increase the attractiveness of criminal activity because the opportunity cost of committing a crime (foregoing employment, wages, etc...) is reduced?
Changes in economic conditions and deterrence affect property crimes more than they affect violent crimes. Have you heard about the latest property crime -- stealing the catalytic converter right from out under your vehicle?
In the wake of real estate market upheaval and in light of current economic conditions (rising unemployment rates), what policy options and practical actions can we expect in relation to crime, deterrence to crime, and neighborhoods?
You're invited to hear a panel discuss policy and practical actions about:
Local Crime and Local Business Cycles
The panelists will be: Gina Ryan, executive director, St. Louis Association of Community Organizations; Charles Bryson, director of public safety, city of St. Louis; James Gilsinan, professor of public policy studies, St. Louis University (narrator); Joe Thele, program manager, St. Louis Neighborhood Stabilization Team; Col. Jerry Lee, chief of police, St. Louis County Police Department; and Kitty Ratcliffe, president, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
8 a.m. to noon
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Gateway Conference Center
One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza
(Broadway and Locust Street)
St. Louis, MO 63102
The program runs from 9 a.m. to noon, with registration and continental breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
strong>There is no charge to attend and this invitation may be shared with your associates. However, advance registration is required.
Why is this issue important to community development?
The more visible the crime is to residents, businesses, and tourists, the more likely it is to impede business relocation, tourist traffic, conventions, area development, etc. In light of the current economic conditions and foreclosure crisis, this concern is heightened as the glut of vacant, lender-owned homes grows. A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis looks at local business cycles in 23 major cities and how they influence crime rates. The report, written by Fed economist Thomas A. Garrett and senior research associate Lesli S. Ott, includes data for St. Louis. Rather focusing on long-run trends, the study looks at month-to-month changes in city economic conditions and crime. Register online by Oct. 24. For more information, contact Cynthia Davis at 314-444-8761 or cynthia.a.davis@stls.frb.org.
Thank you,MattMatthew AshbySenior Development SpecialistThe Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouisP.O. Box 442St. Louis, MO 63166Phone 314.444.8891Fax 314.444.8318
"Innovation in Changing Times"2009 Exploring Innovation in Community Development Conference: www.exploringinnovation.org
JP has a job opening!
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
justinePETERSEN, a non-profit housing organzation has an immediate opening for someone with cash-handling experience, to assist us in clerical needs preparing for micro loan closings.
The position offers 40 hrs/wk, and may be ideal for anyone with experience as Bank Teller or other financial institution. (All applicants considered). Compensation will depend on experience.
JP is a great organization to work for, and a healthy work environment with steady income.
Anyone interested can contact: ckluthe@justinepetersen.org
Visit online at: http://www.justinepetersen.org/
justinePETERSEN, a non-profit housing organzation has an immediate opening for someone with cash-handling experience, to assist us in clerical needs preparing for micro loan closings.
The position offers 40 hrs/wk, and may be ideal for anyone with experience as Bank Teller or other financial institution. (All applicants considered). Compensation will depend on experience.
JP is a great organization to work for, and a healthy work environment with steady income.
Anyone interested can contact: ckluthe@justinepetersen.org
Visit online at: http://www.justinepetersen.org/
MU Group Memorializing LGBT Suicides
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
October 17, 2008
University of Missouri Group Memorializing LGBT Suicides
An LGBT group at the University of Missouri in Columbia is placing 1,752 flags on campus grounds today to memorialize gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender suicides.
The flags -- planted at the Carnahan Quad -- represent the number of suicides that occur each year among members of the LGBTQ community nationwide. Later in the day, event participants will remove the flags and write on the back of them what they will do to help decrease the amount of LGBT suicides.
According to Allies in Action, the University of Missouri group organizing the event, an LGBT person commits suicide every five hours due to homophobia. (Neal Broverman, The Advocate)
October 17, 2008
University of Missouri Group Memorializing LGBT Suicides
An LGBT group at the University of Missouri in Columbia is placing 1,752 flags on campus grounds today to memorialize gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender suicides.
The flags -- planted at the Carnahan Quad -- represent the number of suicides that occur each year among members of the LGBTQ community nationwide. Later in the day, event participants will remove the flags and write on the back of them what they will do to help decrease the amount of LGBT suicides.
According to Allies in Action, the University of Missouri group organizing the event, an LGBT person commits suicide every five hours due to homophobia. (Neal Broverman, The Advocate)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
PINK SUNDAY!! OCT 19th
http://www.hopeandhelpcenter.org/
This Sunday MCC will commerate the "Race for the Cure", and encourage everyone to "Wear Pink" this Sunday. *Support the Local Race by purchasing a "Race for the Cure" Pin.
GET YOUR Breast Cancer Pins from MCC Choir!Get your Breast Cancer Pin from the MCC Chior!
These are availabe for $5 (or donation) from a member of the MCC Chior on Sundays. All proceeds are donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, in the name of MCCGSL.(Ask any chior member for more information)choir@mccgsl.org
" I am That One" - WeAreThatOne.Org
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
"I am That One"
A special feature with a vision for our future.
*suggested by a community member
www.WeareThatONE.Org
**This website is not affiliated with MCCGSL.
anyone who objects to the content may contact us:
webmaster@hopeandhelpcenter.org
"I am That One"
A special feature with a vision for our future.
*suggested by a community member
www.WeareThatONE.Org
**This website is not affiliated with MCCGSL.
anyone who objects to the content may contact us:
webmaster@hopeandhelpcenter.org
Sexuality & The Bible - Rev Sue Yarber
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
How Do I Read the Bible and Why?
Rev. Sue Yarber
My name is Rev. Sue Yarber. I devote much of my work to helping people overcome oppressive religious histories. I facilitated, along with wonderful church members, a group titled Recovering from Homophobic Religion. There has been much psychological and spiritual damage done to the GLBT community in the name of religion.
I seek to help folks heal from a distortion of scripture and history that has created an atmosphere of spiritual abuse in many mainstream churches.
I want to preface my remarks about the specific passages used historically by the religious right to condemn homosexuality and transgender identity by claiming several biases upfront and dispelling misconceptions that have shaped the systematic misuse of scripture:
I do not read the Bible literally. I think it is nonsensical to take an ancient, primarily Eastern, document that was written in Hebrew and Ancient Koine Greek and read it literally as an English speaking Westerner. If one wishes to be a biblical literalist then one must become an expert in ancient Hebrew and Greek cultures and languages in order to truly study the Holy Scriptures. I have yet to meet a fundamentalist who is literally working from the original languages.
While I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired, it is also a series of documents that human beings, men to be precise, of a certain time, place and culture wrote to a particular people, most often to address a particular contemporary situation. To read these texts as if my U.S.-born English speaking neighbor wrote them yesterday is a great distortion.
There are a number of historical distortions about Jesus and the Bible that greatly affect how the texts have been interpreted by fundamentalists:
a. Jesus was a JEW. There was no such thing as Christianity in the days of Jesus. Any Christian tradition that ONLY uses the New Testament is failing to look at the very texts that Jesus, himself, interprets in a radical new way.
b. The Jews DID NOT KILL Jesus. Jews were an oppressed minority who did not have the power or political means to kill Jesus, who was a prisoner of the Roman state. The Roman authorities killed Jesus but when Rome became Christian in the fourth century then certain biblical texts were problematic and, therefore, other interpretations of events became prominent. This is no small distortion. Centuries of anti-Jewish actions and attitudes perpetrated by the Christian church have resulted from this one historical inaccuracy.
c. No New Testament text was an eyewitness account of the events as they occurred but rather a particular rendering of the Jesus story or the church's story (Paul's letters).
d. It was a common ancient rhetorical practice to write in the name of a well- known rhetorician in order to provide yourself with credibility. Paul DID NOT write all of the books attributed to him. In fact, a later school of writers who were followers of Paul wrote using his name.
e. Women were viewed as sexual property. A woman literally was owned by her father and sold to her husband. To rape a woman was considered a crime against her father because he could not get as much money for her when it was time to sell her in marriage if she was not a virgin. When interpreting texts related to marriage and procreation one must understand the cultural context of these passages.
f. Reproduction was a matter of survival. The ancient world of the Bible was an agrarian society and, therefore, procreation was a matter of survival. Marriages were arranged and were business deals. They were mergers of two families for economic gain to both families. Our post-modern notions of marriage having anything to do with romantic love are irrelevant to the scriptures.
g. Reproductive processes were not fully understood and there was, in fact, an assumption that men had only a given number of sperm so wasted seed became a prevalent theme in both Old and New Testaments
h. Both Jews and Early Christians(all of whom were Jewish) were considered oppressed minorities living in a largely Pagan society. It is hard for those of us who have only lived in Judeo-Christian societies to imagine what it means to be a religious and cultural minority. Our society is thoroughly and utterly Christianized. Look at our calendar, our days off of work, etc.
i. Sexual orientation was not a concept in the Bible. Sexual orientation is a relatively new category of human existence and has only been designated in the last hundred years.
j. NEITHER HEBREW NOR KOINE GREEK HAVE A WORD FOR HOMOSEXUAL. If there was no word it means that there was no concept of sexual orientation. We only have words for concepts.
k. The Ancient Temple was a different institution altogether than today's house of worship. Temple was marketplace, school, bank and cultural center. There was no separation of church and state. Religion was culture. Culture was religion.
l. The Christian canon known as the Bible is a result of a council of early leaders voting on which accounts of Jesus and the early church would survive. The Bible is a reflection of the range of Christian thought that ultimately meets us in the twenty first century. What about all of the snuffed out voices of early Christendom? Where are those texts that did not meet the standards of the early leaders and what were those standards?
m. Creeds are a response or reaction to heresies not proactive definition of beliefs. They have some biblical basis but are not quotes of scripture.
n. I challenge any construction of sexual orientation that equates behavior with orientation. Sexual behavior is externally focused but sexual orientation is internally focused. Sexual orientation happens in the head before it happens in the bed.
GENESIS 19:1-12
Genesis 19:1-12 is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are a few things to think about when reading this story:
a. If the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is homosexuality why would Lot offer his daughters? What would a band of marauding homosexuals want with lots daughter?
b. If you believe that rape is a crime of violence then how is the sexual orientation of the rapist relevant?
c. No one ever says how utterly disgusting it is that Lot offered a gang of men with ill intentions his own daughter to defile and humiliate.
d. The text is simply not clear about what exactly the men intend to do. Some translations indicate that it was all of the townspeople that call for the stranger to be thrown from the safety of Lot's house. The Hebrew word “yadah” means to know and is used 943 times in scripture. Only one other time is it used to imply sexual knowledge and in that context it is used between man and wife.
Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 18:22 states, “You shall not lie with a man as you would a woman; it is an abomination.”
I, personally, agree with this passage and as a lesbian would never lie with a man the way that I lie with a woman. I am pointing out here that the writer’s assumption is that the reader is male.
The Jews were living as an oppressed minority among a Pagan majority. Pagans were/are polytheistic or believe in multiple gods. Jews, as you know, are monotheistic or believe in one God. Leviticus is best understood as a way of separating themselves from the larger culture in which they lived. Many of the dietary restrictions and ways of dressing and grooming are related to being different from their Pagan peers. For instance, the restrictions around eating milk and meat at the same time are to stay away from a Pagan worship ritual in which the meat is cooked in its own milk.
It was a commonplace Pagan practice for Pagan men to sleep with male Pagan temple prostitutes in order to worship the fertility god, Baal. Worshiping the fertility god, Baal, was believed to bring about plentiful crops, many children and ample livestock. Jewish men were assimilating into Pagan culture and were sleeping with male temple prostitutes.
Leviticus 18:22 is best understood as an admonition against Jews participating in Pagan worship practices. The word abomination in Hebrew is “towebah” which means to “worship idols or practice idolatry, something that is disgusting and unholy.”
If one is going to interpret Leviticus literally then one must be willing to follow every law listed in Leviticus. Most fundamentalists I know wear polyester cotton blends, do not have women live in huts separated from men during menstruation, and do not sell their daughters into slavery which are all also laws in Leviticus.
The situation in the New Testament passages cited against G/L/B/T people are addressing the phenomena of the early church, also a minority living among a predominantly Pagan culture, and the practice of some Christian men, or more accurately Followers of the Way, who were engaging in sexual activity with temple prostitutes.
One must also remember that the concept of “wasted seed” was a concern for the survival of an oppressed minority. It was a misunderstanding of men’s reproductive capacity that led to the importance of not “wasting seed.” Today we have an understanding of reproduction that clearly contradicts the earlier theories of biblical times.
One of the most compelling reasons I do not believe that homosexuality is sin is that Jesus said absolutely nothing about it. If it was a sin that could deter one from entering the realm of heaven I think Jesus would have mentioned it.
Original Post: http://www.mccgsl.org/#/sexualitythebible/4530903266
How Do I Read the Bible and Why?
Rev. Sue Yarber
My name is Rev. Sue Yarber. I devote much of my work to helping people overcome oppressive religious histories. I facilitated, along with wonderful church members, a group titled Recovering from Homophobic Religion. There has been much psychological and spiritual damage done to the GLBT community in the name of religion.
I seek to help folks heal from a distortion of scripture and history that has created an atmosphere of spiritual abuse in many mainstream churches.
I want to preface my remarks about the specific passages used historically by the religious right to condemn homosexuality and transgender identity by claiming several biases upfront and dispelling misconceptions that have shaped the systematic misuse of scripture:
I do not read the Bible literally. I think it is nonsensical to take an ancient, primarily Eastern, document that was written in Hebrew and Ancient Koine Greek and read it literally as an English speaking Westerner. If one wishes to be a biblical literalist then one must become an expert in ancient Hebrew and Greek cultures and languages in order to truly study the Holy Scriptures. I have yet to meet a fundamentalist who is literally working from the original languages.
While I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired, it is also a series of documents that human beings, men to be precise, of a certain time, place and culture wrote to a particular people, most often to address a particular contemporary situation. To read these texts as if my U.S.-born English speaking neighbor wrote them yesterday is a great distortion.
There are a number of historical distortions about Jesus and the Bible that greatly affect how the texts have been interpreted by fundamentalists:
a. Jesus was a JEW. There was no such thing as Christianity in the days of Jesus. Any Christian tradition that ONLY uses the New Testament is failing to look at the very texts that Jesus, himself, interprets in a radical new way.
b. The Jews DID NOT KILL Jesus. Jews were an oppressed minority who did not have the power or political means to kill Jesus, who was a prisoner of the Roman state. The Roman authorities killed Jesus but when Rome became Christian in the fourth century then certain biblical texts were problematic and, therefore, other interpretations of events became prominent. This is no small distortion. Centuries of anti-Jewish actions and attitudes perpetrated by the Christian church have resulted from this one historical inaccuracy.
c. No New Testament text was an eyewitness account of the events as they occurred but rather a particular rendering of the Jesus story or the church's story (Paul's letters).
d. It was a common ancient rhetorical practice to write in the name of a well- known rhetorician in order to provide yourself with credibility. Paul DID NOT write all of the books attributed to him. In fact, a later school of writers who were followers of Paul wrote using his name.
e. Women were viewed as sexual property. A woman literally was owned by her father and sold to her husband. To rape a woman was considered a crime against her father because he could not get as much money for her when it was time to sell her in marriage if she was not a virgin. When interpreting texts related to marriage and procreation one must understand the cultural context of these passages.
f. Reproduction was a matter of survival. The ancient world of the Bible was an agrarian society and, therefore, procreation was a matter of survival. Marriages were arranged and were business deals. They were mergers of two families for economic gain to both families. Our post-modern notions of marriage having anything to do with romantic love are irrelevant to the scriptures.
g. Reproductive processes were not fully understood and there was, in fact, an assumption that men had only a given number of sperm so wasted seed became a prevalent theme in both Old and New Testaments
h. Both Jews and Early Christians(all of whom were Jewish) were considered oppressed minorities living in a largely Pagan society. It is hard for those of us who have only lived in Judeo-Christian societies to imagine what it means to be a religious and cultural minority. Our society is thoroughly and utterly Christianized. Look at our calendar, our days off of work, etc.
i. Sexual orientation was not a concept in the Bible. Sexual orientation is a relatively new category of human existence and has only been designated in the last hundred years.
j. NEITHER HEBREW NOR KOINE GREEK HAVE A WORD FOR HOMOSEXUAL. If there was no word it means that there was no concept of sexual orientation. We only have words for concepts.
k. The Ancient Temple was a different institution altogether than today's house of worship. Temple was marketplace, school, bank and cultural center. There was no separation of church and state. Religion was culture. Culture was religion.
l. The Christian canon known as the Bible is a result of a council of early leaders voting on which accounts of Jesus and the early church would survive. The Bible is a reflection of the range of Christian thought that ultimately meets us in the twenty first century. What about all of the snuffed out voices of early Christendom? Where are those texts that did not meet the standards of the early leaders and what were those standards?
m. Creeds are a response or reaction to heresies not proactive definition of beliefs. They have some biblical basis but are not quotes of scripture.
n. I challenge any construction of sexual orientation that equates behavior with orientation. Sexual behavior is externally focused but sexual orientation is internally focused. Sexual orientation happens in the head before it happens in the bed.
GENESIS 19:1-12
Genesis 19:1-12 is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are a few things to think about when reading this story:
a. If the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is homosexuality why would Lot offer his daughters? What would a band of marauding homosexuals want with lots daughter?
b. If you believe that rape is a crime of violence then how is the sexual orientation of the rapist relevant?
c. No one ever says how utterly disgusting it is that Lot offered a gang of men with ill intentions his own daughter to defile and humiliate.
d. The text is simply not clear about what exactly the men intend to do. Some translations indicate that it was all of the townspeople that call for the stranger to be thrown from the safety of Lot's house. The Hebrew word “yadah” means to know and is used 943 times in scripture. Only one other time is it used to imply sexual knowledge and in that context it is used between man and wife.
Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 18:22 states, “You shall not lie with a man as you would a woman; it is an abomination.”
I, personally, agree with this passage and as a lesbian would never lie with a man the way that I lie with a woman. I am pointing out here that the writer’s assumption is that the reader is male.
The Jews were living as an oppressed minority among a Pagan majority. Pagans were/are polytheistic or believe in multiple gods. Jews, as you know, are monotheistic or believe in one God. Leviticus is best understood as a way of separating themselves from the larger culture in which they lived. Many of the dietary restrictions and ways of dressing and grooming are related to being different from their Pagan peers. For instance, the restrictions around eating milk and meat at the same time are to stay away from a Pagan worship ritual in which the meat is cooked in its own milk.
It was a commonplace Pagan practice for Pagan men to sleep with male Pagan temple prostitutes in order to worship the fertility god, Baal. Worshiping the fertility god, Baal, was believed to bring about plentiful crops, many children and ample livestock. Jewish men were assimilating into Pagan culture and were sleeping with male temple prostitutes.
Leviticus 18:22 is best understood as an admonition against Jews participating in Pagan worship practices. The word abomination in Hebrew is “towebah” which means to “worship idols or practice idolatry, something that is disgusting and unholy.”
If one is going to interpret Leviticus literally then one must be willing to follow every law listed in Leviticus. Most fundamentalists I know wear polyester cotton blends, do not have women live in huts separated from men during menstruation, and do not sell their daughters into slavery which are all also laws in Leviticus.
The situation in the New Testament passages cited against G/L/B/T people are addressing the phenomena of the early church, also a minority living among a predominantly Pagan culture, and the practice of some Christian men, or more accurately Followers of the Way, who were engaging in sexual activity with temple prostitutes.
One must also remember that the concept of “wasted seed” was a concern for the survival of an oppressed minority. It was a misunderstanding of men’s reproductive capacity that led to the importance of not “wasting seed.” Today we have an understanding of reproduction that clearly contradicts the earlier theories of biblical times.
One of the most compelling reasons I do not believe that homosexuality is sin is that Jesus said absolutely nothing about it. If it was a sin that could deter one from entering the realm of heaven I think Jesus would have mentioned it.
Original Post: http://www.mccgsl.org/#/sexualitythebible/4530903266
Weekly Devotional - Rev Sue Yarber
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
A Weekly Devotional Guide
October 10, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
Once we have a solid foundation for our place to call home, both spiritually and physically, then and only then, can we begin to think about the walls we will need to build to protect us from the outside world. Walls are what separate us from distractions of the world. Walls create boundaries around us; they hone our focus so that we can attend fully to the person in the room with us. Walls separate us. Some of us cringe when we hear the words "separate us." We remember the sting of being excluded or imagine the hurtful act of excluding another. Being separate, apart from, is a healthy act when being separate is centered in Christ's love. If Christ's love is what draws us apart from the world for a time, not forever, but for a time, so that we can find strength, wisdom and joy in the midst of a wounded world, that is, indeed the purpose of being separate from the world for awhile.
If we stand on a solid foundation of our values of generosity, grace, justice, authenticity and growth. These values lived from the heart, the center of our being, to our outsides, what the world sees, will separate us from the world. Jesus took time in his life to withdraw from the world, to sit on the side of a mountain where he could be quiet and breathe deeply the Spirit of God into his very being again. We, too, must go to the well that will never run dry. We must drink of the water that awaits us. Only when we feel the refreshing wetness will we be prepared to draw a ladle of water for our thirsty brother or sister. To live as a Christian one must take in the Spirit of Christ. There must be quiet during which we can notice the movement of God. Walls create a barrier for the noises of the world: the bills, the job challenges, the broken relationships, the aches and pains of daily living. We can leave all of these distractions outside and enter into God's house for a rest.
The wall has two sides, one that faces in and one that faces out. We, as Christians, are called to turn inward and to know God in the innermost parts of our being. We are also called to turn outward and take an authentic interest in other people and in all living things. Walls make it possible to leave the place we call home and go out into the world to live out our values. We have our retreat, listen to God's still small voice, rest in the arms of Christ and then we go about the business of changing the world. When we are weary and heavy burdened, we can go to Jesus. We can rest, refresh, renew and face again the brokenness of our world. When we pause long enough to recognize the ways in which Christ was challenged, belittled, ostracized, and broken, we can withstand our own challenges. We can be witness to the brokenness of others and not judge or shy away from the glare of their pain.
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You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
A Weekly Devotional Guide
October 10, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
Once we have a solid foundation for our place to call home, both spiritually and physically, then and only then, can we begin to think about the walls we will need to build to protect us from the outside world. Walls are what separate us from distractions of the world. Walls create boundaries around us; they hone our focus so that we can attend fully to the person in the room with us. Walls separate us. Some of us cringe when we hear the words "separate us." We remember the sting of being excluded or imagine the hurtful act of excluding another. Being separate, apart from, is a healthy act when being separate is centered in Christ's love. If Christ's love is what draws us apart from the world for a time, not forever, but for a time, so that we can find strength, wisdom and joy in the midst of a wounded world, that is, indeed the purpose of being separate from the world for awhile.
If we stand on a solid foundation of our values of generosity, grace, justice, authenticity and growth. These values lived from the heart, the center of our being, to our outsides, what the world sees, will separate us from the world. Jesus took time in his life to withdraw from the world, to sit on the side of a mountain where he could be quiet and breathe deeply the Spirit of God into his very being again. We, too, must go to the well that will never run dry. We must drink of the water that awaits us. Only when we feel the refreshing wetness will we be prepared to draw a ladle of water for our thirsty brother or sister. To live as a Christian one must take in the Spirit of Christ. There must be quiet during which we can notice the movement of God. Walls create a barrier for the noises of the world: the bills, the job challenges, the broken relationships, the aches and pains of daily living. We can leave all of these distractions outside and enter into God's house for a rest.
The wall has two sides, one that faces in and one that faces out. We, as Christians, are called to turn inward and to know God in the innermost parts of our being. We are also called to turn outward and take an authentic interest in other people and in all living things. Walls make it possible to leave the place we call home and go out into the world to live out our values. We have our retreat, listen to God's still small voice, rest in the arms of Christ and then we go about the business of changing the world. When we are weary and heavy burdened, we can go to Jesus. We can rest, refresh, renew and face again the brokenness of our world. When we pause long enough to recognize the ways in which Christ was challenged, belittled, ostracized, and broken, we can withstand our own challenges. We can be witness to the brokenness of others and not judge or shy away from the glare of their pain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can now receive the weekly meditation in your email inbox. Please indicate on your attendance card or email danny@mccgsl.org to be added to the list.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Third Dose of Hep A Vaccine May Increase Immunity
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
October 15, 2008
Third Dose of Hep A Vaccine May Increase Immunity
An additional third booster shot of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccine increased the chance of an HIV-positive person acquiring immunity to HAV and increased the number of antibodies against HAV after one year, according to the authors of a study published online in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.HIV treatment guidelines recommend that all people with HIV be vaccinated against HAV.
Several studies, however, have found that people with HIV are less likely to develop antibodies to HAV following the traditional vaccination schedule, which is two doses given six months apart. Additional studies have also found that people with HIV who do develop HAV antibodies lose them more quickly than their HIV-negative counterparts.
To determine whether an additional “booster” shot of vaccine might improve responses, Odile Launay, MD, PhD, from the Université Paris Descartes in France, and her colleagues enrolled 99 HIV-positive patients between the ages of 19 and 55 who had never been vaccinated for HAV. Forty-nine of them got three doses of the vaccine at weeks 0, 4 and 24. The 50 other patients followed the standard vaccine schedule, with a shot at week 0 and the other at week 24.Launay’s team found that about one year after the last vaccine dose in both groups, 86 percent of the patients in the three dose group and 70 percent of the patients in the two dose group had enough antibodies to HAV to provide protection. People in the three dose group also had many more antibodies remaining one year after the last dose than people in the two dose group.
Though the difference in response rates appears large, it was not enough—given the small number of patients in the study—to reach statistical significance. This means that the difference in response could have occurred by chance. In general, people with lower CD4 counts and people who smoke were less likely in the study to develop HAV antibodies.Though the additional vaccine dose did not reach statistical superiority to a standard vaccine schedule, the authors state that the evidence does tend to support an additional booster shot, particularly for vaccine non-responders, smokers and those with lower CD4 counts.
Search: hepatitis A virus, HAV, hep A, vaccine, vaccination, Odile Launay, Universite Paris Descartes
Original Post: http://www.poz.com/rssredir/articles/hiv_hepatitis_vaccine_761_15471.shtml
October 15, 2008
Third Dose of Hep A Vaccine May Increase Immunity
An additional third booster shot of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccine increased the chance of an HIV-positive person acquiring immunity to HAV and increased the number of antibodies against HAV after one year, according to the authors of a study published online in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.HIV treatment guidelines recommend that all people with HIV be vaccinated against HAV.
Several studies, however, have found that people with HIV are less likely to develop antibodies to HAV following the traditional vaccination schedule, which is two doses given six months apart. Additional studies have also found that people with HIV who do develop HAV antibodies lose them more quickly than their HIV-negative counterparts.
To determine whether an additional “booster” shot of vaccine might improve responses, Odile Launay, MD, PhD, from the Université Paris Descartes in France, and her colleagues enrolled 99 HIV-positive patients between the ages of 19 and 55 who had never been vaccinated for HAV. Forty-nine of them got three doses of the vaccine at weeks 0, 4 and 24. The 50 other patients followed the standard vaccine schedule, with a shot at week 0 and the other at week 24.Launay’s team found that about one year after the last vaccine dose in both groups, 86 percent of the patients in the three dose group and 70 percent of the patients in the two dose group had enough antibodies to HAV to provide protection. People in the three dose group also had many more antibodies remaining one year after the last dose than people in the two dose group.
Though the difference in response rates appears large, it was not enough—given the small number of patients in the study—to reach statistical significance. This means that the difference in response could have occurred by chance. In general, people with lower CD4 counts and people who smoke were less likely in the study to develop HAV antibodies.Though the additional vaccine dose did not reach statistical superiority to a standard vaccine schedule, the authors state that the evidence does tend to support an additional booster shot, particularly for vaccine non-responders, smokers and those with lower CD4 counts.
Search: hepatitis A virus, HAV, hep A, vaccine, vaccination, Odile Launay, Universite Paris Descartes
Original Post: http://www.poz.com/rssredir/articles/hiv_hepatitis_vaccine_761_15471.shtml
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