Newsletter for the Week of May 25th is now available.

Veterans Service on May 25th

The Presbytery of Scioto Valley is sponsoring a worship service to honor all veterans on Sunday, May 25, 7 p.m., at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2070 Ridgecliff Rd., Columbus.

The service will offer thanksgiving for the sacrifices of military personnel on behalf of our nation. Lt. Col. Robert Bramlish, State Family Program Director of the Ohio National Guard, will speak to us about ways that congregations can help families of deployed soldiers. Rev. John Groat, Pastor Emeritus of Marysville Presbyterian Church and Chaplain of the Union County Military Families Support Group, will preach. An offering will be received for Operation Military Kids Camp which helps send children of deployed Ohio soldiers to camp. A reception will follow. The service is the beginning of a Presbytery-wide outreach of ministry to veterans and their families.

At the service, volunteers will be invited to join a task force to coordinate a program to educate and encourage our congregations in supporting soldiers, military families, and veterans. We hope it will be the beginning of an on-going ministry which will bring help and healing to those who have made great sacrifices for us.

This service has been endorsed by the PSV Mission Council and is sponsored by the Presbytery of Scioto Valley Peacemaking Committee.

If you have questions about the worship service on May 25, or the outreach to veterans program, please feel free to call Rev. Philip L. Bougher, 614-766-7865.

“Making Life Worth Living”

Westminster-Thurber Community is proud to offer a special educational opportunity on June 2nd at 7:00 p.m.. There will be several dynamic speakers during this interesting 90-minute program. Our evening event will focus on how nursing home care can be different.

As you know, Westminster-Thurber is on a journey to transform the way care is given in the skilled nursing home environment. We do this by embracing the 10 guiding principles of the Eden Alternative.

Our program will include:

* Beth Baker, award winning journalist and author. She will share excerpts from her recent book. Beth will also provide insights on the culture change movement that is spreading across America. Her book will be available for purchase that evening.

* Staff members from Westminster-Thurber will speak about the 4th International Eden Alternative Conference, which will be held on June 3-6, 2008. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. Staff will also highlight how our Eden journey has transformed our community in so many different ways.

* Dr. Al Powers, from Rochester, New York, will share his exciting news and current research about caring for a person who lives with dementia.

This will be a power- packed educational extravaganza. The program is FREE, but your RSVP is required. Call today at 614-228-8888.

If you have ever wondered what the Eden Alternative is all about or why Westminster-Thurber is on a culture change journey, then the June 2 event is for you!

You don’t want to miss it!!

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Scioto Valley Women Ministers of W/S and CLPs met at St. Theresa’s Conference Center for a joyous retreat at the end of March.

Their leader was Rev. Betty Meadows, General Presbyter of Mid-Kentucky Presbytery in Louisville.

Participants included Janice Hilkenbaumer, Charlene Baughman, Kristin Schutte, Linda McClanahan, and Sharon Sauer with Betty Meadows. The women also got together at Don Pablo’s to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and are making plans for a summer cookout at Carol Weiss’ in August.

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Congratulations and best wishes to The Rev. Carol Weiss on her recent retirement from Condit Presbyterian Church!

The “Rev. Mrs.”, as she was fondly called, enjoyed a church full of grateful and tearful church members and friends as she said goodbye to her Condit family the last Sunday in March.    (photo attached)

A Way to Give Help to Myanmar/Burma

Dear Friends and folks who pray for us,

You are seeing on the news what is happening in Myanmar/Burma. Due to security concerns I cannot give particulars about groups and people, but through some folks at Payap University we have a little footpath into the disaster.

Here is what our folks are saying:

“We want to help victims and affected villages in Myaung Mya township area, which is located in the Irrawaddy Division. In our last meeting with some teachers, we have decided to select five volunteer students who would like to serve in affected villages and do not have money for airfare to go back to Myanmar. We will try to raise funds for their airfares. These students will be going to help in villages in Myaung Mya township which is in Irrawaddy Division. According to some news reports, the military has been transferring the victims from Laputta to Myaung Mya. Therefore, we will be able to help the people there who are really in great need.

For those who would like to know in more details, please go to Room G103 at Graduate Building. You will be provided with more information. For everyone’s safety, please do not mention the names or forward the emails unless necessary.

Sincerely,
PMSF Committee”

A TESOL student adds:
“I just wanted to pass along some news on the area that our students are focused on assisting. Below are some excerpts from news articles that mention MyaungMya Township, where our students know the local pastors and leaders and will be sending their aid.

As you can see, according to news reports, MyaungMya has become the first point of relief and the transit point for refugees coming from the devastated southwestern Delta Coast, that includes the Laputta area where, at the least, 10,000 have died. This area is also the furthest in the flooded Delta area from Yangon, so its remoteness may also be a point of vulnerability for the people. From other information I have seen there are also many Christians and ethnic Karen people in this area.

So, in addition to our students having good and trustworthy connections in the Delta, the area they are sending aid to is perhaps one of the areas of greatest need and a natural logistical center from which extensive assistance will be carried out in the weeks and months ahead.

The link below has maps of the area. MyaungMya is located just above Laputta, in the bottom left corner.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LPAA-7ECQHX?OpenDocument

There are many good agencies to donate to including World Vision with whom we may work. But if you would like to support this tiny local effort, you may. If you donate more than $200 send a check made out to Payap University and send it to me, Esther Wakeman, Payap University, Chiang Mai 50000, Thailand. I’ll get it put in the fund. If you send less than $200, make the check out to me, and send it to my parents: Al and Thelma Wakeman, 4753 State Route 12, Pandora, OH 45877. They’ll let me know the totals and we’ll make a check here to Payap University. This saves on expensive check cashing costs in Thailand.

Thanks for your prayers, too; they are most needed and desired by our friends at Payap directly affected by this immense tragedy.

There are several upcoming events around the Presbytery:

#1) Covenant Gathering 2008 (1.2MB PDF file) contains 17 pages of information about the upcoming Covenant Gathering. You might also want to visit www.covenantgathering.com for more information. Covenant Gathering will take place June 29 - July 4.

#2) Hanover Presbyterian Church Concert (May 18th)

#3) PSV Mission Trip (October 2008)