Home Blog Page 20904

Halloween costume winners named

By
Staff Reports
-

The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department had its annual Halloween costume contest Sunday at Donner Center. Contests for two divisions were conducted: ages 0 to 5 and 6 to 12.

The declared winners were:

Age 5 and younger year contest

Scariest: 1. Daniel Streeval, 4 years old; 2. Arya Gavind, 5 years; 3. James Hunt, 1 year

Funniest: 1. Mason Sealley, 17 months; 2. Clayne (4 years) and Emryne (1 year) Bowling; 3. Charlotte Hoy, 6 months

Prettiest: 1. Shaina Sharma, 4 years; 2. Krishika Tupe, 2 years; 3. Isabelle Houchin, 5 years

Most Original: 1. Adhitri Sethuroghavan, 4 years; 2. Luna (11 months) and Dylan (3 years) Smith; 3. Ava and Amber Allman, 2 months

Most Adorable: 1. Adrika Suyau, 7 months; 2. Aniket Gavind, 2 years; 3. Mithra Manikandan, 18 months

Best Animated: 1. Olivia Abon, 5 years; 2. Emma Jones, 5 years; 3. Rithrik Divakar, 4 years

Best in Contest: Taiytim Sharpe, 1 year; Willa Sharpe, 6 years; Reggie Thoman, 5 years; Chloe Miller, 3 years; Grant Mitchell, 1 year; Lynden Mitchell, 9 months

6- to 12-year-old contest

Scariest: 1. Jeff Molnar, 10; 2. Sierra Shepherd, 10; 3. Hangitha Jessie, 6

Funniest: 1. Asher Stidam, 7; 2. Oceano Cann, 6; 3. Olivia Seniours, 12

Prettiest: 1. Carolina Hales, 7; 2. Claire Behnke, 7; 3. Kayleigh Burdic, 7

Most Original: 1. Delaney Pottorff, 11; 2. Aallyah Streeval, 6; no third place

Most Frightening: 1. Lolah Polynice-Castro, 7; 2. Ava Burke-Behnke, 7; 3. Shemiah Elkins, 11

Most Creative: 1. Mackenzie Allman, 11; 2. Wyatt Behnke, 7; 3. Yuika Noda, 8

Best in Contest: Dezyrae Sharpe, 11; Christian Miller, 10; Delaney Miller, 9; Myra Sharpe, 8; Kyleigh Dover, 7

Sorority pecan sale funds scholarships

By
Staff Reports
-

Tri Kappa sorority’s annual pecan sale, which funds scholarships awarded to Bartholomew County students each spring, is Wednesday through Nov. 23.

The pecans are fresh from Georgia and are sold in 1-pound packages. Two varieties available are:

  • Mammoth halves, $10
  • Extra-large fancy pieces, $9.50

To place your pre-order, contact Lisa Horn by calling 317-987-6879 or sending an email to lisahorn@sbcglobal.net.

Quick takes – November 5th

By
Staff Reports
-

Carving a niche

Night of a Thousand Jacks has quickly become a popular and productive early Halloween event at FairOaks Mall. The annual fundraiser, which benefits Advocates for Children, a nonprofit agency that provides help for children who have been victims of neglect or abuse, used to be an outdoor event downtown. However, unfavorable weather prompted the move indoors last year — and the change has turned out well.

This year’s event drew an estimated 3,500 people and raised nearly $18,000 on Oct. 29, organizers said. That’s a solid encore to the nearly $22,000 raised last year.

The event featured 16 patches of carved pumpkins, and attendees could vote for their favorite by donating $1. The event also included a costume contest, games and crafts.

The efforts of those who organized the event and those who participated and donated are appreciated.

Cautionary tale

As Thanksgiving approaches, consumers will ramp up their Christmas shopping. When they are out at stores making their purchases, they need to remember to be careful about what items they leave in their vehicles.

Consider the hard-luck story of an Indiana family that lost irreplaceable family photos when the laptop computer in which the photos were stored was stolen from their locked-vehicle near a shopping center. So was $200 in recently purchased merchandise from nearby shops.

The incident serves as a reminder that predators are out there and consumers should never assume that items will be safe even when stored in a vehicle right after shopping.

Tasty offering

Festivals and special events are things that add to the quality of life of a community, as they celebrate or highlight certain aspects of it. Taste of Columbus, sponsored for the second year by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 27 at The Commons, certainly accomplishes that.

About 400 people attended and sampled main courses, desserts and drinks from more than 25 local food vendors. This enjoyable community event brought people together in a relaxed social setting, and in some cases broadened their knowledge of the community by interacting with businesses they previously had not.

Kudos to those who organized, participated in and attended the event for making it a worthwhile experience.

‘Pilgrimage place’

By
Staff Reports
-

Diesel engines made Columbus a Fortune 500 city. World-famous architecture put Columbus on the map.

Give J. Irwin Miller credit for both achievements.

As chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc. from 1934 to 1977, Miller turned an unprofitable Indiana-based business into a global leader in diesel engines and related technology that today reports net income of $1.65 billion a year.

As a philanthropist and man of faith, Miller took seriously his company’s obligation to improve its community. He founded the Cummins Foundation in 1954 to support worthwhile projects in his city and later to promote good causes in places where Cummins did business.

His most visible legacy was the architecture program, a public-private partnership through which the foundation funded design fees of public buildings – if they were designed by leading architects.

Thanks to that investment, Columbus — population 45,000 — has 70 buildings and artworks by such masters as I.M. Pei, Eliel Saarinen, Eero Saarinen, Richard Meier, Harry Weese, Dale Chihuly and Henry Moore.

“This is a pilgrimage place,” said architect Will Bruder of Phoenix, who visited Columbus in 2012 for an American Institute of Architects conference on design excellence.

Miller’s idea grew out of a building project that took place at his own church in the early 1940s. First Christian Church had outgrown its space and wanted a new structure that was not traditional. The building committee approached Eliel Saarinen, a native of Finland known for his work at the Cranbrook Institute of Architecture and Design in Michigan.

Initially, Saarinen turned down the offer but a personal appeal by Miller persuaded him that the congregation was open to something radically different. Completed in 1942, it was the first contemporary building in Columbus and one of the first modern churches in the United States.

In the 1950s, Eliel Saarinen’s son, Eero, famous for the St. Louis Gateway Arch, designed three radically different structures for the Miller family: a vacation home in Canada, the Irwin Union Bank and Trust and the Miller residence. The latter was notable because of its collaboration between Saarinen and interior designer Alexander Girard and landscape architect Dan Kiley

The public architecture initiative was prompted by the post-World War II baby boom that necessitated new schools. Hoping to discourage bland institutional architecture that characterized typical school buildings, Miller proposed a novel relationship with the school board. His foundation would pay for the design of Schmitt Elementary if the school corporation would pay for construction. The results delighted everyone, and the program expanded to cover other public buildings, landscape and streetscape projects.

Even the county jail was built with livability and aesthetics in mind. Designed by Don Hisaka in 1990, it is made of brick and Indiana limestone – complementing the nearby courthouse — with a recreation area covered by a wire-mesh dome.

Seventy-five years after Miller lured the Saarinens to town, Columbus remains committed to his vision. The Mill Race Center, offering senior services, is a recent example. Completed in 2011, the curving brick design by William Rawn Associates of Boston takes advantage of natural lighting with views of an adjacent city park.

The Columbus Area Visitors Center offers a variety of tours of Columbus’ architectural landmarks, including the Miller home and gardens, which were donated to the Indianapolis Museum of Art by the family after Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s deaths.

Considering just what is God’s job description?

By
Staff Reports
-

What in the world is God doing?

If you were to write a job description for God, what responsibilities might you include?

Creating life, forgiving sins, providing food, shelter and protection would certainly be correct, and they are all nice ways to describe God’s work.

But does God ever behave in not-so-nice ways?

Does the God of the Bible ever cause the death of human beings?

Does he exterminate entire ethnic groups and cause nations to collapse?

Does he afflict individuals with illnesses and entire communities with plagues?

Does he divide families?

Does he uproot people from their homelands and send them into exile?

Finally, does God do such things, and more, to the people he loves?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, I congratulate you on knowing your Bible.

The God of the Bible is very different from the false gods we create for ourselves.

We create gods who are safe, harmless, and who allow us to believe and do whatever feels right.

But a god who is safe and harmless is a god you can safely ignore—a god who inspires neither respect nor fear.

John Calvin famously said that the human heart is an idol factory.

One cause of unbelief in America today is our tendency to create idols which are little more than projections of our selfish desires and therefore not worthy of belief.

The God of the Bible is worthy not only of belief, but of both fear and love.

How can God, who is love, also inspire fear?

On the basis of Scripture, Martin Luther distinguished between two very different works of God: God’s “alien” or strange work, and God’s “proper” work.

This can be seen in such passages as Deuteronomy 32:39, which may serve as a partial job description for God.

“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

Luther would say that God’s proper work is to make alive, to heal, to show mercy and to forgive, not on the basis of our own merit but on the basis of Christ’s merit alone.

Such works are proper to God because they reflect his very nature, for the Scripture says that God is love.

On the other hand, God’s alien work is to condemn, kill, wound and destroy. It is his alien or strange work because he does it only out of necessity and takes no pleasure in it.

However, God can and will judge to preserve life and human flourishing.

In a fallen world, certain behaviors must be curbed and quarantined, making condemnation and judgment necessary.

With God, condemnation is never an end in itself, but a means to bring about repentance and restoration of blessing.

The prophet Hosea wrote, “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.”

God’s alien work of judgment, discipline and condemnation is preparation for his proper work — his display of mercy in Jesus Christ.

Finally, do not assume that God’s judgments are always the result of a particular sin. The Book of Job provides but one example of a righteous sufferer.

God’s ways are higher than ours, and we often do not know why God afflicts us.

He owes us no explanations, and speculation is dangerous.

He is not a god you can safely ignore.

But the end of the matter is never in doubt.

The God who has torn you is the same God who will heal you.

If he strikes you down, he will surely bind you up.

Your job is to hold on to his promises and trust in his mercy until he is again gracious.

As Hosea has written, “Let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

The Rev. John Armstrong is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Columbus and may be reached at gracecolumbus.org.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

By
Mark Webber
-

From the aesthetic to the mysterious to the practical, recycling will be celebrated and promoted through three upcoming events.

About 60 artists will be exhibiting and selling their work during the ninth annual Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show on Nov. 12 at The Commons.

Sculptures, woodworking, jewelry and wearable art will be displayed between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, made from reused, reclaimed or recycled materials.

If you feel lucky, you might want to choose Nov. 15 to do your normal recycling during the “Get Caught Recycling” event. The first 25 people discovered recycling by waste management employees at the Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center at 720 South Mapleton St. will receive special gifts.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

The mystery is being at the right bin at the right time time when those employees are looking.

Luck won’t have a thing to do with it when the final event — Amnesty Day for Bartholomew County residents — is held at the Recycling Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 19.

Everybody wins when local folks are able to get rid of hard-to-dispose-of items at no cost before winter sets in.

Those items include:

Up to four tires (pickup truck size or smaller, with rims removed).

Up to two refrigerators or freezers, including those using chlorofluorocarbons.

Up to 2 propane gas tanks.

For people wishing to get rid of old records and other paper documents, representatives from Speedy Shred will be on hand to do free shredding.

In addition, deputies from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department will accept expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs for proper disposal.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Déjà vu Art and Fine Craft Show: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 12 in The Commons, 300 Washington St.

Get Caught Recycling! 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center, 720 S. Mapleton St.

Amnesty Day for Bartholomew County residents: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 19 at the recycling center.

General information: Learn more about recycling at the county solid waste management district website. Visit bcswmd.com

[sc:pullout-text-end]

For a good cause

By
Brian Blair
-

The 41st annual unCommon Cause netted $77,000 for the nonprofit Columbus Area Arts Council, organizers said.

Arts council executive director Kathryn Armstrong said she was pleased with the level of support at the Oct. 22 sold-out event at The Commons that drew 340 people — the highest attendance in more than a decade. The theme was “Experience the ’60s: From Mods to Motown, Buzz Cuts to Bellbottoms.”

The gathering had 17 corporate tables — also the highest number in years, said the arts council’s Geri Handley, who helped plan the event.

Last year’s unCommon Cause netted a record $118,000.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

But the arts council staff has acknowledged that this year’s support was especially generous because arts supporter Mark Elwood stood at the end of the event and declared that everyone should raise more money — and then boosted funds by another $20,000 in a free-form auction in which Mark and John Elwood matched all bids.

“I think our total is great,” said Armstrong, who marked her first such event since assuming her post June 1. “We understood this year would be a little different because people helped us with Rock The Park.”

The arts council lost money on the Aug. 6 concert event at Mill Race Park, which was rained out.

It had to use about $30,000 from its operating budget to cover expenses incurred despite the cancellation. A fund drive launched by local business leaders helped replace that money.

The arts council uses money from the fundraiser for a broad range of local programming. The agency is best known for its Old National Bank First Fridays For Families free monthly children’s entertainment at The Commons and for the monthly summertime JCB NeighborFEST street concerts.

It also coordinates free educational programs such as Martin Luther King Day dramas highlighting elements of history.

Armstrong said part of the proceeds from the event eventually will be channeled to enhancing arts education and youth programming — two keys she spotlighted when she accepted her post.

This year’s proceeds include more than $12,000 pledged for what is known as Fund a Need. That is a specially designated cause each year. This year, the recipient of Fund a Need is the nonprofit Dancers Studio Inc., which teaches a wide range of dance, even incorporating people with various challenges into classes, and also presents “The Nutcracker” each December.

Handley highlighted attendees’ enthusiasm for dressing according to the Sixties theme. She estimated that more than half the crowd adopted some sort of themed outfit for the evening, from bellbottoms to ‘60s wigs to even astronaut space suits.

She added that Tami Sharp, the arts council’s program director, deserves credit for booking the band Living Proof that played a mix of Sixties and Seventies tunes and earned positive crowd feedback. Handley also said that the arts council staff and board will begin discussing a 2018 theme as early as January.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”You still can help” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

In years past, some people have offered support even after unCommon Cause has finished. So you can still help if you wish by sending a check to the Columbus Area Arts Council, The Commons, 300 Washington St., Columbus IN 47201.

[sc:pullout-text-end]

Students raising hopes and dreams

By
Brian Blair
-

A 15-year-old teen with wisdom far beyond his years was silent for a moment before asking a simple but profound question.

“If a group of young people who don’t even have real jobs can help raise $135,000 in about four months, then what can a lot of adults with good jobs do?” said a grinning Dalton Maxwell as his peers responded in laughter.

Good question.

Maxwell is among the 15-member Sandy Hook United Methodist youth group leading a local fund drive since summer to build a $300,000 elementary school in the poverty-stricken African country of Uganda. That push goes community-wide Nov. 13 when attorney and missionary Bob Goff of San Diego, California, comes to The Commons in Columbus to speak about the impact of Christian love in action.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

Goff’s faith-in-motion book, “Love Does” helped inspire the teens and their leader, Chad Russell, to think globally — and to join forces with Goff’s nonprofit human rights agency Love Does to plan to fund the school in Gulu, Uganda. Many of the youngsters in Gulu have been orphaned after their parents died from AIDS. Many of the children also are homeless.

That last tragic fact hits home with Maxwell, who once was homeless with his sister and mother four years ago.

Other teens heard of such struggles and became determined to give sacrificially. Sixteen-year-old Addison Evans has been babysitting since summer and has amassed about $700 for the cause en route to a goal of about $1,000.

“We’d like to inspire other people and challenge them to join us,” Evans said.

The teens also read Rick Warren’s book “Daring Faith,” in which he challenges Christians to pursue “God-sized dreams” — those that are so big that they couldn’t possibly be achieved in the natural realm.

Jalen Pleak, 15, said he is awed to see God work through their efforts.

“It’s crazy, and it’s nuts we’ve been able to do all this,” Pleak said.

This mission has changed their perspective about money. Many of the youth group members mentioned that they have been saving whatever money they get rather than spending it. And the drive is spurring them to change behaviors.

Fifteen-year-old Cameron Kelly said she normally hates the idea of public speaking, and avoids it, if possible, if people suggest she speak in front of a class or other such group.

“No way, Jose,” she said with emphasis.

But recently, when asked if she would be part of the teen group to make presentations about their drive in front of other local church groups, Kelly nervously-but-excitedly agreed to do so — for one simple reason.

“Because this is awesome,” Kelly said, breaking into laughter.

The teens raised about $25,000 before they went to the church council to share their vision and to ask the adults to join the cause. Sandy Hook attracts 300 to 350 people for Sunday worship, making for a solid congregation but nowhere near as large as many other local bodies of believers.

The church council agreed to boost teen-initiated dollars with a four to one match — and the amount began to grow quickly.

Russell, who visited the Ugandan outreach in March that missionary Goff coordinates, ideally would like to see the fund drive continue at least until next summer. That’s when a group of about 25 people from Sandy Hook and other churches will visit the high school operated and supported by Loves Does.

Several of the Sandy Hook teens already have their sights set on that trip to meet some of the Ugandan children and teens in person. Russell also had a chance to visit Loves Does’ home for young girls rescued from forced prostitution.

“I expected to see dejection and despair,” Russell said. “Instead, I saw joy and happiness (among them).”

He came home deeply moved by Goff’s passion for practical steps to demonstrate Christian concern and compassion.

“Bob’s all about action,” Russell said.

So much so, in fact, that he included his cell phone number at the end of his book, which is how Russell reached him to tell him his teens felt led by God to help people somewhere in Africa.

“When God puts a real need before you, it’s not something you can deny,” Russell said.

That explains why people such as 15-year-old Owen Rupp see their pre-fund-drive activities such as his Columbus East High School cross country outings a bit differently.

“I see something much more eternal in this compared to sports,” Rupp said.

Russell already is talking to the teens about what they can do once the school gets built to continue to support the project and its students. Fourteen-year-old Trinity Whitted considers all that has happened since June and seems stunned.

“I never could have fully imagined,” she said, “being a part of something like this.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Giving for Uganda” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Who: Attorney Bob Goff, author of the book “Love Does.” The San Diego, California, resident also is founder the nonprofit human rights agency Love Does, operating an outreach that includes a high school and girls home in Gulu, Uganda. The organization also operates in India and Somalia.

When: 6 p.m. Nov. 13

Where: The Commons

Why: To tell about plans to build a $300,000 elementary school in Gulu, Uganda — a project that youth at the local Sandy Hook United Methodist have adopted.

The added work of Love Does: Includes even the education of Uganda’s witch doctors so they can learn a skill to move them beyond their traditions, which has included human sacrifices.

Information: 812-372-8495 or sandyhook.org

[sc:pullout-text-end]

Religion News 11-05

By
Kaitlyn Evener
-

Services and studies

East Columbus United Methodist — Fellowship begins at 9 a.m. The Rev. Charles Aigner will deliver the message and communion will be served at the 9:30 a.m. blended service at the church, 2439 Indiana Ave. During the service, a special message will be given to the children and then they will be dismissed for children’s church. A staffed nursery/toddler room is available during the service. Sunday school will begin at 10:40 a.m. for all ages and Bible interests. ALL4One Youth group will meet at 5 p.m. in the Youth Room. Choir cantata practice will begin at 4:30 p.m. The casual evening service will begin at 6 p.m.Tuesday Bible study will meet at 1 p.m. and Wednesday Bible study will meet at 7 p.m., with both studies meeting in the chapel and led by Aigner.

Family Game Night will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday. Participants are invited to bring a friend, and a snack to share.

Information: 812-376-7418.

First Baptist — The Rev. Dan Cash will deliver the message, “Live Simply: Face the Truth,” with Scripture from Psalm 51:10-12 and Mark 4:37-41 at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday communion service at the church, 3300 Fairlawn Drive in Columbus. Music worship will be led by the Chancel Choir. Child care is available for infants. Older children will leave during the service for children’s church, where the lesson will be about Esther as found in Esther 2, 3 and 8.

Live streaming is available for Sunday services at 9:25 a.m. To view on your computer, go to sundaystreams.com/go/fbccolumbus or access through the link on the web page: fbccolumbus.org/WP/sermons.

Classes for all ages will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Youth-6:33 will meet at 6:33 p.m. Sunday.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet at the church at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The Mending Ministry will meet at Four Seasons Retirement Center at 9 a.m. Wednesday to do mending for the residents.

A six-session, video-based faith formation study will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The study, based by John Ortberg’s “All the Places to Go,” will discuss the countless open doors God creates every day and how to recognize them.

The Men of Faith Bible study will meet at 6:15 a.m. Friday in the private dining room at Four Seasons Retirement Center, 1901 Taylor Road. All men of the church and their guests are welcome.

Information: 812-376-3321 or fbccolumbus.org.

First Presbyterian — Worship begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the church, 512 Seventh St. The Rev. Felipe Martinez will deliver the sermon, “Questions About the Future,” on the Sunday preceding the presidential election. His sermon will look at the Luke and 2 Thessalonians passages.

Infant and toddler care is available from 9:15 a.m. to noon. Sunday school for children from preschool to grade 3 will begin at 10 a.m. Grades 4-12 will have Sunday school at 11 a.m. The Adult Fellowship and Education hour will be at 11 a.m. The Men’s and Women’s Support groups meet at 7 a.m. Fridays. People in need of a meal are invited to the Hot Meals program offered at 5 p.m. Frida, with entrance through the glass doors on Franklin Street.

Information: fpccolumbus.org or 812-372-3783.

First United Methodist — The Rev. Howard Boles will deliver the message, “Blessed Are We,” at both the 9 a.m. traditional and 11 a.m. contemporary services at the church, 618 Eighth St., Columbus. Scripture will be Psalm 149 and Luke 6:20-31. Sunday will be a special service in honor of All Saints Sunday, which honors loved ones who have died in the past year. Everyone is invited to join in the special service of remembrance.

Sunday school classes for children, youth and adults of all ages are offered at the church. Adult Sunday school class topics include “Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church” by N.T. Wright, Couples of the Old Testament, an Autumn Quiz, Math in the Bible, Unscrambling Genesis and more.

Sunday Night Connections begin with food available at 5 p.m. followed by children’s choirs, youth group and adult small group studies.

Information: 812-372-2851 or fumccolumbus.org.

Flintwood Wesleyan — Sunday service times at the church, 5300 E. 25th St., Columbus, are: Amplify, the non-traditional service, at 9 a.m.; Sunday school classes at 10 a.m.; and The Well, traditional service, at 11 a.m. Both Amplify and The Well are in the main sanctuary. The church will honor the veterans today. The Prayer Team will meet at 8 a.m. Sunday school classes will continue in their regular rooms. Evening activities begin with adult choir practice at 5 p.m. followed by the evening service at 6 p.m. in the main sanctuary.

The Connections small group meets at 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month. For questions, contact Pastor Teri Jones through the church office.

The small group, “A Christian Journey With Paul,” has been suspended until further notice.

The Greater small group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the large Sunday school classroom in the basement of Curry Hall. This group is for women only and will last six weeks. The video series is based on Lysa TerKeurst’s “Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out and Lonely.”

Wednesday activities begin with supper served at 5:30 p.m. The Prayer team will meet at 6:15 p.m. in the Prayer Room. JAM, for preschool through grade 6, begins at 6:15 p.m. Youth (Grades 7-12) begins at 6:30 p.m. and Adult Bible study begins at 7 p.m. Adult Bible study will be in the main sanctuary.

Thursday: Cub Scout Pack 588 meets at 6:30 p.m., followed by Boy Scout Troop 588 at 7 p.m.

Information: 812-379-4287 or email flintwoodoffice@gmail.com.

Old Union United Church of Christ — Pastor Kirby Rupp will deliver the message, “God of the Living, Not the Dead,” at the 10 a.m. service Sunday at the church, 12703 N. County Road 50W, Edinburgh. Scripture will be Job 19:23-27, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 and Luke 20:27-38. Sunday school begins at 9 a.m. with fellowship at 9:40 a.m.

Wednesday Bible study will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the church.

Information: 812-526-9430.

Petersville United Methodist — All Saints Sunday will be observed during the 9 a.m. service Sunday at the church, 2781 N. County Road 500E. People attending will be invited to light candles in memory of loved ones who have died in the last year. The Rev. Stormy Scherer-Berry will bring the message, “One Generation to Another,” and she will emphasize teaching each generation how to serve and praise God. Liturgist Karen Mize will share Scriptures from Psalm 145. Communion will be served during worship. Maxine Harden will present the stewardship moment. Teresa Covert will give the children’s sermon and the adult choir will be singing, led by Kathy Bush.

The Monday night Bible study classes will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. at the Kimerling and Nolting homes. The Sit and Stitch group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, also at the Nolting home. Choir practice will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and the Prayer group, led by Barb Hedrick, will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday at the church.

The walking group meets at 9 a.m. Monday and Wednesday at the church, weather permitting. In case of inclement weather, they will meet at FairOaks Mall.

The United Methodist Men’s group will have its monthly meeting at 7:15 a.m. Nov. 13 at the church.

The 49th annual Turkey Supper will conclude today with serving from 5 to 8 p.m. Bonnie Burbrink is the chairperson of the supper and Karen Mize is her co-chair.

Information: 812-546-4438 or 574-780-2379.

St. Paul Lutheran — The 8 and 10:45 a.m. services Sunday at the church, 6045 E. State St., will celebrate All Saints Sunday and will commemorate those members who have died and entered glory during the past year. The theme of Pastor Doug Bauman’s sermon will be “Now and Then,” based on I John 3:1-3 and Matthew 5: 1-12. Sunday school and adult Bible classes begin at 9:30 a.m.

Information: 812-376-6504.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus — The church will be taking a pre-election look at the country through the lens of Unitarian Universalist principles at the 10 a.m. service Sunday at the church, 7850 W. Goeller Blvd.

Events

East Columbus United Methodist — The church is celebrating Oscar Wood’s 90th birthday and retirement from service from 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at the church, 2439 Indiana Ave. Wood has served as usher coordinator and several other capacities at the church for more than 50 years. No gifts, but cards with or without pictures are welcome.Information: 812-376-7418.

First United Methodist — Learning Tree Preschool will have its Holiday Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Fellowship Hall at the church, 618 Eighth St., Columbus.

The 26th Annual Cookie Walk will be from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 19. Cookies, candies, breads and cookbooks will be available for purchase. All proceeds will go to the Missions of First UMC.

Information: 812-372-2851 or fumccolumbus.org.

Flintwood Wesleyan — The church will begin prepping for its 27th annual Open Hearth Craft Show at 10 a.m. Thursday. The show itself is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 12 at the church, 5300 E. 25th St., Columbus

Food will be served from breakfast to lunch, and many handcrafted items gift items will be available for purchase.

Thanksgiving Dinner will be held after the morning worship Nov. 20. This is a pitch-in with the church providing the meat.

Information: 812-379-4287 or email flintwoodoffice@gmail.com.

St. Paul’s Episcopal — A Choral Evensong Service celebrating All Saints Day in the Anglican tradition, 7 p.m. Sunday at the church, 2651 California St. Performance by choirs of St. Paul’s and St. David’s Episcopal Church in Bean Blossom.

Prayer vigil for the nation, 6 p.m. Monday at the church, to unify people at the end of the election season. Bring a candle and portable chair.

Apartment condemned, 12 families displaced

By
Kirk Johannesen
-

Twelve families in North Vernon have been displaced from their homes because of multiple fire code violations at an apartment building.

North Vernon Fire Chief Mike Cole followed up on several fire code complaints in late October at the building, 7 N. Madison Ave.

He found that those complaints were substantiated, and forwarded his investigative findings to the state fire marshal’s office, according to a North Vernon Police Department news release.

Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office made an on-site investigation Monday at the aging apartment building. The investigators found violations gross enough that the building could no longer be used as a full-time residential structure, according to the news release.

The state fire marshal’s office tried to reach an agreement for moving time with the building’s owner, but no agreement could be reached. Consequently, the building was condemned immediately.

The city has activated both city and community-based resources, and has contacted the Red Cross to assist displaced families.

“My biggest concern is for the safety of the families that live in the city and prevent a possible tragedy,” North Vernon Mayor Michael Ochs said.

General questions or offers of assistance should be directed to the mayor’s office by calling 812–346–3789.

Questions about the fire code violations should be directed to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security Public Information Office by calling John Erikson at 317-234–4214.

1...20,90320,90420,905...22,145Page 20,904 of 22,145