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Still waiting for the balloon man

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Staff Reports
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Publishers Clearing House is dead to me.

Recently I received an envelope in the mail, containing materials necessary for me to enter PCH’s latest sweepstakes. I’ve seen the TV commercials announcing that some lucky winner will receive $5,000 a week for life. Even better, the winner gets to designate a successor. When the winner dies, the successor gets $5,000 a week for life.

That sounds pretty good to me, so I was quite excited when I found the envelope in my mailbox. I was definitely going to enter until I saw, printed on the envelope, right beneath “Win $5,000.00 a week FOREVER,” the following:

“Frankly, we’re concerned DOUGLAS SHOWALTER. You’ve ignored prior bulletins, and we’d hate for you to do it again. Don’t throw away this life-changing opportunity.”

Excuse me? Ignored? I don’t think so Mr. Clearing House. What about last year?

The rules state that your chances of winning are the same whether or not you purchase magazines. So for the past 40 years I’ve taken it at its word and returned my entry form without buying anything.

And after 40 years I’m still waiting for a man holding balloons and a large, life-changing check to knock on my door.

I’ve heard insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Judging by my 40-year PCH losing streak, my “no buy” strategy was clearly insane.

So last year I decided to switch things up. I not only entered, I also ordered four magazine subscriptions, a set of plastic containers designed to hold various sizes of batteries and a swiveling electrical outlet that makes it easier to plug cords in behind a bookcase.

Now they would HAVE to let me win.

I mailed my entry and waited for the doorbell to ring. I even practiced in front of the bathroom mirror to perfect my look of surprise, as I knew cameras would be rolling when the man with the balloons and the check arrived at my humble abode.

After about a month, I had the look down pat. One afternoon the doorbell rang. I could barely contain my excitement, knowing my life was about to change forever. I put on my surprised face and opened the door.

Standing on my porch was the UPS man. No balloons, no check, no cameras rolling. He handed me a small cardboard box.

I closed the door, totally dejected. But then I noticed the return address was Publishers Clearing House. Oh happy day. This was probably just notification that I had won, along with a stack of legal papers to sign saying it was OK for balloon man to show up at my door at such and such a time and that I agreed to act surprised.

I quickly opened the box. The only things inside were four plastic containers designed to hold AAA, AA, C and D batteries. Useful, but hardly life-changing.

So I was understandably a bit miffed when I read the note on this year’s envelope telling me I’d ignored prior bulletins. There has definitely been some ignoring going on here, but you, Mr. Clearing House, are the guilty party.

I slammed the envelope down on the dining room table, muttering, “You’ve been ignoring me for 40 years. No way am I falling for that again.”

But a week later the envelope is still on the table. Every time I walk by, “Win $5,000.00 a week FOREVER!” jumps out at me. FOREVER!

I haven’t broken yet, but if my wife, kids and grandchildren all get plastic battery holders for Christmas next year, they’ll know I caved.

Unless of course I win. Got to go. Time to practice my surprised face.

Time spent with Mom awakens daughter to power of prayer

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Staff Reports
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After my first column last November, many of you wrote, called or stopped me while I was out and said, “Write more — we want more.” I wasn’t sure I had anything left to say until a miraculous thing happened to my mom, Barbara Jo King.

A few weeks ago, the nursing home where Mom is staying was on quarantine for the flu. I went to visit one day after work, and the nurse who answered the door asked if I really wanted to come in.

When I looked around, I saw that all the CNAs and nurses had face masks on. I backed away from the door and asked them to call me if she got sick.

Mom got through the quarantine period just fine, while a few of the other residents sadly died. However, on a recent Saturday when I went to feed Mom lunch, she was sound asleep. I kept trying to wake her up, and even tried to put a little liquid on her lips to wake her up, but she would not.

I made sure she was comfortable and went ahead and left to run my Saturday errands.

When I went back later in the day, mom was sweating, red faced and still sound asleep. As I put a cool, wet washcloth on her forehead, I spoke with the nurses about her condition.

All I heard was that she was declining.

With my son’s birthday party looming the next day, I had to get home to get presents wrapped and a cake decorated. I called my brother, Gary, who feeds Mom her lunch on Sundays, to let him know she was really sick.

A cloud of impending doom began forming over my head, putting a bit of a damper on the weekend activities I had planned.

Sunday arrived, and my brother texted me to say that mom was awake, ate all of her meal and was even talking a little. What? Mom doesn’t talk anymore, so how could this be? He assured me she was fine, so I went ahead with my plans.

I had been caring all weekend for a 6-year-old great-niece who never stops talking or eating, plus preparing a meal for my kids and the birthday party, of course. After all the activities were over, I took my great-niece home and returned to my house exhausted. Vegging on the couch, my phone rang at 8:30 p.m. It was the nursing home. Oh no, here it comes, I thought.

They said, “You need to get here right away; your mom is wide awake, talking and laughing.”

How could this be? I jumped in my car and took off.

Upon arrival, the nurses were all talking to me at the same time out of excitement. One of them told me that Mom had just looked into the corner of the room, where no one was, pointed her finger in that direction and said, “I see you people standing over there.” That’s seven words and a complete sentence — more than any of us had heard in a long time.

I went into Mom’s room and wide awake she was, lying in her bed looking comfortable. Before she spoke to me, I noticed something else. Her hands, which had been curled up into fists for more than two years, were open, fluid in her movements. My mother’s hands were released from their bondage, and she was using them again.

As I pulled up her wheelchair to sit beside her bed, Mom looked at me and with her open hand, reached up to touch my hair as she said, “Beautiful.” At this point my mind is reeling, wondering what in the world happened during her long period of sleep.

Mom continually looked around the room, pointing and quietly talking to the … angels? Relatives in heaven coming to take her home? Or, as some naysayers think, hallucinations?

A little later, mom took my hand, and I told her I had been on her journey with her and that I loved her so much. She looked right at me and sweetly said, “I know.” I began crying at this point, and I laid my head down on her chest and cried, to which she wrapped her arms around me to comfort me.

For those of you who have never experienced a parent not knowing who you are, this was huge. My mother had not acknowledged me for quite some time. She hasn’t responded to being called mom for quite some time either. Her memory was blank of ever being a mother.

After my little crying spell, as we sat in the quiet of the night, Mom again reached out for my hand, put it to her lips and kissed it. Oh my, would I ever stop crying this night? All I could do was sit in amazement and thank God for these moments of clarity.

After sitting with Mom for a couple of hours, I just had to get home and get to bed, as work the next morning was calling my name.

I returned the next day and although not quite as talkative as the evening before, Mom seemed happy to see me and her hands were still open and moving. I was able to give her a manicure without having to pry her fingers open. She enjoyed it and again looked up at me and casually said, “Thank you.”

More tears? Yes. It seems they are always near the surface and ready to fall at any given time.

I returned the next night after work, we took our regular stroll of five laps around the building, stopping to watch the birds and the fish. One hand open, one not so much anymore. However, she was still alert.

There was a singing group coming in and since I grew up with lots of music, we got comfortable, held hands and listened to the music. As I looked around the nursing home, people who rarely speak were singing the words to old gospel songs. Mom was not singing or mouthing the words but was keeping time with her open hand and thoroughly enjoying the music.

I don’t know if my mother received some sort of a miracle, or if because she had not been able to take her medicine for two days, she was no longer in a drug-induced state.

All I do know is that, for a little while, I had my mother back. A mother who told me I had beautiful hair, thanked me for giving her a manicure and held me while I cried.

A mother whose hands were not curled up into balls and maybe even a mother who saw loved ones from heaven, standing in waiting to bring her home.

All I know is that my last column was not the end of the story.

A few days later, I learned that one of my other brothers, Andy Robbins and his wife Donna, had gone in to see Mom on Sunday afternoon, where she had relapsed into her illness. Andy said she sounded like she was aspirating to death when they arrived, so he immediately went into prayer mode. Andy and Donna began praying for Mom’s lungs to be clear and her breathing to settle down, also for her speech to be loosed.

Andy told me that she started improving almost immediately, but not to the extent of what I experienced.

Little did Andy and Donna know that I had been praying for one more conversation with Mom before she let go of this life and moved on to heaven.

Isn’t it funny how my prayers were answered because of a direct prayer which my brother prayed?

Oh my, does God work in mysterious ways.

Trish Ward is the newsroom assistant at The Republic. She can be reached at tward@therepublic.com.

When government goes too far individual liberty pays the price

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Staff Reports
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What sort of mental — perhaps emotional — response does the word “government” trigger in you? My experience indicates to me that views on its nature range from it being a bulwark against life’s vicissitudes to a guiding force for a polity’s collective march into the future to an intrusive obstacle to the exercise of individual sovereignty.

In a society such as America’s, predicated (at least historically) on the primacy of freedom, the first two views are antithetical to what government’s nature ought to be, and, sadly, the third dim view of what it is becomes widely embraced as a result of widely held expectations that it will fulfill the first two visions.

The first two views achieve prominence when large numbers of people conflate government with the overall populace. They are by no means the same animal.

In his seminal 1962 tome “In Defense of Freedom,” philosopher (and one of National Review’s founding editors) Frank S. Meyer said: “The state is not co-extensive with the totality of that which it governs; it is a definite group of men, distinct and separate from other men, a group of men possessing the monopoly of legal coercive force.” He further stresses that this is so “whether it governs with or without the consent of the governed.”

Therein lies the proper response to the assertion that, just because some redistributionist initiative garners a yes vote from the majority of the people, it is consistent with a society whose first priority is liberty.

Since those whose main concern is liberty stress the limiting of governmental power at the federal level to matters of national security, foreign relations and legal questions that arise between and among states, a lot of functions that no entity but government can perform fall to more local levels of society.

In other words, there are going to be functions that we ought not to ask a national government to perform that we quite rightly expect of state, county and municipal governments.

Examples that would elicit wide consensus would include zoning and land-use considerations, provisions for maintaining public order and response to disasters. There’s less consensus about education, but the liberty-oriented take on that tends away from centralization and national uniformity.

So there will be a governmental presence on a local level that we welcome but would find unacceptably intrusive if imposed from a federal level.

I’m comforted by the occasional Columbus Police Department patrol car cruising down my street but would assuredly bristle at a vehicle sporting some national law-enforcement agency’s logo driving by with the same frequency.

Still, too much can be made of the notion that, because it reflects the will of a more contained group of people in tune with the particularities of the area where they live and work, local government ought to have a highly visible presence in the life of a community.

The basic principle for national and local government is the same. It is there to provide sufficient order for the maximum exercise of sovereign individuals’ freedom.

It’s perfectly appropriate for local government — such as Columbus’ mayor, the City Council or Bartholomew County Council — composed as it is by those who best know the lay of the land inhabited by those it represents, to encourage collective undertakings that are shown, after having taken such measures as town halls and surveys, to reflect the general desire for a certain direction for the community.

Beyond that, however, the only proper role of government is to provide the basic infrastructure that supports the desired way forward.

The rest is up to the energy and vision of free people freely associating to make lives better where they live.

Barney Quick is one of The Republic’s community columnists. All opinions expressed are those of the writer. He may be reached at editorial@therepublic.com.

Quick takes – January 31st

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Staff Reports
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Museum upgrades need support

The kidscommons children’s museum is one of the most popular attractions in Columbus, drawing more than 44,000 visitors last year — not including 7,000 that were part of school groups.

It’s important to invest in community assets, which the kidscommons surely has become.

That’s why it’s good to hear that the Reeves Foundation is providing a $20,000 grant to update the ExploraHouse feature in the museum, which includes the popular giant toilet.

Keeping current with technology and information is important with exhibits, but so is addressing the wear and tear caused by enthusiastic visitors during nearly a decade of use.

However, the refurbishing effort could use additional support, as about $60,000 more is needed to cover the costs of all facets museum leaders would like to upgrade.

One way you can help: Attend the Feb. 21 Carnivale Italy, a fundraiser for kidscommons.

Fingerprint ID good idea

Columbus Regional Hospital has taken a good step toward improving patient satisfaction and security by implementing a fingerprint ID system, SafeChx.

Its purpose is to eliminate medical errors due to misidentification and to streamline patient experiences. SafeChx allows patients to scan their right index finger, assigning patients a unique code for their medical information.

Columbus Regional has begun to register and verify patients for treatment and appointments using this method, a smart move.

Cabaret series wonderful

The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic has hit a home run with its latest offering, Cabaret at The Commons. It provides high-level talent in an intimate setting.

The opening of the three-concert series, on Jan. 8, featured Broadway performer Mary Claire King. Exceptional performers also are scheduled for the Feb. 19 and March 19 shows.

Riding the popularity of cabaret music, this series will bring a lot of people downtown Thursday, a nontraditional entertainment night. Fun for patrons, it will also make cash registers ring — a win-win.

Photo exhibit at Ivy Tech impressive

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Staff Reports
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I was pleasantly surprised by many things while venturing to Ivy Tech Community College for a reception and to view the recent exhibit of photography by Jiang Wei. Those were:

The impressive campus of Ivy Tech

Information about the student exchange program accompanying the exhibit

The interesting and engaging teachers and staff I was fortunate to meet

The phenomenal photography, which brought me there

Most of the photography was done in the Yunnan province and includes an explanation of the scenes. One is the Yuan Yang Terraces, a masterpiece of the people, where there are thousands of acres of sloped terraced rice fields, which are on the World Heritage List. Another picture of interest was the beautiful photograph of Jiang’s daughter clothed in an exquisite black-and-white dress with ornate jewels.

There were several scenes depicting the college of Buddhist monks in Tibet and their red homes, which they build themselves, and some of their activities. This is truly an educational exhibit of a different culture which can be seen through Feb. 13.

Jiang is director assistant of the School of Culture and Creativity at Wuxi Professional and Technical College, which is the sister college to Ivy Tech Community College — Columbus. The student exchange program through Ivy Tech and Wuxi Professional College hosted this reception as the first fundraiser to accelerate the exchange of students and provide them with international experience in the global marketplace.

The fundraiser offered either original photos or smaller copies for $50, $75 and $100. Columbus and the city of Wuxi have much in common. There is a large Cummins workforce in Wuxi, and both the above schools are attempting to develop an internship program for students.

My first visit to China in 2009 was a memorable and enlightening experience. We found the people to be gracious and kind. Food was delectable and full of surprise tastes. The country is a wonder to behold.

There is a need for awareness for student funding at the state and local level. More information can be gained from Sue Griffith Smith at sgsmith@ivytech.edu or Erin Lehman at elehman4@ivytech.edu.

An interesting evening is in store for everyone at The Commons at 7 p.m. Feb. 20. The Langston Hughes Project: Ask Your Mama, 12 Moods For Jazz will include a presentation of the spoken word, songs, a slide presentation and a jazz quartet featuring Ron McCurdy, with guest appearance of our own Columbus star, Maria Harmon. Included in the Langston Hughes Project was a poetry contest for both high schools and middle schools. The winner is Lillyanne Pham, a Columbus North junior. Her poem will be set to jazz, and she will present it at school and at the evening performance. Tickets are available at Viewpoint Books. For information, call 812-764-6477.

In the world of fashion, we found digital prints on fabric rather fascinating. The Peter Pilotto label was the first to print digitally manipulated photos onto fabric but eventually moved onto jacquard that has been woven to create a print-like pattern. Target stores asked Pilotto for a collection in 2014, which brought world recognition. A textile factory in Como, Italy, called Gentili Mosconi, asked to work with Pilotto and his partner, Christopher De Vos. The jacquard from Italy is now the central element in their spring 2015 collection.

Also, the latest trend in makeup is the “no makeup look” — or the “less is more” look. Leave it to the manufacturers of cosmetics to create a whole new line of product to achieve this.

Humane Society seeking volunteers

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Staff Reports
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Staff Reports

The Brown County Humane Society, a nonprofit organization, needs volunteers and foster families.

It is an open-admission shelter that accepts all of Brown County’s stray and homeless cats and dogs. The shelter is at 128 State Road 135 in Nashville.

For more information, call 812-988-7362.

Letter: Mayor unresponsive on gun violence issues

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Staff Reports
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From: William Scarbrough

Columbus

On Jan. 17, The Republic published a letter from me stating that Mayor Kristen Brown was ill-advised to encourage the citizens of Columbus to participate in the national Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. LEAD was an effort to thwart Attorney General Eric Holder’s investigation of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the police assault resulting in the death of a black man in Staten Island, New York, and the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, and to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio for telling his son to be wary of police and for his association with the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Adjacent to my letter was a letter from Brown in which she stated she encouraged anyone concerned about something to meet with her.

The Monday following was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. City Hall was closed. On Tuesday morning I called the mayor’s office and was told she would meet with me Monday, Jan. 26. On Jan. 22, I received a call from the mayor’s office in which I was told she was too busy to meet with me on the 26th but would meet with me Feb. 2.

This delay is unacceptable. Formatting the newspaper requires several days after submitting a letter. Informing the citizens of Columbus what the mayor is thinking is best communicated through the media. I can only tell you, for your consideration, some questions I have that we should demand answers to.

1. Did she know that the sponsoring organizations, COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) and Quantico Tactical, she said were united in support of law enforcement officers facing increased tension, sell military equipment, guns, bulletpoof vests and armored vehicles to police?

2. Did she know that COPS also falsely states that only the military service is a more dangerous job than policing?

3. Did she know that the police officer who shot Tamir Rice was allowed to resign from a county sheriff’s office because he was undependable in handling a gun?

4. Has she supported former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords’ effort to ban assault rifles after the unspeakable slaughter of first-grade boys and girls in Newtown, Connecticut?

5. Does she know that since the tragedy on Dec. 14, 2012, there has been an average of nearly one school shooting a week? This includes fatal, nonfatal, unintentional shootings and suicides. Is this of concern to her as someone involved with public welfare in Columbus?

6. Is she a member of Every Town For Gun Safety?

Two years ago I met the mayor at a booth she had set up at the farmers market. I asked her if she was a member of Mayors Against Gun Violence.

She said she didn’t know of the organization but would get back to me. Never did.

Same organization with a new name.

7. Is she now a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns?

Many questions. No answers, yet. Stay tuned.

Letter: Appalachian Trail hikers face grueling endeavor

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Staff Reports
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From: William Porter

Columbus

In regard to “Trip of a Lifetime,” I would like to point out that thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is an extremely difficult mental and physical challenge that should be held with greater respect than depicted in this article. As someone who has hiked hundreds of miles on the Appalachian Trail during several multiday trips, I am aware of how difficult stretches of the trail can be and have interacted with multiple, nearly finished thru-hikers and have seen the physical and mental toll it can take on them.

Between 2008 and 2013, per the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, only 27 percent of potential thru-hikers completed the entire trail within a 12-month span. Note that this data only includes registered thru-hikers and does not include hiking the entire trail in both directions. “Yo-yo” hiking the trail is even more rare, and most successful one-way thru-hikers do not even consider this approach. Even experienced hikers who have trained for and have the best and lightest equipment succumb to the rigors of hiking 15 to 20 miles day after day and step foot off the trail within a week or two.

In addition, one of the true joys of long-distance hiking is finding yourself in nature while distancing yourself from the pressures and connections of our modern society. The Appalachian Trail is maintained by volunteers and free of commercialism and largely remains true to the creators’ original vision of being a retreat from profit and a way to experience nature while being removed from life as you knew it off the trail.

I wish the Lynches nothing but the best and hope for their safety and success in their hike and their scholarship foundation but wanted to shed light on some of the mental and physical challenges they will face when they step onto the trail. Omissions in the article on the preparation that needs to occur and the reality of the hardships on the trail give the impression that an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is a walk in the park rather than a grueling, exhausting and emotionally challenging effort that many will never complete once, let alone twice.

Religion news

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mteltoe
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Services and studies

Grace Lutheran — The Rev. John Armstrong will deliver the message, “Mismatch! Christ and the Demonic Powers,” based on Mark 1:21-28, at the 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday services at the church, 3201 Central Ave. in Columbus. The message examines demonic possession today and what Armstrong calls the “surpassing power of the word of Christ.”

Sunday school for all ages is at 9:20 a.m. Adult classes include “The God of All Comfort,” a Bible study for women based on 1 Corinthians 1:3-7; and “The Great Deceiver,” a study on Christ’s victory over Satan and his influence.

Grace Lutheran’s ALPHA Course, an introduction to the Christian faith, continues Tuesday with the topic “How did we get the Bible?” A light supper is served at 6 p.m., followed by a lecture and small-group discussion. Child care is available.

Information: 812-372-4859 or gracecolumbus.org.

The Living Room — Former Presbyterian pastor Tony Roberts will deliver a message from Matthew 6: 7-21 at the 11 a.m. Sunday service at the church, 1421 Sycamore St. in Columbus. He will weave in Scripture with testimony from his own life as a pastor who copes with mental illness.

Roberts is the author of “Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission” about his battle with bipolar disorder, a condition in which sufferers experience episodes of an elevated or agitated mood known as mania, alternating with episodes of depression. Copies of the book will be available, and contributions will be accepted.

A Super Bowl-themed community meal will follow the service.

Information: Eric Riddle at 812-344-0185.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus — The Rev. Dennis McCarty will begin an occasional sermon series, “Girls Who Rocked History,” at the 10 a.m. Sunday service at the church, 7850 W. Goeller Blvd. McCarty said he believes that young women can change the world. Sunday’s message will focus on the legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley.

Petersville United Methodist — The Rev. Andrea Lantz will continue a sermon series “Fruitful Congregation Journey” at the 9 a.m. Sunday service at the church, County Road 500 East in Petersville. Scripture will be from John 15, and the sermon title will be “Trimming and Pruning.” Communion will be served during the service.

Joe Bush will serve as liturgist, and Teresa Covert will give the children’s sermon. The nursery will be staffed by Tara Manley, and Betty Hilycord and Sandy Williams will lead Junior Church for children ages 5 through fifth grade.

A time of fellowship will follow the service and Sunday school will begin at 10:30 a.m.; the adult class, led by Chris Kimerling and Patsy Harris, is starting a new study, “In Awe of God,” with Scripture from Psalm 95.

The Baker’s Dozen study group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Larry Nolting home, and the group studying “Journey Through the Bible” will meet at the Jim Kimerling home at the same time. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Sit ‘n Stitch group will meet at the Nolting home. The Walking Club will meet at 9 a.m. Monday and Wednesday mornings at FairOaks Mall.

Choir practice is each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., and the Prayer Group, led by Barb Hedrick, will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Financial Peace University class meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. The annual Church Planning Session will be held at 9 a.m. today at the home of Pastors Andrea and Chris Lantz.

Westside Community — Pastor Dennis Aud will lead the 10 a.m. Sunday service at the church at Tipton Lakes Boulevard and State Road 46. A fellowship time is being offered each Sunday from 9:30 to 10 a.m.

An adult Bible study meets from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Sunday. No materials are needed other than a Bible. The current study is “Jesus Chose 12 Disciples … Why Did He Need Paul?”

Children’s church is now being offered at 10 a.m. All children from birth through sixth grade have age-appropriate classes available. Information on children’s programming: 812-342-8464.

The Ruby’s Tuesday Women’s Bible Study meets at 10 a.m. weekly at the church. The current study is titled “Meeting the Spirit,” by Douglas Connelly.

The men of Westside have begun a new Bible study that meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the church. This study, “33-The Series,” deals with “Authentic Manhood” as modeled by Jesus in his 33 years on earth.

Information: 812-342-8464.

North Christian — Senior Minister Lanny Lawler along with Director of Music Elizabeth Clark will lead the 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service at the church, 850 Tipton Lane. A nursery for preschool-age children, staffed by a professional caregiver, is available if desired.

Disciples Youth Class continues at 9 a.m. Sunday using Bible Lessons for Youth as the curriculum. Terry Shaw serves as instructor.

The Adult Class continues at 9 a.m. Sunday in the Blue Room of the church. Trudi Ellison-Kendall will facilitate the study on the book “Whole: A call to unity in our fragmented world” by Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.

Centering Prayer will be at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in the Prayer Chapel on the lower level.

The Creating the Mystery Knitting Fellowship will meet Monday in Room UL 6 at the church.

The Disciples Women’s Ministries will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the lower level lounge at the church. Caroline Cox-Smith will serve as hostess, and the program will be given by Lisa Shafran from Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.

Flintwood Wesleyan — The Rev. Wes Jones will lead worship at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service at the church, 5300 E. 25th St. Sunday school for all ages begins at 9:30 a.m. Adult choir practice will begin at 5 p.m. followed by evening service at 6 p.m.

Women’s Connections will meet in The Friendship Center at 10 a.m.

Wednesday activities begin with supper served at 5:30 p.m. JAM and Youth begin at 6:30 p.m., and adult Bible study begins at 7 p.m.

During the month of February, look for decorated boxes throughout the church campus to collect nonperishable food to help restock the food pantries for Love Chapel and the Salvation Army. This is a youth project.

Upcoming events include:

The Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast, 9 to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 in the Friendship Center.

The annual Birthday Bash, 6 p.m. Feb. 8 in The Friendship Center.

The Senior Adult Ministries Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 12 in The Friendship Center.

The annual Zone 3 Indoor Camp, Feb. 22-25.

The annual Heart of Ministries Dinner and Auction, 6 p.m. March 6.

Information: 812-379-4287, flintwoodoffice@gmail.com.

Covenant Family Worship Center — Worship is led by Pastors Ray and Della Jones at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sundays at the new Pentecostal church, 3070 McKinley Ave. in Columbus. The Joneses regularly include time for prayer for healing, salvation and more.

Old Union United Church of Christ — Pastor Kirby Rupp will present the message, “Obvious or Oblivious,” from Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and Mark 1:21-28, at the 10 a.m. fourth Sunday after Epiphany service at the church, County Road 800N and County Road 500W near Edinburgh. Sunday school is at 9 a.m., and fellowship is at 9:40 a.m.

Ladies Aid Meeting begins at 1 p.m. Feb. 10.

Service with TUMC begins at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Taylorsville United Methodist Church.

The Bible study at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays is studying Samuel.

Information: 317-374-8281.

Asbury United Methodist — Pastor Dave Blystone will continue the series on miracles and will deliver the message, “Your Home,” from Luke 19:1-10, at the 8:45 a.m. traditional and the 11 a.m. contemporary services Sunday at the church, 1751 27th St. in Columbus. Sunday school for all ages begins at 10 a.m. The Jesus and Me program for ages 3 to 12 is available during the 11 a.m. service. Fellowship time with coffee and snacks is between services at The Well.

Cub Scout Troop 559 will hold their Pinewood Derby from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in the Contemporary Worship Center.

The Film Class on Sunday will view and discuss the movie “America: Imagine the World Without Her,” which includes re-enactments and landmark events throughout American history and interviews with leading historians.

Tickets go on sale Sunday for the Asbury Men’s Valentine Gala at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 14. Entertainment will be provided by the Whipstitch Sallies. Tickets are $10. No tickets will be available at the door.

Information: 812-372-4555, asburycolumbus.org.

East Columbus United Methodist — The Rev. Charles Aigner will present the message at the 8:30 and 10:40 a.m. Sunday services with communion being served at the church, 2439 Indiana Ave. Sunday school classes for all ages and Bible interests meet at 9:40 a.m. Children’s church and the nursery/toddler room are available.

Aigner will bring the message at the 6 p.m. service. All4ONE youth will meet at 5:30 p.m. for a Super Bowl party at the home of Brad and Tricia Helton.

Bible study will meet 3 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel, studying 1 John.

Bible study will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel, studying Psalms.

Information: 812-376-7418.

First United Methodist — The Rev. Howard Boles will deliver the message, “Unexpected Interruptions,” from Psalm 111 and Mark 1:21-28, at the 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday services at the church, 618 Eighth St. in Columbus. Coffee Connections will be in the library between services with coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

A new Women’s Bible study will begin Wednesday. The group will study Beth Moore’s book, “So Long Insecurity.” This group will meet from noon to 1:20 p.m. every Wednesday in the Blue Room. Dates will be Wednesday through March 11 and April 1 to 22. Child care is available. Information: 812-372-2851 or scampbell@fumccolumbus.org.

The Boy Scouts’ annual pancake breakfast fundraiser will be 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Fellowship Hall. The Girl Scouts will sell Girl Scout cookies that morning.

Girls in seventh through 12th grades are invited to participate in “Beautiful You” Feb. 20-21 at the church. This overnight event features speakers, games, crafts and more. “Beautiful You” encourages participants to see how beautiful they are through the eyes of God. Cost is $20 per person. To register, contact Sarah Campbell at scampbell@fumccolumbus.org or 812-372-2851.

“My Best For You” sexuality workshop is for all fifth- through seventh-graders and their parents so they can focus on God’s ideal plan for sexuality. The workshop is a two-day event from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 27 and 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 28 at the church. There will also be a parents meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 12. Cost of the workshop will be $10 per family. Registry deadline is Feb. 13. Register by calling the church office at 812-372-2851 or by visiting the church office at 618 Eighth St.

Information: 812-372-2851, or fumcolumbus.org.

First Baptist — The Rev. Dan Cash will deliver the message, “Under Whose Authority,” from Deuteronomy 18:15-20 and Mark 1:21-28, at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service at the church, 3300 Fairlawn Drive in Columbus. Communion will be shared, and music worship will be led by the Chancel Choir.

Child care will be offered for infants, and children’s church will be available for toddlers through preschool-age children. Children age 4 through third grade will continue to explore the early ministry of Jesus.

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

A Zumba exercise class, open to all, will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday and 5 p.m. Wednesday. Contact the church for information and pricing.

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

The Hannah Circle of American Baptist Women will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The Cross Connections Fellowship Meal will be served at 5 p.m. Wednesday with cost by donation. Reservations are suggested.

4TWELVE, a midweek gathering for middle school students, will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The “Hearing God” class will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday led by Cash at the church and will explore the development of a conversational relationship with God. It is based on Dallas Willard’s book “Hearing God.” It is not required to have read the book, but it could be helpful.

The adult classes will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The life-skills group will continue the processes of researching ancestors during “Shaking Your Family Tree,” led by Robert Rhude and Lois Griffith.

The Men of Faith Bible Study will meet at a private dining room at Four Seasons Retirement Center on Taylor Road at 6:15 a.m. Friday. All men of First Baptist and their guests are invited. The study will be titled “Anytime, Anywhere, Sharing Faith Jesus Style.”

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

Music

Asbury United Methodist — The Indiana University Trombone Choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Asbury. There is no admission charge, however an offering will be taken.

First Baptist — Fridays at First 2015 will begin Feb. 20 with a concert featuring Nikolay Verevkin from Indiana University. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Sheriff’s department seeks grant

By
Mark Webber
-

Heroin can kill — inside and outside the city limits.

That’s why the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is seeking funding to obtain a drug often described as an antidote to heroin overdoses, Sheriff Matt Myers said.

It’s an effort that follows a recent decision to allow 63 officers with the Columbus Police Department to carry two doses of the drug Naloxone, often referred to as Narcan, with them at all times.

The startup initiative to provide all merit and reserve deputies with the same dosages of the drug is being spearheaded by Capt. Dave Steinkoenig, commander of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Road Patrol Division.

Narcan will also be kept at the Bartholomew County Jail for inmates, Myers said.

Although funding hasn’t yet been obtained, some deputies are already training with an emergency room physician at Columbus Regional Hospital to learn to properly administer the drug, Steinkoenig told the Bartholomew County commissioners.

“I can’t sit and wait,” Myers said. “This saves lives. I have to move forward on this.”

The commissioners gave the sheriff’s department their blessing to seek a $5,000 grant through the Columbus Regional Health Foundation. County ordinances require all outside funding requests to be approved by the commissioners before an application is made.

Myers describes the chances for a grant approval as “very promising.”

“But even if we’re turned down, I’ll go elsewhere to find the money,” Myers said.

If the funding request is approved, the two largest law enforcement departments in Bartholomew County will be able to obtain the drug through Columbus Regional Hospital at lower prices. Under this program, the cost of two doses of Narcan is $35, Steinkoenig said.

Narcan is carried on all ambulance runs, Myers said. But it is often law enforcement officers — rather than paramedics — who are the first on the scene of an overdose, Myers said.

“When you have 19 deaths (combined total for 2013 and 2014) with heroin, and you have a drug that can buy time, it only makes sense for law enforcement to carry this,” the sheriff said.

Bartholomew County Coroner Larry Fisher, who has been on the scene of many of those deaths, said if deputies save only one life with the drug, it’s worth any investment into the program.

“The initial startup costs are the biggest factor, and keeping the program going after that doesn’t cost much,” Fisher said. “The drug is also very easy to administer.”

Fisher said having Narcan available could give some heroin users a false sense of security, but most of the recent overdose victims don’t fit that description, Fisher said.

“It’s something most of these folks were just experimenting with, and probably wouldn’t do it again if they had survived their first overdose,” Fisher said.

Allowing a county department to request a grant through the county-owned hospital was described Monday by county commissioner chairman Larry Kleinhenz as “very unusual.”

In response, Myers noted former Sheriff Mark Gorbett did not seek a line-item increase in his departmental budget over his entire eight years in office.

“Our funding is so tight that I don’t feel comfortable spending $5,000 for any new program at this point,” said Myers, who added his department is still exploring ways to fund body cameras for deputies.

“You may see us going into the community more to ask for help until our public funding is increased,” Myers added.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About Naloxone” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Developed in the 1960s, Naloxone (generic name: Narcan) is a medication used to counter the effects of opioid overdose. It will usually reverse the depression of the central nervous system, respiratory system, and hypertension caused by heroin and similar narcotics.

While the drug is most commonly administered by physicians and nurses intravenously, it’s usually given to overdose victims by first-responders as a nasal spray.

Naloxone is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.

Source: Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents

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