JUNE/JULY 2017 VOL. VI, ISSUE 4

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1 JUNE/JULY 2017 VOL. VI, ISSUE 4 OOAK GROVE UMC SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY Every Transition Begins with an Ending I have long-been indoctrinated in The United Methodist Church theology and practices. I agree with most of how and what we do; I am displeased with very little; I left for a while; and in time, I returned home. One of the UMC practices I have embraced thru the years is that of clergy appointments. I have lived and survived the full range of loss and grief at appointment time, still believing that the appointment system works well. I have great faith in the UMC. Even now, I have been able to utter aloud that, Susan has been appointed to Embry Hills UMC. How my spirits fell when I first heard the news. I remember Susan from her first day at OGUMC, when she was sharing about her family getting settled. It was evident that God was the center of the Allen-Grady household. Susan s faith was genuine and I felt that God was at work through her. So now, as we draw closer to her new appointment as Senior Pastor of Embry Hills UMC, I can affirm that God is still at work and that Embry Hills UMC is in for a true blessing with Susan at the helm. Her inviting smile, infectious laughter and strong faith radiate to all who open their hearts to her witness. Under Susan s leadership at OGUMC, Wednesday Communion has flourished from the early days when we could all gather easily around the communion table, and now to overflowing outside the chancel area. Wednesday Worship is a time of special sharing and warm fellowship. Oak Grove Covenant groups are many, Sunday School Classes flourish, OG Church membership has grown! Thank you, dear Susan! May God hold you, Dave, and Joy in the palm of his hand during this time of transition and anticipation. We will truly miss you! May Oak Grove UMC always be 'family'. I have learned through the years that if we open our hearts and minds during times of transition, we all grow anew in positive ways. So, welcome Rev. Joseph McBrayer, Frances, and Ali. We give thanks, and look forward to what God has in mind for your ministry among us and with us at Oak Grove United Methodist Church! Peace and love to all during this time of transition. Madge Watson Note: The title of this article is borrowed from TRANSITIONS, a book first published in 1980, written by David Bridges.

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3 Senior Adult Calendar Dates: June 25: Sunday Afternoon, Sounds of the Spirit: A Patriotic Celebration Concert, Roswell UMC, 3pm August 1: Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Day Trip to Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA September 5: Tuesday Lunch Bunch, OG Seniors Sing under the Direction of Mr. Jack Moore September 10: Sunday morning, Celebration of Life and Longevity for OG members who are 90+ years of age, 11am Service of Worship October 3: Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Tom Elliot presents Real Cowboy Music and Fun, 11:30am-1:30pm, Fellowship Hall November 7: Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Celebrating Our Veterans November 11: Saturday Evening, dinner at restaurant, followed by HEAVEN BOUND at Big Bethel A.M.E. Church, Sweet Auburn Ave. December 5: Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Dazzling Dames and Dudes performers from Park Springs December 8-10 (Tentative Date): Appalachian Christmas at Lake Junaluska, NC Lunch Bunch program with Bob Bowling

4 Silver Liners An original story by author, Mary Stripling, in loving memory of Beth Benefield The invitation was clear: You are invited to a silver polishing party at my house on April 13, 2015 at 10 am. Be a dear and be here! We are all age 70+, WWII babies, married when a bride s gifts were silver. Nancy and David were about to downsize, simplify their lives, make more time for the people they love. Of course we were there all five of us. Who could say no to Nancy? Had she not been there for each of us during some cloudburst of our lives? In fact, we had been there for each other through more years than we will number. We watched each others children, applauded their accomplishments, wrote encouraging letters, shared disappointments and bore each others griefs. We ve shared the times of caring for aging parents and often were there at that last breath. When one of us is happy, we blow out the windows with joy and laughter. When one is discouraged, we do what we can to raise her hope. When one s struggles seem like unrelenting storms, we string together a lifeline and pray like preachers. Our presence is like an umbrella of shelter in a hard rain, unyielding as a dam against the flood of fear. For our friend, we suppress our own anxieties and force our sweetest smiles as persistent glimmers of promise. Through the years, we have clung to the church s One Foundation. We stand firmly on The Solid Rock, and brace with shields of prayer through fiercest storms. Often we glimpse a ray of sunshine slipping around a boulder of trouble. We feed the occasion with loving attention until troubles dissipate and silver linings usher blue skies. It is difficult for me to imagine that any hardship could drown one of us in despair. I write this humbly because we share a faith that has carried us through dark shadows and we believe in eternal life. We sometimes notice a woman walking along her silver lining as if it is an arc, lifting her above the crisis of her circumstances and lighting her path to solution. Her courage and faith inspire us. There seems to be no exhaustion to heaven s supply of silver linings. On April 13, we were all in that kitchen polishing silver like Mr. Clean! Nancy placed a pile of silver hollowware before us four generations of wedding gifts! We rubbed and buffed until our arthritic fingers froze. When the last piece was polished down to its claw feet, a collective sigh was heard around the table. We began removing our rubber gloves, but Nancy was not done with us. Would you mind polishing the silver service? It s the only thing left. She held up a tray, coffee pot, teapot, sugar bowl and cream pitcher. After a second of silence, she said, Oh, I I ll do it later. Quickly, Beth said, Bring it on! We can do it! Nancy did and we did. After Marilyn s Chicken Salad, Judy s fruit, and JoAnn s brownies, we went home looking, forward to the rest of the story. Now our friends are settled in their cozy lakeside home. Nancy is awakened by the first sunbeam. It creeps across the windowsill as she whispers Thank You. More of life s challenges, sure to come, may seem to catch us in a downpour of the century. Still, God s Light is with us and, as Beth often reminded us: We are the Silver Liners.

5 Renewed Recycling at OGUMC By Beth Unger, Chairperson, Oak Grove UMC Creation Stewardship Ministry You may have noticed a bright new blue bin behind the Fellowship Hall. This is from Republic Recycling, our new vendor for weekly recycling pick-up. Republic provides mixed-stream recycling (paper, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles). The large blue bin keeps the blue theme for recycling throughout our church. Each room has a blue receptacle for recyclables and a separate bin for trash. Now it is your turn! Think before you throw. Take a moment to be sure you don t contaminate the blue recycling with food items or partially filled cans and bottles. REDUCE:REUSE:RECYCLE Three Places to Recycle Hard to Recycle Items Often, at meetings of the Creation Stewardship Ministry, time is spent sharing about where and how to recycle, and especially the difficulty of finding places to take hard to recycle items. At a recent gathering three resources were mentioned and we are glad to share that information with our readers. There may be a small charge for recycling some items. #1. The enter for ard to ecycle aterials, also known as (404) , located at 1110 Hill Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30315, Grant Park, near Zoo Atlanta. For those who refuse to throw away items that will take 1,000 years to dissolve into the landfill, recycles paint, used tires, hazardous chemicals, electronics, Styrofoam, toilets, metal, mattresses, carpet, textiles, batteries, and much more (see their website for a thorough listing). Hours: Tuesday/Thursdays/ 9am-4pm, and Saturdays 8am-4pm. #2 E-RECYCLE for recycling electronics: (770) , located at 4525 Granite Drive, Tucker, GA Directions: Take Lawrenceville Hwy that turns into Hugh Howell. Turn right onto Mountain Industrial and then turn left at the first street (Granite Drive). E-RECYCLE is on the right within about 500 feet., recognizes the urgent needs of saving our environment. Every single employee is committed to help customers properly recycle retired computer electronic equipment in their EPA Registered facilities with advanced technologies. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm; Saturday by appointment; Sunday closed. How to get involved in an Emory Research Study If you are age you can volunteer for the A4 Study at Emory. The purpose of the study is to test whether a decrease in amyloid build up will slow memory loss. This is a 3½ year study and participants agree to a monthly commitment and various medical tests throughout the study. If you are interested in being screened to see if you qualify for the study, please call (844) #3 EMORY RECYCLING and Material Recovery Center, Deena Keeler at ( 404) or Claire Wall at ( 404) You can also visit the Emory Recycles website. Location: Emory Campus, 868 Peavine Creek Drive, Atlanta, GA 30307, recycles glass, paper, aluminum, cardboard, C&D waste, scrap metal and collects food waste and animal bedding for composting. They also have a shredding service. [Oak Grove, Share your favorite recycling locations with us and we will publish them in THE OAKS. Leave a message with details at (404) ]

6 Oak Grove Joke Trove A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, I m sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away. The distressed woman wailed, Are you sure? Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead, replied the vet. How can you be so sure? she protested. I mean you haven t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something. The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, I m sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck. The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. $150! she cried, $150 just to tell me my duck is dead! The vet shrugged, I m sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150. Can you read this? 55 people out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!