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Church brings 'care' to deployed

LEXINGTON PARK - Kimberley Scriber is one of thousands of civilian contractors in Afghanistan, on a six-month rotational deployment to work with improved governance and development. And she's one of 20 who receive care packages from the Rev. Kenneth Moore and his wife, Tonica Moore, and members of the Zion UMC, where she worships when she's home.

"I was stationed in Qatar and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, and my wife sent me care packages while I was deployed," Kenneth Moore said. "It felt good to receive things from home."

"You can always tell when it's getting close to mail call," Scriber said. "Everyone asks, 'Kim, are we getting a box today?' And when the packages come everyone is so appreciative (and) promise that if they're ever in Southern Maryland they're going to worship with us."

The items in the packages are for anyone who needs them, said Tonica Moore. "It's our way of saying thank you - thank you for serving, protecting and making us safe … know that someone is thinking about them."

"When you have people back home supporting you, that's a mighty good feeling." Scriber said.

CEF inspires and teaches pre-school educators

TOWSON - Towson UMC was packed to the rafters Aug. 18 as more than 370 pre-school teachers, directors and assistants gathered for the annual Pre-School Conference, sponsored by the conference Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF). Many were United Methodist but not all; they came from Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches and from no-church-at-all.

With Tracey Radosevic, a well-known biblical storyteller and adjunct professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, keynoting the event on the theme "Miracles Come in All Sizes," the audience was thrilled.

The daylong conference was organized by CEF members, Marilyn Betz from Calvary UMC in Annapolis, Julie Robbins from Blessed Lamb Preschool in La Plata UMC, and Jeannine Neven from Towson UMC.

Seventeen workshops were repeated in three sessions throughout the day. Several of the topics dealt with healthy eating, others dealt with behavior issues and still others with disabilities and developmental lags. An active hands-on session covered music, puppetry and dramatic activities to be used in early childhood education. One topic was "Keep Science Simple." Directors had their own specific workshop helping them understand changes in Maryland law, rating systems, grants and new initiatives.

Puppets tell God's story in Latvia

WALDORF - Good Shepherd UMC, under the leadership of Bob Kells, took its three-member team of puppeteers and their puppets from the church's ministry puppet team, The Carpenter's Crew, to Latvia in July and taught some Latvian children how to use puppets in worship.

Their destination was Wesley Camp, located in western Latvia near the coast of the Baltic Sea, about 12 miles north of Liepaja. The camp provides children, some from abusive family environments, a safe place in which to experience the love of Christ. Older teens work with the children, and mission teams, such as the one from Good Shepherd, bring special activities to the camps.

The Good Shepherd team taught basic skills so the young puppeteers could put on a show for the rest of the campers. "It was the most fun and most spiritual thing I've ever done in my life," Shannon Suban, a senior puppeteer, told the congregation upon their return. "I will always remember the people I met, the songs I sang, and the lessons I learned about God and myself."

BRIEFS

The Rev. Michael A. Parker, youth pastor of John Wesley UMC in Baltimore, has been named to the governing board of the General Board of Church & Society, which is made up of 41 people from each jurisdiction, the Central Jurisdiction, and two bishops elected by the General Conference.

At their grand opening on Belair Road on Aug. 23, Giant Foods presented Perry Hall UMC Food Pantry with a donation of $2,500 in Giant gift cards to assist with the church's ministries.