The Edmond Sun
July 10, 2009 12:58 am
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Musicians to play at Edmond church
Area residents are invited to a special free concert featuring harpist Jill Justice and multi-instrumentalist Joel McClung at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Santa Fe Presbyterian Church of Edmond.
Guests will hear inspirational music on the harp, violin, guitar, Irish whistles and more in a variety of styles including Christian hymns, choruses, classic works and originals, country bluegrass, traditional, classics and new country, Celtic traditional Irish and Scottish favorites, hymns and originals written by Justice and McClung in that style, classical works of the great composers and contemporary movie themes, pop hits and Broadway tunes.
Justice is one of Oklahoma’s most active freelance harpists with a resume that includes eight CDs and numerous arrangements in print. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Justice began studying harp at Texas Tech University. In Oklahoma City, she played 10 years with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Enid-Phillips Symphony Orchestra and a second stint with the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra. She also has played with the International Christian Embassy orchestra and the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony.
Justice’s husband, McClung, is a native Oklahoman who plays fiddle, mandolin, bagpipes, pedal steel guitar, banjo, guitar, low whistles and penny whistles. In September 1998, he played bagpipes as a featured soloist for the International Christian Embassy's Feast of Tabernacles Celebration in Jerusalem.
A love offering will be taken. Santa Fe Presbyterian is located at 1603 N. Santa Fe Avenue. For more information, call 341-3300.
Ministries of Jesus offers help
Ministries of Jesus is a Christian center for healing the whole person.
Based on Luke 4:18, the organizers believe true health must be spiritually, emotionally, as well as physically pursued, and that God is our ultimate healer. The ministry also understands that choosing to heal our future may mean learning to deal with an unhealthy past. Many physical ailments are either caused or exacerbated by spiritual and emotional stress. The ministry offers treatment involving prayer, encouragement, counseling, accountability and physical care all with a biblical basis.
The Ministries of Jesus is open to everyone seeking help. Treatment is provided by volunteer practitioners dedicated to healing of the body, soul and spirit who donate their time and use their God-given talents to help those in need.
For more information on this approach to health, call 340-7400.
Foundation fights hunger
The Inasmuch Foundation has announced a match campaign to help fight summer hunger in Oklahoma. From now until August 30, any gift to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma will be matched dollar for dollar by the Inasmuch Foundation up to $100,000.
Every summer, the Food Bank experiences a drop in donations, even while the need for food remains high, said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Utility bills go up and children are no longer in school where they have access to free and reduced price meals.
“All of which results in more pressure on Oklahoma families who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Bivens said. “We are grateful for the generosity and support of the Inasmuch Foundation in recognizing and responding to this urgent need.”
Bob Ross, president and CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation, said his organization is pleased to provide donors with this opportunity to double the impact of their gift to the Food Bank during this critical time of year.
The Regional Food Bank is distributing more food than at any other time in the history of the organization through 450 partner agencies in central and rural Oklahoma. Partner agencies have reported as much as a 50 percent increase in the demand for food. Every dollar donated provides seven meals for those in need.
For more information about the Regional Food Bank or to make a donation, call 972-1111 or visit www.regionalfoodbank.org.
House orders engraving of ‘In God We Trust’ motto
WASHINGTON (AP) — The national motto, “In God We Trust,” will be engraved in the Capitol Visitor Center, responding to critics who said Congress spent $621 million on the new facility without paying due respect to the nation’s religious heritage.
The House voted 410-8 Thursday to direct the architect of the Capitol to engrave “In God We Trust” and the Pledge of Allegiance in prominent places in the three-story underground center that is the entrance for the thousands of tourists who visit the Capitol every day. The Senate approved an identical resolution as part of a spending bill earlier this week.
Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., sponsor of the measure, said the importance of religion goes back to the Declaration of Independence, which states that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” and that the national motto “sums that up very well.”
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., threatened to hold up the opening of the visitor center last December, saying that its displays failed to honor the country’s religious background and gave the impression that the federal government was the answer to all of society’s problems.
“In God We Trust” became the official national motto in 1956. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of the engravings at less than $100,000.
U.S. panel demands Iran release 7 Baha’is on trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government agency is demanding that Iran release seven Baha’i prisoners rather than submit them to trials on charges of spying for Israel and religious charges.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is responding to a plea from Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist who spent almost four months in an Iranian jail, was convicted of spying for the United States, then expelled. Saberi says two of the Baha’is were her cellmates.
In her letter to the USCIRF, Saberi says intercession on behalf of the Baha’is would show Iranian authorities that “the Iranian people’s human rights are a matter of international concern.”
Protesters heckle legislator promoting morality
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A state lawmaker who made national headlines by claiming homosexuality is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism was heckled by protesters as she launched a campaign for a morality proclamation that opponents said promotes an atmosphere of hate.
State Rep. Sally Kern said the U.S. is drifting from traditional Christian values as she sought signatures for her petition at a state Capitol rally attended by about 250 people including ministers and their followers, four other state lawmakers, and protesters who shouted “shame on you” and “hypocrite.”
“You are seeing a wonderful demonstration of intolerance,” the conservative Republican from Oklahoma City said of the hecklers.
Among other things, the proclamation says, “This nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same-sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse and many other forms of debauchery.”
The proclamation declares the federal government “is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built.”
Last year, gay and lesbian groups demanded Kern apologize after she told a political group that “the homosexual agenda is just destroying this nation” and poses a bigger threat to the United States than terrorism.
Ark. prosecutors refuse to name Alamo informants
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Prosecutors refused to name two confidential informants Tuesday who gave FBI agents information about jailed evangelist Tony Alamo, hinting they might be underage girls who allegedly were abused.
Prosecutors said in a court filing that two of the four people who offered information about Alamo will testify at his trial, set to begin Monday. The filing also claimed Alamo’s defense team failed to justify its request to get informants’ names.
Alamo, 74, has pleaded not guilty to a 10-count indictment accusing him of taking young girls across state lines for sex and remains jailed without bond. He has described informants as “backsliders” organized as part of a Vatican-led conspiracy to destroy his ministry.
The unnamed informants provided information that led to a Sept. 20 raid on Alamo’s Fouke compound by the FBI and Arkansas State Police. Alamo’s lawyers have asked a judge to order the informants’ name released and requested that evidence gathered during the raid be suppressed because it came from outdated information.
In their filing, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes to carefully weigh any decision to disclose informants’ names because the case involved suspected sexual abuse of minors.
“This is the type of offense that involves not only physical and sexual abuse, but also involves significant emotional abuse,” the filing read. “The involvement of juveniles requires the court to be particularly cautious ... as they are especially vulnerable and subject to intimidation.”
Prosecutors also argued naming the informants isn’t relevant to the charges Alamo faces.
Alamo has been a controversial figure since establishing the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in Arkansas. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, describes the ministry as a cult that rails against homosexuals, Roman Catholics and the government.
Alamo is said to have ministries and business operations in a number of states, including Colorado, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
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