Feed the body, feed the soul

Anitra Parmele
12 Jan 2011
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By Anitra Parmele The Good News The following is the second in a series spotlighting Hope South Florida, a unique collaboration of city officials, social agencies and the faith community with a single purpose – to end family homelessness in Broward County. For over twenty years, week in and week out, Christ Church United Methodist has been feeding the homeless. Through all the political maneuverings, changes in attitude and economic cycles, volunteers have reached out with hope and tangible assistance to those in their community without social, emotional, economic and financial stability. During that time, officials from Fort Lauderdale and […]

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Local Veterinarian Changes the Face of Homeless

Anitra Parmele
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By Anitra Parmele The Good News A Simple Beginning It was Thanksgiving in tent city where the homeless gathered to be fed. Fred Scarbrough remembers catching sight of a young woman as her boyfriend ferried plates of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing to her where she sat holding her six month old baby. “All of our guests were single men except for this one mother right in the middle of the room. Before I knew it, I was walking over to her and grabbing a chair next to her. Out of my mouth came, ‘How are you doing?’ and […]

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Building hope in South Florida one family at a time

Anitra Parmele
25 Nov 2010
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The following is the first in a series spotlighting Hope South Florida – a unique collaboration of city officials, social agencies and the faith community with a single purpose – to end family homelessness in Broward County. “Eighteen months ago, Stephan Tchividjian of the Christian Community Foundation of South Florida encouraged a group of his pastor friends to start meeting. Soon they agreed to unify around the gospel and to address the critical need of homelessness. They each appointed a staff member to sit on a team with representatives of The Shepherd’s Way and brainstorm how to create solutions that […]

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The story behind the songs at Christmas time

Anitra Parmele
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It’s the moment when the phrase captures you…”O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel” as you’re standing in the coffee aisle at the grocery store. It’s the CD where you listen to the whole thing and not just cherry pick your favorites off iTunes because this is Bing Crosby. It’s the neighbor’s little boy dressed up in his dad’s bathrobe as he tilts back his head and belts out We Three Kings. It’s the recognition that regardless of our church attendance record, most of us know the words to Silent Night’s second verse. It’s the realization that the […]

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Anitra Parmele
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The majestic face of Aslan looms large in the movie trailer. His regal voice booms, “You have returned for a reason. Your adventure begins now,” as posters that accompany the film invite us to “Return to Hope, Return to Magic, Return to Narnia.” Narnia fans have eagerly awaited the release of the third film based on C.S. (Jack to his friends) Lewis’ internationally popular novel series that includes The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Due out in theaters on December 10, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the first of the series to be produced […]

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A Work-Out Class That’s Just A Ball

Anitra Parmele
30 Sep 2010
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As I dragged myself out of bed on a recent Saturday morning, I mused over the class title – Just A Ball. Was there a sarcastic edge signaling that the class was anything but a ball? Was it said in such a way as to forestall my complaining? Having been friends with Chantel Hobbs, the instructor/trainer, for over twenty years, I had no doubt that the answer was probably more than a little of both. When we met, Chantel was an incredibly gifted singer, an intensely loyal and engaging friend, beautiful in the blonde way that makes other women want […]

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Neighbors share their opinions about Halloween

Anitra Parmele
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It’s not every night that families come to you As a dad, I’ve looked at Halloween as a way to bring the good News of Christ to children. If our own kids had no part in Halloween we would have run the risk of  them being ostracized and other kids making them feel like they are on the outside. Yet, at the same time we don’t glorify Satan, death and darkness. In past years we have given out candy along with simple, kid-friendly booklets explaining about God’s love. Neighbors have come back to us to say thanks for including something […]

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The Original Super Heroes

Anitra Parmele
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Sergio Cariello has become an internationally recognized comic book illustrator with Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and many more iconic characters on his resume. Sergio was only five years old when he decided to be a cartoonist and just 11 when his creation, Frederico the Detective, won a local Newspaper’s contest. Raised in the church, Sergio remembers the impact The Picture Bible had on him as a child growing up in Brazil, stating, “The Portuguese version was divided into small black and white booklets. The stories were in a format that I had enjoyed- the comic book- so I just […]

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Prison Fellowship adds Art Camp to its curriculum

Anitra Parmele
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It was a dark day for Chuck Colson, special counsel to President Nixon, when he was sentenced to federal prison on Watergate-related charges. But, just before his sentence began, the light of the Holy Spirit came upon him and Chuck Colson gave his life to the Lord. He publicly proclaimed Jesus by stating that he would “serve the Lord in or out of prison.” Upon his release, Colson told the men who were still incarcerated that he would never forget them – a promise that he has never broken. That promise was the start of Prison Fellowship. Launched by Colson […]

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Dr. Ana Steele: Champion of the Dalit

Anitra Parmele
2 Sep 2010
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Dr. Ana Steele is equally at home in the halls of Congress and the halls of academia. She has a masters degree from Georgetown University and masters and doctorate degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She has taught at Harvard and lobbied members of Congress for the Dalit people of India. She is intelligent, articulate, and passionate. Her passion is symbolized by a picture on her bookshelf. Among the tomes in Italian, Greek, and Russian is a close-up shot of a young Indian girl whose wide brown eyes demand your attention. What is not immediately apparent is that at the time […]

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