The world completed the month of April with the extravagant and impressive royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton-with all its crowning glory! What a grand gala after months of preparation and an estimated 32 million dollars in expenditures! A few hours of celebration at a tremendous cost! Many will ask if it was worth it, but my question is this: With all of the time, effort, cost and planning for the wedding day, how much was spent on preparation for the marriage to follow? How have William and Kate prepared to deal with the trials and complexities of every day married life?

Doris and Nick Hassler

Harold and Ruth Smeltzer

Well, on the same day, far “across the pond,” another celebration was taking place in Messiah Village’s Special Care neighborhood. An event which, in my estimation, far surpassed the pomp and circumstance of William and Kate’s wedding festivities. We celebrated four very special couples with a renewal of their wedding vows. Between them these couples have been married for a combined total of well over 250 years! Now that is something worth celebrating!

Joe and Helen Lappano

Don and Anna Zook

The idea for the ceremony came from the creative imagination of Krystal Robinson-Bert, activities specialist in Special Care. When all was said and done, the festivities included a beautifully decorated “chapel,” along with hats, flowers and programs for all the guests. A reception followed the Renewal of Vows Ceremony, complete with a beautiful wedding cake and punch, soft lights and music.

Debby Bentch

A special thanks and congratulations goes to the four couples who are an amazing example of dedicated commitment to a life-long marriage: Joe and Helen Lapano, Harold and Ruth Smeltzer, Nick and Doris Hassler and Donald and Anna Zook. As I watch these couples interact with one another I am blessed and encouraged. As well, two of these extraordinary spouses are in Special Care every day to assist in the care, feeding and nurture of the one they committed themselves to all those years ago,

“to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for as long as we both shall live.”

Thanks for to all of those who helped make this an extraordinary celebration: Ann Good, Dotty Taylor, Melody Dietz, Helen Bitner and Krystal Robinson-Bert and to all of those who celebrated these couples with your presence and your blessings.

Last Friday, 22 team members from Messiah Village displayed the principle of journeying outward through service to the Clouse family. The team installed appliances, cleaned windows, pressured washed the patio, wiped down woodwork, mopped floors, cleaned bathrooms and dusted.

 The team also presented the family with a birch tree which symbolizes new beginnings and cleansing of the past. It is a blessing to serve others within our community, in our region and around the world with Christ-like love.

Last week Mel Miller and I had the opportunity to serve the Clouse family as they built a new home.  Messiah Village donated our time to help install a good portion of the stained doors and trim on the first floor of this beautiful home.  I was greatly encouraged by the hard work and unity I saw from all of the workers on the house.  There were roughly 20 carpenters present  each day we worked and, despite the confined workspaces and frequent interruptions, I have never seen a group that large work so efficiently and with a sense of purpose.

Although we met Ted and Janelle Clouse both days at lunch, I was completely at a loss for words to say that might encourage or bless them.  I left with a hopeful feeling that somehow our hard work would bless them in ways that our words could not.  And I was also vividly reminded that while parenting can be challenging and frustrating, our children are a gift from God and we should never take that gift lightly.

The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) distributes newborn kits to hospitals, clinics and refugee camps throughout the world.  Kits are sent to assist mothers in giving their children a good start in such areas as Bosnia, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, North Korea, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine.

Pathways volunteers assemble and sew infant gowns, a critical part of each kit.  So if you have any soft fabric remnants, specifically flannel and bias binding you no longer need, your donations are welcome and can be dropped off at the Pathways Institute office in the Village Commons at Messiah Village.  Please call the Pathways office if you have any questions at 717-591-7213.  Thank you!

from: Japan: Earthquake and Tsunami Likely to Have Overwhelmingly Affected Older Adults

These sad events in Japan accentuate the importance of planning for proper elder care and rescue in emergency situations.  As the world ages over the coming decades, such planning will  become increasingly important.

You can find the entire article here.

Organization’s Efforts Shine To Alaska And Minnesota

By Krista Hurley July 28th 2010

Each year, LightShine Ministries provides a number of volunteer opportunities to individuals of various ages and skill levels. The organization, which is based in Mount Joy, focuses on meeting a host of different needs in Alaskan towns while also working, at times, with ministries in the contiguous states.

Recently, four teams of volunteers did their parts to make a difference in the areas of Eagle, Seldovia, and Globe Creek Camp in Alaska. Volunteers also offered their services at a retreat center in Minnesota. All who take part in LightShine’s trips are responsible for funding their own trip, and recent trip participants noted that they are thankful for the generous support they received.

Larry Newell helped to lead a five-member team as it worked in Eagle as a follow-up to last year’s disaster relief team. In four days, they helped to construct a church by building the walls and setting the roof trusses. “It was great,” Newell recalled. “We worked our tails off, but we had a great time.”

A six-member team, led by Mel Miller, traveled to Globe Creek Camp to provide their services. “It’s a Christian camp that’s being built for summer and winter camp activity,” Miller explained. Three years ago, the only structure at the camp was a partially finished lodge. Since then, teams from LightShine and other ministries have helped to build two cabins, finish the lodge, and more. The recent team met its goal of constructing a utility building, complete with fresh water tanks, water heaters, a generator, and a furnace.

Mel and Carl in Alaska - Photo by Krista Hurley

The Globe Creek and Eagle teams then united for the final week of their respective trips, during which they helped out at a retreat center in Seldovia. Last year, a team had started to construct a lodge. This year, the group continued this work by finishing the roof, building a loft and a stairway, closing the gable ends, and more.

With the number of trips that LightShine plans to Alaska each year, it is no secret that the teams make a difference in the towns in which they work. While the organization was able to make a difference without a van of its own, director Tom Denlinger knew that a vehicle would be helpful for the transportation of teams and materials.

Recently, Lancaster County resident George Calder donated a van, and a local repair shop performed maintenance on the vehicle. A team from LCBC volunteered to drive the van, a trailer, and a donated sound system from Lancaster County to Alaska. According to team member Bob Bender, the nearly 5,000-mile trip spanned four days filled with spectacular sights. “My favorite part was probably going through British Columbia through the Rockies,” Bender said. “We saw nine black bear in British Columbia. We saw elk, caribou, moose, (and) mountain sheep,” he recalled.

The fourth team stayed a bit closer to home, working at a retreat center in Minnesota. According to team member Jerry Polizzi, the center will eventually be available to host pastoral retreats. Last year, LightShine’s father-son team cleared land on the property, and this year’s four-man team built a chapel at the retreat center.

“There are still a few more trips coming up this year,” Polizzi noted, explaining that anyone who is willing to work, regardless of age or skill level, is welcome to sign up. He explained that participants do more than physical labor, as they also build relationships with residents of Alaska by encouraging them, listening to their stories, and more.

More information about the upcoming trips or about LightShine Ministries may be found at www.lightshineministries.org.

Photo By Krista Hurley

Similarly, Messiah Village has committed to going “green”. Under the leadership of our “Green Team,” we have expanded our recycling efforts, installed a green roof and converted many lighting fixtures to more energy efficient bulbs. One area where we have opportunities to improve is in our use of styrofoam. Styrofoam is used heavily in our dining areas for take-out and for other purposes.

One way to be greener is to use compostable cups and plates. This option, however, would increase the cost of supplies by about $17,000 per year. We are also exploring styrofoam recycling. There is a community in the area that is doing this. A volunteer rinses all the styrofoam and then drops it off at the recycling center.
The desire to go green is often tempered by the constraints of convenience or cost, or both. How has the green movement affected decisions in your household? Are you willing to spend money to be green?

In the past year, the Messiah Village team of 600 employees worked to enhance the lives of 1,375 older adults!  700 of these adults lived on the Messiah Village campus and 50 lived at Mount Joy Country Homes. The other 625 individuals who are part of our community live elsewhere, but enjoy many services that continue to enhance their lives.

What really stands out in my mind is our desire to offer age-well services and experiences that support older adults living enriched, engaged and empowered lives.

One way that Messiah Village annually promotes and inspires 55 and better adults to live with purpose and zest is through the SAGE Awards. Each year we honor Savvy, Active, Growing, Enlightened adults who are 55+ and are currently making a difference in the community.

Past winners include a diverse group of men and women from the Harrisburg region who are active in some meaningful or unexpected ways…they give in unique ways to the community, they may still work, they may be known to take on new assignments or try new things.

 Each year the winners are featured in Harrisburg Magazine and honored at an awards celebration, which will be held this year on November 4 at Messiah Village.

If you know someone who is 55+ and is living life to the fullest and making a difference in this world, we want to hear from you! Nominations are due June 1, 2010 and should be 150-200 words. We are looking for heartfelt stories about this person and what they are doing today to make a difference!

For more information, contact Karin Bisbee at kbisbee@messiahvillage.orgor call (717) 591-7201 or mail your nomination to SAGE Awards, 100 Mt Allen Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

Who comes to your mind when you hear Savvy, Active, Growing, Enlightened? Their story may just inspire others to keep pushing those boundaries of what’s possible. I hope you will begin to share with others reading this blog by commenting below…

My friend George passed away a few days ago. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of months.  He’d been battling cancer for many years.  When I would see him we’d chat about this and that, some techie things, and other guy stuff like football (more specifically the Steelers).  On occasion I’d ask him about his health, how he was feeling.  In my recollection he had cancer on the run for a good stretch of time, but he seemed to have an eye on it from time to time.  When things weren’t so great, he was honest about it, and when things were, he was stoked about it.

One of the things that George  did consistently, even while sick,  was volunteer. He was retired from “paid” work for some time, but was still giving back. From wrapping gifts at the mall for charity or serving at his church or volunteering in several ways at Messiah Village, he was always giving back.  I think that if I had been walking in his shoes I would’ve had a hard time not feeling sorry for myself. Volunteering would be the last thing on my mind.  He blew me away with his heart to serve his community.

So for the short number of years I knew George, I will be thankful for the good times shared working together. I’ll miss him, and his wry sense of humor, but I am not going to say goodbye.

George, I’ll see you on the other side.