Vol. III, # 35, April 8, 2005

The SSBSC Spring Brunch Is this Sunday

From 9:30 AM to 10:40 AM this Sunday all Shepsons will enjoy a spring social which will be a brunch in the church court yard. Court will not be in session, but all members of the SSBSC will indulge in lots of witnessing, swearing under oath and enjoying the sin of gluttony. Wayland Andrews will bring several drug sniffing dogs (Wayland's Wonder Dogs) to maintain high security for this event. Clergy of the church are invited but any wandering River Roaders attempting to "crash" will be required to undergo a strip search with Wayland's dogs watching and sniffing. Any violators will be promptly dipped into the fountain in the court yard. This would be similar to the ancient practice of purification. The weather prediction for Sunday is partly cloudy with a high of 18 degrees centigrade.

Prayer Rounds

PH received an E-mail from Kathy Wade regarding her niece's father, Kirk Dadisman. The cancer surgery on Kirk went well and the tumor was smaller than previous tests had indicated. Kathy wanted to thank everyone for all their prayers.

From the Randolph Macon College news service PH has learned that B. J. Seymour is recovering from her heart surgery and has been moved to a rehab facility called Spring Arbor at 9991 Ridgefield Plaza. BJ's phone number at Spring Arbor is 754-0479.

Nancy Werner has a prayer request. She would like to add her niece Jennifer's husband to the prayer list: He is a Navy Captain and Chaplain (Mark Tidd) deployed with the Marines in Iraq, not far from Baghdad. We pray for his safe return this summer.

Remember in your prayers: Kirk Dadisman, B J Seymour, Chaplain Mark Tidd, Leecy Barnett, Donald and Barbara Deer, IMB missionary John Seale, Diane and Don Retzer, the VCU BSU, Cecil and Dot Sherman, Audrey Thomson's sister Sharon Ruben and Sharon's family, Jared Oliver, Julia Tyler and her parents, Kay and Bob Culpeper, the Church clergy and staff. Prayers should also be offered for our military and civilians in harm's way and for those only known to you.

Two Shepsons Encounter Politicians

Last Saturday Shepson Emily King conducted a local tour of Richmond for the Kennedy family. You read it correctly. This was Senator Ted Kennedy and other Kennedy connections. Apparently, Joe Kennedy had begun taking the entire family on pilgrimages throughout the country about 1930. When he died, Jack led the family, then Bobby, and since Bobby's death, Ted. Ted wanted to see St. John Church where Patrick Henry made his famous speech. Apparently Emily did not include a stop at Berkeley Plantation to educate the Kennedy's on the First Thanksgiving.

In addition Teacher Bob spoke before a subcommittee in the House of Representatives on last Tuesday. The House bill under discussion was the following:

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers and youth advocacy groups on Tuesday fiercely attacked a Republican bill that would impose mandatory sentences of at least 10 years on people convicted of gang violence and treat some juvenile gang members as adults.

The Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005, popularly known as the "Gangbusters Bill," would create new criminal gang prosecution offenses and enhance existing penalties to deter and punish gang activity.

Teacher Bob spoke as an expert on juvenile justice. The Reuters news article quotes Bob as follows:

Robert Shepherd, a former chair of the American Bar Association's juvenile justice committee, particularly objected to a clause that would allow 16 and 17-year-old gang members to be tried as adults in federal courts.

Shepherd, a professor emeritus at the University of Richmond, called the measure "unwise and contrary to much evidence" which suggested that juveniles punished as adults were more likely to be raped and abused in jail and more likely to reoffend after they were released.

"Longer sentences are not necessarily better and more protective of society especially where juveniles are concerned," he said.

Shepson Sheila and the Daily Planet

Last Wednesday evening Shepson Sheila Marsh was the main speaker for an educational program on The Daily Planet, a community center in Richmond for the homeless to receive needed services. Sheila distributed a handout which included a lot of statistics. One of those listed was that the Commonwealth of Virginia ranked 50th among the states in services to the mentally ill. As one who has worked with the mentally (brain) ill for nearly forty years PH wonders if much has changed in the attitude of Virginians toward the mentally (brain) ill since the time of Patrick Henry. PH and all of us applaud Sheila for presenting this program.

Liz Morley Visited Our Class Last Sunday

Liz Morley was a visitor in our class last Sunday. Liz is the daughter of missionaries who served in Saudi Arabia. She seemed to know those towns of David last Sunday as Teacher Bob was trying to find them on our traveling map. She is married to a chaplain. She and her husband have encountered some situational difficulties recently. We hope that Liz will continue to attend our class and share her knowledge of the middle east. Also PH believes that Liz celebrated a birthday (probably her twenty-ninth) this past week.

Shepson Don Thomson's Granddaughter Achieves Again

Bailey Thomson received word today that she's been chosen by the Sorensen Institute for Political Thought at UVA for their High School Leaders Summer Program. They choose 24 students from the commonwealth of VA. She will spend two weeks there learning more than her parents know . . .

xxooxx,
Audrey (Bailey's mother)

Dates to Remember

Monday, April 11 - Margaret Phelps is twenty-nine.

Sunday, April 17 - This is Youth Sunday and the youth of the church will run the show. Teacher Bob will have opportunity to study more on the sins of David while we are enlightened by one or two youth who are actually younger than twenty-nine.

Saturday, April 23 - This is the Saturday of the Cross Over Challenge. Applications to participate, sponsor or volunteer are in our class room. Proceeds from this event will hopefully make it possible for a Cross Over Clinic to open in western Henrico this summer.

Sunday, April 24 - Jewish Passover

Sunday, May 8 - Mother's Day

Two Public Deaths

PH highly recommends that all PHA readers give serious thought to Pastor Mike's staff pen article, "Two Public Deaths," in this week's Spire (April 5 issue)

Preserve My Soul
by John Donne (1572 - 1631)

Eternal and most Glorious God, suffer me not so to undervalue myself as to give away my soul, Thy soul, Thy dear and precious soul, for nothing; and all the world is nothing, if the soul must be given for it. Preserve therefore my soul, O Lord, because it belongs to Thee, and preserve my body because it belongs to my soul. Thou alone dost steer my boat through all its voyage, but hast a more especial care of it, when it comes to a narrow current, or to a dangerous fall of waters. Thou hast a care of the preservation of my body in all the ways of my life: but, in the straits of death, open Thine eyes wider, and enlarge Thy Providence toward me so far that no illness or agony may shake and benumb the soul. Do Thou so make my bed in all my sickness that, being used to Thy hand, I may be content with any bed of Thy making.

History may be made today. The largest funeral crowd in history may attend Pope John Paul II's funeral Mass today in Rome.

PH

Poor Henry's Archives

April 1, 2005
March 25, 2005
March 18, 2005
March 11, 2005
March 4, 2005
February 25, 2005
February 18, 2005
February 11, 2005
February 4, 2005
January 28, 2005
January 21, 2005
January 14, 2005
January 7, 2005

2004 Archive

2003 Archive

2002 Archive