Chanukkah or Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, will be observed this year beginning the evening of Dec. 18 and ending the evening of Dec. 26. Locally, a dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 18 at Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St. Tickets for the dinner are $5 and reservations are required by Dec. 14. Those interested in attending can
Read moreBy MARIANNE WOOD The English language is full of homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings. Every time I meet someone new to our language, even young children, I greatly sympathize with them as they work through many challenges to obtain fluency. Among my favorite homophones are “presents” and “presence.” They contain a notable commonality: a gift.
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By JIM NICHOLS It was a magical machine from my youth. Through the glass top one could see a hundred records lined up in parallel. Each 45-rpm disc was in a position that matched a number in a keyboard. Following the insertion of a dime (three plays for a quarter), you would push a letter and number combination (“A 8”)
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Links to related Spirit of Abilene articles:Aldersgate Leaves UMC; Conference Forms Online Missional Churchhttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/11/12/aldersgate-leaves-umc-conference-forms-online-missional-church/Methodists Must Decide: Will We Stay or Will We Go?https://spiritofabilene.com/2022/05/27/local-methodists-informed-about-decisions-on-whether-to-stay-or-leave/St. Paul to Remain United Methodisthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/17/st-paul-to-remain-united-methodist/Local Methodists Not United on Futurehttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/10/local-methodists-not-united-on-future/Q&A With Dr. Sandra Harper, McMurry University Presidenthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/06/03/qa-with-dr-sandra-harper-mcmurry-university-president/ By LORETTA FULTON “We’re finally past the fighting,” a relieved Jeff Fisher said following the departure of 145 United Methodist
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Want to do something really unique for Christmas? Abilene is home to many refugees who are in need of a sponsoring family for Christmas. The International Rescue Committee is hosting its annual Home for the Holidays program that enables local families to “adopt” a refugee family for the holidays. Deadline to sign up is Dec. 16, and the deadline for
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By JIM NICHOLS We all have these people in our lives, do we not? Problem people. There is a person down my street who has flown a gigantic TRUMP flag in his front yard for at least three years. I have exchanged pleasantries with him at the mailbox and he seems like a normal person. What is he thinking? There
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Churches vary on the lighting of the second candle of Advent, with some lighting the candle of peace and others the candle of love. I wasn’t sure which to do since my experience with the tradition of Advent is limited, so I decided to take the “casting lots” method of determining whether to write about peace or
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By NANCY PATRICK I grew up in a church that did not observe religious traditions such as Advent or Lent. Although we observed Christmas and Easter, our leadership sort of skipped over other liturgical events, so when I began attending a church that followed the liturgical calendar, I had a lot to learn. The twenty-four days preceding Christmas is the
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By LORETTA FULTON Wylie Baptist Church is celebrating its 40th year of producing the Living Christmas Tree, an annual gift to the community that involves almost everyone in the congregation. This year’s productions will be held Dec. 8-11 at the church, 6097 Buffalo Gap Road. Tickets are free, but required. They are available at the church office or by calling
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