Topic: United Methodist Church

Good health care, community involvement, enrich our senior years

By Rev. Charles Moreland | October 19, 2008 |

In the United Methodist parishes I served near Fort Leonard Hood, Missouri, we had congregations of good people where the majority were over 65 years of age.

I still cherish and remember fondly these dedicated people. They included Luther and Beth, retired medical doctors from South Africa; and  Mary, the 30-year church treasurer and retired school teacher who chose to remain single but assisted nieces and nephews with college expenses. They include Ida, who lived in HUD housing and at the age of 80 passed on. She was a source of sunshine though “as poor as Job’s turkey.” Upon her demise, she deeded to the church her one source of passing the time: a record player and a set of 78 rpm records. «Read the rest of this article»

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Plan for the future with faith-based or socially responsible investments

By Rev. Charles Moreland | August 31, 2008 |

Financially these are tumultuous days for our country, the world, and us, the residents of Clarksville. Throughout the the globe the past six months are conspicuous and striking by the burgeoning financial foreboding. Daily new on the monetary condition of the globe is tortuous. Car manufacturers recently reported that June was a “disastrous” month for sales. We wait with bated breath for this plight to hit bottom; instead more bad news is announced.

A recent USA Today headline proclaimed “Rising prices hammer seniors on fixed income.” Food and medication goes out of reach for some. These are troublesome times, too, for parents, single or married, for grandparents and all adults. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Issues, Opinion, Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Meditation is achievement

By Rev. Charles Moreland | June 8, 2008 |

In an  issue of Newsweek arrives on Tuesday or Wednesday, I peruse the contents and give priority to articles and stories that appeal to me at the moment. After that, I read it from cover to cover, starting at page 1. Recently the story No Buddha Required captured my attention and lead the competition as to what i would read first.

Rembrandt’s “Philosopher in Meditation”

No Buddha Required is by no means a critical, derogatory or fault-finding expose of Buddhism. Being the international city Clarksville is, there are believers in this world religion among us. I know several practicing Buddhists, productive citizens who have a depth of compassion. Their teachings are respectful of all God’s creatures. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Spirituality | No Comments

Fasting: A rewarding challenge

By Rev. Charles Moreland | June 1, 2008 |

Fasting is a ritual practice common to the major religions of the world. In the Christian faith, we hear more about the custom during the holy season of Lent, when we practice self-sacrifice to regain a renewed spiritual perspective for daily living.

fasting is a sacrifice where a person voluntarily abstains from consuming food or drinking liquids. I grew up in an evangelical church environment that suggested and encouraged regular fasting as a means of spiritual growth.

As a teenager in St. Louis, I accepted the challenge of abstaining from one meal a week, a challenge for a 16-year-old boy with a typical appetite. For me, I purposely opted to abstain from the Friday school lunch. To heighten my appreciation for this weekly event, I retreated to a quiet place in the high school for an hour of meditation and reflection. This discipline became a spiritual growth hormone for me. This sacrifice aided my efforts to a good teen and to say no to the temptations of being a junior in high school. «Read the rest of this article»

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Episcopal, Methodist communities welcome service of female clergy

By Rev. Charles Moreland | February 3, 2008 |

The Episcopal Church offers spiritual nurturing through a liturgical form of worship and religious instruction. In Clarksville, two of our spiritual giants and treasures are Trinity and Grace Episcopal, one in downtown Clarksville and the other in the country. Our community is enriched by their presence and their proclamation of the Good News.

While on active duty, I had the delight of serving with chaplains of the Episcopal faith. I’ll always remember the support of Don, Bob and Jim, who so devotedly represented their Lord and demonstrated God’s grace as chaplains endorsed by the Episcopal Church. «Read the rest of this article»

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‘The Upper Room’ — a spiritual vitamin

By Rev. Charles Moreland | October 21, 2007 |

Our spirituality requires nourishment to bloom and to be an asset or resource for our daily lives. The nutrients, the “vitamins and minerals” that enable our spiritual resources to radiate, are at hand.

On such vitamin for me is the devotional book The Upper Room. Over the miles of my spiritual journey it has been a steady companion, strengthening me wherever I went. In Vietnam, Korea, and Germany, stateside in Fort Bliss and Fort Hood, and now here in Clarksville, The Upper Room provided me with the sustenance required to develop and sustain spiritual stamina.

Some of the titles and prayers I favor are listed for September, but favored and appropriate for any time. Each devotional is listed with the following components: date, title, scripture narrative, prayer, thought for the day and “prayer focus.” «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Spirituality | No Comments

Life well-lived, work well-done inspires love, builds community

By Rev. Charles Moreland | September 23, 2007 |

This week Rev. Moreland remembers the gifts two teachers gave to his community: their spirit and their love.

My friends, Gary and Rebecca, are sterling examples of dedication to the vocation of teaching. They are to be commended for their sense of community too.

I first met them when they came to Dixon County public schools, for their first teaching assignment, in a town where I was the minister at the Methodist Church. For three years, their enthusiasm and commitment heartened our community and our church. Students and their parents were inspired by their focused lives, and the care and compassion they gave to everyone they met.

I often watched as children rushed to greet them, arms wide, the better to give and receive hugs. They were heroes and models that embraced our community even as they inspired us. «Read the rest of this article»

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