Summer/Fall 2006 Issue              From the Teaching & Sharing Center              www.wsharing.org

 

Board of Trustees Meeting

The board met on July 8, 2006 at the Center. The board felt it needed to be mentioned that making a contribution to the T&SC does not constitute membership. You must specifically designate part of your contribution as membership by completing the application or renewal form to legally become/remain a member of the non-profit (501c3 public charity) corporation.

Kim Zipple volunteered and was accepted as our membership coordinator. The board decided coordinator was less daunting than the word "director," and would be used for our various volunteer positions.

Since contributions remain low, in an effort to contain costs, the board voted to eliminate our toll free (877) phone number, the Center’s long distance, and the additional phone book listings for a touch of william, christian life programs and Cherokee Bill’s Trade Center. You can, of course, still call the Center long distance, but we are unable to return any such calls from there.

New Memberships Renew in July 2007

All memberships renew on July 4th each year. However, the first time you join, your membership does not renew until the calendar year following the year of enrollment. A new supporting membership sent in today (2006) does not renew until July 4th in 2007.

Newsletter & Some Other Frank Talk
from william

There are a number of reasons this newsletter is a combined issue. Tight finances at the Center and lack of time on my part are both a part of it. However, lack of desire, has also been a piece of the puzzle. I continue to fill too many roles within the corporate structure. This was fine when the Center was a sole-proprietorship, as by its very nature, an S-P is often a one person operation. Some suggested becoming a non-profit corporation because it would increase support if contributions were tax deductible. It has not. I said, I could go the corporation route if it was God’s will, but it had to be more than just a facade for me as a sole-proprietor. Otherwise, there was no point to it. Being a public charity adds significantly to the workload in government and corporate paperwork alone, and is more cumbersome to function within. As the legal Resident Agent, and treasurer, for the T&SC, I am responsible for most of the filings, along with all the work I already had running the Center and website as an individual. I have been slowly trying to wean people from the notion that william will take care of it all. As of this newsletter, I will relinquish two more roles – that of the newsletter coordinator, and the web pages coordinator. We need a person to fill each of those roles, or they cease to happen. What does that mean – and what is involved?

Well, without the newsletter, it means there is virtually no general communication taking place with members or our general mailing list (the poet’s circle). For instance, when the board decided to continue our Fall Color Cruise participation, the need for a new coordinator was also discussed. But, without a regular newsletter, who knew besides those who were there. We are now close to a month away from the event, and still have no one filling the role.

A similar dilemma is arising due to our lack of a board secretary. The annual meeting is noted on the website, so perhaps that would meet the legal requirement of a notice. But notices for mailing, ballots, proxies, etc. have not been prepared nor sent, which should be done 30 days prior to the meeting (getting close).

One is a practical matter. One could be a legal matter. Both need taken care of. If you have a paid director (a role I would not fill even if it were available), they are often responsible for doing such work under the guidance of the board. However, financially, the T&SC is a long ways off from being able to fund such a position. We’re still trying to afford the basic utilities, and have yet to pay a penny of rent. I was willing to get the corporation through its first year, doing almost everything, but these are among the reasons I did not incorporate in the first place, twelve years ago. So, it comes back to needing volunteers – many hands to keep things going.

OK – what would it mean to be the coordinator of the newsletter? You would be responsible for bringing together the information in newsletter format, printing, packaging and mailing the newsletter. You would not need to do this alone if others would come forward to help in the process. The newsletter is produced on a computer, but you do not need your own. The Center’s computer can be used to do this. Articles, such as william’s perspective, Mona’s health notes, or Kim’s membership memos, can be emailed to you if you are using your own computer, or provided on diskette, if you are using the Center’s computer. The newsletter can go out more often, but should at the very least be quarterly, to keep people informed.

The volunteer position of web pages coordinator involves keeping the information up to date on the various corporate web pages. This does not involve needing to know anything about loading things onto or composing a website. As long as the T&SC pages are contained within the wsharing.com (also .org and .net) website, I will continue to function as the webmaster and load the items onto the site. You would only be responsible for the content.

These are but two of many roles needed for the Center to fulfill its role of benefit to the community, and humanity. Others, mentioned in past newsletters, beyond board secretary, include coordinators for the library, grants, alternative energy options, pow wows and other special events, the wholesale buyers co-op, public relations, plus however God might be leading or calling you into service.

I was ready, before the incorporation, to close the Center if necessary. I had created and operated it for 10 years because I felt it was my call from God to do so. I was willing to handle the incorporation, and corporate set-up because I felt I was uniquely positioned to do that. I have handled most of the additional work these past two years as a public charity, because I understood a transition period would be needed. But, and Donna can attest to this, I am a person who can be in the same room as a ringing telephone, and let it ring, if I am otherwise engaged at the moment. The remaining personal ministries of a touch of william and Cherokee Bill’s Trade Center are more than enough work to keep my hands full. If others are not willing to participate in the corporate life of the Center, it simply will not happen. It’s time. You decide.

Fall Color Cruise & Island Festival 2006

We have signed up again as a demonstrator for the FCC&IF October 13th thru the 15th. The board also indicated a desire to hold a public open house at the Center on Saturday during this event. We are in need of someone to function as the coordinator for the Island Encampment, as well as other participants for both endeavors. Let us know if you can help.

 

Read The Labels

Suave Naturals Hair Conditioner’s (Tropical Coconut) first three ingredients are Water, Cetyl Alcohol, and Cetrimonium Chloride.

Turkey bacon, which touts itself as having 60% less fat, has 1 gram of saturated fat per serving as opposed to the typical 2.5 grams in regular bacon. But, the serving size is one slice for the turkey bacon versus 2 slices "pan fried" for regular bacon, making the difference negligible.

Some "off the shelf" herbal products contain very little of the actual herb in the product name.

Ingredients are listed on products in the order of volume from most to least. Labels are there to help you make informed choices and protect your health. Learning and taking the time to read them could literally be a matter of life and death. We have a copy of "A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives" in the Lending Library’s reference books you can use to look up ingredients you are unfamiliar with. Become an informed consumer, not a duped statistic.

Wellness Education Coordinator
From Mona’s Pen (Computer)

Aspartame: If you do nothing else but eliminate this STUFF (pink, yellow or blue packets . . . gum, soda, any diet foods) from your diet . . . you will be making an AWESOME step towards a Healthy Lifestyle Change . . . Read your labels . . . I have been sharing this information for many years and I find it coming across my desk more and more and I will continue to share this until we can get it banned from our food. Read the attached file I have sent and make a change in your diet today.

Editor’s note: The information mentioned was too long to include in this newsletter. It is stored in the computer at the Center for your viewing, or you can contact Mona for more information.

Mona Southworth
Wellness Educator
517-622-1777
cmsouthworth@comcast.net

Reading The Bible Again For The First Time

A book study, "Reading The Bible Again For The First Time," is meeting at the Teaching & Sharing Center, 417 S. Bridge St., Grand Ledge, on Sundays at 5:00 PM. This study is a follow-up to the best-selling book, "The Heart of Christianity," by Marcus Borg and explores the issues that lie at the heart of Christianity today. Participants discuss such topics as the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, sin, and how to live in a multi-faith, pluralistic society.

The leader for this course is Paul T. Pretzlaff, a retired Lutheran pastor whose most recent pastorate was St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Lansing, which he served from 1973 to 1995. For more information, contact Pastor Pretzlaff at (517) 646-9534 or Email at ptpretz@sbcglobal.net, or Ms. Kim Zipple, (517) 886-1595.
 

United Way

Since the T&SC is a 501c3 public charity you may donate through your United Way contributions simply by writing in our name. This does not apply to some of the special campaigns they run.

 

"People aren't turned off to Jesus, they're just tired of Christians who don't really follow him."

- Rick Warren


We Need You

Of the more than one hundred and fifty households on our mailing list (the poet’s circle), only about 10% are paid members of the Teaching & Sharing Center non-profit 501c3 (public charity) corporation in 2006. God can, of course, provide miraculous ways to keep things going if it is His will. But, it is not likely we will survive long-term with such a small support base. Perhaps the miracle waiting to happen, is a change in your heart of whether to support the Center financially. Memberships are reasonably set (as low as $5 per year). Please prayerfully consider what God would have you do.

william’s perspective
Energy - Native American - My Health

Science tells us that if we break things down far enough we discover everything is vibrational energy. Remember when people used to talk about picking up "good vibrations" or "bad vibes" from someone, or some situation? I think that positive and negative energies are more of a reality, and have more of an affect on our lives, than most people even begin to suspect. That is part of the reason intangibles like forgiveness and love have such tangible impacts. And, of course, anger and hatred can show up as downward spirals relationally as well as in our own health and well being (or lack thereof).

I also believe that these energies (positive or negative) are transmitted through the food chain in what we eat. From the living conditions and treatment of animals to plants and the general conditions of the planet, these are more than just moral issues. They become very practical considerations, even for the most self-centered of us, when we discover how much they impart their energies into our own experience of a good life, or a descent into struggle for basic survival.


In John Two-Hawks Circle of Nations newsletter he recently talked about being "Indian." I’ve reprinted that article (with his permission) right after "william’s perspective." But, I wanted talk about being a "Native American (not necessarily Indian)" for a brief moment.

If you were born in this country, you are a "Native American." There are not people in some other part of the world waiting for you to return home. This land is a piece of your identity. It was a large piece of who the indigenous peoples (Indians) were as well. Whether you trace any of your ancestry back to a First Nations tribe, or not, we are born of common ground. I think it is time to honor that.

Even if you do not embrace our First Nations ancestral customs and philosophies, it is appropriate we all start showing respect for that which has impacted every dynamic of our American lives. Do you enjoy our basic freedoms and electing leaders from among the general population? How about food? Do you like corn? Tomatoes? Potatoes? Do you think it is good that "common folk" have a method of exchange, in the form of a few coins in their pockets, to transact business with? These, and hundreds more of our daily blessings can be attributed to our Native American heritage, which has influenced everything from those basic freedoms to the foods we eat. 

We walk the same footpaths as our indigenous Native American predecessors. Indeed, many of our roads and highways literally follow old Indian trails. Today, on this continent, in this hemisphere, we call ourselves Americans. The names have changed over time. But our common ground has not. Our heritage remains.


We are such an action/activity oriented society that we’ve don’t seem to grasp our selves as human "beings" (not human "doings" as Rick Warren says). The following is from an email I sent on June 20th this year.

Health update:

It’s been 3 months and 1 week since my surgery. According to the charts, things should seem somewhat "normal" at this point. Last Tuesday at golf (exactly three months) I hit a 51 (9 holes). It was the first time (in four times golfing) that I was above fifty, so I joked that "yep, looks like things are back to normal." Actually, I am progressing very well physically, based on what the cardiac rehab people are saying. In fact, on Monday, they said it was up to me whether to continue through the remaining sessions. I’ve been told the aches, pains, and numbness will be around for a year or more. They’re really more annoying than painful though, so it’s just a matter of trying to ignore them.

The tricky part is still the mental. While my work and activities lists are no shorter than before, there is an absence of a sense of purpose in anything. My scripture reading this morning was Luke 17:20-37. The opening study question was, "What are you looking forward to or waiting for right now?" It caught me off guard, because I had nothing to respond to it with. Finally, I said "God," but then had to laugh as I envisioned God and I in one of those "after you" jokes. I’m waiting for God, and He’s waiting for me (after You --- no --- after you). I’m sure the medical people would identify this as the standard depression which is well documented with open heart surgery patients. I described it recently as "melancholy contentment." I am learning to "be." You might think that strange for a mystical Christian, who is a photographer and poet. But, that’s just it. If I wasn’t taking a picture or writing a poem about something (no camera or pen and paper with me), I was usually thinking about what a great picture it would make, or that I should be writing about it. A sunset, or any beauty in nature, was at very least a time to pray or contemplate life, but rarely to just appreciate the (life) moment. I can’t begin to tell you how many historical sites I’ve chided myself at for not just "being" there, taking it in, rather than trying to preserve and package it "for future use." My learning process continues.

Just one more step in the journey.

The opinions and philosophies expressed in "william’s perspective" are solely those of the poet william. They do not necessarily represent positions or views of the Teaching & Sharing Center, its board of trustees, or other members of the non-profit corporation.

          God’s Peace,               

The ‘Indian Experience’. . . .
From the Circle of Nations newsletter — WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)

There are those who have only one idea and one image of who and what an American Indian is. Nothing could be further from reality. In truth, there are as many versions and perspectives on the Indian experience as there are stars in the sky. The illusion that Indians only look, act, dress or speak one particular way is tied directly to the concept that our cultures are simple, trite, trivial and even insignificant. It is a stereotype, plain and simple, and a tiring one at that. So what is the real ‘Indian experience’ then? Allow me to offer just a few thoughts . . . First, let me say that, although we all do refer to each other and ourselves as such, the term ‘Indian’ itself is a misnomer. It appears to have come from the Italian words ‘in dio’, which means to be ‘in with God.’ This term was first pinned on us by none other than [Christopher] Columbus, whom the Taino people discovered back in 1492. Regardless of the origin of the term ‘Indian’, it stuck, and has been with us ever since. It should be said here as well, that, if given the choice, most of us prefer the term ‘Indian’ to ‘Native American.’ More accurate perhaps, are the terms ‘First Nations’ or ‘Indigenous People.’ Of course, knowing the specific indigenous nation is always best (Lakota, Potawatomi, Seneca, Ojibway, etc.). Lastly on this point, we really prefer to be identified as people like anyone else. Getting back to my thoughts . . . .

Some Indian people were raised on the reservation with Grandparents and elders around who knew the ways and spoke the language. These Indians can be well versed in the ways of their culture, and are less likely to have non-Indian blood in their background. Some of these Indian people will learn the ways of Spirit. Some will go to college and become writers. Some will become involved in politics. Some will become great artists. Some will become actors. Some will simply work to raise a family. Some will unfortunately fall prey to substance abuse. Some will move from the reservation to far away places. Some will stay. Some will marry non-Indians. Some will not. Some will live in nice houses and make good money. Some will not. All are real Indians . . . . 

Some Indian people were not raised on the reservation, yet still had relatives around who knew the ways or spoke the language. These Indians can still be well versed in the ways of their culture, yet are more exposed to non-Indian culture and are more likely to have non-Indian blood in their background. Some of these Indian people will learn the ways of Spirit. Some will go to college and become writers. Some will become involved in politics. Some will become great artists. Some will become actors. Some will simply work to raise a family. Some will unfortunately fall prey to substance abuse. Some will move back to the reservation or off to far away places. Some will stay where they were raised. Some will marry non-Indians. Some will not. Some will live in nice houses and make good money. Some will not. All are real Indians . . . . 

Some Indian people were neither raised on the reservation, nor had many relatives around who knew the ways or spoke the language. These Indians will have a much more difficult time learning the ways of their culture, as they and their families have been exposed to non-Indian culture for several generations and are very likely to have significant non-Indian blood in their background. Some of these Indian people will learn the ways of Spirit. Some will go to college and become writers. Some will become involved in politics. Some will become great artists. Some will become actors. Some will simply work to raise a family. Some will unfortunately fall prey to substance abuse. A few may move back to the reservation. Some may move to far away places. Some will stay where they were raised. Many will marry non-Indians. Some will live in nice houses and make good money. Some will not. Many of these Indians may find it difficult to reconnect with the Indian people and culture they come from. Others may succeed. All are real Indians . . . . 

These are just a few thoughts on the ‘Indian experience.’ There are many, many more. Our collective story is far from simple. It is rich, diverse, tragic yet triumphant, incredibly complex and beautifully human. To contend that there is only one correct idea of who and what it means to be Indian is to grossly underestimate the power of Indian blood and the ability of our Indian ancestors to impart and pass on their strong Indian identity to their descendants. May we, Indian people, someday be accepted by others for who we really are, and may we ourselves never forget to value and appreciate the struggle of our ancestors which resulted in the many facets, stories and faces of the ‘Indian experience’ we see today . . . .

John Two-Hawks (April 2006)

 

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?


Volunteer Staffing & Personal Spiritual Time

Many people talk about their need to find a regular quiet time for their own spiritual devotions, readings, and meditations. However, frequently, nothing gets done about it. Could you perhaps set aside two hours per week, to spend some personal spiritual time at the Center, but also learn how to open it up so others might have the opportunity to use it too? Most of the time you would have the place to yourself. But, at least it would be available to others. And, rest assured, when others do visit, an opportunity to serve Christ will likely appear. An additional benefit of doing this is you would be among those having 24 hour access because of having a key. And, any member volunteers serving in this role, while meeting both their own needs and others, would step up to Center Circle status with accompanying CC member benefits. Let any board member know of your interest or call the Center and leave a message.

Members With Websites - Your URL?

Just a reminder – if you are a member of the T&SC and have a website of your own (business or personal) a link to your site can be placed in the Center’s web pages. Simply let william know what your site’s URL (address) is.

A special thank you to volunteers Joyce Gibbons and Cindi King for cleaning the Center upstairs and down during their recent visit to Michigan.

 

Mini7News is sent quarterly to members of the Teaching & Sharing Center non-profit corporation and those who are on "the poet's circle" mailing list. Permission is granted for complete reproduction of original articles and graphics only. If you have received this by email or regular mail in error and you wish your name taken off the poet’s circle mailing list, simply email TSCenters@comcast.net or phone 627-7366 (toll free 877-wsharing) and request that your name be removed. A confirmation of your request acknowledging removal will be sent by email or regular mail depending on how it was received.

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This newsletter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research or educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

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