IONA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IONIAN The Volume 15, Number 1 May 2011 There are all kinds of events coming up, and that is the main purpose of this newsletter. We want you to know about what is happening in June, the summer, and when we get back in full swing in September. Please take note of the up- coming dates so you don‟t miss anything. One thing of note is our annual outdoor Tri-Church service at 11:00 a.m. on June 19. We are asked to bring sand- wiches (St. Cyprian‟s is bringing deserts and St. Christopher‟s is bringing Chinese food). It is always a great event and a wonderful feast together after. Please bring lawn chairs or a blanket if you are able. I would also like to let you know that Rev. Mary Lewis, who has been the interim priest at St. Cyprian‟s is leaving us on May 31. We will be welcoming a new clergy among us - Rev. Victor Li - at that time. We will miss Mary‟s friendli- ness and good humour and pray that God will bless her with a new challenge soon. Anyway, have a look at what‟s coming up. See you there! Greetings from the well-used com- puter of your minister. As I sit in my office on this cold and rainy day (how many in a row is this?). It seems hard to conceive of sum- mer really being around the corner. It is even stranger to believe that Linda and I are only six weeks away from our second China adventure. We are going to teach English to rural Chinese English teachers again through the work of the Amity Foundation of China. We are thrilled this time to be accompanied by Phil Sharp of St. Cyprian‟s, as well as two of Linda‟s teacher friends. Our team of five will work in the city of Putain, in the southeast cor- ner of the country. While we are there, we hope to be able to visit with Jessica, one of our new people here, as she also has a home there and has invited us to come and see her. After our 4 weeks of work we will have a 12 day holiday when we will visit Guilin, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. It is a bit of a whirlwind, but it will be fantastic to see all the places again, and see things like the pandas and the Great Wall and the terracotta warriors. Keep us in your prayers as we get ready to travel half- way around the world.
Transcript
IONA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
IONIAN The
Volume 15, Number 1 May 2011
There are all kinds of events coming up, and that is the main purpose of this newsletter. We want you to know about what is happening in June, the summer, and when we get back in full swing in September. Please take note of the up-coming dates so you don‟t miss anything. One thing of note is our annual outdoor Tri-Church service at 11:00 a.m. on June 19. We are asked to bring sand-wiches (St. Cyprian‟s is bringing deserts and St. Christopher‟s is bringing Chinese food). It is always a great event and a wonderful feast together after. Please bring lawn chairs or a blanket if you are able. I would also like to let you know that Rev. Mary Lewis, who has been the interim priest at St. Cyprian‟s is leaving us on May 31. We will be welcoming a new clergy among us - Rev. Victor Li - at that time. We will miss Mary‟s friendli-ness and good humour and pray that God will bless her with a new challenge soon. Anyway, have a look at what‟s coming up. See you there!
Greetings from the well-used com-puter of your minister. As I sit in my office on this cold and rainy day (how many in a row is this?). It seems hard to conceive of sum-mer really being around the corner. It is even stranger to believe that Linda and I are only six weeks away from our second China adventure. We are going to teach English to rural Chinese English teachers again through the work of the Amity Foundation of China. We are thrilled this time to be accompanied by Phil Sharp of St. Cyprian‟s, as well as two of Linda‟s teacher friends. Our team of five will work in the city of Putain, in the southeast cor-ner of the country. While we are there, we hope to be able to visit with Jessica, one of our new people here, as she also has a home there and has invited us to come and see her. After our 4 weeks of work we will have a 12 day holiday when we will visit Guilin, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. It is a bit of a whirlwind, but it will be fantastic to see all the places again, and see things like the pandas and the Great Wall and the terracotta warriors. Keep us in your prayers as we get ready to travel half-way around the world.
Page 2 IONIAN
Parish Nursing Ministry FOOD ADDICTIONS - KEY TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT?
Intro
Everyone is familiar with our society‟s growing problem with obesity and its associated illnesses (diabetes, heart disease and stroke, some cancers, etc.), even among young people. Clearly if knowledge of these dangers were enough to prevent overeating, we would all be beautifully slim. Why then do so many people continue this destructive pattern? We all need to eat but why do some of us stop when we are full and others go on until absolutely stuffed? Is it possible to be addicted to food in the same way that one can be addicted to tobacco, drugs, or alcohol? What else does food do besides feed us? If food can be addicting, how can we protect ourselves against its power?
Do You Eat to Live or Live to Eat?
There are two mechanisms that regulate our appetites and eating behaviours. One is the homeostatic system which prods us to eat when our bodies need food for energy and cell growth/repair. When we have eaten enough to refuel us, our appetite-regulating centre (the area in the brain that regulates appetite as a thermostat regu-lates temperature) signals that we are full. If you are governed by the homeostatic sys-tem, you eat to live and stop when you are full. The other mechanism is the hedonic system which is a pleasure/reward-based system. When something tastes really good (think chocolate or whatever is your special thing), we all tend to have seconds or thirds. The occasional time is not a problem; if it becomes a daily habit we can be in trouble. Those governed primarily by the hedonic system live to eat and are headed for serious obesity.
Similarities Between Drug Dependence and Compulsive Overeating
Can food be addicting? According to Registered Dietitian, Dr. Bev White who spoke at a seminar I attended recently, research shows similarities in brain chemistry between those with chemical addictions and compulsive overeaters. In fact, highly palatable foods (sweets & fats) result in the release of “bliss chemicals”, the brain‟s own version of opioids (like morphine) and cannabinoids (like marijuana). Unfortunately broccoli doesn‟t fall into this category! Think chocolate cheesecake piled high with whipped cream instead. Not surprisingly, in the presence of very palatable foods like all the fast foods and rich desserts we have become accustomed to, the hedonic drive (pleasure/ reward-based system) overpowers the homeostatic drive (our refueling system). So we eat too many processed, refined, and concentrated foods and this establishes a pat-tern which can cause some people to compulsively overeat. Think about our current food environment. We are bombarded with advertising urging us to have double cheeseburgers, super-sized fries, cafe moccaccinos, and chocolate lava cakes. Each one of these items by itself contains more than enough calories for a full meal. It is hardly any wonder that many of us overeat. Another interesting research observation is that the brain does not seen to register liquid calories in the same way that it does with solid foods. In other words, drinking a large high-calorie drink (ice-cream soda, cappuccino, etc.) does not make you feel full in the same way that eating a large piece of cake does. So you continue to eat until you feel full. (cont‟d overleaf)
Food as a mood regulator
Food does much more than refuel our bodies. It boosts our spirits when we are feeling down. It helps us cope with stress. Eating is also a social activity. When people get to-gether, most often there is food involved. When we are lonely, we often indulge in comfort food. Anger, frustration, many negative emotions can also trigger a desire for food - not raw veggies but bread, cake, cookies, ice cream...fill in your own favourites.
Diet and Lifestyle Modifications to Help Regulate Appetite
Given our fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle and the ever-present availability of highly re-fined, concentrated, oversized, tasty foods and drinks, how are we to avoid the tempta-tion to overeat? Especially when dieting can cause its own problems. Dieting often leaves us feeling hungry and unable to think of anything other than food. If we eat something we shouldn‟t, we feel guilty and then eat more to deal with the guilt. It be-comes a vicious circle. Is there a way out of this maze? Let‟s see what the experts rec-ommend. Avoid risky situations - use a list and don‟t shop when you are hungry; stay away from
fast food outlets; eat a healthy snack before going to a party; etc. Identify your own triggers and avoid them - what is most tempting to you (sweets?
fats?); when do you overeat (when you‟re lonely? anxious? stressed?) Resist urges - like ocean waves, they get stronger to a point, then recede; if you ignore
them, eventually they will go away; use distraction or talk to someone Choose to see the situation differently - instead of “Poor me, I have to give up every-
thing I like”, think “I feel healthy and in control; I can wear my favourite suit” Develop a structure that works for you - eat breakfast and every 3-5 hr throughout the
day to maintain stable blood sugars; avoid after-dinner snacking Become aware of your body‟s signals and honour them - eat healthy foods when you
are hungry; stop eating when you are full Recognize and honour your feelings without using food - if you are lonely, call a friend,
take a walk, or see a movie; discuss your anger and frustration with someone
Summary
Obesity is a major public health problem leading to many serious diseases. Exhorta-tions to diet and exercise have not been very effective in helping people to lose weight. Research has shown us the addictive power of some types of food and made us more aware of unhealthy behaviour patterns related to eating. This article suggests a differ-ent approach to weight management with several practical suggestions. Bon appetit! Margaret E. Black, Parish Nurse
IONIAN Page 3
A Novel Prescription A woman went to the doctor‟s office. She was seen by one of the new doctors, but after about 4 minutes in the examining room, she burst out screaming as she ran down the hall. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was. She told him, and he led her into his office and asked her to relax and wait. He left and headed down the hall to see the young doc
-tor and confronted him. “What‟s the matter with you? Mrs Blank is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?” The young doctor continued to write on the clip board in his hand, and without looking up he said, “Does she still have the hiccups?”
Page 4 IONIAN
A note from your Session:
Session is indeed grateful for the on-going and generous support that Iona receives from its people. We are also grateful that whenever there is a need, you step up to the plate and fix things. As summer approaches, our present small deficit could become somewhat un-wieldy because attendance, and therefore offerings, go down as people are away enjoying their summer. Again this year, we hope you will include in your plans supporting God‟s work in Iona by attending the joint summer services with St. Cyprian‟s as often as you can. If you are unable to attend, please consider mailing your offering to help keep us meeting our obligations, espe-cially during July and August. Thank you and God bless.
An engineer and a programmer Both were seated side by side on an airplane of a long distance flight. The programmer turns and asks the engineer if he would like to play a fun game. The engineer just wanted to take a nap, so he politely declined and leaned toward the win-dow to sleep. However, the programmer persists, explaining that the game was easy and a lot of fun. He ex-plained, “I‟ll ask you a question, and if you don‟t know the answer, you pay me $5.00. Then you ask me a question, and if I don‟t know the an-swer, I‟ll pay you $5.00.” The engineer declines again. The programmer, now somewhat miffed says, “OK, how about this. If you don‟t know the answer you pay me $5.00, and if I don‟t know the answer, I‟ll pay you $100.00.” The engineer sees no end to his persistence until he plays so he agrees to play the game. The pro-grammer asked the first question, “What‟s the distance from the earth to the moon?” Without a word the engineer reaches into his pocket and takes $5.00 from his wallet and hands it over. “Now it‟s my turn. What goes up a hill with three legs, then comes down with four?” The programmer looked puzzled. He takes his laptop computer and starts to search all his refer-ences. Finding nothing, he taps into the airphone modum and searches the net. Again he found nothing. Frustrated, he sends e-mails to his friends without success. An hour later, he wakes the engineer and hands him $100.00. The engineer politely thanks him, then leans over to sleep again. The programmer, now more than a little miffed, shakes the engineer‟s arm and asks, “Well, so what‟s the answer.” The engineer, without a word, reached back into his wallet , withdrew $5.00 and handed to him, then went back to sleep.
The Dollar and Pound
The word dollar originates from the German word thaler, the name given to a silver coin first minted in Joachimsthal, Bohemia in 1519. The cent comes from the Latin word centum, meaning hundred. The origin of the $ sign is obscure but is widely believed to have been derived from a symbol denoting Spanish pesos. The pound and it‟s symbol £ come from the Latin libra, the value of a troy pound of silver. The shilling is believed to come from the old Scandinavian word skilling, meaning division. Its symbol s refers to the Latin word solidus, a Ro-man coin. The pence, or pennies, comes from the Old Eng-lish word pennige. Its sympol d refers to the de-narius, another Roman coin. Before decimalization, one pound was equal to 20 shillings, with one shilling equal to 12 pence.
Baptism A drunk comes across a river where a preacher is baptizing people. He saunters up and wades into the water. The preacher, nearly overcome by the smell of alcohol, asks if he was ready to find Je-sus. “I am”, he replied. The preacher grabs him and dunks him in the water. Then he pulls him up asks, “Brother, have you found Jesus?” “No, I haven‟t”, he replied. The preacher, surprised by his answer, dunks him under again, this time for a little longer. Then, pulling him up asks, “Brother, have you found Jesus?” Once again, the man says no. Again he dunks him, this time holding him down for nearly twenty seconds. The man starts fighting his grip, then he pulls him up. Again he asks, “For the love of God have you found Jesus?” The man wipes his eyes and waits to catch his breath, then replies, “Are you sure this is where he fell in?”
Page 4 IONIAN
IONIAN Page 5
Come one, come all to our summer strawberry social - bring a friend or two to enjoy and share in the fellowship and the taste of fresh ripe strawberries on fluffy cake and coated with whipped cream. A joy to the palate of the most discriminating eaters. A beverage is included.
Our joint outdoor service with St. Cyprian's and St. Christopher's churches on the front lawn of the building. Please bring a lawn chair and a blanket (sitting) if you are able. We can enjoy lunch together af-ter the worship service. Iona folk have been asked to bring sand-
wiches. Please Note: There are flyers on hand we would like to have delivered around the local area to advertise this service. If you can help with delivery, please speak to or call Rev. Jim Biggs at 416.494.2442-3. Thank you.
Summer Combined Service Schedule: The Iona/St.Cyprian‟s combined summer service begins at 10:30 a.m. from July 3 to September 4 inclusive. Iona’s schedule is July 3rd, August 14, 21, 28 and September 4.
St. Cyprian’s schedule is July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7.
Iona's Annual Welcome Back Corn Feast September 18, 2011, directly after church. Please bring a salad or dessert for the occasion. The event will take place directly after the worship service.
Tri-Church Annual Sale September 24, 2011, Once again it‟s time for the public sale of merchandise. People are asked not to bring anything to the church before Labour Day as there will be no-one to handle things until after that day. Watch for a poter with details before bringing anything to the church.
Parish Nursing Ministry October 30, 2011, special presentations are being prepared dealing with „back pain, preven-tion and management’ that will be conducted in English and Chinese in the manner of previous events. More information will be available closer to the time of the event. .
Page 6 IONIAN
THE JOYS OF HAVING A MINISTRY STUDENT
From September 2010 to April 2011, Iona played host to Knox College student, Hansel Chen, as he learned something about the practical aspects of congregational ministry. Hansel spent 10 hours/week working with Rev. Jim Biggs and the Session, where he helped out with various aspects of the worship services, attended meetings, did pastoral care visits in hospitals and nursing homes, and even led a Bible study on the book of Titus for 3 weeks around Easter. Twice he preached the sermon during our service. Throughout this experience Hansel was closely supervised by Jim Biggs and a group of Session members who provided encouragement and helpful feedback. Al-though this represented a significant time commitment from Rev. Jim especially, it was also an enriching growth experience for all of us. Hansel became not just “our student” but also our friend. He preached
his second and final sermon at Iona on Palm Sunday, Apr. 17, and we celebrated his accom-plishments and his service to Iona with a cake and a gift certificate during Fellowship time. As a gesture of gratitude for the ministry experience, Hansel and his family invited members of the Iona Session and also the Trinity Mandarin Session to his home for a delicious Chinese meal on Sunday, May 15. A wonderful time was had by all! Hansel, we wish you God‟s blessing as you follow His call in your future ministry experi-ences. As a result of our positive experience with you, Session has decided to offer this opportu-nity to another student in the upcoming year. And we haven‟t lost Hansel altogether. He will be taking the worship service at Iona on Sunday, July 3 while Jim & Linda Biggs will be on another mission trip to China. Come and join us!
FAREWELL TO REVEREND MARY LEWIS In the Tri-Church setting, our congregational lives are always intertwined with those of our partner congregations and their clergy. For the past nine months, we have been blessed to work with Rev. Mary Lewis, the Interim Priest at St. Cyprian‟s Anglican Church. Mary is friendly, hard-working, inclusive, and has a great sense of humour! Her presence has been a joy to those of us who work in the office as well as her own congregation. Now the time has come for her to move on and her last service will be May 29/11, following which Iona has been invited to join St. Cyprian‟s for their Fellowship time to say our goodbyes. Mary, we will miss you, but we also want to wish you the very best as God calls you to ministry in another place. The good news is that St. Cyprian‟s new minister, Rev. Victor Li, will be starting on June 1. We look forward to meeting Rev. Victor and getting to know him as one of our Tri-Church part-ners.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RECENT GRADS
Lydia Williams graduated with a Bachelor‟s degree in Children and Youth Studies from University of California, Berkeley, in December 2010. Way to go, Lydia! Now she is in South Korea just starting to teach ESL to Korean high school students. What an adventure! Martin Smith graduated from Grade 12 this June. Martin is an elite swimmer, currently with the Toronto Swim Club, as well as a dedicated student. Congratulations, Martin! Now he is faced with the choice of which university (of the several who have accepted him) to attend. Good luck,
IONIAN Page 7
VILLAGE VOICES CONCERT
On May 4, we were fortunate to have the 70-voice Village Voices Choir return to Iona and do another fund-raising concert for us. Under Joan Andrews‟ musical direction and Gerald Loo‟s piano accompaniment, the choir filled the Iona area with melody. The concert was titled “Nature‟s Song” and the music, which included classical, contemporary, folk, and spiritual pieces, explored our connection with Nature and its meaning in our lives. Both the audience and the choir had a wonderful time. Everyone also enjoyed the delicious refreshments gener-ously donated by our church members. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this a memorable evening as well as a successful fund-raiser. If we have another concert next year, make sure to put the date on your calendar. It is an opportunity not to be missed. You can have a delightful evening out and help out the church at the same time. How can you lose? Come and bring a friend!
IN MEMORIAM
Flora Whiteford, long-time member and former elder of Iona passed away in early May in Victoria, B.C. with friend, Donna Wells at her bed-side. Although physically small, Flora filled the room with her warmth, acerbic wit, and lively, outspoken personality. She loved and was loved by many. She will be missed by all who knew her and our condolences go to her friends and family. Flora, we are grateful that our lives were enriched by knowing you. In spite of our sorrow, it is a joy to know that you are now in God‟s nearer presence.
Mary Pollock, long a member of Hillcrest United Church, joined our Iona family in 2003 when Hillcrest closed. She was a gifted artist and musician and a very welcome addition to the Iona choir. Mary died at the beginning of April after a long battle with heart disease, leaving behind her loving family and many friends. We remember her warm, good-natured, fun-loving spirit and her fanatical devotion to all sports. Mary, we miss you but rejoice to think of you now sing-ing in the Heavenly choir.
1) Prayer is not a spare tire that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a steering wheel that directs the right path throughout.
2) Why is a car‟s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.
3) Friendship is like a book. It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
4) All things in life are temporary. If going well. enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don‟t worry, these can‟t last long ei-ther.
5) Old friends are gold! New friends are dia-mond! If you get a diamond, don‟t forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of Gold!
6) Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above ans says, “Relax, it’s just a bend, not the end !”
7) When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; but when GOD does not solve your problems HE has faith in your own abilities.
8) A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing your eye sight?” He replied, “Yes, loosing your vision!”
9) When you pray for others, GOD listens to you and blesses them; then those times when you are safe and happy, remember someone has prayed for you.
10) Worrying does not take away tomorrow‟s troubles, it takes away today‟s peace.
Senior Moments
Joe (87) to Harry (85) J, “So I hear you‟re getting married.” H, “Yep.” J, “Do I know her?” H, “Nope.” J, “Is she good looking?” H, “Not really.” J, “Is she a good cook?” H, “Nope, she can‟t cook too well.” J, “Does she have lots of money?” H, “Nope! Poor as a church mouse.” J, “Well then, is it sex?” H, “I don‟t know.” J, “Why in the world do you want to marry her then!” H, “Because she can still drive.” Morris (82) went to the doctor to get a physi-cal. A few days later, the doctor saw him walking down the street with a gorgeous woman on his arm. A few days later, the doctor met him on the street and said, “How are you feeling now.” Morris replied, “Just doing what you said, doc: „Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.” The doctor said gruffly, “I did not. I said you have a heart murmur, be careful!” Three seniors are out walking:
First says, “Windy, isn‟t it?” Second says, “No, it‟s Thursday.”
Third says, “So am I. Let‟s go for a beer.”
A man was telling his neighbour, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost a fortune, but it‟s state of the art. It‟s perfect.” “Really”, responded the neighbour. “What kind is it?” “Twelve thirty.”
