Pen pals—adult and children—please continue writing to your friends. Both groups love receiving mail from their pen pals.
On June 7, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be a Wonderful Water Day to celebrate the Pen Pal Project. This takes the place of the carnival we have had for the last 2 years. You will be hearing more about it, but in the meantime, get your water clothes together for a fun-filled afternoon!
Minis frittatas with spinach are one of the best healthy, fast, and portable breakfasts! This make-ahead frittata recipe is super freezer friendly. Just grab one out of the freezer on a busy morning, and you’re set! These are gluten free and low carb.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil or oil of choice
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions or shallots
2 x 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach,
defrosted and drained, then roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese or finely chopped bacon, optional
1 dozen beaten eggs or egg beaters, about 2 1/4 cups total, or a combination
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray or grease a 12-cup standard
muffin tin and set it aside.
2. In a large skillet, preheat the oil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and
let them slowly cook until softened and translucent.
3. Add the spinach to the skillet, and season it with salt and pepper.
4. Toss a few times to combine, and let it continue to simmer (you might have to increase
the heat slightly) for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Divide the onion and spinach mixture among the 12 prepared muffin pans. If you are using
cheese or crumbled bacon, sprinkle it into each compartment on top of the spinach mixture.
6. Finally, add the eggs. If you’re particular, you can individually beat each egg and add it
to each compartment. In the interest of time, I beat all the eggs together and simply
divide the mixture 12 ways.
7. Bake for 28-30 minutes until the mini frittatas are domed and firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving or storing.
Note: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to eat them one at a time, store them in individual baggies.
–Provided by Mary Anne Roos
Freezer-Friendly Mini-Frittatas
Click here to download a printable version.
Provided by Mary Anne Roos
United Christian Ministries is in need of pasta sauce, ramen, pancake syrup, applesauce (6-pack individual cups), and laundry detergent. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Each week we include a recipe in the Church Chimes and we hope that you are enjoying reading and trying them. You can add your favorite recipes to the Chimes by sending them to Cheryl Beck at cabeck@ncsu.edu. This is an ongoing WMU project.
Thanks for participating!
The CDC recommends that you wear a mask indoors.
Maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others.
Our worship service will be streamed online at firstbaptistsylva.com.
As I was growing up, I was taught to say grace dutifully before meals and then to pray diligently before bed, thanking God for the day and proactively asking guidance for the next. Thank goodness some things change! Now, it is not about duty. Some days it’s about needing a lifeline, someone holding the rope; other days, it’s about expressing gratitude. Sometimes my prayer is meditating in deep silence or just my word from centering prayer, welling up again and again as both an offering and an anchor.
Sometimes, I journal my prayers of lament, writing with anger, passionately arguing with God as to why God is wrong. I usually start the morning singing scripture verses or hymns to my guinea fowl, ducks and rabbits as I feed them and clean their pens before getting ready for work. Sometimes, I make up the music to a verse of scripture that comes to mind; sometimes I borrow from Taize or the Christian chants of Darlene Franz. My animals seem to enjoy it, sometimes adding their own riffs and choruses.
I love how the music and words stay in my head, playing on loop, forming the soundtrack for the day. At the wound care clinic, I lead a short devotion and prayer before we get started and then offer a silent breath prayer for each patient I treat. Before bed, I usually journal the ancient practice of the Ignatian Examen, where I reflect back on my day and where I felt closest to God and where I felt the farthest. I finish the practice by listing at least five things from that day for which I feel gratitude and, if I am not too sleepy, I spend awhile practicing the Buddhist breath prayer Tonglen. On the in-breath, I breathe in the suffering of specific friends/family/beings in need, or even entire groups of people, animals or regions of the world. Right now, it’s the people of Ukraine; other times have included the Amazon rainforest; a dear friend fighting cancer; even polar bears. On the outbreath, the Holy Spirit alchemizes their suffering and sends back to them the healing light of Christ as love, peace and well-being.
My favorite prayer time though is my early morning runs with my dog through the nearby fields and farmlands. The rhythm of my feet hitting the dirt path blends with the sound of the woman hoeing in her field, or the man boring holes in the red palms to capture the fermented sap used for distilling into the local whiskey, sorogbe. As the sun crests the horizon, the world wakes up to the songs of birds, the distant sound of cows mooing, the occasional bleats of goats and roosters crowing and the sound of Jax happily panting, mixed together like a gentle blessing of peace going out to all people, to all creation, for yet another day.
Pray...Give...Go.
By Dr. Jeff Mathis
According to social scientists who study human behavior, our capacity for empathy dropped significantly during the pandemic. I was surprised to learn this as we are typically more sympathetic to those who experience misfortunes like illness and death.
But you’d be hard-pressed to argue the alternative—especially when you consider the widespread heartache and pain people are going through and our world’s callous, even hostile response to them.
Increasingly, we don’t seem moved by the hurts and pains of others.
As we are aware, the pandemic necessitated that we keep our distance. Laminated signs dotted the interiors of our buildings, reading, “Stay Smart! Stay Apart!” Proximity to others, we learned, could spread infection and result in illness and death. So we distanced ourselves physically from each other and struggled with the emotional confusion we felt when our encounters moved into the unfulfilling space of the virtual world.
We did this, of course, because we cared about our health and the health of others. Although necessary when combatting a global pandemic, social distancing has a cost, as studies reveal that there is collateral damage with which we must contend.
Interestingly, being together and physically close heightens our ability to express empathy. Our lack of physical contact with others diminishes our capacity to be empathetic. The more we choose to be islands, the less sympathetic we will be when people are hurting.
We know this. Healthy touch builds trust. Being shoulder-to-shoulder with someone makes us feel connected. Something as simple as a handshake or an embrace humanizes the encounter.
I am reminded of the early Church in Acts 2, where believers shared their lives through worship, prayer, service, and table fellowship. Time spent around a dinner table is a fitting image of the church. Seated around a table, elbow to elbow, can be a sacred moment. It is the defining image of the Kingdom of God as Jesus calls his followers to remember Him at table fellowship. A shared meal physically brings people together. It allows us to see one another more clearly and to hear one another more effectively. Passing the beans and pouring a refill compels us to share and to be aware of the needs of others. Also, squeezing together to eat spaghetti at dinner reminds us of the importance of table manners.
This kind of fellowship, or koinonia, is the lifeblood of the Church. Our hallmark is connection, touch, and the gift of presence and physical engagement. We testify and bear witness to how church fellowship changes our lives and can change the world.
And that is why we reinstated a tradition in worship this past Sunday that we’ve not practiced in some time. At the end of our service, I invited our congregation to slide down the pews and hold hands, link arms, or drape them over one another’s shoulders for our final prayer and song. Why? There’s a lot of space between us, which is not good. Meeting in the middle of our sanctuary requires initiative, action, and movement. But more than that, the simple act of touching one another brings us together and positions us perfectly for fellowship and empathy.
I don’t know why I was surprised when the song ended, and the congregation burst into conversation and fellowship with one another.
Our face-to-face laughter and conversation drowned out my final, “Go in Peace. Amen,” and I couldn’t have been more pleased.
If you would like to provide flowers in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, please contact Gwen Messer at 828-506-8370, or Janice in the church office to be placed on the calendar.
Book Buddies will meet at 1st Explorers After School at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, and 30. Come and read with a child. It will make your day!