StarNewsDaily.com – Week of April 19, 2012 – Vol.5, No. 16 – FREE
Month of the Young Child Investing in the Future
By Patricia Pihl Editor
At the Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center in Mayville, children are busy learning the way children learn best through doing. Whether playing at a water table, making a colorful dough-like substance to shape with their hands, growing seeds or stacking blocks, educators of small children agree these types of activities, as well as meaningful interactions with caregivers, are important to their growth and development. Throughout April, the Chautauqua County Association for the Education of Small Children,(CCAEYC) in conjunction with the Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center (CLCCC) will host county wide activities for children and their families. The purpose, according to CLCCC Executive Director Elizabeth Stark is two fold: to promote community awareness of the importance of early childhood education and to focus on the important role of caregivers and teachers. The month-long activities are part of a national “Week of the Young Child” initiative, and point to the need for quality child care locally. According to the 2011 Community Needs Assessment (Chautauqua Opportunities Inc.) there are over 7,000 children in Chautauqua County with both parents, or a single parent in the workforce. According to Stark, “CLCCC provides the ability for 150 families
Children play and learn at the Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center in Mayville.
to go to work and school...and to be comfortable knowing that their children are happy and secure and comfortable.”
Stark adds “When you look at the long-term benefits, if a child has the right foundation they are more likely to read at a higher level by second grade and more likely to graduate
from high school and be more productive in society.”
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BPUMC to Present ‘ The Gospel of John’ Contributed article BPUMC
Bemus Point United Methodist Church is pleased to bring The Gospel of John with Brad Sherrill to the church on Friday, May 11 at 7 p.m. This one-person, live performance of the New Testament gospel in its entirety is free with tickets available at BPUMC on Sundays following each worship service, in the office from 8 a.m.- 4p.m. Monday-Friday, and by calling the church at 716-386-3401. It took Atlanta-based actor Brad Sherrill four months to commit the entire gospel of John to memory. Since its premiere in 2000, The Gospel of John has been performed over 500 times in churches, cathedrals and professional theaters across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, including a six-week theatrical run off-Broadway at New York City’s historic Lamb’s Theatre, and at other professional theaters in Chicago, Washington D.C., Toronto and Atlanta. The Gospel of John’s European cathedral tours during 2007 and 2008 brought the performance to large, historic cathedrals of the U.K., Ireland and Northern Ireland including Westminster Cathedral (London), Lincoln, Gloucester and Lichfield Cathedrals (U.K.), Christ Church Cathedral (Dublin) and St. Peter’s
Atlanta-based actor Brad Sherrill brings ‘The Gospel of John’ to Bemus Point United Methodist Church on Friday, May 11.
Cathedral (Belfast.) Other performances have included the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis) and numerous colleges such as Yale, American and Catholic Universities. The Gospel of John has now touched the hearts of
over 150,000 people worldwide. When asked why study the Gospel of John, Brad Sherrill writes, “since memorizing the nearly 20,000 words which comprise the fourth gospel,
this has been the one question most frequently asked of me. I can only respond as other believers have by stating that John’s Gospel is nourishment for the mind, heart and soul. Christ communicates with a directness, passion and authority which speaks not only to the body of believers but to each of us as individuals.” Brad has acted professionally in Atlanta since 1983. He was selected by Atlanta Magazine in 2000 as Atlanta’s Best Dramatic Actor and by Creative Loafing (another Atlanta publication) in 2001 as Atlanta’s Best Actor. He has performed in over 20 productions at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre and is an Artistic Associate for the Georgia Shakespeare Theatre where he has acted in 45 productions over 22 seasons. In addition, he has performed over the years at every professional theater in Atlanta including Actor’s Express, Horizon Theater, Theater Emory, Theatre in the Square, Theatrical Outfit and Georgia Ensemble Theatre. For more information and tickets for the Gospel of John, call the BPUMC church office or visit the church at 4954 Bemus-Ellery Road, Bemus Point. The church is located just ¼ mile off I-86 at Exit 10 and offers worship services at 8:30 a.m.,10 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.