December 2018
THE GIVING BACK SERIES:
Operation Christmas Child By Amanda Pendergrast, Springs Activities Leader
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ast month, as part of the Shell Point assisted living’s Giving Back series, residents from The Arbor, King’s Crown, and The Springs created handcrafted dolls to be gifted to children in underdeveloped countries for Christmas. These dolls, lovingly made by Shell Point residents, will be placed in donated shoeboxes as part of Operation Christmas Child, a project of international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse. Operation Christmas Child collects gift-filled shoeboxes from around the nation that have been stuffed with toys, school supplies,
and more, and delivers the gifts to children who have been affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, and other crises in more than 150 countries. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered shoeboxes to over 157 million children in more than 160 countries, many of whom have never received a Christmas present before. The Giving Back Series provides an opportunity for assisted living residents to participate in community and social involvement projects tied to local nonprofit organizations.
Published monthly for assisted living residents at Shell Point.
THE ARBOR
8100 Arbor Court (239) 454-2292
KING’S CROWN
3699 King’s Crown Court (239) 454-2175
THE SPRINGS
13901 Shell Point Plaza (239) 600-6400
Shell Point is a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc.
Lights, Camera, Action By McKenzie Millis, King’s Crown Assisted Living Director
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n October, King’s Crown formed a brand-new play reading group. This group now meets weekly to practice and rehearse before putting on a show for all residents and staff to enjoy, typically during the last week of the month. Last month, the King’s Crown Play Reading Group performed Friendsgiving in honor of the holiday. Sound effects, props, animated voices and laughter set the tone for a fabulous time! Residents are excited to continue this program monthly giving everyone a chance to be on the big stage.
Springs Bible Study Is Back By Amanda Pendergrast, Springs Activities Leader
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he popular Springs Bible Study recently resumed in November with a focus on studying the lives of Biblical characters, starting with King Saul. Dixie Oliver (Cellana), who will lead the class, encourages participants to bring their thoughts to the group and be willing to share an open dialogue. Your new leader looks forward to carrying on the rich tradition of a loving discourse and fellowship among Springs residents, started by previous study leaders and founders Dick and Beulah Johnston (The Springs). If you are interested in attending the Springs Bible Study, you will find the group gathering in the Springs Private Dining Room every Thursday at 3 p.m.
GLAD Kids Visit the Arbor By Shauni Helmlinger, Arbor Activities Leader
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hristmas is in full swing at The Arbor! Arbor residents recently enjoyed spending time with a group of children from the Gladiolus Learning Center. Both kids and residents were in the holiday spirit when they put on their Santa hats and sat down for a fun game of Christmas bingo. And of course, no
Introducing a Daily Resident Phone Line
Christmas celebration would be complete without hot chocolate! Festive music played as residents and children ate holiday candy and enjoyed a tasty treat from the hot chocolate bar. With smiles on their faces, everyone sang along to their favorite Christmas songs.
Oh, what a wonderful time of year!
A new, informational phone line now offers one more way for assisted living residents to find dining specials, birthdays, anniversaries or memorial notices. Call (239) 454-2119 from your landline or mobile phone. When you press 1 when prompted by the automated menu, you will find daily specials for the eCafé, Island Café, Blend, Palm Grill, Banyan Grille and Breezeway Café. When you choose option 2, a current listing of birthdays and anniversaries will play. Selecting option 3 will provide news of memorial notices and recent passings. Questions? Contact SPTV Manager Dave Nixon at (239) 489-8450.
DECEMBER
Birthdays THE ARBOR Merna Johannessen..............3 Carroll Swindell...................5 Blanche “Cissy” Smith.......10 Phyllis Gillett.....................12 Carolyn DeLisser................14 Mathilde Harper................14 James Whitehead...............28 Mary Trettenero.................29 KING’S CROWN David Ammerman.................3 Shirlene Grasgreen................4 Dr. Gordon Cathey..............13 Bob Huelsebusch..................13 Carol Nielsen.......................15 Emily Schofield....................15 Christine Hoffman...............16 Martha Hoke........................16 Paul Bergers..........................30 Margaret “Peggy” Lallo........30 THE SPRINGS Dena Morell...........................9 Harriet Taylor.......................21 Robert Middleton................25 Ellen Jane “EJ” Erb...............26
IN LOVING
Memory
OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS Bob Anderson (KC)...................Sept. 29 Guy McMillan (The Arbor).............Oct. 3 Darla Hall (The Springs)................Nov. 13
Immanuel
– God With Us
By Bonnie Palmquist, Assistant Chaplain “Merry Christmas!” “Bah, Humbug!” Which of these greetings do you most identify with during the Christmas season? Bob Cratchit or Ebenezer Scrooge? There is a lot going on during this season, and life can get overly busy. Sometimes just the memories of Christmases past can bring on sadness and depression. The world seems to spin out of control with more and more urgency to buy “stuff.” The bright lights, perky music and glitzy displays sometimes seem fake. Is Christmas really a time to be merry? My favorite Christmas word is “Immanuel.” God with us – is that for real? John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then in verse 14, we are told that “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” In Matthew 1, we are given the story of how an angel came to Joseph and told him to go ahead and marry Mary, who was already pregnant with a son from the Holy Spirit. Then Matthew goes on to quote from Isaiah: “All this is to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will
be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us.’” Jesus came to be God with us. How is God with us now, and what difference does it make this Christmas? When Jesus came to be “God with us,” the people of his day had the wrong expectations of what Immanuel would do for them. They expected military conquest. Sometimes we today have wrong expectations of what God should do for us, too. We think He should make our lives easier and give us what we pray for, but actually he came to be “Christ with you to form Christ in you.” A.W. Tozer said, “Most Christians are theological Christians. They’re trying to be happy without a sense of the Presence.” If it was important enough to God to be with us that He came as a human baby and grew as a man and chose to take our place of punishment on the cross, why do we try so hard to find happiness apart from Him? All the merriment of the Christmas season will be empty if that is where we are looking for happiness. God is our treasure, the source of our joy, and He is with us. Focus on being with Him this Christmas and rejoice in Immanuel – God with us!