The Riotous Readers meet monthly discussing books that stretch your soul as well as your mind. Last month we discussed Losing Moses on the Freeway: The Ten Commandments in America by Chris Hedges, an examination of how we as Americans live or do not live the Ten Commandments in a way you would not imagine. Chris Hedges is an Associate at The Nation, a biweekly magazine of thought and comment. As usual, our discussion was lively and provocative.

This month, we are discussing One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus. Based on the historical event of the U.S. government sponsoring mail order brides with Cheyenne braves in an attempt to “civilize” them, this novel examines how May Dodd was able to escape a mental institution to which she had been confined for her marriage to a man “beneath her station” and marries Little Wolf, a chief in the Cheyenne nation. We will meet on Wednesday, November 10 at 7:30 PM in Fellowship Hall at the Church. For more information about how to join us, call the Church office at (732) 671-1905.

The Fabulous Friday Morning Walkers meet at Holmdel Park each Friday at 9:00 AM. We use this time to challenge our bodies as well as our souls as we walk together on kid friendly trails. For more information, call the Church office.

Join us Sunday, November 7 at 1 PM for our Adult Religious Education Series, “The Trappings of Theology.” Ever wonder how our theology developed? We will discuss the development of orthodoxy in the second and third centuries.

The AAUW Book Store is open Saturdays from 9 AM to 2 PM. Not only are you able to buy gently used books for a great price but your purchase at the Book Store provides financial assistance to college students from Monmouth County.

The Middletown Community Thanksgiving Service, November 23 at 7:30 PM will express gratitude to God for the bounty we have in our Nation. Join us for this ecumenical service. We request that you bring an item of non-perishable food for the community food basket to be shared with the needy.


MISSION IS TO THE CHURCH AS A FIRE IS TO BURNING
As a people of faith, we are called to care for others. This is our passion. Share your passion to care for others by joining us in Mobile Meals, meals to the elderly at Middletown’s Senior Citizen Housing. We deliver meals and company on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Call the church office at (732) 671-1905 to learn more.

The Calico Cat Thrift Shop is a thrift store operated by the Community Outreach Group that sells gently used items to persons who cannot afford even discount prices. The COG also has a food pantry and an emergency assistance program. If you have a few hours during the week, the Calico Cat could use your help. Call (732) 671-0550 if you would like to help in this important ministry.

The New Jersey Anti-Poverty Conference is scheduled for December 7 at the War Memorial in Trenton. Learn how you can help change public policy on this important issue. Call the Church office at (732) 671-1905 or go to the New Jersey Anti-Poverty Network website at www.antipovertynetwork.org for more information.


ACT TO EXTEND THE TABLE
Recently, the Senate unanimously passed the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, a bill that would do just about everything to improve the school lunch program – except fund it. This is no small exception, considering that a tiny percentage of schools are currently able to follow the USDA’s nutrition regulations. How will they be able to comply with improved regulations with only six additional cents per lunch? And, although it passed in the Senate, the bill may still die on the House floor because some in Congress think even six cents is too much.

Both the House and Senate bills provide for direct certification, or automatically enrolling kids for free or reduced cost lunches if they are also enrolled in other federal programs (like food stamps) that have the same enrollment requirements. This reduces the paperwork burdens for schools, allowing them to spend more on food and less on bureaucracy. It also helps enroll more children who qualify into the lunch program. Also terrific is the recognition by the government that in high poverty areas, it might be cheaper for a school to provide free lunch to all of the students instead of processing the paperwork for those who are eligible. In such cases, schools are given the option to extend free lunch to all students, expanding the number of hungry kids who receive meals while alleviating the stigma that might come with accepting a free lunch.

How can we extend the table to poor children, many of whom rely on the free school lunch as their main meal of the day? There are two U.S. representatives serving Middletown and the surrounding area: Rep. Rush Holt and Rep. Frank Pallone. You can find out which one is yours by going to www.house.gov/writerep and clicking in your zip code and the four digit number that follows the five digit zip code.

This is an election year. Get their ear!