Ministry Needs

The PAT (Providing A Treasure) and Prayer Shawl Ministry groups need people willing to use their gifts of sewing, knitting, and crocheting to keep up with the need in our community. PAT ministry provides hand sewn baby gowns, bonnets, and blankets along with knitted or crocheted blankets and booties to families who have suffered the loss of their newborn baby. 

The Prayer Shawl Ministry makes knitted and crocheted shawls available to anyone in our community who need to know they are "covered by prayer". These shawls are kept in the narthex of the church and are available for you to take to neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family.

Both of these ministries are very tangible ways our church reaches out to our community. Materials are provided and help is available if you have an interest in learning how to knit or crochet. Currently, we meet as part of the programs for SOW. For further information, contact Penny Harpootlian at 704-968-1096.

The Recline And Fall Of Western Civilization

Issustration By Alex Eben Meyer

Resource:  Slate

By Dan Kois

The woman sitting in front of me on this plane seems perfectly nice. She, like me, is traveling coach class from Washington to Los Angeles. She had a nice chat before takeoff with the man sitting next to her, in which she revealed she is an elementary school teacher, an extremely honorable profession. She, like me, has an aisle seat and has spent most of the flight watching TV. Nevertheless, I hate her.

Why? She’s a recliner.

For the five minutes after takeoff, every passenger on an airliner exists in a state of nature. Everyone is equally as uncomfortable as everyone else—well, at least everyone who doesn’t have the advantage of first class seating or the disadvantage of being over 6 feet tall. The passengers are blank slates, subjects of an experiment in morality which begins the moment the seat-belt light turns off.

Ding! Instantly the jerk in 11C reclines his seat all the way back. The guy in 12C, his book shoved into his face, reclines as well. 13C goes next. And soon the reclining has cascaded like rows of dominos to the back of the plane, where the poor bastards in the last row see their personal space reduced to about a cubic foot.

Or else there are those, like me, who refuse to be so rude as to inconvenience the passengers behind us. Here I sit, fuming, all the way from IAD to LAX, the deceptively nice-seeming schoolteacher’s seat back so close to my chin that to watch TV I must nearly cross my eyes. To type on this laptop while still fully opening the screen requires me to jam the laptop’s edge into my stomach.

Obviously, everyone on the plane would be better off if no one reclined; the minor gain in comfort when you tilt your seat back 5 degrees is certainly offset by the discomfort when the person in front of you does the same. But of course someone always will recline her seat, like the people in the first row, or the woman in front of me, whom I hate. (At least we’re not in the middle seat. People who recline middle seats are history’s greatest monsters.)

What options do we, the reclined-upon, have? We can purchase the Knee Defender, a product which snaps onto the tray table and prevents the passenger seated in front of us from reclining their seat. But that seems fraught with potential awkward complications. What if the person ahead of you protests? What if the flight attendant gets angry? (The website for Knee Defenders even acknowledges these difficulties with a whole page titled “Etiquette on Airplanes”—and offers printable “courtesy cards” to hand to the person in front of you.)

Lacking a Knee Defender, you can politely ask the person in front of you not to recline. But then the person in front of you is filled with resentment, because he feels you have forced him to give up his comfort in favor of yours. (Plus, the person in front of him may have reclined her seat.)

Read more...

Lesotho Opens New Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory

Dr. Paul Farmer and Lesotho Prime Minister Dr. Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, right, celebrate the opening of Lesotho’s new National TB Reference Laboratory.

Resource:  Partners In Health

The burden of tuberculosis in Lesotho, a small landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, is among the highest in the world.

Today Partners In Health Co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer and Executive Director Ophelia Dahl celebrated the opening of Lesotho’s National TB Reference Lab, the first biosafety level 3 lab in the country and one of only two such state-of-the art tuberculosis testing facilities in southern Africa.

The burden of tuberculosis in Lesotho, a small landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, is among the highest in the world. There are 633 new cases of TB per 100,000 people each year. Located in the capital city Maseru, the lab will allow cases of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) to be identified without having to send samples outside of the country. Until now, identifying XDR-TB required samples to be shipped to labs in South Africa, a cumbersome and costly process that hindered care.

“This facility will help us diagnose tuberculosis sooner, thereby reducing transmission and decreasing mortality,” said Dr. Hind Satti, Lesotho country director for PIH. “The lab also provides the capacity to run a national drug resistance survey for the first time and conduct ongoing surveillance for TB throughout the whole country.”

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Perú Objects To Warning

Resource: New York Times

By: The Associated Press

A United States Embassy warning to American tourists about a potential kidnapping threat in the Cuzco region of Peru, which includes the Incan citadel Machu Picchu, drew vehement objections from Peruvian officials on Friday.

But a United States Embassy official said credible evidence existed of a threat from a Peruvian terrorist group.

The official confirmed a report in La República, a Peruvian newspaper, that said that leaders of the Shining Path guerrilla group had discussed kidnapping foreigners, particularly Americans, in intercepted communications. Tens of thousands of Americans visit Peru each year.

The official agreed to discuss the report only if not quoted by name because of the political delicacy of the warning.

La República said its sources about the interceptions included members of Peru’s military high command, but the country’s military chief, Adm. José Cueto, said that he had no such information.

“Perhaps it is information that they alone have and have not shared,” Admiral Cueto said of the United States government.

The embassy warning that mentioned Peru’s biggest tourist draw was posted on the embassy’s Facebook page on Thursday. Dated Feb. 13, it was also posted on the embassy’s Web site.

Read more...

Threat For Machu Picchu Travelers

Resource:  Miami Herald
By Frank Bajak
Associated Press

A U.S. Embassy warning to U.S. tourists of a potential kidnapping threat in the Cuzco region, including the famed Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, drew vehement objections from Peruvian officials Friday.

But a U.S. Embassy official said credible evidence exists of a threat from a Peruvian terrorist group.

The official confirmed a report in the Peruvian newspaper La Republica that said leaders of the cocaine-financed Shining Path outlaw band discussed kidnapping foreigners, principally Americans, in intercepted communications. Tens of thousands of Americans visit Peru each year.

The official agreed to discuss the report only if not quoted by name due to the political sensitivity of the warning.

La Republica cited sources about the interceptions including members of Peru's military high command, but the country's military chief, Adm. Jose Cueto, told The Associated Press that he had no such information.

"Perhaps it is information that they alone have and have not shared," Cueto said of the U.S. government.

The embassy warning that mentioned Peru's biggest tourist draw was posted on the U.S. Embassy's Facebook page Thursday. Dated Feb. 13, it was also posted on the embassy's website.

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A Few Weeks In Perú

a few weeks in Peru. from Cole Graham on Vimeo.

National Cervical Cancer Program Launched In Lesotho

The Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Pinkie Manamolela

Resource:  World Health Organization / Africa

The Kingdom of Lesotho launched its National Cervical Cancer Screening Program on the 30th January 2013 at Sankatana Centre of Excellence in Maseru, with the assistance of the American People, through funding from the United States for International Development (USAID), and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and EGPAF. The inauguration also celebrated a very important day which is celebrated every year on the 04th February, World Cancer Day, under the theme of “Know the fact about Cancer”. The event was launched by the Honorable Minister of Health, Dr Pinkie Rosemary Manamolela.

In her statement, Dr. Manamolela, indicated that Lesotho now faces a huge burden of non- communicable diseases, of which cervical cancer forms a significant part. It is estimated that cervical cancer is responsible for 4% of the mortality rate amongst women in the country. There are approximately 35 new cases per 100 000 of females being diagnosed with cervical cancer in Lesotho per year.

The screening program at Sankatana Centre will have huge benefits for Lesotho. “The centre will help Lesotho to save about 9000 US$ the Government uses to treat each cancer patient in South Africa and will also help to establish sustainable prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer through the implementation of evidence based strategies for early detection and treatment” said Dr. Pinkie Manamolela.

She urged all to put heads and hands together to tackle the challenges head-on and indicated that the Ministry of Health will continue to emphasize information dissemination to the community and mobilize support from development partners to ensure that everybody is reached with one message.

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2013 Perú Mission - Update 2/4

Lircay, Perú

The trip is scheduled to take place from Friday, July 12 through Monday, July 22.  We will again partner with the Presbytery of Huanta and Cristo Rey Church located in Huanta. The trip promises to again be one of service and witness to Jesus Christ. For the experience, past trip participants have found themselves closer to God, each other and their Peruvian brothers and sisters.

The trip will be lead by Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson, the PC(USA) delegations and partnerships coordinators in Perú. The Presbytery has proposed that part of our delegation travel to Huanta to help paint four (4) churches in the Presbytery and another part of our delegation travel to Lircay to help assemble, sand and paint one hundred (100) benches to be used as pews in churches of the Synod of Huancavelica.

There are many details and logistics to be discussed and finalized with Sara, Rusty and the Presbytery.  Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

2013 Perú Mission Announcement

The 2013 Sharon Presbyterian Church Adult Mission Trip to Huanta, Peru promises to again be one of witness and service to Jesus Christ. Do you feel God’s call to participate in this year’s trip?

The final informational meeting will be held at Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5201 Sharon Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28210 on Sunday, February 17, 2013, at 11:45 am in the Heritage Room of the Sanctuary Building.

The 2013 trip is open to adults and a limited number of youth participants. Youth participants must be at least a rising high school junior in 2013 and accompanied on the trip by a parent or legal guardian.

The trip is scheduled to take place from Friday, July 12th through Monday, July 22nd.  Trip information/application forms will be distributed at each meeting. Forms will also be available in the Peru Mission Trip mailbox (located on the top row of mailboxes in the hallway outside the church office) beginning Sunday, February 3, 2013, or by contacting Randy Ross at 704-552-5573 or mrandallross@aol.com.

Trip Information & Application

Deposits and passport copies are due Sunday, March 3, 2013.  Please contact Randy if you are unable to attend the next meeting but are still interested in participating or learning more about the trip.

Lima Above!

Summer Missions Receive As Well As Give

Sharon Presbyterian Church sends members of our High School youth group on a mission trip every year. Last year our Sharon Presbyterian Youth (SPY) joined more than 300 youths and adults on a trip to Hamilton, Ohio, as part of a Group work camp helping low income residents make repairs on their homes. The 2012 mission trip brought youth and adult volunteers together for a week-long Christian workcamp where our youth served people in need with challenging home repair projects. For six days they joined other youth groups as they repaired sagging porches, rebuilt unsafe steps and wheelchair ramps, and painted homes. One of the wheelchair ramps installed in Hamilton last year enabled one man to leave his home for the first time in two years. A disabled local cancer survivor told the Hamilton News reporting on the event that he was overwhelmed with the group of youth and adults who repaired and painted his home as part of the volunteer initiative that helped revitalize homes in Hamilton, Ohio.

“What’s especially remarkable about these camps is that the experience isn't directed just at the folks receiving the volunteer work,” Terry Dawson remarked about her daughter Christine’s involvement. “The camps also minister to the kids who volunteer so that they encounter a real faith experience. That’s very important to me as a Christian parent.” Our SPY kids help transform a house and God will transform their faith.

The 2013 trip will be to Sturgis, South Dakota, from July 7-14. It is funded through church budget, SPY parents, and a BBQ and silent auction. On Palm Sunday, March 24, the youth will host the 2013 annual BBQ and Silent Auction in the gym following the 10:30 worship service. Your participation is needed, whether it is your donations for the attic sale or your purchases!

For more information contact:

• Lisa Mason, masonlisa9370@gmail.com, 704-552-7280
• Terry Dawson, terrypdawson@bellsouth.net, 704-365-6310