Saturday, April 4th, 5-10 PM at Good Shepard Lutheran Church on Main Street, Dinner-5-7 PM

All events during this weekend take place at the Pleasant Ridge Old Main Building, 321 E Decker St, Viroqua (apart from the Sunday potluck). All events are free of charge (donations gratefully accepted).

Full Schedule in the full story link below...

Thank God our time is now, when wrong
Comes up to face us everywhere.
Never to leave us 'til we take
The longest stride of soul man ever took.
Affairs are now soul size.
The enterprise is exploration into God.        (Christopher Fry, A Sleep of Prisoners)

And a nice poster for the occasion:

image from this flickr page

You can download the guide here or if your browser is outfitted with appropriate plugins and gadgets you can browse the document on the website to see how your TP rates in scheme of things.

image from halcyon flickr page with a nice story attached.

You are invited to gather at Greenman Music Hall at Main Street Station/Market, Viroqua at 2 pm, Sunday January 18th for a program of sharing.  Bring a song, a story, a poem or a thought you have about the future of our country or local area to offer the group.  After all who wish to share have finished, we will have refreshments and social time.  

All are welcome and the participation of children is encouraged. Contact Joan Francis 735-4408 with questions or concerns.

Presenters are Michael Sersch - Quaker, Sanna Walters - Mennonite, June Kjome - Christian, Daoud Jandal - Muslim, Simcha Prombaum - Jewish, Tom Roberts - Buddhist. They will describe how the teachings of their religion give them personal support in bringing peace into their own lives and extending it out into the world. They will each offer a prayer for peace from their tradition. Following the presentations will be an introduction to compassionate or nonviolent communication. This way of communication helps us to see our common humanity and live more peacefully. All attending will be invited into the process of reflection and discussion.

Program runs Friday, 7:00-9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Investment is $20 for adults, $10 for those under 30, free for high school students. Fee includes Saturday lunch.

Please share this information with others that might be interested.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to register. Thank you for your continued work towards peace.

Barack Obama is calling for a national day of service to take place on Jan. 19, the federal holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and the day preceding Mr. Obama's inauguration as president.

This is considered more than a "single day and that's it" kind of volunteerism:

He will ask all of us to make an ongoing commitment to our communities. Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face.

This complements the "Change Is Coming" meetings that happened earlier this month around the region.  I attended the ones in Viroqua and LaFarge.  The energy and commitment levels seemed different, but it was a start of making change happen at the grassroots as well as in the new White House.  

If you are interested in the local efforts the contacts are George Wilbur in La Farge and lamont mcpheron in Viroqua.  Watch the website for more local meetings and actions.