The Link
The Weekly E-Newsletter of Disciples Christian Church
In This Issue
- Updated Prayer Requests
- Disciples Women’s Ministry
- Sanctuary Decorating
- Mike’s Kids Banana Boxes
- Give 2 the Troops
- Alternative Gift Market
- Meditations for Advent
- Salvation Army Angel Tree
- Important Reminder!
- Christmas Memorials &
Honorariums
- From The TechnoManor
- Music Notes
- Children’s Sunday School
Updated Prayer Requests
- Ron Cohen, Jan & Jerry Carter’s friend, was unable to have surgery as
planned. He’ll begin chemotherapy
and radiation in a few weeks.
- Karen Hiett, daughter of Mary Carroll, will have surgery in January.
- Rosalie Dunham, Linda Gulick’s mother, is at home after surgeries for
melanoma.
The prayer requests in The Link each week are recent
updates. A list of ongoing prayer requests appears in our worship bulletin each
Sunday.
What a
wonderful Thanksgiving Sunday we had this past week! The service was inspiring, the music was
awesome, and the sermon was excellent.
And so my prayer this week is that everyone’s week goes so well! I pray you all have a super-delicious and
totally satisfying Thanksgiving with family and friends.
And then…
after we have digested Thanksgiving, our thoughts and efforts will turn to
Advent. This Sunday is the Hanging of
the Greens service and we truly hope everyone can be here. It is one of the most inspiring of times. Some of the decorations will be up ahead of
time, some we will do during the service and then we will finish decorating
after the service. Everyone will have a
chance to participate and isn’t that what Advent and Christmas are all
about? Jesus came for all. We all need to prepare for his coming.
None of
these things could happen without the efforts of so many of you! You are a wonderful, cooperative,
enthusiastic, giving congregation. And
we thank you so much for the joy that we find in this church! We appreciate all your hard work and your
loving, giving spirit. Thank you, thank
you, thank you! God bless you one and
all!
See you
Sunday!
Diane
Disciples Women’s Ministry
The next meeting of the Disciples Women’s Ministry will be
Tuesday, December 2, at 6:30.
This will be a "Salad Potluck Dinner" to
celebrate Christmas. Please bring a wrapped
stuffed animal and a salad or
dessert. Barbara Ramsey will
bring our lesson.
(Note the time change to 6:30 for our dinner)
Sanctuary Decorating
We will be
completing the decorating of the sanctuary, putting all the wreaths on the pews,
etc., following the worship service on Sunday, November 30.
Light
refreshments will be furnished. Please
help out if you are able!
Lois
Teed-Gillen
Mike’s Kids Banana Boxes
As Christmas approaches, the North Texas
Area Disciples of Christ Christian Churches begin filling banana boxes with new and gently used clothes and toys to be delivered to Southwest Good Samaritan
Ministry in Los Fresnos. The banana boxes are located in the bulletin board area leading into Fellowship
Hall. Deadline for donations is December 7. Further information about Mike’s Kids can be
found at www.mikeskids.org.
Important Reminder!
Now that the weather is
getting cooler and there is a need to turn on heaters, please be sure to either
turn off or turn down the heater in the room or area you’re using when you
leave the DCC facility. Thanks!
Give 2
the Troops
The Disciples Women’s Ministry is collecting items to send
to our troops through an organization called “Give 2 the Troops”. We have placed a basket in the coffee area
for you to place your items in. There is
also a list of things they request as well as items that they ask us not to
send. The list is also on their web site
give2thetroops.com. Let’s all give to these wonderful defenders
of freedom.
Alternative Gift Market
On Sunday, November 23, we had our first "Alternative
Gift Market" sponsored by the Disciples Women’s Ministry. We had 11 charities represented and all
raised some money. We raised a total of $1,214.41. We thank all those who helped make
this market a success and a thank you to all who gave to those in need.
Meditations for Advent
There are “Daily Meditations for Advent” booklets available
on the Welcome Table in the Atrium as well as on the credenza in the Narthex
for those interested.
Salvation Army Angel Tree
One of our annual
Christmas outreach events, “Angel Tree,”
is ready for business! You can take an
angel(s) off the Angel “table” located in the Atrium, shop for the child, and
return the gifts by December 4. We have
a total of 40 angels to choose from this year.
Bobby Overstreet is in charge of this.
Please call him with any questions at 214-728-4228.
Christmas Memorials & Honorariums
All poinsettia memorials and
honorariums will be donated this year to Adam’s Animals. Donation envelopes will be in the worship
bulletins the next few Sundays. Please
put envelopes in the offering plate or take to the DCC office by Sunday,
December 14. There will be a list of all
memorials in the December 24 worship bulletin.
From
The TechnoManor
So, what
are you going to do with all those photos you’ll be taking over the
Thanksgiving holiday? Are they going to
sit in your camera, or stuffed into your computer?
How about
posting them to the Web to share with your family and friends?
I’ve been
experimenting with two free services that allow you to do just that. One is from Microsoft and the other from
Google.
In fact,
I’m using the Google service for the church’s photos.
Interested? Read on.
Both
Google and Microsoft have a designated Web site for photo albums. Because they are so similar, I’ve listed all
the specifics in a table (below). Each
service is free, but requires you to register for a free account. Then you log in to the photo Web site, create
albums, and upload photos from your computer.
You can upload the photos using a Web browser (i.e., Internet Explorer,
Firefox, or Safari) or with companion software.
Both
Google and Microsoft provide this companion photo software for free. The software allows you to manage your photos
locally on your computer. Later, you can
upload those photos into an album on the respective Web site.
|
|
Google |
Microsoft |
|
They call their
service |
Picasa Web Albums |
Windows Live Spaces |
|
Where do I start? |
http://www.google.com |
http://home.live.com |
|
What does service
cost? |
It’s free (although you can buy more storage). |
It’s free. |
|
How do I get an
account? |
·
Click Sign In in the upper
right. ·
Click Create an account now
link ·
Follow the prompts. |
·
Click Sign In in the upper
right. ·
Click Sign up to create a
Windows Live ID. ·
Follow the prompts. |
|
How many photos can
I store? |
1 Gigabyte of free space |
Not sure. I think
you get 5 Gigabyte of free space. |
|
Can I control who
sees stuff? |
Yes. Choices are
Public (everybody on the Internet) or Unlisted (where you choose viewers) |
Yes. Choices: Just you, people you choose, or anyone on
the Internet. |
|
|
|
|
|
Companion Software |
Picasa |
Windows Live Photo Gallery |
|
What does it cost? |
Free |
Free |
|
What computers can
use the companion software? |
Windows, MacOS, and Linux |
Windows |
|
How do I get it? |
·
Visit ·
Click ·
Follow the prompts |
·
Visit http://home.live.com ·
Click Windows Live in
upper left. ·
Select Windows Live services,
then All services ·
Scroll down and Click Photo
Gallery ·
Click Get it free ·
Follow the prompts. |
Why do
you want to do this?
·
The
companion software is a good way to manage and tidy up your photos.
·
You
can share photos with family and friends.
·
This
is a good way to back up your photos. If
your computer’s hard drive crashes, you still have a copy on the Web.
Any
drawbacks?
·
If
it’s on the Web, and anybody can see it, anybody will see it. Be mindful of what you share.
·
If
it’s something you are very proud of, try to add a watermark to the picture to
assert your ownership. Expect the photo
to be copied.
·
Web-based
services come and go, even from Google and Microsoft. While photo-sharing is popular now, no one
knows if this will last forever. So, do
not consider the Web albums the sole source of our photos! Keep the originals on your computer.
·
Google
and Microsoft are in the information business.
Expect that your photos will be used as input to that vast “database in
the sky.”
·
You
will see ads when using the Web photo services.
Windows Live Spaces are more obtrusive than Picasa Web Albums. They’ve gotta make money somehow.
Some
cool things you can do with the companion software
·
Locate
people within a photo and tag them with their name. The software then catalogs the name and
photo. You can then view all the photos
for a person. One quirk: Windows Live Photo Gallery is somewhat
liberal about what it considers a face.
It told me that a hubcap was a face, needing a name. I declined its suggestion.
·
You
can add tags to any photo to help you remember.
·
Picasa
allows you to add watermarks to photos you post to Picasa Web Albums.
·
Both
programs allow you to go in and touch up individual photos. Picasa has more features for fiddling with
the photo than does Windows Live Photo Gallery.
Personal
Opinions
·
I
wish the web album service and companion software developers of both companies
would get together and talk. I
find the Windows Live Photo Gallery software to be easier to use than Picasa,
but Picasa Web Albums to be easier to use than Windows Live Spaces. Go figure.
·
Windows
Live Photo Gallery is the simpler of the two companion programs. Picasa has lots of bells and whistles.
·
Learning
Curve Warning: No matter which photo
service or companion software you choose, set aside an hour or so to play. And I do mean play. There is no real documentation to tell you
how to use these things. However, the
links and menus have reasonable names.
When you slowly pass your cursor over things, it will usually give you
helpful tips. Think of these things as
free Christmas gifts that are begging for your attention.
·
Hold
your nose and read the licensing agreements (the EULAs). They reveal what Google and Microsoft are
allowed to do.
·
This
is all unfinished work (sometimes called beta
software). There are times when the
services will be unavailable, a feature stops working, or something quirky
happens. It can be frustrating. However, it’s also the nature of the new wave
of free stuff.
If you
want to see my albums:
I’ve
prepared albums on each of the Web services.
If you like dog pictures, check ‘em out.
Windows Live Spaces:
I’m woodywifi@hotmail.com. The albums are at:
http://cid-2098a68943d5d908.spaces.live.com
(Select, cut, and paste this. Don’t try to type it! Thank You, Microsoft.)
Picasa Web Albums:
I’m frenchygrey@gmail.com. The albums are at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/frenchygrey
(Select, cut, and paste this, too.)
If you
think of a technical question while you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving Holiday,
drop me at:
I’ll (urp)
answer it in The Link after I finish
that drumstick.
Dave
Gillen
Music
Notes
by Laura Young
The
Chancel Choir will not meet Nov. 26th, the
night before Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful break!
In order
to prepare for our cantata, and for Christmas Eve, we will have additional
rehearsal time during early December, including:
-Sunday
mornings 8:30-9:30 a.m.
-Saturday,
December 13th, from 12:30-2:30 Full rehearsal, including narrators
-Wednesday
evenings 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Please
mark your calendars for Sunday, December 14th. The choir will present a
cantata, "One Small Child," arranged by Benjamin Harlan, and
including some special narrators.
The
Handbell Choir will continue to meet from 7:30 -8:30 on Wednesdays and will
ring on Sunday, December 21st.
For more
information on the DCC music programs, or to have upcoming concerts included in
the Link, please contact
Laura Young, DCC Music Director. Thank you!
Upcoming
concerts:
|
Cast of Bronze Handbell Choir CHRISTMAS
CONCERTS: Saturday, December 13 Free Concert at 2:00 p.m. in
Library Auditorium 801 972-721-2748 Saturday, December 13 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH Concert: 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary 214-526-7291 |
Children’s Sunday School
ALL PARENTS,
GRANDPARENTS, AND KIDS!! A SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS FOR
PRE-K
THROUGH 5TH GRADERS MEET, AT 9:30 A.M. SUNDAY MORNINGS
ALL KIDS WELCOME
BIBLE
STORIES, ACTIVITIES, FUN, MAKING NEW FRIENDS
=
LOTS OF LEARNING AND GROWING!
For more information contact pharbaugh@verizon.net.
The
In order to follow Jesus and worship God, we will serve our neighbors. We will
minister to our fellow Christians. We will live and tell the good news of Jesus
Christ in all we do.
Disciples Christian Church Staff
Diane & Galen Clark, Co-Transitional Pastors
Laura Young, Music Director
Linda Gulick, Preschool Director
Julie Chen, Pianist
Jan Carter, Administrative Assistant
Dave Gillen, Webmaster frenchygrey@gmail.com
Miranda Prince, Nursery Attendant
email: theoffice@dccplano.com
phone: 972-398-2240