Safety Seminar

Please join us for a Safety Seminar sponsored by the Arnett Block Association and put on by the Rochester Police Department. Find out what you can do to be safe on the street.

When: Tuesday, November 18th
Time: 6:15 to 6:45 pm
Where: Arnett Branch Library

Change Has Come

Yesterday America's voters went to the polls and chose leaders for our future. Many of us have been praying earnestly for God's hand to be upon our land through our democratic process. Today the results are in, and we would like to congratulate all who have won election to office and wish them well in their endeavors. We are particularly holding up our new President-elect, Barack Obama, and his running mate and transition team as they prepare to pick up the reigns of our country in these unusually challenging times. While we may disagree with the stands they have taken on some issues, especially the critical ones of abortion and homosexuality, we pledge our full prayer support for them as they seek to bring healing and restore stability, both at home and abroad.

Click on the picture above to view Senator Obama's encouraging acceptance speech, and click here for a link to the website of his transition team.

God bless you!

Pastoral Care, Mental Health

Bishop Orville Beckford and Bishop Herman Dailey discuss the benefits of training to recognize mental health problems.

His Branches has been hosting a monthly meeting of community pastors and mental health professionals from the University of Rochester Medical Center for the past four years. Recently City Newspaper ran an article about the program:

In the city's underserved African-American and Hispanic communities, ministers often encounter people suffering from serious mental health problems. And frequently, it's before anyone else, including family members and physicians, says Silvia Sorensen, a researcher in the University of Rochester's Department of Psychiatry.

"Ministers are faced with people who have mental health issues on a regular basis because of the work they do," says Sorensen. "And they don't necessarily have the training or background to recognize what's going on, or the information needed to refer people."

As part of the Department of Psychiatry's Aging Well Initiative, Sorensen developed a seminar in conjunction with the city's African-American faith community to help provide ministers, pastors, and lay counselors with the counseling tools they need.

Click here to read the entire article by Tim Louis Macaluso.

Holiday Open House

Kingdom Ventures is hosting a Holiday Open House from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Friday November 7th and Saturday 8th at Risego's historic “Arnett” building located beside us at 336 Arnett Blvd.

The event is designed to provide you with an opportunity to find unique gifts as part of your holiday shopping. You can also see art demonstrations, grab a coffee or cider, and enjoy lunch or dinner at The French Quarter Café!

Click here for an Open House flyer and product listing or here for more about Kingdom Ventures, a map to the event, additional product information, and stories about their unique mission.

Please join us and support a business that is not only changing lives on Arnett Blvd. but around the globe as well.

Focus on the Epicenter

Here are two thought-provoking articles for your reflection as we enter times of national political change and global unrest:

1. Dr. James Dobson's current newsletter from Focus Action.
2. The Introduction and Chapter 1 of Joel Rosenberg's recent book, Epicenter.

Both are dense but well worth the read.

Abortion 2008

MSNBC and Newsweek have both run very interesting articles on the relationship between the abortion issue and the candidates in this year's upcoming presidential election. Click on the following links to read each article:

MSNBC - How McCain, Obama will change abortion policy
Newsweek - ProLife Catholics For Obama

Faith and Elections

His Branches does not endorse specific candidates in the electoral process or exercise strong political advocacy, preferring rather to demonstrate Christ's love through community-building and relationship-restoring acts of kindness and service. Along with the Pew Foundation and many others, however, we do believe that people of faith should exercise wisdom and discernment at the polls. In this regard, the online Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is a well-researched resource for the upcoming elections. Please click on their logo, above, and visit their site periodically in the weeks to come as you prepare to enter the voting booth.

IFA Candidate Comparison

Intercessors for America has also prepared a thorough one-page comparison of the stands of both major candidates for President, which is available here as a PDF file for review and duplication.