Methodist Missions Kosovo

Memorial Day Observances In Palo Alto County

Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day, dedicated to honoring Union soldiers who died during the Civil War. The day now honors all men and women who died while in military service. The name Memorial Day was first used in 1882 and the day became a federal holiday in 1971.

EMMETSBURG Memorial Day services will be Monday, May 30, coordinated by members of V.F.W. Post #2295. Organizations will gather at the First United Methodist Church on North Broadway at 9 a.m.

The Memorial Day Parade will begin at 9:15 a.m. Phil Stillman, Officer of the Day, will lead the Colors and Color Guard, Firing Squad and Emmetsburg High School Band to the shore of Five Island Lake. At the lake, deceased sailors will be remembered. Members of V.F.W. Auxiliary will conduct a service at the Memorial Monument in honor of veterans who gave their lives in World War I. The band will play Anchors Away and America the Beautiful.

The Memorial Day service will continue at Evergreen Cemetery at the monument erected in memory of veterans of all wars sleeping in unknown graves. Officer of the Day Phil Stillman and V.F.W. Post Commander Ronald Hersom will lead the ceremony.

The Rev. Nicholas Thackery, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, will offer a prayer. Todd Suhr will read John A. Logan's order of the day for the first Memorial Day in 1868. Josh Kibbie will recite Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Memorial tributes will be placed at crosses representing fallen heroes of the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, the war in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Veterans will also be remembered who gave their lives in Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo. A floral wreath will also be placed at the monument of Veterans of All Wars who are resting in Graves Unknown. Taps will be played.

Memorial Day speakers include Pastor Thackery; Ted Ellis, retired Air Force Colonel and Ombudsman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; and Capt. Victor Shenton of the 1st Batallion 194th Field Artillery with the Iowa Army National Guard.

The program will conclude with the band playing the National Anthem.

V.F.W. and Auxiliary members will host a reception at the Post Home. The public is invited.

In case of inclement weather, ceremonies will be held at V.F.W. Post #2295 at 9:30 a.m.

AYRSHIRE Memorial Day services are at 10:30 a.m. at Silver Lake Cemetery. The Memorial Day speech will be delivered by Harry Stowell.

Methodist Ecumenical News: Churches Refugee Network Annual Conference

Spring is here, and so is the Churches Refugee Network with its Annual Conference. The theme is Refugee Protection: Policies by number or a creative welcome? and it is on Saturday 4 June from 11 am to 5 pm. CRN is a network of churches throughout Britain involved with or concerned about the treatment of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. The Conference offers an opportunity to share work and to acquaint newcomers with the realities of asylum seekers' and refugees' lives in Britain. We have changed venue, and you will now find us at the West End church of St. James Piccadilly, just off Piccadilly Circus, nicely central for all mainline stations. This year, Human Rights, its historical roots in theology and philosophy, and its current politics and practices will be the focus of our attentions. Our leading speakers have both ample theoretical and practical experience of the practice of Human Rights in refugee work. There will be workshops on current asylum practices to share your experiences and questions, and meet new faces working in the field. And you can enjoy photo exhibitions by two refugee collectives plus a dance display by the Kosovo Dance Group Sphreza. As ever at CRN conferences, there will be a fine lunch, prepared and served by volunteers from Migrant Voice, the refugee newspaper. With a lively programme of speakers and events, we hope we'll see you there.

T&T Clark Companion to Methodism

An introduction to world Methodism

Religion in communist lands

The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo

The Middle East, Abstracts and index