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THE SPIRITUAL SCOOP

Monthly Newsletter of the American Fellowship Church
Fall 2011 Issue #8

C h a n g in g T im e s
There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.
from a favorite author Louis LAmour

Reverend Theodore H. Swenson, Founder American Fellowship Church, since 1975

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon Youll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin Then you better start swimmin or youll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin

Of Storms and Shifting Sands

The change of seasons, the periods of history, the ages of civilization -- how natural are the cycles of life. We study them in school, experience them, tell stories of how it was back in the day. The more things change, the more they stay the same, we say -- familiar, predictable, comforting in a way. We know what to expect. Thats just the way it is, isnt it? Really? What about the disastrous East Japan earthquake and tsunami, the rash of earthquakes from Turkey to Texas, birds and fish dying off in mass numbers; drought decimating populations in Africa while Brazil, Australia, and parts of the US suffer floods, forest fires and blizzards. Melting glaciers and pack ice, the rising level and temperature of our oceans. What of the Arab Spring, collapsing repressive regimes, economic crises, the list goes on. This is not familiar, not comforting, and we no longer know what to expect. What to do now? Help! Help! Do whatever we can, however we can, wherever help is needed: food banks and food distribution; Goodwill initiatives; services for homeless; emergency and crisis services; conservation initiatives; spiritual support and guidance; local, national and international relief and humanitarian aid. So many places to serve!

Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Dont stand in the doorway Dont block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled Theres a battle outside and it is ragin Itll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin
Bob Dylan 1963

Our world is changing! Help change our world for the better!

Let us hear from you! Comments are always welcome. Newsletter contributions are subject to editorial review. Email us at: TheScooop@amfellow.org

Web site: http://www.amfellow.org/home.php?ss8

Email: TheScoop@amfellow.org

The truth, the TRUTH, THE TRUTH

From the AFC Wellbeing Course

Looking at the Truth

Is this true? Are human beings just the way they are, with certain proclivities so built in that there is nothing they can do about their more violent, competitive, or survival-oriented nature? That is something we are now about to decide. As a group, I mean. As a collective called Humanity. We are about to decide, and to announce our decision, through our thoughts, words, and actions. It is these choices which will be our declarations; it is these demonstrations which will be our manifesto. One thing is becoming clear; we can no longer move forward, advancing our own evolutionary process as a species, demonstrating the behaviors of the last several centuries, and all te previous millennia. Something has got to change.
A World in Turmoil and What It All Means by Neale Donald Walsch 2010.

[T]he truth is not always as clear as we think it is or would like it to be. We can be quite casual about the truth. We might say, under oath, that we saw someone do something but later on we find out the person we saw was elsewhere and could not have been as we had thought. The whole truth contains ALL that is important and leaves out nothing which could make things appear differently. Nothing but the truth does NOT contain anything along with the truth which could be false or misleading. Finding out what you really want involves truth, beauty, love and justice or should we say TRUTH, BEAUTY, LOVE and JUSTICE. If you do what you REALLY WANT, you will be in harmony with the universe, you will have found YOUR BALANCE and you will be in harmony with the universe.
For information about our Ministers Training, Well-Being, Bible Study, and Counseling, courses, click here!

Marriage Law in the State of Ohio

An ordained minister of any religious society or congregation within the State of Ohio who is licensed to perform marriages may join together as husband and wife any persons not prohibited by law. The Marriage Statutes of the State of Ohio define marriage to be between one man and one woman. NOTE: In Ohio you must register with the Secretary of State before you can legally perform a wedding! The minister must be licensed by the state, which requires presenting his or her AFC licensing credentials, which then entitles the minister to receive a license authorizing the solemnization of marriages in Ohio, but only so long as s/he continues as a regular minister in the Church.*

Our Thanks
to YOU, our Spiritual Scoop readers. We welcome you to the American Fellowship Church, your on-line neighborhood church, always as close as your computer keyboard and your iGadget. The American Fellowship Church is here to support your ministry, ethically and practically. For certificates and other documentation, for training courses and professional development, we are your primary source and resource.

*To remain in good standing with the American Fellowship

Church you must hold an unexpired minister license ID card and be in "regular communion" with the Church. That means you must contact us at least once a year. If any of your contact information should change (your name, physical address, or email), you must notify us within two weeks of the change.

The Spiritual Scoop is published monthly/seasonally for the ordained ministers of the American Fellowship Church by the Church Board of Directors. Please address all correspondence to TheScoop@amfellow.org

Let us hear from you! Comments are always welcome. Newsletter contributions are subject to editorial review. Email us at: TheScooop@amfellow.org