FRONT PORCH NEWS MARCH 2019

Green Hills residents are warmly invited to "Boots, Buckets, and Barrows," a night of theater and fund-raising for Mennonite Disaster Service, Saturday, March 30, at 7 p.m., at South Union Mennonite Church, West Liberty.

Ted and Co. will present scenes from "The Jesus Sto-ries: Faith, Forks, and Fettuccine," a humorous take

on stories from the Gospels, interspersed with auc-tions of baked goods and other items.

Admission is free, and all proceeds from the night will go to MDS's work to restore hope and homes in com-munities ravaged by natural disaster.

The event is being organized by the Mennonite Churches of Logan County.

BOOTS, BUCKETS, AND BARROWS

Green Hills is collecting recipes for a new cookbook. Do you have a recipe with special significance to Green

Hills? Bring your recipe (and story if you have one) to Nita, or send to nwilkinson@greenhillscommunity.org.

Each month the community is invited to get together (on the second Sunday, of course) for a free dinner, live music, and good conversation at West Liberty United Methodist Church.

Our mic is always open! If you like to sing, play an in-strument, read poetry, tell jokes, juggle, do magic tricks– whatever, you’re welcome to set up. This is not America’s Got Talent, and you don’t have to be any-thing other than willing to share with each other and have fun doing it. We have a sound board, amps, and

percussion available if you prefer not to haul those things around. Come check us out sometime. Dress and attitude are casual and relaxed! If you have any questions, or need further info, please text Michael at 937-710-2557.

When: Sunday, March 10 from 5-6:30PM

Where: West Liberty United Methodist Church, 202 West Newell Street Who: Everyone!

RECIPES WANTED

WEST LIBERTY COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR

CUSTOMERS WARNED OF COMPLEX UTILITY SCAMS

Electric utility provider Dayton Power and Light Co. is notifying the public to increasingly intricate utility scams targeting residential properties and small busi-nesses.

Customers are reminded to never to share person-al information over the telephone with suspi-cious persons claiming to be utility representatives.

“Scammers use sophisticated tactics. Sometimes the DP&L’s phone number appear on the caller ID, even when the call does not come from DP&L,” the utility reports in a recent public notice.

Fraudulent phone calls often begin by claim-ing customers have overdue accounts, and de-mand immediate payment in order to prevent discon-nection of service, according to the DP&L press release, as well as public notices from numer-ous utility companies including Vectren, and FirstEnergy.

Often, that immediate payment is demanded in the form of a cash reload card, such as a “Greendot” card, prepaid gift cards, by wiring money or even cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. Customers are reminded that DP&L does not endorse a single method or particular type of pay-ment. Similarly, the Federal Trade Commission reminds consumers that no credible utility would ever demand banking information by email, and would never force customers to pay by telephone as their only option. Scammers can sound very convincing, the FTC said, preying especially on elderly residents.

Utility companies are also working closely with local authorities.

“Please be aware that this is an industry-wide prob-lem that has affected many utilities across the coun-try,” utility representatives said. “DP&L is working with authorities to stop this unauthorized activity.” Regardless of the utility provider, customers are ad-vised to hang up the phone on any caller making sus-picious claims, and call their utility provider directly to verify their account status.

If the call is determined to have been fraudulent, cus-tomers should immediately notify local law enforce-ment.

Be on the lookout! In most common scams, the caller might: Pretend to be from DP&L. Your phone’s caller ID

might even say “DP&L”. Threaten to turn off your home or business power

within an hour. Demand immediate payment, often by pre-paid

debit card.

If you think you have received a scam call: HANG UP! Do not pay over the phone or call any number giv-

en to you by the caller! Call the police. Call us: 800-433-8500 https://www.examiner.org/news/107453-customers-warned-of-complex-utility-scams

Green Hills Community, Universal Home Health and

Hospice, and Mary Rutan Hospital invite you to join

their annual Health Fair. The Health Fair will take

place on Thursday, March 21 from 7:30 to 11:30AM

in Foundation Hall. There will be education on nutri-

tion, diabetes, a hearing test, blood pressure checks,

cholesterol screens, and more. Please join us!

SECOND SUNDAY SUPPER

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE (CONTINUED)

(continued from Page 1) A Faith Shared Grandma knew she couldn’t have stood life’s grief with-out God. Her mission in life was making sure that other people built their relationships with Him. Her little ledger recorded the significant donations she made to missions out of her small pension. Postcards written to her reveal that she not only taught Sunday school, but invited the class to make doughnuts at her home, hosted taffy pulls (this was the 1930s!), and marked weddings and birth-days with the gift of a book chosen carefully to help the receiver take his or her next step in faith. In a notebook she made one year for each student she wrote, "In thinking of what my church means to me, I tried to visualize what the past years would have been without it and could see only empty space, for nothing can replace the church. I had the blessing of Christian guidance by faithful teachers, the joy of Christian fellow-ship in service, the comfort of loving understanding in times of sorrow. My church means all of this and much more because of Christ my Savior."

God was real to Grandma to a degree that makes Him real to me. How can I doubt the relevance of Jesus when I see how lovingly He walked with Grandma? How to Research the Faith of Your Ancestors Your ancestors may have left you an inheritance of faith, too. How can you find it? Here are some places to begin: 1. If your ancestors lived in a small town, check the

historical society for copies of the local newspaper. You’ll be surprised at the detailed accounts in the so-cial pages of church events. Church records may still be in existence as well.

2. Carefully check through old papers for membership cards or inscriptions in favorite books that might give clues to their faith.

3. Work out the chronology of their lives. Do you gain any new insights into their experiences? Ponder how they differ from yours.

4. Above all, search out people who knew your grand-parents or great-grandparents before it’s too late. Ask how they lived out their faith.

FRONT PORCH NEWS MARCH 2019

EVERY TUESDAY – GREEN HILLS IS HIRING Green Hills Community is hiring those who are willing to give, respect, engage, encourage, and nurture those in their care. Open interviews are conducted every Tuesday from 2-5PM. For a com-plete list of full-time and part-time positions available, go to www.greenhillscareers.org.

BOOK CLUB Book Club meets at 1:30PM the third Friday of the month in the Chapel. Everyone is welcome! Friday, March 15: Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

NEW DATE: CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Meets from 2 to 3PM the third Tuesday each month in the Green Hills Chapel. Call 465.5065. This group is lead by Jeff Vernon, LISW-S. COFFEE CONNECTION Join us for Coffee Connection every Tuesday at 9:30AM. On the second Tuesday of the month, the Techy Teens are here.

Upcoming Events

Front Porch News Have you ever taken a trip down memory lane? Recently, I have been doing just that. I’m going through old photographs, old ar-ticles that I have clipped out of magazines, and so forth. Below is one of the articles that I found. May it be a blessing to you.

Lessons From An Ancestor’s Spiritual Past by Jane A. G. Kise

In my childhood perceptions, God and Grandma were closely related. Despite how rarely I sat still, she taught me Bible verses such as Psalm 23 when I was four. Church was clearly the highlight of her week, and she led Sunday school classes as long as she could. As a child, I took her faith for granted—that’s who she was. Grandmother’s stroke when I was six ended her abil-ity to communicate with me directly. But long after her death, as I went through her papers, I learned from her the urgency of having faith. Tucked into my grandmother’s Bible were favorite hymns, poems, pamphlets, and a frayed folder dated June 1896 from an evangelical tent meeting. Inside, she had in-scribed, "It was in these meetings I first took the step to follow Christ." Grandma was nine years old at the time. The World of 1896 Through the framework of Grandma’s life, I saw that accepting Christ back then wasn’t just insurance for eternity or committing to a life of good works. It was a pledge to trust God no matter what life threw at you—and the expectation was that life would be hard. Crops failed, banks crashed, children died, industrial accidents happened. By 1896, Grandma had seen the birth of three brothers and the death of one. Her mother already lay awake nights coughing from the

tuberculosis that would bring early death. Children had no insulation from life’s realities. Grandma’s life was difficult; that’s why the tent meet-ing folder was so important to her. The note inside was really a message to her descendants of her grati-tude at starting her journey of faith so young. A Worn Bible Grandma acted on the promises she made as a nine-year-old. From the newspapers of the town where Grandma spent her teen years, I learned how active she had been in her church, singing solos and serv-ing on the Christian Endeavor Society Board. When I first picked up Grandma’s Bible, with its well-worn leather and much-turned pages, I thought, What a treasure, to have the Scriptures she used her whole life. Then I looked at the inscription. It was her sec-ond Bible—she wore the first one out by the time she was 35. I read my Bible daily, but haven’t even come close to wearing one out! Thinking of the hours she spent reading, studying, and then teaching challenged me to a new level of commitment. Promises Fulfilled Every picture of Grandma shows a peaceful smile and sparkling eyes—and that’s how I remember her. No one could guess that all her brothers died before reaching adulthood, or that she buried her newborn son in 1908, her little girl in 1913, and resigned her-self to childlessness long before my father appeared by surprise in 1921. I read the words of her favorite hymns differently now. "Trust and Obey," "O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee," or "God Will Take Care of You" are more sig-nificant because Grandma experienced fulfillment of the promises they contain. God had taken care of her, and she credited Him with her lack of bitterness.

(Continued on Page 2)

Pastor Ken Neighoff Chaplain

A Trip Down Memory Lane

March Birthdays

March 7th

at 6:30PM Mad River Dulcimer

Society

March 11th

at 7:00PM Mount Tabor Orchestra

March 21

st 7:30-11:30AM

Health Fair

March 28th

at 6:30PM Bill Purk (Guitarist)

March 30th

at 2:30PM Mount Vernon Nazarene

University Choir

Looking Ahead:

April 3 at 2:00PM Spittin’ Image

April 16 Book Fair, Foundation Hall

April 22 Volunteer Celebration

PHOTOS by Nancy Bitikofer

Virginia Thompson Center 5

Opaline Watkins Inn 6

Mark Miranda Apartments 7

Ron Irick Homes 8

Winnifred Shreve Center 8

Norman Jenkins Center 8

Beatrice Heskett Center 9

Dean Blosser Apartments 10

Jack Orahood Center 11

Brooke Schindler Apartments 11

Evelyn Kuba Apartments 12

Helen Dibert Center 15

Richard Keller Center 18

Linda Stapleton Apartments 20

Mary Bird Center 21

Marylyn Maples Center 22

Barbara Lewis Apartments 23

Gail Brunson Inn 25

Gwendolyn King Center 26

Geraldine Stephens Inn 26

Ervin Bitikofer Homes 28

Mary Johnston Center 30

In Foundation Hall