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World Day of Prayer speaker Rita Nutakor (left) speaker at the World Day of Prayer service at Newcastle United Church on Friday, March 3, 1995, spoke with Jasmine Eyer (centre) and Shalon Armstrong, twe members of the Junior Choir of Newcastle Pentecostal Church, in the sanctuary following that special worship service. Newcastle "World Day of, Prayer"l Service well supported More than 65 people attended the annual World Day of Prayer service in Newcastle at the United Church on Friday, March 3, 1995. Speaker Rita Nutakor, a political refugee from Ghana who has now been accepted for landed immigrant status in Canada, spoke about Ghana, her involvement with the political process that caused her te fiee her native land for her life, and her Christian faith that sustains her te this day.- Other participants included representatives from Newcastle Pentecostal Churcb, Maranatha Christian Reformed Church, St. George's Anglican Church, St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church and the United Church congregations at Newtonville, Kendal and Shiloh as well as froru Newcastle United Church. Ghana, once known as Gold Coast, is in ýwest Africa. Slightly larger than twice the combined area of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and a member of the Commonwealth, Ghana was granted independence from Britain in 1957. The constitution was suspended in 1981 following a military coup led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings whese military dictatorship was subsequently affirmed by a democratic vote in 1992, on the same day as the United States elected Bill Clinton as president. Ghana is rich in geld, bauxite, and timber and dees ight manufacturing and food processing. The major cash crop is ccoa and the country is normally self-sufficient irn food. For administrative purposes, Ghana is, divided into 10ý Divisions. Rita's uncle was the first Regional Councillor (Premier) of Volta District, south east of the capital city, Accra, and her father was a brigade commander of the duly elected government prier te the coup. Rita herself became enclangered as a result of being suspected of treasonous activity in concert with bier cousins, one of wbom was excuted for his involvement campaigning for democracy ina Ghana. She fled te Egypt and then te Israel where she obtained air passage te Canada using a borrowed passport. She has been in the refugee system bhere for six years. As a Christian, Rita was able te share bow hier own faith and belief in God was able te give hier strength te cope with the stress and pain of leaving hier homeland alone and travel te a distant country witheut a firm destination in mind and with ne friends or support at the end of the journey. In bier address, Rita appealed for prayer and support for the people of Gbana at this time of centinuing unrest and for a change of beart for the leaders te_ do the right tbing. The Worid Day of Prayeir is celebrated annually on the first Friday in March ina more than 170 countries around the world. The service this year was produced by women ina Ghana and was distributed ina Canada by the Women's Inter-Cburch Council of Canada. Funds raised througb the offering gote s upport a number of projects and programns across Canada and tbn:ughout the world, including the Women's Inter- Church Council of Canada work supporting ecumenism, spirituality, buman rights and issues of special concerra for women. According te information released by the Women's Inter- Church Council of Canada, more, than 3,000 World Day of Prayer ) A large part of my sons' education takes place at the supermarket. There, they enhance their skills and understanding in math, science, language, and nutrition. They learn about value, budgeting, and about ýthe relationship between diet and health. They learn that meals don't juist happen, they take planning. They learn how to read advertisements, labels and instructions, and they learn how to make.requests at the deli couniter, and how to be courteous te the cashier. Supermarket education is a, fundamental task 1 undertake in raising my children. Even noble, perhaps. But, hang on ... there's more. There are those few few minutes standing in line at the cashier that add volumes to my sons' world view. Here, waiting our tum, they learn te ogle, te beg and te believe the unbelievable. Mounds of cleavage squeal for attention from the covers of 'women's' magazines. 'Me perfect plastic faces of impossibly beautiful young women give my sons unrealistic perception of beauty . . . net because their mother isn't thînp and gorgeous, but because my sons don't understand about anorexia, or air-brushing, or plastic surgery, or the kind of time, money and sacrifice that go into being impossibly beautiful.' Gum, chocolate and -other delights whisper into the ears of young children: "Touch me. Buy me. Eat me". The whispering becomes se loud, that our children must demand: "Mommy, can 1 have one? Mommy, I need one. Mommy, I WANT one. Mommy ... BUYMNEONE! --- NOW!" But, there, bold and incredible, the headlines ef the tabloids give my sens their broadest educatien. Morsels of juicy text dramatically communicate life's greatest mysteries and sensatienalisms. 1We don't have much te report as te birds in the district but we do have word fromi Royal Lee ina the Leskard area as te the activity around his winter feeder. On Sunday he reports seven Pine Grosbeaks and twelve Cedar Waxwings along witb the common winter birds. You can add bis counit of a fiock of 50 robins over the past week. Over the past couple of years services are held annually across Canada. In Newcastle, the World Day of Prayer service this year was coordinated by the wemen of Newcastle Pentecostal Church and supported by the Clarington East Miistcrial. S tories you wouldn't read about in The Orono Times. Stories that parents neyer tell their children. Stories about sex, scandal, violence and monsters and aliens. Once my sons realize that begging for chocolatewon't get them anywhere, and after they tire of ogling at the perfect breasts of perky young women, they absorb the tabloid headlines. Silently, mysterieus ideas enter their minds. The strange and untold tales become the stuff of late-night concem. Lying in bed, in the dark, the tabloid headlines, haunt them --, demand their att ention: "Loch Ness Monster Washes up on Shore -- Dead -- Finally." 1 am summoned te the bedroom: "What's a Loch Ness Monster?" As 1 explain the myth, my son wonders how semething whose experience is uncertain car finally die. We then move on te "Gorilla Gives Birth te Human Baby." This was a real stumper. Now, my son questions the human biology lessons 1 have given: "I though you needed a man and a woman te make babies? Dees this mean a man and a gorilla can make babies?" Biting hard on my lip, I tell hlm, "No. Itfs definitely supposed te be a man and a woman." Another son calîs me into another bedrooru. He wants te kno.w if aliens really kidnap children from their mommy's tummies, and then return them te work f or the government when they are al grown up. Again, 1 bite bard on my lip. "And, memmy, what sport dees John Bobbitt play? The paper at the grocery store said he was back in the playing field after some important surgery." By now, my lip is bruised and bleeding, but I rise above the laughter building up inside my gut te tell my yeung son the truth: you can't always believe what you read in a newspaper. it bas become common te hear reports of small fiocks of robins throughout the couniryside. Some make dlaim that the birds do feed on. the. Buckthorn , fruit. Buckthorn over the past decade has spread throughout the ceuntrysîde and is an introduced species. The War Amps À The ý rhunb,1ad-C1arLngton Board of Ed,,cation Leadersin Learnng TENDERS Sale of Surplus MalntenanicelWood/Machine Shop Equlpment A t the followlng Locations: Bowmanville High School, 49 Liberty St., Bowmanville. Campbeliford District High School, 119 Ranney St. N., Campbellford. Cobourg District Colleglate Institute East, 335 King St. E., Cobourg. Courtice Secondary School, 1717 Nash Road, Courtice, Ont. East Northumnberland Secondary School, 71 Dundas St., Brighton. Port Hope High Sahool, Victoria St. at Highland Dr., Port Hope. Dr. M.S. Hawkins Sr. Public School, 72 Pine St., Port Hope. Hilerest Public Sehooi, Elmore St., Campbellford, Ont. The Northumberland- Clarlngton Bd. of Educ. Plant Department, BIdg. #7, Northamn Industrial Pk. 775 Division St., Cobourg. Sealed Tenders for the above, addressed to the Manager ef Central Services, The No hu mb erland-C laringto n Board of Education, wiil be received Up te 2:00 p.m.," Friday, March 24, 1995. Equipment must be removed from the site by 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 31, 1995. Specifications may be obtained ftrom: The Northumberland-Clarington Board of Education, 834 D'Arcy Street, North, Cobourg, Ontario. K9A 4L2 (905-372-6871>, or at the above specific locations. The highest'or any tender not necessarily accepted. Th e Board reserves the right te reject any or aIl tenders. Equipment may be viewed on March 20 and 21, 1995 from 3:30 p.m. te 4:30 p.m. or by appeintment at the above locations. R. T. (Dick> Malowney Directer oet Education Diana Stewart Chairpersen et the Board The War Amps says: Ifs fimne for... THE CATERING CONNECTION SOCIAL CATERERS Our Specîality Family Style Roast Beef Dinner Weddings* Anniversaries - Business Functions Hockey* Basebal - Bowling Banquets 1HOT - COU) - BUFFETS FRED, PATRICIA, RODNEY STORSBERGEN Box 416, Orono, Ont. LOB IMO 983-9679 ...................