Special Thanksgiving meal unites strangers

Nov. 24, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Not everyone at the table was related or even acquainted, but their behavior didn't show it.
They smiled, held hands and said grace before the Thanksgiving meal was served, just like a family.
Some were family through Christ, united as brothers in faith. And some were distant kin through their shared struggle in poverty and homelessness.
But most of the 100 or so people who came to eat turkey Thursday at First Christian Church in Temple were strangers to each other.
The opening prayer, however, quickly melded the various groups and those who were sitting alone into a single entity.

Whispering Mother Native American connects to God through nature

Nov. 11, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

He didn't know about his Chiracahua Apache heritage until he was 10 years old. Born in Belton, Rafael Montez said he thought he was just another kid.
But he wasn't.
The Belton High School graduate would grow up to be 'Tall Bear,' president of the Tribal American Network, the organization that keeps people of Indian ancestry in communication with one another.
'I was walking down a street in Belton one afternoon when a lady rolled down her car window and said, 'You're Indian, aren't you?' 'No, I'm not,' I told her. 'Yes, you are,' she says. And we went back and forth like that a few more times until I ran home,' Montez said, describing the day he learned of his Native American ancestry.
His mother and grandmother soon confirmed the woman's accusation. He was, indeed, an Indian.
'My path to know the Creator had started,' Montez said.

Treehouse receives $30,000 grant

Nov. 4, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Christian Farms Treehouse Inc. of Temple received an anonymous contribution of $30,000 this week.
Attached to the check was a note of challenge to Bell County: 'Match this grant. Let's support this local drug rehab center in what it's doing. Its need is great - so let's help them together.'
'It's a much welcomed, much appreciated contribution,' said Jon Crosby, executive director of Christian Farms Treehouse Inc. in Temple. 'And we're eager to see what happens next.'

Volunteers thanked for work with homeless families

Oct. 8, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Family Promise could not find homes for area homeless families without the help of the Temple community.
That's the message Director Rick Miller-Chaney shared during the non-profit agency's first volunteer appreciation banquet on Wednesday night, Oct. 4, at the Mayborn Convention Center.
'We couldn't do what we do without you,' Miller-Chaney said that evening to the crowd of about 200. 'It's because of you that we have been able to do so much.'
It was an evening of thanks for everyone involved in the program: the agency's donors, directors, partner churches and volunteers.
Alta Kemp of Temple was the volunteer who was recognized individually. The others were honored in groups.

Woman thanks family whose loved one brought her life

Oct. 1, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

'You don't look like an old lady anymore. You're not all bumpy and purple.'
Not everyone would appreciate a compliment like this, but Kimberly Sommers of Temple does. She's a heart transplant survivor, and her young cousin's simple, blunt observation tells it like it is.
'I'm better now,' Mrs. Sommers said. 'I'm not sick all the time. I have energy. And that's something completely new to me.'

Shelter group soars into second year

Sept. 24, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

The promise of Family Promise is to do what it can to eradicate the plight of the homeless within the community.
Since opening its doors in October 2005, the local branch of Family Promise has helped 15 homeless families secure steady jobs and permanent housing. The transitional housing entity is a refurbished fire station on 22nd Street off East Adams near Ferguson Park in Temple
'But we couldn't have done it without our volunteers and supporters from the community,' said Rick Miller-Chaney, director of the Family Promise program in Temple. The non-profit agency relies on grants, donations and fund-raisers to pay its expenses.
To show them thanks, Family Promise of East Bell County will have its inaugural Volunteer Recognition Dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Mayborn Convention Center, 3303 N. 3rd St. in Temple. Tickets for the event cost $10. Reservations should be made by Monday, Sept. 25. Call (254) 773-9980 with questions.

Doctor educates group about Jewish culture

Sept. 23, 2006
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began yesterday at sundown. And at sundown Oct. 1, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will begin.
'And that'll be it. Either you get to live another year, or God's going to call you home,' said Dr. Brenda Holbert, during an informative session about the Jewish culture last Sunday, Sept. 16, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Belton. 'This holy time is reserved for prayer and fast. At Yom Kippur, we apologize to everyone we think we may have wronged over the last year. And then God judges us. It is also a time to give to charity.'