Teen protects Mom; home invader dies

Recently there has been a high level of attention paid to the stock market. Whenever you find yourself watching the news, it doesn't take the commentators long to tell you either how well or how poorly the market is doing. The people who place their money in Wall Street do so with the hope and intention their stock portfolios will do well by making a profit. However, it doesn't always turn out that way, does it?

Heritage Fellowship of God, 121 N. Illinois Ave., will have a free training event for pastors, pastors' wives, ladies ministries leaders, youth leaders, outreach and prison ministry leaders on the topic of 'Understanding Post Abortion Healing.' The training session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. next Saturday, Jan. 17.

A financial workshop will be held at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 17.  Sessions, workshop topics, and presenters are:

 ''Magnificat'' by John Rutter and ''Requiem'' by Gabriel Faure will be performed in a concert for the community and guests at 3 p.m., Jan. 18, in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge.

Mount Harmony Baptist Church will have a gospel singing on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.

International recording artist and minister, Bill Wagner, will be in concert at First Assembly of God, 2000 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Sunday at 11 a.m. He has worked in disaster areas of the world and has a feeding program for hungry children. His last trip home he helped raise $10,000 to help in the latest disaster. Churches are binding together to help people in these areas.

The College/Career Dept. of Second Baptist Church recently hosted ‘The Big Ball Drop’ in Lake City on New Year’s Eve.

Church Women United will meet Friday at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 212 N. Tulane Ave. The meeting will start at 9:30 a.m., with fellowship and refreshments, and the program will begin at 10 a.m.

Arlene Crawford will conduct the choir and orchestra while they perform John Rutter's ''Magnificat'' and Gabriel Faure's ''Requiem'' this Sunday at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.

Beloved, thanks again for a great year of sharing my thoughts and observations regarding the world around us. It has been a joy. As the loyal and enthusiastic readers of this column already know each year we take a quick look back at just a few of the highlights taken from The Pastor Speaks. Below are the titles and a short excerpt from their offering.