In the Life of Our Congregation  

Attendance

September 15       215
September 22       171
September 29       168
October 6             203 

Visitors
Alison and Jim Drzinski; Chuck and Kim Hoover; Carol and Wilogen

Witamborski; Ruth Maughan; Susan Hughes; Annette, Louis and Isabelle Jankowski; Suzy Brown; Carla Jowkar; Linda Petras; Joe Morrison

Concerns
Phil Kennedy; Judi Clemons; Mike Reynolds; Sharon Scribner; Judy

Wilder; Barbara Holbeck; Doug Yardley; Kelly Brick; Dave Figg; Paul

Woodley, brother-in-law of Marcia Woodley

Death
June Zurakowski

Check out what's happening nationally:

"Great Figures of the New Testament" with Amy Jill Levine is the Adult Nurture offering that began on Wednesday, October 9. We invite you to be part of this in-depth study of Biblical characters: Jesus, Paul, Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and Pontius Pilate, among others.

   Dr. Levine will show us that there are more facets to each one of these figures than we may realize, that our stereotypical take on their personalities leaves out vital pieces. Legend and historical data, cultural values and differing viewpoints all contribute to a deeper understanding of each one of them.

   Amy Jill Levine is a Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University. She is extremely knowledgeable, articulate and can be very witty. She describes herself as a "Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominately Protestant divinity school in the buckle

of the Bible Belt."

   Join Nancy Colina, Stephanie Cobb and Debby Reynolds as they facilitate discussion of Dr. Levine's lectures. This series of classes, which meets on Wednesdays from 6:45-8:00 pm. in the Fireside Room, will run through January, 2014.  We very much hope you will be part of the conversation. 

"Feeling Fit"

  **Reasons you should exercise:

1. Exercise extends years of active, independent life.

   Thursdays at 1:00 pm. in October: We'll do strength, balance and moderate yoga exercises. Sign up at the Crossroads.  $5 per person per class, payable at the door. If you have an exercise mat, bring one; if not our instructor, Connie Fedel of Taylor Yoga, will have extras. 

   Class meets for 45 minutes. No matter what your age, sex, or level of mobility, Connie has exercises that will work for you. Men and women will both feel the benefits of

exercising under the direction of an instructor trained to teach them. It's a win/win occasion and we want you to be part of it. See you in the Fellowship Hall in October!  

** Susan Ingraham, BCRPA-certified Fitness Instructor for the Older Adult (Vancouver, Canada)

Tips For Seniors

Doing several things at once might appear to make you more efficient, but you may not remember much in the process. A research team at the University of California used functional M.R.I. to determine that older folks are worse at multitasking than young people. Specifically, they looked at the ability of 60 to 80 year-olds to retain information in their working memory for short periods of time and discovered the distraction of multitasking had a greater effect than it did on younger persons.

   Because seniors are often slow to update their working memory, it is more difficult for them to focus on original tasks. This often causes them to leave those tasks half-completed. This same memory deficit exists in young people as well but they are better at multitasking because they are able to pull-up the working memory of previous tasks easier.
   Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center says, "A good memory requires focusing attention and getting information into memory stores so it can be retrieved later." "Our brains crave variety and newness so it is only natural that we flit from one thing to another but, when switching from phone to computer to TV for example, information doesn't stay in the brain long enough to be retained. Multitasking tends to make people sloppy and error-prone. Dr. Small suggests your memory will improve, if you concentrate on doing one thing at a time."

Do you know what an usher does? Would you be willing to usher one Sunday a month? Please consider this valuable ministry to GIPC. Ask an usher or contact Leah Iglehart about the duties if you are interested. There is a sign-up sheet at the Crossroads.