Florio rappelling  (Photo by Devin Brown)

            They pushed Pastor Lou Florio of Messiah, Mechanicsville, over the edge of a 25-story building in Richmond and he raised $6,000 for Special Olympics Virginia.

             Florio, a former Alexandria policeman who stays "pretty active" physically, rappelled from the top of the SunTrust building. He once climbed walls and completed parachute training in the Army.

            He challenged his parishioners and friends to "push their pastor over the edge" to help an effort which raised over $120,000 for the Special Olympics program of sports training and competition for over 11,000 adults and children with intellectual disabilities in the state. Florio is trying to recruit other pastors to rappel the 400-foot structure next year. He volunteers as a chaplain in a sheriff's office and works in a local program helping people with intellectual disabilities.

            Florio was influenced by an aunt who had an intellectual disability. Family and friends urged his grandmother to place her daughter in an institution but she stayed at home with a full and happy life under loving care, he said.

            Florio has supported Special Olympics through its annual Law Enforcement Torch Run and he serves as a volunteer chaplain in the Hanover County sheriff's office.

Lutherans in the news

            It was Thanksgiving, 1966. I was still in the Franciscan Friars and was not able to get home to celebrate the day. Out of the goodness of his heart, fellow Friar Roderick DeGruccio invited me to his parents' house in Brooklyn to spend the day with his family.

            The house was packed with people: aunts, uncles, cousins, married brothers and sisters with their children They took me in and all but adopted me; toasted to my good health with a fine Chianti wine while I tried hard to remember names and faces.

            The dining room had a table that sat 18 people with various card tables set up for the children. In the corner was a small statue of Saint Anthony of Padua-the patron saint of lost causes whose intercession was often evoked by Roderick's mother as she fretted through the teen years of her children

            It was all very wonderful-but it was very different Thanksgiving day. Menu: tortellini and spinach soup, antipasto, trays of bubbling lasagna, pan-fried veal smothered in marinara sauce, cannolis, tall plates of Italian cookies, followed by homemade blackberry wine. Nary a roasted turkey in sight. Different yes, but wonderful too because the food brought everyone together with a deep thought of prayer before we ate and the telling of family stories all through dinner. The variety of foods was like servants supporting the primary reason for the gathering.

            Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have been able to attend many different forms of worship: a Quaker meeting waiting for the Holy Spirit to arrive; high mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral; on my feet clapping and singing at Second Baptist Church in Harlem; folk music worship at a beach, Taize worship in the round and much more. Each one of these worship gatherings had a different menu in the way they were structured. Nevertheless, the primary reason for each gathering was always evident; we were there to bring our praise to God as the only valid ones. Martin Luther described such traditions as adiaphra-important, yes, but secondary to the primary purpose.

            When it comes to Thanksgiving Day dinner, I was brought up to think in terms of the New England tradition of roast turkey-after all, was that not one of the items on the menu of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving? Well, yes it was. But then-who knows what might have happened if they had experienced Mrs. Di Gricco's superb Italian cooking.

(This article appeared in the St. Luke Messenger.)

            The congregation of Christ, Fredericksburg, has voted to finish the $1.4-million renovation of its church. Work has been completed on making the sanctuary accessible and bringing the old sanctuary back to its original appearance, using it as a welcome hall for gatherings and meetings, according to Pastor Richard Carbaugh.

            In the final part of the renovation, the old parish house will be removed and it will be replaced with a two-story building, containing offices, pre-school rooms and a food pantry. The old narthex and an outside patio for gathering are part of the plan. Carbaugh said a significant goal of the renovation is to make the church more welcoming, accessible and connected. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.

            Here we go again-the last month of the year. It seems as if we barely started the new year and here we are at the end! As I get older, the year moves along faster than when I was a child. Then it seems time almost stood still. Maybe you notice this, too.

            As I approach Advent and Christmas, I need the perspective of a child concerning more than time. More than any other season, this is when the perspective of young children can help us most appreciate the story we celebrate, the story of Christmas.

            After all, when you think about it, Christmas is a story about a child, our Lord Jesus Christ. This special child comes to show God's love for us by his life, death and Resurrection. With the excitement of  the shepherd and the joy of the angels, we can come together at the manger. It is there, that we first meet the Lord. He is the same Lord we will meet again much later at the hill called Golgotha. He is the same Lord we will seek in the garden on Easter morning.

            With all the unrest and terror, war, natural disasters and confusion in our world today, maybe focusing more clearly on the child in the manger will help us regain a helpful perspective. The child brings light into dark places and hope into times of despair and confusion.

            Join us in our Advent worship as we prepare each week for our Christmas celebration. It is my hope and prayer that our worship together will give us a renewed joy for life and a deeper sense of amazement at how God works in our world. Stand at the manger and know that the child born there is the one who walks with us now to give us hope in the midst of difficult and tragic world events. He is the one who gives us hope to enter into the joy of God's eternal kingdom one day.

 (This article was in the Good Tidings newsletter at Our Saviour, Richmond.)

            A Virginia Index of Consumer Sentiment, measured by a Roanoke College poll, is 81, just under a national number, significantly higher than a year ago but down from last February, driven by a substantial reduction in expectations of the future.

            Household finances and business conditions are improved from a year ago, pushing an Index of Current Conditions up 4 points from February, a good sign for holiday retail sales. The nation is reportedly more positive about current personal finances and business conditions.

            Consumer worries about the impending fiscal cliff and economic uncertainty could be behind a decline of 9 percent in an Index of Consumer Expectations since February. National expectations also fell in November.

            Sentiments varied across the state. People in the Shenandoah Valley were positive about today and the future as consumer expectations rose 15 percent since February, boosted by new jobs announced by the McKesson Corp., Navy Federal and McKee Foods. Although Northern Virginia indexes were higher than the average for the past year, they showed drastic reductions to one of the lowest regions in the state.

            Inflation is expected at 2.2 percent for the next year and the long-term outlook is 3.6 percent. Across the state, 76 percent believe prices will increase in the next 5-10 years. The quarterly poll interviewed 651 Virginia residents.

            Pastor Stephen McGinnis, who served as interim pastor at Holy Communion, Portsmouth, for an extended period, has died. He was a Naval officer and he served two Florida churches. The funeral was at First, Norfolk, on November 6.

            The annual Day for All People, Advocating for Social Justice, of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Richmond Convention Center, 403 North 3^rd Street, Richmond.

            Marco Grimaldo, chief executive officer/president of the center, will open the day at 8:30 a.m., followed by an opening address on the context of the 2013 General Assembly and breakout sessions for beginners, intermediates and experts (those who have attended before).

            After these introductions, the groups will visit legislators, attend committee meetings and tour the General Assembly Building and the Capitol. After attending the opening of the House of Delegates or a Senate floor session, the group will return to the Convention Center for lunch and a keynote address. The center has not announced who will give the opening and main addresses.

            Our Saviour, Warrenton, is receiving a $5,000 Economic Bridge Grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, to be divided equally between Fauquier Family Shelter Services and People Helping People of Fauquier County, enabling both to continue their mission in the community.

            The family shelter, the only emergency shelter in the county, housed over 450 people last year. Opened as a nine-bed facility in 1988, the shelter has 52 beds, modern kitchen and dining area, washer/dryer facilities, library and reading room, group meeting area and staff office space. The Vint Hill Transitional Housing Program, started in 1991, provides 21 units for transitional and permanent low-income housing; 69 people live there now. With the loss of over $450,000 in state and federal funding, the shelter has made drastic budget cuts and increased fund-raising, while relying on grants, contributions and donations.

            People Helping People provides emergency financial assistance to Fauquier County residents undergoing hardship, such as family death, unemployment or health issues. Assistance is provided for utility bills to avoid disconnection of service and rent or mortgage payment to avoid eviction. The agency provides gas vouchers to clients who are looking for jobs. The organization does not receive any government funding, depending on donations from private citizens, local businesses, churches, grants and Piedmont United Way.

Pastor Duane Steele

          Pastor Duane Steele, who has retired after serving 32 years at Gladesboro, Carroll County, was named pastor emeritus at a homecoming service in October. Now living in Arlington, Mass., Steele preached at the service, read the Braille wording on an emeritus plaque and gave a piano concert afterward.

          When he graduated from Gettysburg Seminary in 1978, the Gladesboro congregation did what no other Lutheran church had done. They called as their pastor a seminary graduate who was sightless from birth. Steele had graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and served as organist, choir director and piano tuner while playing and singing at night clubs in the Washington area.

          A faculty member at Gettysburg told Steele he probably would not be able to accomplish everything required to become a parish pastor but his response was, "I will do it" and he did.

          His long service at Gladesboro was unusual for a congregation where the average length of a pastorate was four years. He brought a sense of stability to the parish, said Pastor Joe Shumate, current interim pastor at Gladesboro.

          The parsonage was almost a mile from the church but Steele learned the road and walked unassisted to the church office. Local people would stop and give him a lift but he enjoyed the walk, regardless of weather or time of day. Members provided transportation for him to visit in homes, hospitals and meetings out of the area. Some helped with mail and office work and it became a strong joint ministry for the congregation and the community. Improvements were made to the church during his service.

          Steele was active in the Carroll County ministerial association, as a volunteer chaplain for the Blue Ridge Highlands Nursing Home, a board member for Laurel Meadows Nursing Home and he preached on the Protestant Hour radio program twice. He was a popular performer in concerts at youth events, churches, at fund-raisers and at local restaurants.