Stephy sent me a note asking about the essence of Stephen Ministry. I couldn't get the send e-mail button to capture, so I will try to send it this way. Some of you might also be interested in this, my latest edition to our church newsletter under the heading "Stephen Ministry."

Best regards to all,

R Elliott                        

          EVOLUTION FROM LOVE AND COMPASSION?

   

The following paragraph is a quote from *Dr. Loren Eiseley:

 

“For a century, [Darwin’s theory of evolution appeared in 1859] we have chosen to talk continuously about the struggle for existence, about man, the brawling half-ape and bestial fighter. We have explored with wavering candles the dark cellars of our subconscious and have been appalled by the faces we have encountered there. It will do no harm, therefore, to examine the history of that great impulse---love, compassion, call it what one will---which, however discounted in our time, moved the dying Christ on Golgotha with a power that has reached across two thousand years.”

 

Eiseley thus seems to propose a new twist on evolution, averring that love and compassion might be the true “forces” which will win out, in evolutionary terms, rather than the physical struggle/survival that has defined the “fittest,” that has been commonly attributed to Darwin’s evolutionary theory, and which is obviously operating in today’s world.

 

Stephen Ministry’s tenets are grounded in love and compassion. These “forces” are at work right here at Desert Palms and might just revolutionize your life, whether as a care-receiver or as a care-giver.

 

For more information about this important ministry at Desert Palms, please refer to the rainbow-colored brochures in your pew racks and contact the following Stephen Leaders: Associate Pastor Pat Baxter, Leon Entringer, Joyce Huber, Bill Madsen, Norm Metz, or Joanne Moum.

 

*Dr. Loren Eiseley, a native Nebraskan, with undergraduate degrees in English and Anthropology, eventually became Provost at the University of Pennsylvania). Many consider Eiseley a genius of the metaphor and a master of the essay. The above quote is from his essay in Chapter 8, “The Inner Galaxy,” from his book: “The Unexpected Universe.”