Local Resources for Individuals with Epilepsy

October 25, 2018October 23, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Healthy Living

Join in The Walk to End Epilepsy November 3, 9am-Noon at Railroad Park. The walk is an annual event hosted by The Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama, www.WalkToEndEpilepsy.org/Birmingham.

Numerous changes have occurred since the start of 2018 for the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama. Formerly the Epilepsy Chapter of Greater Mobile and the Gulf Coast, the organization was previously an affiliate of the larger national organization, the Epilepsy Foundation of America. However, the Board of Directors voted in late 2017 to join the national organization as an official chapter, thus changing its name to Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama. While the organization has always served the entire state, this change also led to the board’s decision to move their state offices from Mobile to Birmingham. “This decision was not made lightly by the Board,” said Mary Michael Kelley, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama. “It took a great deal of planning and consideration, but ultimately, they made the decision in order to more centrally locate the organization for the population of the state.”

The Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals with Epilepsy and seizure disorders through client support, outreach, advocacy, and programs. Programs include Camp Evoked Potential, a camp for kids ages 6-18 with Epilepsy, held one week each summer; Studio E Art Program, an eight-week art therapy program for individuals with Epilepsy; and various support groups throughout the state. A national hotline is also available for families 24/7, including a Spanish hotline. “Ultimately, it’s about addressing the major needs of our clients – medication accessibility, transportation, access to care, and fighting misconceptions and discrimination,” explained Kelley

Opportunity for Local Involvement. While the organizational history is vast, it’s presence in Birmingham is quite new. “We are working diligently to get out the word to individuals and their families that we’re here,” said Kelley. “Our hope is that the more they see and hear from us, the likelier that they’ll want to step up and get involved.” The Foundation will host The Walk to End Epilepsy at Railroad Park November 3. Details and registration can be found at www.WalkToEndEpilepsy.org/Birmingham. To learn more about the Foundation and how you can be involved visit www.epilepsy.com/Alabama.You can also find the Alabama chapter on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Just search Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama. †

October 23, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Youth News

Trail Life Troop AL-0254 out of Vestavia Hills launches fundraiser to feed 10,000 hungry people here in Birmingham and in Haiti.

Trail Life Troop AL-0254 in Vestavia Hills will gather November 3, 2018 to pack, seal, and box 10,000 nutritious and easy-to-prepare meals they will distribute to the hungry, locally and in Haiti. It is part of a fundraiser meant to help the troop of kindergarten through fifth graders and those who need it most. “In Trail Life, we tie everything we do back to Scripture, and that includes fundraising,” said Brad Barnett, who serves as the troop’s Ranger. “The question we asked wasn’t, ‘How can we raise money?’ It was, ‘How can we raise money and be the hands and feet of Jesus?’ So, instead of selling junk food, we’re following Jesus’ command to feed the hungry.”

Members of the troop, called Trailmen, are asking their friends and family for donations. They hope to raise enough money to maintain the troop, purchase equipment, and offer need-based scholarships. Individuals can donate by texting “Briarwood” to 71777.

Trail Life USA is a Christian outdoor adventure, leadership, and character development ministry for boys aged 5-18 with more than 38,000 members in more than 750 troops in 48 states. Troop 254 was founded in 1961 and has been affiliated with Trail Life since 2014. Learn more on the troop’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/TLAL254.

October 29, 2018October 23, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Special Feature

Brought to you by: Community Partner Tom Douglass, TomDouglassRealtor.com

Honoring Alabama Veterans, World War I. In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I (WWI), we recognize some of the Alabama Veterans who served us during WWI. Details of their service are a part of the Register of Honor at the Veterans Shrine at The American Village. “These veterans are representative of the hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who have risked it all for the sake of our country and its freedom,” said American Village founder and CEO Tom Walker. “To all veterans we owe a debt we can never fully repay.”

Marine Private Claude Talmage Abbott of Cullman; killed in action at the Battle of Belleau in France June 11, 1918; posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre with gilt star by the government of France.

Army First Lieutenant Roland Lee Adams of Auburn; died in 1918 on the front line in France; received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.

Army Private Hugh Bagley of Talladega County; died on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, of methane gas that penetrated his gas mask.

Army Private First Class Charlie M. Bonnell of La Pine; an orphan who died of wounds while serving in France in 1919.

Army Private Marion Andrew Brackin of Hedley; member of Co. L, 149^thand Co. H 163^rdInfantry.

Army Corporal Edgar Hubbard Freeman of Montevallo; member of the 187^thU.S. Infantry, the Rainbow Division; survived being shot in the back by a German sniper.

Army Sergeant Merida M. Gilbert of Oak Grove; died in the great influenza pandemic of 1919 after serving four years in Panama.

Navy Fireman Third Class Henry Curtis Godwin of Ozark; died February 19, 1918 of pneumonia at the Naval hospital in Norfolk.

Army Corporal James C. Hendrick of Montevallo; killed in action July 26, 1918.

Navy Seaman Osmond Kelley Ingram of Pratt City; killed on Oct. 15. 1917 aboard the U.S.S. Cassin when it came under submarine attack; posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and Purple Heart for bravery in saving his crew at the loss of his own life.

Navy Commander Samuel E. Johnson of Clanton; served in WWI and WWII.

Army Corporal William C. Jones of Six Mile; served in Battery E, 117^thField Artillery in WWI. His three children also served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Navy Seaman Forman Austin Maze of Odenville; killed along with 305 other crewmen aboard the U.S.S. Cyclops on March 4, 1918 during a voyage to refuel British ships.

Army Corporal William Manuel McCaig of Russellville.

Navy Lieutenant John Tillman Melvin of Selma; first Naval officer killed in WWI. His ship, the U.S.S. Alcedo, was torpedoed and sank off the coast of France in 1917.

Marine Corporal Gordon M. Mercer of Demopolis; killed in action at the Battle of Belleau in France June 6, 1918.

Army Captain Harry G. Mouat of Birmingham; served in the 341^stInfantry stateside and the 36^thDivision in France; continued in the Army Reserve over 20 years.

Navy Seaman Joseph Mott Reynolds of Birmingham; served a year before being called home following his father’s death.

Army Private First Class James Joel Riley of Guin; died of disease November 7, 1918, while traveling to the front lines in France.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Ezra Hennigan Sessamen of Birmingham; served on a submarine chaser between Miami, Key West and the Bahamas during WWI.

Army Private Horace “Happy” Usry of Ohatchee.

Army Sergeant Ernest F. Walker of Fayette; sailed for France on June 10, 1918; assigned to the casualty division and reported the dead and wounded of the Battle of Bourges. His father died while he was at sea.

Army Private First Class Michael Assad Zataney, born in Syria; an optometrist in Birmingham who was mortally wounded on November 11, 1918 – just 13 hours before the signing of the armistice that ended WWI.

Help us honor, recognize, respect and remember our country’s veterans. Visit www.veteransregisterofhonor.com today and add your loved ones to the Register of Honor. †

-Brought to you by: Community Partner, Tom Douglass, Brik Realty

www.TomDouglassRealtor.com

205-999-2780, [email protected]

Member www.Convenenow.com

April 28, 2020October 23, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Best Books

Birmingham’s Patti CallahanHenry is the author of Becoming Mrs. Lewisas well as Driftwood Summerwhich appeared on the New York Timesbest seller list. The Auburn University graduate worked as a pediatric clinical nurse specialist before becoming a full-time writer. Her books are available at Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts in Alabaster. — Birmingham’s Patti Callahan Henry is the author of *Becoming Mrs. Lewis* as well as *Driftwood Summer* which appeared on the *New York Times* best seller list. The Auburn University graduate worked as a pediatric clinical nurse specialist before becoming a full-time writer. Her books are available at Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts in Alabaster.

Her name was Helen and she was brilliant. She graduated from high school at age fourteen and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University by the time she was twenty. Raised in a secular Jewish home, she was an atheist for much of her life. She won awards for her poetry and joined the American Communist Party. She married a fellow communist during WWII and had two children. After converting to Christianity in her mid-thirties, she visited England and she fell in love with Jack, a writer who greatly admired her but did not return her romantic interest. In 1953, after finding out that her husband was having an affair with her cousin and wanted a divorce, she left America and moved to England.

Three years later Helen Joy Davidman married the English writer. Everyone called him Jack, but his actual name was Clive Staples Lewis.

In her excellent new book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis (Thomas Nelson $25.99), Birmingham author Patti Callahan Henry offers a fictional account of the remarkable love story involving one of the most significant Christian writers of the last century. Joy Davidman was brilliant, passionate, and a maverick. C. S. Lewis may have been equally brilliant, but a passionate maverick he was not. Perhaps the death of his mother and the horror of the Great War compelled him to keep his passions and feelings safely locked away. But Joy held the key, and she unlocked his heart and set him free.

After I finished reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I thought about a verse in the First Epistle of John. “He who loves, knows God.” I have no doubt that loving Joy Davidman brought Lewis closer to God, for it isn’t our doctrinal acumen that opens the door to the Kingdom of God. It is love.

–Darrel Holcombe, Owner
Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts
Colonial Promenade, Alabaster Call 205-663-2370 or click here to order Becoming Mrs. Lewis. Curbside pick-up available.

October 22, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Laurie’s Blog

For almost 19 years, God has given us the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in our community- each and every month through Birmingham Christian Family magazine. When we started, we could only share the free magazine with you in print. Today, we are also able to share it with you as a free on-line subscription as well as articles posted through social media. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this month, I would like to extend a special thank you to you, a reader of Birmingham Christian Family, for your help in spreading God’s Good News.

Your words of encouragement each month through phone calls, letters, e-mail and social media remind us that we are using our talents in a way that is pleasing to God.

The time you take to share an issue or an article in Birmingham Christian Family with a friend continues to broaden our reach in the community.

Your suggestions for future articles makes our publication more meaningful to readers.

Your willingness to support our advertisers and let them know you read about their services in Birmingham Christian Family keeps us operating.

Happy Thanksgiving from Our Family to Yours!

-Laurie Stroud

Founder, The Christian Family Publication, Inc.

www.BirminghamChristian.com

Facebook:Birmingham Christian Family

Twitter symbol @cfpBirmingham

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linkedin: Birmingham Christian Family

Celebrating 18 Years of Good News!

“Look to the Lord & His Strength, Seek His face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

TELL US YOUR FAMILY FAVORITES! Would you take just a couple of minutes to tell us your Birmingham Family Favorites when it comes to where you eat, shop, play and worship? It’s a part of a brief, anonymous on-line survey students from Samford University’s Brock School of Business are helping us conduct. Simply visit www.birminghamchristian.com/survey to complete. TO SAY THANK YOU for your time, provide us with your email address and we will enter you to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Taziki’s.

NOVEMBER GIVE-AWAYS

TO SAY THANK YOU for reading and supporting the businesses that advertise with us and make spreading Good News possible each month, we have two great giveaways to share with you during the month of November.

3 Ways to Win 4 Tickets to the American Village, in Montevallo, Ala.- including the Veteran’s Shrine!

Sign up for our E-Newsletter at www.birminghamchristian.com or on our Facebook page.
Like & Follow Us on Facebook and Share the American Village Post!
Like & Follow Us on Twitter and Retweet the American Village Post!

American Village Winners announced on Facebook 11/16/18 so be sure to LIKE our page! Facebook.com/BirminghamChristianFamily.com. Offer ends 11/15/18.

2 Ways to Win a Mixed Case of Bud’s Best Cookies!

Follow Us on Instagram and Like the Bud’s Best Cookie Post!
Like & Follow Us on Facebook and Share the Bud’s Best Cookie Post!

Bud’s Best Winners announced on Facebook 11/26/18 so be sure to LIKE our page! Facebook.com/BirminghamChristianFamily.com. Offer ends 11/25/18.

October 3, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

“One Yard at a Time” fundraising event on February 8th, 2019 at the beautiful Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook. This event will feature former pro football and Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett as the keynote speaker along with Dave Bonwit, a former battalion commander in the Marine Corp and aid to President George H. W. Bush.

Contact Darryl Fuhrman 205.394.7521, [email protected] to purchase tickets.

October 2, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Are We There Yet?

The American Village is located at 3727 Highway 119 in Montevallo, Ala. just 30 minutes south of Birmingham off I-65 South at Exit 234.

Just a short ride from Birmingham, you can experience a Colonial Christmas. That’s right- have a delightful luncheon with hostess Abigail Adams. Sing familiar Christmas carols in an early American Chapel. Visit the President’s House. Share a Christmas homecoming with George and Martha Washington and attend a Colonial Christmas party. It’s all happening at the American Village in Montevallo, Ala. as a part of the Village’s annual Colonial Christmas Lunch and Tour.

Due to the popularity of this event, making reservations early is highly recommended. Two tours are offered each day, Monday through Friday, December 3-4-5-6-7. The first tour begins at 10:30 a.m. and concludes with a luncheon at noon. The second begins with a noon luncheon and is followed by a tour, ending at 2:30 p.m. Make your reservations by calling 205-665-3535 extension 1031 or emailing, [email protected]. Tickets are $30 per person, and pre-reservations are required. †

The American Village’s annual Colonial Christmas Lunch and Tour has become a Christmas tradition for families, clubs, senior groups, office staffs and church groups.

October 3, 2018October 2, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Reader Survey Samford Brock School of Business Survey Team 2 horizontal From L to R Mollie Master Alessandra Sisto Peyton Dishon Clif Eason

Tell Us Your Family Favorites!

Samford University Brock School of Business students Mollie Master, Alessandra Sisto, and Peyton Dishon under the leadership of C. Clifton Eason, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Marketing, are helping Birmingham Christian Familylearn more about our readership. Give us your insight by completing the survey, www.birminghamchristian.com/survey. — Samford University Brock School of Business students Mollie Master, Alessandra Sisto, and Peyton Dishon under the leadership of C. Clifton Eason, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Marketing, are helping *Birmingham Christian Family* learn more about our readership. Give us your insight by completing the survey, www.birminghamchristian.com/survey.

As a part of a senior-level Marketing Research course, students at Samford University’s Brock School of Business are conducting a survey on behalf of Birmingham Christian Family magazine to help us learn more about you, our readers. The research is being done under the leadership of Clifton Eason, Ph.D. “Each semester, we take on several ‘clients’ from the business community that have a research need. They have ranged from small businesses and local nonprofits to huge organizations, like Adidas, Waffle House, and the Bayern Munich soccer team in Germany,” explains Eason adding, “Through this class, we have had tremendous success producing high-value research for our friends in the business community. These ‘real world’ projects provide meaningful and practical experience for our students while generating data and insights that may otherwise be financially out-of-reach for many of our course’s clients.”

Would you take just a couple of minutes to complete the brief anonymous survey? Share with us your Birmingham Family Favorites when it comes to where you eat, shop, play and worship. Simply visit www.birminghamchristian.com/survey to complete.

To say thank you for your time, provide us with your email address and we will enter you to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Taziki’s.

Later this year we will share with you the what we have learned and use this information to help us better serve you with Good News!

-Laurie Stroud

October 1, 2018September 27, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

bigstock Buck Whitetail Deer Odocoileu 2425553

The Great Outdoors

Presented by: Mark’s Outdoors

Check out the new Scent Crusher ozone technology, available at Mark's Outdoors, Vestavia. — Check out the new Scent Crusher ozone technology, available at Mark’s Outdoors, Vestavia.

October 15, 2018 is opening day for bow hunting, which means it’s time for the final stages of getting your fields finished and stands placed. It’s also time to get your gun sighted in, and Mark’s Outdoors offers a free sight in with the purchase of two boxes of Hornady rifle ammunition. Before heading out, make a hunting checklist to ensure your first trip to the woods is safe and successful.

License. First and foremost, make sure you have a current Alabama hunting license. If you are a license exempt hunter, meaning you are over the age of 65 or under the age of 16, you will still need a Hunter Exempt License Privilege (HELP) number. Your license or HELP number can be obtained in-store at Mark’s, or online at www.outdooralabama.com. Anytime you are hunting, have your hunting license readily available.
Essentials.On Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6, 2018, Mark’s Outdoors will be hosting an in-store Deer Show with specials on the essentials for deer season. There will be sales on rifles, ammunition, bow hunting gear, scents, calls, and more! Be sure to stop by the clothing section for the layers you’ll need for any fluctuating weather conditions.
Extras. If you hunt out of a stand, shooting house, or blind, you may find yourself with some slow stretches in the wee hours of the morning or afternoon. These quiet moments spent in the great outdoors provide an excellent opportunity for reflection. It is uninterrupted time you can use to improve your personal relationship with God by reading the Bible, doing a devotional, and soaking in the beauty before you.

The Extinguisher ($19.99) is the Mark’s Outdoors Staff #1 Pick in Deer Calls.

A wide selection of deer scent attractants are available this season and at Mark’s, ranging in price from $5 to $30.

As always, if there is anything you need to get ready for the season, call or stop by to see the friendly and knowledgeable staff at Mark’s Outdoors. Happy hunting!

– Mark’s Outdoors

1400-B Montgomery Highway, Vestavia 35216

205-822- 2010, www.marksoutdoors.com

September 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Photo Fun

Trail Life Troop AL-0254/Vestavia Hills recently hosted “Take Your Son Fishing” at Oak Mountain State Park. Trailmen and guests enjoyed fishing and learning from guest speakers including fly fishing expert George McDougal, who showed the boys how to select flies and cast a fly rod.

Local Resources for Individuals with Epilepsy

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