Solar tour set at two churches
Two Little Rock churches are participating in the 2019 National Solar Tour today and Sunday.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 12415 Cantrell Road; and Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, will have signs indicating the locations of its solar installations, each of which received a $2,000 grant from Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light, according to Scharmel Roussel, the nonprofit’s executive director. The churches will be available both days for tourists to drive by and tour: St. Michael’s, during general daylight hours; Second Presbyterian, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The National Solar Tour is billed as “the largest grassroots renewable energy event in the nation,” and as of Wednesday was set to offer more than 800 solar open houses and nearly 80 multisite tours in 46 states, according to its website.
Second Presbyterian will also hold a blessing of the solar panels at noon on Sunday, which will include a brief outdoor ceremony with Scripture and responsive readings; and prayer led by the Rev. Lindy Vogado, the church’s associate pastor. The blessing will occur in observance of the installation at Second Presbyterian of 81 solar panels and two electric vehicle charging stations on the premises, the latter of which are the first charging stations to be installed at a church in Arkansas.
More information on the Second Presbyterian tour can be found at bit.ly/2kQdDWW; other locations on the National Solar Tour can be found at nationalsolartour.org.
Nun’s new book sets Friday release
The latest book written by Altus native and Benedictine nun Macrina Wiederkehr will be the focus of several events this month in conjunction with its release Friday.
The Flowing Grace of Now: Encountering Wisdom Through the Weeks of the Year is Wiederkehr’s first in nearly a decade, and offers weekly reflections “that reveal the spiritual teachers at work in your life,” according to a news release.
Wiederkehr, a member of the order at Fort Smith’s St. Scholastica Monastery, will sign copies of The Flowing Grace of Now at Bookish, 115 N. 10th St., Suite H-119-C in Fort Smith, from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 12, and give a brief talk.
She will lead a retreat based on the book at The Center at Trinity Junior High School Oct. 18-20; and will also sign copies at the monastery, at 1315 S. Albert Pike Ave. in Fort Smith, from 2-4 p.m. Nov. 3, with a talk at 2:45 p.m.
More information about the retreat is available at trinitycatholicjh.org/center .
500 to serve with working mission
Geyer Springs First Baptist Church will engage approximately 500 people to serve in central Arkansas on Oct. 13 through the church’s Barnabas Project, according to a news release.
The project seeks to bless the community through service projects such as painting, cleaning, minor repairs, light construction work and landscaping, and volunteers will be helping at locations including Bryant High School in Bryant, Alexander Community Center in Alexander and Breath of Life Pregnancy Center in Malvern.
“The Barnabas Project is integral to our mission as a church to be true difference makers in our community,” said Geyer Spring’s Associate Pastor, Jason Miller. “We want to come alongside those around us who need additional resources, manpower and encouragement … working together will accomplish so much more [toward] positive change in our community than each one of us trying to go [it] alone.”
The church’s Barnabas Project 2019 page can be found at gsfbc.org/barnabas.