Our kindergartners began praying for Mr. Pla ever since he went into the hospital in late October. Although they are young children, they firmly believe in the power of prayer. They prayed for improvements in his health, for the comfort of his family and that he would soon be able to return to school. Some of the children even prayed for things only a kindergartner would think of: they prayed that he would not get bitten by a scorpion in the forest and that they would point arrows for him to get away from the monsters.

Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly, with the support of other Mountain Assembly churches, again provided Christmas in October. This year it was for families in Haiti. Mountain Assembly has 30 churches and 2 children’s homes in Haiti. Since 1975, Aspinwall Church has sent help to Liberia, India, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, and Zimbabwe. On October 29, 2009 the 3,000 cubic feet container began the 2000-mile journey from Collinwood to the people of Haiti.  

Haiti shares 1/3 of an island with the Dominican Republic. In the 1700s, it was one of the wealthiest colonies in the world. They exported gold, sugar, indigo, coffee, and tobacco until their resources were exhausted. Haiti now faces soil erosion, an overwhelmed education system, a struggling economy, and extreme poverty. 

Today with so many large churches closing their doors, it is amazing that this small independent church remains open. It is not just another Christian church, it has a rich history dedicated to the principals of Spiritualism and Christianity. The Sunflower New Thought Spiritualist Association was founded in 1917 at 19001 Pawnee. The church itself was built in 1927 at 19204 Pawnee and called The Sunflower New Thought Spiritualist Association Church as a memorial to the students lost in the Collinwood Fire of 1908. The parents of Emma Baldwin were Spiritualists, who with their extended family lived on Pawnee and dedicated the land to build a Spiritualist church to honor those lost in the fire. The main directive of the church was to provide a place to promote new thought principles, religious observance, and charity.

I want to thank the man who helped me on Friday, December 4th, at the Lakeshore Shopping Center, by holding the door of a shop open, so I could free a sparrow that was trapped inside. Afterwards, I told the man that it was amazing how things sometimes happen in mysterious ways. If we had not started talking, I would not have been walking along side him for that brief period of time, and would not have seen the bird. 

Most of us receive emails from friends, strangers, and businesses asking for everything from donations to “let’s get together” or a myriad of other requests. I recently received an email from a friend of mine, Betty Wasiloff asking for my help in finding volunteers for her non-profit organization, Paint Me Happy.org. 

As the holidays approach, I find myself remembering the ones I have loved and lost. Like me, I'm sure many of you have lost someone that you love. I'd like to dedicate this poem to all of our loved ones who won't be here to enjoy the holidays with us.

In the wake of the Imperial Street horrific tragedy, we have been given a wakeup call! A call to a tremendous disconnect on so many different levels; from a breakdown of law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate reports of missing persons, to a breakdown and disconnect of family and community support systems. While many seek to assign blame in this matter, the truth is that there is enough of it to go around. To think that we are going to rid our society of the evil that exists in the world is unrealistic at best. What I believe we can do, is do the best we can to protect ourselves from it.

In the scriptures, Jesus prayed a prayer that his followers would not be removed from the world, but that they would be kept (protected) from the evil that is in the world. Also, the Apostle Paul informed the church at Ephesus, that the strength of the church would come from “what every joint supplied”.  In other words the unity in the community that allows what is best in all of us; to reach the porches of each of us; will help to strengthen and protect all of us from the underbelly of society that seeks to steal, kill and destroy us all.

The changes in the Cleveland Diocese are leaving their mark on many neighborhoods. We are fortunate that the four churches in the North Collinwood cluster will remain to serve the faithful in the community. One church, however, is undergoing  some fundamental changes.

Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly   14627 Aspinwall Ave.    (216) 268-0879   Church of God Mountain Assembly