The Tampa Bay Home Education Activities Team (HEAT), a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to minister to [...]]]> The Tampa Bay HEAT, a nonprofit organization which provides the opportunity for home schooled kids to play on sports teams made up of only home schooled children, is holding a fundraiser at Alderman’s Ford Park on March 24.

The Tampa Bay Home Education Activities Team (HEAT), a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to minister to the home schooled population of Tampa, is hosting a 5k fundraiser at Alderman Ford Park on March 24. The funds raised from this event will help give home schooled children the opportunity to play on sports teams, participate in races, go to camp and pay for sporting equipment.

“Our group was originally formed to organize recognized sports so homeschool kids might too be able to get athletic scholarships to college,” said Tracy Reed, the Alderman Ford event organizer. “We are providing the opportunity for home schooled students to play on competitive teams compromised entirely of home schooled kids.”

The sports that the Tampa Bay HEAT currently offers include basketball, volleyball, cross country, soccer, tennis, golf, triathlons and even fencing. The HEAT also clubs including art, drama, dance quest, photography, chess, sewing, woodworking and yearbook.

The organization also financially supports families who cannot afford to have their children involved in athletic programs, as the organization firmly believes that a healthy child is a happy child.

“It’s no secret that in recent years we have seen a problem with childhood obesity. Last year in the state of Florida alone it was reported that one out of every three kids was considered obese,” said Reed. “It is our desire to help kids be healthy and active through exercise and sports programs.”

Those interested in registering for the 5k can find the information at www.keepingkidsfit.org. The cost to enter is $20 for ages 10 and older, $15 for ages nine and under and $10 for kids interested in the one mile fun run. The deadline to register for a t-shirt is March 15 and the race will begin at 8 a.m. on March 24. 

Sponsors of the race include Publix Super Markets and GU Energy.  Tampa Bay HEAT is located at 1011 Knowles Rd. in Brandon. For more information, call 658-0559, e-mail info@tampabayheat.org or visit www.tampabayheat.org.

St. Lawrence Church Higgins Hall 5221 N. Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614

The men of Sun Coast Catholic Ministries would like to invite you to “Come Follow Me” the Annual Tampa Bay Catholic Men’s Conference on Saturday, February 18th, 2012.

The Conference will be held at Higgins Hall on the [...]]]> Suncoast Catholic Ministries is hosting it’s 2^nd  annual Catholic Men’s Conference on February 18th, 2012 at:

St. Lawrence Church
Higgins Hall
5221 N. Himes Ave,
Tampa, FL 33614

The men of Sun Coast Catholic Ministries would like to invite you to “Come Follow Me” the Annual Tampa Bay Catholic Men’s Conference on Saturday, February 18th, 2012.

The Conference will be held at Higgins Hall on the campus of St. Lawrence Catholic Church.  Please join us for food, fellowship, Mass, confession and exciting messages from two of the most popular Catholic speakers today:

Noted speaker and author Dr. Scott Hahn & SIRIUS/ XM radio host Gus Lloyd.  Reserve your seat today!

For more information and registration fees please visit  http://suncoastcatholicministries.com/

Since 2008, Bell Shoals Baptist Academy students have used creative gifts of expression to offer the community their message on what it means to them to be Christian.

      The Authors Museum, as it is called, [...]]]> The Authors Museum features Bell Shoals Baptist students using their creativity to express what it means to be Christian

Since 2008, Bell Shoals Baptist Academy students have used creative gifts of expression to offer the community their message on what it means to them to be Christian.

      The Authors Museum, as it is called, focuses on a different theme each year. This year, on Friday, February 17 all the students, from the youth in the Early Learning Center to the maturing eighth grade class will share their artistic, written and performance pieces at the Authors Museum: A Light in The Darkness.

     Museum coordinator and teacher, Tammy Perkins explained, “The event reminds people that the Word of God calls them to be a light in a dark world.”

     Not only will attendees enjoy creative performances from the students, they will also be able to participate. Families are encouraged to express their Christianity by making a family tile that will be showcased in the school’s future Writing Garden. 

     Reflection and prayer is encouraged and a room will be available for those interested. 

     “Participants will be given an opportunity to be A Light in the Darkness by donating new and slightly used shoes for the homeless,” said Perkins. “Everyone who makes a donation will be given a card representing a child of the Holocaust.”

 This idea came to Perkins from a writing class she attended, which used the same concept to share pieces to be edited.

       “I grew up in a home where creative writing was an important part of our lives. My fondest memories of my childhood are always centered around my mom and her creativity,” Perkins explained, adding, “This year’s Authors’ Museum has become more than just an opportunity for the students to perform, it has become an opportunity for them to share God’s Word. I see God touching teachers, students, and parents through this year’s theme,   “Being a light in the darkness” and I am excited to see what He is going to do on the night of the performance.”

     The event will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the school on 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. Meals, snacks and dessert will be provided. For more information contact 323- 2157 or visit www.bellshoals.com.

Christian Business Connections (CBC) will host its Brandon Prayer Breakfast on Monday, February 20 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church from 8-10 a.m. Several local businesses are sponsoring this inspirational event including Platinum sponsor- 3 [...]]]> Terry Kemple is the guest speaker at the Brandon Prayer Breakfast being held on Monday, February 20 at Bell Shoals Baptist.

Christian Business Connections (CBC) will host its Brandon Prayer Breakfast on Monday, February 20 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church from 8-10 a.m. Several local businesses are sponsoring this inspirational event including Platinum sponsor- 3 Strand Business Solutions, Silver sponors: Christian Voice, SurvTech Solutions and Renea Coker with Keller Williams.

The central philosophy of CBC is to honor God first and base business decisions on Christian values, both moral and ethical. Christian Business Connections focuses on helping each other’s businesses prosper by networking, sharing ideas and business practices. The CBC Brandon Chapter meets at Mimi’s Café in Brandon every Monday at 7:45 – 9 a.m.

Three times a year, CBC hosts the Brandon Prayer Breakfast. The purpose of the breakfast is to provide an opportunity for Christian business people to fellowship, listen to an inspirational message, pray for our community and network with other Christian business people.

This year’s guest speaker is Terry Kemple. Kemple is president and founder of Community Issues Council, a local Christian ministry that helps churches understand how certain issues affect us as Christians. He’s an active member of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon.

 Before entering into full-time Christian service in 2000, Kemple owned a successful computer consulting business and worked with clients world-wide. Kemple has also served as executive director of Christian Coalition of Florida and Florida Right to Life.

  Kemple serves on the board of LifeCare of Brandon, the Board of Faith Tampa Bay, the Board of Brandon ’86 Rotary and is a member of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

If you are a Christian-owned business or a Christian in the business world, CBC invites you to attend the prayer breakfast at Bell Shoals Baptist located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd., in Brandon. This is a great opportunity to network with fellow Christian business people while enjoying an entertaining and informative speaker and praying for our local and national leaders.

Tickets are $15 in advance through Wednesday, February 15 or $20 at the door.

For more information, visit www.ChristianBusinessConnections.com or call Donna Rayburn at 404-6991.

God works under the laws of sowing and reaping in many different areas of our lives. Many of His promises declares things like “I will IF you, etc.” It is not God’s perfect will to heal us, it is His perfect will for us not to get sick in the [...]]]> By Sherry Orcutt

God works under the laws of sowing and reaping in many different areas of our lives. Many of His promises declares things like “I will IF you, etc.” It is not God’s perfect will to heal us, it is His perfect will for us not to get sick in the first place and He has given us all the tools we need to be able to accomplish that.

3 John 1:2 (KJV) states, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” and Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge.”

In my health journey with God, I am learning that we do indeed reap what we sow in our lives and our health. If you have 80 acres of land and you plant one acre of crop, you cannot expect 80 acres of food. We do that with the wonderful body that God has given us.

 We know that we should eat more fruits and vegetables, but we love the fats, carbs and sugars too much to trade them out for boring veggies. We know we should exercise our body, but it takes time, we get sweaty and it really isn’t that much fun anyway.

We know that certain foods or habits are bad for us but we continue the Russian roulette of our health until “bang” we are diagnosed with disease and then we wonder where it came from. We are not victims; we work under the very Sowing and Reaping laws that God has established and we have violated.  Proverbs 26:2 (KJV) “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.”

With freedom of disease there also comes a degree of responsibility.  Making better, intentional good food choices – the ones that God has provided for us, is a good start. Juicing vegetables will help us get the 7-8 recommended daily amounts of veggies that our body needs. These are the building blocks of our cells and immune system.

God gave us our immune system so that we would remain in perfect working order. Choosing to eat dead, lacking of nutrients, chemical or hormone injected foods was not God’s intention for nutrition. These ‘foods’ create toxins and havoc in the body, shuts down the defense system we have and then we get sick. We need to wake up and sow into our health and wellness and upon doing that we will reap the benefits of our efforts. Taking care of our Temple is pleasing to God.

South Shore Symphony Orchestra (SSSO) celebrated a great year in 2011. It successfully made the transition to its new homes, performing at St. Anne Catholic Church and rehearsing at St. John the Divine in Ruskin [...]]]> The South Shore Symphony Orchestra will be performing a Valentines Day concert on Friday, February 10.
Photograph by Joe Reilly.

South Shore Symphony Orchestra (SSSO) celebrated a great year in 2011. It successfully made the transition to its new homes, performing at St. Anne Catholic Church and rehearsing at St. John the Divine in Ruskin along with its new Conductor Dr. Susan Bailey Robinson.
 
SSSO has become a nonprofit organization and has joined the Chamber of Commerce in both the Sun City Center and in South Shore. It has also partnered with the Ruskin Community Development Foundation and the South Shore Arts Council. 

The Orchestra has set new goals to bring music to not only the adults of the South Shore Communities but also to the youth of the area with its new youth programs that will be introduced in the coming year.

Mr. Dominick Galati, founder and president of the SSSO said, “In only its second year this organization has made great strides and the music has never sounded better. We are proud to have also been recognized by many other orchestras around Florida as one of the new, up and coming orchestras to be heard in Florida.” He also said, “The SSSO hopes with our audiences support to thrive and that they can be part of this orchestra’s success by continue this musical journey with us.” 

The orchestra has begun rehearsing for its Friday, February 10, 2012 concert. This will be the first concert of the 2012 New Year.  This Concert is called  A Celebration of Love and features Peer Gynt, Overture from Romeo and Juliet, Suite #2 from Carmen and That’s All I Ask of You from the Phantom. 

This concert will also mark the second anniversary of the SSSO.

Tickets may be purchased at following locations:  St. Anne Catholic Church office, in Ruskin, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce.

 All single tickets are $20 and $21at the door. Student Tickets are $10 (ages nine -16 )Children ages four-eight are admitted free with adult supervision.  An extra service charge of $1 per ticket will be added when purchasing with Visa or MasterCard.  For more information, call 667-7776.

Florida ranks fourth in the United States for the number of K-12 students eligible for Federal Food Assistance programs. In our own community it’s becoming increasingly difficult for parents to feed their children due to inflation, job [...]]]> Many local children go home hungry on the weekends. A new ministry in South Shore hopes to help.

Florida ranks fourth in the United States for the number of K-12 students eligible for Federal Food Assistance programs. In our own community it’s becoming increasingly difficult for parents to feed their children due to inflation, job loss and low wages.

Hillsborough County provides free breakfasts to students and students can also qualify for lunch assistance; however, many children have not food on the weekends. With this in mind, Backpacks On A Mission was born.

Backpacks On A Mission fills backpacks for  hungry children each Friday for food to eat for the weekend. On Monday, the children return the backpacks to their teachers. Volunteers pick up the backpacks and refill them for the next Friday.

Kathy McGartland, community liaison for The Good Samaritan Mission and member of South Shore United Methodist Church (SSUMC) is the backback mission coordinator.

“I had been working with Good Samaritan Mission for years. I wanted to volunteer in some way through my church, too,” said McGartland. “I loved the thought of helping children through the schools.” 

The church has been working  with Summerfield Crossing Elementary in Riverview to identify children in need with the help of the school counselor and teachers.

“It’s hard to believe that children in our community are going to bed hungry,” added McGartland.

The backpack ministry launched in mid-January and is filling backpacks for 12 children weekly. The goal is to have 25 backpacks filled weekly by the end of the school year and 50 backpacks to be filled weekly by the fall school season.

Sweetbay donates a $25 gift card quarterly to help with food purchases. The mission heavily relies on individual donations to fill the weekly backpacks. Tire Choice on Big Bend Rd., in Riverview has an ongoing food drive and food can also be dropped off at South Shore United Methodist Church located at 11525 Big Bend Rd., in Riverview.

Snacks in the backpacks include cereal, oatmeal, easy mac and cheese cups, pudding cups, cereal bars, soup, juice, shelf milk, applesauce, ravioli, peanut butter and jelly, fruit cups, fresh fruit, bread and bagels.

The ministry needs volunteers to fill the backpacks, gather food, need gift cards to grocery stores and food donations. If you are interested in helping, contact McGartland at kathygsm@aol.com.

 Many people have anxiety about going to the [...]]]> Dr. Harold Welch has been serving the Seffner community’s dental needs for over 26 years. His office is located at 807 W. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. His office has some extended hours during the week and is open on the weekends, but only for emergencies.

 Many people have anxiety about going to the dentist. According to dentalfearcentral.org, 75 percent of Americans fear a visit to the dentist.
    
  That isn’t the case for patients of Dr. Harold Welch in Seffner, he has been putting smiles on their faces for 26 years. He was the first dentist office to open in the Seffner area. He has a staff of 12 workers and several of them have been with working for him for more than 20 years. 

     “Like a physician, I can relieve people’s pain and improve their health,” Welch said.

     His office is one of a kind for the fact that it has an in-house  denture, crown and bridge lab. Welch said this is extremely important because it’s hard to explain the shades and contours of a tooth to a lab across town or across the country.

     It is much easier to have a lab tech in his office to see the patient’s teeth to get the color and shape correct.
“As a dentist, I have a lot of responsibility that I take seriously,” Welch said, “If someone calls with a tooth ache after hours or on the weekend, sometimes I see them right away.”

     His office is open later some nights during the week and he also offers certain weekend hours, but only for emergencies.

“I am not an emergency dentist, I am a family dentist that doesn’t want to see anyone suffer in pain,” Welch said, “So, I will see patients after-hours and on the weekends to help them.”

     Welch is also very active in his community. He has coached for the North Brandon Little League and at the Valrico Soccer Club. Welch’s office is located at 807 W. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in Seffner

     For more information Welch’s office or if you would like to schedule an appointment for a consultation, contact 684-2279.

 Ed and Bonnie Tekampe, owners of TnT Termite and Pest Control, know that living in Florida can be rewarding, yet sometimes pesky. One year ago they opened TnT Termite and Pest Control and they have [...]]]> Ed and Bonnie Tekampe, owners of TnT Termite and Pest Control, are celebrating their one-year anniversary of being in business.

 Ed and Bonnie Tekampe, owners of TnT Termite and Pest Control, know that living in Florida can be rewarding, yet sometimes pesky. One year ago they opened TnT Termite and Pest Control and they have grown to service the entire
Tampa Bay area. Bonnie is convinced that the key to their success is by following the Golden Rule.
    
With more than 20 years experience in the industry, the Tekampe’s create “the perfect storm” with Ed’s pest control knowledge and Bonnie’s expertise in customer service and marketing.

     The Tekampe’s moved to Valrico from Wisconsin 21 years ago. Bonnie previously worked in sales and marketing at the Osprey Observer, River Hills Country Club, Word O Mouth Referrals and Miche Bag. She has a passion for networking and a special way of connecting with people.

     Ed brings the business expertise regarding the termite and pest control services. When they decided to begin the business last year, they had the support of their friends, neighbors and church. “We’ve exceeded our expectations,” said Bonnie. “We have built our company with honesty and integrity.”

     TnT had the opportunity to help The Palms Community Church in Valrico, where the Tekampe’s are members. Pastor Daniel Stahl is happy with their services.

      “Ed and Bonnie faithfully serve their Lord and church as greeters each week. They are effective at welcoming the invited guests and great at keeping the unwanted visitors out! Our new church worships in a rented, older building and their professional care eliminates any worries related to unwanted pests,” said Stahl.

    TnT (which stand for Tekampe and Tekampe) is celebrating it’s one year anniversary in February, which is also the prime time for termite swarms in Florida.

     TnT offers free termite inspections to both residential and commercial properties. “We want to give people peace of mind,” said Bonnie.

For more information about TNT Termite and Pest Control, visit www.tnttermiteandpestcontrol.com or call 716-9196.

It’s that time of year again! When the frost has thawed and the sweet red berries that call Plant City home are at their peak and celebrated with the annual Florida Strawberry Festival, taking place this year from Thursday, March 1- Sunday, March [...]]]> Award-winning Christian artist TobyMac is scheduled to perform at the Strawberry Festival.

It’s that time of year again! When the frost has thawed and the sweet red berries that call Plant City home are at their peak and celebrated with the annual Florida Strawberry Festival, taking place this year from Thursday, March 1- Sunday, March 11.

This year’s theme for the festival is “Growing Sweet Memories,” which is apropos being that this is the 77th year that the city has reveled in the fruit.

Plant City is known as the winter capital of the world for strawberries. On its Website, the Florida Strawberry Festival touts, “more than 10,000 acres of strawberries are planted annually in the local area. This county is now one of the largest agricultural counties in the nation.”

This year, expect 80 rides and more than 400 vendors selling everything strawberry like cobbler, shortcake, chocolate covered, milkshakes, pizza, churros and more. In addition to the food and goods available for sale at the festival, one of the most popular attractions are the concerts, held every year and this year is no exception with 26 concerts being held over 11 days.

Christian artist TobyMac will be performing at the festival on Friday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. The Christian Voice will have tickets to that concert, which it will be giving away through trivia on its Website and on page 18 in this newspaper edition.

Other entertainment includes Hank Williams, Jr., Lee Greenwood, teen sensation Demi Lovato, Louise Mandrell, Vince Gill, The Charlie Daniels Band, Luke Bryan, Rodney Atkins, Easton Corbin and Reba McEntire.

In addition to food, concerts and rides, The Neighborhood Market is dedicated to  handcrafted items.

 Adult tickets are $8 with youth from ago 6-12 costing $4. Advance ticketsare available at Sweetbay Supermarkets.
This is a clean, fun, family -friendly event for all ages.

The Strawberry Festival is located at 303 N. Lemon St., in Plant City. A  map of the festival is located on the Website, along with information of all the events at www.flstrawberryfestival.com.