Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Literacy director put TLC into everything she did
Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2010, 6:44 pm
If you can read this, take a moment and thank those like Joyce Dobbins.
Joyce might not have taught you to read, but she had a hand in countless young people learning to love the written word. She left us last week at age 60, after a fight-to-the-last-second scrum with cancer, a battle she waged with courage and grace.
Joyce taught for 37 years in Moline, mostly first grade, maybe the most trying and awkward of years along the educational highway. With a soft spot for young people and a burning desire never to let a student slide through an educational crack, she had found the perfect calling.
Joyce was No-Child-Left-Behind years before it became politically fashionable.
In addition to her classroom work, Joyce guided Moline's The Literacy Connection, a one-on-one tutoring program for at-risk readers (the lower 20 percent of their class) at Moline's Washington Elementary.
For the past 20 years, more than 20 first- and second-graders partnered with a tutor from 2:40 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Faith Lutheran Church, Moline. It was something the children, tutors and parents of tutored students looked forward to.
The obvious is that guiding first graders for nearly 40 years showed patience, heart and spirit on Joyce's part. But The Literacy Connection took that love, passion and hope to another level. The Literacy Connection, with Joyce's iron will, gritty determination and some amazing tutors, made reading became a priority for many children. It opened a door many had struggled to open.
Joyce was a "pusher' and "nudger'' when it came to The Literacy Connection's success. She enlisted outside help from Faith Lutheran Church members and Moline Rotarians to serve as tutors and mentors to the students.
In conversations with the adults involved, I found they enjoyed sharing reading time with the young people as much as the students enjoyed bettering their reading skills. Joyce took great pride in making positive reading matches between students and mentors.
Since Joyce passed, my inbox has been flooded with e-mails from former students, fellow teachers, friends and parents of children who benefited from The Literacy Connection.
The notes relayed how kind Joyce was to her students, how easy she was to work with and how many lives were better because of the extra effort she gave.It is nice to have concrete evidence of what you thought about someone.
Joyce Dobbins was a treasure who will be remembered for her never-ending devotion to the many she served and the lives she affected in a positive fashion. She truly put TLC into everything she did.
Columnist John Marx can be reached at (309) 757-8388 or jmarx@qconline.com.
Joyce might not have taught you to read, but she had a hand in countless young people learning to love the written word. She left us last week at age 60, after a fight-to-the-last-second scrum with cancer, a battle she waged with courage and grace.
Joyce taught for 37 years in Moline, mostly first grade, maybe the most trying and awkward of years along the educational highway. With a soft spot for young people and a burning desire never to let a student slide through an educational crack, she had found the perfect calling.
Joyce was No-Child-Left-Behind years before it became politically fashionable.
In addition to her classroom work, Joyce guided Moline's The Literacy Connection, a one-on-one tutoring program for at-risk readers (the lower 20 percent of their class) at Moline's Washington Elementary.
For the past 20 years, more than 20 first- and second-graders partnered with a tutor from 2:40 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Faith Lutheran Church, Moline. It was something the children, tutors and parents of tutored students looked forward to.
The obvious is that guiding first graders for nearly 40 years showed patience, heart and spirit on Joyce's part. But The Literacy Connection took that love, passion and hope to another level. The Literacy Connection, with Joyce's iron will, gritty determination and some amazing tutors, made reading became a priority for many children. It opened a door many had struggled to open.
Joyce was a "pusher' and "nudger'' when it came to The Literacy Connection's success. She enlisted outside help from Faith Lutheran Church members and Moline Rotarians to serve as tutors and mentors to the students.
In conversations with the adults involved, I found they enjoyed sharing reading time with the young people as much as the students enjoyed bettering their reading skills. Joyce took great pride in making positive reading matches between students and mentors.
Since Joyce passed, my inbox has been flooded with e-mails from former students, fellow teachers, friends and parents of children who benefited from The Literacy Connection.
The notes relayed how kind Joyce was to her students, how easy she was to work with and how many lives were better because of the extra effort she gave.It is nice to have concrete evidence of what you thought about someone.
Joyce Dobbins was a treasure who will be remembered for her never-ending devotion to the many she served and the lives she affected in a positive fashion. She truly put TLC into everything she did.
Columnist John Marx can be reached at (309) 757-8388 or jmarx@qconline.com.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Spare foxholes, dig up Alpha bits instead
Posted Online: Sept. 03, 2010, 12:00 am 
Comment on this story | Print this story | Email this storyBy Leon Lagerstam, leon@qconline.com
MOLINE -- Basic Alpha bits work better than foxholes for non, new and old Christians.
Find out how by attending an Alpha Course introductory dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Faith Lutheran Church, 1611 41st St.
The Alpha Course was created in London in the late 1970s as a way to explain basic principles of the Christian faith in a relaxed, informal setting, according to materials provided by Barbara Marlin, Faith's task force/small group coordinator and parish nurse.
Weekly Alpha Course meetings will be held for 10 weeks, and include a weekend getaway to a yet-to-be-selected destination, she said.
Each night will begin with a simple meal, followed by a brief worship service, a discussion led by church pastor the Rev. Mark Gehrke, and small group discussion time, program director Margaret Moore said.
''It's for anyone and everyone,'' she said. ''It's for Christians or non-Christians. It's for members of faithor non-members. People who don't even go to church are invited. It's just a chance to get together and study what it means to be a Christian.''
Attending the opening ''Is there more to life?'' introductory dinner will give people an idea what the course is like, but doesn't lock anyone into it, Ms. Moore said.
The actual course doesn't start until Tuesday, Sept. 21, and closes Tuesday, Dec, 7, with a celebration dinner. The weekend retreat will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30.
For information, call the church office at (309) 762-2824.
About 60 people already have committed to participate, even though many have no idea what it's all about, Ms. Marlin said.
''Nobody from the church has gone through it before,'' she said. ''But from watching videos, we've seen and heard many testimonials from people who said their marriages were a bit shaky, but were strengthened after their Alpha experience.
''Many people said they were healed from their addictions,'' Ms. Marlin said. ''And some even said they were atheists before Alpha.''
Her hopes and goals for the program basically are to help people know God exists, as well as to strengthen and reinforce people who have labored in His name for so long.
No questions will be considered simple or hostile, according to Alpha materials. Questions may include such thoughts as ''Is there a God?'' ''Why am I here?'' and ''Where am I going?''
Since it began 26 years ago, more than 33,500 Alpha Courses have been held in 163 countries, including more than 5,000 now being held across the U.S.
Rev. Gehrke and Ms. Marlin earlier attended an international conference in Naperville, Ill., attended by 1,500 people from 15 countries.
''It explained the process and how to hold an Alpha Course,'' Ms. Marlin said. ''We came back with a lot of excitement, information and tools about holding it here.''
Those tools, though, do not include anecdotal foxholes, in which atheists are said to never be found.
Each night will begin with a simple meal, followed by a brief worship service, a discussion led by church pastor the Rev. Mark Gehrke, and small group discussion time, program director Margaret Moore said.
''It's for anyone and everyone,'' she said. ''It's for Christians or non-Christians. It's for members of faithor non-members. People who don't even go to church are invited. It's just a chance to get together and study what it means to be a Christian.''
Attending the opening ''Is there more to life?'' introductory dinner will give people an idea what the course is like, but doesn't lock anyone into it, Ms. Moore said.
The actual course doesn't start until Tuesday, Sept. 21, and closes Tuesday, Dec, 7, with a celebration dinner. The weekend retreat will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30.
For information, call the church office at (309) 762-2824.
About 60 people already have committed to participate, even though many have no idea what it's all about, Ms. Marlin said.
''Nobody from the church has gone through it before,'' she said. ''But from watching videos, we've seen and heard many testimonials from people who said their marriages were a bit shaky, but were strengthened after their Alpha experience.
''Many people said they were healed from their addictions,'' Ms. Marlin said. ''And some even said they were atheists before Alpha.''
Her hopes and goals for the program basically are to help people know God exists, as well as to strengthen and reinforce people who have labored in His name for so long.
No questions will be considered simple or hostile, according to Alpha materials. Questions may include such thoughts as ''Is there a God?'' ''Why am I here?'' and ''Where am I going?''
Since it began 26 years ago, more than 33,500 Alpha Courses have been held in 163 countries, including more than 5,000 now being held across the U.S.
Rev. Gehrke and Ms. Marlin earlier attended an international conference in Naperville, Ill., attended by 1,500 people from 15 countries.
''It explained the process and how to hold an Alpha Course,'' Ms. Marlin said. ''We came back with a lot of excitement, information and tools about holding it here.''
Those tools, though, do not include anecdotal foxholes, in which atheists are said to never be found.
If you go
Dates and topics of Faith Lutheran Church's Alpha Course:
Sept. 14: Introductory dinner: ''Is there more to life than this?''
Sept. 21: ''Who is Jesus?''
Sept. 28: ''Why did Jesus die?''
Oct. 5: ''How can we have faith?''
Oct. 12: ''Why and how do I pray?''
Oct. 19: ''Why and how should I read the Bible?''
Oct. 26: ''How does God guide us?''
Nov. 9: ''Does God heal today?''
Nov. 16: ''Why and how should we tell others?''
Nov. 23: ''Does God heal today?''
Nov. 30: ''What about the church?''
Oct. 29-30: ''Who is the Holy Spirit?'' ''What does the Holy Spirit do?'' ''How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?''
Dec. 7: ''How can I make the most of the rest of my life?''
Anyone can come.
Learning and laughter.
Pasta (or other great food).
Helping one another.
Ask anything.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Installation at Hope Lutheran Church, Quincy, IL
Installation at Hope Lutheran Church, Quincy, IL
On Sunday, September 12, Pr Mark will travel to Hope Lutheran Church, a new LCMC mission congregation to give the message. If you would like to go – we will leave Faith Lutheran Church’s parking lot at 11:30 a.m. sharp! The service is at 3:00 p.m. Mission starts and installations of this kind are very exciting! And more the merrier! RSVP the church office 762-2824.
BAKE SALE Lydia's leaking roof is in need of your help!
BAKE SALE Lydia's leaking roof is in need of your help! Please bake or purchase baked goods on Sunday, September 26th. Just drop off baked goods to Lori Turner call 764-4554 or bring Sunday morning. Matching Funds available through Thrivent Financial. Available all three services.
2011 Dining Books have arrived
2011 Dining Books have arrived. Every book purchased gives $10 in support of TLC. Contact Candy Smith to buy your copy today! 309-912-9013
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