"Workin' at the car wash - yeah, yeah!" The lyrics of the old disco song were all about working at the car wash and had everyone's toes tapping and feet dancing. But the youth at Lighthouse Christian Center in Dexter were busy Saturday doing really working at car wash! The young people and several adult leaders from the church held a car wash at the Auto Zone in Dexter to help raise funds to go to summer camp in a few weeks in Georgia. The young folks worked hard and cars and trucks left bright and shiny and clean. For trucks and cars that have been driving in the hot dry weather lately, it was the perfect thing for a Saturday. Good job, kids! (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

On Friday, June 10, the youngsters at Small Wonders Child Development Center will be hosting a lemonade stand. But this is no ordinary stand. The youngsters are holding the lemonade sale to raise money help fight childhood cancer through the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Alexandra Scott (1996-2004), a child diagnosed with cancer, founded Alex's Lemonade Stand to raise money for pediatric cancer research in 2000. What started as a single lemonade stand in her front yard grew into a foundation that has raised millions of dollars for research.

This June 10, 11 and 12 is the 8th Annual Lemonade Days sponsored by the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Thousands of volunteers across the country will help put a “squeeze” on childhood cancer through this nationwide event.

The stand hosted by the Small Wonders kids will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Walnut Street entrance to First Baptist Church. Money raised will go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Hosting a fundraising lemonade stand was the inspired idea of ALSF founder Alexandra “Alex” Scott. True to the spirit of the phrase “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” Alex, at age four, held a lemonade stand to help find a cure for all childhood cancers, including her own. Since that time, more than 20,000 Alex’s Lemonade Stands have been held across the country!

While volunteers hold stands throughout the year (often setting them up indoors, in cold weather seasons), Lemonade Days is a time when volunteers everywhere can join forces as they hold stands simultaneously across the country.

Lemonade Days is a meaningful, nationwide event that started in Alex’s front yard and has grown to front yards across America. Most importantly, Lemonade Days raises more than $1 million for childhood cancer research, one cup at a time!

Held the weekend before Father's Day every June, this three-day event (Friday through Sunday) is open to all who want to participate by holding their own fundraising stands or events.

Dexter’s First General Baptist Church will host the Gospel music dup Heart To Heart this Sunday, June 12, at its 10:45 a.m. worship time.

Heart To Heart featuring Jerry and Sharon Mays from Branson toured nationwide for over 15 years, sharing Family and Gospel Music with folks everywhere. The duo has sung at music theaters, churches, schools, colleges, conventions, civic events, Rio Grande Valley, fairs and festivals.

Heart to Heart is the reigning National Duet & Vocal Group of the Year with the Gospel Music Assoc./IMMERSE-Nashville, Award-Winning Daywind/GMA Songwriters and are currently honored to be Top 5 Finalists for the 2011 Diamond Awards. They perform regularly at theaters in Branson, at the Night Light Beacon of Branson, Branson Radio Live at the Edwards Theater at Golden Corral and special appearances at the Little Opry at the IMAX and ICON Theaters.

Heart to Heart is known as "The Heart & Soul of Branson" and brings an energetic and powerful on-stage program of exciting gospel music sung from the heart.

Rev. Kenneth Biggs and the congregation at Dexter First General Baptist Church invite the public to join them this Sunday for an exciting time of worship with Heart To Heart. Worship time is at 10:45 a.m., and the church is located 27 East Castor Street in Dexter.

Shane and Shane at Sikeston FUMC

First UMC is bringing a big concert to Sikeston. On Aug. 27, Dove Award nominees Shane and Shane will be in concert at Miner Convention Center.

Special pre-sale will be next weekend (May 21 & 22)and you can buy tickets after each worship service at the special pre-sale price of $10. Bethany Dillon, Freely, and Dub Pierce will open for Shane and Shane.

Shane & Shane has cemented its status as one of contemporary Christian music’s most consistent, compelling, and successful artists for nearly a decade. A staple on the fickle college circuit, the acoustic guitar-wielding duo has averaged 250-300 shows per year for most of its career. Between independent recordings, six studio releases, and a combo CD/DVD live project, its tally hovers around a half-million records sold. It would easy to let these statistics overshadow the essential reason Shane & Shane has come so far in the first place. “The ministry of Shane & Shane is to just tell people about Jesus,” explains Shane Barnard with his characteristic Texan candor.

Among the most devotionally focused singer/songwriters of this generation, for Shane Barnard and Shane Everett, it all comes back to the creative source. “We always have a tendency to bring the scriptures into our songs,” Barnard explains. “It happens naturally for us. It’s not like we have a game plan, but we’ve always spent a lot of time in the Word of God. The Word of God is just so good – if you don’t mess with it – it’s hard to mess it up. I think this album, probably more than any other album we’ve done, is the Word of God set to music.”

Tickets will go on sale May 23 to the public at the regular price. Seating will be limited.

Pancake Breakfast Saturday at Dexter Methodist

The United Methodist Men at the First united Methodist Church in Dexter will hold a Pancake Breakfast this Saturday, May 14. Serving will be from 7 – 11 a.m. in Wesley Hall on the church campus.

The breakfast will include pancakes, sausage and drinks. The price of a ticket is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger.

Profits will be by the United Methodist Men for ongoing group projects. Tickets will be available at the door.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35 (NRSV)

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

By The Rev. Dr. Larry Colvin

The Thursday before Easter commonly known as Maundy Thursday (sometimes Holy Thursday), is a bitter-sweet day in the life of the church. It is both a reminder of Jesus’ offering bread and wine during his last meal with his disciples. It is also the evening he prayed alone in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested because one of his disciples had betrayed him to the authorities. Before morning, another disciple, Peter, would three times deny knowing him.

There are several conjectures as to the derivation of the term maundy but the most commonly accepted is it comes from the Latin mandatum novum meaning “new commandment.”

The Gospel of John tells us that when Jesus was with his disciples he washed their feet and following this he said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

To wash the feet of a guest in your home was a sign of hospitality but it was also a humbling task. Humbling enough, slaves were not required to do it.

Here, Jesus takes the lowest role possible in stooping to wash feet. His commandment is to love one another so much to do to others as he has done for them. Because of this, many churches include the washing of feet as a part of their celebration of Maundy Thursday.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, record that Jesus gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Passover meal. Here he instituted the Lord’s Supper when he took bread and said, “This is my body,” and he took wine and said, “This is my blood.”

Here a covenant in the forgiveness of sins is shared in the pouring out of his blood. Luke records Jesus saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19b) Because of this, congregations will gather for the sharing in communion and the remembrance of Jesus on this night.

There are two other traditions churches may choose to celebrate on this day. First is a Seder or Passover meal. It is common to conclude this meal with the sharing of communion noting the Lord’s Supper comes out of this tradition.

Some churches, following communion, may hold a service of tenebrae or shadows. As scripture is read, candles are extinguished until there is total darkness. Others may share in this observance on Good Friday the following night.

The Rev. Larry Colvin is the pastor of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dexter.