Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

Palo-Santo-Candles

Christ Church: An Emerging Christian Community

Start the New Year with some self-care. Stephen Ministers are trained listeners who offer spiritual care through tough times because they believe that bearing one another’s burdens is a way of fulfilling their commitment to Christ. 

Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one caring ministry. Christ Church has equipped and empowered caregivers to provide high-quality, confidential, care to people who are hurting, as an expression of their faith in Christ. Stephen Ministers are laypeople trained to provide one-to-one care to people experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation or separation due to military deployment. They share a passion for bringing love and care to people during their time of need. A Stephen Minister meets with a person once a week for about an hour and their services are free.  

Location: Christ Church, 1600 Washington Valley Road at Crim Road, Martinsville. For more information and to ask for a Stephen Minister, call Rev. Susan Joseph Rack at 908 722-2080, email [email protected] or visit ChristChurchEmerging.org. See ad, page 7.

In-Print News Briefs January 2020 Churches
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

Upcoming Events Near You
Follow Us On Facebook