Photo Gallery |Unity dance team competes at state

Members of the Rockettes perform their routine at the IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals on Friday. Despite a solid performance, the Unity dance squad failed to make the cut into the top 12 teams in Class 1A and advance to Saturday's finals. This year's team includes Faith Lampe, Olivia Egelston, Lily Steffens, Desiré De Los Santos, Kourtney Russell, Ava Holladay, Lindsey Johnson, Ella Darnall and Chloe Cousins. Below are a few moments from their state preliminary round performance.

PhotoNews Media

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Guest Commentary | Why aren't churches unlocked on the coldest winter nights?

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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Numerous people have frozen to death in America this winter. They literally died from exposure to the cold.

In nearby Evansville, Indiana a homeless man was found in his routine sleeping spot after a night of frigid temperatures. He was dead. Like any of us, he could not survive trying to sleep in the sub-zero temperature.

Police reportedly told the homeless man that he needed to seek shelter or he wouldn’t survive. I do not know why he was homeless. I do not know why he wasn’t in the local homeless shelter. With any such tragic death there are always questions, speculation, and seldom not enough answers.

Possibly there wasn’t enough room in the shelter. Maybe he just ignored reason and thought he could survive.

I do know it’s easy to tell someone “you need to eat,” but maybe they don’t have any money to buy food. Or we tell a homeless person, “You need to get off the street and seek shelter.” What if he or she has no place to go? Homeless shelters have limitations and maybe some wear out their welcome.

The whole idea scares most churches.

I see a homeless person and can’t keep from thinking, "This is someone’s father or son. This is someone’s mother or daughter. This could be me or someone I know." All of us are one bad decision from being homeless. By the grace of God, I hope no one reading this column is without a place to sleep or food to eat.

I have to wonder why some churches aren’t unlocked on these frigid nights? Churches talk about ministry, caring, love, reaching out, helping others, and other religious talk. For the average church in America, it will be a cold day in hell before they ever unlock their doors and let a bunch of homeless people sleep on the pews. Of course, we can’t be too hard on our churches. Homeless people can be scary. They are very needy. They need money, food, and clothes. They need everything. They may have mental issues. They may have criminal records. Who knows?

There is always the consideration of who would monitor the church and the crowd sleeping in the church? They need access to bathrooms. They need food. The whole idea scares most churches.

The average church would rather send their money to their denominational headquarters in the big city. Many churches give up to 20% and sometimes more to the denominational state headquarters. Often the state level headquarters send a large amount on up to the national headquarters. These entities tell local churches about how much good their money is doing to help others across the state, nation and around the world.

They pat the local churches on the back. Recognize the pastor at state meetings. Print the church name on the denominational website or publication. The local church and local pastor sit back and think, “We are really special because we send all this money out of town to do such great ministry.” At the state denominational headquarters and national headquarters, the big dog people are collecting $150,000 to $250,000 a year while on the national level there are reported salary packages of over a half million dollars a year. This is of course all done in the name of the Lord and service to Christ.

Back at home, the homeless sleep on the sidewalks while the church doors are locked. Kids go to school with inadequate coats and shoes. Families in the community can’t afford to keep their utility bills paid or buy groceries. So many of these same churches send their money out of town every month while paying their own pastor a minimal income. They can’t afford to pay their custodial care or take very good care of their own staff because they are sending money down to the state office.

I hope we will wake up in this country and in our local churches. We have severe needs and opportunities to do a great service right in front of us. It’s not wrong to send money out to help others but we need to see what and who are right in front of us and do ministry at our own front door.

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Dr. Mollette was a senior minister for 39 years and served as President of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Rockets compete at state dance

Members of the Unity dance team perform during the IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals in 2023. The Rockettes finished in 18th place out of a field of 30 Class 1A teams. The squad's score of 75.24 was not enough to place them in the top 12 to advance to Saturday's finals. Here's a look below at the Friday performance.

PhotoNews Media

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Spartan dancers set to perform on Friday at state

BLOOMINGTON - Members of the SJO Dance Team perform in first-round competition during the 2023 IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals last January. Earning a score of 70.18, the team failed to advance to the second round, finishing 28th out of 30 squads in Class 1A. Saturday, SJO qualified for a return trip to Bloomington after finishing third at the Mascoutah Sectional. The team will perform at 12:59 p.m. on Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena for a spot into Saturday's championship round. Below are a few more photos from last year's state appearance.

Photos: PhotoNews Media

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SJO Athletics for the week of January 22

Spartans' Kendrick Johnson fights for position in the paint with ALAH's Colin Smith during first half action during the two teams' Toyota of Danville game. SJO host St. Thomas More in the Main Gym on Tuesday and take on Monticello in a road conference contest on Friday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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St. Joseph-Ogden Athletics this week

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SJO's Alex Vaughn wrestles LeRoy's Connor McLaughlin in a 144-pound match in December. The Spartans host Champaign Central in their final home dual of the season this Wednesday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Weather cancellations and schedule changes for Jan. 22

This page will be updated as we receive information from businesses, schools, and event organizers. If your business or organization has a change that you would like to inform the general public, email information to editor@oursentinel.com.

Refresh this page to see the latest updates. Newest updates will appear at the top of the page.

 

Unity's home game against Pontiac put on hold

Rocket senior Raegen Stringer is 6 points away from hitting the career 1000-point mark. It looks like she won't have an opportunity to reach the milestone for a few days. The game is rescheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at the Rocket Center on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/vbU3xbNoe5

— UnityGBB (@uhsgbb) January 22, 2024

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Unity Youth Wrestling Club cancels practice tonight

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Philo Public Library closed

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Tolono Public Library will not open today

The Tolono Public Library is closed today. The digital library is always available at https://tolonolibrary.org/virtual-resources.

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World Harvest closing at 2 p.m. today

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Tennis center closed on campus

This morning Atkin's Tennis Center announced the indoor courts would be closed for the day due to inclement weather. According to notification emailed today: "This includes all court time reservations (RCT and PCT) and Atkins Clinics. If you pre-registered for a clinic this evening, you will receive a refund."

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SJO Fine Arts Booster club meeting postponed

Tonight's meeting for the St. Joseph-Ogden Fine Arts boosters has been pushed back to Thursday at 6 p.m. The monthly meeting will be held in the band room and is open to anyone interested in supporting the art, music, and drama programs at SJO.

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Bright Beginnings will not be open due to icy conditions

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St. Joseph Library closed due to weather conditions

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Blend Spot in St. Joseph closed today

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Billy Bob's closed due to weather

Billy Bob's Under the Water Tower in Ogden is closed today due to weather conditions.

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Remote Learning Day for St. Joseph Middle School

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Red Barn Veterinary Service closed

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St. Joseph CCD cancels activities due to weather

All practices and events for students at St. Joseph Middle School have been cancelled. The 7th grade boys basketball regional semifinal has been reschedule for this Wednesday at Hoopeston. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m.

The 7-8th grade volleyball game against Edison Jr. High has not been rescheduled at this time.

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No practices or games at SJO

All practices and games at St. Joseph-Ogden for tonight have been cancelled. Per the athletic director, SJO's girls'basketball game at Mattoon will not be made up at a later date.

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E-Learning day at St. Joseph-Ogden High School

Due to icy conditions this morning, St. Joseph-Ogden High School will utilize an E-Learning day today. A decision on extracurricular activities and practices is expected at noon today.

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Urbana boys basketball came cancelled

Urbana's boys basketball game against the Kays of Kankakee for tonight has been cancelled.

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City of Urbana offices closed until Tuesday morning

The City of Urbana will close its regular business offices today, Monday, January 22, 2024, at noon. The business offices will open tomorrow at 10 a.m. when weather conditions are expected to improve.

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Oakwood Girls Game Cancelled

Oakwood High School's girls' basketball game scheduled tonight is cancelled. A makeup date to be announced.

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Urbana City Council meeting rescheduled

The regular meeting of the Urbana City Council scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2024, at 7 p.m. has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. The rescheduled meeting of the Urbana City Council will be held on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 7 p.m.

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Guest Commentary | The bottom line is love is greater than hate

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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Anger, resentment, jealousy and hate are terribly draining emotions. If you have any of these going on in your life then you’re going to be tired most of the time. They can be mentally exhausting.

Maybe you are free and clear of any of these. If so, you probably have a lot of good days and sleep better at night than people who constantly harbor ill will toward others.

All of these feelings are draining and don’t do anything positive for you. They don’t make life better. They don’t make you sleep or feel better. They don’t make you healthy. They end up being a heavy load to carry. Do you need that?

When you hate someone, you are not hurting that person. They are probably very unaware of your feelings. The only person you are hurting is yourself.

I won’t try to mention all the hate groups on the planet. We certainly know of too many who are at war with others. They fight and kill each other, continually. We know of hate groups in our own country. We see hate displayed on the news every day. Terrible things are done to innocent people in our country and around the world from wars, school shootings, bullying, murders, domestic abuse, and the list is long.

Corrie Ten Boom was a holocaust survivor whose family saved numerous Jewish people by hiding them in their home. She eventually became a prisoner herself and recalled being mistreated by a German soldier.

Sometime after the war the soldier was in an audience where she was speaking. He walked up to her and extending his hand asked her to forgive him. It seemed like an eternity before she could respond. She knew exactly who the man was as she recalled the horrors of the camp.

With God’s strength she said she lifted her hand and gave it to him and said, “I forgive you.” It wasn’t easy but she knew that carrying the load of hate that she had felt toward the soldier would be too great for the rest of her life.

Only you can determine who you can or can’t forgive and maybe there are those you cannot. Most people are not going to condemn you for hating someone who murdered your child or who abused you in some way. You have to determine what you can live with weighing on your mind and if the burden is worth carrying. Maybe it is, but maybe it’s not.

Jesus told his followers, by this shall all people know that you are my disciples if you love one another. He then told them that loving God was the greatest commandment and that loving their neighbors as themselves was the second greatest commandment. Another word from the Bible says love covers a multitude of sins.

The bottom line is love is greater than hate. Love feels better than hate. Who doesn’t love being in love? It’s not all about romantic love but it’s loving others, family, friends, neighbors, and people in general.

I don’t know how we will ever stop hate and realistically I guess the world will never be void of hate but it’s worth trying. You can’t change the world, but you can change your world and those with whom you routinely connect.

I wrote a song recently. You can find it about everywhere by now. It’s titled "Stop The Hate". The words are as follow:

“Stop the hate. It’s not too late,
but we can’t wait any longer to stop the hate.
Start to love. Look up higher than ourselves to God above.
Stop the hurt. It won’t work.
Stop the hate. We all bleed.
We all need help from each other to survive.
It’s past time, to stop the hate.
We all need some peace of mind,
and we know it’s way past time,
to stop the hate.
Stop the hate. Start to love.
Stop the hurt. It won’t work.
It’s past time, to stop the hate.
Stop the hate. It’s not too late,
but we can’t wait any longer to stop the hate.
It’s past time, to stop the hate.
It’s past time to stop the hate.”

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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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