WH ITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY 0DECEMBER 21, 1983, PAGE 3 The Church Speaks Sponsored by the WHITBY MINISTEIAL .ASSOCIATION t I 1111111 by REV. SYLVIA DUNSTAN CHAPLAIN, WHITBY JAIL Jail is a place of waiting: - waiting for court, for a visit, for a letter, for release. Prisoners have to wait for the things most of us take for granted. Outside a jail, waîting can be exciting, anticipatory. Inside, however, to wait is to be frustrated., Through Advent the Church is waiting too: - for a message, for a promise, for the long night of angels and stars, for the moment when the eternal and the present meet. We yearn to "behold Hlim, born the King of Angels" in the midst of our daily struggle with the principalities and powers of our world. It may seem strange to compare the day to day waiting of a prisoner with the Advent waiting of the Church, and yet, the two are the saine. Through Ad- vent the Church remembers and re-enacts the waiting of the world for its Saviour. The arch-angel Gabriel toldýJoseph that the-child who was coming would save his people froin their sin. Al of us are in bondage, one way or another, waiting for some sign of hope, waiting to be released.' During the Christmnas season some prisoners will be released temporarily on a Christmas pass. They will have earned as a privilege what most of us con- sider our right - spending Christmnas with family. But they will have to return to jail. The birth of the Christ-Child offers us a different kind of release, flot just for a day or two, but forever. The prophet Isaiah sang of the expected Messiah who would be a light "to free the captives from prison and to release frorn the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Is. 42:7). This is a word of hope for us ail. We do not need to despair over the many things that captivate us. Our God becomes one of us to set us free. Being free is sometimes harder than being cap- tive. In counseiling situations I often hear iinmates express anxiety about whether they wiil be able to deal with their probleins when they go back on the street. I know that I arn more coinfortable with the familiarity of my sins than with the unknown paths' through which Jesus wilI lead me if I follow hlm in freedoin. The Word 0f Liberation which God speaks in the Christmnas birth changes us and our world. The Psalmist writes "The voice of the Lord is po werful", and s0 it 18, powerful enough to cali us into a new life which we both fear and desperately want. So weapproach Christmnas, finding out a sen- timental tale about a baby in a barn, but finding that God entered, invaded 'our reality to offer us freedom froin our bondage. Thanks be to God. Do'. fl you f.eze wai iso t yvIly FREE DRAW<4* Every week until% 4 Chrîstmas at each of Our three stores M., ... ..WIN FIFTY CONSTITUTION SILVER DOLLARS - £ *Come into one of Our stores ~,. I ' -, *Compare Our ow pruces eflili in a Iucky draw forni eNao purchase neccessary UY ONE GEl ONE FREE SALE CONTINUES THE WALLPAPER ÇENTRE 1 Oshawa 140 Simcoe St. South (Jus! Sou!h of John) 579-1655 Ajax 1313 Halwo ot (jug Worh ci Hmy.40J 1 P & t 666-071 9 Scarboro 553 Markham i<d. (bds South of Lawrence) 431-4458 If the statisticlans are correct, there should be at least 40,000 adults ln the Region of Durham who have some dif- flculty in readlng, and wrltlng. Those who gather such satisties say that one in every four adults i Canada is fun- ctionally illiterate. This can mean that a person might be unable to com- plete a job application form, read a street sign, bas less than a Grade 9 education, or feels in- competent in our print- dependent society. Ini Ont.ario alone, a milion aduits have not complete a Grade 9 education. And there are scores of Canadians who have completed elementary school and find they lack the literacy skills needed to find jobs. Since it is difficuit for thoseý with less education to function in society, the Ministry 'of Education provides Aduit Basic Literary programs. In this area, The Durham Board of Education offers an Aduit Basic Literacy (A.B.L.) program to anyone, 18 years of age and older, who is totally illiterate - defined as I aduits having a level of education of Grade 5 or less - or needs more con- fidence. Courses are offered at Central Collegiate in Oshawa, the Whitby Public Library and -in Port Perry High School. Classes are also held in Whitby for the developmentally han- dicapped. The Oshawa program includes a mathematics component, mainly for those who intend to fur- ther their education by embarking on a High School upgrading program through the Board's continuing education department, with the conceivable aim of eventually ob-' taining a secondary school graduation diploma or even a, college certificate or university degree. 0f the reported 40,000 adu.lts in -Durham who may, need some measure of educational upgrading, 120 actually participate in the Board's program each year. Despite efforts Ministry prov ides literacy programs for aduits mnade by the Board to attract students to the program through a widely circulated publicity campaign, it appears that either the people for whom the program 18 intended are unable to read the literature or they are reluctant to reveal the fact of their handicap. However, the Board is eager to help overcome this problem and has teachers in place or available for this pur- pose. The classroom procedure involves a supervising teacher and a group of dedicated volunteers. The volun- teers are "matched" with students for coin- patibility and, if possible, each volunteer tutor stays with the saine student for the duration 0f the course. It is flot unknown for volunteers to continue teaching students during the summer break at their own homes, or to provide the' same personal service for shift' workers who are molDe to attend some evenlnig classes. New teachers and volunteers are trained at special workshops, updated each year. Fin-. ding sultable resource materlal has presented problems in the past,' but this has been mainly resolved through the use Last minu PreChi SClearan Ail Live Plar ýof' Starts Friday 6 Sand ailday Saturi Burtinski te shoppers iristmas ice Sale! rits & Flowers f p.m. - 10Op.m. rday, Dec. 24183 ,y Florists Video Stati.on Holiday Specials! *Special prices on VCRs and Movies for the weekends! *Lowest prices in town on Fuji and Sony tapes'! *Special introductory price on Video Station GoId Lifetime Membership! *Happy Hour every Saturday from 6 to,7 PM ... four movies for the weekend for on ly $9.99! * uperman 111, Jaws 111, Twilîght Zone, Michael Jackson now available! --m--rn----u $10.00 OFF! Video Station GoId Lifetime Membership M.m -m mu - - I I I I I E I I I m mmmmm i FREE MOVIE SPECIAL! 3 Free Movies witt purchase of Life Membership! -----m-m-Im 1r mmmi M 'I 'I Il 'I Mi Mg Il vit $10.0.0 OFF! ieo Cassette Recorder* Weekend Rentai (Friday to Monday Noon) I mm* ~mmmm m mmmm mu * ' 'MOVIE PACKAGE SPECIAL *IMon. tolThurs. -Rent 3 I -Getl1free! mmu mmmm mmmmmm mmmi Coupons valid to January 14, 1984. 209 Dundas'St. E. (across f rom the Post Office) 666.1122 Il ~ '-El ------- I o. .- . . ,* -e of the Laubach Way to Reading series. Teachers have also found appropriate sup- plementary reading material for students with special needs. For more information regarding the A.B.L. program, please phone 576-4600 extension 204. m 1 mm WHITBY -