Priest returns to lead Catholic parish
St. Agnes Catholic Church welcomed back the Very Rev. Eric M. Johnson as its priest and sacramental minister on Jan. 19. He was previously assigned to the parish at 1008 McLary Road from 2007 to 2013.
Johnson also has duties at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as the vicar for Clergy, Religious and Parish Life Coordinators in Indianapolis.
New support group for single, pregnant women
Embrace Grace, a support group for single women facing an unplanned pregnancy, will have its inaugural meeting Tuesday, Feb. 19 at Nashville Christian Church. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and childcare will be provided at the church, 160 S. Van Buren St. downtown.
Support for family members meets Sundays
Parents of Addicted Loved ones (PAL), a support group for parents and the community, meets at 4 p.m. Sundays in the fellowship hall at Parkview Church of the Nazarene, 1750 State Road 46 East. Enter by the side door.
Family members 18 years or older are welcome. The group will discuss the needs of parents and family supporting addicts, how best to support loved ones, how to educate the community and break the stigma.
For more information, contact Pamela McCoy at 812-606-4176 or [email protected].
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings scheduled
Alcoholics Anonymous has meetings most weekdays at several Brown County locations:
6:30 p.m. Tuesdays — Closed men’s discussion meetings, Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship, 602 North State Road 135
8 p.m. Tuesdays — Closed literature study, The Fieldhouse, 98 W. Washington St.
8 p.m. Wednesdays — Open discussion meetings, Sycamore Valley Community Center at the fairgrounds
9:30 a.m. Fridays — Open literature discussions, lower-level meeting room, Brown County Public Library, 205 N. Locust Lane
8 p.m. Mondays — Open discussion meetings, Sycamore Valley Community Center, 746 Memorial Drive at the fairgrounds
Open meetings are available to anyone interested in this program of recovery from alcoholism. Non-alcoholics can attend open meetings as observers.
Closed meetings are for AA members only, or for those who have a drinking problem and want to stop.
Women’s support group meets on Mondays
A women’s recovery group meets at 6:30 p.m. Mondays for about 90 minutes.
Child care is available. For more information, including the location, call Carrie at 812-320-1201.
Free vaccines given at health department
The Brown County Health Department, on the second floor of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane, is offering immunizations free of charge for uninsured adults. Adults and children who are insured also can be immunized at the health department without paying a doctor’s office visit fee; bring your insurance card with you.
Vaccines include tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, dTap, MMR, PVC13, PPSV23, varicella and others.
For more information or to make an appointment, call the health department at 812-988-2255 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Addiction recovery support offered at church
From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, New Life Community Church, 1450 State Road 135 North, hosts weekly recovery support meetings, known as Battlefield For Freedom, for people struggling with addiction. For more information, call Melissa Tatman at 812-320-9838.
BETA program offering paid work for senior citizens
BETA (Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association is now qualified to receive employment placements through the National Able Network, a service program for seniors age 55 and older.
The program is funded by the federal government. Seniors of low income can qualify to work with BETA from 18 to 40 hours per week for pay. For details, contact Jacque Denny at 812-657-2138 or [email protected].
To inquire about volunteering for BETA, contact Clara Stanley at 312-310-3617 or [email protected].
Ministry provides cancer support program
GNAW BONE — Nondenominational group Heart of Christ Ministries, 5181 State Road 46 East, offers a program called Thriving Hope Cancer Care Ministry.
Sponsored by Our Journey of Hope from the cancer treatment centers of America, the ministry provides people touched by cancer with help and spiritual counsel specific to the needs of cancer patients, caregivers or loved ones. Leaders completed a Bible-based cancer care training program.
With questions, to get involved or to receive help, call 812-371-0247. For more information, visit Heart of Christ Ministries on Facebook.
Health department providing free sharps containers
The Brown County Health Department is giving out sharps collection containers that residents can use to safely dispose of needles, syringes and lancets.
Containers may be picked up or dropped off at the Brown County Health Department, 201 Locust Lane, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. with the exception of holidays.
Once the container is full, it can be returned to the Brown County Health Department for free disposal. Anyone can get another free sharps container upon return of a sealed full one.
The health department will only collect and dispose of FDA-cleared sharps containers. Alternative sharps containers, such as laundry detergent bottles or coffee cans, will not be accepted. Sharps containers are for sharps only. No other waste is to be placed in the container.
This is not a syringe exchange program. It is “an effort to keep sharps out of our daily trash and helping to maintain Brown County as a beautiful place to work and live,” the health department reported in a press release.
For more information, call the Brown County Health Department at 812-988-2255 and ask for the nursing division.
