St. John’s Episcopal Church to offer Healing Eucharist Service

The new vicar, Father Bill Gilmore of St John’s Episcopal Church, will begin offering a Healing Eucharist Service on the first Thursday of every month, starting Thursday, July 7, at 6:30 p m The church celebrates a Eucharist of Healing with provision for the laying on of hands and anointing

The service includes a homily and prayers for those on the parish prayer list, as well as prayers for all of those in the community The spiritual, emotional and physical healing that is available to all through the transforming power of this sacrament will enable all to add collective substance to the search for God’s grace and receive solace, strength and pardon

Join the church the first Thursday of every month for this quiet time of renewal The service will be followed by some light refreshments

St John’s Episcopal Church is located at 7771 Stringfellow Road, St James City

Island Mahjongg

In spite of being a small group for mahjongg on June 29, there was a lot of fun and laughter e m o n S t r e e t a n d F o u r t h Avenue

Top scorers were Mary Anne Harms with 125 points and Peggy Finley with 160, great scores ladies!

There will always be a warm welcome if you would like to join us

Hurricane season is here, are you prepared?

Control District Community Emergency Response Team is providing a series on disaster preparedness for islanders )

By NARCISSUS E. MAGTURO and KAREN TITOLO, CERT members

Welcome to your CERT team’s series of disaster preparedness articles

General Population shelters!

1 A shelter is a safe place to be during an evacuation But consider alternative evacuation locations before choosing to use a shelter Remember a shelter is a lifeboat and not a cruise ship.

2 Lee County operates General Population, PetFriendly and Special Needs shelters Access to electrical outlets may be limited If you require electricity for health conditions (for example, CPAP, oxygen concentrators) or require mobility support, please register for Special Needs Shelters

3 Special Needs Shelters and Pet-Friendly shelters will be covered in the next article

4 Shelters offers only the basic life-sustaining necessities The shelter may not have electricity for most of your stay It will be noisy, crowded and somewhat uncomfortable.

5 Lee County has a limited number of shelters Not all shelters will be open for every storm A list of shelters can be found in the Lee County All Hazards Guide (2022 revision), or on the EOC website at www LeeEOC com Check the website, local news and social media for a current list of openings during a storm

6 Service animals are allowed at all shelters

7 Parking is available at shelters

8 LeeTran will provide free transportation to a shelter from six locations on Pine Island and Matlacha, should evacuation orders be raised:

■ Fire Station #3, 14861 Stringfellow Road

■ Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church,

CERT Update

12175 Stringfellow Road

■ Pine Island Shopping Center, 9864 Stringfellow Road

■ Flamingo Bay, Stringfellow Road and Curlew Road

■ First Baptist Church, Oleander Street and Eighth Avenue

■ Matlacha Community Park Boat Ramp, 4577 Pine Island Road

9 If you will be using the free shelter transportation from LeeTran, storage room on the bus is limited Bring only those items you need to ensure your health and safety

10 Limited food and water will be available in the shelter.

11 To prepare for staying in a shelter, bring a threeday supply of your own food and water, medications, clothing, sleeping bags, wipes, face masks and disinfectant Cots are not provided

12 Bring other items, as well: snacks, special dietary needs, clothing, and medications Games and books for children are also recommended

13 When you arrive at a shelter, register with the staff Also be sure to check out with staff if you leave

14 While in the shelter, be considerate of others Consider volunteering to help while in the shelter If you would like to be trained to volunteer at Points of Distribution (PODs) and Shelters, Lee County EOC offers training throughout the year

REMINDER: Maintain your Emergency Supply kit by adding a few pieces each week Check and rotate nonperishable food items

Below is the summary list of actions you can take now, ahead of a storm, to be prepared Use this list as a reminder each week of actions you can take now to be better prepared

Prepare Now actions:

Know your evacuation zone Matlacha and Pine Island are Zone A

Make an Emergency Plan (Article #1)

Know your warnings and alerts (Article #2)

Register now, ahead of time, with Lee County if you have Special Needs - online at www leeEOC com or by calling Lee County Emergency Management at 239533-0622; Pre-registration is required. (Article #6)

Review important documents (Article #4)

Strengthen your home (Article #3)

Get tech ready (Article #4)

Help your neighborhood Gather supplies (Article

Vacation Bible School to begin at First Baptist Church of Pine Island

First Baptist Church of Pine Island will be having Vacation Bible School Wednesday-Friday, July 5-7, from 6:15-8:30 p m for ages kindergarten through 12th grade There is no cost or registration necessary, just arrive at 6 p m to register onsite

First Baptist Church of Pine Island is located at The Center across from Pine Island Elementary School at 5363 Avenue D , Bokeelia For more information or if you have questions, please contact Cristen Olsen at 239-283-1737