Winters in south central Iowa can get pretty chilly, and I speak from firsthand experience. Here are two chilly-weather ideas from our regular correspondent in Oskaloosa.—Editor

Stewardship for Children

Chilled Glass

Making “stained glass” from crayon slivers ironed between wax paper has been a part of creating beautiful craft projects for many years. Make the process a great deal simpler by first freezing the crayons in resealable freezer bags. Just hammer the brittle crayons (in the bag) and they will be crushed to just the right size for your craft. You don’t even have to take the papers off first.

Submitted by Joan Boer, Christian Education Director, First Presbyterian Church, Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Interfaith Studies

Our congregation’s latest venture is the “God and Gumbo” series. Once a month we meet at the Oyster Bar in midtown Little Rock, and a representative of another faith gives a presentation and leads a discussion. Ground rules: Listen, don’t argue!

We’ve studied Presbyterianism and Buddhism so far. Speakers from the Friends (Quakers) and Eastern Orthodox traditions are scheduled, and we plan on hearing about Muslim and Hindu practices. We will end the series in September with a visit from Dr. Damayanthi Niles from St. Louis, who will talk about pluralism. The series has been publicized in the newspaper and many interested people from the community have been packing the restaurant’s party room.

Remember to be sensitive to the customs of your guest speakers; we invited our Jewish friends, the Lubovichers, to speak at the Oyster Bar, forgetting they cannot enter an establishment that serves shellfish!