Swine Influenza A Virus Information for School and Childcare

The following was provided by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.

Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Information for School and Childcare
Settings
April 27, 2009

No cases of swine influenza (H1N1), known as swine flu, have been detected
in New Jersey as of April 26, 2009. However, this is a rapidly evolving
situation. As more information becomes available and the situation unfolds,
guidance is likely to change in the upcoming days and weeks. It is
important for people to stay informed by monitoring information provided by
the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS).

Guidance for School and Childcare Settings
At this time, New Jersey recommends that schools and childcare settings
increase education on respiratory hygiene and monitor attendees for acute
febrile respiratory illness.

Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) should all be taught and
asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of infections such
as influenza:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Wash hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Stay home if youre sick, especially with a fever.

School or childcare participants with acute febrile respiratory illness,
regardless of travel history, should be sent home according to
facilities-established procedures with instructions to stay at home until
24-48 hours after their symptoms resolve. Instructions should be given to
seek medical care with worsening of symptoms. At this time, exclusion is
not recommended for school or childcare participants who have recently
traveled to an affected area and who do not have symptoms.

Disease Reporting and Consultation

To report suspected cases of swine influenza or outbreaks of influenza like
illness, please contact the local health department in the jurisdiction in
which the school is located.

We are interested in testing individuals presenting with influenza-like
illness (fever, cough, sore throat), mild respiratory illness (nasal
congestion, rhinorrhea) with or without fever, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia,
headache, chills, fatigue, dyspnea and conjunctivitis.

Has had at least one potential exposure within 10 days of symptom onset as
listed below:
A.) History of travel to an area where swine influenza H1N1 documented in
animals and/or humans (see http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm );
OR
B.) Close contact (within 6 feet) to an ill patient who was confirmed or
suspected to have swine influenza; OR
C.) Close contact (within 6 feet) to an ill patient who has traveled to one
of the areas above; OR
D.) Recent exposure to pigs; OR
E.) Works with live influenza virus in a laboratory.

For More Information:

U.S. CDC Swine Influenza Website:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/

Infection control and treatment guidance:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/recommendations.htmhttp://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/swine-flu-2009.shtml

New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services

http://www.state.nj.us/health/

School and/or Day Care Specific Resources

All you have to do is wash your hands Podcast: This Podcast teaches
children how and when to wash their hands properly.

http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=11072

Downloadable Flu Prevention Materials for Schools/Day Cares:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/

Preventing the Spread of Influenza (the Flu) in Child Care Settings:
Guidance for Administrators, Care Providers, and Other Staff: Flu
recommendations for schools and child care providers

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/childcaresettings.htm

Protecting Against the Flu: Advice for Caregivers of Children Less Than 6
Months Old: Research has shown that children less than 5 years of age are at
high risk of serious flu-related complications.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/infantcare.htm

Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School: Fact Sheet

http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/home_work_school.htm

Ounce of Prevention: Tips and streaming video for parents and children about
the steps and benefits of effective hand washing

http://www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention/

Clean Hands Saves Lives: Keeping hands clean is one of the most important
steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

Hand washing to reduce Disease: Recommendations to Reduce Disease
Transmission from Animals in Public Settings

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5605a4.htm

BAM! Body and Mind. Teacher’s Corner: In this activity, students will
conduct an experiment on washing their hands. They will learn that “clean”
hands may not be so clean after all and the critical importance of washing
their hands as a way to prevent the spread of disease.

http://www.bam.gov/teachers/epidemiology_hand_wash.html

CDC TV – Put Your Hands Together: (Video) Scientists estimate that people
are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80%
of all infections by their hands. http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandsTogether/

Cover your Cough Posters: Stop the Spread of Germs that Make You and Others
Sick! Printable formats of “Cover Your Cough”. Posters only available as
PDF files. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm

CDC – Be a Germ Stopper: Posters and Materials: For Community and Public
Settings Like Schools and Child Care Facilities). Cover Your Cough also
available for health care settings.

http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/materials.htm

“It’s a SNAP” Toolkit Program materials to help prevent school absenteeism
activities for school administrators, teachers, students and others can do
to help stop the spread of germs in schools.
See the hand cleaning section of the “It’s a SNAP” site at
www.itsasnap.org/snap/about.asp.

Scrub Club http://www.scrubclub.org/Kids can learn about health and hygiene
and become members of the Scrub Club(tm) at www.scrubclub.org. The site
features a fun and educational animated Webisode with seven “soaper-heros”
who battle nasty villains who represent germs and bacteria. Kids learn the
six key steps to proper hand-washing through a webisode, hand-washing song,
interactive games, and activities for kids, and educational materials for
teachers are also available to download.

Calendar and Newsletters May 2009

Stay informed of events and opportunities within the NBRC community.

• Event Calendar
• The Messenger Newsletter
• The Shepherd’s Kids and Young Adult News

Note: You need an Adobe PDF reader installed to read a PDF document. If you don’t have one installed, you can download a free PDF reader at www.adobe.com.

Service 04-26-2009

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In the audio podcast of this service, the Scripture Reading starts at 19 min 45 secs:
John 20:11-18

The Sermon starts at 21 min 40 secs:
What Use is Easter?

Pastor Todd Buurstra

What if you stood in Bridgewater Commons to ask passersby about life’s purpose? Here comes a bald man with a big belly, Sir, what’s the purpose of life? Ah, I guess partying on the weekends? Here comes a harried mom lugging two shopping bags and pushing a stroller: Ma’am, what’s the purpose of life? Ah, I guess providing for my family and getting my kids through school. And lastly, one of our youth group kids who led the service last week in a Love is the Movement t-shirt, What is the purpose of life? Ah, serving God and helping others, right? Each of these purposes could be ranked from lowest to highest: Drinking, providing, and serving. How does Easter give life purpose?

Mary is sitting there in the cemetery yard with her head in her hands. Weeping as if she lost the will to live. And Jesus appears with an Easter purpose for her, though at first she can’t quite place his voice. But after he calls her name she hears her purpose

Why is Easter the key to life’s purpose? Because God raised Jesus from the dead to reign in Heaven now and forever, and from that vantage point Jesus sees life’s purpose and your purpose perfectly. Just like our t-shirt clad youth declared, God has a tailor made version of: serving God and helping others for each of us. But what and how?

First, how? It begins with that country classic, Jesus Take the Wheel… I’m not a big country music fan, but I always love the mama in jail, lover left, and dog riding shotgun in the pick-up truck stories. You may remember Carrie Underwood’s big hit where a stressed out mother slides in the snow and crashes emotionally. Using the metaphor of a car she gives Jesus the wheel of her life–the first step to life’s purpose.

I distinctly remember waking up from a nap one Sunday afternoon at 16 and immediately making one of the biggest decisions of my life. I don’t know why but in that first split second of wakefulness I gave the steering wheel of my life to Jesus. I just sat up in bed and thought, I am going to grow closer to God from now on. That was it. But from that split-second decision came purpose that I never imagined.

N. T. Wright, my reading companion for this Easter series, applies Jesus’ lordship to the church:… Now he says that what got the church in the Middle Ages off purpose is that they didn’t give Jesus the wheel. Since nature abhors a vacuum the pope, bishops and priests stepped in to declare: THE CHURCH SAYS, and in that vacuum this became the literal body and blood so by withholding it the priest controlled your access to God, and in that vacuum Mary almost outranked Jesus. Same happens today when church people argue over the color of the carpet, or the type of music in the service, or coffee cups in the pew rather than where Jesus directs: the poor, hungry and lost out there

Sometimes as individuals and churches, like Mary, we can’t recognize Jesus even if he stands right next to us. But Jesus tries to get our attention by calling our name, Mary! And after we surrender to him as Rabbi! we get the specifics of our calling.

So surrender is the how of our calling, obedience is the what. You want to know what God’s calling is in your life? Ask: what is our risen and ascended Lord doing? N. T. Wright answers this way,… Then, how has God gifted me to help that mission?

A caution here: calling apart from Jesus can be slippery. I was channel surfing a where I came upon a reality show that mentioned the word “calling.” I was intrigued so I paused on the channel. Turns out a young woman had thought she found her calling as a… are you ready for this?… stripper. I’m not sure how stripping renews our world.

So how do we participate in what God is doing in this world? We offer our daily work (our vocation, our calling) to serve Jesus and help others.

• Students learn about God’s world in a way that honors God.
• Parents parent in God’s love.
• Brick layers shelter God’s children.
• Business people make the world more prosperous.
• Lawyers try to make the world more just.
• Social workers try to make it more fair.
• Pastors try to make it more loving.
• Retirees make time for others.

But here’s the key. Plumbers need God’s spirit just as much as pastors to do their jobs. For it may be even more important to plumb for Jesus than to preach because the plumber makes more contact with non-believers. Now I know that preaching intensifies my prayer life because Sunday mornings I have the clearest sermon prayers—Help! So what if on the way to work this week you asked Jesus, Lord, help me live out my calling? Then notice how the Spirit nudges you to work, talk and behave that honor Jesus.

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Service 04-19-2009 Senior High Sunday

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In the audio podcast of this service, the Reading starts at 14 min 20 secs:
To write love on her arms

The Sermon starts at 17 min 35 secs:
Is the Love Gone?

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Audio Recordings:
Learn how you can listen to the audio files streamed over the Internet, download files to your computer or download files to your portable media player. Visit our Podcast page for complete details.

Easter Service 04-12-2009

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In the audio podcast of this service, the Scripture Reading starts at 19 min 00 secs: Mark 16:1-8

The Sermon starts at 20 min 30 secs: “Fairy Tale?  Or, Story That Changes Everything!”

Pastor Todd Buurstra

You may be nuts or naïve if…

…you’ve never questioned how a man could rise from the dead!

…you have never investigated the discrepancies in the story like:

how many women were there? Mark & Luke have 3, Matt 2, and John 1;

how many angels were there? Mark–1 man, Luke–2 men; Matt/John–2 angels

where Jesus met the disciples? Matt/Mark—Galilee; Luke—Jerusalem.

So, is the Easter story just a fairy tale? Or, is it the story that changes everything?!

For think of how Jesus and his followers have changed the world:

Jesus changed the way we tell time: BC or AD, BCE or CE.

He changed how we spend time: holy day from Sat to Sun; holidays: Easter & Christmas

He changed how we look at ourselves and others (Love your neighbor…)

And in his name his followers started: schools to learn to read the Bible ½ millennium ago; hospitals to care for the sick; human rights to guide the law, etc.

This story is either a great fairy tale or the greatest story ever told! Let’s be scientists and historians this morning to test the unbelievable claims of Jesus’ resurrection.

Think of my robe as not just the ancient clothes of priests and preachers, but as a scientist’s lab coat, for this research has changed my life. Almost 50 years ago I was born into a very dedicated church-going family. Yet 30+ years ago I had decided the Easter story might all be gobbledegook. How could it be true? So I became an agnostic. Lord, if you’re really out there show yourself to me, I prayed one last time. As my faith flickered out, I noticed my world’s skies were darkening without Truth’s light. The universe felt colder to me without a loving God. The prevailing winds blew harder-shall I believe this or that? So I had to know: was someone dreaming? Or should I give my whole life to Jesus?

So with the help of N. T. Wright and his book, Surprised by Hope, let’s look for proof either that it didn’t happen, or that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

First, theories that it didn’t happen, starting with those discrepancies in the stories about how many women, men, angels were there, and where were they supposed to meet? This is what you hear on talk shows to disprove the Bible. Quite honestly, does it matter if Mark and Luke heard of 3 women, Matthew 2 and John 1? Is it really that important if Mark and Luke heard him described as a man, but Matthew and John heard angel? And couldn’t it be true that Jesus met his followers in Galilee and Jerusalem on the same day? The discrepancies fall apart pretty quickly, but there are bigger fish to fry than these.

As in, the swoon theory. Maybe Jesus looked dead, but revived in the cool tomb and pushed the stone away? Impossible. Roman soldiers knew how to kill, and not even a healthy man could move the huge grave stone, and then fight off the guards? Not a chance

Ah, but maybe it was a case of mistaken identity. It was brother James, not Jesus. But after 40 days his followers would have told them apart. After all, they weren’t twins.

Could it have been just a spiritual resurrection? But then we’d expect them to describe Jesus like a phantomy ghost, but they saw him eat fish, and they touched his nail holes. Jesus’ body was somewhat different to go through doors, but it was still physical.

If that debunks the main fairy tale theories, what’s to prove positively that Jesus arose? Two things, mainly: the empty tomb and the reported sightings of Jesus.

The Jews would have liked to muzzle the apostles’ story that Jesus was the Messiah because he came back from the dead. All they had to do was produce the body, or the bones from the ossuary, and the whole story would have died. It didn’t so they couldn’t

Secondly, according to Paul, 500 people saw Jesus after Easter. The Jerusalem Times could have interviewed anyone to test their story. Many of the apostles were martyred for preaching the resurrection. Would they have died for what they knew was a lie?

The best historical and scientific conclusion available is that Jesus arose. But in this case scientific/historical results are like lighting a candle to see whether the sun ha[s] risen because if this is true, it’s so much bigger than our puny minds can fathom.

So we’re left with the only human ability big enough to grasp it: a faith that transcends but includes what we call history and what we call science. So now I believe that this is not a fairy tale, but the greatest story ever told! Jan Torres, long time member and grand/mother of the Betz’ writes her spiritual journey this way:

Do you believe? Watch out, in the words of an author friend of mine, it will even change the way you make your coffee! I invite you to explore the implications of this story with me, or at your local church, during this Easter season. See if Jesus doesn’t transform you!

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Service 04-05-2009

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In the audio podcast of this service, the Scripture Reading starts at 25 min 20 secs: Mark 15:1-15

The Sermon starts at 27 min 20 secs: “Leading with a wet finger”

Pastor Todd Buurstra

Pilate was clearly shaken as he huddled with his version of Karl Rove and James Carville. Now what do I do? he said as the crowd continued chanting in the courtyard: Crucify Him! Funny, replied one advisor, just a few days ago they were yelling Hosanna! Pilate was nervous because Palestine was a tinderbox. Just a little friction and occasional insurrections, like the thug Barabbas led, could become a bonfire of riots. Crucify Him! Here’s my problem, Pilate began, you and I know that this Jesus character is no threat to Caesar, but since they didn’t take the bait and chose Barabbas to be freed this Passover, what choices do I have?! Not very many. Your poll numbers are dangerously low. I think you’re going to have to sacrifice this Jesus guy for the unity of the people. So Pilate…

If you remember Mel Gibson’s flogging scene, the Romans used a leather whip with sharpened pieces of bone/rock. It tore Jesus’ back to shreds. Few floggees remained conscious. Some lost an eye from a stray lash–39 lashes were to be one shy of death.
Shame on Pilate for caving in and using Jesus for a whipping boy! As William Barclay commented on Jesus’ silence before sentencing, The cowardice of Pilate in face of the mob was a barrier no words could pierce. Pilate was leading with a wet finger.

Do we ever cave in like Pilate? I suppose that we could ask this of many situations, but how about with the kids on retreat, we apply it to grand/parenting. Doesn’t it seem like the pendulum has swung from Father Knows Best of 50 years ago to Father Knows Less today? I think the culture has moved from a more parent-centered family to a more child-centered society. So parents feel a more pressured to parent by poll numbers. Whether its:

Those revealing V neck blouses that everyone is wearing; or,

Those late night Saturday parties that make church impossible since all my friends.

That language composed of f-words so common on MTV that every other word..

That individual grazing that make the family meal an archeological treasure;

That sedentary lifestyle plopped in front of computers for games/social

That me-oriented approach rather than a mission-oriented life.

So that when we get wore down and just give in to the pressure, the kids end up getting whipped. This Newsweek cartoon says a lot. Wishing to satisfy the kids…he flogged…

So how do we respond to the crowd’s pressure? First, I think leaders choose the crowd they want to be pressured by—Pilate’s crowd was different from Palm Sunday’s crowd. Pilate’s crowd were Barabbas supporters who, because he was an insurrection thug, would have been radically anti-Rome, whereas Palm Sunday’s crowd were Jesus supporters, hoping for the Messiah. What crowd do you want to be pressured by-maturing kids or mature adults? Do you talk to anyone about the struggle? Support group, anybody?

And yet sometimes everyone has to face an opposing crowd, so what do you do? I try to pray out a clear stance, and stick firmly to it. Normally I don’t have a problem fin-ding a place where I believe God wants me to stand, my weakness is staying there. Be that in church leadership or parenting, staying firm can be tough. But in my best moments, I sort of put my helmet on and say, I’m going to feel beat up about this one, but here goes…

because I’d rather feel whipped than have my kids get whipped by life later on. You, too?
So this morning, let Communion symbolize for you how Jesus led the interference to go against the flow of the crowd. It got him flogged, but by his stripes we are healed.

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Audio Recordings:
Learn how you can listen to the audio files streamed over the Internet, download files to your computer or download files to your portable media player. Visit our Podcast page for complete details.

Calendar and Newsletters April 2009

Stay informed of events and opportunities within the NBRC community.

• Event Calendar
• The Messenger Newsletter
• The Shepherd’s Kids and Young Adult News

Note: You need an Adobe PDF reader installed to read a PDF document. If you don’t have one installed, you can download a free PDF reader at www.adobe.com.