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Allen Road

Helping homeless people reclaim sense of dignity

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In the spiritual realm, preachers often talk about being cleansed by the healing power of Jesus.

But, members of Vine Church in Zephyrhills, also want to share their love of the Lord in a more practical, down-to-earth way.

Members of the church at 4743 Allen Road already routinely feed the homeless.

Their latest quest has been a fundraising campaign to raise money for a mobile shower unit.

The idea came while sharing food with the hungry, said Pastor Carlos Santana.

Santana said some of his “homeless brothers and sisters” told him what they would really like is a nice, hot shower.

Initially he thought a shower could be built in someone’s barn.

But, then he realized that homeless people would have a hard time getting to the shower.

So, then he thought: “Why don’t we make it mobile?”

“Through a lot of prayer, we found out that FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) uses these mobile showers every time they have a disaster.”

So, now the church is raising money to buy a mobile unit with four shower stalls.

To help things along, it is planning a movie night behind the church on Feb. 26. Donations of $10 are requested, but people are welcome if they can’t afford to pay, Santana said. And, donations exceeding $10 would be gratefully accepted, he said.

The church needs $30,000. So far, it has raised about $4,000.

Vine Church, which began about two years ago, is a nondenominational Christian church, with about 45 members, ranging in age from infants to around age 70.

“Our basic mission as a church is to love God fully and people unconditionally. That’s our mission. That’s our vision. To love people unconditionally,” Santana said.

“We started feeding the homeless. Some of them in Zephyrhills,” he said.

They also feed the hungry at Sims Park in New Port Richey.

“We go out there every Saturday, and we feed them breakfast. And then, one Saturday a month, we also do lunch,” he said.

“Now, we’re collecting clothing. So, we’re also giving clothing and toiletries,” he said.

Eventually, Santana hopes the church can buy several of the portable shower units.

“When people look at homeless people, for some reason, they look at them like they’re not people, they’re not human,” he said.

A hot shower may seem like a simple thing, Santana said. But, a hot shower, a meal and clean clothing can go along way toward helping to restore someone’s sense of dignity.

He hopes other churches follow Vine’s lead.

“I really would like for this to be something that all churches would pick up on. If we all just come together, we could make a real difference.

“It’s really God’s church. It’s one church. One body,” he said.

He said his church feels called to get out and help others in need. When they see the love of Christ in action, they will come to see that it’s true, Santana added.

“We’re not called to sit in a church and warm up pews,” Santana said.

“He (Jesus) told his disciples, ‘Get up and go.’

“That’s what we’re doing,” Santana said.

Shower fundraiser
What: A showing of ‘The War Room,’ a movie about prayer, to raise money to purchase a portable shower unit to help the homeless.
When: Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
Where: Behind Vine Church, 4743 Allen Road in Zephyrhills
How much: A donation of $10 is suggested. Less will be accepted, and more will be appreciated.
Details: Popcorn and hotdogs and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Movie-goers should bring their own chairs.

Published February 24, 2016

 

Refinery problems freeze gas prices

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The dream of gas under $3 may have to wait a little longer, at least in Florida.

Refinery outages in both Canada and Texas put a halt to the summer-long decline in gas prices, and even went as far as pushing prices up in some places, like Pensacola.

“Refinery maintenance, especially in the Gulf, is causing the tightening of supplies in some areas,” said AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco, in a release. “As a result of these refinery issues, the downward pressure eon gas prices motorists saw earlier this month has stopped.”

Several companies in the Gulf region — home to more than 40 percent of U.S. refining capacity, announced an unplanned maintenance, AAA said, which reduced gasoline output in this areas. Those outages occurred the same time as other refineries in the region are conducting seasonal maintenance.

Oil prices also are rising again, with West Texas intermediate crude rising $1.13 to $93.54 a barrel on Friday.

“Overall, motorists are still seeing value at the pump,” Carrasco said. “Gas prices are at a seven-month low, and we expect gasoline to continue trending downwards in the coming months.”

Prices in Florida held steady this week at $3.29, but was down 8 cents from a month ago, and 6 cents from a year ago.

The cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes was $3.16, and found at a few stations in the area, including the Hess on State Road 52 and U.S. 41, as well as the RaceTrac at State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard, and another RaceTrac on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, near Lake Patience Road, according to GasBuddy. The most expensive gas reported to the site was $3.29 at the Shell station on the corner of State Road 54 and State Road 56.

In Wesley Chapel, prices ranged from $3.12 at Sam’s Club near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and $3.29 at a Shell station nearby. Lutz gas was as low as $3.16 at the Chevron and Sunoco at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway, and as high as $3.39 at the Shell on North Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road.

Gas prices in Zephyrhills climbed a little bit to a low of $3.15 at the Marathon on Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road, as well as the Mobil on State Road 54 and Allen Road. The most expensive was reported at the Cumberland Farms on Gall Boulevard and State Road 39, where gas was $3.26.

The cheapest gas in Dade City was $3.13 at Clark, on U.S. 301 near Long Avenue. The most expensive there was said to be at Chevron on the corner of Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue, were prices came in at $3.24.

Gas prices still recovering from Labor Day weekend

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Gas prices are still trying to come down after the expected bump during Labor Day weekend, but that hasn’t stopped gas prices from being the lowest still since 2010 as September gets under way.

And prices could get better, especially with federal employment levels lower than expected.

“Demand typically eases going into the fall, but a high jobless report causes speculation that demand for gasoline may be even lower,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA-The Auto Club Group, in a release. “This report, combined with easing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and refineries beginning to switch from summer to winter blend fuels, all continue to place downward pressure on what is already unseasonably low gas prices.”

That trend, as Jenkins has shared before, could mean gas cheaper than $3 a gallon before the end of the year.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported last week that 142,000 new jobs were created in August, lowering the national unemployment rate slightly to 6.1 percent. While that is a positive growth in jobs, it was lower than analysts had expected.

Oil prices took a hit this past week as well, with a barrel of oil selling for $93.29 on Friday, a drop of $2.67 from the previous week. That is a seven-month low for crude.

The average gallon of gas in Florida was $3.36 on Sunday, down a penny from $3.37 a week ago, and 3 cents from a month ago. It’s 19 cents lower than what it was a year ago, however, AAA reported.

“Some markets are seeing more expensive gasoline compared to last week,” Jenkins said. “Much of that has to do with demand jumping during the Labor Day weekend, causing lower supplies and higher prices. It is possible that prices could inch up toward the middle of the month as refineries prepare to switch to the cheaper-to-produce winter blend gasoline on Sept. 15, but prices usually fall through the remainder of the year.”

The cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes on Sunday night was $3.19 at the Mobil station on State Road 52 near the Suncoast Parkway, according to GasBuddy. The Shell station at State Road 54 and State Road 56 was listed as the most expensive at $3.37.

Wesley Chapel had some cheaper gas, found once again at Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, where prices were reported at $3.17. Four locations — including a Shell station, 7-Eleven, Hess and Mobil — had gas prices at $3.37.

In Lutz, prices ranged from $3.21 at the Circle K on Van Dyke and Old Tobacco roads, to $3.39 at two Shell stations — one on Van Dyke near Lakeshore Drive, the other at North Dale Mabry Highway at Van Dyke.

Gas prices in Zephyrhills were found from $3.22 at a Mobil station on State Road 54 near Allen Road, to $3.34 at a Citgo on Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road. The cheapest gas in Dade City was $3.25 at three locations — Raceway, Marathon and Clark — while the most expensive, according to GasBuddy, was found at the Chevron station on Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue for $3.31.

 

Save green while celebrating green on St. Patrick’s Day

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St. Patrick’s Day is a time to wear green and celebrate Irish ancestry. But it’s also a religious observance for many Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox and Lutherans.

The holiday stems from the introduction of Christianity in Ireland, and March 17 is said to be the day St. Patrick died in A.D. 461. The long-running tradition of shamrocks in the holiday comes from the reported teachings of St. Patrick, who used the plant as a demonstration of the Christian Holy Trinity.

St. Patrick’s Day also comes on the tail end this year of the Jewish celebration of Purim. That weekend, which includes jokes and costumes, celebrates how King Ahasuerus’ royal vizier, Haman, was foiled in exterminating the Jews in his empire by Mordecai and adopted daughter Esther, who at the time had become queen of Persia next to Ahasuerus.

Purim has since become a day of celebration, which like St. Patrick’s Day, could include some alcohol and parties.

There are local observances of St. Patrick’s Day that might help keep some green in your wallet. The first is Pasco Kinship Care’s free family fun event at Old McMicky’s Farm in Odessa from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today. That event includes hands-on interaction with animals, pony rides, hayride, barn maze and a lakeside lunch.

The farm is located at 9612 Crescent Drive, and those seeking information can email Larry Cooper at .

Two thrift stores also will offer discounts today to shoppers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

HPH Hospice thrift stores are offering a 30 percent discount on any items with a green tag today. The sale is taking place at both their 4910 Allen Road, Zephyrhills, store, as well as their 6528 Massachusetts Ave., New Port Richey, store.

Gulfside Hospice Thrift Shoppes also will offer discounts, but for them 17 percent storewide. For a list of their store locations, visit GHPPC.org.