Family and Faith

Christian leaders issue ‘call of conscience’

WASHINGTON — More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms. The 4,700-word document, called “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience,” sounds familiar themes from political and social debates over the health care overhaul and gay marriage battles.

Doggy decision: How to choose the perfect pooch

In the market for a dog? It pays to sniff around. We know someone who recently made a spur-of-the-moment stop at an animal shelter and walked out a few minutes later with a new dog. A dog that wasn’t housebroken. That nipped. That needed a crate (which had to be hastily purchased).

Parenting corner: We think my husband’s son wants to live with us

Q: My 13-year-old stepson has been calling my husband nonstop for the past month. We think he may want to live with us and we are thrilled. His mother remarried last year and is expecting a baby soon and we believe that may be behind the change. We would like to initiate a conversation about him coming to live with us, but we don’t want to alienate his mother — or put any undue pressure on him just in case we are wrong and that isn’t what’s behind the additional phone calls. How do we handle this? A: As a boy enters adolescence it’s not uncommon for him to gravitate toward dad. It’s just plain biology. If this were a conventional two-parent family, mom would probably rejoice as father and son bonded. If parents are divorced, what’s natural biology can be misunderstood by mom to be an attempt to alienate the child. She may not believe the child is initiating the change even when he is.

Holiday manners for everyone

One of the best ways to ensure the holidays and related festivities are smooth sailing for all those involved is to provide your children with the proper tools or examples for polite behavior. Here are some tips and techniques to transition your kids into holiday angels:

It’s a ... boy? Some mothers struggle with disappointment

LAS VEGAS — My good friend just found out she is pregnant with a boy. It is her first child, and instead of celebrating the good news, she cried during her ultrasound. That’s because she really wanted a girl.

How to help kids accept visitors with disabilities

A long-distance relative has a child with physical and mental disabilities. How do you prepare your children for their first visit over the holidays? Parent advice

Let kids learn jump-roping

CASHMERE - The Junior Jumper Program, a youth jump-rope team, will hold 10 jump-rope classes from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays beginning Dec. 4 at Vale Elementary School, 101 Pioneer Ave. The classes are open to all ages. The cost is $45 and includes snacks, a T-shirt, jump rope and a certificate of completion.

Guest speaker to address men’s breakfast, church

CASHMERE - Ray Rempt, Boeing engineer and physicist, will speak at the 8 a.m. Saturday men’s breakfast at Studebaker’s 50’s Diner, 100 Apple Annie Ave.

Christian Science church offers Thanksgiving lesson

WENATCHEE - The First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1500 S. Mission St., will conduct its Thanksgiving Christian Science Bible lesson at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the church.

Christmas Child shoe boxes can still be donated

EAST WENATCHEE - The Eastmont Baptist Church, 400 S. Kentucky Ave., is still collecting Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.

Guest speaker to fill in for recovering pastor

PESHASTIN - The Rev. Ron Yates will be guest speaker at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service at the Peshastin United Church of Christ, 8455 Main St.

Thanksgiving the focus of Sunday service

EAST WENATCHEE - Pastor Larry Derting of Grace Bible Fellowship will present a message about the “Sacrifice of Thanksgiving” at the 11 a.m. Sunday service.

Creating toys with their own two hands

WASHINGTON — What if you had no toys? What do you think you would play with? Most likely, as millions of poor children do around the world, you would end up making your own toys, at least sometimes. An organization called ChildFund International, which helps children in need around the globe, has put together a collection of toys made by some of the children it has helped. The group has been sending an exhibit of the toys to several cities across the country to show off the creativity of these children, despite living in the poorest or most difficult conditions.

We are family: Couple adopts 22 to go with their 3

ST. LOUIS — Mornings at the Ritter farm in Curryville, Mo., are like mornings at many other country homes. The smoky smell of bacon frying fills the air. Kids can be heard shuffling in sock feet across the hardwood floor. The back door bangs shut as teenage boys come in from doing their morning chores. It seems oddly calm, considering there are 24 people getting ready for their day.

Articles of faith

East Wenatchee Lutherans raising money for mental health