Dr. Pierre Crouse, right, was in Haiti demonstrating vasectomies and circumcision for local doctors when actors Sean Penn (centre in white shirt) and Charlize Theron (black hat) joined in to observe.

    A familiar face to many Drumheller residents had a brush with some Hollywood star power in the least expected place.
    Dr. Pierre Crouse, and his wife Dr. Rina Strauss at one time practiced in Drumheller. Today Dr. Crouse specializes in vasectomies and circumcisions with a practice in Calgary.
 Dr. Crouse and a colleague from Vancouver were asked to go to Haiti by Professor Jeffery Klausner, an infectious disease specialist from UCLA to help train doctors to perform circumcisions to help prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Professor Klausner was contacted by the First Lady of Haiti to look at disease prevention.
    “With circumcisions, when men get older and sexually active, it cuts way down on the incidence all kinds diseases, especially HIV and reduces the rate of penile cancers and penile infections,” said Crouse.
    From Monday, November 24 to Wednesday November 26, the team performed about 100 circumcisions to train local doctors in the surgical techniques.
    “Hopefully they can carry on and once they get comfortable the can train mo of their own surgeons,” said Crouse.
    On the Tuesday, Sean Penn and Charlize Theron arrived and observed him work. They spent close to an hour watching and learning.
    Sean Penn has become very involved in he rebuilding of Haiti following the earthquake in 2010 and he is a founder of the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. Among one of his key aims is to provide quality healthcare.
    Crouse said Theron, like himself, is South African, and she took great interest in the procedure. She has a foundation in the Eastern Cape to reduce AIDS and South African traditions surrounding circumcisions are very dangerous and often cause more harm than good, leaving young boys infected or mutilated. He said Theron is interested in taking on such a program, and he would be interested in supporting her efforts if she decided to support such a program.

Dr. Pierre Crouse and Charlize Theron pose for a quick photo.

    It was rewarding experience for Dr. Crouse.
    “Maybe in 10 or 20 years from now there might be 20 surgeons doing it on all the kids and could save hundreds or thousands of lives, but it is a little drop in a big bucket,” he said.

Carbon's United Church is closing after its service Sunday, December 7, 2014. The history of the United Church in Carbon dates back to 1902.

    It will be a bittersweet day at the United Church in Carbon this Sunday, as the congregation holds its last celebration.
    The service will be held on Sunday, December 7 at 11 a.m. followed by a potluck luncheon. Reverend Jean Udall of the Knox United Church in Three Hills said this has been coming for a while. They were operating as a two-point charge ministry.
    “It has been looked at for a great number of years, we actually closed as a congregation in June of this year and all that means is we no longer had sufficient people to be their own board,” explains Udall.
    The United Church is one of the longest standing institutions in the Village of Carbon. The earliest record of ordained ministers in the Carbon valley dates back to 1902. The Carbon Church was organized as a Presbyterian congregation of the Calgary Presbytery in 1905, and services were held in homes in Carbon.
    In 1913, the first church was erected serving Carbon, Gamble and Swalwell. By 1925 it was recorded there were 120 member families.
    During the Spanish Influenza, the Church was used as a hospital and during that time, services were prohibited.
    Over the years, it became part of different charges, at one time joining with Three Hills, while at another with Rosebud and Rockyford. In 1951, it became part of the Drumheller charge.
    In 1954, the new church was built.
    “At one time it was a thriving congregation, always very active, tremendously mission-minded. They have given to local people as well as projects in Alberta and projects around the world, tremendously generous in their mission givings,” she said.
    Without a board, she says typically they look to sell the assets. With no one breaking down the door to buy it, the small handful of families continued to worship.
 With the loss of the board, Udall explains the Knox United Church was required to seek out another partner to remain a two point charge and they partnered with Linden.
    "That meant Carbon needed to disband,” said Udall.
    “There were only four or five families, but they see it as a funeral, it is going to be a gut wrenching day,” said Udall.
    There is a bright spot however. The church was looking at donating the church to the Three Hills Arts Academy for three months, but it fell through. They then approached the Village of Carbon.
    “Council met on a Monday and said yes right away!” said Udall. “We are just so pleased they are able to take on the building.”
    The Church disbursed their remaining funds to seven volunteer institutions within the community.
    Udall said that if the Village took on the building they hoped it would be used by the community.
    “It will be up to the Village to decide what to do but certainly it is a venue if you want to have birthday parties, anniversaries or receptions, there is opportunities to bring in concerts. It is a beautiful well maintained building.”
    “It is nice to see someone take it on so it won’t be abandoned.”