Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On November 5, 2000, the Columbus Dispatch reported that a dedication of a new section in Resurrection Cemetery gives the members of Rev. Joseph Bay's Vietnamese Catholics a place to gather. About 200 gravesites have been set aside for the congregation. Members walked in a procession to the cemetery section on Saturday, following a gong and drum. The section is marked by a monument and statue of Our Lady of Lavang. Vietnamese Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary appeared in Lavang, Vietnam in 1799 to comfort Catholics who...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 5, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that a 66 year old cross is the subject of debate between local citizens and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The cross, situated in the Mojave National Preserve, was erected in honor of WWI veterans. Today, the ACLU contends that it is a violation of the 1st amendment to allow it to remain on federal land. Many local citizens, however, say that the cross is about more than religion. In fact, it serves as a meeting place for residents for Easter sunrise services,...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On November 4, 2000, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the Nebraska office of the Christian Coalition was asked on Friday not to distribute its voting guide. Alan Jacobsen, 1st District congressional candidate and former Gov. Ben Nelson feel that their platforms were misrepresented in the guide. Mike Avery, a member of the state board of the Christian Coalition, said the misrepresentations were an attempt "to persuade people of faith to vote for Republicans." He also added that the mistakes were not intentional. The guides...

Source: Star Tribune

On November 4, 2000, the Star Tribune reported that local Latino artists will be displaying their work as part of the Days of the Dead holiday. The holiday predates the Spanish conquest of Latin America. In Minneapolis, MN, the Days of the Dead began over the weekend and will continue until December 8. Families build traditional offrendas, or altars on which they placed things their loved ones enjoyed in life. Juan Zaragoza, originally from Mexico City, remembers how his grandmother used to celebrate the holiday in his childhood. His...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On November 3, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Black Catholic Convocation would be held over the weekend for the first time in Chicago. Approximately 1,000 black Catholics from throughout the Chicago area were expected to gather to discuss ways to gain a stronger voice in the Roman Catholic Church. Participants from over 43 predominantly African-American parishes voted on recommendations to help the Archdiocese of Chicago better address their concerns. Relevant issues included the "plight of inner-city Catholic...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On November 3, 2000, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that a billboard stating "You're waiting for a sign from GOD? This is it! Ordain women" went up on Milwaukee's east side. Leaders of the group say they hope the sign will inform people that papal efforts to silence the debate have not succeeded. The 25th anniversary of the Women's Ordination Conference will be marked with a convention at the Milwaukee Hilton. The conference overlaps a "three-day national Call to Action conference or reform-minded Catholics at the...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On November 3, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch reported that the Ebenezer United Methodist Fellowship, a church that caters to native Africans in central Ohio, is known for its sense of community. Members say they can rely on each other for support during trying times. The congregation, which formed in March, is "trying to meet both the spiritual and secular needs of African immigrants," according to David Orgen, board chairman. Last summer, the congregation moved from Orgen's home to the basement of Linden United Methodist Church...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 2, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that Judge Alexander Williams III of the Los Angeles Supreme Court will preside over a case that debates 1st amendment rights. Jewish activist Irv Rubin filed suit against the city of Burbank to stop the references to Jesus Christ at Burbank's City Council meetings. Officials say "Rubin's demand is unlawful because it would force the city to censor speakers, adding that the council has no role in selecting the clerics who give the invocations." It is the Burbank Ministerial Assn....

Source: The Washington Post

On October 31, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "Texas Baptists dealt a serious blow to the Southern Baptist Convention yesterday, voting to cut off $ 5 million in funds to protest a recent fundamentalist shift in the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, by far the largest of the denomination's state groups, and officials of the Southern Baptist Convention both saw the vote as a moment of truth, a warning that dissatisfaction with the national leadership's attempts...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 31, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times published an article entitled Pastor Tries Again to Build; Residents Helped Thwart the Pastor's Previous Attempt to Build a church."

Source: Los Angeles Times

October 30, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported, "twelve years ago, the Irvine United Church of Christ opened its doors--and its arms--to a small Jewish congregation in search of a home. On Sunday, the church embraced followers of another faith--Islam--perhaps marking the first time in the United States that Christians, Jews and Muslims have worshiped under one roof. During the Sunday morning service, the Rev. Fred C. Plumer introduced his congregants to the church's newest tenants in a quest for greater understanding of what it...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On October 30, 2000, The Baltimore Sun reported that "African-Americans and African nationals living in Baltimore, Washington and Virginia gathered yesterday in the auditorium of William H. Lemmel Middle School in West Baltimore to plant a new congregation in the city: the Kalafong African Methodist Episcopal Church. Kalafong is a congregation started by an expatriate South African human rights activist-turned-minister for other Africans living far from their homelands. A couple hundred gathered yesterday, United Nations Sunday -...

Source: The New York Times

On October 28, 2000, The New York Times reported that "a week ago, former President Jimmy Carter made the unexpected announcement that he was severing his lifelong ties to the Southern Baptist Convention. He would remain active in his church in Plains, Ga., he said, but he would no longer consider himself a member of the denomination itself, which he said had become 'increasingly rigid' theologically under a conservative leadership. Mr. Carter made news nationwide, but another decision, to be made next week, could have a greater...

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

On October 27, 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article on some Christians' responses to Halloween: "To many Christians in the Bay Area, this night, when identities and inhibitions are shed and children turn into candy-crazed creatures out for a sustained sugar fix, is anything but the benignly spooky trick-or-treat ritual most relish. To them, Halloween is, well, evil. Far from being harmless, they believe, the holiday is harmful to one's faith and goes against church doctrine. They see it as a celebration of...

Source: Star Tribune

On October 27, 2000, the Star-Tribune reported that, "the Interfaith Alliance warned Thursday that conservative Christians should not use houses of worship for partisan political purposes. The Minnesota Chapter, which represents about 800 people from several faith groups, reminded people that it expects the Christian Coalition to repeat its practice of distributing a 'voters' guide' to churches on the Sunday before Election Day. It sent a warning letter to about 2,300 congregations in the state. 'Our message is simple and to the point...