heal from this trauma and move the congregation forward in its mission.”
9 in 10: There is a God
Americans’ belief in God has remained steady throughout the 60-plus years that Gallup has asked the question. Its latest poll showed that 92 percent of Americans said they believe in God. The survey also revealed that 12 per- cent believe in a “universal spirit or higher power instead of God” when given that option. The age group least likely to profess a belief is 18- to 29-year-olds, of whom 16 percent claimed no such belief.
Seizing a good idea St. John Lutheran Church, Williston, Ohio, was inspired by The Lutheran’s “Two months out” column in March that featured making corsages from mosquito nets for Mother’s Day, with proceeds going to the ELCA Malaria Campaign (
www.elca.org/malaria). Its board of Christian community life raised $1,000 by doing the same thing in May. On Father’s Day, they made paper barns with a note inside the door that said a donation had been given in the father’s name to the ELCA’s God’s Global Barnyard (www.elca. org/hunger/barnyard). The barns brought in even more money, includ- ing an additional $300 from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Seniors & HIV awareness It’s not just youth who need to be concerned about HIV/AIDS. The Lutheran AIDS Network now has an HIV/AIDS curriculum for older adults titled “Brokenness to Whole- ness: The Silver Edition.” Accord- ing to Adult Lutherans Organized for Action (formerly known as Asso- ciation of Lutheran Older Adults), in 2008 people 50 years or older made up 31 percent of people living with HIV and 17 percent of new HIV cases. Download the curriculum for
Where children play Children in Everett, Wash., won’t have “nature-deficit” (see page 42) thanks
ANNE REINISCH/TRINITY LUTHERAN COLLEGE
to a rooftop garden on the garage at Trinity Lutheran College (formerly the Issaquah, Wash.-based Lutheran Bible Institute). The garden took root thanks to a $6,000 grant from ELCA World Hunger and a $5,000 grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, said Trinity professor David R. Ellingson, an ELCA pastor (above). With an additional $12,000 grant from Wheat Ridge Ministries, Trinity is getting rooftop produce “into the hands of people who need food,” he said.
free at
www.lutheranaids.net, or email
info@lutheranaids.net for a limited number of printed copies.
People helping people
Members of Nativity Lutheran Church, Weeki Wachee, Fla., came together to discuss serving needs in Hernando County. The result is People Helping People, an interfaith community and governing board of Christians, Jews and Muslims. PHP serves a hot meal to 75 to 100 people each Sunday at the senior center, where volunteers have also distributed toiletries and given chair massages. It also rebuilds bikes and assists with fuel and utilities, blan- kets, mattresses, clothing and infant supplies. “In the midst of our differ- ences we have become family, relearn- ing that people who lose themselves in the service of others end up finding themselves over and over again,” said Kristen Wee, pastor of Nativity.
Brits divided on reforms Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams questioned the legitimacy of economic, criminal justice and health-care reforms proposed by Brit- ish Prime Minister David Cameron, calling them “policies for which no one voted.” He dismissed Camer- on’s proposal for nonprofits to play a
10 Quote
The reality is that you don’t all agree with each other on your politics, you don’t agree with each other on your religion, you don’t agree with each other on a lot of things. But you still serve together. And you work together. And you look out for each other. And that’s all that matters.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates, after telling a questioning Marine in June that members of the military service can’t drop out because they disagree with the pending repeal of the ban on openly gay military members. He was quoted by Reuters news service.
August 2011 9
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