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from getting to church Sunday morn- ing. Some churches had to cancel services. This year things will be dif- ferent. Daniel Brettell, pastor of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem (Fountain Hill), spear- headed an effort with other clergy to ask the mayor’s office to involve churches in the planning. Not only will there be a rolling shutdown of streets, but an ecumenical worship service will be held at Central Mora- vian Church during this year’s Oct. 18-20 event.


Hymnal stirs wrath Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) fans of “In Christ Alone” are upset about the hymn being dropped from the denom- ination’s new hymnal. The committee putting the hymnal together dropped it because the authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God. The committee wanted the original lyrics “on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied” changed to “the love of God was magnified.” Critics say the proposed change was sparked by liberals wanting to take God’s wrath out of the hymnal. The commit- tee says there’s plenty of wrath in the new worship book.


Old plow, new era in Michigan If you want to make a routine groundbreaking event into something that lands in


COLETTE KUFAHL


the denomination’s magazine, take a lesson from Trinity Lutheran Church, New Era, Mich. In July, 175 worshipers used member Gordon Anderson’s 110-year- old plow to break ground for a $1.2 million sanctuary and office/multipurpose space, replacing a 129-year-old sanctuary. Worshipers—led by Beth Eisenlohr (council president), Ty Hansen (building committee chair) and Steve Samuelson (interim pastor), pulled the plow using a long rope.


Feeding hungry challenged


Hugh Hollowell, a Mennonite pastor who leads Love Wins Ministries in Raleigh, N.C., said that in late August police threatened to arrest its members for distributing sausage biscuits to the homeless. For six years, Love Wins has passed out food on weekends near a city park. The Raleigh Police Department told an ABC-TV affiliate that a city ordinance bans food distri- bution in city parks. Hollowell said on the group’s website that it has used the sidewalk since using the park required an $800 a day permit.


‘Imagine Eleven’


In an ecumenical approach to bring- ing the gospel out of the church and into the community, Roger Lenander, pastor of First Lutheran Church, St. Joseph, Mo., organized a concert series titled “Imagine Eleven” dur-


ing his sabbatical. The series featured Christian musicians performing in a public arena and was supported by more than 20 congregations. “The Imagine Eleven series is meant to be a working example of the faith commu- nity going outside [its] walls to serve the majority of people we live with … while respecting our individual identi- ties and traditions,” he said.


Quote


Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party but has a baby who is crying while you’re trying to listen to the sermon.


Author Lillian Daniel, in an interview with Reli- gion News Service, on the importance of com- munity in religious faith.


October 2013 9


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