April 29, 2008Chuck Norris to speak at Liberty graduationChuck Norris, the martial arts action actor and star of television's "Walker, Texas Ranger," will speak at Liberty University's graduation ceremony on May 10. Norris had a key recommendation before being invited by Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty's chancellor: former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Norris was an active supporter of Huckabee's failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination. While some conservative Christians have been critical of Hollywood's values as depicted on screen, Huckabee has gone on record as an unabashed fan of action movies, despite their violence. April 28, 2008Think you've been on the job a long time?Think 50 years of preaching is a lot? No, not all at once, although it may seem that long listening to some of the more long-winded pastors--not to mention any names. Those of you who start shifting and squirming when your service gets to its 55th minute or so on Sunday morning know what I mean though. This Sunday, May 4, two Roanoke preachers celebrate 50 years each in the ministry: Rev. Lawrence Dodson, the only pastor that Windsor Hills Baptist Church has ever had, and Rev. John Fox, who came to Belmont Baptist Church in 1967 after a decade pastoring congretations in other states. Yep, that's 100 years in total. To paraphase perhaps the most common sports cliche: One service at a time. So they have logged roughly 5,200 Sundays between them, plus all those virtually uncountable other events: weddings and funerals just to mention two. April 25, 2008Second chance to celebrate EasterYou have a second chance to celebrate Easter. That's because Orthodox Christians use a different calendar. So Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 30 Huntington Boulevard kicks off its Easter weekend on Friday night, April 25 at 7 p.m. There will be a procession outside the sanctuary that re-enacts the burial of Jesus, with prayers and hymns led by Father Dean Nastos. On Saturday, April 26, Holy Trinity will hold a midnight service, "with lots of candles," said Nastos. The congregation will celebrate the break of Lenten fasting at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, with a meal of lamb and "Greek potato," he said. On Sunday, April 27, there's an 11 a.m. Easter service at Holy Trinity. April 24, 2008The prayerful person I met at the scene of troubleThis week The Roanoke Times has assigned me to report and write about tensions between American-born blacks and Somali-Bantu immigrants at a Northwest Roanoke apartment complex who have been settled there by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. As reported, there's been some rock-throwing, name-calling and threats. The rift is made worse because of poor maintenance at Maple Grove Apartments--a blighted home by almost any standard. Today I was interviewing residents about the latest developments when a woman pulled up, showed me The Roanoke Times front page, and commenced praying out loud for community healing. She came alone, casually dressed, driving a late-model car that was probably newer than any other in the parking lot. Although city code inspectors were out in force on Thursday at the complex, and police have stepped up patrols, I have seen no evidence of intervention by community groups or other churches. There was just this woman, Charlene Proctor, praying and walking about to greet the Bantus and wish them God's blessings. The Bantus are Muslim and most don't speak much English, but they seemed to welcome her. April 23, 2008Refugees seek help from churches and othersThe Catholic Church's Roanoke Refugee and Immigration Service is seeking help to relocate about 80 Africans who the organization has helped settle in a Roanoke apartment complex during the last five years. The Africans, mostly from Somalia, are currently living in an increasingly blighted complex in Northwest Roanoke. Violence in the neighborhood is increasing and the Somali Bantus are fearful for their children, many of whom attend Westside Elementary School. Beth Lutjen, the RIS director, said she would welcome help by churches, no matter what denomination, and other organizations in finding safer homes for the Bantus, who have formed a small community and would like to try to stay together. She can be reached at 342-7561. April 21, 2008Be careful about buying projection software for singingEarlier this month The Roanoke Times carried an article about the increasing popularity among churches of using video projection systems to put hymn lyrics on sanctuary screens or walls. There are potential copyright pitfalls involving such software, according to CCLI, a copyright consulting company in Portland, Ore. A copyright, the federally-registered rights to printed material, covers hymns, even if they're on software. The software seller should be able to certify that necessary clearances on the useage rights have been acquired and fees paid. And even if you don't buy software, but simply copy the lyrics on a computer yourself to project on a screen, you could still be violating federal copyright law, said Paul Herman, marketing manager fo CCLI. For fees that vary with the number of hymns covered, CCLI and other companies can act as clearing houses to gain copyright permissions enmasse so the churches don't have to contact the publisher or composer of every hymn individually. For more information on the fees and the law, check this Web site: CCLI.com/why. April 18, 2008Letters from Dad program is coming to RoanokeRoanoke fathers will be offered some training in leaving a well-written legacy of love and counsel when the growing "Letters from Dad" movement starts on Sunday, May 18, at Fellowship Community Church in Salem. The three-year-old ministry is based on the book by the same name by Greg Vaughn, an educational film producer who lives near Dallas, Texas. Vaughn has developed a workshop program in which fathers get together and practice expressing themselves in letters intended to be read after their deaths. Mike Walton, a volunteer at the church, said, "If you wonder if this is for you, ask yourself, 'Did your dad ever tell you he loved you? What would it have meant to you if he'd left behind a letter about that?" The fee is $95. For more information call the church at 387-3200. April 15, 2008Passover vacations will cost youPreparations for the traditional Passover seder feast are underway in Jewish households in Roanoke and elsewhere. Of course there's still time to save on all that work in the kitchen: go on vacation for your festivities. Resorts from Cancun to Las Vegas are offering getaway Passover vacations that include gourmet presentations of classic kosher dishes such as gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup and brisket. Rabbis are imported from New York, among other places. The week of Passover starts Sunday. The holiday celebrates the Biblical story of Exodus, in which the Israelites escape their bondage in Egypt. Passover week vacation prices range at various resorts typically range from $3,000 to $4,000, per person, double occupancy. But some prime spots are booked solid. For example, the Scottsdale Princess in Arizona, with its two golf courses, four heated pools and special Passover menus, has no vacancies for next week. April 14, 2008Forgiveness expert comments on April 16When Gregory Jones, dean of Duke University's Divinity School, visited Roanoke in March for a speaking engagement on the importance of forgiveness in today's world, he sat down for an interivew in which he fielded this question, among others: How is it possible for the family or friends of someone murdered to forgive? For example, in the case of those grieving after the mass murder at Virginia Tech in April 2007? Jones: It's perfectly ok for them not to want to do so in the short term. We need to honor peoples' grief, their anger, the devastation they feel that a loved one was unjustly killed. Continue reading "Forgiveness expert comments on April 16" » Church celebrates pastor's 35th year in the pulpitThe congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church is celebrating The Rev. Thomas A. Woods' 35th year as pastor this week. Located at 3017 Ivyland Dr. S.E., the church will hold anniversary services for Woods with guest speakers Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by a final celebration on Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m. Woods will preach Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Winners of lottery look forward to Pope's visitRena Dombrosky awakened her husband, Dan, dozing in front of the living room television, to tell him they had won the lottery. So, that night in late March, he presumed they had struck it rich. Instead of winning the Mega Millions game they sometimes play, he learned that their prize is two tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's papal Mass in Washington D.C. on Thursday. "His first reaction was that if we had won the money we could afford to go see the Pope in Rome," said Rena. The couple are members of St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church in downtown Roanoke. Continue reading "Winners of lottery look forward to Pope's visit" » |
About this blog
Focus on Faith is the Roanoke Times' blog focusing on religion and matters of faith in the region and beyond. Faith and spirituality reporter Rob Johnson will be making regular updates to the blog. And please join in! You can share your comments, stories, links and ideas here, too. .....Advertisement.....
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