The Roanoke Times: Focus on Faith

Worthy program in Africa by St. Luke

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:27:02 -0500

Check out this neat article in the new SWOCO section of The Roanoke Times about a vacation bible school in Southwest Roanoke County that made an impact in Africa.
Here's the link:
http://blogs.roanoke.com/swoco/2008/06/st_john_makes_a_splash_in_africa_1.html

New health care program to train community volunteers

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:57:10 -0500

Can churches become community health centers?
That’s the goal of the Community Health Promoter Program, aimed at training volunteers to offer free services such as blood pressure checks and counseling on a range of maladies from asthma to stress at churches and other neighborhood venues in the Roanoke area.
The free course, consisting of 30 hours spread over 10 weeks, is scheduled to be held on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, from Sept. 16 through Nov. 25, at the Belmont Baptist Church Health Management Center at 825 Stewart Ave., in east Roanoke.
“The idea is that volunteers working through churches and other organizations might be able to reach people who might not come into a doctor’s office or clinic,” said Donna Bollinger, the program’s coordinator. She’s also coordinator of community outreach at New Horizons Healthcare, a nonprofit agency in northwest Roanoke.
To sign up, or for more information, call Bollinger at 362-0360.

Church to offer advice on avoiding heart attacks

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:18:05 -0500

So much of what is taught in church has to do with our most heart-felt feelings, and now a church program will teach about living through a heart attack.
“Act In Time -- A Patient’s Perspective” will be presented at Trinity Ecumenical Parish on Tuesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. Phil Gray, a Franklin County resident, will share his heart attack experience in the hope of helping others to “Act In Time”.
Trinity is located on Route 122, one mile south of the Hales Ford Bridge in Moneta. For more information contact Parish Nurse Tami Akin at 540-721-4330.

July 4 is a big day for Jehovah's Witnesses

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:29:05 -0500

While July 4 is a big secular celebration with fireworks and barbecue, the day will also kick off a weekend convention for an estimated 4,600 Jehovah's Witnesses at the Roanoke Civic Center Coliseum.
It will be a three-day event and non-members of the denomination are welcome. Admission is free and no collection will be asked.
The attendees are expected to be from Roanoke and elsewhere in South Central and Southwest Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley and Eastern West Virginia.
A printed statement from the Jehovah's Witnesses public relations office in Brooklyn, N.Y., described the convention agenda as follows: The program will focus on why reliable guidance is needed today and where people can turn to for trustworthy advice in all aspects of life.

Nicaragua is an expensive mission, but worth it

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:52:59 -0500

Two Dublin teens are trying to raise money to pay for a mission trip to Nicaragua in August, and the $1,875 apiece it costs may sound like a lot. After all, they could volunteer for World Changers and go as far as Alaska for about $260.
But Caitlin Worrel and Mandy Lester say the plane ticket and other expenses are set, arranged by the Assemblies of God's Ambassadors and Missions group.
"We will work for the money," said Lester, 19, who went to Nicaragua in 2003. "It changed my life," she said of the work, which includes bringing toys and other items to children.
And the two have done their share of mission work closer to home, they say: Lester volunteers at Roanoke area homeless shelters and Worrel went to Atlanta last summer.
For more information, call Lester at 540-239-7832.

Rob Johnson on vacation

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:42:16 -0500

Dear Focus on Faith faithful,
I'll be on vacation the week of June 16-20.
Although I won't be blogging during that time, there will be print versions of Focus on Faith appearing in the Virginia section of the Roanoke Times on Saturday, June 14 and 21.
There will also be a faith-related feature on the front page of the paper on Sunday, June 15.
As always, your thoughts and comments on religion and spirituality-related local matters are encouraged.
Rob Johnson
Staff Writer
The Roanoke Times
981-3234

Downtown youth ministry's donations on upswing

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:38:17 -0500

Donations to Acts 2 Ministries in downtown Roanoke have increased significantly since a May 13 article in The Roanoke Times mentioned that the nonprofit youth outreach program's was in financial distress.

Lee Pusha, executive director, said, "The response has been tremendous." The funds include about $40,000 raised at Act 2's annual banquet, from which Pusha was expecting much less. Another $6,000 in additional donations has come in since the article appeared.

That story said Act 2's gifts had dwindled to about half the amount in the first five months of 2007.

Act 2 typically draws 60 to 80 middle and high school studentsfrom Roanoke's urban neighborhoods for activities that include games and nondenominational religion-based guidance.

The organization's major benefactor is First Baptist Church on nearby Third Street, which provides a 15,000-square-foot building it owns at 406 Luck Ave. Some funding also comes from Cave Spring Baptist Church and Church of the Holy Spirit in Southwest Roanoke County. For more information call 345-2495.

Music studio looking for a church home

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:45:19 -0500

Debra Bassett, owner of a music studio called "Purple Possibilities," which starts teaching kids below the age of two to play instruments, is losing the Southwest Roanoke space rented to it by Calvary Baptist Church.
Bassett says the church has plans for a parking lot on the property where she rents a townhouse from Calvary Baptist.
So Bassett is hoping to affiliate with another church, one that has a room, or rooms, suitable for her studio. She calls her nonprofit venture "a ministry," and says, "we're not in this to make a lot of money."
In fact, she's willing to offer "scholarships" to members of a church with which she can negotiate new space to operate--in return for consideration on the studio's rent.
Bassett can be reached at 520-1329.

How good a singer should a church choir demand?

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:41:39 -0500

The Roanoke Times will soon publish an article about talent requirements for church choir members.
Do you think anyone, even the tone deaf if it comes to that, should be allowed to sing in a church choir? After all, Psalms 98 talks about enthusiasm in worship singing, not excellence:
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a joyful noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."
Nothing there about warbling on key, but some Roanoke choir directors say they have had to either reject choral candidates or essentially hide their voice among others to avoid embarrassment for all concerned.
So you tell Focus on Faith, should talent matter for choir participants?

Roanoke officials see profit in Methodists

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:47:51 -0500

Let's welcome the Methodists and hope they spend lots of money, the Roanoke Convention and Visitors Bureau is saying.
The 2008 United Methodist Church Virginia Annual Conference is scheduled at the Roanoke Civic Center on June 15-18, and over 3,500 delegates are expected.
In a email to its members, the bureau writes, "There is strong potential for restaurants and businesses to see increased activity throughout this conference. Delegates will be on their own during dinner hours on Sunday-Tuesday, June 15-17, appproximately 5 p.m.-7p.m."
Bureau members will also receive signs welcoming the Methodists and they're urged to display them "in a prominent location."
So, 3,500 Methodists for four days and no scheduled covered-dish suppers. The bureau is right, they have to eat somewhere.

Preacher to appear at Christiansburg Barnes & Noble

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:14:43 -0500

When some pastors want to extend the reach of their ministries, they write books, often self-published.
The Rev. Harold Cox, a Pentecostal preacher from Eden, N.C., will appear to sign at the Barnes & Noble in Christiansburg on Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 3 p.m., to sign and plug his book, "Revelation for the Layman."
Cox told this blog he paid $3,500 to Tate Publishing in Oklahoma as his share of the costs to print and distribute the book. He said about 250 copies have been sold so far.
The book examines Revelation's prophesies about the end of days.

Two Roanoke churches offer discount groceries

Fri, 30 May 2008 09:32:30 -0500

Two Roanoke churches are joining the national Angel Food Ministries program to sell discounted groceries.
Sovereign Grace Community Church at 7300 Williamson Road and Temple Baptist Church, 4339 Daugherty Road in Salem, are handling sales and pickup of the food.
The program offers, for $30, an order of groceries that Angel Food Ministries said is valued at $50 to $60. The offer is made monthly, and the next deadline to order is June 16 for distribution on June 28.
For more information at Sovereign Grace call 366-1000, at Temple Baptist: 380-3567,

The Niche Liturgy of Anointing Oil in Moneta

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:50:33 -0500

The tradition of anointing with oil is often referred in the Old and New Testaments.
And it's alive and well at Trinity Ecumenical Parish in Moneta, where the practice is followed four times a year.
The next anointing service is scheduled on Sunday, June 29, at 3 p.m.
You needn't be a member or even baptized, said the Rev. Gary Scheidt.
And you won't have oil poured over year; there's just a dab on the forehead in the shape of a cross, similar to the rite of Ash Wednesday.
For more information call the church at 721-4330.

A Memorial Day prayer

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:51:07 -0500

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday, the thoughts of many readers are with our military personnel stationed around the globe.

Michael Carden of Vinton submitted a "Citizens Prayer for our troops," excerpted below. We invite your response and comment about your views about the role of faith on Memorial Day.

"Oh greatest in the highest,
I pray you'll keep our people peaceful and free.
Let them know we love them still,
and want them home again,
to love, to kiss and hug.
Let them know we understand,
and that we really care."

Should pastors preach on politics?

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:41:48 -0500

In a story on the front page of today's Roanoke Times is an article about pastors who support the U.S. military effort in the Middle East but specifically decline to say anything about it from the pulpit.

Do you think they should? After all, preachers have been political advocates from the days of the "Black Regiment," when pastors supported the colonies' revolution against King George III. Like today, there was considerable political division in America, and the red coat-supporting Tories condemned the rebellious clergy.

So during a presidential election year, when pastors linked to Barack Obama and John McCain have been controversial, the role of reverends is in the spotlight. Would you like your pastor to be more pro-active politically? Do you even know how he or she feels about Iraq, Afghanistan and other issues? Do you care? Please write this blog and share your feelings.