UTAH ROUNDTABLE ON SPIRITUALITY SEEKS RELIGIOUS COMMONALITIES

"THE WORLD IS IN A CRISIS, and the answer to that is more spirituality — not from any one religion in particular, but from a variety of faiths and better cooperation. That was one of the ideas espoused by the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable during a panel discussion on 'Interfaith Dialogue in a Time of Crisis'... at the Salt Lake City Library. 'The more we read of other faiths, the more we see the commonalities of each other,' said Jan Saeed of the Bahà'ì faith and leader of the Interfaith Roundtable group. Roger Keller, religious studies chairman at Brigham Young University...agreed. 'I find as I look at other people's faiths I put on new glasses to look at my own faith.' He said there needs to be more venues like this panel discussion to break down barriers between religions. This doesn't diminish one's own religion beliefs. 'We accept each other just like we are,' he said..... He also said the world is too fractured and fragmented for religion to continue to separate people. 'We find much more commonality in spirituality,' he said."

Lynn Arave
 "World needs more spirituality"
Deseret Morning News
February 7, 2004

Firefighters serve double duty as chaplains

"'THE BROTHERHOOD.' 'A big family.' These are terms often used to describe fire departments. It also is not uncommon to hear firefighters comment, 'We take care of our own.' For Johnny Davis, a chaplain for the Greensboro Fire Department, taking care of his family away from home goes a step further. It is his job to be there for his fellow brothers and sisters from a spiritual standpoint as well. 'I've seen the Lord work in a lot of people's lives since I started doing this,' Davis said. 'I've seen the Lord help people we thought were not going to make it.' Davis is one of two full-time firefighters who also serve the department as a chaplain — Serving 415 firefighters and 180 retirees, Davis visits co-workers in the hospital or at their homes if they are injured or sick and makes calls to check on them. When needed, he officiates at the funerals of fellow or retired firefighters. He also responds to fire fatalities....

"He visits stations to let firefighters know he is there for them if they need someone to talk to after a tragedy. 'Our duties run 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' he said. 'You have to remember we ride medical calls and respond to wrecks as well as fires.' A Baptist preacher for 15 years, Davis said he tries to be of service to all his co-workers and their families, regardless of their faiths or religious backgrounds. 'I try to minister to them in a way that shows love and kindness and grace,' he said. 'For them to know as a chaplain I care about them is encouragement. I've not yet had anyone say. "I don't want you to pray for me." ' "

Jennifer Atkins Brown
"Responding to firefighters' spiritual needs"
News & Record (Greensboro, NC)
January 25, 2004

Basketball program for at-risk boys includes character building and spiritual values

"ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T HAVE A THING to do with the televised Survivor reality series, the Survivor II program in Lexington [Kentucky] was set up to deal with some very real problems facing our youth. Survivor II helps mostly young boys, ages 14 to 18, find the gifts of their spirit by using basketball as wrapping paper. The organizers embrace those whom others have given up on or who have given up on themselves. The Rev. Wendell Emerson, associate pastor at Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church, said he came up with the idea for the program one day when he was wondering what he could do to help children whose behavior was creating huge potholes in their advancement to adulthood. 'I was just sitting and thinking about it, and the Lord gave me the vision to do a program about it,' Emerson said. So he put some ideas on paper for a character-building youth program and presented it to the nonprofit Missionary Baptist Ministerial Fellowship Organization, Inc.....

"It is a preventive faith-based basketball league that includes an education component and spiritual guidance from ministers and deacons. The league, now in its third year, starts in the fall and ends before spring, featuring the expected practice, games, and tournament play, as well as prayer, recitation of Scripture, behavioral modification, guest speakers, and even preparations for the ACT and SAT tests.... Most of the funding for the program comes from donations or from state grants.... 'What we are concerned about is helping the children that are at risk, that no one wanted to be bothered with,' said the Rev. R. C. Ragland, a member of MBMFO. 'We wanted to let them know we are concerned about them and that someone cares.' "

Merlene Davis
 "Program helps troubled youth survive to adulthood"
Lexington Herald-Leader
January 18, 2004