| Show IDA Standard-Examine- Saturday May 6 2000 r Pieces RELIGION UPDATE of Holy Land in Utah Episcopalians give: funds to agencies SALT LAKE CITY -- The Episcopal Diocese of Utah JJ plans to distnbute over $400000 to social service agencies throughout Utali through its Episcopal Community Services agency as 2 part of its annual Chantable Grant Program A total of 25 agencies in 12 communities will benefit from this year’s fund including the 2 Family Counseling Service of ’J Northern Utah The focus of the program this year is family stabilization including independent living and sustenance ‘Plants of the Bible’ exhibit outlines importance of plants in religion By JOE Standard-Examine- PYRAH staff r LAKE half a world away the season that some of the most important holidays in Judaism and Christianity a piece of the Holy Land can be found SALT is Study: Faith nearby coverage Increased The University of Utah’s Red Butte Garden is sponsoring an exhibit promoting “Plants of the Bible” an art and plant presentation outlining the importance and symbolism of plant life in religion Michael T Walton an academic historian who lectured about the exhibit said Jews and Christians use the same plant hfe including grapes wheat dates figs and pomegranates as symbols of their faith as well as their normal uses “It’s used both as a religious image and a natural horticultural statement” said Walton an orthodox Jew But religion applies its own meanings The bread and the wine (wheat and grapes) symbolize the escape from Egypt and for Jews while it represents Jesus Christ’s flesh and blood for Christians he said Originally the exhibit was only going to include artwork of the plants but garden employees soon figured out they had many of them available or plants close- related “You don’t think of plants and the Bible going together I was pretty surprised how often plants were mentioned once you were looking for them” said Mindy Mortensen curator of plant rely cords A relative of the Judas Tree in the garden is currently blooming with purple flowers It was believed that the apostle who betrayed Christ hung himself from that variety of tree ' The Cedar of Lebanon is young and tiny compared to its Middle Eastern relatives which can reach 125 feet tall and hundreds of years old The trees were used by the biblical King Solomon to construct a temple According to Jewish law Wal- - WASHINGTON “You don’t think ofplants and the Bible going together - Mindy Mortensen Curator ton says it’s forbidden to cut down a fruit tree which is why the apple tree in the parking lot of his business remains standing At Community United Methodist Church in Washington Terrace Judy Condon is chair of the worship design team which decorates the sanctuary She said Advent the four weeks before Christmas and the Easter season typically draw the most attention Condon said they decorate with flowers especially lilies during Easter because they represent the resurrection of Christ “I think more than anything it’s tradition” she said The Red Butte exhibit will continue until May 25 The garden is open Monday through Saturday 9 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm Adults are charged $5 and seniors and children $3 You can reach reporter Joe Pyr-a- h ' ‘ and scandals By JOE PYRAH Standard Examiner staff - The last OGDEN 50 been bumps for Hoschette But the Benedictine nun has hardly noticed the years go by since taking vows of stability Church worship will 2 at (801) or by atjpyrahstandardnet lumbia Ogden Regional Medical Center originally came from Minnesota with some apprehension But when it was suggested she go back five years later she took exception “I minded that because I learned to appreciate my life in Utah” she said She’s also appreciated by those around her Parishioners hurt over diocese scandal The Associated Press LAKEPORT Calif - Hanging in the front office of Holy Family Elementary School a polished brass plaque reads: “First Catholic school in Lake County Congratulations! Nov 1 1 1998” But next month Holy Family will become the first Catholic school to close in Lake County victim of a scandal involving the that left the Diocese of Santa Rosa $15 million in debt and left Northern California parishioners feeling - See NUN12A See SCANDAL13A Spring: The time to see God’s blessings of creation are certain times of when I don’t feel doing much Spring is one of those times closely followed by summer fall and winter Yet spring brings with it a special excitement that encourages activity and reflection Spring is the time when daylight begins to stretch into the evening once more and warm sunny days bring new flowers Spring also means that the lawn mower must be gassed up and the time to trim the bushes is here Spring signals the renewal of my annual losing battle with at least it is green crabgrass Spring is a time when God’s which to There blessings of creation are brilliantsplashed in a rainbow of color across the mountain slopes and back yards We who live along the slopes valleys and plains of the Wasatch Mountains have been given a beautiful setting in ly nam tf Uw mv-- - v W yh honor God by the way we live and raise our families and Douglas Slaughter Words of Faith contribute to our community Spring is a time that even challenges the fall harvest season as a special time to give thanks to God for God’s wonderful presence in our lives and in the creation God has given us What are the ordinary and special ways you will give thanks to God this spring? Let me suggest three ways that might not immediately come to mind First give thanks by pausing for a while - stop doing all the important things that demand your time and grab at your schedule to pull you into another task or obligation Stop for a while and allow yourself to feel and experience the love and acceptance of God expressed through the beauty of our region Feel the warmth of the sun Smell the fresh air that fills your lungs Touch the beauty around you When you start your spring with a full dose of God’s love and acceptance it is startling how interesting your summer fall and winter will become A second way I want to mentor you to honor God this spring is to encourage you to offer your spring beauty to others Did you even know you had “spring beauty?” Of course you do! Everyone has spring beauty Spring beauty is that renewing creating trans T- W4) Imm involving churches and clerics tripled from the 1970s to the 1990s 625-425- conversion of life and obedience in 1950 “It doesn’t seem that long probably because I was doing what I loved When you enjoy what you’re doing you don’t realize how time is moving on” Sister Luke said Next week she will be celebrating the golden jubilee of her religious profession Sister Luke who serves as an administrative assistant at Co - National media coverage of religion doubled dunng the 1990s but most of it addressed political issues rather than faith spirituality or theology a new study says The Center for Media and Public Affairs a nonpartisan z research organization analyzed a random sample of 2365 stones that appeared between 1969 and 1998 in The New York Times Washington Post Time Newsweek US News & World n Report and the evening newscasts on ABC NBC and CBS The study also said more ! -journalists are religiously inclined Comparing 1980 with " 1995 major media journalists who said they had no religious L affiliation dropped from 50 percent to 22 percent while those who regularly attended worship rose from 14 percent to' 30 percent Among other conclusions: The most frequently covered ’ religions between 1969 and 1998 were Protestantism (38 percent of all coverage) Catholicism (28 percent) Judaism (12 percent) Islam (3 percent) and Eastern religions (2 percent) The most frequently debated' topics were sexual morality church-stat- e relations women’s issues church governance and ’ minority concerns Coverage of alleged crimes ' Ogden nun looks back on 50 years Sister Luke Hoschette to celebrate golden jubilee ’t W- Vj0 forming presence of God within you that seeks to be expressed through your life in the relationships you choose However and whenever you express God’s Holy Spirit in your life you are expressing spring beauty You have jots of spring beauty in you an infinite amount of spring beauty as a matter of fact The more of your spring beauty you give to others the more beauty God gives you We have a lot of beautiful people here in DavisNMor-ga-n Weber county don’t we? Yeah God! Now my third suggestion on how we might honor God this spring begins with the recognition that in another hemisphere of the earth the folks are experiencing fall Springtime over here is the fall season over there The field of astronomy might suggest this all has to do with the angle of the earth in relation to the sun At a spiritual level though it may say even more about how We perceive God and God’s creation I would suggest that we honor God faithfully when we recognize that our personal perception of God is only a teeny tiny slice of God’s mysterious reality and not the totality of God’s reality Our truths today here in Utah are from the perspective of springtime Others see God today from God’s fall season We all seek to perceive God’s blessings in our season yet none of us can capture the God of all seasons Thank you for allowing me to offer my springtime reflection Now U is time to mow the grass May you experience the fullness of God’s blessings this spring The Rev Doug Slaughter is the pastor for Community United Methodist Church ’ - go on : GROVES Texas - A church ' that ministers to the homeless and drug addicts has settled a dispute with the city government allowing worship services to continue if the church does not offer shelter or' perform drug counseling on the' site The city council had ruled Jan 25 that His House Family Church could not hold services' because it violated an ordinance requiring churches to have an operating permit The church was subject to a fine of” $200 a day for violations Church attorneys and pastor Richard Hebert called the ordinance an unconstitutional violation of religious rights ancU : filed suit -- Archdiocese launches paper " BOSTON - Borrowing an 2 idea from the Roman Catholic archdioceses of Los Angeles ” Chicago and Washington DC the Boston archdiocese has ’ launched a Spanish-languag- e newspaper Catholic officials hope the ’ “ monthly La Vida Catolica will help stem conversions to Protestantism and help the church connect with the estimated 300000 to 500000— Hispanics in the Boston area “Many immigrants have been uprooted from their V countries and their cultures amt the church is a place that can“ help them to be rooted in their ' society" said assistant editor Antonio Enrique The archdiocese is printing”' ' 20000 copies of the La Vida Catolica to be distributed in 36 1 parishes - Standard-Examine- r staff t and wire service $ -- -- |
