Show y ' V t ? ?' ji V J 4 ' K C4— The Herald Journal Logan Utah Thursday April 10 2003 M 304 evamigepisafe nSsQew NASHVILLE Tcnn (AP) —On afternoons weekday f Laura Keeble site in her nursing home room content to watch Oprah 'Winfrey on television " ' But at 3 pm on Sundays the widow of traveling evangelist Marshall Keeble expects someone to wheel her downstairs for worship service' “I’m going as long as I’m able to get up” she says Baptized in a Mississippi creek 90 years ago this gentle woman known as “Sister Keeble” boasts a spiritual strength that belies her wrinkles white hair and wheelchair For much of ha life she lived in the shadows of her husband who baptized an estimated 40000 people started more than 230 Churches of Christ — mainly black congregations — and quietly waked for integration But Sister Keeble who also became “Mbuna” to dozens of young girls has tier own story Bon Aug 6 1898 Laura Catherine Johnson was one of seven girls and three boys in her family Her father Luke worked in an iron foundry Ha mother Susan was a nurse ' did” Today though she is somewhat ha forgetful Sister Keeble’s love husband still shines through ‘ “Ain’t he a dandy?” she says photoholding a graph of her husband of 34 years “He loved to dress and go preach He’d say 'Come on Mona let’s go fa ' tion “We weren't taught that way” Cummings recalled ha saying “We stayed busy and we stayed circled in Christianity" When Keeble came along he was ite to church’” She chuckles as she recalls their drawn-ohoneymoon: a tent revival that he preached in California Keeble’s gospel meetings often drew whites as well as blacks making him a taiga of the Ku Klux three-mon- th ut ’ - 4 " f s 4t - ' S 1 Laura Keeble 104 smites as she waits for someone to come and wheel her to wor-shservice at the Lakeshore Wedgewood mining home In Naehvflto Term Keeble is the widow of MamhaR Keeble a black traveling svangeM who baptized an estimated 40000 people before he died in 1968 before going to bed -- and pnya is still an integral part oSf Sister Wes life Hf'tf When she fefi and fiacturedba f back a few years ago Sister Keeble insisted on thanking God before she sipped a dip of soup “She was in such pain but she ' said ’Righteous father I most humbly thank you fa these blessings that you’ve given me” Cummings said ha voice choking with emo-tion Keeble’s favorite song is “Faith Is I The Victory"- “I used to wonda why she liked that song” Cummings said “As I grow older I understand She’s lived ‘ by faith” That helps explains why Sister Keeble insists ou attending worship as long as she can On a recent Sunday — even though she was suffering from a nasty cough — Sista Keeble had relative roll ha wheelchair to the nursing hone lobby for worship sa-vi- to keep ha occupied” autha Willie Cato wrote in the book “His Hand and His Heart The Wit and Wisdom of Marshall Keeble” “She became a very loving motha to his threechildren and also to the grandchildren” Later when the minister served as president of the Nashville Christian Institute a school fa black children Sister Keeble kept up to a dozen girls a time in ha hone She neva gave birth to a child but she became “Mama" to many Howeva busy their days were the Keebles always knelt and prayed She wore a purple dress and a ring that ha husband gave ha — a blue decades-ol- d church hymnal rested on ha lap About 40 nursing hone residents sang “O fa a Faith that Will Not Shrink” then men from the church across the stied prayed and offered communion As tiie collection plate approached Sister Keeble pulled out a $5 bill “Nobody’s expecting ha to give” Cummings said But Sista Keeble saw it different- ly “The Lord is” she said 7- - maid” Keeble the son of slaves was a recent widowa and 20 years okfer than Laura His first wife Minnie a Fisk University graduate helped teach the preacher how to read and write In 36 years of marriage the couple had five children two of whom died in infancy “Sane of you ought to find me a good wife” Keeble told friends after Minnie died from ad illness “I can’t live single the rest of my life as young as I am” A relative suggested Laura and Keeble inniated the courtship with letters To see a pneacha “flirting around with a woman” disgusted him he said so he neva spent more than five minutes alone with ha before they married Keeble lata said the relative “told me I’d get the bfcst rose in the Johnson flowa garden and I think I v v r J? minista Laura already a was 35 waking as a nanny and wondering if she might die an “old black-and-wh- Laura attended No 2 High School the black school in Corinth Miss Gwen Her asked 52 ha one time if Cummings she resented the segregated educa- ' well-kno- ld vJ v ' s '' 1 AP photo ip Klan Others criticized him for not taking a more militant position on integration “Integration? I would rather ga it slow than ga it wrong” he said in 1964 He described how he had raised $50000 fa an Christian college in Oklahoma prompting school leaders to decide “they could not take the money I raised and turn our colored children away” While the minister spent weeks and even months on this road Sister Keeble stayed home “There was plenty to do home all-wh- ite a a ce dia-mo-nd Book reveals details of America’s many religious sects By Richard N Ostiing AP Religion Writer Americans are proud of their freedom of religion and the work of J Gordon Melton shows they have a whole lot of religions to choose from The Roman Catholic Church may be huge but it’s only one among 1 16 Catholic denominations Orthodox Christians have an even high-e- r total and Protestantism is notoriously splintered its Pentecostal segment alone counts groups by the hundreds There’s a denomination for practically everyone If the Episcopal Church won’t do worshippers can move leftward into the Metaphysical Episcopal Church or Free Episcopal Church rightward into dozens of breakawayslike the Anglican Mission in America Does Unitarianism seem too conventional? The denomination offers a subgroup of Unitarian Univeralist Pagans Moving further from the mainstream there’s always the Church of God Anonymous the Nudist Christian Church of the Blessed Virgin Jesus or the Only Fair Reli- a gion’ All are among 2630 US and Canadian faith groups described in the new edition of the indispensable “Encyclopedia of American Religion” Melton a one-tim- e United Methodist pastor treats each entry with nonpartisan objectivity and — when necessary — a straight face The total includes ecumenical organizations loosely-kn- it movements and defunct faiths - But most are still-existi- denominations with distina flocks (Melton prefers to call them “primary religious groups”) Melton’s task includes placing religions into 26 “families” — and then breaking those down into subcategories Fa instance his “Psychic New Age” family includes Sun Myung Moon’s Unification movement Jim Jones’ suicidal People’s Temple and the Church of Scientology Among religions difficult to classifyare the eight that practice drug use 22 that believe in UFOs — including the Raelians at the center of the recent human cloning claims — and 12 " religions that dispense instant clergy credentials divinity degrees Melton’s curiosity originated during his Alabama boyhood when he attended a a rural family reunion church His mother warned “Whatever you do don’t talk about religion” because some relatives were touchy and Jehovah’s Wit-nesses By late high school he had given up stamp collecting for sect collecting mail-ord- er a a Pente-costalis- ts In the 44 years since he has obsessively compiled data on more creeds than anyone knew existed He has deposited his trove of 70000 books and 40 filing cabinets of materials the University of California Santa Barbara where he teaches part time The campus is two blocks from his Institute for the Study of American God (Pasadena Calif) did something no otha new religion ever has rapidly reverting to standard Christian theology after the death of idiosyncratic founda Herbert W Armstrong known fa his “World Tomorrow” broadcasts and Plain Truth maga- a zine Two points emerge to Melton from all his counting tracking and compiling The United States is the most religiously diverse nation in the wold — especially since immigration laws loosened in 1965 — though Europe as a whole is comparable Christianity is die biggest single element: 70 Religion Melton 60 is especially tracking obscure smaller groups He’s an expert on occultism and takes pride in discovering religions that practice rigorous secrecy such as the Kennedy Worshippers who have made the late US president into a divinity and the a network of nomadic evangelists Other Melton mentions: ’’adept a percent of Americans belong to “some brand of Christian Two-by-Tto- church” seventh edition has some 250 groups that are newly listed since the 1999 version As soon as the manuscript went to the printer Melton sa aside a manlla folda for dis- coveries to add next time So far he has found 10 new faiths three of which believe in vampires : time” He thinks diversity contributes to that “The Christian groups know they have to compete It keeps them alive growing and adapting not resting on their laurels as groups in the majority tend to do” he says The latest encyclopedia its i ' UTAH 37523072 ADULTS S30Q CHILDREN S3 00 ra7i4jW'‘v'4 fuvtjrflBI What’s more distinct great mm ns— WESTATES Inc Melton says is that America “is certainly the most reli-gious country that has ever existed in terms of voluntarily taking part in religion Thoe’s no country to equal us to date” The turning point was Wold War II when “the majority of the public became church members for the first SEATS GREAT great picture SHANGHAI KNIOhinuli' MurMBftiosts) MOMtsttosaa SOUWJB (based in Escondido Calif) is simply a soap company that spreads its eclectic doctrines through the labels of its products The Church of the New Song (Bluffs 111) recruits prison inmates and once claimed porterhouse steaks and Harvey’s Bristol Cream to be its communion elements The Embassy of Heaven (Strayton Ore) considers all earthly govonments illegiti- mate and takes the logical step of issuing its own auto license plates : Brinyintf Dokmi TIm Houwpib A Mon April 25 26 & 28 2003 IdDdODMOMS The Worldwide Church of Ifw CoraIfiO 400 vo-i- Religion briefs party for Florida collegians FORT LAUDERDALE Fla (AP) — As col- lege students celebrated spring break Christians sponsored a giant admission-fre- e beach n party led by evangelist Luis Palau Organizos said “Beachfest” offered spiritual highs from Palau’s sermons Christian rock music a huge skate park and chances to chat with Miami Dolphins wide receiva Cris Carta Florida Marlins pitcher Braden Loopa and golfer Bernhard Langer “Kids are looking fa the real thing and not being pushed around by culture” said Palau 68 “They have taore of an awareness of ethics and morals That has switched from 30 years t ago Palau said the war in Iraq creates a ripe moment fa spiritual discussion “People are thinking ’Life is tough’’’ he said During tiie festival 1200 visiting college students built homes with Habitat for Humanity and cleaned up graffiti and trash The evangelist was mentored by Billy Graham but three years ago switched from conventional rallies to informal festivals that ate less intimidating for people who don’t attend church regularly Each year he holds four to six such events in the tlnited States and abroad Argentine-America- sus” Many have expected authorization of such blessings to be the hottest issue at the church’s convention this summa in Minneapolis At the 2000 church convention clergy and lay delegates narrowly defeated approval of same-se- x blessings Ihe bishops did not address the issue referring it to a committee of bishops and theojogians The ideologically diverse committee’s new report summarizes the tWosides of the “intense disagreement” It pleads for unity and - ’ IflD UI 30 7tK MD 12 3dD - ' Evangelist hosts a beach NEW YORK (AP) — An Episcopal Church report says the denomination should not try to set a policy on ceremonies to bless homosexual couples because “we are nowhere near consen- continuing reflection’ Church “It is imperative that refrain from any attempt to ’settle’ the matta legislatively For a season at least we must acknowledge and live with tiie great pain and discomfort of our disagreements” the report concludes The report does not oppose ordinations of actively homosexual priests but asks local bishops to “be respectful” of the waystheir actions affect others Some liberal bishops have approved gay ordinations and sarqe-se- x union ceremonies aoo flCO TOO 900 IjOO Episcopal panel opposes decision on homosexuality MS OtdD 4D 3p MOVIES5 2450 North Main What A GiH Wants ra Evening Performances 7:30 pm! 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