RELIGION
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR C2 TELEVISION/WEATHER C6 SECTION
C
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011
CHURCH PROGRAM IN JACKSON TUTORS STRUGGLING STUDENTS, C2
CBI designs book for students
AP PHOTOS
Arizona shooting victims: From top left, Christina-Taylor Green, 9; Dorothy Morris, 76; Arizona Federal District Judge John Roll, 63; and from bottom left, Phyllis Schneck, 79; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Gabe Zimmerman, 30.
BY PAUL R. KOPENKOSKEY THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
GRANDVILLE — The prison ministry Crossroad Bible Institute is banking on a popular Japanese style of comics to draw young readers into scripturally based lessons designed to shepherd them away from following in their incarcerated parents’ footsteps. After refining some PRESS PHOTO/AMANDA LOMAN of its content last year, CONNECT the Grandville-based Update: Mallery Thurlow-Neptune, executive director and founder of Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, To learn more CBI launched “Manga speaks to Grand Rapids Christian Middle School students about her work in Haiti since last year’s earthquake. about Crossroad Messiah,” an edgy ren- The school, along with four other area Christian schools, raised $9,000 for the organization last year. Bible Institute, dition of the Gospels visit cbi.fm that aims to guide mostly middle school students whose parents are serving time in prison. Key to making “Manga’s” 10 Bible lessons come alive are CBI’s 5,000 volunteer instructors who correspond with teens and tweens, and the gritty artwork the Bible study contains of a Japanese genre of cartoons, comic books and animated films called “manga.” BY PAUL R. KOPENKOSKEY The Bible lessons are intentionally THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS designed to be anything but ho-hum, CBI President David Schuringa said.
STILL AT WORK IN HAITI
rule
NONPROFIT DIRECTOR UPDATES STUDENTS ON CONTINUING EFFORT
SEE CBI, C2
‘Manga Messiah’: A Bible guide for middle school students, published by Crossroad Bible Institute.
Survey reveals pain in the CRC BY PAUL R. KOPENKOSKEY THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
GRAND RAPIDS — The majority of Christian Reformed ministers in North America say they are weathering hard times well, feel good about their health and believe their primary mission is to listen to God and respond. But fissures are widening that reveal a number of pastors and churches are in pain or in crisis, concludes a Christian Reformed Church survey that culled anonymous responses from an average 500-plus ministers in three surveys conducted in 200405, 2007 and 2009/early 2010. The denomination’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Office collaborated with Calvin College’s Center for Social Research in developing the questionnaires for its pastors and church council clerks of all CRC congregations in the U.S. and Canada. The survey’s findings can be read at bit.ly/fVwGde. “It gives us a glimpse into the life and ministry of pastors, which is something that the average pew sitter really doesn’t understand,” said Lif Van Harten, director of the CRC’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Project. Van Harten said results from the 2009-10 survey makes clear ministers are not getting desired feedback from their respective church councils, which are comprised of elders and deacons. SEE CRC, C2
G
RAND RAPIDS — Misery continues to overshadow Haiti a year after a magnitude-7 earthquake brought thousands of survivors to their knees, said a 2008 Cornerstone University graduate who established a foundation in the Caribbean country.
CHARLES
HONEY COLUMNIST
What are we doing to each other? Arizona shooting reminds us in this broken world that we must remember love
“W
e are so blessed,” ChristinaTaylor Green used to say. “We have the best life.” In that remarkably intuitive way children sometimes have, the 9-year-old girl summed up not only the life of her family in Tucson but of our American family. Her often-repeated phrase, born of her awareness of those less fortunate than she, lingers as an appropriate epitaph for her death in the national nightmare that began But flickers of hope are emerg- Student assembly: Grand Rapids Christian Middle School students listen one week ago today. An awareness of how blessed ing, said Mallery Thurlow-Neptune, to Thurlow-Neptune’s presentation earlier this week. we are is a painful but instructive founder and executive director of Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, their friends and lost their families.” relationships because we know when thought to bear in this week. She showed the area students tragedy happens, it takes long-term mind as we mourn the Thurlow-Neptune told about 425 photos of what the foundation’s re- support and commitment, which killing of this lovely Grand Rapids Christian Middle cently opened Hope Orphanage has needs to come from those of us who little girl, along with five other people who School students how the $9,000 they already accomplished. They showed are able to provide that support.” and students in four other area Chris- how children who were gravely ill Thurlow-Neptune said disease and had the misfortune tian schools raised will help a school and malnourished — some beaten by upheaval are persistent challenges of being interested in public service. her foundation built, Les Boures their parents — are now happy and in Haiti. School of Hope. healthy. The water-borne disease cholera is Their attendance at a And she gave the students a new Principal Ashanti Bryant said the expected to claim 400,000 to 900,000 gathering convened Jared by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Loughner challenge: Eight hurricane-resistant photos help her students understand lives this year, estimates say. homes are planned near the orphan- that progress in Haiti is ongoing and “The majority of deaths are chil- Giffords brought age Thurlow-Neptune founded, and it cannot be just a flash-in-the-pan. dren,” Thurlow-Neptune said. “They them, as well as her, into the gun “They ask regularly for updates on have worms in their stomachs. They sights of a dangerously deluded needs a kitchen that will cost $4,000 what’s happened because they are always feel sick, even before they had young man. to construct. Jared Loughner’s unsettling grin There’s no time to lose, she said. passionate in supporting the children cholera, so they never tell their parand disjointed Internet ramblings ents they feel sick.” “There is so much pain in Haiti,” and the people in Haiti,” she said. Thurlow-Neptune, 23, said. “They lost “We want to continue the SEE HAITI, C2 SEE HONEY, C2
Kathy Troccoli to speak, sing at area conference Inspirational Christian singer gears ministry to women BY TERRY DEBOER THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
WEST OLIVE — When Kathy Troccoli is singing to an audience of women, she can see tears in their eyes by her second song. “I know part of that is because women have just come from stresses of the day like taking care of kids, jobs, errands, fatigue ... and finally they are getting a break with some time for themselves,” said the singer and author from her Nashville, Tenn., office. “We try to be superwomen, but our capes are tattered and our muscles are worn — God hasn’t called us to that.” Encouragement is a large part of Troccoli’s ministry, which during the past decade increasingly has focused on speaking and writing in addition to her music. Her first inspirational album was released in 1982 and began a career that has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, Dove Awards and produced several pop radio hits. “I still do concerts, but I couldn’t have done what I’m doing now back
sharing and even a question and answer session. The artist says she usually stays afterward to chat with women and An inspirational conference for hear comments on how the conferwomen featuring Kathy Troccoli ence gave them tools to deal with issues such as grief, abandonment and parent-child relationships. When: 7-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 21.; 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 22. “I’m delighted, because I really Where: Harvest Bible Chapel, want women to be comfortable and 15020 Stanton St., West Olive to really be themselves,” she said. Tickets: $30. Includes both days, Among her popular songs are her discount for multiple tickets may ballads “My Life Is In Your Hands” be available; harvestwestolive.org. (also the title of one of her books) Proceeds go to Love INC in the and “Go Light Your World,” both of Tri-Cities which reached the top of Christian For details: Call 616-405-9060. radio charts. She even flirted with pop music via her early ’90s mainstream hit “Everyin my 20s and 30s,” said Troccoli, 52. thing Changes,” carrying her to a spot “I needed more life behind me and to Kathy Troccoli on “The Tonight Show” and other work through some of my own stuff — national venues. you can’t give what you don’t have.” at smaller gatherings. “Hope’s Alive” “But I’ve got to tell you, after reThe Long Island, N.Y., native has — the title of her most recent inspi- cording and singing for 29 years, these written a half-dozen books, the most rational album — also is the name for conferences have been the most rerecent, “Spaghetti For the Soul: A her local conference. warding,” she said. Feast of Faith, Hope, Love,” co-writ“What I love about the smaller “And I know that sometimes a ten with Ellie Lofaro. It encourages events is getting to know the women three-minute song can do what an women to do more than “eat crumbs and making connections,” said the hour sermon can’t,” she added. “I want women to know that they from the table,” and to enjoy the feast artist, of times when women can share God has for them. their life journeys. can have new wind in their sails, they “There are also some great Italian “I want the conference to be a re- can get through this thing holding recipes passed down from our rela- minder that God isn’t done with our the hand of the God who is much lives ... he’s still writing our stories.” more able to take on the world and tives,” she added. Troccoli has spoken and sung at She said roughly half of her confer- its problems.” the arena-sized “Women of Faith” ence presentations are music-based. events across the country, as well as The remainder include speaking, E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
IF YOU GO ‘Hope’s Alive’
C2
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
HONEY WHEN WILL WE COOL THE RANCOR? CONTINUED FROM C1
provoke the latest national soul-search as to how and why such things happen in a country so blessed in so many ways. The 22-yearold’s mental instability and free-floating hostility are all too familiar, as yet another unhinged guy with appallingly easy access to weaponry makes the rest of us pay for his rage.
Causes still unknown As of this writing, it is unclear what motivated Loughner apparently to target Giffords. His infamous YouTube rant about government currency and grammar control is baffling. Friends describe him as nihilistic and dreamobsessed. Pending further evidence, he appears more schizophrenic than political. It may be unrealistic to attribute “motive” to one apparently so deeply troubled. That’s helpful to keep in mind while we soul-search about whether the increasing vitriol of political rhetoric contributed to Loughner’s rampage. Maybe we’ll never know. But you don’t need a sociology course to get that when you create a flammable atmosphere, an unstable young man with a gun is a lit match. “No! I won’t trust in God!” Loughner defiantly declared on YouTube. Christina-Taylor Green did. She sang in the choir at St. Odilia Catholic Church,
where she had just received First Communion. She was interested in politics, served on her student council and volunteered at a children’s charity. Interestingly, she was born on Sept. 11, 2001. She was proud of her birthday because it lent a “grace note of hope to that terrible day,” The New York Times reported in an interview with her mother, Roxanna Green. Christina-Taylor’s birth day, like her death, stunned the country with grief. But while 9/11 set off a national debate about how to respond to killers from abroad, the events of Jan. 8 touched off a much-needed conversation about our political war within.
A growing discord Sadly, the war within has grown more hateful these past 10 years. Our enemies in mountain caves must be pleased to see how we have turned on each other. There need not be a direct line from gun sights on a political campaign map to Jared Lougher’s handgun to conclude that violent rhetoric makes real violence more likely. As Christina’s mother put it: “There’s been a lot of hatred going on, and it needs to stop.” That boils it down well. Much is being said about how the radical right bears responsibility for the shooting, and how the left is exploiting it for political purposes.
Regardless of where you stand on that conversation, it’s a no-brainer that the hatred needs to stop. I grew up in a time when we had dear family friends who were more conservative than we were, when Republicans and Democrats could argue politics, then say grace together. Where has that America gone?
Start with the Golden Rule People of faith and moral principle can — and must — push back against this rancor. They can begin with the Golden Rule, the teaching common to Christianity, Judaism and other faiths to do unto others what you would have them do to you. So wellknown, so widely ignored. They can pledge themselves to respectful ways of debating and regarding each other, such as Karen Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion or the Sojourners’ community Peace and Civility Pledge. They can take seriously the Apostle Paul’s statement that “love does not insist on its own way.” As per Giffords’ Jewish faith, we need to repair the world, starting with ourselves. I don’t know about you, but when I see photos of that young congresswoman and the sweet smile of Christina-Taylor Green, I feel ashamed. We are so blessed in this country. What are we doing to each other?
Church program tutors struggling students Helping: De’Markus Miles, 16, and Dave Polson, right, talk during the First Presbyterian Church tutoring program.
BY FRITZ KLUG JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT
JACKSON — Traynesha Fells first came to the tutoring program at First Presbyterian Church in October to serve an after-school detention. At the time, the Jackson High School sophomore said her grades were “iffy.” She started meeting with tutors and had fun working through the problems. Fells has been coming ever since. “Now I know I can do better,” she said. Every Tuesday and Thursday after school, a group of volunteers from the church provide tutoring to students in a building next door at 739 W. Michigan Ave. They call it the Hive. In 2005, the church bought the building, which formerly housed offices for the South Central Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross and the United Way. The hope is to have it be home to various groups to provide more activities for Jackson youth, said John McLaughlin, one of the organizers. “Bees run around doing a lot of things for the common good,” McLaughlin said,
AP PHOTO
explaining the Hive’s name. Bethany Christian Services, a Grand Rapids-based adoption agency, has offices in the building, and every Thursday, a Shop Rats program is held, where students learn how to use power tools and build projects. One drawback, however, is that the two-story building does not have an elevator. The church hopes it can secure funding to make the building accessible to those with disabilities. The tutoring program started in February 2010 as a way to help address the drop-out rate at Jackson High School. Tutors work closely with the school — teachers refer students and provide textbooks and other course materials. While the number of participants varies, a good day can bring anywhere from 15 to 20 students, McLaughlin said. It
Praying for Haiti: Lydia Lantinga, 10, and Ashley Bierling, right, pray following Mallery ThurlowNeptune’s talk. The school raised $9,000 for the organization’s post-earthquake efforts and will be raising more to help the organization build a kitchen.
E-mail: honeycharlesm@gmail.com
CRC MANY PASTORS CONTENT, BUT SOME STRUGGLING CONTINUED FROM C1
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as much as most pastors would like,” Van Harten said. “You need feedback on your performance, and if there’s room for improvement, that benefits everyone involved. That’s true for pastors as well. If you preach sermons Sunday after Sunday, you may naturally assume everything is fine. If that’s not the case, how are you to know?” The surveys revealed most ministers consider themselves “fairly healthy” and enjoyed “respectable levels” of spiritual formation and pastoral satisfaction. They indicated they have gained through the years an improved understanding of the Reformed faith. On the downside, “at least dozens” of pastors are dissatisfied with their current
pastorate, frequently feel isolated in ministry and wouldn’t be pastors again if they could start their careers over. Such insights should not be ignored, the report said. “Sustaining excellence will continue to require attention both to helping struggling churches and to helping itinerant pastors who may be carrying their pain and dissatisfaction with them from church to church,” the report notes. Highlights of the survey include: One of the best paths to boosting pastoral health is through elevating their leadership skills. The frequency of personal prayer and meditation was stable across the three waves of the survey, with 46 percent reporting daily devotions in 2009. Calvin Theological Seminary
graduates are “substantially less likely” than pastors to report daily devotions (43 percent of graduates compared with 55 percent of pastors). Pastors list praising God, and listening and responding to him as the top elements they engage in of five core elements listed in the CRC mission. Pastors’ satisfaction with their present pastorate fell slightly (33 percent in 2005 to 30 percent in 2009). The proportion of churches with a continuing education budget for their pastor fell to two-thirds, down from almost four-fifths in 2007 and about three-fourths in 2005. The amount budgeted by those churches with continuing education budgets remained stable at an average of $1,421 in the U.S. and $1,471 in Canada. E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR THE ARTS “Driving Miss Daisy” will be presented by the Master Arts Theatre at 3 p.m. Jan. 22 at First United Methodist Church, 227 E. Fulton St. An offering will be taken. Details: www.grandrapidsfumc.org or 451-2879.
SPECIAL EVENTS Soups On For All, a fundraiser for Catholic Charities West Michigan’s
food programs, will be held 6:309:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids. Tickets: $50 in advance, $60 at the door; available at www.soupsonforall.org, Schuler Books & Music and God’s Kitchen. Details: www.soupsonforall. org. The Faith Life Calendar lists special events, guest speakers, visiting performers, seminars and
recognitions. Please submit in writing: the type of event, time, date, place, other details and sponsoring organizations. Include contact phone number. Items must be received by noon Tuesday of the week you wish them to appear. Mail to: Faith Life Calendar, Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Fax to 222-5409, or e-mail to localnews@ grpress.com.
PRESS PHOTO/ AMANDA LOMAN
HAITI GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION STALLS RELIEF CONTINUED FROM C1
The country also suffers criminal and political aftershocks. The number of women raped has skyrocketed since the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, ThurlowNeptune said. Children and mothers are malnourished, partly because of government corruption that prevents aid from reaching them. People sleep, eat and defecate in the same spot because the open spaces available are
occupied with makeshift tents, she said. “Children would rather live in Dumpsters in the United States than a tent in Haiti,” Thurlow-Neptune said. “The birth rate has tripled in Haiti because of rapes. Diseases are running rampant. There’s not much help when it comes to long-term housing and solutions. So much money has been donated, and, here we are a year later, very little has made it to the people. It’s an
extremely corrupt government system.” But she said she continues her efforts because she and others like her are the hands and feet of Christ. “My faith is what brought me to Haiti in the first place,” said Thurlow-Neptune, who plans to return to Haiti on Jan. 24. “When there’s no hope to be found, we always have hope in Christ.” E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
CBI GROUP HELPS CHILDREN WITHOUT ROLE MODELS CONTINUED FROM C1
Schuringa said too many children with imprisoned parents are growing up without positive role models. Too often, these children end up breaking the law themselves. That doesn’t surprise Schuringa. “Kids are growing up with not a clue what a normal family is,” said Schuringa. “We’re trying to bring a sense of God’s love in their lives and basic life principles to help them to succeed, give them a moral foundation upon
which to make choices that are healthy to them rather than harmful.” That’s a pretty heady mission to be part of, said CBI instructor Rachael VanderWerf. Each week, the Grand Rapids resident corrects completed lessons she receives from children around the country and reads their prayer requests. VanderWerf said she is quick to reply to their messages with hand- or type-written notes of encouragement that usually includes Scripture verses they
“Speak Up For Those Who Cannot Speak For Themselves’’ ~Proverbs 31:8 THE MICAH CENTER, a Christian organization committed to Biblical action, is expanding. Here is the schedule for this coming Tues., Jan. 18: 5:40 - 6:00 PM A light meal
6:00 - 7:00 PM “Breaking Through the Poverty Subculture” with Believe to Become, Khary Bridgewater and First Steps: Kids at Risk, Amy Turner-Thole 7:00 - 8:00 PM Six justice advocacy groups and a “Finding Justice In The Bible” study group meet. Come join us as we struggle to help shape a more just society. We meet at Hope Reformed Church (2010 Kalamazoo SE). ~ Admission is free.~ 3974098-01
can be helpful to troubleshoot with someone else, he said. Having the tutoring program outside of school gives students a change of pace. On a recent Thursday afternoon, Fells was reviewing information about dual-enrollment at the Jackson Area Career Center. Her friend De’Markus Miles, 16, was studying 19th-century German history. Dave Polson, a tutor, came into the room and had more information for Miles about a massage-therapy program at Baker College, something Miles wants to pursue after high school. Polson, 50, said it is important to give back to the community — he had mentors while growing up who helped him develop. “They challenged me to be better,” Polson said.
3979052-01
can apply to their lives. “It’s a big responsibility we’re participating in, the discipling of these kids,” said VanderWerf. “It’s really important knowing their home life isn’t the best. It’s really neat to think I can be a role model in their lives.” Most of CBI’s contact with children is made through incarcerated parents, who are enrolled in CBI studies themselves, of which there are 40,000 in all 50 states and in over 50 countries. Other kids find their way to the Crossroad Kids program through Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree ministry, which provides CBI enrollment forms to many participating parents, Schuringa said. Those parents, in turn, express an interest in having CBI contact their children. The program is provided at no cost. About 500 children living in the U.S. are enrolled in the Crossroad Kids program, and many more around the world, said Schuringa. The positive feedback kids receive from instructors motivates them to live constructive, principled lives, said Schuringa. “What we’re finding is when they get that personal letter from the instructors, that’s something that stimulates them,” said Schuringa. “They know somebody is praying for them and cares about their progress. We hope that will be motivation.” E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
RELIGION
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR C2 TELEVISION/WEATHER C6 SECTION
C
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT SAYS BP OIL SPILL CAN BE A FAITH CONVERSATION STARTER, C3
Power House kicks off summer programs
CHARLES
HONEY COLUMNIST
Handling the many curveballs life throws
Ministry of Res Life Church aims to reach youths in low-income areas
Detroit Tigers pitcher sets example of how to respond to mistakes with grace
I
n the beginning was the ball, and the ball was with a boy, and the boy threw it to his father. And the father said, “Nice toss.” And he threw it back to his son. Then he said, “Now, try holding it with your first two fingers along that seam. Yeah, just like that. Now when you throw it, try snapping your wrist a little, like so. To make it spin and curve.” The son tried throwing it like that, but the ball did not curve. It hit the dirt and went bouncing past his father. “That’s OK,” his dad said. “Try it again.” So the boy tried it again and again, over many days. Until one day, the ball curved. And the dad said, “Atta boy!” And the son felt perfectly proud. That’s how my dad taught me the curve ball, more or less, in the yard. Over long summer afternoons, Dad also taught me the fastball and the changeup, passing along pitching mysteries he had learned as a child. The curve was my favorite. I tried SEE HONEY, C2
SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Spiritual Journey is a regular feature on the faith lives of local people.
Deb Pieri Age: 53 Work: Teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School Place of worship: St. James Catholic Church, 733 Bridge St. NW, and St. Thomas Catholic Church, 1449 Wilcox Park Drive SE Inspirational books, aside from sacred texts: “When I was young, it was Kahlil Gibran. He just mesmerized me. I loved Eastern philosophy. I read it over and over and highlighted it. Now it’s Thomas Merton, the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Mother Teresa. I’m eclectic.”
BY AARON OGG THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
PRESS PHOTO/JESSICA SCOTT
Heading it up: Christian Reformed World Relief Committee Director Andrew Ryskamp stands inside his Grand Rapids office in front of shelves containing items bought around the world, including in Haiti.
SIX MONTHS LATER CRWRC CONTINUES TO HELP WITH HAITI RELIEF, REBUILDING BY HEIDI FENTON THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
I
t’s been six months since a 7.2-magnitude earthquake ripped through the povertystricken country of Haiti, tumbling hillside neighborhoods and reducing many homes around the nation’s capital of Port-au-Prince to rubble.
Favorite faith practice: “Running is deeply spiritual to me. I’ve learned so much about myself. It’s empowering. It gives me so much. I pray when I run. It carried me through cancer.”
hesitancy. Markets once again are filled with people buying and selling goods. Clusters of tents — oftentimes, as many as 100 in one place — are signs of a livelihood, though one Ryskamp said brings reason for concern. “You literally have to stop to let the pain in,” he said, recalling his initial reaction to the sight. “You say, ‘I have to be angry about this, that people are living this way.’” But “that way” is one in which many have survived for quite some time, he said. The tents have become a safety net. And though the CRWRC is working to construct new homes in Haiti, there are other issues that must be addressed. Ryskamp said the previous way of living is one to which the people cannot simply return. In several communities close to the capital city, homes rose up in rows along hillsides without proper roadways in between. Now,
Lewis is director of Power House Sidewalk Sunday School, a ministry of Resurrection Life that aims to spread the gospel to kids primarily in lowincome areas. The effort was founded in 1998, with its first events held at Acts Gospel Ministry, 1255 Broadway Ave. NW. It since has expanded to five year-round locations throughout Kent County, and two gatherings in the Lansing area tied to Resurrection Life in Ionia. Weekly programs kicked off recently at York Creek, 650 York Creek Drive SW, and Peppercorn Apartments, 3475 Woodward Ave. SW, and they will last throughout the summer. At the recent York Creek event, kids limboed, battled with foam “fun noodles” and drenched each other with water balloons before settling into a prop-filled discussion about Jesus. Liz Kraley, York Creek’s assistant property manager, said the troupe entertains while offering a positive message. “We’re constantly looking for ways we can involve kids in the community,” she said. Lewis said Power House’s concept originated in Brooklyn, N.Y., with Metro Ministries, which serves innercity kids throughout New York City’s five boroughs. The model since has spread throughout America, he said.
SEE RELIEF, C2
SEE POWER HOUSE, C2
Former church: CRWRC Haiti consultant Ad de Blaeij stands by a destroyed church in Port-au-Prince that was famous for its murals.
Jong, disaster response team leader for the CRWRC, recalled seeing rubble blocking storm sewers, pushing water out into the streets. “Many of the main streets are just lined with rubble that has been carried out to the street by hand or wheelbarrow with the expectation that somebody, someday might come down and pick it up,” he said. Ryskamp said he was most struck by the resilience of the people and their ability to bounce back against the odds. “The expressions of hope and faith they have was inspirational,” Ryskamp recalled, as he flipped through pictures of men and women gathered in worship. “Just their ability to handle this level of destruction and be able to maintain a level of normalcy.” Walking through some streets, Ryskamp saw evidence of how people have emerged from the pain and are beginning to turn the page in a new life, one filled with hope, but also with
SportsPower offers spiritual mentorship to teens
Inspirational art or artists: “I love my garden. I spend my summer in the garden. How can you not think of God when you see the intricacy of a petal?” Faith role model: “The people you meet every day. Sometimes I’ll see a mother at school with a pack of kids and I see patience. My students teach me amazing things every day. You take little pieces and see the good in everybody.”
BY ERIN ALBANESE THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
GRAND RAPIDS — Jeremiah Hamlet sees basketball as a unifier: the dribbling ball, the squeak of sneakers on the court and the blow of the coach’s whistle creating a rhythm — an international language that transcends differences. “It’s a way to basically combine different cultures, races. When you’re out on the court, it doesn’t matCONNECT t e r,” H a m l e t sportspoweronline. said, standing on the sidelines com while about 30 teenage boys shot hoops in the gym at Oakdale Christian School. Using basketball as a conduit to connect with young people and help them build relationships with Christ is Hamlet’s mission. The former European professional basketball player founded SportsPower four years ago after returning to Grand Rapids. About 1,000 boys are now involved rule
What I’m working on in my faith life: “I feel like I’m a trusting person, and I trust God’s will in my life. I always want to be open to God. In my life, I want to qualify for (the) Boston (Marathon). I believe very much that the physical, mental and emotional is tied to the spiritual, so I strive for balance.”
rule
Positive influence for communities
COURTESY PHOTO
In the months since the destruction unfolded on Jan. 12, disaster relief efforts have sprung up across the United States and worldwide in what has been described as one of the largest outpourings of aid to date. Communities and churches have organized shipments of food and clothing and many others have traveled to help the Haitians pick up the pieces of a life that for months, has seemed only a shadow of what once existed. Andrew Ryskamp saw evidence of that in a trip to Haiti at the end of May. As director of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, which has its U.S. headquarters in Grand Rapids, he had communicated regularly with workers who were stationed in Haiti before the quake, and has helped organize floods of volunteers and goods in the months since. But that was nothing, he said, compared to seeing the scene firsthand and experiencing it through conversations with those impacted most by the destruction. His traveling partner, Wayne de
ALPINE TOWNSHIP — Kids gathered around an orange trailer, drawn by rap music and promises of hot dogs. The beat thumped throughout York Creek Apartments. “Who you represent?” asks the song by Christian recording artist Richie Righteous. “We represent God,” it answers. Pastor Jon Lewis, associate pastor for Grandville-based Resurrection Life Church, recruited a few young people to pass out fliers. Soon, more curious onlookCONNECT ers joined the fold. They lis- powerhouselive.org tened to Lewis’ brief sermon centered on Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” “How many of you, one day, would like to go to heaven?” Lewis asked. Dozens of hands reached skyward. “We gotta figure out: What is it that can take our sins away?”
PRESS PHOTO/PAUL L. NEWBY II
Get pumped: SportsPower founder and director Jeremiah Hamlet rallies the players before a basketball game at Oakdale Christian High School.
in programs at 22 Grand Rapids area schools. Opportunities include an Amateur Athletic Union program, camps, individual training and community service. The program has partnerships
with Grand Rapids Public Schools’ after-school LOOP program, the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, South East Community Association and Baxter Community Center. It receives funding from the
city’s Parks and Recreation Department and Crossroads Bible Church, 1801 Three Mile Road NE. Hamlet, a 1998 Jenison High School graduate who holds Northwood University’s 3-point record in one game, was involved with after-school programs while playing basketball in England and Holland until 2006. He realized there was an opportunity to run a local program that merged basketball and character building. “This has been a ministry since the beginning,” he said. “It was the only way to reach kids in a unique way. It’s us coming to them, where they’re at.” Antonio McKinney, 18, spends three afternoons a week involved with SportsPower to stay on top of his game and to prepare for his future, he said. McKinney, a recent graduate of Ottawa Hills High School, where he played basketball, is headed to Central Michigan University in the fall. “Eventually you will be a better basketball player,” he said of attending SportsPower. “It will also connect you SEE SPORTSPOWER, C2
C2
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
Former Sunken Garden to be dedicated shock and grief throughout the Muskegon community. A graduate of Mona Shores High School and Indiana University, Gilana was working in Chicago when she died after a series of strokes caused by what doctors believe was a rare BY SUSAN HARRISON WOLFFIS reaction to medication she was PRESS NEWS SERVICE taking for chronically severe migraine headaches. MUSKEGON — Throughout After her death, the people of the growing season, something Temple B’Nai Israel established always is in bloom in Gilana’s two funds in her memory: Garden — a beautiful green space planted outside Temple the Gilana Shira B’Nai Israel in celebration of Alpert Fund at the life of the late Gilana Alpthe Community Foundation ert, the oldest child of Rabbi for Muskegon Alan and Anna Alpert. “We hope this garden will County to prokeep Gilana’s memory alive vide scholin a positive, uplifting way,” Gilana a rs h i p s , a n d Alan Alpert says. “We want it Alpert another to build to bring a peacefulness people Gilana’s Garden might not find otherwise.” in what once had been called Gilana’s Garden is meant not the Sunken Garden at Temple just for the temple’s congrega- B’Nai Israel, 391 W. Webster, in tion, he said, but for the com- downtown Muskegon. munity at large. Led by Joni Rosen, a member “We want this place to give of the congregation and a maspeople the comfort Gilana ter gardener, volunteers from would have if she were here,” Temple B’Nai Israel started Anna Alpert says. working in the garden in the Gilana Alpert died in 2007 spring of 2008, planting flowat age 26, sending waves of ers of meaning, and adding
Green space retooled in memory of rabbi’s deceased daughter
what Anna Alpert describes as “whimsical touches” of Gilana’s personality. The garden was designed by Sig Zielinski of Wonderland Nursery in Muskegon — and for two years, the people of Temple B’Nai Israel and he have been at work. “It’s a very spiritual place,” Rosen says, “and very significant of Gilana’s life.” At 4 p.m. June 27, the garden will be dedicated with people from the congregation and community there. Gilana’s younger sister and brother — Aleza, 26, and David, 25, will fly in from Chicago and New York City, respectively, for the ceremony. Plaques will be unveiled. So will a statue, kept secret from most eyes until the dedication, a gift to the Alperts from the congregation. This much Anna Alpert will share ahead of time: The statue is emblazoned with the words “Freed ... she dances eternally.” “That’s Gilana,” Anna Alpert says. There are reminders of Gilana Alpert everywhere in her garden. A wind chime from Israel sounds from a tree. A
PRESS NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/KENDRA STANLEY-MILLS
Whimsical touches: Rabbi Alan and Anna Alpert sit in Gilana’s Garden, a beautiful green space planted outside Muskegon’s Temple B’Nai Israel in celebration of the life of their oldest child, Gilana Alpert. Gilana died in 2007 at age 26.
gargoyle she picked up at Notre Dame in Paris is hidden among the plants. And then there are the garden beetles on display, an inside joke because Gilana loved The Beatles so much. At one end of the garden, there is a bench in the shape of a butterfly, significant because Gilana once starred in the play, “I Thought I’d Never See Another Butterfly,” about the children imprisoned during the Holocaust. Later, she and her mother co-directed a new group of students in the
SPORTSPOWER CONTINUED FROM C1
helpful and you also learn about God,” he said. “It gives (teens) a chance to get active and make good decisions so you can have a better life down the road,” said Holst, of Lowell. Gert Hopson, president of the South East Community Association, watched as her son, Trenton, 13, played. She is planning to lead the boys in beautification projects around the area this summer. “I think it’s great because it’s not just a basketball program. It builds the entire character of participants.” “They’re going to be ready when we’re through with them. They are going to be positive, productive members of society wherever they are.” SportsPower recently started a soccer program. Opportunities for girls also are being planned. E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
orange in the fall — significant because Gilana’s hair was a distinctive, brilliant red. “We hope this brings joy to people the way she did,” Alan Alpert says. That joy was found even in her name: Gilana Shira Alpert. In Hebrew, it means “Joyous Song.” “That’s what this place is,” Anna Alpert says. “It’s about Gilana.”
POWER HOUSE MINISTRY IS SPREAD ACROSS AREA
GOAL IS TO TRAIN BODY AND SPIRIT with yourself so you can be a better person and stay out of trouble,” he said. MarShon Peoples, who recently started a SportsPower AAU program, said he hopes to keep kids away from gangs and other dangerous activities by giving them a better alternative. “We are taking what they want and giving them what they need. That’s what they love: basketball,” said Peoples, a former Grand Rapids Boys and Girls Club staff member. “We give them what they need to excel.” The boys spend time each week practicing and participating in community service projects. Saturdays at the Baxter Community Center incorporate Bible study with basketball. Travis Holst, 15, has attended for three years. “It’s really fun and really
same play. At the other end, there is a garden pergola, another place of peace and rest. “Look up,” Anna Alpert says. “It looks like you’re looking through tree branches.” Every place one looks in Gilana’s Garden, something is in bloom. Everything has meaning, from a water fountain to the stone pathway to the trees whose leaves will turn blaze-
CONTINUED FROM C1
“It’s a very effective outreach ministry,” said Lewis, 30. “We want to be in as many locations as possible. The need is so great.” Locations are based on income and other factors, Lewis said. Free and reduced-price lunch ratios are a good indicator, he said. A p a r t m e n t c o m p l e xe s such as the sprawling, nearly 5,000-tenant York Creek, are ideal venues, he said. “In lower-income areas, there tends to be kids just everywhere,” Lewis said. “They’re
easier to gather together.” A volunteer staff of about 40 — some from Resurrection Life, others from different churches — assist with the events. The church covers hot dogs, gas and other expenses. Power House volunteers move the lessons and games indoors when the weather gets cooler, Lewis said. “We have some (apartment complexes) let us use their building,” Lewis said. “That’s worth more than them helping us out financially.” E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR PRESS PHOTO/PAUL L. NEWBY II
Play ball: Josh Vasicer dribbles past Antonio McKinney during a SportsPower basketball game at Oakdale Christian High School. SportsPower is a faith-based organization that aims to develop leadership skills, self-discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship and educational opportunities for youth, as well as present the gospel message.
SPEAKERS/CLASSES Divorce Support Group meets 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays from June 23 to Aug. 25 at the Catholic Information Center, 360 S. Division Ave. Suite 2A. Cost: $15, includes “Divorce and Beyond” by James Greteman, Leon Haverkamp and Elsie Radtke. Details: 459-7267 or catholicinformationcenter.org.
of Kansas City, and Pastor Tarence E. Lauchie, starts 7 p.m. June 24 and 25 at Grace for the Nations Church, 3333 Kraft Ave. SE in Cascade Township. Details: gftnc.org or 974-9128.
ON mlive home: Mlive.com
HONEY DADS, BASEBALL TEACH US GRACE TRUMPS IMPERFECTION CONTINUED FROM C1
to perfect the pitch, a round arc that started toward the batter’s head and ended at the far lower reach of his bat. One dusty afternoon, I struck out many Little League batters with that curve. But other afternoons I couldn’t get the ball over the plate. When I did, the batters hammered it beyond left field. Such is the mystery of baseball — which is to say the puzzle of life. One day everything goes well, and you look up at a perfect blue sky and say, “Thank you, God.” The next, everything you touch breaks, it’s unbearably muggy and you wonder just how it is you ticked off God. This is one of the many things my dad taught me through baseball. You’ll have your good days and bad.
You’ll win some and lose a lot. And no matter how good you are, someone will always be better. This helps explain the extraordinary drama surrounding the recent perfect-yet-not game pitched by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. Mysteriously, this sometimes good but never great pitcher couldn’t miss the strike zone that day. He was just one out away from doing something done only 20 times in baseball history: retire all 27 batters. Then, umpire Jim Joyce called the very last batter safe at first, and the crowd gasped. A veteran ump who had made the right calls for years made Galarraga’s perfect game a mere one-hitter with one wrong call. The imperfection lay not with Galarraga, but with Joyce.
But it the end, the whole thing turned out to be perfect, after all. In his tearful apologies for getting it wrong, Joyce was a heartbreaking figure of repentance. In Galarraga’s gracious handshake with Joyce the next day, and his teammates’ gentle pats on his shoulder, we saw forgiveness at its best. “Hey, we all make mistakes,” they were saying. “We’re all human. Don’t beat yourself up over it.” It was a perfect picture of grace. “There’s no crying in baseball!” Tom Hanks declared in “A League of Their Own.” He was wrong. Jim Joyce’s tears quieted the angry shouts of outraged fans and fuming pundits. And every time I watch “Field of Dreams,” and see the figure of Kevin Costner’s father return from the great beyond
in catcher’s gear, I think of my father as a young baseball player, and I weep. My father is not perfect, nor are all the other fathers who will get their due recognition tomorrow. But they pass along precious mysteries to their sons and daughters, be it a curve ball, how to bait a hook or cook a delicious breakfast. And though I will always admire my father as the man I would like to be, he will never let me beat myself up for my imperfections. He will put his hand on my shoulder and say, “Hey, we all make mistakes. We’re all human.” And even though neither one of us can throw it any longer, the curve ball flies between us, hitting the mitt with a pop as sweet as love.
SPECIAL EVENTS “Manifesting Kingdom Greatness,” featuring Pastor Tim Dilena, of Highland Park, Bishop Jack Vaughn,
Visit mlive.com/religion to see complete Faith Life Calendar listings for the week. RULE
Sunday June 20th GUEST MINISTER:
Rev. Tom Elenbaas Fair Haven Ministries
MESSAGE: “The Father’s Heart” MINISTRY IN MUSIC JOHN GOOTERS 3731291-01
E-mail: honeycharlesm@gmail.com
RELIEF EFFORT REQUIRES A CHANGE IN OLD WAYS OF OPERATING that rubble is so unstable it is not safe for people to return. Ryskamp said relief efforts will involve reconstructing communities in safer layouts and with more durable materials. He hopes to see the Haitian people become less dependent on agriculture as a means of income and branch into tourism, taking advantage of Haiti’s location surrounded by water. In that way, he said, people would be less dependent on international aid and have a higher quality of life. “We’ll really emphasize that this needs to be done by the Haitian people,” he said. “The goal shouldn’t be to build houses as quickly as possible, but
to build up the capacity of a community.” For now, the CRWRC is addressing the Haitians’ emotional needs through trauma response in the town of Leogane, located at the quake’s epicenter. Several community members are being trained as leaders to handle the emotional needs of friends and neighbors. “People go through the heroic cycle of ‘Oh, we can do it,’ then get on to the depression cycle,” Ryskamp said of the reality sinking into the minds of many. “You see sort of a range of quiet acceptance and depression, to a level of anger.” The CRWRC also will focus
on partnerships with other agencies working in the region to share goods and accomplish a common purpose of long-term viability, something the Haitians have never experienced. Ryskamp is thankful for the support that has poured in to fund CRWRC’s Haiti relief effort — more than $10 million. He also realizes the six-month point is when it becomes easier to let go. The quake becomes a memory, while the need remains a reality — especially when it comes to harder tasks such as helping reshape government policy and methods for law and order. “It’s going to take some time. We know what needs to
be done at a community level. We need to have some patience in the process.” E-mail: hfenton@grpress.com
Wood Brook Cathedral
interdenominational
Traditional Worship Services 10:30 AM Morning Worship
3728685-01
CONTINUED FROM C1
Rev. J.B. Stutts 361-1701
6:00 PM Evening Worship
1739 Providence, N.E. (Plainfield to Hunsburger to Providence) 3745867-01
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010
RELIGION
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR C2 TELEVISION/WEATHER C6 SECTION
C
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
WORLD RELIEF ACTIVIST SPEAKS TO CHURCHES ABOUT IMMIGRATION, C3
CHARLES
HONEY COLUMNIST
Obama’s religion: Why do we care? Debate over whether he is Muslim or Christian is mostly about politics
I
think it’s time for a photo op of President Obama praying in church. Sure, it would be tacky, but since when is that a reason not to put something on TV? If it would finally convince most Americans that their president is a Christian, it would be PRESS PHOTOS/JON M. BROUWER worth it. But that wouldn’t necessarily Summer attendees: Churchgoers sit under the tent at Pine Grove Community Church during a recent Sunday service. The idea to hold Pine Grove’s prove it. Obama could secretly be summer services under a tent was born in 1980. praying to the Allah of Islam, not the God of Christianity. He could even be praying to the pagan god Baal for all we know. Truly, there is no way to know what goes on in a person’s soul. A man could belong to a United Church of Christ for 20 years, as Obama did in Chicago, and use that as a cover for his true Muslim faith. In this age of conspiracy theory, anything is possible. For that matter, how can we know for sure the true faith of any president? George W. Bush BY PAUL R. KOPENKOSKEY that attracted 350 people, the outdoor claimed he was a born-again United THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS services draws an influx of members Methodist, but he could have been and those who rent cottages near the a closet Episcopalian, the church in church, said Pine Grove’s pastor, the which he was raised. OWARD CITY — Obama, of course, has the added Rev. Bill Vis. Thirty years ago, But it takes more horsepower than a issue of Islam, which has something highly visible tent to keep the outdoor of an image problem. So does members of Pine service fires burning, Vis said. Pine Obama, judging from a recent Grove Community Grove’s brass-heavy band, an array of Pew poll that found 18 percent of guest ministers with an eclectic style Americans believe he is a Muslim Church conceived a of preaching, four evening confer- — an increase from 11 percent who way to ward off waning ences and the outdoor ambience see thought so last year. The number of many of the same vacationers returnSEE HONEY, C2 summertime attendance: ing each summer.
A TENT TRADITION
HOWARD CITY CHURCH CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF OUTDOOR SERVICES
H
pitch a tent. A real big tent.
It’s still working today. Church attendance for many congregations ebbs as vacationers leave town. Pine Grove is an exception. Morning worship services held under canvas from Memorial Day to Labor Day swell the Christian Reformed Church-affiliated congregation’s attendance from a yearly average of 250 to around 800. The July 4 service brought in more than 1,800 people. The church will mark its 30th anniversary of hosting tent services at a 10 a.m. Sunday service. The tent — the
SEE TENT, C2
IF YOU GO Church under the big top Families welcome: Jessica Dozeman shares a moment with her 9-month-old daughter, Lucy, in the tent at Pine Grove Community Church in Howard City.
church’s third — is pitched adjacent to Pine Grove at 8775 E. 88th St. in Howard City. Booklets recounting worshippers’
Picnic comes from $50 Man uses seed money to offer free lunch as part of a churchwide challenge
“talents,” — in this case, amounts of money — and told to invest it. LePoire took the parable a step further and issued the congregation a similar challenge. Three $50 bills, money LePoire had earned officiating at weddings, were handed out to three people who agreed to take his message to heart. Vander Hulst knows about Kandu through his job as a bus driver for Macatawa Area Transportation, or MAX, used by Kandu workers.
memories of the outdoor services will be distributed, and an ice cream social will follow the service. From its inaugural service in 1981
What: 30th anniversary of Pine Grove Community Church’s tent services When: 10 a.m. Sunday Where: Tent is adjacent to the church at 8775 E. 88th St. in Howard City.
Church to host event to honor service members Celebration is open to any military family BY HEIDI FENTON THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
CALEDONIA — As Bonnie Anderson prepared for her husband’s August homecoming from his deployment in Iraq, she considered several ways to BY MORGAN JAREMA mark the special occasion. THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS A surprise party at first sounded HOLLAND — Brian Vander Hulst like the perfect fit. But then, Anderson took a challenge from his pastor to thought about the many other families PRESS PHOTO/KATY BATDORFF see how much good he could squeeze struggling with a loved one overseas. It didn’t seem right to honor just her out of $50. Helping disabled workers Free food: Grand Haven-based Kandu Inc. employees eat a lunch husband. The result: Dozens of volunteers Kandu is a 57-year-old nonprofit provided by Brian Vander Hulst and volunteers from Bentheim Church. from Bentheim Reformed Church in Grand Haven organization that proAs the director of groups at CornerHamilton helped grill vides light-industrial job training and paralyzed in an auto accident. good, solid fellowship in the church,” stone Church in Caledonia, Anderson hamburgers at an Aug. coaching to about 1,200 people a year “One of the Kandu workers who LePoire said. “They’re having fun and began to look for ways to incorporate 20 cookout for more in West Michigan with barriers to em- rides my bus told me (work) gives coming together, and that’s exactly the larger community. What started as than 300 people served ployment, such as physical or mental them a purpose for life, and that’s very what I was hoping would happen.” a small surprise party has turned into disabilities. Besides Vander Hulst, one woman a huge celebration slated for Sunday. by Kandu Inc. at the true, because so many of them, that’s organization’s annual “I thought how they’re such a bless- what they look forward to, getting up used her $50 to dish out ice cream “We understand a lot of military summer picnic. ing to me, and I know how they talk and going to work every day.” at community events and asked for families have someone overseas right The lesson: It feels for months about their picnics and Vander Hulst said he was impressed donations. A group of college-age now, or have before, and we just good to give, Vander Brian Christmas parties,” he said. “They’re by how many people helped with the congregants built an outhouse, which wanted to understand and apprecijust so fun, so friendly, so happy.” hamburger effort. Hulst said. And it Vander they drop off in other Bentheim mem- ate them and let them know CornerVander Hulst is aware of the chaltends to catch on. Fellow church member Mary Gibbs bers’ yards and charge a $10 fee to stone cares about them,” said Tracy Hulst lenges of those with disabilities. The enlisted dozens of volunteers, and have removed. The Rev. Larry LeBowers, director of outreach for the Poire, interim pastor at Bentheim, 49-year-old married father of two four businesses donated half the meat Both plan to donate proceeds to the church. “We just thought it was a way preached a sermon in June based on adult children has two nephews who needed. Donations more than took church, LePoire said. to bless them.” Matthew 25, a parable about three use wheelchairs: one with muscu- care of the rest, he said. On Sunday, from 4-7 p.m., the church people who were given different lar dystrophy and another who was “All of this is just building up a lot of E-mail: localnews@gpress.com SEE MILITARY, C2
C2
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
Cornerstone Youth Ministries to build Holland homeless center Services to include connecting youths to counseling, housing BY JIM LARKIN THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
HOLLAND — They call it “couch surfing” — going from one friend’s family couch to another to get a night’s sleep — and it’s no longer a novelty. “The kids don’t ask each other where they live anymore,” said Steve Turrell, Cornerstone Youth Ministries’ director. “They ask each other where they stay.” So Cornerstone Youth Ministries is taking a step toward addressing youth homelessness in the Holland area. It purchased a lot just north of its ministry on Central Avenue, had the house on it demolished and will offer supervised outdoor recreation use for children and youth on the vacant lot. It also will be offering a Homeless Youth Resource Center at its 407 Central Ave. location, addressing the basic needs of homeless children. The center will be offering laundry services, meals and connecting homeless youth with safe, temporary housing and counseling. An $8,000 grant from the Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation will help finance the services. The center is part of a multipronged approach being taken by the Homeless Youth Committee of the Ottawa County Housing Coalition to address the rising issue of homeless youth. “The committee felt strongly that this is an ideal location for a resource center,” Turrell said. “Because we are centrally located, it’s the perfect place to provide a first contact with homeless youth.” Other members of the committee, which includes churches and human service organizations, will be offering other service, such as counseling and temporary housing. Barnabas Ministries, for examples, hopes to break ground on a homeless youth shelter in 2011. This fall, Arbor Circle and Webster House shelters will be recruiting Ottawa County families who are interesting in providing temporary shelter for runaways and homeless youth. “We’re really excited about the direction we’re moving,” said Lyn Raymond of the Ottawa County Housing Coalition. Statistics indicate there is a growing need for homeless youth services. A recent survey by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority
HONEY WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS ABOUT? CONTINUED FROM C1
those who think he’s a Christian has declined to 34 percent, while 43 percent just don’t know what he is. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Obama is a Muslim. For one thing, he drinks Bud Light (remember the “beer summit”?) and Islam forbids alcohol. For another, Muslims are required to fast during this month of Ramadan. Do you really think he and Michelle have been letting their stomachs growl out there at Martha’s Vineyard? It’s strange that people understand Obama’s religion less the longer he’s in office. No matter how many times Obama says he’s a Christian — and his prayer pastors Joel Hunter and Kirbyjon Caldwell confirm this — a lot of people just don’t believe it. PRESS PHOTO/MARK COPIER One reason could be that he and Michelle haven’t joined a church, Reaching out: Cornerstone Youth Ministries director Steve Turrell said says Corwin Smidt, director of the the organization’s board has decided to build a homeless resource Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study center in Holland that will include laundry services and meals. of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College. BY THE NUMBERS “That allows this (misconception) to linger a little longer than had been anticipated,” said Smidt, The homeless youth were Homeless youth lead author of “The Disappearing predominantly male — 65 percent in Ottawa County God Gap? Religion in the 2008 male and 35 percent female. Presidential Election.” Most of the homeless youths Not that lack of regular churchThe 2009 Ottawa County Youth (60 percent) were white, followed going hurt Ronald Reagan’s by 21 percent black and 19 percent Assessment survey, which reputation with the religious right. Hispanic. questioned about 2,300 eighth-, But then Reagan was the Great A much higher percentage of 10th- and 12th-graders in the Communicator, whereas Obama homeless youth than nonhomeless county on a variety of subjects, comes off as a law professor trying youth experience problems such revealed the following about to sound like Joe Sixpack. as feeling unsafe (19 percent to 2 homeless youth: Maybe Obama just needs to wear percent), being threatened his religion on his sleeve or crosses (39 percent to 7 percent), having Of those reporting to be homeless, on his lapel. If he would work property damaged or stolen 19 percent indicated they had run Matthew and Micah quotes into his (68 percent to 26 percent), having away, 37 percent had been kicked economic policy speeches, more been in a physical fight (75 percent out by their parents, and 8 percent people would get the picture. to 25 percent) and attempted indicated their family was without Surely this can’t be about suicide (28 percent to 5 percent). a place to stay. The remaining 36 religious prejudice. Americans percent reported other reasons. SOURCE: Ottawa County Housing Coalition believe in religious freedom and want their presidents to be of strong indicated the number of homeless of people are helping by offering a bed faith, right? Well, sort of. A 2007 Pew survey found 45 youth in Michigan jumped 22 per- or couch, but the reality is that is not percent of respondents would be cent in the last two years. In the West an ideal situation for youth.” So Turrell and others hope home- less likely to vote for a Muslim Michigan region, which includes Ottawa, Allegan, Kent and five other coun- less youth make contact at the new candidate. Only atheists fared ties, there were 2,847 children without Homeless Youth Resource Center stable housing at some point in 2009, within Cornerstone’s Youth Activity Center, where they can be referred to according to the MSHDA survey. Pinpointing the number in Holland other agencies for help. is somewhat more difficult. The HolThe Cornerstone Youth Activity land Police Department reported that Center is open 3:30-5 p.m. Monday THE ARTS between 2007-09, it averaged 63 com- through Friday, 6:30-8 p.m. Mondays The Hark-Up Horns will perform a concert, plaints about homeless youth filed and Wednesdays and 1-3 p.m. Satur- sponsored by Christ Memorial Church, at each year. And because youth tend days during the school year. It offers 7 p.m. Sunday at Kollen Park, at East 10th to stay for short periods of time with a variety of indoor activities, such as Street and VanRaalte Avenue in Holland. If it friends and parents who will tempo- pool and foosball. The new outdoor rains, the concert moves to the church, 595 rarily help — thus the term “couch lot will provide space for wiffleball, Graafschap Road in Holland. Details: 616surfing” — finding and helping such flag football and basketball. 796-3370 or www.christmemorial.org. a transient group is difficult. For more information, go to “The need is not as visible as home- cornerstoneyouthministries.org. Jeremy Simpson performs 7:30 p.m. Sunday less young people being out on the at Waterfront Stadium, 1 N. Harbor Drive street,” Turrell said. “Thankfully a lot E-mail: localnews@grpress.com in Grand Haven. An offering will be taken.
“Americans want their president to be religious, but it does matter what kind of religion you are.” — Corwin Smidt, local scholar and author worse. “Americans want their president to be religious, but it does matter what kind of religion you are,” Smidt says. It definitely matters to Franklin Graham, who has called Islam a “wicked” religion. While acknowledging the president’s claim of accepting Christ, Graham said Obama was “born a Muslim” because “the seed of Islam” came through his father. Said father was an atheist by the time Barack came along, and left him and his mom when Obama was 2. If that was a seed, I’m a tree. Certainly all this fuss can’t be because he’s our first black president, because Americans believe all people are created equal and reject racism. So we can just take that one right off the table. Could politics be the cause? It’s a shocking idea, but plausible. Or perhaps it’s a coincidence that 31 percent of Republicans think he’s a Muslim, compared to only 10 percent of Democrats. “I don’t see any reason for arguing about this if politics wasn’t involved,” Smidt says. Come to think of it, I don’t see any reason for arguing about this at all. As Colin Powell once said, so what if Obama were a Muslim? Why shouldn’t any Muslim kid in America dream of being president, or any Jewish or Buddhist kid? We have better things to think about and better dreams ahead. E-mail: honeycharlesm@gmail.com
FAITH LIFE CALENDAR
Details: www.worshiponthewaterfront.org or 616-842-6600.
SPEAKERS/CLASSES “Transform Secular Life in Sacred Life,” a presentation by Swami Chidananda, starts 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Vivekananda Monastery & Retreat, 6723 122nd Ave. in Ganges. Details: 269-543-4545.
SPECIAL EVENTS Taize service starts 7 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church, 227 E. Fulton St. Details: www.grandrapidsfumc.org
or 451-2879. 3-on-3 basketball tournament, with male and female divisions for ages 9 and older, will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 4 at Grace for the Nations Church, 3333 Kraft Ave. SE in Cascade Township. To register: gftnc.org. Details: 974-9128. Car show, including games and a garden tractor pull, runs 3-8 p.m. Sunday at Rosewood Reformed Church, 2795 Rosewood St. in Georgetown Township. Details: 669-6690. The Faith Life calendar lists special events, guest speakers, visiting performers, seminars and recognitions. Please submit in writing: the type of event, time, date, place, other details and sponsoring organizations. Include contact phone number. Items must be received by noon Tuesday of the week you wish them to appear. Mail to: Faith Life calendar, Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. E-mail to localnews@grpress.com, or fax to 222-5409.
MILITARY GIFTS, FOOD WILL BE GIVEN AWAY CONTINUED FROM C1
PRESS PHOTOS/JON M. BROUWER
Intro music: The Pine Grove Brass band plays as churchgoers fill the tent at Pine Grove Community Church during a recent service. Below right, the Rev. Bill Vis preaches.
TENT SERVICES GOING STRONG FOR 30 YEARS CONTINUED FROM C1
“We call them our tent membership,” Vis. said “We work very hard to be hospitable and treat them as honored guests rather than a burden.” Such a legacy may not ever have seen the light of day if not for Henry Geers and Clayton Brummel, Vis said. Geers, his wife Gertrude, and others still were members of Grant Christian Reformed Church when they founded Pine Grove as a Sunday school in the early 1950s inside a one-room school at 104th Street, two miles south of Pine Grove’s present site. Fast forward to 1980. Pine Grove still was holding services in the oneroom school. Geers pitched the idea of launching tent services to Grant
CRC’s consistory. Pine Grove was under that church’s auspices at the time. The council initially nixed the idea, recalled Geers, now 95. “They didn’t feel Pine Grove was ready to start a tent service,” said Geers. That’s when Clayton Brummel, the now-deceased owner of Brummel’s Home Furnishings in Wyoming, offered to use his tent. That cleared the way for Pine Grove’s first tent services in 1981, said Geers. “That opened a lot of doors,” he said. Eventually, Pine Grove added a constructing a new building in the morning worship service and then early 1990s. made a series of expansions to the one-room schoolhouse before E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
will open its doors for a free event to honor those with family or friends overseas, or who have experienced a deployment and want to share in a time of recognition and celebration. The church is at 1675 84th St. SE in Caledonia. Several guests will speak, including Army Command Sgt. Major Jeannie Holt-Hammond, state Sen. Mark Jansen and Jocelyn Green, author of the book “Faith Deployed.” The church will offer free food, and those who attend may browse a variety of educational booths. Children may enjoy miniature horse rides, an exotic animal display and a
storyteller. Gift bags will be given to each military family until they run out. A group of Patriot Guard Riders and a color guard unit out of Caledonia also will be present. Planning for the event began in May and has expanded to include the input of the National Guard and several military support groups. The church is collecting 12-inchsized teddy bears and cards to be packaged and given away as gifts. Those bears can be brought to Sunday night’s event. For more information, contact Bowers at 698-3170, ext. 1011. E-mail: localnews@grpress.com
New denomination rises from Lutherans’ discord over gays On Friday, the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal group was expected to launch the North American Lutheran MINNEAPOLIS — A year to the Church. Its 18 charter members are week after the country’s largest Lu- Lutheran churches from around the theran denomination opened its ranks country whose congregations voted to to noncelibate gay pastors, critics of split from the ELCA over what pastors the new policy are launching a brand and members say is a clear break from new denomination. scriptural teaching. Former members of the Evangelical In all, 199 congregations have voted Lutheran Church in America held a to leave the ELCA. Another 136 could convention this week in Columbus, leave if their congregations pass a Ohio. second vote to do so. BY PATRICK CONDON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS