Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 1, 1994                   TAG: 9312300228
SECTION: RELIGION                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: From staff and wire reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BRIEFS

The Revs. Alan and Kathryn Rowbotham, leaders of Unity of Roanoke Valley congregation since its beginning in 1971, will leave the community at the end of January. Kathryn Rowbotham, who started the congregation 23 years ago, is retiring from the active ministry and will devote her time to writing. Alan Rowbotham will become senior minister at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. He has been a recent president of the Association of Unity Churches.

Unity of Roanoke Valley, which has members throughout several nearby counties, has grown from a small group that met in the Salem Civic Center to several hundred adherents. The house of worship at 3300 Green Ridge Road has been enlarged and remodeled several times. Except for three years from 1979 to 1982 when they were on assignment for the church on the national level, the Rowbothams have led the Roanoke Valley congregation.

In making the announcement of the couple's move to Florida, Alan Rowbotham said the board of directors of the congregation probably will seek an interim minister.

Teaching values

Two adults in three think it is possible for communities to agree on basic values to be taught in local schools, according to a Gallup Poll. Statistics quoted by the National and International Religion Report compiled in Roanoke say that 97 per cent believe honesty should be taught. Other values rating more than 90 percent agreement are democracy, patriotism and love of country, "the Golden Rule,"and acceptance of people of different races and ethnic backgrounds.

Less support was found for teaching values of a more private nature. While teaching "religious tolerance" rated 87 percent and "acceptance of people holding unpopular political and social views" rated 73 percent, 66 percent approved the teaching of sexual abstinence outside marriage, 56 percent believe schools should teach about a right to abortion and 51 percent about tolerance for homosexuals and bisexuals.

Meeting medical needs

About 2,000 pounds of medicines will be shipped next month to hospitals and children's homes in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic where thousands of persons are ill from the effects of nuclear testing over the past 40 years, United Methodist News Service reported. Valued at $150,000. the shipment is sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. The collection was initiated by a Lebanon, Ind. United Methodist pastor after meeting an orphanage director in the city of Semipalantinsk. A major part of the shipment was more than three years' worth of vitamins said to be impossible to obtain in Kazakhstan.

A slight decline

The eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America report a slight decline in the number of Lutheran students preparing for a master of divinity degree, the minimum required for Lutheran clergy. However, the number of non-Lutheran students increased stabilizing overall enrollment, a report from national headquarters of the church states.

Enrollment of women continues to rise; it was 35 percent in 1987 compared to 44 percent in 1992 with little change for the past year. The seminaries reported a total of 24 students of African-American background along with 10 Hispanics with the percentage of black seminarians dropping from 4 to 2 percent over the past two years.

The seminaries include Lutheran Theological Southern in Columbia, S.C., the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa., and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, from which a majority of Western Virginia pastors are graduated.

Marriage retreat A marriage enrichment retreat for couples who want to strengthen their good relationships in a context of Christian faith and action is scheduled March 11-13 at the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center at Blackstone. The retreat, which will cost $160 per couple will be led by Dick and Pat Faris. Deadline for registration is Feb. 28. For more information call 804-359-9451 or 1-800-768-6040.

Methodist milestone

The year 1993 marked the 25th since the Methodist Church merged nationally with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church. Many people still do not use the correct name of United Methodist, Nathaniel L. Bishop of the Virginia Conference Council on Ministries noted. The name also denotes inclusion of a formerly black regional body and symbolizes the full integration of the races, the black churchman said.