Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 8, 1994 TAG: 9401070084
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: from staff and wire reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Phillip C. Stone, a Harrisonburg lawyer nationally active in the Church of the Brethren for many years, has been named the seventh president of Bridgewater College. Stone, 31, will succeed Wayne Geisert who is retiring in June after 30 years in the position. The new president will take over on Aug. 1. Stone is a 1965 honor graduate of the college near Harrisonburg
which is affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. He currently is vice chairman of the board of trustees and has been active in fund-raising efforts for the school. In church life he has been moderator of the denomination and chairman of the general board.
Lutheran forum Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Wytheville has
scheduled a community forum Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. "Health and Healing" will be the theme in which two Roanoke area authors , Dr. William Fintel and Dr. Gerald McDermott, will discuss how mental and spiritual attitudes affect those who become ill, especially with cancer.
The men are co-authors of "A Medical and Spiritual Guide to Living With Cancer" which was published last year. Fintel is a physician specializing in cancer treatment and McDermott is a professor of religion at Roanoke College in Salem. The church is joined in sponsorship by Hospice Services of Bland/Wythe Counties.
\ Bricks needed
The new Church of the Brethren seminary in Bethany, Ind. is seeking donors for 2,000 bricks that will form its courtyard. The graduate theological school , which formerly was near Chicago, has joined with a Quaker seminary and is constructing new facilities. Each brick in the new complex will contain the name of the donor -- individual, church , family or religious group -- and may be given as memorials or in honor of living persons.
\ Teen pregnancies
The executive committee of the Roanoke Valley Ministers Conference, an interfaith group for religion professionals, has written Roanoke Mayor David Bowers asking that a citywide task force on teen pregnancies be set up. Several weeks ago the board expresed the hope that one or more of the conference members might serve on such a board.
For the conference's meeting Monday at 10 a.m. at Second Presbyterian Church "The Media's Perspective on Religion" will be the theme. Cody Lowe, religion writer for the Roanoke Times & World-News, will discuss a Vanderbilt University study on the way religion is handled in the secular press and how ministers view broadcast and written journalism.
\ Passing up the plate
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - They still pass the collection plate at Ascension Lutheran Church, but they're passing it up these days as well.
Not everyone is fit to be tithed, says the Rev. Glenn Zorb.
Zorb, pastor of the church, hopes to attract more members by easing the pressure to contribute during special "seekers' services" for potential new members.
"We don't want people to come thinking the only reason we want them here is because of their money," said Zorb, whose congregation meets in an auditorium at Washington Crossing State Park in Bucks County.
In November, Zorb did away with collections during the special service, which includes rock music. Congregants may drop cash into a collection plate before or after the service.
"If someone comes to my house for dinner, I'm embarrassed if they offer to pay," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The plate is still passed during the traditional Lutheran liturgy later in the morning.
Zorb, 40, said the six-year-old, 182-member church is risking a short-term financial loss for a long-term return in membership.
"Any time people get committed to something, you don't have to ask them to give money; they just give it," he said.
\ Accord praised
NEW YORK (AP) - The establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel ushers in a new era for millions of Catholics and Jews throughout the world, an American Jewish leader says.
Rabbi James Rudin, interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee, said the historic agreement last week "marks the normalization of relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Jewish people after 2,000 years."
Rudin said his committee also was pleased that the church reaffirmed its opposition to all forms of anti-Semitism.
"Diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel will add a new spirit to the Catholic-Jewish encounter that has been under way since Vatican Council II," Rudin said.
by CNB