Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 17, 1995 TAG: 9507120078
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Seventh-day Adventist Church will hold its 1995 Potomac Camp Meeting from Tuesday through Friday on the campus of Shenandoah Valley Academy, New Market. The workshop begins with a dinner and evening worship session Tuesday, 5 p.m. The event includes guest speakers, musical performances, a book sale and an 8K/3K Fun Run/Walk.
For more information on the camp meeting, call North Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, 890-5579.
Alabama's religious roots
A survey found a majority of Alabama residents believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, and heaven and hell are real.
Ninety-nine percent of those polled said they believe in some sort of heaven, 95 percent believe in some sort of hell, and 86 percent believe in Satan or an evil spirit.
According to the poll, 53 percent of Alabama residents agree that ``Every word of the Bible comes straight from God and is completely free of error,'' while 38 percent say, ``The Bible is inspired by God, but may contain some historical and scientific errors.''
The poll also showed that 60 percent of Alabamians say they attended church within the last week.
The survey of 400 Alabama residents 18 or older was conducted by the USA Polling Group May 29-31. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Interfaith marriage manual
Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have signed a document intended to help interfaith couples identify volatile matters that may come up in their marriages.
In the ``Guide for a Lutheran-Catholic Marriage,'' church leaders point out such potentially problem areas as where to get married, which church to attend and how to practice birth control.
The intent is not to provide answers for interfaith couples contemplating marriage, but to help couples identify the questions before they come up, church leaders said.
The guide establishes the ``common ground'' in the two faiths, said Archbishop John Roach of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and also the points on which they differ. It creates a context for couples to assess questions they need to discuss.
``There could be differences on the question of contraception,'' he said. ``There could be differences in questions of abortion. There must be a commitment on both sides to understand what those differences could be.''
Mansell assumes diocese
More than 400 priests from throughout North America were among nearly 1,000 people who welcomed the new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo at his installation service.
The diocese welcomed its first new leader in 22 years Monday at St. Joseph's Cathedral when it named Henry J. Mansell to succeed Edward D. Head as bishop.
He takes over one of the nation's largest dioceses, an eight-county area with 279 parishes and 758,000 Catholics.
``We have to look more closely ... and see the people who are those institutions,'' Mansell said during the Rite of Installation Mass. ``These are all different gifts but one Spirit.''
He talked about his ``love of church and love of people'' when describing his strengths and stressed the importance of people working together to help build a stronger faith.
Nebraskans provide relief
For the fourth time in two years, Clyde Peters of Lincoln loaded up his airplane, The Spirit of Union, and took off for Providenyia, Russia.
Peters was accompanied by Union College alumni, students and others who will help restock the shelves of schools and orphanages with food and medical supplies.
Peters and Virgil Carner of Lincoln organized the 12-day good-will mission. On this trip, which took place in May. they delivered 1,000 pounds of medical supplies, several tons of food, including oatmeal and textured vegetable protein, as well as exterior paint, vegetable seeds, first-aid kits and Russian-language Bibles, which have been donated by local and area businesses or individuals.
Providenyia is located a few miles south of the Arctic Circle and 275 miles west of Nome, Alaska, across the Bering Strait.
Some call it ``God forsaken,'' Carner told The Lincoln Star, describing the bleak existence of the people who live there. ``Of course, they are not God forsaken because we are there, for Christian purposes,'' he said.
by CNB