THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604050152
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Around the world today Christians everywhere will celebrate Easter, a time of rejoicing - and perhaps of new beginnings.
Coming in the spring of the year and taking its name from a pagan goddess of spring, Easter marks the awakening of the land around us.
And the celebration of the season must not be confined to church sanctuaries or limited to one day of the year if Easter is going to have meaning beyond the superficial.
The celebration of the triumph of Jesus Christ must give new meaning to life - in the world, in this nation and in this city. It must underscore the basic principles of Christianity shared by almost every religion - the concepts of love, honesty, unselfishness, purity, the virtues that are the credo of all believers.
Even as there is great national debate about the traditional stories of Christ, the message of Christianity as it relates to our values should not be obscured.
In Portsmouth today thousands of citizens will attend services in many buildings. They will pray and sing and hear messages of the triumph symbolized by the story of the Resurrection. However, it all is meaningless if the gospel values are not translated into action beyond the church door and beyond ourselves.
Christians tend to see Easter as a time of personal triumph, the promise of life everlasting. Beyond that, Easter is a time to begin new life on earth.
Portsmouth is embarking on yet another journey into the future. It may be the most crucial effort the city has made in all its long history to reverse misfortunes that seem to befall it.
Reaching the realistic goals of this journey will require the support of all people, especially those who work within the organization of the city's many church congregations and civic leagues.
Ebenezer and New Mount Olivet Baptist churches already have made commitments to build housing for senior citizens along with street-level commercial space at County and Chesnut streets.
The Olde Towne Civic League has put its money where its mouth is and bought property to refurbish in the 600 block of London Boulevard.
Across the entire Vision 2005 area, other civic groups and perhaps a few churches are becoming more and more involved in this citizen project to create new beginnings for the city.
How wonderful it would be to celebrate the season with everyone, especially the churches, giving to the community and Portsmouth's new beginnings. by CNB