Here's my take on the top 10 religion news stories of 2010 involving York County:
1. Snyder v. Phelps reaches high court
In October, justices of the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a Spring Garden Township man's lawsuit against the members of a Kansas church who protested his son's military funeral.
Experts say the case could have a significant impact on the laws governing speech, protest and religion, depending on how the justices rule. Their decision is expected in early summer.
2. New bishop takes the throne
In August, the Most Rev. Joseph P. McFadden was installed as the 10th bishop of the 15-county Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.
He replaced Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, who led Catholics in
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden knocks on the door of the cathedral in Harrisburg on the day of his installation in August. (YDR - FILE)
the region for five years before a transfer to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana.
McFadden, a former Catholic school teacher and basketball coach, arrived in the midstate from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where he had spent his entire career. In November, McFadden was elected to chair the U.S. bishops' committee on Catholic education.
3. ELCA churches leave the fold
Three York County churches left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the country's largest Lutheran denomination, in 2010.
Members of Christ Lutheran in Dallastown, St. Paul Lutheran in West Manchester Township and Zion (Shaffer's) United Lutheran Church in Codorus Township voted to disassociate.
The departures followed the ELCA's approval of policies allowing non-celibate gay clergy in the pulpit and allowing churches to recognize same-sex relationships -- moves that typified a long, leftward drift by the church, conservatives say.
4. Apologies offered to Native Americans
While marking 300 years since Europeans settled in Lancaster, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Quakers and others apologized to American Indians in October for wrongs committed against native groups that once thrived in the region.
Presbyterians from the Presbytery of Donegal atoned in particular for the acts of a Paxton militia -- made up of Scots-Irish Presbyterians -- that massacred 20 peaceful Indians in Lancaster in 1763.
5. Hindu temple plans expansion in Fairview Township
The growing Hindu American Religious Institute in northern York County counts 565 member families and is planning a $1 million expansion on its wooded, 7-acre tract off a suburban street in Fairview Township.
The temple draws worshippers from a 50-mile radius, and leaders hope more space will better serve the growing community -- estimated at more than 1,200 families. HARI serves as a house of worship but also a community center for local Hindus.
6. Lutheran clergy charge pastor with misconduct
For only the second time in the 22-year history of the ELCA, clergy charged a fellow pastor with misconduct, requesting a disciplinary hearing in the church.
Hummelstown police had charged Rev. Alan C. Wenrich in 2009 with misdemeanor solicitation and prostitution charges after he solicited sex from a woman he was counseling in his home office, according to public documents.
In the church case, an advisory committee made confidential recommendations to the regional bishop. As a result, Wenrich retired in September and is no longer available for call or assignment.
7. LCBC announces plans for York County campus
The Manheim-based megachurch LCBC bought the site of the shuttered Sutliff Saturn dealership at the intersection of North Hills Road and Route 30 in Springettsbury Township.
The York County campus -- to open in fall 2011 -- would be one of five for LCBC, which is working on another campus in Ephrata.
LCBC (formerly known as Lancaster County Bible Church) started in 1986. About 9,000 worshippers now regularly attend.
8. Giving sags at Protestant congregations
A growing number of Protestant churches saw their weekly collections drop, according to a LifeWay Research survey published in December.
This was the case at several local congregations that cut staff or froze salaries. The Lifeway survey says pastors blame high unemployment and a drop-off in per-capita giving
During a hajj ritual, barefoot pilgrims circle around the ancient Kabba. The cubical building in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque in Mecca contains a sacred granite stone, which is what Muslims around the world face during prayer. According to the Quran, the Kaaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
by members. More than a third of churches surveyed said donations dropped in 2010, and overall donations were down 3 percent.
9. York firm designs A/C chillers for Grand Mosque
A local arm of Johnson Controls secured a contract to craft 27 huge chillers to pump cold air into the Grand Mosque in Mecca -- the largest open-air mosque in the world and the destination of millions of Muslim worshippers who make the annual pilgrimage to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The York chillers will provide 135,000 tons of refrigeration capacity -- enough to cool 27,000 homes.
10. Pastor is dismissed from traditionalist Catholic church
A priest with a criminal past was dismissed as chaplain of the traditionalist Catholic congregation he served for several years in York.
In May, Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission announced that the Rev. Virgil Bradley Tetherow would no longer celebrate Mass for the congregation. The chair of the congregation's board would only say that Tetherow was discharged "for personal reasons."
Five years ago, Tetherow was charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography and 10 counts of criminal use of a communication facility, according to court records. He later pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal use of a communication facility -- a felony -- and the other charges were dropped.
In other religion news around the region:
Pastor's passing: The Rev. Joseph W. Seitz died Dec. 28 at York Hospital. He was 82.
Seitz, a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, was ordained in 1957.
He served at several York County congregations, including St. Luke and St. James churches in Chanceford Township, St. Paul in York and St. Paul in Spring Grove and Grace Lutheran in Red Lion, from which he retired after 12 years.
Changes for presbytery: The three-county Presbytery of Donegal has eliminated the position of associate executive presbyter, which had been held by the Rev. Charlie W. Gross Jr.
His job was eliminated Dec. 31 in part because the presbytery no longer needed the position, said the Rev. Guy Dunham, chair of the presbytery committee that oversees budget and personnel.
The job was created around 1982 to develop new churches during a time of anticipated growth in the presbytery -- growth that never materialized, Dunham said.
Gross, an ordained minister, had worked for the presbytery since 1999. He is launching a professional coaching company called Empowerment Encouragement Coaching in Lancaster and plans to target ministers, lay leaders and others who need "an encouraging voice and coach," he said.
For details, visit www.empoweringencouragement.com, e-mail coach@empoweringencouragement.com or call 742-0711.
New book: Deanna Walton of Hanover has self-published a compilation of poems, "Faith, Family and Friends," inspired by her faith, family and friends.
She says the poems about faith will help readers cope with troubled times. Those about family recognize that while all families struggle with issues, love abides. For details, visit www.authorhouse.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment