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Thursday, May 11,2006
Board OKs name change to ‘Christmas Break’
WE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OTALLON, Mo. - "Winter
Break” is out, and “Christ
Break” is back for the Francis
Howell School District in sub
urban St. Louis.
The board for the St.
Charles County school dis
trict voted 4-3 Thursday to
change the name of the win
ter vacation, following a
debate that became heated at
times. The move came despite
concerns by some that the
change excludes non-Chris
tians or could prompt law
suits.
“We’ve created another
media frenzy... we are not liv
ing up to our responsibility”
board member Marty Hodits
said.
Board member Bob Farr, a
pastor, also opposed the
change, arguing it would be
unfair to religious minorities.
“This is a public institution,
and we should try not to
offend people,” Farr said.
But supporters downplayed
the change’s significance, say
ing it is simply intended to
acknowledge that most peo
ple in the district celebrate
Christmas, which is recog
nized as a federal holiday.
“It is not meant to be disre
spectful,” said Tferry Black,
the board member who intro
duced the proposal. “This is
not about curriculum, this is
not about forcing religious
beliefs on anyone.”
Board vice president BiU
Spencer said, “I don’t see per
sonally how changing a word
on a calendar is going to cre
ate a theocracy.”
Opponents have said their
main objection is that the
proposal could denigrate
other celebrations, such as
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and'
Ramadan, that may fall dur
ing the vacation.
A law firm analyzed the
proposal and determined it
would not violate the federal
or Missouri constitutions.
World Renowned Spiritual Psychic Advisor
Election could be trouble for homosexuality
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO -
Three openly gay clerics
were far behind Saturday
as delegates gathered to
elect the next leader of the
Episcopal Diocese of Cali
fornia at a time when the
global church is divided
over the 2003 election of
the first openly gay bishop.
The consecration of V.
Gene Robinson of New
Hampshire was greeted by
many Episcopalians as a
triumph for gay acceptance
but that choice sent rever
berations throughout the
global church, the Anglican
Communion.
The candidate selected
during a vote Saturday
must next be approved by
the top Episcopal legisla
tive body, the General Con
vention, which is set to con
vene June 13-21 in Colum
bus, Ohio. The candidate
approved by the General
Convention will succeed
Bishop William Swing, who
is retiring.
After the first two rounds
of voting, two candidates
emerged as early front-run
ners and neither was gay.
In fact, none of the three
gay candidates received
more than a handful of
votes, making it unlikely
any of them could win the
election.
The sole lesbian candi
date, the Rev. Bonnie Perry
of Chicago, withdrew short
ly before noon. The other
gay candidates for the Cali
fornia diocese were the Rev.
Canon Michael Barlowe of
San Francisco, and the Very
Rev. Robert Taylor of Seat
tle. All three have same-sex
partners.
The remaining candidates
were the Rt. Rev. Mark
Handley Andrus of Birm
ingham, Ala.; Canon
Eugene Taylor Sutton of
Washington National
Cathedral; the Rev. Jane
Gould of Lynn, Mass.; and
the Rev. Donald Schell of
San Francisco.
To be elected, a candidate
must receive a majority of
the votes among bo.th clergy
and lay delegates, and vot
ing continues until a win
ner emerges.
After the second round of
voting, Andrus appeared to
be the strongest candidate
with 62.2 percent of the
clergy vote and 35.3 percent
of the lay vote. Sutton
received 42.2 percent of the
lay vote.
Nearly 600 delegates from
across California gathered
for the election.
Episcopalians differ over
whether the Bible permits
ordaining gays, but agreed
that choosing a second
leader in a same-sex rela
tionship would severely
damage the global church.
In 2004, Anglican leaders
trying to keep the church
from splitting over the issue
asked the U.S. church for a
temporary moratorium on
electing gay bishops. Those
Tumed-off neighbors
turn on Miss, church
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOUTHAVEN, Miss.-A
Southaven church student
pastor will be in a city court
on June 14 after neighbors
complained of noisy night
worships.
Colonial Hills Church’s stu
dent pastor, John Sayger, 43,
of Hernando, was arrested
this week and charged with
disturbing the peace.
A resident of Coral Mead
ows Cove, James Williams Jr.,
swore out an affidavit alleg
ing the church played exces
sively loud music from 7 to 10
p.m. several days a week.
Williams, 37, said he had
tried to get church officials to
tone down worship tunes
accented by booming bass
lines.
“AU I did is ask that they
turn the music down,”
Williams said Friday. “When
the church’s music comes into
my home and invades my pri
vacy, that’s disturbing the
peace.”
Pastor Scott Little of the
church’s magnification min
istry said $10,000 in sound
system changes haven’t satis-
DEDICATIONS-
Vic and Jan Wood Carter donated more than 30 pieces of
African American artwork to First Baptist Church-West.
This was done in memory of Wood-Carter’s mother, Vir
ginia Wood, a long time resident and teacher.
supporting a greater church it is unfair to ask gays to
role for homosexuals believe wait.
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912-673-8754
fied Williams.
“Yet, we will continue to
address this problem and live
within the city’s regulations
with hope that we can come to
some agreement,” Little said
in a statement.
The church was built in
1995 on U.S. 51 North. The
building, parking lots and
athletic fields are bordered on
the west by residential coves.
The homes were built before
the church, and Williams said
he has lived in his house since
1997.
Williams said homes closest
to the church have the worst
problems with noise. He
likened it to sitting next to a
car playing loud music with
deep, vibrating bass notes.
Belinda Tfenney, 28, who has
lived on the cove for seven
months, said, “When I come
out of my house, I can hear
the thump, thumpj thump,
thump.”
“Basically what everybody
wants is for them (church offi
cials) to come over with
walkie-talkies and figure out
what level of base is comforL
able for the community.”
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Saturday Night Praise
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Dr. Walter Malone
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Bishop Walter Thomas,
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6029 Beatties Ford Rc»d
Charlotte, NC 28216
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