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8B RELIGION/C^e Charlotte $ofit Thursday, June 1, 2006 Chaplains offers support THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LA CEOSSE, Wis.- Police who say they want to reach out to victims of vio lent crime but don’t alwaj^ have the resources are growing increasingly reliant on pohce chaplains to fill that void. Police chaplains offer support to tragedy victims and their families, and the goal is to do it with reli gious neutrality, said Police Chief Ed Kondracki of the La Crosse Police Depart ment. “They’re there to provide physical and emotional support to the victims of trauma, period,” he said. “And they provide that ser vice regardless of yOur faith, or lack of faith.” Bill Noffke credited an Onalaska chaplain for helping his family through the April 30 disappearance of his 21-year-old son, Levi, in a marsh- After two days of searching, authorities called in a pohce chaplain to help tell Noffke’s family that crews were shifting their focus fi'om searching for a hve man to dragging for a body. Rev. Tim Duesenberg, a pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Onalaska, responded, sup porting the family and relaying information about recovery efforts. “When they found our son, Levi, we formed a circle of family and friends and the chaplain, and held hands and the chaplain said a prayer for him,” Bill Noffke said. “It was comforting, a httle spirit-lifting.” The La Crosse Police Department began its pohce chaplain program in 2001 and expanded it to include the Onalaska Pohce Department the following year. The chaplains volunteer their time, and intentional ly steer away from rehgious distinctions. Rev. Mark Clements, head chaplain for the La Crosse and Onalaska police departments, said the pur pose is to provide people physical and emotional sup port during their times of crisis, irrespective of reh- gion. “I’ve had them say, T don’t beheve in God.’ That’s fine, because I’m not here to talk you into Grod, I’m here to help you,” he said. Kondracki said pohce deal with people who are dying or who are victimized by crime and abuse, and there’s a growing demand for support and outreach. “(The chaplains) are real ly helping us meet that increasing demand at no additional cost to the tax payers or to the depart ment,” he said. Pohce chaplains respond to emergency situations about every third day across La Crosse Coimty, Clements said. He said prospective chaplains must go through strenuous train ing to make sure they can handle the program’s rig ors. “It is a huge shock to go from pulpit ministries to jump in a pohce car and ride around from 11 p.m. vmtil 3 or 4 in the morning and find out what goes on in this city, in the dark alleys and behind closed doors,” he said. Ministers fighting child abuse Continued from page 6B Roman Cathohc Church in the 1990s, said the Rev. Kibbie Ruth, of the California-based Kyros Ministry Ruth has spent two decades offering training on child abuse, sexual harassment and domes tic violence throio^ Kyros to pastors of Luther an, Episcopal and other denominations nation wide. ‘T wish I could teU you it’s important because they’re suddenly valuing children more,” Ruth said. “But it’s mainly driven by insurance.” Insurers can face enormous expenses in neg- hgence lawsuits against churches. Some Catholic dioceses have been paying settle ments in the tens of millions of dollars in recent years—and insurance companies in many cases are responsible for covering part of that amoimt. GuideOne and Church Mutual, the nation’s two leadh^ church insurers, now publish edu cational pamphlets on preventdi^ abuse. Epis copal and Methodist leaders have developed their own training programs. But not everyone suppcsrts this approach. Kimberly Hart, executive director of the National Child Abuse Defense and Resource Center, worries mimsters will feel compelled to notify authorities simply to gain immunity fiom a lawsuit. Her Ohio-based center hosts an annual conference training defense lawyers on combatting false child abuse claims. ‘Teople will make the call, just to give ftiem the cloak of protection,” Hart said. “What we see is an ovareaction to report everything and let somebody else ferret it out.” In Miginia, accusers can contact authorities anonymously and are required to have a rea sonable suspicion, not any specific evidence. But the Rev. Kendra Grimes-Swager works to ensure that Virgmia clergy are as close to being ejqjerts on child abuse as possible. The United Methodist Family Services trainer ofiers straightforward advice—such as avoid- ir^ hugs and teUii^ congregants up fiunt that anything revealed in a counseling session could be reported. Grimes-Swager mixst also quell the fears of clergy worried about beir^ revealed as tipsters. The Harrisonburg group chattered anxiously as the Rev Jim Harris told his own story of uncovering abuse—one that ended with the accused father ransacldi^ his office. “My family felt threatened; if he would tear apart my office, he would come to the parson age,” said Harris, a minister at a church in nearby Augusta County Perhaps most troubling to clergy is the specter of violatdi^ the bond with congregants, who often, share everything fix)m medical con ditions to marital troribles. Some resent becoming ersatz social workers, Ruth said, especially concemirg an issue they believe “doesn’t happen here.” Others fear con gregants will clam up. ‘T think it will make people more close mouthed,” said Hoskins, pastor at a church in Dayton, outside Harrisonburg. “Then prob lems won’t get addressed at all.” On the Net: United Methodist Church: www2imc.org ' National Child Abuse Defense ami Resource Cen ter: wwwfalseallegalion£>rg American religious groups are troubled over gay rights issues THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The increasingly stark polarization of religious groups aboTit homosexuali ty is seen in new alliances that favor and oppose amending the U.S. Consti tution to bar same-sex mar riage. The pro-amendment Reli gious' Coalition for Mar riage unites leaders from the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, evangelical Protestantism (including blacks and Hispanics, Epis copal conservatives, Charles Colson, James Dobson, Rick Warren), Lutheran Church—Mis souri Synod, Eastern Orthodoxy, Mormonism and Orthodox Judaism. The anti-amendment Clergy for Fairness draws support from the Episcopal Chm-ch majority. United Church of Christ, Unitari- . an Universalist Associa tion, liberal Judaism and the largely gay Metropoli tan Commxmity Churches, among others. Joining neither alliance: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presby terian Church (U.S.A.), United Methodist Church, black Baptist and Methodist denominations, and Mushm groups. Meanwhile, June show down meetings of the Epis copal Church and Presby terian Church (U.S.A.) will confront severe splits caused by internal gay poh- cies. The biblical debate is cru cial- Lutheran Frederick Gaiser wrote in the Christ ian Centiuy magazine that Old Testament prophets shifted to embrace non- Jews and the New Tfesta- ment abrogated purity laws, therefore, likewise with homosexuality, Chris tianity should consider call ing “previous words of God into question.” In response. Southern Baptist R. Albert Mohler Jr. said hberals now say “the church must grow beyond Scripture” because their claims that the Bible was misimderstood for 20 centiuries lack credibility Recent liberal writings include: • “What God Has Joined Together?: A Christian Case for Gay Marriage” (HarperSanFrancisco) by David Myers and Letha Scanzoni. • “Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality” (Westmin ster John Knox) by theolo gian Jack Rogers, aimed at Presbyterians. • “Tb Set Our Hope on Christ,” the Episcopal Church’s case for tolerant pohcies- Woman tosses 3 boys into SF Bay Continued from page 6B prosecutors presenting evidence, was held in reva^ order so out-of-town witnesses could testify for the defense. When prosecutors presented their case, they showed part of the video footage of the pohce interview with Harris immediately after the incident. She soimded groggy almost dnxgged and the officers questioned her as if she was a child. Her answers were mumbled, quiet and she seemed confused about where she was and what day it was. She told the investigators God “said I need to Irill my kids,” and she took them to the pier for that purpose. Pohce officer Thomas Johnson testified that he foimd Harris at the scene pushing an empty stroUer. “Where did you put the baHes?’ he asked. Harris rephed, “They’re OK. They’re with their father,” Johnson said. “Did you put the babies into the bay?” John son said. “Tb that question. Miss Harris shook her head up and down and said. Yes.”’ anon ProtecEon Ptoieci your savings from ihe ups and downs o( inton wild the new Series I Bond (rom iheU.S.Trea.sui)'. And 1 Bonds ait avalablc at most financial institutions. 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