c. 1996 Religion News Service

(Following is a collection of news stories compiled from RNS staff, wire and denominational reports).

Minnesota court will not review Lutheran pension suit

(RNS)-The Minnesota Supreme Court will not review a lower court’s dismissal of a suit challenging the investment policies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The court, without comment, announced Jan. 25 that it will not review a ruling last November by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which dismissed the suit on grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to intervene in internal church policy matters.

The suit, brought by a group of pastors led by the Rev. Thomas L. Basich of St. Paul, challenged a policy of the denomination’s Board of Pensions that barred investments in companies doing business in South Africa. The group said the restrictions-based on a church policy that South Africa’s apartheid system was a sin-meant the board’s investment policy was based on religious grounds rather financial interest.

In the suit, Basich and the others contended that the fund didn’t make as much money as it might have because of the investment restrictions. That alleged underperformance, they said, could affect their potential retirement income.

Church lawyers argued that trustees of the pension board were obligated to carry out Lutheran principles in their investment strategies.”The most important part of the whole case is that the appellate court recognized that churches can apply their religious principles in the administration of their pension plans,”said Robert H. Rydland, an attorney for the ELCA.”Once our church adopted the position that the sin of apartheid should be opposed, it was only natural that the principle (of non-investment) be applied.” Basich said he was”disgusted and angered”by the state Supreme Court’s decision not to review the case.

He said the group has”no intention whatsoever of accepting the Supreme Court’s abdication of their duty as the final word in this struggle. We absolutely will not give up the fight. We will immediately consider all options, including an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.” The investment restrictions were dropped in 1993 after South Africa’s multi-racial elections.

“Souper Bowl”raises $1 million to help feed the hungry

(RNS)-It began, according to the Rev. Brad Smith, associate pastor of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., almost as a throwaway line on Super Bowl Sunday in 1988.”As we go home to enjoy the Super Bowl,”he prayed,”let us remember those who are without even a bowl of soup.” Spring Valley’s youth group took the idea and created what it called the”Souper Bowl,”in which worshipers dropped $1 into a large soup bowl as they left church on Super Bowl Sunday. In 1990, cooperating with 22 other Columbia churches, the Spring Valley youth group raised $5,700 for area ministries dealing with the poor and hungry.

By 1995, the effort had gone national, raising $450,000 in donations. All of the money stays in the local community in which it is raised.

This year, according to the Presbyterian News Service, more than 3,500 groups across the country held”Souper Bowls,”raising about $1 million.”One dollar from every person is not a lot of money, but one dollar from more than 1 million people … now, that adds up to a real money offering to help the needy,”Smith said.

Promise Keepers events unveiled and, in two cases, already sold out

(RNS)-The Promise Keepers men’s movement has started unveiling its plans for more than 20 men’s conferences at sports arenas this year, and two of the events already have sold out.

The movement, which encourages men to be more committed to their families and their Christian faith, held conferences in 13 cities last year. A total of more than 720,000 men attended.

A 1996 conference planned for Indianapolis sold out in eight days. An event in Minneapolis sold out shortly after the Indianapolis conference.”Some of them sold out relatively quickly last year, but eight days is pretty quick,”said Promise Keepers spokesman Roger Chapman.

The theme of this year’s conferences is”Break Down the Walls.””There are centuries-old walls built of pain, hurt, neglect and abuse,”said Promise Keepers President Randy Phillips.”Our desire is to exalt the person of Christ and power of the cross in a way that breaks down the walls that exist brother-to-brother, brother-to sister, and church-to-church.” Conference locations announced so far are: Los Angeles, April 19-20; Kansas City, Mo., April 26-27; Detroit and Minneapolis, May 10-11; Washington, May 24-25; Boise, Idaho, and Syracuse, N.Y., June 7-8; Charlotte, N.C., June 21-22; Chicago, June 28-29; San Diego, July 12-13; New Orleans and Indianapolis, July 26-27; Eugene, Ore., August 2-3; Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 11-12, and Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 18-19.

Alabama Baptists hope to aid Olympic travelers, but not at rest areas

(RNS)-After months of negotiations, a group of Alabama Baptists won’t be offering cold water and literature at highway rest areas that will be visited by travelers to the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The Baptists withdrew their request because the state’s Department of Transportation said it would have to develop a policy to regulate the use of rest areas by nonprofit groups. Officials have proposed that such groups be prevented from having a presence at rest areas, according to Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

At one point in the negotiations, the DOT said Baptists could be granted access but they could not put up a sign identifying themselves or evangelize, according to a DOT memo on the issue.”We couldn’t agree to that,”said Tammy Davis, coordinator of Alabama Baptist ministries to visitors and athletes.”We wanted people to know who was helping them, and if someone asked why we were there, we wanted to be able to share our faith.” Baptists had hoped to have portable hospitality booths to give directions and other assistance to travelers to the games in Atlanta and related competitions in Birmingham, Ala., and Columbus, Ga. They now are seeking other locations, including gas stations at highway exits.

Mitchell Kilpatrick, who represented the DOT in talks with Davis, said he was sympathetic to the Baptists’ interest in aiding the travelers. But he said allowing the Baptists on rest area property would be inconsistent with the intended use of the facilities.”The mission of the rest areas is to allow motorists to stop, take a rest and move on,”said Kilpatrick, a maintenance engineer.

He also said the hospitality booths could create parking problems if motorists spent a longer-then-normal time at the rest areas, which have limited parking.

Chicago’s first Catholic high school in 33 years announced

(RNS)-The Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) will open a high school in Chicago in September, the first new Catholic high school in the city in 33 years.

The school, to be called Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, will be a co-educational college preparatory school.

The Rev. Bradley Schaeffer, the Chicago Jesuit provincial, said the school will combine traditional Jesuit college preparatory education with a work-study program. Students will attend dual language classes in English and Spanish four days a week and participate in a work-study program at Chicago-area companies one day a week.

Schaeffer said the combination of traditional education and a work-study program could make the school a model for other urban private schools.

The Rev. Thomas Widner, a spokesman for the Chicago Jesuits, said economic constraints and the declining number of members of religious orders, who run 80 percent of Chicago’s Catholic schools, were responsible for the lack of new schools in recent decades.

Widner said the Jesuits were motivated to start the school by the order’s national emphasis on Hispanic ministry and because people in the neighborhood requested a school.

Financial woes force Peru’s Protestant council to close

(RNS)-The National Protestant Council of Peru (CONEP), which represents 20 Peruvian denomination’s with 1.5 million members, has announced that it is closing-at least temporarily.

The church-financed ALC News Service in Lima said the council has a large financial deficit. Its economic problems have been compounded by administrative and personnel problems, the ALC said.

According to the report, denominational contributions covered less than 30 percent of the budget.

Juan Jose Rivera, president of CONEP’s board, has asked for a leave of absence. He said the council needs to redefine its role both with the churches and the secular society if it is going to be an effective voice for Peru’s small Protestant community.

Neil M. Alexander to head United Methodist Publishing House

(RNS)-Neil M. Alexander of Nashville, Tenn., has been elected president and publisher of the United Methodist Publishing House. He succeeds Robert K. Feaster, who is retiring after 13 years as chief executive officer.

Alexander, 47, served as vice president for publishing and book editor/editorial director since 1992.

The United Methodist Publishing House is one of the nation’s largest publishers and booksellers, employing 1,100 people. Its Abingdon Press produces an average of 140 new books a year. Its 69 Cokesbury book and church-supply stores are located in 31 states and at 23 seminaries.

MJP END