c. 2005 Religion News Service
Fundraising for Graham’s NY Budget at 60 Percent; Efforts Continue
(RNS) Fundraising for evangelist Billy Graham’s recent New York crusade has reached about 60 percent of its projected budget, but a crusade official said he’s confident that donors will provide the necessary money to cover all costs.
Art Bailey, director of Graham’s Greater New York Crusade, told Religion News Service that the local crusade committee has raised about $4.2 million, just over 60 percent of a projected $6.8 million budget.
“Most crusades we are further along,” he said Thursday (July 21) of past fundraising efforts. The New York crusade budget is the largest Graham’s organization has had in North America.
Bailey said all bills received thus far have been paid and they are contacting donors about helping with anticipated additional bills from vendors.
“We stand, at this point, paid up to date and we have money in the bank,” he said.
Bailey cited several factors that could have contributed to the budget situation for the late June crusade. The final decision on the venue, Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, was made much later than for most crusades and the outside location required expenses not incurred with indoor arenas, including the rental of 70,000 chairs.
In addition, Graham’s health might have prompted some donors to hold off on donating because they were not certain he would appear. He suffers from Parkinson’s disease and other ailments.
“We’ve never had any city where we’ve left a bill not paid,” Bailey said. “We still have donors that know of our need and are sending money. We believe that through the sovereignty of God, we’re going to see the money come in.”
Bailey said the New York crusade office will likely close by Sept. 1 and the corporation developed for the crusade will probably dissolve sometime in September.
In the past, some crusades have been entirely paid for before the event began or by the time it concluded, but in other cases the budget has not been met until later. The costs of crusades held in 2003 and 2004 have averaged about $4 million, but Bailey, who’s worked with Graham for about 20 years, recalls when they cost less than $1.5 million.
Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross also said in an interview that he expected the New York crusade would meet its budget: “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Christian Adoption Agency Will Allow Catholics as Clients
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) The Mississippi office of a Grand Rapids-based Christian adoption agency said it has changed its policy and will allow Catholic families to adopt.
Earlier this month, the Mississippi branch of Bethany Christian Services rejected an adoption request by the Stedman family of Jackson, Miss., saying their Catholic faith conflicted with the organization’s “Statement of Faith.”
But on Tuesday (July 19), the board of directors for Bethany’s Mississippi operation voted unanimously to include Catholic families in its programs.
All families who wish to adopt must sign a statement agreeing to its beliefs. But each of its 32 state operations are independent subsidiaries, so the national office allows “some discretion on some issues,” President and CEO Glenn De Mots said last week.
The meeting in Mississippi came after Bethany’s national board met earlier in the day in Grand Rapids. At that meeting, national officials said all Bethany offices would comply with the practice of allowing Catholic families to adopt.
The national board’s statement was conveyed to Mississippi, but that state’s board probably would have reached the same decision with or without input from Grand Rapids, De Mots said Wednesday.
“We are sorry for offending families and all partners of Bethany, and regret any pain and hurt caused by this issue,” he said in a statement.
Bethany has been a leading Christian adoption agency since it was founded in 1944. Last year, 16 percent of Bethany’s adoptions nationwide were with Catholic families.
The Stedmans, of Jackson, Miss., who expressed disappointment when denied last week, said in a statement they were pleased with their local board’s decision.
“Bethany does admirable work, and we can now be supportive of this pro-life ministry,” Robert Stedman said.
_ Ed Ronco
Santorum Stands by Abuse Comments, Promises Follow-up on Federal Probe
WASHINGTON (RNS) Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., refused to apologize to sex-abuse victims Thursday (July 21) for remarks they consider insensitive, but promised to help get the Justice Department to respond to their request for an investigation of the Catholic Church.
Santorum stopped short of their call for a federal probe into whether the church violated the law by relocating clergy sex abusers and withholding information.
But he said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) deserves an answer to allegations made in 2003 that the church circumvented federal and state laws when it moved offenders across state lines and prevented prosecutions.
“I said I would do my best to be helpful and get a response,” Santorum said after a 15-minute meeting with three clergy sex-abuse victims. “They deserve a response to their letter.”
Santorum, a Catholic, became a lightning rod for criticism from Catholics, abuse victims and Democrats after remarks he made in 2002 that attributed much of the church abuse scandal to “political and cultural liberalism” in Massachusetts. The comments resurfaced in the media two weeks ago.
Santorum said critics were looking at a comment out of context for “pure politics.”
“Let’s be honest here,” Santorum said. “What’s going on is Ted Kennedy and the Democrats see this as an opportunity to beat up on Rick Santorum.”
Santorum offered no apology, and the group chose not to seek one. “He certainly didn’t back down on his analysis of the situation, and we didn’t spend a lot of time on it,” said Peter Isely, a SNAP board member from Wisconsin.
Instead, they focused on stopping what Isely called “an underground railroad for pedophile priests.”
The group asked the lawmaker to push the Justice Department to act on a request for a national investigation into their charges that the church engaged in racketeering by moving abusers so they could not be prosecuted.
The Justice Department did not return calls about the matter Thursday.
Isely said he hopes Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in Senate leadership and a White House ally, will exert influence with the Bush administration and the Catholic Church.
“As the leading Catholic political figure in the United States, we would like to see him take up a position of leadership on this issue as a senator and a Catholic,” he said.
_ Brett Lieberman
Senate Democrats Launch `Word to the Faithful’ Web Site
WASHINGTON (RNS) Concerned that Democrats are seen as a party that is hostile or ambivalent toward religion, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday (July 19) unveiled a new Web site with “A Word to the Faithful.”
The Web site _ at http://democrats.senate.gov/faith.html _ features photos of Reid meeting with mainline Protestant and Catholic leaders, as well as statements on the National Day of Prayer and Holocaust Memorial Day, among others.
“It’s part of how we’re reaching out differently, just to make sure people of faith know how much they have in common with Democrats in Congress and with Democratic values,” said Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen.
The bare-bones site promotes “faith symposiums” hosted by Reid in Las Vegas and Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Little Rock, Ark. It also has links to speeches by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., to Seventh-day Adventists and others.
“My discussions have only reinforced the belief that the Democratic Party and people of all faiths share many values and goals, and I intend to continue my outreach in the months ahead,” said Reid, a Mormon, in a statement.
Last fall, the Democratic National Committee launched a Web site that tried to link religious values with presidential nominee John Kerry; that site was later folded into the main DNC Web page. Kerry’s campaign also had a Web site geared toward religious voters.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Quote of the Day: Karen Clark of Glenwood, Fla.
(RNS) “We’re not trying to prevent anyone from praying. But when Jesus went into the woods to pray to his father, he didn’t bring a 4,000-pound bell.”
_ Karen Clark, president of the Glenwood Civic Association in Glenwood, Fla., complaining about loud bells that call monks to prayer at the nearby Mother of Good Shepherd Monastery. Neighbors say the bells, rung five times a day, are too loud. She was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel.
KRE/PH END RNS
