News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Acts of Faith: 2002

December 13, 2002 Susana Vera [/assets/story/image_buynow.comp]
Wake Med resident chaplain Shea Cranford, right, prays with patient Margaret Scott, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, at the hospital's rehab commons area. "It's a huge comfort to have someone to pray with you and to talk," said Scott. "The disease has made my faith present and strenghtened it. Strong faith helps you realize that you are not alone. Shea was there for me when nobody else was." Cranford said, "A big part of my job is to help people take their experience and accept it, weave it into their everyday story for healing. Being in the hospital, I've learned the art of being instead of doing. Being present, holding their hand, listening to their story. That's what my job is about. I give people the opportunity to come to me and talk about God. I don't throw church at them."
About This Project


Ethan Hyman
"Acts of Faith" explores the different belief systems that co-exist in the Triangle area. Ten years of heavy migration has brought many new faiths to the region, turning the Bible Belt home of Billy Graham into a spiritual coat of many colors. Mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, Sikh Gurudwaras, synagogues and scores of Christian churches have become spiritual and social centers for a radically changing population. The demographic shift has pushed congregations to find innovative ways to keep their members while attracting new arrivals. "Acts of Faith" was born as a way to show this new religious diversity and analyze the role spirituality plays in people's daily lives.


Pailin Wedel
When covering an event for Acts of Faith, we look for situations that evoke strong emotion and try to bring readers into the moment. Though holidays and major celebrations are important, we also look for unexpected expressions of faith and quieter moments of solitary exploration. We hope to give readers insight into the breadth and depth of faith by showing how people incorporate it into their everyday lives.


Ted Richardson
For two years, Sher Stoneman and Susana Vera produced this column. In 2004, they handed it over to Ethan Hyman, Scott Lewis and Lisa Lauck. In 2005, Ted Richardson replaced Scott Lewis on this project. In 2006, Pailin Wedel replaced Lisa Lauck.

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