News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Acts of Faith: 2004

August 27, 2004 Scott Lewis
Jeffrey Durham turns a crank to lower the vault of Spc. Justin Onwordi at Raleigh's Montlawn Memorial Park. Durham works for Wilbert Ultimate Service Provider, a maker of the military vaults veterans are buried in. "It hits you differently (knowing) what he died for, fighting for us while we're over here," Durham said of Onwordi, the first active duty veteran he's buried in his three weeks with the company. Onwardi, a 28-year-old Army medic, was killed Aug. 2 in Baghdad when an improvised bomb exploded near his Humvee while he was on patrol with the 1st Cavalry Division. He had joined the Army a year after arriving in the United States from Nigeria in 2001 and was buried in North Carolina because his wife moved to Fuquay-Varina after leaving the Army in June. He'd been to the state just once before, for the birth of his son at Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Center in July.
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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