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

December 3, 2004 Ethan Hyman
It's a normal Wednesday at Swift Creek Baptist Church in Raleigh as Chris Dawson, Minister of Children and Youth, scoops up Nicolas Powell, 1, during Mother's Morning Out. The program was started at the church in September to provide "quality, safe childcare with a Christian foundation" says Pastor Billy Dennis. "We are utilizing the facilities we have been blessed with" says Dennis. For parents like Sonya Davis, who drops her daughter Casey off twice a week, the program not only let her find a place for her daughter, but a place for her and her mother to attend church too. "Casey loves it," says Davis. "I really wanted a place that Casey liked and that my mother liked" says Davis. "It seemed to work out."
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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