News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Acts of Faith: 2005

July 1, 2005 Ethan Hyman [/assets/story/image_buynow.comp]
Lynda Mitchell, from New York, prays along as Pastor Dimas Salaberrios leads the opening prayer on the second day of the Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, N.Y. Mitchell, flanked by Mojisola Okusanya, left, and Debby DeHeer, right, was one of the 230,000 people who attended the three-day crusade on the 93 acres of Corona Park. It was North Carolina native Graham's eighth crusade in metro New York and maybe the last for the 86-year-old preacher. "But I also said 'Never say never,'" said Graham on the last day of the crusade.
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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