News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Acts of Faith: 2006

December 29, 2006 Staff photo by Ethan Hyman
‘My mission is how to make people happy,’ says Saroj Sharma, left, who hugs Shawn Batra outside the 20,000-square-foot Hindu Community Hall in Morrisville after festivities celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Hindu Society of North Carolina. Sharma and her husband, Gangadhar Sharma, started the society in 1976, holding meetings in the basement of their Raleigh home. Starting with only 20 members, the Hindu Society has steadily grown and now has 980 members who can gather on the Hindu Society’s 14 acres. ‘You never thought it was going to be this big when we started,’ says Saroj Sharma, 74.
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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