Tag: chuck flagg

San Francisco is a city of marvelous churches, but the most grand receive the majority of attention. Places like the Gothic-style Grace (Episcopal) Cathedral on Nob Hill, the modernistic St. Mary of the Assumption (Roman Catholic) Cathedral on Cathedral Hill or the golden onion-domed Holy Virgin (Russian Orthodox) Cathedral on Geary Street in the Sunset District are widely known and visited.

To the casual observer, South Valley seems to be a prosperous area. There are lavish homes, well-kept landscaping, expensive cars and other signs of wealth. But beneath this glitzy surface there is a good deal of poverty and despair.

It's time for Spirit West Coast, the popular Christian Music Festival that will be held at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area near Monterey Aug. 1-3. This is the 16th year for the event, which typically draws crowds of 20,000 visitors over the three days of its performances, making it “the most successful Christian music event in the (southern) West Coast region.” Besides music by top artists in the field of Christian music, the festival features Bible teachings by gifted speakers and other activities for all ages - supported by more than 900 volunteers who donate their time to provide security, concessions, ministry, traffic control, ushering and many other services required to meet the needs of such a large crowd.

There is no doubt that even our generally pleasant South Valley communities are impacted by the presence of juvenile gangs. Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister all suffer from varying degrees of violence, intimidation and graffiti. Perhaps a strategy being used in a neighboring city could help alleviate this situation here.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has a large presence in the South Valley. With multiple wards (congregations) in South San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister, the LDS Church plays an important part in the local communities. Recently, the Gilroy location of the Gavilan Spanish branch was announced, giving more opportunities for Spanish-speakers to take part in LDS worship and other activities.

It is pretty much agreed that young adults tend to stop practicing the faith they were brought up in. Graduating from high school can seem like a graduation from religion; and attendance at church, temple or mosque soon drops off.

It may be a fact, or it may be merely a stereotype, but it does seem that American men enjoy attending car shows and eating meat grilled over a barbecue. Recognizing this, Morgan Hill Community Christian (305 W. Main Ave.) will host a Father's Day celebration combining both of these popular elements.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is a perennially popular musical that opened on Broadway in 1964. The first musical in U.S. history to surpass 3,000 performances, it won nine Tony awards and went on to hit performances in London and elsewhere. A successful movie version followed in 1971, and the show has enjoyed enduring popularity.

There is no doubt the terrorist attacks of 9/11 spread fear among the U.S. public, and the recent Boston Marathon bombing has raised the anxiety level once again. No doubt, some of the ongoing controversy concerning the proposed mosque in San Martin can be attributed to this phenomenon, but perhaps a new book can help alleviate this problem.

The Roman Catholic Church established a formal procedure to declare holy men and women as “saints” in the 16th century. Since then, some 921 people have received this coveted title. Previously, however, sainthood depended on various local processes, so no one knows the exact total number of Catholic saints who have been canonized.