Faith matters.

        It was easy to forget that before Sept. 11.

        Easier for the media to fill its religion quota with requisite holiday stories than to delve into thorny theological debates.

        Easier for friends to share a joke about the priest and rabbi than to discuss difficult issues of spirituality.

        Easier to let our frenetic schedules dictate our lives than to reflect on who guides our souls.

        But Sept. 11 made faith hard to for get.

        We flooded churches, temples and mosques. We sought understanding, comfort and peace.

        We realized — again — faith matters.

        Not everyone in the United States believes in God. But almost.

        In 50 years of Gallup polls, the percentage of people who believe in God or a “higher power” has never dropped below 90 percent nationally.

        Seven in 10 of us claim membership to a church or synagogue. Two-thirds believe religion offers answers to today's problems.

        But polls don't get to the heart of faith.

        You do.

        Welcome to a new forum in The Cincinnati Enquirer to explore matters of faith.

        Each Saturday we'll talk about new worship facilities and special events, and introduce up-and-coming religious leaders.

        We'll keep you up to date on the Billy Graham Mission slated for next summer, and let you know what local interfaith groups have planned.

        We're counting on you to participate in the conversation and to let us know the latest in your faith community.

        We invite the half-million Roman Catholics in Southwest Ohio to join us, as well as the 23,000 Jews. The 10,000 Muslims and 3,000 Christian Methodist Episcopal members are welcome. too.

        So are the other Protestant denominations, the Jains and Sikhs, Hindus and Baha'is, who attend the more than 1,000 places of worship in Greater Cincinnati.

        We have a lot to learn about one another.

        I'll start.

        I am a Christian who has participated in a Hindu wedding, attended Jewish Shabbat services and knelt for prayer at a mosque. I enjoy learning about all faiths and don't know whether there is a single right religion. I know only what is right for me.

        In some circles, I am a minister's wife. In others, my spouse is a reporter's husband. We both feel called to our professions.

        My daughter was conceived and born against the odds, the product of prayer and medical marvel.

        I witness God's grace in the clasp of her hand, in the tire screech of a near-miss accident, in the wisdom of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer who is so busy helping others that she doesn't have time to die.

        In my life, as it does for so many of you, faith matters.
        Congratulations to Zion Baptist Church in Lebanon. The congregation celebrated its 147th anniversary Nov. 18 with sermons by guest ministers, a dinner and a special service.

        The church, which bills itself as the oldest African-American Baptist church in Warren County, has operated in the same building on Pleasant Street since 1867.
       A baptism added to the day's significance, says member Sandra Offord.

        “Anytime you bring someone into the fold after 147 years (of operating), it's an awesome event.”

        Send religion news to rthompson@enquirer.com or contact Richelle Thompson at 755-4144, or 755-4150 (fax).

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