From Los Angeles
A midday sun streamed through the stained glass windows of St. John's Episcopal Church in La Verne, lighting the bowed head of the Rev. Barrett Van Buren. Cradling a Bible in his lap on a recent Sunday, he breathed deeply and asked the small group in a circle before him to close their eyes.
"How does this relate to your life?" Van Buren, a cheery, former college career director, said as he began to read from Psalms: "`Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked ... but their delight is in the law of the Lord."'
Tara Lott, an earnest brunette and unemployed La Verne resident, was the first to answer.
"I know something's going to turn up," Lott said. "I believe God will provide for me. He always does."
Churches such as St. John's, traditionally places of solace for those seeking sanctuary, are reaching out to the jobless in the Inland Empire. And the churches are drawing job seekers who are thirsty for spiritual guidance during difficult times.
St. John's began holding biweekly Sunday meetings this month for those out of work. Participants gather, pray for each other and exchange ideas about each others' careers.
Churches fill spiritual needs that cannot be found elsewhere, said the Rev. Kelli Grace Kurtz, head of St. John's in La Verne.
Read more:
http://www.sbsun.com/business/ci_16479951#ixzz141oDeotD
No comments:
Post a Comment