Churches, synagogues buy 'fair-trade' gourmet coffee
It's a regular church activity: sipping coffee with fellow worshippers after the hymns and sermons.
Now the coffee itself is serving a higher purpose. More churches such as St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Bellevue, Wash. and synagogues are buying organic, "fair-trade" and "shade-grown" gourmet coffee intended to benefit environmental and social causes.
There is even a new crop of coffee companies that specialize in getting these coffees in the hands of parishioners. One of the country's largest is the Interfaith Coffee Program of Equal Exchange, a Canton, Mass., company that buys directly from Third World farmers.
With fair-trade coffee, a third party certifies that beans are bought from indigenous farmers for a fair, set price. It was around $1.26 per pound minimum in the late fall.
Organic coffee is grown by farmers who avoid use of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals. With shade-grown farming, taller trees protect the coffee plants, enrich the soil and provide a habitat for migratory birds.
Muslims urged to dispel misconceptions of their faith
Muslims from across the Southeast are being urged to visit churches and synagogues, and hold open houses at mosques to try to dispel misconceptions about Islam, especially after Sept. 11.
"Take advantage of any opportunity to let people have firsthand experience with Islam and Muslims," Souheil Ghannouchi, president of the Muslim American Society, said last week at the three-day "Living Islam in America" convention in Atlanta.
The meeting was sponsored by the Southeast region of the Islamic Circle of North America. The group is made up largely of Muslims living in Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
Ghannouchi urged Muslims to venture outside mosques and community centers to involve themselves in the larger society.
"I think the isolation has lasted much longer than it needs to," he said.
Greek Orthodox offer icon electronic card service
Orthodox Christians can send icon cards via e-mail for many occasions as part of a new service offered by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
More than 200 electronic cards are available to mark major feasts of the Orthodox Church, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, baptism and marriage.
The cards, like the one above, feature a picture of a saint, a brief description of the significance of the holiday or feast and the related saint for Orthodox Christians, and a space to write a personalized greeting.
The Department of Internet Ministries runs the program.
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