The top religion story of 2000 in Champaign-Urbana is the Urbana 2000
student missions conference happening this week.  From December 27-31more
than 20,000 college student delegates and missionary representatives from
across the U.S. and Canada are attending sessions at the Assembly Hall and
throughout campus.
        Urbana 2000, sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, is better
known outside Champaign-Urbana than it is locally.  Since the triennial
conference was first hosted here in 1948, thousands of people have become
missionaries and now serve in countries around the globe.  
        I first heard of the Urbana conference as a college student in Kansas and
thought Urbana was an acronym with some Christian significance.  Only when
I got a job here to do campus ministry in 1978 did I realize Urbana was the
name of the community that hosted the world-renown Christian mission
conference.  
        The Religion Newswriters Association has ranked other religion stories
that made news around the world.  The RNA is an association for those who
write about religion in the secular press.
        The top religion story of the year, according to RNA members, was the
selection of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an observant Orthodox Jew, as the
Democratic Party's vice-presidential nominee.  When it came to choosing the
Religion Newsmaker of the Year, RNA members chose Pope John Paul II.  The
80-year-old pontiff has been chosen several times before.  RNA members
observed that even while his health gets worse, he travels the globe and
"seems to have his hands in everything."
        Close behind the Lieberman story was Pope John Paul II and his historic
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he prayed at Jerusalem's Western Wall,
met with Holocaust survivors and expressed deep sadness at acts of hatred
against Jews by Christians.
        Many religion writers thought the Vermont legislature approving same-sex
unions over the protests the state's Roman Catholics and other religious
groups was a top story.  Of significant note for RNA members were the
United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the U.S.
Episcopal Church all defeating proposals allowing blessings on same-sex
couples.
        The Southern Baptist Convention made the RNA list by voting to prohibit
women from serving as church pastors and revising its Baptist Faith and
Message doctrinal statement.  And the most famous Southern Baptist, former
President Jimmy Carter, made the list by renouncing his life-long ties to
the Southern Baptist Convention, saying that changes made by the
denomination to it Baptist Faith and Message doctrinal statement reflect
"an increasingly rigid SBC creed."
        President Clinton's faith did not make the RNA list this year.  But in
August Clinton was involved in an interesting religion story.  At the
highly touted Willow Creek Community Church leadership conference held at
the South Barrington, Ill., church, President Clinton was interviewed by
Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels in front of several thousand evangelical
leaders from across America.
        After the interview Hybels was strongly criticized by prominent members
of his church for being too soft on Clinton, especially about abortion.
Hybels later said he gave himself a B-minus for the interview, but one
Willow Creek member said Hybels was being way too generous with himself.
        Locally, several religion stories are in bricks and mortar.  First
Christian Church and New Horizon United Methodist Church of Champaign broke
ground for big church buildings west of Champaign.  First Christian will
build south of Windsor Road and west of I-57.  The New Horizon building
will be erected on U.S. 150 between Champaign and Mahomet.
        The Vineyard Christian Fellowship on north Lincoln Ave. in Urbana, now
attracting 1,200 on Sunday morning, purchased 8 more acres that adjoin the
10 acres they already own.
        Two area parochial schools showed that private education keeps growing
throughout the country.  St. Thomas More High School in Northwest Champaign
opened with a new building in August and last Spring Judah Christian School
on North Prospect dedicated its new gymnasium and stage.
        Pastor Gary Grogan of Urbana Assembly of God believes building
relationships with fellow pastors is more important than building churches
with bricks and mortar.  He continued building the Pastor's Prayer Network
this year.  Each month Grogan facilitates 50 or so pastors who cross
denominational lines to spend an hour singing and praying for each other.
        Finally, hats off to the bright and energetic Monsignor Stuart Swetland
of St. John's Catholic Chapel in Champaign.  This year he kept building his
impressive work with Catholic students across campus.  And this week he has
opened his inspiring chapel for prayer to the mostly Protestant students
who are attending Urbana 2000.

Don Follis is an Urbana minister.  Reprinted with permission from the
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, copyright 2000.