Faith and Values

Happiness still shines through a framed picture of Ben Ehmen, 83, and wife Jeannette Davis, 77, during their first joint trip to New York City. Ehmen scoops his wife off her feet in the photo edited to look like he’s balancing on a tight rope between the two towers of the World Trade Center. The pretend peril livens their certain smiles because, there, enveloped in a symbol of American prosperity, they assumed they couldn’t be safer. Handwritten on the back of the photograph is the date — Sept. 10, 2001.

Various dignitaries gathered Thursday morning at White Castle in Bowling Green for a ceremony to honor first responders a few days before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. With members of the Bowling Green Fire Department looking on, officials paid tribute to the firefighters, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel who lost their lives during the attacks, while giving thanks to the first responders who continue to risk their lives to protect their communities.

Hopkins County first responders will honor those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a memorial service at the exact time the first plane struck the north World Trade Center Tower a decade ago. Firefighters will ring bells to signify the time the impact occurred.

In good weather, retired clergyman Bob Vickers spends much of his time driving his snazzy, green sports car with the top down. On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, Vickers, then Director of the Chaplaincy for the Southern Baptist Convention in Atlanta, was in a van headed to New York, to counsel victims of the attacks. As he approached the city, Vickers was overwhelmed by the sight of billowing smoke, and the silence. “In the far distance you could hear a few sirens, but it was just, it was eerie. It was like another world that I could not imagine”, recalled Vickers. Vickers spent the next two weeks in New York counseling first responders and others. He remembers two firefighters in particular.

There were prayers offered on September 11th, 2001.  And, there will be prayers on September 11th, 2011.  Some religious leaders in central Kentucky have offered their thoughts on the shape of those 9-11 prayers. People of various faiths will pray this weekend, ten years after the worst terrorist attack on U-S soil. Those prayers will come from within Kentucky’s Muslim community. 

People will gather in churches, in parks and on military bases Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Across Kentucky, events will include prayer, meditation, patriotic music and remarks by public officials.

The 10th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks is burned in our memories.  WEKU reporter Ron Smith  says the occasion is  meaningful on several levels to a Richmond man. Many Americans shared Mustapha Jourdini’s initial reaction to the events of 9-11. “Aaaaahhh…it’s, it’s very depressing actually, since I heard the news, I’m psychologically depressed,” recalled Jourdini.  At the time of that September 12th, 2001 interview, Jourdini was a 24 year-old Eastern Kentucky University student. Today he’s academic advisor in EKU’s Honors program. Jourdini, who’s a native of Morocco, was not only saddened by the loss of life that day.

Almost a year ago, the sounds of gunfire and terror rang out from a part of the Mount Carmel community. Last Friday evening, the sounds heard were that of remembrance, uplifting words and songs. And hope. Some 40 persons came to the McConnell Auditorium on the campus of Mount Carmel High School for a memorial service, called “Light of Hope.” The service honored the memory of the five persons who died in a shooting spree in a trailer park on Route 541, just a half-mile away from the school.

Muslims of all ages across Kentucky and around the world today mark the end of Ramadan and celebrating Eid.  The Eid festival ends 30 days of dawn to sunset fasting.  It’s also a time to reflect on the last month, a period many Muslims say is the most moving of the year. The timing of Ramadan shifts each year, but its purpose remains constant.  It allows Muslims to commemorate the first verses of the Qur’an, which were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.  Muslims not only fast from dawn to sunset.  They offer up prayers and share their wealth with people who are less fortunate.

After a state official advised a rural Kentucky school district against having a minister lead prayers before athletic events, Republican gubernatorial candidate David Williams is calling on Democratic Governor Steve Beshear to defend the practice.

Lexington’s Greek Festival presents an annual opportunity this weekend to experience the European country’s culture.  The three day event at the Red Mile Clubhouse is hosted by members of the Greek Orthodox Church.  Many Kentuckians know relatively little about the Christian faith.