European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes religion saturday february 5,1994 2 religious groups Call for . To end racism Manderson . A two Large religious councils Are prodding the United states to do in its own Back Yard what it asks other nations to do eliminate human rights violations and racism. The National Council of churches and the world Council of churches began a yearlong examination of racism and human rights violations in the United states on dec. 10 with meetings in Birmingham ala., and on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in Manderson. I think that Many people in America Don t realize that racism against Indian people is institutionalized in american Law said Charlotte Black Elk. I m looking at getting people aware that this is the  Black Elk a lawyer environmental activist and Mem Ber of the Oglala Sioux tribe is a local coordinator for the councils Campaign. After an educational Effort among the organizations member churches the Campaign will hold seven Region Al hearings in october. Those hearings will be in Elpaso Texas Miami Chicago new York Oakland Calif. Birmingham and wounded knee ., where . Cavalry troops killed about 200 Indian men women and children in 1890. The Campaign will document human rights violations in the United states and encourage member churches to work harder against racism said Jean Stromberg executive director of the . Office of the world Council of churches. Information from the Campaign will be sent to the . Commission on human rights. The United states promotes human rights through out the world but it must be prodded to Deal with racism at Home Stromberg said. We Are helping to expose and thereby open our country to correcting these violations she said. There s a certain sense we be gone through the civil rights movement and we be made marvelous gains. There Are still Many More issues that need to be and  . Churches must actively support human rights be cause churches in other nations look to american churches for leadership Stromberg said. Some Church leaders worry that racism is reasserting itself in the United states she said. The world Council of churches and National coun cil of churches represent mostly mainline protestant denominations including methodists lutherans episcopalians and presbyterians plus orthodox denominations. Ailing minister gets a with help of other churches St. John Wash. A when an Assembly of god minister in this tiny farm town needed Money for a liver transplant the catholics planned a card party the methodists a luncheon and lutherans a raffle. The interdenominational fund raising is part of a Community wide Effort that s collected More than $36,000 in Hopes of saving the Rev. Gene Ross life. Donations ranging from 2 cents to $3,000 have come in mostly from the Eastern Washington wheat growing Region known As the Palouse. It s overwhelming to think of All these people and what they Are doing Ross said during an interview in the cozy parsonage where he lives with his wife Barba ra.". ". Ross 61, has primary Scle Rosing Cholin gitis a disease that causes inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts and liver. Doctors Tell him a transplant in the next year is his Only Chance for survival. But Ross health insurance won t cover the $250,000 operation. So far he s been unable to obtain govern ment assistance which at the most would provide $100,000, he said. This Community of 500, along with volunteers in other nearby farm towns of similar size did t hesitate to come to the Aid of their neighbor. It was t the firs time. A few years ago residents raised $50,000 to buy. A Home for a local doctor. And in 1980, the townspeople declined government assistance to clean up alter mount St. Helens showered St. John with volcanic Ash they d already done the work on their own. Once you live Here you Are part of this enormous family said Vikki Bammes who is heading a vigorous publicity machine. This Little Niche of the country is like nothing else. The heart is  the first step to helping Ross was an Appeal on the local Access Channel of the Cable to company. Now updates on the amount of Money collected and the Cal. Endear of Gene Ross events Roll across the to screen regularly. It s kind of embarrassing said Ross a soft spoken Man ill at ease in the Public spotlight. Between Jan. 5-13, a Community committee mailed out More than 6,000 letters seeking donations primarily from people listed in local Telephone directories. An aluminium can drive is under Way. Charity dances and basketball games Are scheduled. The cub scouts and Camp fire group operate concessions at sporting events with All proceeds going to the transplant fund. Several merchants will donate a percentage of february sales to the transplant fund. The St. John inn will prepare a Valentine s Day Brunch. The St. John Catholic Church is sponsoring a card party for adults and Bingo for children. The St. John first United methodist Church is having a luncheon with an auction. The Endicott Trinity lutheran Church is holding a raffle. Many other churches Community groups and Indi the Rev. Gene Ross needs a liver transplant and Small communities in Washington state Are coming to his Aid. Visuals also Are making contributions said Sandi Glor Field who oversees the local fund raising. While the task seems daunting we know the result if we Don t try said Ross Cousin John Stelzer who s helping raise Money in nearby Rosalia. This is truly life and death Bammes said. The largest Check was $3,000 from a very Small Church in a very Small town. Most contributions Are under $25. One woman with Little Money of her own sent in $2 and her Young daughter added two pennies Glorfield said. Ross got sick in March with an ailment that at first seemed to be hepatitis. The devastating news came after additional tests. We never thought this would happen Barbara Ross said. Last year Ross missed 20 services at his Christian life Assembly Church. He s still preaching but not much else. Ross planned to undergo additional testing to find out what kind of candidate for a liver transplant he is. If for some reason Ross is found physically unsuitable for a transplant the Memphis  Organ transplant fund will use the Money collected on his behalf to help someone else Glorfield said. Donations can be sent to Organ transplant fund for Gene Ross . Box251, St. John Wash. 99171. Clothing gifts overwhelm family burned out of Home from wire reports Clinton wis. Only a few Days after fire destroyed Jerry and Cherry Ruston s Home the family received so much donated clothing they had to Stop accepting any More garments. Their place burned saturday and the first Baptist Church was taking a collection for them sunday morning said Kay Radlinger director of a Community outreach program. Fire broke out in the rus tons Mobile Home recently while Jerry Ruston tried to thaw a Frozen water pipe. The couple and their three children Ages 16, 12 and 6 t moved in with Cherry rus Tony sister while awaiting word from their insurance company. Meanwhile churches friends and residents of the Village of about 1,870 stepped in. One Man is letting the couple store contributions in his shed. Churches Are taking food to the family. Both Banks in town Are accepting donations. Archbishop gets free ads Albuquerque . Roman Catholic archbishop Michael j. Sheehan has been Given billboard space to counter recent signs by a sect that referred to Pope John Paul ii As a Man of  Donkey outdoor advertising offered six billboards to the archdiocese of Santa be for a free message to run through february. Five signs erected this Winter showed a caricature of the Pope along with the words the Bible says. The Man of sin shall be  the billboards were placed around Albuquerque in december by a fundamentalist Christian group based in Troy mont., called printed Page ministries. Now billboards carry a message from Sheehan saying let us All live As sons and daughters of god.". I m really Happy about this Sheehan said. There was just no reason for the Catholic people to be quiet while the holy father was being  Singer sings praises Starkville miss. The growing popularity of gospel music has Hermo h Trulove spreading the word. I played country music for a living for 15 or so years and that s All i did with that goal of getting a song on the charts and it never did any Good he said. After i started going to Church after i got my life right with the lord he s put a song on the  Trulye is on the the Christian country single Chart with come on in according to cashbox Magazine the musician who plays Drums Harmonica and guitar said that since january 1993,.he has written about 40 songs. He gives them to me Trulove said. The songs just happen. I be been writing since i was 12 years. Old and i be probably written 200 or 300 songs. None of them to me were As Good As what i m writing  minister urges health links Atlanta health care Reform should not Stop at the Church door. Every Church should be doing something in health ministry the Rev. Mark Gornik said at a recent conference of doctors and clergy organized by former president Carter. We re talking about a life and death  Gornik helped set up a clinic staffed by Volunteer doctors at new song presbyterian Church in the Sandtown neighbourhood of Baltimore where the median household income is $8,500 a year. Nearly 1,000 patients have been treated at the Church clinic in the past two years Gornik said. . Surgeon general Joycelyn elders lauded programs such As Gornik s and said More churches should get involved in health care. I want us to talk about the integration of Church and state she told the conference of 125 at the Carter Center. Let us integrate the things that we both do Well and improve health