Winter 99 MOSAIC

I. The War on Campus Binge Drinking
II. Starving the Family Farm
III. Welcoming Gays and Lesbians: A View From the Pew

Does your student abuse alcohol? Nearly half (44 percent) of U.S. college students binge drink according to a recent study conducted by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. In "The War on Campus Binge Drinking" MOSAIC spends time with administrators, teachers, students and law enforcement personnel to learn about alcohol abuse on campus. What they have to say will get your attention.

ELCA congregations are asked to welcome gay and lesbian people. What that actually means depends on where you visit. For some, "welcoming" means full participation in the life of the congregation. Others say they welcome gays and lesbians the way any sinner would be welcomed. Still others feel the gay and lesbian matter is a "non-issue." In "Welcoming Gays and Lesbians: A View From the Pew" MOSAIC visits three congregations in the Indiana/Kentucky Synod. Each has a different story and perspective.

Family farms are dying. At the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver, voting members were urged to "stand with family farmers and rural communities." In "Starving the Family Farm" we visit two farm families -- one that just sold their herd to pay off debts and a second that is surviving despite rising production costs and sagging milk prices. Then we address the question: What does this mean for all of us?