Faith page changes are coming

Every issue of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman includes a full page with a header at the top that says “Faith.” The bottom part of the page is filled with advertisements from local churches that tell people when and where their services are.

The top part of the page is filled with controversy.

These days, we have two local writers we feature on Tuesdays and Fridays, and a national columnist fills the slot on Sundays.

Depending on who you ask, it seems like Howard Bess and Ron Hamman are at once the most loved and least loved parts of each issue of the Frontiersman.

On this side of the desk, we spend considerable time every week answering calls, replying to e-mails and reviewing online comments about Bess’ and Hamman’s writings.

What seems certain is that these age-old theological disagreements won’t be resolved in our newpaper’s pages.

Years ago when we added a Faith page to each issue of the Frontiersman, our motivation wasn’t to create a fracture point along which to further divide our community into groups and factions. We added the page in recognition of where we live: a community that deeply values faith.

But the tree we planted has grown very different fruit.

We owe apologies to our community — to all our neighbors — for being so slow to recognize our divisive role.

In the past month, we’ve initiated a conversation with Mat-Su Borough clergy about our Faith page and what we can do to shift its focus. Managing Editor Heather A. Resz will attend the Valley Pastors Prayer Network Thursday morning to talk with clergy there about how to recast this space into a positive part of the newspaper.

Here are some of the options we’re considering to restore a positive focus on the faith community in the Mat-Su Borough.

• Work with the church communities to establish guidelines for the content we place on the top part of the page. Maybe something simple like, “Does this message add positively to the Mat-Su Borough’s dialogue about faith?” All faiths are welcome to submit content for the Faith page.

• Work with church communities to broaden the number of voices, names and faces featured on the Faith page. In addition to columns, we’d like to work with churches to help tell the stories about the great social programs they operate.

For example, in the past few weeks we’ve featured stories on Turn A Leaf, Family Promise Mat-Su and Blood-n-Fire Alaska — all of these social programs are operated by groups from local churches. Rather than divide, these stories remind us why we are proud to live here and why we choose to raise our families here.

If you have story ideas, columns and news about upcoming events or happenings, send the information to heather.resz@frontiersman.com, or call 352-2268. You can also fax information to 352-2276, or mail a letter to P.O. Box 873509, Wasilla, AK 99687. Or, people are welcome to stop by the Frontiersman office at 5751 E. Mayflower Ct., off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Change is coming to the Faith page, but we need your help.

Thanks for your patience and willingness to work together to showcase what’s best about the Mat-Su Valley.