President Ronnie called the meeting to order promptly at 12:35, followed by the introduction by Jim Appleby of seven visitors (inclusive of three Interact Club members from Myers Park High School) and eight visiting Rotarians. President Ronnie then warmly welcomed back Bill Loftin, Sr. who had been ill but is clearly recovering beautifully.
     Fred Lowrance gave the Health & Happiness Report, reminding us that Tom Warren is still in CMC and would certainly appreciate words of cheer from our members. Fred then shared with us the sad news that Stan Brookshire’s son passed away.
     Announcing that John Rogers had hit a hole in one, Fred wondered aloud if perhaps John had been spending too much time away from Covenant Church. The comment drew the anticipated guffaws and follow-up remarks from the varied ministry present as well as laughter from the general membership. Then the fun really took off when Fred presented his rendition on "matters of faith" as they pertain to Pope John Paul’s visit to St. Louis.
     From his "Pope as chauffeur" to "give us this day our daily chicken" Fred had the room in the palm of his hand. His beautifully worded closer – involving the Irish gardener – reminded us of our Rotary motto of "service above self." (Little did we have an inkling – nor did Fred – that he was about to become the stuff of which great and humorous Rotary moments are made!)
     President Ronnie led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The talented Howard Chadwick led us in song followed by the invocation offered by Mary-Stuart Brooks. Seated at the head table were Bob Knight, Jim Woodward, Bob Young, Ed Kizer, Mary-Stuart Brooks, Bill Wood, our President and our speaker. President Ronnie announced that we had 1,123 hits on our Home Page and, in fact, we were read by such far-away interested parties as a Rotarian from Lyons, France and Col. Pete Larson (son of our own Pete Larson) who is stationed in Thailand. Our president reminded us that there will be no Rotary meeting at Four Points next week because of the Joint Meeting of Rotary Clubs to be held on  Tuesday, February 23^rd at 11:30 a.m. at the Adams Mark Hotel. Attendees are advised to  arrive early because of anticipated traffic and parking snafus. Phil Kirk, Chairman of the N.C. State Board of Education and President of the N.C.Citizens for Business and Industry, and Publisher of North Carolina Magazine will speak on literacy in the Charlotte area.
     It was then that our beloved Bill Wood stepped to the microphone to introduce our speaker and got off the championship zinger of the day. Referencing that Saddam Hussein was educated as a lawyer, Bill posed the loaded question, "What if Fred Lowrance had been trained in the seminary?" The two-hundred plus members burst out in laughter and Fred laughed harder than anyone.
     Dr. Kathryn Johnson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, UNCC then stepped to the podium and from that moment on, Charlotte Rotary was enthralled. Her topic was "Islam in America" and she spoke eloquently about the history of the Muslim faith and it’s impressive growth in today’s world. There are, Dr. Johnson told us, over a billion followers of Islam worldwide. That represents 20% of the world’s population. 5% of  France’s citizens are Muslim. A new mosque is built in England every two weeks. Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the U.S., and is the second largest religion in  America.
     Who are American Muslims? They’re our neighbors, Kathryn said. They’re 1) Guests who plan to return home but are in America studying for a few months or a few years. 2) Immigrants who have come to make the U.S. their land of opportunity, just as our forefathers did. 3) Descendants of Immigrants who are 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th generation Muslim 4) Americans with names like "Bill" (from "Bilal") or "Mike" (from "Mohammad). Recent Converts who, although the majority are African Americans, also include Caucasians, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
     Dr. Johnson went on to tell us about the Five Pillars of Faith. She listed them as Testimony,  Prayer, Alms, Fasting and Pilgrimage. Holy War has been added on as a sixth pillar and is widely accepted by Muslims. These pillars are the things that a good Muslim must practice in order to be true to Islam. If you DO live the five pillars, then you are a Muslim – one who submits to God and follows the religion of Islam ---SUBMISSION. Kathryn then added the Points of Doctrine which all Muslims share: Unity, Reason and Revelation, Prophets, Books, Angels, the Last Day and Predestination. Kathryn carefully co-related each doctrine to those of the Jewish and Christian faiths, thus tying the similarities of the faiths together rather than emphasizing the disparities. She suggested a  book by James Cone entitled Martin and Malcolm for those interested in the subject.     

New Member

JOHN  R.  NICOLAY

Joined 1999

Construction, General Contracting
Additional Active

Bovis Construction Corporation
2400 Yorkmont Rd. (28217)
357-2872
FAX 357-2854

     John R. Nicolay is Executive Vice President of Bovis Construction Corp., having originally joined McDevitt & Street Company in 1978 (which became part of Bovis in 1990). He has been active in a number of community organizations, including the Arts and Science Council, the Chamber of Commerce Leadership School and Leadership Charlotte.

     Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, John.

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     During the entire speech there was rapt attention and when Kathryn asked for questions, hands shot up around the room. She responded to questions about the Nation of Islam vs. the Religion of Islam, the Iran conflict and its’ ramifications on Muslims - explaining the differences between the pragmatists and the hard liners. She addressed the gender issue, a current topic of interest in view of Queen Noor’s participation relative to her husband’s death this past week. When asked what the overall appeal for the Muslim religion is, Kathryn noted, "In Islam, you will find equality --- people working together in cooperation."
     Rotarians were intrigued by Kathryn’s subject and impressed with her knowledge and presentation style. Our members eagerly suggested to one another that we’d like to have a series of lectures by Kathryn on the subject of religions of the world. Congratulations, Bob Culbertson, on lining up such a fascinating speaker.
     In closing the meeting, President Ronnie presented Kathryn with the Rotary pen and  pencil set, thanking her for her brilliance and clarity. He suggested that perhaps she could use the pen and pencil set when she’s grading her students’ papers. Kathryn immediately responded, "My students will be glad to see it’s not red."
     There were numbers of Rotarians who approached the speakers’ platform to continue speaking with Kathryn following adjournment. Come back soon, Dr. Kathryn Johnson. We want to hear more.

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Powell Majors

POWELL'S

OBSERVATIONS

     It took a column and a half in North Carolina Business to explain what all Mary Mack does as corporate sales manager for First Union.

     Jerry Orr told the Business Journal he has no idea when the Airport Advisory Board will act on his recommendation to have three new gates at the airport.

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