MILLENNIUM MAYHEM? HOW IS THE CHURCH RESPONDING TO Y2K?

Members of St. Mary's Cathedral decided that the coming of a new millennium is reason to celebrate. So they'll be ringing in the new year and a new century with a the sounds of a Millennium Choir during Midnight Mass on Dec. 31.

Many churches around Southeast Missouri have end-of-year activities planned, whether it's a worship service, Mass or Watch Night vigil New Year's Eve.

While many people across the nation -- and some around the world -- are concerned with the problems a Y2K computer glitch could cause, the church isn't worried at all.

"Focusing on millennial madness is a waste of good time and energy," said Christian author Richard J. Foster in a November newsletter distributed to pastors. But paying attention to what the future could bring is of "immense value," he says.

People looking for answers to questions about their future can turn to the American Bible Society for help.

The Bible Society is offering free copies of "Y2K: Hope for the New Millennium" as the year comes to a close. It is an edition of the New Testament with the Psalms and Proverbs.

The publication confronts questions of anxiety and impending doom. It is a way for the American Bible Society to remind people of God's "everpresent love and the encouragement to be found in the Scriptures, not only as we enter a new millennium but every day of every age," said the group's president Dr. Eugene B. Habecker in a press release.

The changing millennium is a "good opportunity to raise awareness" about the church and questions of faith, and the meaning of time, said the Rev. Dr. Andy Pratt, a professor of religion at Southeast Missouri State University.

While the millennium offers some end-of-the-century questions, "as we get closer people will realize it is actually nothing," Pratt said.

The new millennium doesn't mean the world will end or that disaster will strike. "It has nothing to do with the march of Holy History or the economy of God," Foster said. Spending time talking about Y2K only distracts people from a "faithful obedience to Christ" in the midst of a society concerned with worldly things.

When people understand God then their fears about the future and Y2K dissolve in his protecting power, said Sarah Hyatt, an expert on spiritual healing.

Hyatt, who is speaking in Poplar Bluff today about the book "Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures," thinks Y2K glitches -- if they cause disruption -- would be similar to a natural disaster.

Living in Charleston, S.C., Hyatt knows about being prepared for hurricanes. Although the storms cause disruptions, it's also a chance for people to help one another, she said.

"What occurred to me is that it's all about the prediction of disruption," she said. "What I found living in Charleston when we were hit by Hugo, which was a devastating storm, was that what came out of it was a natural love and willingness to do good for others.

"People were not out hoarding, but looked out for each other, and the looting was in such a minority. People showed a genuine love for their fellow man."

Material in the Y2K publication of the American Bible Society was carefully selected to reassure people about the impact of Y2K. The society offers a suggested reading plan for people to follow into the new millennium.

For information about the publication, call the society at (800) 32-BIBLE or visit the Web site at www.americanbible.org.