FāVS Religion News Roundup: March 15
This Roundup features a concert, a DanceFest and Holi celebration, a movie, a musical and a talk about racial justice. It also includes a sober update about how Idaho is losing its OBGYNS.
News Story by FāVS Staff
Brandon Lake Tears Off the Roof
Christian artist Brandon Lake will perform at Spokane Arena Friday at 7 p.m. The concert will feature many of his top hits (“Praise You Anywhere,” “Gratitude,” “Graves Into Gardens” and “Too Good To Not Believe”). The event will also include unique collaborations and brand new songs from his record-breaking album “Coat of Many Colors.”
The concert also features special guests DOE and Jon Foreman. Purchase tickets here.
DanceFest and Holi Celebration
DanceFest 2024 and Holi Celebration of Colors are coming to Spokane Community College this weekend.
The 20th annual DanceFest, presented by the Inland Northwest Dance Association, will showcase 14 dance groups from youth to adults performing a wide variety of styles from 1:30- to 4 p.m Saturday in the Lair Auditorium, Building #6. The free event celebrates the diversity of dance in the region. Raffle baskets will be awarded at 4 p.m to support the non-profit organization, with tickets available for $2 each or discount bundles.
Following DanceFest at 4:30 p.m, the Indian Youth Club of Spokane will host a vibrant Holi Celebration of Colors on the lawn outside the Lair Building. The Holi festival marks the arrival of spring with traditional folk music and the throwing of vibrant colored powders. This year’s Young Women of Achievement honoree and Miss Teen India Spokane Sindhu Surapaneni will lead a Bollywood dance performance at 2:30 p.m., inviting 20 audience members to join on stage. A group dance will then be held outdoors before the color celebration begins.
Both events are free and open to the public.
OBGYN Exodus in Idaho Threatens Mothers and Babies
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Idaho is facing an OBGYN desert, according to national media news outlet Salon.
By April 1, West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho, will be the third labor and delivery unit to close its doors in the state. West Valley joins Valor Health in Emmet, Idaho, and Bonner General Health in Sandpoint, Idaho.
At issue is the state’s restrictive abortion laws that criminalize physicians who provide abortion care. This means doctors could face jail time for providing standard procedures that are typically private between them and the patient–some of which include abortions.
A recent report by the Idaho Physician Well-being Action Collaborative said the state has lost 22% of its OBGYNS and 55% of its high-risk OBGYNS since the Dobbs decision. The high loss of the latter OBGYNS leaves the state with less than five to care for high-risk patients in the entire state.
Cabrini
The Historic NuVu Showhouse in the small mining town of Metaline Falls, Washington, located near the Canadian border, will host four showings of Angel Studio’s film “Carbini” this weekend.
The film is about Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini, who embarks on a daring journey to persuade the hostile mayor to provide housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphaned children after witnessing disease and poverty in the slums of New York.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the ticket counter.
Opened in 1952 and still independently operated, the NuVu Showhouse is among the few remaining independent movie theaters left in the country. After each showing, St. Joseph’s Church in Metaline Falls, which has a relic of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, will be open for prayer and veneration. The town, with a population of about 275, features several historic buildings, including a home designed by renowned Spokane architect Kirkland Cutter.
“The Prom” – A Musical
“The Prom” ends its showing at Eastern Washington University Theatre this weekend. It’s a story about Emma who just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. Instead, she faces challenges and homophobia throughout the story and a cast of parents who want to keep the school’s prom on the “straight and narrow.”
When four eccentric Broadway stars, who are in desperate need of a new stage, hear that trouble is brewing around this small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue … and themselves.
The musicals’ director, Angela Pierson, pitched this story to direct because it’s a powerful story many young people relate to. This included those in the cast and on the production team, according to The Spokesman.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $5 for students and $10 general admission, purchased online.
Reflecting on the Brown Church
Robert Chau Romero, professor of Cicana/o and Central American Studies at UCLA, will explore the history of the Brown Church on March 19.
He will show how Latina/o theological reflection on issues of racial justice may serve as a roadmap for healthy spiritual reconstruction, mission and identity formation.
Chau will share his insights at Whitworth University’s Robinson Teaching Theatre at 7 p.m.
