Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 10:03 a.m.
They wanted comfort, guidance and reprieve. They wanted a sense of security. The meaning of life. The meaning of death. Salvation.
Disorder and demise seemed imminent after Sept. 11, and Las Vegans fled to churches and synagogues, mosques and meeting halls to hear sermons on peace and purpose, on vengeance and righteousness.
Thousands reached out to faiths other than their own -- bought books on Islam, participated in interfaith events, asked about religion's role in international politics.
Others rallied to marry nationalism to Christianity.
Still more people lined up at churches for help when the sagging economy cost them their jobs.
This weekend, religious leaders will mark a two-month period of religious activity unparalleled in recent decades. Special Veterans Day services will commemorate what many are calling a "lesson in the importance of faith."
Church attendance spiked on Sunday, Sept. 16; synagogues were packed for Jewish high holy days the following week. Some houses of worship report that the increased participation is sustained, and others say they saw their numbers wane in the past few weeks.
But attendance aside, says the Rev. Vic Carruso at Trinity Life Center downtown, a deeper change has occurred in members of his church and the community.
"I'm sad about what happened like everybody else. But it seems to be making us better people," Carruso said, noting increases in participation in the church's weekend charity works.
"We've seen a real change in priorities. Spending time with the family has become more important than money. This has made people re-evaluate the way they live their lives."
At Canyon Ridge Christian Church in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, pastors designed a series of programs to address spiritual issues that arose from Sept. 11: "Am I ready to die?" and "Confused about faith?" and "Getting perspective on tragedy."
Evangelical Christian churches, which immediately developed such programs to make the most of the situation, more frequently reported sustained increases in attendance. Canyon Ridge's attendance numbers reached 5,320 the weekend after the attacks, and are at 3,600 now -- up from 3,100 the week before the attacks.
Across town at Central Christian -- the Las Vegas Valley's largest non-denominational Christian church -- attendance was already on the rise. But it peaked after Sept. 11 at nearly 8,000. Some 7,000 people now attend one of Central Christian's three Sunday services.
"People's spiritual sensitivity and spiritual awareness has gone up, and stayed up," said Mike Bodine, Central Christian executive pastor.
"We did a series called, 'What Would Jesus Say' to various people -- to George W. Bush, to Osama Bin Laden, to the people of New York. We had strong attendance," Bodine said.
"People are desiring a heightened relationship with God," Bodine said. "It solidifies what is important in life. It makes people think,'What do I really value?' "
At Calvary Southern Baptist in west Las Vegas, people have turned to the church for economic help.
"The increase in attendance is substantial. We've had about a 150-person increase," June White, office manager and church member, said. Calvary normally has about 500 worshippers and has seen numbers go as high as 713 in recent weeks.
"We have a considerable amount of people who have been laid off, and so we're busy with food banks and providing clothes," White said.
"People have enough to deal with in their own lives right now. They don't want to constantly hear a pity party sort of speech about the tragedy," White said. "We're trying to get on with our lives."
At other houses of worship, political and interfaith interests have played a role in attendance increases.
Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid said he saw a slight rise in interest in the U.S.-Israeli foreign policy -- dubbed by some as a root of American-aimed hostility -- following the attacks.
"When there is terrorism, people say, 'What did we do to deserve this?' But that's as bad as a woman who has been raped saying, 'What did I do to deserve this?' Akselrad said.
Akselrad said attendance at Ner Tamid was initially up because high holy days closely followed Sept. 11. Since then, however, it has resumed its normal pace.
The Rev. Bede Wevita, spokesman for the Las Vegas Catholic Diocese and priest at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, also said he saw an initial increase in interest in interfaith and political issues but not a sustained rise in church attendance.
"In the very beginning they (congregants) were a little more interested in Islam -- what does the Church say about Islam, what does the Pope say, what does the Bishop say -- but now that interest is less," said Wevita, whose congregation includes 1,300 families.
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