In with the cheer, out with the fear
Robert Blechl
MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- As the millennium nears many people fret a Y2K
catastrophe or an apocalyptic breakdown.
But members of Burbank’s Church of Religious Science aren’t buying it.
The Rev. Marlene Morris and church member and publicist Jeanne
McCafferty have started the “Millennium Book,” a tribute to things people
at the brink of the millennium are thankful for.
The book, which was signed by Dick Clark Thursday, will be taken to
community leaders and residents later this month for their penned
thoughts. After its year-long display at the church, it will be sealed in
a time capsule or stone foundation at midnight New Year’s Day, 2001.
“Its purpose is to turn people’s attention to those things for which
they are grateful in their lives, as opposed to the doomsday
predictions,” Morris said. “There’s a lot to be excited about and this is
a good way to do it.”
McCafferty said it is a privilege to be alive at the brink of 2000.
“It’s an honor that very few people get to witness,” she said.
Besides serving as a record of words of gratitude from the Burbank
community, the 22-by-28-inch walnut-paneled tome will be displayed at the
church along with a description of daily existence in AD 1000. The
exhibit will include a timeline of events that helped shape life today,
making it more fulfilling and less precarious, said Morris.
“We can’t overlook one of the most important inventions of all, the
movable type,” Morris said. “The thoughts of thousands of years ago
finally became accessible to the average person.
“And I think of all the progress in medicine over the past 100 years.
Take it back to 1,000 years ago and it’s not even the same thing anymore.
It’s amazing to me.”
Dick Clark, former host of “American Bandstand” and 28-year host of
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” said the Millennium Book will also
serve as a life marker.
“New Year’s is a period of reflection for a lot of people and this is
a magnification of that reflection,” Clark said, after signing the book
in his Burbank office. “It reminds people that this a significant time in
their lives.”
As usual, Clark will be seen Dec. 31 by TV viewers in the tens of
millions as the ball drops at the traditional Times Square celebration in
New York. He said his New Year’s gratitude hasn’t wavered.
“I’m thankful for my mother and father bringing me up the way they
did,” Clark said. “And I thank God for my health and for my family,
because that’s really all there is.”
THE MILLENNIUM BOOK
WHAT: A bound tribute to the things for which the Burbank community is
grateful.
WHERE: The Burbank Church of Religious Science, 260 N. Pass Ave.
WHEN: On display from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sundays throughout 2000.
PHONE: For more information or to request a viewing of the book for
your organization, call the church at 848-4158.