These members need your prayers:

A mom's teenaged son is struggling with depression and the beginning stages of drug abuse.

Please visit our Prayer Circle and share your prayers, thoughts and good wishes for the Dalai Lama who's been admitted to the hospital for abdominal discomfort.

Pray for the Dalai Lama

The amazing thing about you, Beliefnet Community member, sitting there alone at your computer and reading this, is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. By Internet magic, you're connected to multiple thousands of people worldwide. And sometimes, we get chances to harness the power of our numbers and do something that re-shapes the world into something better.

To wit: Blog Action Day. Each year, the folks at Blog Action Day recruit thousands of bloggers, podcasters, and videocasters to post about the same issue on the same day. This year, that issue is poverty, and that day is October 15. You can find out more about the event at the B.A.D. website.

Beliefnet bloggers and community members are invited to join Blog Action Day. Let me know if you plan to blog about poverty in your member journal that day, or if you plan to upload a video or audio file to your profile. I'd love to see Beliefnet make a strong showing this year, and change the global conversation about the poor by contributing to the discussion happening here in our virtual backyard.

Some topics you might consider writing about:
- How has poverty affected you personally?
- Do you know anyone living below the poverty line?
- What is your prayer for the global poor?
- What ideas do you have for addressing poverty in your region?
- What would you like to see our next president do in terms of addressing poverty?
- What would you like to see your local churches to do address poverty?

Again, give me a holler if you plan to participate in Blog Action Day. I'll pass along the word to the folks at B.A.D.

Who inspired you this year? Don't miss your chance to nominate your hero for Beliefnet's annual Most Inspiring Person of the Year award. We'll only be collecting nominations for a few more weeks.

So far members have nominated Michael Phelps, Barack Obama, Randy Pausch, and more. Who would you add to the list? Nominate them here.

What defines a true friend?
Tell us your story about friendship. How do you define it? Who is the first person you turn to, the person with whom you share everything?

We're looking for the best, funniest, most moving stories about friendship. Tell us yours and your story could be featured in an upcoming gallery!

Click here to learn more and to share your story!

We are pleased to announce that JohnChaplain is the winner of our first Member of the Month contest! Be sure to drop by his page and congratulate him.

And we are just as pleased to announce that the July Member of the Month contest is up and running. Be sure to check out the gallery of nominated members and vote, at any time, using the poll to the right side of the screen on the gallery.

We'll need new nominees for August, too, so check in at the Member of the Month Group to tell us who you think should be nominated next!

Two weeks ago, we announced our Top Support Groups contest, with nine nominees from Beliefnet Community. You responded enthusiastically, and it was fun to read members of the nominated groups talking about how much they love and appreciate their support group.

As we said then, all of these groups are winners and are definitely "tops" for the members who benefit from them every day. But, hey, we love a good vote. So, with that in mind...

The winner of our first Top Support Group contest is Beyond Blue. Therese Borchard and her members do a fabulous job of helping each other a little--or a lot--every day, and the community they've formed really shows what's possible with networking online. What's possible? True friendship. Deep encouragement. Real growth. All that and more happens each day at Beyond Blue.

Congratulations, Beyond Blue!

Since 1993, Children's Hope Chest has helped over 10,000 orphans in Russia, Swaziland, and South Africa. The organization offers food, clothing, medical care, and school supplies to the poorest of the poor--children in extreme poverty.

Check out Children's Hope Chest's page and find out how you can get involved in changing the lives of orphans around the world.

These members need your prayers:

Summerbreeze2008's unborn grandaughter, Jasmine, has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

Our members here do many things well, from debating important topics to sharing stories to simply helping each other stay connected in the journey of life.

Best of all, you offer support for any and all manner of issues. You've started support groups for depression, weight loss, romance, prayer and countless other topics. All of these groups are important and life-giving for their members.

As a way of showcasing some of the most active groups, we thought it'd be fun to let you vote on your favorite support group. Read through this list of nominees, visit those groups you've never seen before, and decide which you think is best. (We know--it won't be easy!) Then vote in the poll to the right of the page.

Don't see your favorite group here? Never fear--we'll be doing this again and give more groups a chance to enter.

Our winner will be announced on July 7.