Faith and Religion

Tenessee church chronicles Haiti adoptions in quake aftermath

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

A Tennessee church with a long-standing relationship with a Haitian orphanage chronicled their efforts in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake to serve the orphanage and to bring to the United States children who were slated for adoption. Adoptive families are still trying to gauge the memories and feelings their children brought with them.

View the full story published by Associated Press

tags: adoption, aid, earthquake, Haiti, relief

Pope issues apology to try and stem sex abuse scandals

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday he would issue a letter of repentance to try and tamp down growing speculation and anger over sexual abuse scandals at Catholic schools in Ireland and his native Germany. Some of the German abuse claims stem from a boarding school run by the pope’s brother for 30 years who said he had no knowledge of abuse taking place.

View the full story published by National Post (Canada)

tags: Catholic Church, Germany, Ireland, Peter Hullerman, Pope Benedict XVI, sexual abuse

Second gay bishop to be ordained by Episcopal Church

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

The Episcopal Church has confirmed that it will ordain its second openly gay bishop. The Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool has been with her lesbian partner since 1988. She was elected in December to the office of bishop suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles. She had to receive a majority of consents from diocesan bishops and standing committees within 120 days. Wednesday’s announcement confirms that she did.

View the full story published by The Christian Post

tags: Episcopals, gay clergy, Mary Douglas Glasspool

Churches face growing need to reach out to young adults

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

Churches are often filled with ministries which cater to young couples either newly married or with young children to encourages them to raise their families in and around the congregation. However, a great deal of recent data showing that increasing numbers of young adults are not concerned with organized religion points to a need to better engage people who are dating and no involved in a serious long-term relationship yet.

View the full story published by Louisville Courier-Journal

tags: church attendance, dating, ministries, singles, young adults

New attack on Nigerian Christians leaves 11 dead

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

Attackers killed at least 11 people Wednesday in a region of Nigeria that has been convulsed by violence between Muslims and Christians, an official said. Muslim herdsmen, some dressed in military uniforms, attacked a predominantly Christian village at about 1 a.m. Wednesday near the city of Jos, close to where a machete-wielding Muslim group killed hundreds in a mostly Christian town this month, said Choji Gyang, special adviser on religious affairs to the governor of the Nigerian state of Plateau.

View the full story published by CNN

tags: Jos, killings, Muslims, Nigeria, violence

Fiji slow to recover from huge cyclone

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

The island nation of Fiji is just beginning to recover from the effects of Cyclone Tomas which battered the country earlier this week. Power is scarce and temporary shelters are being established. The country was still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Mick in December which caused $25 million in damage.

View the full story published by Mission Network News

tags: Cyclone Tomas, Fiji

Home Bible study group duels with California town over permits

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

For the second time in six months, the city of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has ordered a group of Christian worshippers who meet inside homes to get a permit or shut down. It’s the latest incident in which religious groups in Southern California have been targeted by cities for home gatherings, though many of those groups were eventually allowed to meet without obtaining permits.

View the full story published by Associated Press

tags: Bible study, California, church meetings, house churches, zoning

Network of Hispanic churches begins push for immigration reform

Posted: 8:00 am on March 18, 2010

A prominent network of Hispanic churches is beginning its push to lobby Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. Esperanza, which includes more than 12,000 Hispanic churches and community non-profits, is seeking to mobilize Hispanic communities across the country to contact their elected officials in support of reform.

View the full story published by The Christian Post

tags: Esperanza, immigration

Rape a major problem in Haiti relief camps

Posted: 9:42 am on March 17, 2010

Rape and sexual assaults were a problem in Haiti long before the Jan. 12 earthquake. Now with large tent cities created as homes for thousands of people, young women and girls are vulnerable more than ever before to being victimized. Sexual assaults are daily occurrences in the biggest camps, aid workers say - and most attacks go unreported because of the shame, social stigma and fear of reprisals from attackers.

View the full story published by CBS News

tags: aid, camps, earthquake, Haiti, rape, relief

Churches along L.A. Marathon route make alternate plan for Sunday

Posted: 9:35 am on March 17, 2010

It’s not often that churches would actively close on a Sunday morning, but that is precisely what will happen this weekend in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Marathon will start at Dodger Stadium and run along a route dotted with dozens of churches. Many of the congregations along the route have changed their normal plans or asked congregants to spend the weekend in service to the community as an alternative.

View the full story published by Los Angeles Times

tags: church attendance, Los Angeles Marathon

Kansas church aims to donate cars to unemployed

Posted: 9:17 am on March 17, 2010

A Kansas church is reaching out to the unemployed, creating a program to donate cars so people can search for work and transport their families. The program is taking donations of vehicles with the goal of starting the ministry by late spring. “We’re all supposed to help each other,” Chuck Ryan of Wakefield, Kan., said. “It’s God’s way when we help one another.”

View the full story published by The Abilene (Kan.) Reflector-Chronicle

tags: economy, ministry, transportation, unemployment, volunteers

Franklin Graham named chairman for National Day of Prayer

Posted: 9:05 am on March 17, 2010

Franklin Graham has been named the honorary chairman for the National Day of Prayer. The son of Billy Graham and CEO of the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian organization will take a central role in leading nationwide events on May 6. his year’s theme is “Prayer for Such a Time as This” and is based on Nahum 1:7: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

View the full story published by Samaritan's Purse

tags: Franklin Graham, National Day of Prayer

St. Patrick known for evangelism, not leprechauns

Posted: 8:49 am on March 17, 2010

It is St. Patrick’s Day, which to many people means wearing green, leprechauns and perhaps a green beer at the local watering hole. But the real St. Patrick has nothing to do with pots of gold or pinching someone who wasn’t wearing the color of the day.

View the full story published by History Channel

tags: evangelism, Ireland, St. Patricks Day

Should churches be taxed to make up for deficits?

Posted: 8:00 am on March 17, 2010

With local and state governments struggling to meet budget demands, the issue of perhaps taxing churches and/or non-profit organizations naturally comes for discussion. Is it a matter of priorities or is it becoming a matter of necessity to consider such taxes? “Remember where we could have been had there not been religious groups and relief efforts to help with Katrina or Haiti,” writes Darrell Bock of the Dallas Theological Seminary. “These tax exemptions mean dollars go to such groups instead of the government. So do we close the ‘loophole’ and then risk losing funding to meet such needs? It may well not be a risk worth taking.”

View the full story published by The Dallas Morning News

tags: church budgets, economy, taxes

Directing Sunday School program requires dedication, patience

Posted: 7:12 am on March 17, 2010

Many churchgoers have volunteered to teach Sunday School a few times, but what does it mean to be effective with kids you might see at best once every week for an hour or two? It’s also a huge task to direct a children’s ministry and get the needed volunteers in the right places at the right times. There are some core competencies to developing that skill set.

View the full story published by LifeWay

tags: education, Sunday School, volunteering

Chrsitian groups speak out against mountaintop coal mining

Posted: 7:07 am on March 17, 2010

Mountaintop removal of coal has become a divisive issue in rural areas dependent on the mining industry. A small network of churches and ministries has banded together to protest the procedure, stating it is counter to God’s call for stewardship of the Earth and its resources.

View the full story published by Louisville Courier-Journal

tags: Applachia, coal mining, environment

World Relief denial of employment over faith highlights hiring hurdles

Posted: 10:13 am on March 16, 2010

Baltimore-based World Relief has a long history as an evangelical-based organization helping with international aid and is one of a handful agencies endorsed and funded by the federal government to help with refugee resettlement programs. Recently a resettled Iraqi living in Seattle was denied employment because he isn’t Christian after volunteering for the organization. The case underscores the right of faith-based organizations to pick and choose whom they hire based on beliefs.

View the full story published by The Seattle Times

tags: charities, employment, faith-based organizations, hiring, World Relief

Remaining jailed Haiti missionary facing new charges

Posted: 10:07 am on March 16, 2010

Laura Silsby, the last of 10 Baptist missions volunteers detained in Haiti on suspicion of kidnapping, now faces a new charge. Silsby, who led the team, now is accused of attempting to take 40 children out of Haiti without proper paperwork on Jan. 26, three days before the 10-member team was prevented from crossing the border into the Dominican Republic with 33 children.

View the full story published by Baptist Press

tags: Baptists, Central Valley Baptist Church, Haiti, Laura Silsby, missionaries

German priest at center of sex abuse scandal has ties to pope

Posted: 9:52 am on March 16, 2010

A German priest who is at the center of rapidly growing church abuse scandal has been suspended. Peter Hullerman has been working in the church for 30 years since he was convicted by a German court of molesting boys. Pope Benedict XVI is involved in the circumstances, raising the interest level considerably. Previously known as Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope responded to early accusations of molestation against Hullerman by allowing him to move to Munich for therapy in 1980.

View the full story published by The New York Times

tags: Catholic Church, Germany, Peter Hullerman, Pope Benedict XVI, sexual abuse

Discovering purpose, faith through service

Posted: 9:41 am on March 16, 2010

Defining your life’s purpose is challenging for most people. Service to others is a great way to help define and shape that purpose, but there are other spiritual factors involved, including taking advantage of the talents God has given you and finding the best ways to apply them.

View the full story published by Belief.net

tags: faith, service, volunteering