One week after the local newspaper in Croton Falls, NY reported on a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked New York at the bottom of the misery index, some strong, if not conclusive, evidence to the contrary emerged in this hamlet in northern Westchester County. The Revs. Richard Hasselbach and Barbara... Continue Reading

What’s a living nativity scene without a little real-life drama to go along with it — that’s what local church officials and members are saying in hindsight. The Eagle River Presbyterian Church in Avon, Colorado was gearing up for its Wednesday night live nativity scene, an annual tradition, when two of the scene’s players went... Continue Reading

Church membership is no longer a given. Many churches are weighing whether to redefine or even do away with church membership as a way to refocus the congregation’s values. Ken Neevel, Western Theological Seminary’s vice president of advancement and communication, says he’s seeing a shift, especially in independent churches. “Especially with the emphasis in recent... Continue Reading

Everybody likes something cuddly. That’s why nine-year-old Kate Strickland, of Franconia, likes to put a stuffed animal in each of the Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift packages she helps fill. “They go to children that are in war or poverty situations,” said Anita Strickland, Kate’s mother and coordinator for the packing station at Covenant... Continue Reading

The ancient city of Bethlehem bustled in the woods behind Florida’s Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church on Friday, Dec 11. It was just like every year prior to Christmas. With the exception of some light rain, all went according to plan. Two hundred cast members brought the 800-square-foot walk-through Nativity to life as it might have... Continue Reading

On December 16, 2009, at 10 AM PST, a panel of eleven judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sitting in San Francisco will hear oral arguments concerning the constitutionality of San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s virulent resolution attacking the Catholic Church for its teachings against homosexual adoptions. The en banc panel will review... Continue Reading

TwoWest Pasco County (FL) congregations have flocked together to form a new church. Redeemer Community Church was formed 25 after the former River Ridge Presbyterian (PCA) Church and Trinity Community Church merged. The new congregation will gather at 9230 Ridge Road, formerly the River Ridge Presbyterian sanctuary, east of Little Road. “We wanted the name... Continue Reading

The Rev. Nicholas Batzig knows there are plenty of churches to choose from in the Coastal Empire. But that hasn’t stopped him from starting a new one. After all, not all churches are created equal, he said. “A lot of people say it doesn’t matter which church you go to as long as you’re sincere,”... Continue Reading

Towering eight stories over wheat fields, the Golden Lamp Church was built to serve nearly 50,000 worshippers in the gritty heart of China’s coal country. But that was before hundreds of police and hired thugs descended on the mega-church, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries.... Continue Reading

As the pastor of a fledgling church, the Rev. Drew Bennett knows that new congregations live a gypsy life, borrowing places to meet. It is usually years before purchasing a permanent site is possible. Bennett is pastor of Church of the Redeemer in Winter Haven, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America, and his congregation... Continue Reading