Floods and other disasters create a host of needs, foremost among them food and shelter. Moved by compassion, congregations may decide to shelter people affected by a crisis, with little forethought or planning.
Just when Facebook thought it had become the go-to social network for our techno-hungry culture, along came Twitter (www.twitter.com). While Facebook touts more than 200 million users, half of whom return to the site daily, Nielsen has recently reported Twitter as the fastest growing social networking site on the Internet, posting 1,382 percent growth from early 2008 to early 2009.
Denim and church are two words that now go together — the denim church. Where is our pride in serving our Lord? Isn’t dressing better a way of honoring Him?
Angry citizens — more than 120 of them —protest outside a church. Several police officers stand ready to control the crowd. Using bullhorns, the protesters hurl insults —some of them profane. They shove signs in parishioners’ faces. One protester shoots pepper spray into the face of an opposing protester.
Over a period of years the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has been working on a social statement on sexuality now named “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.” That report and its recommendations are coming before the churchwide assembly, August 17-22, in Minneapolis.
Churches around the country have benefitted from choosing sustainable products and processes, whether they are purchasing paper or renovating or building a religious facility. Many church leaders have discovered that going green enhances their integrity and connection with their communities, while also providing healthier environments for their staffs and congregations.
Michael Leahy knows of what he speaks. He was addicted to pornography. On the first page of his introduction of his latest book, Porn @ Work: Exposing the Office’s #1 Addiction (Northfield Publishing, 2009), he notes that “70 percent of all online porn access occurs during the nine-five workday.”
Puget Sound Christian Center in the greater Seattle area has undergone significant technology updating in its 30 years in order to meet the congregation’s needs and desires to connect and communicate with one another.
In the age of social networking, face-to-face connections are more important than ever to America’s churches. One way congregations seek to preserve personal relationships among members is through the creation or maintenance of a photo directory.
Cross Timbers Community Church decided to take some exciting steps to respond to this current economic season. A few weeks back, Senior Pastor Toby Slough told the church during our giving time that if anyone that day had a need — because being laid off or other financial challenges — that they were welcome to take out of the plate as it passed by rather than give that week.
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