In the US, Willow Creek pastor Dave Dummitt to step down, Shawn Williams named successor
South Barrington, Illinois RNS David Dummitt, who became pastor of Willow Creek Church at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Sunday that he is stepping down as leader of the influential Chicagoland megachurch. Shawn Williams, the campus pastor of Willow Creek’s South Barrington, Illinois location, will succeed Dummitt as senior pastor starting 1st April. […]
“Keeping in the struggle”: These nuns advocated for immigrant rights for 40 years – now in their 90s, they’re not slowing down
JESSIE WARDARSKI, of Associated Press, reports from Chicago on the decades-long work of nonagenarian Catholic nuns, Sister Pat Murphy and Sister JoAnn Persch…
Obama makes plea for pluralism, citing interfaith partnerships, megachurches
United States RNS Former President Barack Obama at a forum on democracy pointed to the partnership of houses of worship and the success of megachurches as examples of ways to build bridges and foster pluralism. “The pluralist ideal is what allows a Christian church and Muslim mosque to sit side by side on the same […]
UN aviation agency at 80 challenged by climate change, rising traffic
Chicago, US/Montreal, Canada Reuters A global blueprint for modern air travel struck 80 years ago this week faces fresh tests managing change and rising air traffic in the developing world, a senior official at the UN’s aviation agency told Reuters. On Thursday, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is bringing together regulators and industry […]
Biden hails Harris as their party’s future in DNC speech
Chicago, US Reuters President Joe Biden cemented the Democratic Party’s embrace of Kamala Harris as its leader in the fight for the White House against Republican Donald Trump with a convention speech on Monday that hailed his vice president as the party’s future. Biden took centre stage on opening night of the Democratic National Convention, […]
In the US, faith groups are mobilising thousands to march outside the DNC
United States RNS Jameeleh Shelo, a Palestinian American and a native of Chicago, plans to march alongside thousands of others outside the Democratic National Convention next week to protest the party’s stance on Israel. Shelo, who is Muslim, will join people of various faiths and no faith to demand that the party end US aid […]
‘Is she Indian or Black?’ Trump questions Harris’ identity at Black journalists’ convention
Chicago, US Reuters US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump questioned whether his Democratic rival Kamala Harris is “Indian” or “Black” during a contentious interview on Wednesday at the country’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black, until […]
New leader of Jesse Jackson’s civil rights organisation steps down just months on the job
Chicago, US AP A Dallas pastor who took over leadership of Rev Jesse Jackson’s longtime civil rights organisation resigned Tuesday just months after he took the job. Rev Frederick Haynes III told The Associated Press that he submitted a letter with his resignation as head of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, effective immediately. “After a time of […]
In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals
Jerusalem AP Hundreds of Christians participated in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The procession, which normally draws thousands of foreign visitors, was unusually local — mostly Palestinian Christians, joined by some […]
From four-leaf clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St Patrick’s Day
New York, US AP If it’s March, and it’s green, it must be St Patrick’s Day. The day honouring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. And nowhere is that more so than in the United States, where parades take place in cities around the country and all kinds of […]