Co-pastoring: At the other Mars Hill church, new pastors hope to build a faithful future
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, looks at how some churches – including Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, are adopting a co-pastoring model…
In the US, Michigan vigil prays for missionaries kidnapped in Haiti
Hart, Michigan, US AP/Report for America More than 100 people gathered Sunday in a small Michigan town in the US to pray for the safe release of a local family among 17 members of a missionary group kidnapped by a gang in Haiti more than a week ago. The vigil in the western Michigan community of Hart […]
Antique crucifix back on display at historic US church after squirrel attack
RNS Sainte Ann Catholic Church on Mackinac Island, Michigan. PICTURE: RNS/Bob Smietana In a battle between a squirrel and the Son of God, the squirrel won. But Jesus, as always, made a comeback. A squirrel trapped at Ste Anne Catholic Church on Mackinac Island, Michigan, wrecked an antique crucifix this past week, according to MLive.com. The figure of […]
Nine retired nuns in US state of Michigan die of COVID-19 in January
Detroit, USAP Nine Roman Catholic nuns in southern Michigan have died in January due to a COVID-19 outbreak at their retirement home, which had gone for months without a single case, officials said Thursday. The women lived at the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in Adrian, 120 kilometres south-west of Detroit. They had been […]
Lifestory: How a man named Crow joined the church of “outcasts”
LIZA VANDENBOOM, in an article first published on Religion Unplugged, reports on how when biker and rocker Floyd “Crow” Brady’s life hit a crossroads, God steered him in a new direction…
Auction held at home of late US priest who lived like a prince
Williamston, Michigan, US AP An auction was held on Saturday at the Lansing-area mansion of a Catholic priest who was accused of embezzling millions of dollars before he died in March while awaiting trial. There were nearly 1,000 items for sale, including about 100 pieces of furniture from the six-bedroom home, the Lansing State Journal reported. “It’s about […]
Priest draws squirt gun in fight against coronavirus
Detroit, US AP A Roman Catholic priest in the Detroit area has taken aim at his parishioners in a bid to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, using a squirt gun to shoot holy water. Photos posted on social media by the St Ambrose Church show Rev Tim Pelc shooting water into a car window as […]
Chaldean Christian deported by Trump administration dies in Iraq
RNS A Chaldean Christian immigrant who was deported from Michigan to Iraq has reportedly died because he was unable to obtain insulin to treat his diabetes, drawing fire from critics of the Trump administration who charge that the death is a result of disregard for the well-being of deportees. According to the American Civil Liberties […]
US preacher plumbs the art of the sermon by yielding the pulpit to passers-by
Grand Rapids, Michigan RNS A pulpit is often regarded as a sacred and in many ways exclusive space. Most religions allow only the ordained to speak to congregants from this place. Ordinary voices seldom have access to the power of the pulpit. Steve Norman wants to change that. Steve Norman, seated, created ‘The Preachers’ art exhibit […]