Hispanic pastor facing deportation. A Hispanic Baptist pastor arrested last summer by immigration authorities will find out Sept. 2 whether he will be deported for a crime committed in 1995. Hector Villanueva, pastor of Bautista la Rocha in Siler City, N.C., accepted Christ while serving 16 months in prison and decided to turn his life around and become a pastor. Now married with children, he started his current congregation with help from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina in August 2010. After just three services in the new church, Villanueva was arrested by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Released from custody on $15,000 bail that was covered by the North Carolina CBF, Villanueva and his family now await the September hearing to find out if a court will decide to deport him to Mexico. CBFNC is encouraging people who know Villanueva to provide character references. Additional information is available from Laura Barclay, CBFNC social ministries coordinator, at lbarclay@cbfnc.org.
Army agrees to atheist concert. A group of military atheists have won the backing of U.S. Army officials to hold a “Rock Beyond Belief” concert for nonbelievers at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg next year. The victory came after several church-state separation watchdog groups complained last month to the Secretary of the Army that a Christian-themed concert held at the fort last September gave “selective benefits” to religious groups. That concert received more than $50,000 in financial support from the base. The nonreligious concert will receive the same funds and will be held at a similar venue at the base. (RNS)
Chowan sees summer renovations. Chowan University is continuing an ongoing renovation of its campus with another $5 million investment this summer. Most funding is coming out of the operational budget, with little to no debt incurred. Many renovations at the Murfreesboro, N.C., school have been preventative maintenance such as re-roofing dorms and classroom buildings that were originally built in the 1950s and 1960s with high-maintenance flat roofs. Many interior updates are being done to the Marks Hall classroom building to add more “smart classroom” technology capabilities. New windows, a new HVAC air-conditioning unit and new lighting will make for a more comfortable learning environment in Whitaker Library.