Compared to Christians, fewer Jews switch faiths. Jews are less likely than Catholics or Protestants to change faiths, though religious switching nationwide has increased since 1965, according to a study released by the American Jewish Committee. Most who leave Judaism…
Students in Southwest Virginia gather for ‘a Burnin’ Youth Encounter’
DUBLIN — What kind of love do you have for God? Is it a “burnin’ love”? That’s the kind of love Craig Tackett presented to the students from 22 churches who gathered for the Highlands Youth EnCounter on the day…
No opening day dogs for Catholic fans
CLEVELAND (RNS) — Major League Baseball’s opening day schedule has thrown Catholic fans a curveball this year. Seven teams are hosting their home opener on April 10 — Good Friday, when faithful Catholics abstain from meat. That means no ballpark…
Virginia Baptist churches begin 40 days of fasting and repentance with ashes
RICHMOND — Many Virginia Baptist congregations inaugurated their Lenten observance Feb. 25 with Ash Wednesday services — a tradition rooted in ancient Christianity and one increasingly common among Baptist churches across the Commonwealth. The service, which dates to at least…
Southern Baptists, Catholics show membership decline, yearbook notes
NEW YORK (ABP) — The nation’s two largest Christian denominations are experiencing slight but statistically significant membership declines, according to the latest edition of the National Council of Churches’ Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. The 77th annual compilation of…
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
ODU campus minister to retire. Rob Sandford, Baptist campus minister at Old Dominion University in Norfolk for 39 years, will retire June 5. Sandford, who also has overseen campus ministry at all schools in the Norfolk area, took the…
Parachurch groups not feeling pinch
WINCHESTER, Va. (ABP) — Faith-based charities haven’t been hit as hard by the economic downturn as expected, a new survey by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability indicates. The ECFA, established in 1979 to accredit Christian non-profit organizations that model…
Virginia Baptist pastor discovers ways to deal with depression
RICHMOND — Kirby Smith has his life back. After years of struggling with clinical depression — what he calls “a hell on earth” — the Virginia Baptist pastor has discovered in both medical and psychological treatment a way to deal…
Church finances begin to feel impact of economic crisis
DALLAS (ABP) — Churches that aren’t cutting their budgets due to the economic downturn are, by and large, taking measures to curb expenses, according to a survey the National Association of Church Business Administration has done of its members. The…
Gift of $2 million to fund new chapel on Central Seminary campus
SHAWNEE, Kan. (ABP) — Central Baptist Theological Seminary will be able to build a chapel on its new Shawnee, Kan., campus thanks to a $2 million gift from a prominent Baptist family foundation. The John and Eula Mae Baugh Foundation…
Widow of slain pastor says she isn’t angry at accused killer
MARYVILLE, Ill. (ABP) — The widow of slain Baptist pastor Fred Winters says she harbors no anger toward her husband's alleged murderer. "I do not have any hatred or even hard feelings toward him," Cindy Winters said March 16 on…
Church gathers week after pastor slain
MARYVILLE, Ill. (ABP) — One of a select fraternity of pastors who has experienced a church shooting consoled and challenged an Illinois Baptist congregation one week after its popular pastor was fatally shot while preaching his Sunday sermon. "You are…