BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (ABP) — Churches, conventions and Christians are in deep financial trouble and facing a bleak future if church leaders do not actively engage cultural shifts and the perils of consumerism, according to a battery of speakers at…
Welfare reform bill stalls over election-year disputes
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Disputes over the minimum wage and other contentious election-year issues have stalled congressional reauthorization of a welfare reform program that includes funds for religious charities. The dispute killed, for the time being, the Personal Responsibility and Individual…
Churches weigh dangers of 15-passenger vans
DALLAS (ABP) — Federal agencies have issued safety warnings about them and major insurance companies have stopped writing policies on them, but some churches continue to struggle with the question of what to do with 15-passenger vans. Three years ago,…
Federal regulations may govern church van use, agency says
ELDORADO, Texas (ABP) — About five months after a bus crash claimed the lives of nine senior adults on a church-sponsored trip, members of First Baptist Church in Eldorado planned their first major out-of-town trip since the accident. The church…
Guidelines suggested for congregations using bus companies, church vehicles
(ABP) — If churches choose to charter a bus for long trips, they need to carefully examine the companies they hire, a representative of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suggested. Before hiring any carrier, request the bus company's United…
Garland says Christians can help shape changing social-work field
DALLAS (ABP) –Christian social workers face an unprecedented opportunity to “shape the shift” that is transforming their profession, a leading social-work educator told participants in a national conference. Most professional social workers were trained in programs “that were allergic to…
Cecil Staton again eyes state office in Georgia
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Cecil Staton, president of Smyth & Helwys Publishing, announced March 29 he is seeking a seat in the Georgia state Senate. Staton will run as a Republican to represent the newly configured District 18 in central…
Missionaries in Iraq not deterred by recent deaths, Rankin says
CARY, N.C. (ABP) — The deaths of four missionaries in Iraq March 15 has not deterred others headed to the country, the head of the International Mission Board said. Jerry Rankin, speaking March 25 during the funeral for slain missionaries…
Bush signs law protecting ‘unborn victims’ of violence
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Just days after it gained final approval in Congress, President Bush signed a bill into law that will treat embryos and fetuses at any stage of pregnancy as equal victims of crimes against their mothers. Bush signed…