Churches on this year’s Outreach 100 lists of the Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America are pursuing many of the same growth strategies and values, including worship locations at multiple sites, breaking into smaller groups throughout the week, and serving their local communities. The lists appear in Outreach magazine’s 2011 Outreach 100 Special Issue, published Sept. 15, 2011.
Operation Compassion has been monitoring Hurricane Irene since it was apparent the path she would take. Earlier this week preparations were made ready for her eventual landfall. Up and down the eastern seaboard, Operation Compassion and its network of disaster relief partners have been staging relief products for shipment and preparing disaster relief sites in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New York.
“Our partners are ready to move,” according to David Lorency, president of Operation Compassion. “Everything is in place and ready at a moment’s notice.”
OC’s disaster relief partners, God’s Pit Crew, Mercy Chefs and the Chaplain’s Commission are ready with everything from heavy equipment for debris removal to mobile kitchens ready to feed thousands of hot meals to volunteers ready to assist. Product partners, Soles4Souls, Feed the Children, major television ministries and mega-church pastors have donated warehouse space just outside the hurricane area and are staging product.
“Operation Compassion has its plan ready to swing into action,” Lorency continued. “The deciding factor is Irene and where she will make her presence known.”
As with any disaster, Operation Compassion needs your financial help to be able to mobilize and respond with their resources. Please make a donation before Hurricane Irene hits the east coast.
Online Donations:
www.operationcompassion.org (givedirect button)
Mail or call your donations to:
Operation Compassion
114 Stuart Road, NE Suite 370
Cleveland, TN 37312
423.728.3932 Office
423.728.3958 Fax
www.operationcompassion.org
(Source: Operation Compassion)
As the number of people in danger of starvation continues to increase in East Africa, Lutheran World Relief is working with partners on the ground to carry out an immediate and long-term crisis response.
SmallGroups.com, a ministry of Christianity Today, has released the newest issue of its free digital magazine (digizine). This issue, entitled “Troubleshooting: Solutions to common problems in small-group life,” explores how to maintain group harmony in the face of several of types of conflict.
It’s an increasing trend—advanced-placement courses taught from a religious perspective. These courses cater to homeschools and private schools, and in addition to being approved by the College Board as official Advanced Placement (AP) courses, they offer a strong Christian component.
Thousands of Americans who gathered here this weekend for a national prayer rally heard many messages of concern about the state of their nation — but they also heard that with God’s blessing, their country can be healed.
Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge, Chairman of the Board of Human Life International (HLI), issued the following statement announcing HLI’s new leadership team:
The National Institute of Marriage, located at the newly renovated Sunset Inn, will host an open house and dedication of Sunset Inn, a marriage retreat center in Branson, Missouri.
Brian Hibbard and Scott Harris have donated seven original paintings, created exclusively to celebrate the 25th anniversary of International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), as part of a nationwide silent auction to raise funds for ICM church-building projects.
Reaching Hearts International is taking a Maryland county back to court in a continuing effort to build a new church. The church sued Prince George’s County, Maryland, after officials refused to approve water and sewage plans for its new property, which is the first step in building.
Attorney Ward Coe, who filed suit against the county and won in federal court, says the case was affirmed by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals directing them to process the next application without delay and without discrimination. “So we submitted an application and they turned it down and they took a year to do it,” he states. “We think they violated the injunction, so we’re back in court.”
The county contends the construction would affect the capacity of a nearby reservoir and threaten water quality. “That’s what they contended in the first case — and that reason was found to be a pretext by the jury and the court,” Coe explains. “In fact, they were opposed to having a church there.”
The attorney adds that county officials actually made a statement to the press that they opposed the church because it would not produce tax revenue.
Coe is asking the court to declare the county in contempt of court. The county already faces a judgment of $3.7 million.
(Source: OneNewsNow)
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that upholds Good News Clubs’ right to meet in public school buildings after hours.
The much–anticipated fourth book from Christian author Dr. Steven Stiles entitled Gotchyaa! - Surviving Con Artists in the Church was released today in paperback and in Kindle edition on Amazon.com.
Thousands are expected to attend a Christian concert today that will benefit victims of the Joplin tornado.
The Christian Grandparenting Network is issuing a call to grandparents across the US and Canada to unite with other grandparents in churches and communities on September 11, 2011 to pray for the children of our world, our families and our country’s leaders.
Benny Perez is not wrestling against flesh and blood—but he is wrestling.
Coral Ridge Ministries becomes Truth in Action Ministries this month, a transition implemented to aid the outreach as it seeks to advance biblical truth and equip believers to make a difference in their local communities.
Campus Crusade for Christ is undergoing a name change. The ministry’s new name — “Cru” — will become official early next year.
On October 20, 2010, during the 3rd Lausanne congress in Capetown, Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira was reappointed to serve for another five years as Lausanne Senior Associate for Diasporas. Following that appointment he invited key Evangelical “movers” in the diaspora movement to form the Global Diaspora Network (GDN) under the umbrella of the Lausanne Movement.
“Churches in the U.S. are being destroyed from the inside out.”
