Assistant Director of World Missions, Douglas LeRoy, answers some questions sent to the department:

The China Aid Association is reporting a series of recent arrests and detentions targeting house churches across China. The sudden increase of incidents involving both the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) and the Public Security Bureau (PSB) is indicative of a crackdown.

Why do children’s ministry leaders come to FOCUS, the annual Church of God international children’s ministry conference, year after year? “What keeps me coming is the time we spend with God and don’t have to worry about anything else but seeking Him,” said one children’s pastor, who recently attended the 14th annual event in Greenville, SC.

A healing evangelist who has held crusades across the globe says God called him back to America late last year to spend 2008 serving communion every Saturday morning on the steps of the capitol buildings of each U.S. state capital.

By Lania Coleman, The Saginaw News

Saginaw Police Reserve Officer Brooke Girardin, center, has her shield blessed by Chaplain Richard Popard, right, at the Anchor of Hope Church of God during Blessing of the Badges. Officer Joaquin Guerrero, left, helped with the blessings.

Police respond to all kinds of emergencies, from burglars to birds in the house, says Bishop R.C. Popard, a chaplain for both the Saginaw and Saginaw Township police departments.

Thousands of people longing for a physical or spiritual touch from God are flocking to central Florida for ongoing revival meetings that some have dubbed the “Lakeland Healing Outpouring.”

On March 16, an Albanian army factory that had been storing various obsolete munitions for destruction caught fire and set off hours of severe explosions in the city of Gerdec. The city the factory was in was completely destroyed, and homes for miles were damaged, including our churches.

At the time Sen. Reid made the promise, he recognized that the Democratic Leadership needed “to make more progress on” circuit court nominations, but that progress is no where to be seen.

This weekend, we will be celebrating what is traditionally called in the U.S., “Memorial Day.” On this occasion, communities and metropolitan areas have numerous services of remembrance to thank our Veterans of previous wars/conflicts for their sacrificial service. The sad thing is that very few citizens show up for these occasions.