Cleveland, TN–North Cleveland Church of God usher Ruth Carrasquillo cannot physically go to the mission field, but she has devised a way to be a part of foreign missions.

Members of Resurrection Church in Loveland, Colo., understand the hesitancy an Israeli or American-born Jew might experience when visiting a church whose name celebrates the empty tomb of a crucified Hebrew carpenter named Jesus—and yet the church has become a place where all Jews are welcome.

George Beverly Shea, 104, of Montreat, North Carolina, soloist of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), died this evening following a brief illness.

Churches in Boston are responding to provide support for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing through a website called BostonMarathonSamaritans.org. The website is set up as a partnership of TechMission, the Emmanuel Gospel Center and the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, all of which partner with hundreds of churches in the Boston area.

Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams has posted an appeal for prayer for the victims of Monday’s explosions in Boston. The video is posted on the Church of God’s website (www.churchofgod.org), on www.ourcog.com and social media outlets Twitter and Facebook.

More than 1.3 million Syrians have fled the war-torn country, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Syria is over 2 million.

As smoke cleared from the deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday, horrified runners were comforted by acts of kindness carried out by city residents offering aid. Gestures as small as offering a drink of orange juice and use of a home bathroom were recounted on Twitter in an ongoing online recollection of the fellowship that emerged in the wake of Monday’s devastation.

Carol Taylor, currently president of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., has been chosen president-elect and chief executive officer of the consolidated Evangel University, according to an announcement by George O. Wood, chairman of the board of trustees and general superintendent of the Assemblies of God.

Pastor Appreciation Day in the Church of God is emphasized in April and October, with the first observance coming on Sunday, April 28, 2013. An alternative date is October 13, 2013.