Laura Kaeppeler has overcome some difficult obstacles on the way to becoming Miss America 2012, including the challenges of being the child of a prison inmate.

Take your time with the decision, Terry Sartain was told. A police chaplain for seven years in Charlotte, N.C., Sartain was given the news three days before a promotion ceremony—there was a change in policy.

Responding to the overwhelming growth of the Latino population and the growing rate of the Church of God Latino constituency in the United States, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, in consultation with the Hispanic Bishops, has strategically created the Center for Latino Studies.

Runners and walkers from coast to coast are preparing to lace up their shoes once again for this year’s Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walks! All proceeds from these annual events benefit Mercy Ministries, a nonprofit Christian organization that provides a free-of-charge residential program for young women who have been abused, exploited and/or are facing difficult life circumstances.

Cash charitable giving to ECFA members with fiscal years ending in 2011 reflected a modest increase from 2010, the organization announced today. This contrasts with a decrease in giving to religious charities overall, as noted in a recent national report.

In the first season of grant-giving for the 2012 year, Giving of Life, the Web-based grant initiative, awarded more than $140,000 to 14 ministries. These grants were made possible by new donor partnerships in addition to Giving of Life funding.

The 74th International General Assembly of the Church of God (GA2012) is scheduled for July 24-27, and preparations are well underway. Church of God World Missions will conduct a Pre-Assembly Conference which will be held July 21-23 in the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The theme for the conference is “Wake Up – The Fields are Ripe for Harvest.” The focus will be on career missionaries.

I may be one of Christian TV’s loudest critics, but one of the most disturbing trends in the ministry world is the disappointing lack of interest in using TV as a tool for impacting today’s culture with the message of Christianity.

In a mixed-bag ruling for conservatives, the Supreme Court on Thursday was unanimous in its decision to toss out fines and penalties against broadcasters that violated a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) policy that regulates profanity and nudity on television.