Cougar Mauls 9-Year-Old at Church Camp in Washington State

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June 1, 2022

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A cougar attacked a 9-year-old girl who was playing hide-and-seek at a church camp in Washington state, seriously wounding her and sending her friends running in fear.

Lily A. Kryzhanivskyy and two other children were playing in the woods Saturday at the camp near the small town of Fruitland, northwest of Spokane. Lily jumped out to surprise her friends when the cougar attacked, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

Adults rushed to help and found the girl covered in blood. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she had surgery for multiple wounds to her head and upper body.

Lily was released from the intensive care unit Monday and remains hospitalized in stable condition, the department said Tuesday.

Following the attack, adults staying at the church camp found the young male cougar and killed it.

“We are extremely thankful for this little girl’s resiliency, and we’re impressed with her spunk in the face of this unfortunate encounter,” Fish and Wildlife Police Capt. Mike Sprecher said. “It happened fast, and we are thankful that the adults at the camp responded so quickly.”

Tests completed over the weekend showed the animal did not have rabies, the agency said.

Cougar attacks on humans are rare. There have been just two fatal attacks on humans in Washington state in the past 100 years, in 1924 and 2018, the agency said. State records show another 20 cougar attacks on humans resulting in injuries.

The cougar, also known as a mountain lion, is the second-largest cat in the Americas after the jaguar. Secretive and largely solitary by nature, cougars are rarely seen in daylight. The ambush predator eats deer and smaller animals. While cougars generally avoid people, attacks on humans have increased in North America as more people enter cougar habitat.

‘Repentance and Change’: Pastors Lead Churches in Response to Sex Abuse Report

By

Diana Chandler

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June 1, 2022

Sex Abuse Report — Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

RALEIGH, N.C.(BP) – Former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear says he’s encouraged by the SBC’s bottom-up structure putting power in the hands of lay members.

“I want to be in a convention where the people have the power. Because like we see, usually it is the leaders who go corrupt more quickly than the people,” he said in a May 30 special broadcast of his Ask Me Anything podcast.

Among the family of some 50,000 Southern Baptist churches and missions, pastors are leading their congregations in responding to the messenger-commanded Guidepost Solutions report of the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse allegations spanning two decades.

”We recognize that when you have unchecked power in the hands of a few, as it was in the case of the SBC – you’ve got corruption there – it’s a people that hold accountable the leaders, rather than vice versa,” Greear said. “This report reveals some significant leaders who abused their power to protect the institution, to protect their own power.”

Lament, repentance and change are recurring sentiments expressed in sermons and public statements from pastors of churches of varying sizes and influence.

“This is primarily a time for us to lament and to repent where we have failed,” said Greear, senior pastor of The Summit Church based in Durham, N.C. “I think the posture we all have to have is a posture of brokenness and a posture of grieving.”

SBC President Ed Litton updated his congregation May 29 following the May 22 release of the Guidepost report.

“I lamented the sin and failures it exposed regarding our convention’s handling of sexual abuse cases and our lack of compassion toward survivors” he told Baptist Press May 31. “I also urged our people to be in prayer that the SBC would take the appropriate next steps going forward and that God would change our culture to make all of our churches and institutions safe places for survivors and the vulnerable.

“Moreover, I encouraged them to expect our own church (Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala.) to continue to review our policies and procedures to ensure we are doing all we can to protect our people and prevent abuse.”

Congregations large and small, including First Baptist Church of Sulphur, La., First Baptist Church of Fairmont, N.C., and First Baptist Church of Nashville, Tenn., received pastoral guidance after the report’s release.

In Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Huntersville, N.C., pastors Grant Gaines and Ronnie Parrott, who authored the motion at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting calling for the independent investigation, led their congregations in lamenting, repenting and advocating for change at the upcoming 2022 SBC Annual Meeting June 14-15 in Anaheim, Calif.

Asian American Christians See More Work for the Church to Do to Stop AAPI Hate

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Emily McFarlan Miller

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June 1, 2022

stop asian hate — Two women walk along Jackson Street in Chinatown past the new "AAPI Community Heroes" mural in San Francisco, Monday, May 23, 2022. Chinatowns and other Asian American enclaves across the U.S. are using art and culture to show they are safe and vibrant hubs. From an inaugural arts festival in San Francisco to night markets in New York City, the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes has re-energized these communities and drawn allies and younger generations of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

LONG GROVE, Illinois (RNS) — After members of the congregation read Scripture aloud and after a discussion about a work of art depicting the body of Christ, the Rev. Juliet Liu approached one of the microphones among the chairs arranged in a circle around the Communion table.

This was just days after a shooting at a salon in Dallas’ Koreatown injured three women of Asian descent and about a year since eight people were killed at three Atlanta-area spas, including six women of Asian descent. It was also more than two years into a pandemic that brought with it a dramatic and disproportionate surge in violence against Asian Americans documented by the FBI and groups like Stop AAPI Hate.

For Liu, it was “meaningful” to be able to lament that violence during the Sunday morning service (May 15) at Life on the Vine, a church in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago she co-leads with the Rev. Susanne Calhoun.

“That’s not separate, for me, from worship,” said Liu, who is Chinese and Vietnamese American.

As racism and violence against Asian Americans began to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, groups like the Stop AAPI Hate coalition, Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change and the Chicago-based Asian American Christian Collaborative formed to fight back with information and advocacy. The Asian American Christian Collaborative organized events and marches like the Rally for AAPI Lives and Dignity, joined by an estimated 5,000 people in cities across the U.S.

The Rev. Juliet Liu speaks to the congregation at Life on the Vine Church in Long Grove, Illinois, on May 15, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

Still, some Asian American Christian leaders believe there is more the church can be doing to address racism and violence against Asian Americans.

“In some ways, I think we have more to grieve now than we did one year ago after the March 16 Atlanta massacre,” said the Rev. Michelle Ami Reyes, an Indian American church planter in Austin, Texas, and vice president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative.

“I think what a lot of Asian Americans are struggling with is that anti-Asian violence just continues to grow.”

Few white Americans are aware that anti-Asian violence is a problem, according to Reyes, who co-authored the new book “The Race-Wise Family: Ten Postures to Becoming Households of Healing and Hope” with Helen Lee. She pointed to a 2021 study by LAAUNCH that found 37% of white Americans were unaware of the increase in attacks against Asian Americans over the previous year. The study also found 24% of white Americans didn’t believe anti-Asian racism was a problem that should be addressed.

Anti-Asian racism won’t change until those perceptions do, Reyes said.

When it launched in 2020, the Asian American Christian Collaborative released a statement with five action steps Christians could take to help end racism and violence against Asian Americans, including speaking against anti-Asian racism from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. That’s a good place to start, Reyes said, and she’s seeing more pastors feeling encouraged to do so.

There’s still a long way to go, she said.

The Rev. Michelle Ami Reyes. Courtesy photo

‘Jesus Calling’ Tops 40 Million Sold

By

Bob Smietana

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June 1, 2022

"Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" and author Sarah Young. Courtesy images

(RNS) — Jesus called.

40 million people answered.

The popular “Jesus Calling” devotional has now sold more than 40 million copies, according to Publishers Weekly, an influential trade magazine.

First published in 2004, the book has become a publishing phenomenon, spawning a television series, a podcast and a magazine. In 2013, the book outsold pop-culture phenomenons “Lean In” and “50 Shades of Grey,” according to the Daily Beast.

The book’s publisher, Thomas Nelson, reported in 2019 that “Jesus Calling” had sold 30 million copies and has continued to sell since then.

A follow-up book, “Jesus Listens,” has sold half a million copies since its October 2021 release.

“I hear over and over again from regular people and celebrities alike who say, ‘It’s like it was written for me,’” Michael Aulisio, a Thomas Nelson vice president who oversees the “Jesus Calling” brand, told Publishers Weekly. “It speaks to various situations — the grief of losing a child, divorce, addiction or giving thanks to God for the good days. That really appeals.”

Author Sarah Young, who has largely remained out of the public eye due to health problems, began writing the books in the 1990s while a missionary and counselor in Australia. After a difficult case, where Young counseled a woman who claimed to be a victim of satanic child abuse — during the so-called Satanic Panic — she began “jotting down what came to mind” during her devotional times, when she focused on listening to God. Those journal entries were eventually compiled into “Jesus Calling.”

The book was rejected at first before finally being released in 2004. Sales started slowly — with just under 60,000 copies sold in the first three years, according to Christianity Today magazine, before taking off in 2008.

In 2015, Calvinist blogger Tim Challies labeled “Jesus Calling” a “deeply troubling book” in a blog post pointing out what he saw as serious problems with the book, including that “she mimics occult practices” and “speaks for God.” Early on there were other critics, but any controversy over the book has faded.

Young told Religion News Service in a 2021 email interview that she still sees herself as a missionary. She also said her health issues make her focus on God more.

“When I sit down to write, I always ask God to connect His infinite sufficiency with my utter insufficiency,” she said in an email. “So, my health struggles help me rely on Jesus and work collaboratively with Him.”

This article originally appeared here.

FBC Woodstock Restates Support To Fight Sexual Abuse, Addresses Johnny Hunt’s Inclusion in Guidepost Report

By

Scott Barkley

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June 1, 2022

Johnny Hunt — Jeremy Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., preaches on May 29. Courtesy of Baptist Press.

WOODSTOCK, Ga. (BP) – In a sermon lasting just under an hour, Senior Pastor Jeremy Morton reiterated First Baptist Woodstock’s commitment to supporting sexual abuse survivors and addressed allegations against former pastor Johnny Hunt in the Guidepost Solutions report.

“Men will fail us. All earthly shepherds will disappoint us. But the cross of Christ and the empty grave are our permanent, everlasting reminders that there is nothing … that Christ, our shepherd, cannot do. If He can restore our souls and lead us unto paths of righteousness, He can do anything,” said Morton in the message that is part of a series on Psalm 23.

Last fall, several Executive Committee meetings revolved largely around the topic of waiving attorney-client privilege in the Guidepost Solutions investigation. Morton was among those who voted to waive privilege each time and joined a group of trustees grieved after the initial EC meeting that did not move forward to include that step, expressing he was “personally disappointed and heartsick” over the matter.

Learning of the allegations against his predecessor and mentor brought another kind of heartsick, he told a nearly full sanctuary May 29.

“It’s deeply personal for us because of a man we have known and loved and followed for years,” Morton said. The report’s allegations can lead those who admire Hunt to being “physically sick, angry, disturbed and confused.”

Morton cited Hunt’s May 22 Twitter statement and letters released May 27 that confessed to sexual sin while denying sexual assault.

“Here’s what we know as the people of First Baptist Woodstock,” Morton said. “God in Heaven has perfect knowledge of the entire situation. God is holy and He alone – God – is capable of being the perfect judge, the gracious healer, the able defender of all parties associated with these events.”

Morton urged prayer for all parties involved and said a group from the church will work to maintain “friendship” and “fellowship” with Hunt. He said a process for healing and restoration was already in progress and that Hunt had indicated his agreement to it. But, Morton added, “we must take the lead on this.”

Talking with Baptist Press today, Morton said the response to Sunday’s message has been “overwhelmingly supportive.”

According to the 2021 Annual Church Profile, First Baptist has just under 28,000 members. A church that size will include opinions on either side of any decision and that pattern has held here. However, Sunday’s crowd was very much in support of Morton with several amens punctuating his message.

Morton – who eschews social media – said his focus has been on listening to his church members rather than gauging the larger Southern Baptist discussion on sexual abuse. Those conversations led him to waiving privilege in his vote last year.

“If I were arguing from a strict standpoint of legal advice, I would have voted no,” he said. “However, I voted the way I did for two reasons.

“First, it was the clear will of the messengers. Second, I was hearing directly from abuse victims and survivors. There was no way in my heart I could ignore their opportunity for their story to be heard.”

We Are Certain in Our Uncertainty

By

Randy Alcorn

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June 1, 2022

The following paragraphs from Oswald Chamber’s classic, My Utmost for His Highest, really connect with Nanci’s four years of yielding to God about all the things she was constantly uncertain about. While she never knew if the day’s diagnosis would change tomorrow, or if the cancer would spread or go into remission, or how long she’d have the strength to handle everyday situations, still she would say, “I am certain of Him, so I will be content with all those things I’m uncertain of.”

I miss Nanci terribly, but the Lord is with her and is with me, and that closes the gap between us considerably.

“It doth not yet appear what we shall be.” (1 John 3:2)

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life. The nature of spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty, consequently we do not make our nests anywhere. Common sense says—“Well, supposing I were in that condition….” We cannot suppose ourselves in any condition we have never been in.

Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a creed, something dies; we do not believe God, we only believe our belief about Him. Jesus said, “Except ye…become as little children.” Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views; but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

“Believe also in Me,” said Jesus, not—“Believe certain things about Me.” Leave the whole thing to Him, it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come. Remain loyal to Him.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Stop Pursuing the Past

By

Allen White

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June 1, 2022

If you are honest with yourself, the good old days were really not that good. Sure you would love to see your church’s worship center filled again. Of course you would love to see all of the people come back that you used to see for 20 seconds every Sunday morning. But in romanticizing the past, you’re forgetting about all the things that were broken and all of the things that you didn’t like. Now is the opportunity to start over and fix them.

Maybe this is not the season to rebuild your church. Maybe this is the season to start over. You’ve had daydreams about that. You thought about if I could start this church from scratch this is what I would do. Right now your church as it is as close to scratch as it’s ever been. Take this opportunity to start over.

If You Could Start from Scratch…

If you could start from scratch, what would you do? If you had a blank slate, how would you make disciples? How would you conduct worship services? How would you serve your community?

If you put all of your energy into regaining what you had in 2019 or 1995 or 1955, you are expending a lot of energy on something that just doesn’t work anymore. Don’t get me wrong. What worked in 2019, 1995, and 1955 worked back then. But, it won’t work now. The world has changed. The culture has changed. The church should change. The Word of God, however, never changes.

Now, moving forward instead of moving backward, how are you going to make disciples? How are you going to reach your community?

Look at What You Have

Your church has a facility. Your church has funds. Your church has committed people who’ve survived the last two years with you. Imagine if you were planting this church right now for the very first time. You’re in great shape! Most church plants start with no facility, a small core group of people, and little funds. You’ve got a huge advantage.

Let’s take a minute to look at your people. For the most part, your people aren’t newbies. They aren’t consumer Christians. All of the consumers “changed the channel” during Covid. This is not the group you need to entertain to keep them coming back. This is the group that fought the war with you. They are ready to serve. They are ready to engage. They are ready to do something significant in your community. Give them their marching orders!

Where Is Your Church’s Ministry Bloated?

It’s easy to add things to a church’s ministry. It’s very difficult to end things. Ministry creep is a real thing. But what makes a church’s ministry effective is often not adding more, but removing some things. When was the last time you and your leadership questioned why you did something? This is not to stir up trouble, but to make sure your church is getting the most out of your church’s investment in time, talent, and treasure. Sometimes you just need to ask why?

For instance, my family has had a connection to the church we attend dating back to 1969. Back then, the morning worship service started at 11 am and ended promptly at Noon. We sang three hymns and listened to a sermon. One hour and done! Then, the worship movement hit our church in the 1980’s. I supposed since you have to repeat the choruses of modern worship songs five times, the pastor needed more time on Sunday morning, so the service was extended by 15 minutes to start at 10:45 on Sunday morning.

Somewhere along the way during the 38 years I was away from my hometown, the church added another 15 minutes to the worship service. What was previously accomplished in one hour now takes 90 minutes. At this stage of my life, I think the whole thing could be tightened up. Half of the congregation can’t stand through the entire singing part anyway. I’m trying to figure out a polite way to ask why the 90 minute worship service persists. So far, I’ve only come up with impolite ways, so I’ll wait.

Two ‘Christian Swear Words’ We Need to Lose from Our Vocabulary

By

Erik Raymond

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June 1, 2022

christian swear words — Adobe Stock ##74898708

When I first became a Christian, I had a bad mouth. I am thankful that over time God worked to change my heart, and as a result, my mouth. I knew right away that talking in a particular way was offensive to God and others. It does not have a place among those professing faith in Christ because it does not give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29). This is pretty straightforward. But I’ve noticed that many Christians are still plagued by a foul mouth. They say ‘Christian swear words’ that are offensive to God and to others.

I suspect that many don’t even realize it either. Like a new convert who remains fluent in the sailor’s tongue, the Christian may not realize what they are saying or its theological impact.

Two Common ‘Christian Swear Words’

So let me give you a couple of Christian swear words that believers should mortify with quickness:

1. Luck

2. Fate

These words and their concepts are unbiblical and atheistic. Luck communicates randomness while fate describes a inevitability of something happening without a purpose. Both are blind and impersonal.

Undermining and Obscuring Who God Is

I say they are Christian swear words because they undermine the key biblical doctrine of God’s providence. This word providence may be a new word for you, but it is an important word. It is a word that we as Christians need to know and delight in. We are often so quick to simplify and redefine words, but in doing so we can be losing something of our identity as Christians. At one time this word was so prevalent that people named cities and churches after it! This is a very important word.

What does it mean? Providence is God’s infinite power that upholds and governs all things that come to pass.

As the Heidelberg Catechism says,

God’s providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures and so governs them so that: leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed all things, come to us not by change but by his fatherly hand.

The main thing you need to know about this is that God is not disconnected from what is happening in the world today. There is no such thing as chance or luck or fate or karma. Rather, God is upholding, governing and ordering all things as with his very hand.

Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. (Psalm 135:6)

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. (Ephesians 1:11)

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:30)

4 Reasons Why Pastors Should Publish

By

Equip Press

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June 1, 2022

Anyone who has been in ministry for more than, say, a week has been asked the question: So what exactly do you do during the week? Sometimes the question is born out of a genuine curiosity. Sometimes it carries an arched-eyebrow air of “Man, your life must be nice.” Either way, it can be a frustrating question. What people outside of ministry don’t get is that pastors work harder than most in a job that doesn’t easily have an “off” switch, while getting paid less than if they were doing the same level of work in any marketplace job. Being a pastor is hard, time-consuming work. So why would you, as one of these hardworking pastors, want to make your life more stressful by writing a book? Here are four reasons why (most) pastors should publish a book.

4 Reasons Why Pastors Should Publish

1. YOU GET TO DELIVER GOD’S TRUTH

Not to over-spiritualize things—we don’t always have a clear prompting from God in every decision we make—but you probably shouldn’t write a book unless you sense God giving you a message that you want to get out to your church community or the world at large. Writing a book is hard, time-consuming, frustrating work. But if you’re using your God-given gift of communication to make his message clear to others, it can also be one of the most rewarding things there is. There’s something about spending time getting a paragraph just right and feeling like it captures exactly what you believe God would want people to hear.

2. IT’S ANOTHER WAY TO PASTOR YOUR CHURCH

Have you ever felt like you have so much to say you couldn’t fit it all into a message? Have you ever wanted to tell a specific subset of your community something but felt the weekend service wasn’t the right avenue? Or maybe you’re just a gifted writer who enjoys the art of the written word. Whatever the case, your community attends your church in part because they sense God speaking to them through you. Writing a book could be a way for you to continue to pastor them.

The added benefit is that some people just aren’t verbal learners, and pastors should publish because a book will allow them to absorb what God is saying at their own pace. It also gives people something they can refer back to whenever they want.

3. YOUR MESSAGE ISN’T MINIMIZED OR DILUTED

Publishing companies mean well. But the hard truth is they need to make money so people can keep their jobs and feed their families. The problem is, to do that they want to dilute their products down to the least common denominator so they can sell as many copies as possible. While there’s a lot of value to a professional editing your work, at the end of the day if you feel like you want to write a four-chapter book about the underappreciated book of Obadiah, self-publishing lets you do that without having to convince a publisher that Obadiah actually is a book in the Bible.

4. IT INCREASES THE AUDIENCE YOUR MESSAGE CAN REACH

This one is tricky. For many pastors, the allure of being “church famous” is strong. Success in our profession is often seen as being a Rick Warren or Andy Stanley. The truth is, though, neither of those guys wanted to be famous: They just were faithful to the gifts given them and it just so happened both of them have extraordinary gifts of leadership.

But that’s not success. Success in ministry is just being faithful to whoever God has created us to be. BUT, if God has given you a passion to teach other people about his kingdom and you want that message to get to more people, self-publishing is a great way to do that. Whether it’s in bookstores or online, self-publishing allows you to share what God has placed on your heart with a wider audience than the average Sunday attendance.

Writing a book is hard and not for everyone, but if you think it might be for you then know there are several spiritually beneficial reasons to go this route. You never know what plans God might have for the message he’s given you.

Don’t let the “unknowns” about the book-writing process hold you back. Equip Press was created to come alongside pastors and church leaders to help with everything from writing ideas to distribution and marketing. Get started today and download the free Self-Publishing Guide.

This article on why pastors should publish is used by oermission from EquipPress.

5 Ways to Encourage Pastors

By

Brandon Cox

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June 1, 2022

Church leaders, particularly pastors and ministry staff leaders, are struggling like never before. I recently received an issue of Christianity Today and the cover story is “Emptied Out: Tens of Thousands of Pastors Want to Quit But Haven’t. What Has That Done to Them?” Let me first assert that, sometimes you need a break. Don’t apologize for needing rest. And if God points you in a new direction, go confidently. We’ve already gotten plenty of guilt trips in the past. Sometimes you make a hard decision even when people don’t understand. So if you’ve stepped out of pastoral leadership for any reason, that’s a personal spiritual issue and not one that is up for evaluation by the public. And how should we minister to those still serving on the front lines of the church? Those who have endured this pandemic, social and political unrest, and everything else happening in our world and our culture these last couple of years? Two words sum up what is desperately needed now more than ever: encourage pastors.

ENCOURAGE PASTORS

Every leader I know needs a Barnabas right now who will encourage pastors without assessment. Acts 9:27 says,

But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. (NRSV)

Barnabas told the church in Jerusalem one simple thing about Paul:

Jesus, by the grace of God, has made all the difference in this man’s life – you guys should listen to him.

There are plenty of pastors and ministry leaders with whom I might disagree about theology, politics, and approaches to leadership and ministry. But I know they are good women and men because, by the grace of God, Jesus has made all the difference in their lives.

Your words of confidence about a pastor or ministry leader, spoken not only to them but to those to whom they minister each week, can make a world of difference right now. It’s energizing to be encouraged, both privately and publicly.

And just as every leader needs a friend like Barnabas, everyone needs a Paul and a Timothy (or several of each).

That is, we all need to be learning from mentors and mentoring learners. There is always someone ahead of us, and always someone just behind us. It is the role and responsibility of a leader to give another leader a lift.

5 Ways to Encourage Pastors

1. Call a fellow leader on the phone and mentor them.

You don’t need permission to encourage pastors. You don’t even need to say that you’re mentoring them.

Just ask them a ton of questions about how things are going in their soul, their family, and their realm of leadership. Then offer encouragement and perhaps a little bit of advice. And pray with them and over them.

2. Connect a fellow leader into a valuable relationship.

I’m forever saying, “Oh, you need to know so-and-so.” It’s my way of putting people together when I think they need to learn from one another.

How many connections is too many? I’ve been connecting with leaders and connecting leaders to other leaders for years now and my capacity to learn and be led by others has yet to fill up.

3. Send a book.

People tell me all the time what I should read next, but some of my closest mentors have simply sent me the book they knew I needed.

Personally, I’ve given or sent copies of these favorites to encourage pastors over the years:

Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Black Book of Connections. It’s not a faith-based book, but Gitomer knows how to influence others by adding value to their lives.
Rich Villodas’ The Deeply Formed Life. Rich reminds us that what keeps us steady isn’t our performance but our prayer life.
Bill Hull’s The Disciple-Making Pastor. Bill’s book is a classic on gathering friends the way Jesus did and helping them grow up spiritually.
Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead, because nobody can help you go deep, dump shame, and live boldly and authentically quite like Brene.
Henri Nouwen’s The Inner Voice of Love, because Henri was a man any leader could identify with and he pointed to what really mattered – love.
Joshua DuBois’ The President’s Devotional. A collection of the devotionals Joshua sent every morning to President Barack Obama. (Politics aside, it’s a good book.)
Shawn Lovejoy’s Measuring Success. Discouragement often comes from scoring ourselves according to a flawed scorecard and Shawn points us back to the factors that should be the source of our confidence.

And of course, there are others, too, but those are a few of my favorites.

4. Ask a leader for help.

Asking for a favor is empowering to people. I love helping others, and so do you. So allow others the blessing of helping you from time to time.

A friend called me yesterday for advice about an opportunity before him. The opportunity was out of my league, but he wanted to know what I thought. I’m not sure if my advice was worth much in the end, but it meant a lot that he would ask me.

Pastors are notoriously unwilling to ask for help from others, but asking a pastor to help you with something as simple as a word of advice opens the door to helping each other mutually.

5. Produce something for others.

I get frustrated with the number of great leaders I know whose heads are filled with wisdom but who won’t write, won’t blog, and won’t speak anywhere. It’s not that you have to do these things, it’s that you can and therefore should share your collected wisdom with others.

It’s free, quick, and simple to start sharing your knowledge with the world. And it’s only going to get easier. It’s a matter of being a good steward of the wisdom God has given you.

You can’t save the world. That’s Jesus’ role and he has fulfilled and is continuing to fulfill it perfectly. But Jesus wants to involve YOU in his work of restoring, renewing, and refreshing those around you. If if you’re one yourself, you can encourage pastors!

Words of Wisdom for Those Graduating High School and Beyond

By

Ed Stetzer

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May 31, 2022

God has a plan. He will pursue you. He will use you mightily—just trust Him.

A while back, McLean Presbyterian Church in Virginia tweeted a question out to several evangelical leaders in preparation for an upcoming weekend youth retreat. Their request: words of wisdom to share with seniors in high school as they prepare to navigate the challenges of life and faith in the years to come.

You can read the tweets and responses here.

I’ve recently been thinking a lot about this. This year, I had the privilege of speaking at the graduation ceremony for Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and will speak at Timothy Christian High School’s graduation on Friday. So, I wanted to update this article, which I shared years ago on my blog, and post it here.

Graduation at any level is an important time of new beginnings and excitement. But high school graduates face the unique transition into autonomy and self-discovery. What can we say to encourage and guide our 2022 graduates? I’ve been thinking about that as I prepare my commencement speech for this weekend.

It’s an important question. We’ve all heard start about student dropouts. Some students who found themselves eager to attend youth group and spend time in scripture during high school head to college and later find these disciplines hard to maintain. They’re isolated from their family—in many cases, the bedrock of their faith—and often attend secular universities where Christian communities are few and far between. Navigating a new schedule, environment, and community makes it easy for faith to get lost in the shuffle.

There are other students who find that their faith has not yet been equipped to withstand challenges, questions, new ideas, or diversity. So instead of examining and strengthening their beliefs to reconcile its deficiencies, they choose to let it go.

I thought back to a few years ago when McClean Presbyterian Church tagged several of us in the tweet and received many good responses. My answer is at the end of the article, but let’s take a look at some of the best advice offered in response to their bold question:

Tim Keller

Tim Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Now he leads Redeemer City to City, which has since launched 250 churches in 75 global cities. His books—The Reason for God, The Prodigal God, and Generous Justice, and others—have been enjoyed by millions. Much of his work focuses on contextualizing and recognizing the relevance of our faith and the Bible in our daily lives.

In his response, Keller advises students to “be resilient.” He points out that college is a place of discovery—a time to deal with life’s biggest questions of “identity, purpose and choice.” Going to college means leaving behind the familiar comforts of family, friends, church that youngsters rely on for support during times of trial and weakness. According to Keller, this transition requires students to open up the floodgates and allow their minds to venture into dangerous territory asking things like “Who am I?” and “What’s the point of everything?”

As difficult as these questions might be, he advises that students not ask them in a vacuum but instead “seek answers in a community.” A good faith community and close Christian friends provide support, love, and wisdom when we struggle for answers.

Beth Moore

Beth Moore is an author, speaker, and the founder of Living Proof Ministries, an organization that aims to encourage women in their spiritual journeys as they come to know Christ through the study of his word. In addition to her in depth study of scripture, she is also known as an advocate for abuse survivors and a voice of accountability and justice within the church.

‘It Was Not Abuse Nor Was It Assault’: Johnny Hunt Responds To Guidepost Report, Admits To Improper Consensual Encounter

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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May 31, 2022

Late last week, Johnny Hunt, former Senior Vice President of Evangelism and Leadership at the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) North American Mission Board (NAMB), addressed First Baptist Church Woodstock (FBCW) regarding the Guidepost Solutions report, which alleged he sexually abused a pastor’s wife in 2010.

Hunt pastored FBCW for over 30 years before handing over lead pastoring duties to Jeremy Morton in 2018. In a video message posted online on Friday (May 27), Hunt thanked FBCW for their support, saying, “I’ve heard from so many of you in recent days. I want to thank you for your reaching out with all your messages—literally all kinds of messages—to be honest, what we need most just now are prayers. So, thank you for praying for us.”

The SBC’s former president told FBCW that those prayers have been a “lifeline that have touched us really deeply.”

“I know you need to know more and I want you to know more, so I feel like I owe you more,” Hunt said. “So I’ve carefully and thoughtfully written you a letter. Please read every word and listen carefully as it’s read to you. It will give you more of the facts and hopefully show you my heart. I love each of you. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, and I hope to see many of you, really, very soon.”

In a message that has been viewed over 23,000 times on Facebook, Hunt included images of a letter in which he explained his shock at the SBC’s sexual abuse task force report, which was released Sunday, May 22, and named him a sexual abuser.

Johnny Hunt Statement

Hunt’s new statement came five days after he tweeted a denial of Guidepost Solutions’ characterization of him.

“To put it bluntly,” Hunt’s statement said. “I vigorously deny the circumstances and characterizations set forth in the Guidepost report. I have never abused anybody.”

In his second statement since the release of the report, Hunt told FBCW that both he and they, “in different ways, were shocked by the contents of that report.”

“Twelve years ago, right after my service as SBC president, and in the aftermath of my battle with cancer, I entered into a season of deep despair and probably clinical depression. I remember Janet asking me then how I felt and I said to her, ‘I feel like something inside of me has died,’” Hunt wrote.

“It was during that summer that I allowed myself to get too close to a compromising situation with a woman who was not my wife,” Hunt continued. “It happened when she invited me into her vacation condo for a conversation. Against my better judgment—I chose to go.”

‘Christian Society’ Values Guns Over Life, Says Jamie Foxx, Gun-Control Advocates

By

Stephanie Martin

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May 31, 2022

As families in Uvalde, Texas, bury loved ones, Americans continue debating whether stricter gun-control legislation would reduce the country’s number of mass shootings. Last week an 18-year-old gunman with a semiautomatic weapon killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Ten days earlier, another 18-year-old gunman murdered 10 people—most of them Black—in a Buffalo, New York, grocery store.

On Instagram, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx recently posted a photo of some Uvalde victims, writing: “Little angels my heart goes out to ur families…Never thought I would live in A society a ‘Christian Society’ where they would let little children die over and over again and still not change any laws…if the people in this country are leaders and so-called Christians…if they are going to heaven…I’LL PASS!!!!! #thedevilisbusy”

Gun-Control Legislation? Church Leaders Differ on Cause of Gun Violence

Politicians and Christian leaders offer a range of reasons for America’s high rate of mass shootings. Some blame guns and lax laws while others point to mental health, violent entertainment and video games, and God’s absence from homes and classrooms.

After the Uvalde massacre, evangelical leader Franklin Graham tweeted: “One day this country is going to have to come to grips with an entertainment industry that feeds a constant stream of violence to our youth. Contrary to what some want America to believe, it isn’t the guns.”

Graham, whose organization sent chaplains to Uvalde, added: “You can put all the guns in a pile in Central Park & not a single gun will kill anyone. It takes a human being to plan & execute such brutality. Only the power of God can cleanse the human heart & transform it. He is the missing element in so many homes, schools, & communities.”

In the comments, someone posted this quote from Cardinal Blase Cupich, Catholic archbishop of Chicago: “The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai. The right to bear arms will never be more important than human life. Our children have rights too. And our elected officials have a moral duty to protect them.”

Christians Should Support Gun Reform, Say Some Pastors

The Rev. Peter Cook, head of the New York State Council of Churches, wants to sever the ties between God, guns, and white nationalism. That conservative approach dates back to the Nixon administration, he says, which “gave tacit cultural permission to people of faith to own guns, so they conveniently worked their way into this religious freedom argument and conflated it with Christianity itself.” But, Cook adds, “It doesn’t have any theological integrity to it at all.”

Stricter gun-control legislation has worked in other countries, writes Cook, who argues that Americans need to “choose Christ” over guns. “Christians should call for the sensible regulation of weapons so that we don’t destroy our community and, in the process, destroy Christ himself,” he concludes, noting that humans are made in God’s image.

The Rev. Rob Schenck, who grew up near the Buffalo shooting site, laments that if Republicans keep winning elections, “the U.S. will inevitably be the first country where elementary school kids must wear military-like dog tags so their bodies can be identified after suffering battle-grade wounds.”

Paige Patterson, SBC Leader Alleged To Have Mishandled Sexual Abuse Allegations, Preaches at First Baptist Dallas

By

Dale Chamberlain

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May 31, 2022

Paige Patterson — Screengrabs via YouTube.

On Sunday (May 29), First Baptist Dallas, a Texas megachurch pastored by former Trump faith advisor Robert Jeffress, played host to a controversial guest speaker. Paige Patterson, a formerly influential SBC leader who has been implicated in mishandling sexual abuse allegations within the denomination, delivered a message titled “The Phenomenal Disappearance of this Command of Christ.”

An SBC icon for decades, Patterson was one of the architects of the “Conservative Resurgence” within the denomination, serving as SBC president from 1998 to 2000. He was president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) from 1992 to 2003, going on to serve as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) until 2018.

Patterson was removed from his role at SWBTS for failure to report credible allegations of sexual assault on female students at the school, writing in one email in 2015 that he intended to meet alone with one female survivor so that he could “break her down.”

Patterson was also implicated in covering up the sexual abuse of fellow Conservative Resurgence leader, Paul Pressler, in 2018.

In the recently released Guidepost Solutions report regarding the handling of sexual abuse allegations in the SBC from 2000 to 2021, Patterson was characterized as obstinate, refusing to cooperate with Guidepost investigators or yield documents from his time as SBC president that would have been pertinent to the investigation.

Following the report’s release, SEBTS president Danny Akin expressed his intention to have the school remove Patterson’s name from facilities and other elements of campus life at SEBTS.

Prior to his tenure as president of SEBTS, Patterson had served as president of Criswell College, founded by longtime pastor of First Baptist Dallas and another Conservative Resurgence leader, W.A. Criswell.

Jeffress introduced Patterson with high praise, noting his role in the Conservative Resurgence and calling him “God’s preacher for the hour.”

Preaching from Matthew 9:35-38, Patterson talked about evangelism motivated by compassion and prayer.

“I wonder what kind of compassion we genuinely have for lost people,” Patterson said. “Do we care that the person we sit next to, the person that we shop with, do we care that they’re going to spend eternity—many of them—separated from God?”

Lifeway Research: Religious Faith, Church Attendance Aligns With More Pro-Life Views

By

Aaron Earls

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May 31, 2022

Not all pro-life Americans are religious, but religious Americans are more likely to be pro-life.

Americans’ views on the morality of abortion remain mixed in the days leading up to a Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, but a majority favor restrictions that go beyond those currently allowed, according to a new study from the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary conducted by Lifeway Research. In addition, those who self-identify with a religion, engage in religious practices like church attendance and hold evangelical beliefs are more likely to favor restrictions on abortion.

“This survey clearly demonstrates evangelical beliefs and practices, especially church attendance, translate into pro-life views,” said Adam W. Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “This underscores the truth that the ultimate solution to this moral problem, like all moral problems, is spiritual transformation of the gospel of Jesus Christ among individuals that will eventually translate into societal changes.”

“Critical research is one part of the Land Center mission, and because of the long-standing commitment of Southern Baptists to the sanctity of human life, we focused on Americans’ abortion views as our first in-depth research project,” said Dan Darling, director of the Land Center. “This research provides information vital to equipping pastors and church leaders to understand this cultural moment and to shaping the moral consciences of God’s people. We expect to provide additional serious research on a variety of topics to help Christians engage our culture with gospel truth.”

Conducted days prior to the leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito that indicated the Supreme Court planned to overturn the landmark decision that essentially legalized abortion throughout the United States, the study records Americans’ views on abortion, the beginning of life and what people want to happen in a potential post-Roe environment.

While increased church attendance correlates with pro-life perspectives, those who attend church say they don’t often hear about abortion on Sunday mornings. Two in 3 Americans who say they attend religious worship services a few times a year or more (66%) say they hear a teacher or clergy person mention the topic of abortion no more than once or twice a year, including 36% who say they never hear it spoken about. Few churchgoers, regardless of their perspective on abortion, want the church to talk about the issue less often. Overall, 46% say the topic is addressed the right amount, 38% want to hear about it more and 16% want less.

Americans’ Abortion Views

Around 3 in 10 Americans hold generally pro-life views on abortion: 12% say abortion shouldn’t be legal in any situation, and 17% say it shouldn’t be legal in most situations. Another 21% say there are a variety of situations where it should be legal and illegal. More than 2 in 5 are generally pro-abortion rights, with 22% saying abortion should be legal in most situations and 24% saying it should be legal in any situation.

Pro-life views are more common than pro-abortion rights among Protestants (41% vs. 31%). Catholics (32% vs. 43%) and people from other faiths (31% to 47%) lean pro-abortion rights. The non-religious are overwhelmingly pro-abortion rights (11% pro-life vs. 70% pro-abortion rights).

Those with evangelical beliefs are more pro-life than pro-abortion rights (64% vs. 15%), while those without evangelical beliefs are the opposite (22% vs. 53%).

American Christians who attend church weekly are more than twice as likely to be generally pro-life (53% vs. 19%). Those who attend two to four times a month (28% vs. 36%) and those who attend less frequently (30% vs. 46%) are more likely to be pro-abortion rights.

For half of Americans (51%), one of the strongest factors in the development of their views on abortion is their views on women’s rights and freedoms. For more than 2 in 5 (43%), their views on morality and right and wrong play a strong role. More than a third point to views on health and medical issues (37%) or views on children’s rights and quality of life (34%). Three in 10 say their religious faith is a leading factor in the development of their abortion views (29%). Fewer point to their views on social issues (25%), views on economic issues or poverty (23%), views and experiences as a parent (20%), personal experience with the issue (18%) or the views of political leaders and party they support (5%).

Specifically among the generally pro-life, personal religious faith (58%), views on morality (56%) and views on children’s rights and quality of life (46%) are dominant factors contributing to their perspectives on abortion. Around 1 in 6 pro-life Americans say their views on women’s rights (16%) is one of the strongest factors in how their views on abortion were developed.

Banker Says He Warned Vatican About London Fund Investor

By

Nicole Winfield

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May 31, 2022

vatican banker — FILE - A view of the empty St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis is delivering the Angelus noon prayer from his studio, at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2021. The Vatican’s longtime investment banker testified Monday, May 30, 2022 that he repeatedly voiced concern about a fund that was investing in a troubled London property, but said the Holy See’s secretariat of state insisted on pursuing the deal even as it lost money. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini,, file)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s longtime investment banker testified Monday that he repeatedly voiced concerns about a fund that was investing in a troubled London property, but said the Holy See’s secretariat of state insisted on pursuing the deal even as it lost money.

Enrico Crasso said he was very much on the sidelines of the London deal, which is at the center of the Vatican’s big fraud and embezzlement trial. Prosecutors have accused Crasso and nine other people of fleecing the Holy See of tens of millions of euros and of ultimately extorting the Vatican for 15 million euros to get control of the property.

Crasso, who handled the secretariat of state’s investments for 27 years at Credit Suisse and his own firms, is accused of several counts of embezzlement as well as corruption, fraud and extortion. Crasso denies wrongdoing and testified Monday that in his more than quarter-century of work for the Holy See, the investments he managed always turned a profit.

On his first day on the stand, Crasso stressed that he was only brought into the London deal by chance after he was called on by the secretariat of state to help it evaluate ways to diversify its asset portfolio in 2012, first into a potential petroleum development deal in Angola and then the London property.

Crasso said Credit Suisse recommended a commodities expert, Raffaele Mincione, to evaluate the Angola deal. After all sides agreed against it, Mincione stayed on as a new money manager for the Vatican via his Athena investment fund that was investing in the London property.

Crasso referred to a 2016 formal statement from the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, making clear that there were no limits on where the Vatican’s Credit Suisse assets could be invested. Crasso’s defense has cited the letter to rebut the embezzlement allegation that Crasso routed Vatican money destined for charity to highly speculative investments.

Crasso testified that he was essentially sidelined after the Vatican began working with Mincione and he cited a series of emails he sent to Vatican officials expressing concern and perplexity at some of Mincione’s investment choices.

By 2018, the Vatican decided to exit Mincione’s fund because it had lost some 18 million euros and was looking for a way to buy him out of the London property. Enter another defendant, Gianluigi Torzi, who was proposed by a friend of Pope Francis as a potential manager and developer for the property.

The deal involved paying off Mincione 40 million euros and then entering into an agreement with Torzi via a new holding company, Gutt, to manage and develop the property. The deal, in which the Vatican held 30,000 shares in Gutt and Torzi 1,000 shares, was hashed out over three days in Torzi’s London office in November 2018.

Uvalde Tells Biden to ‘Do Something’; He Pledges ‘We Will’

By

Elliot Spagat

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May 31, 2022

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden grieved with the shattered community of Uvalde on Sunday, mourning privately for three hours with anguished families of the 19 schoolchildren and two teachers killed by a gunman. Faced with chants of “do something” as he departed a church service, Biden pledged: “We will.”

At Robb Elementary School, Biden visited a memorial of 21 white crosses — one for each of those killed — and first lady Jill Biden added a bouquet of white flowers to those already placed in front of the school sign. The couple then viewed individual altars erected in memory of each student, the first lady touching the children’s photos as they moved along the row.

After visiting the memorial, Biden attended Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where several victims’ families are members, and one of the families was in attendance.

Speaking directly to the children in the congregation, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller tried to assuage the fears of the youngsters, some appearing about the same age as the victims.

“You have seen the news, you have witnessed the tears of your parents, friends,” he said, encouraging them not to be afraid of life. “You are the best reminders to us that the lives of the little ones are important.”

As Biden departed church to meet privately with family members, a crowd of about 100 people began chanting “do something.” Biden answered, “We will,” as he got into his car. It was his only public comment during roughly seven hours in Uvalde.

Biden later tweeted that he grieves, prays and stands with the people of Uvalde. “And we are committed to turning this pain into action,” he said.

The visit to Uvalde was Biden’s second trip in as many weeks to console a community in loss after a mass shooting. He traveled to Buffalo, New York, on May 17 to meet with victims’ families and condemn white supremacy after a shooter espousing the racist “replacement theory” killed 10 Black people at a supermarket.

Both shootings and their aftermath put a fresh spotlight on the nation’s entrenched divisions and its inability to forge consensus on actions to reduce gun violence.

“Evil came to that elementary school classroom in Texas, to that grocery store in New York, to far too many places where innocents have died,” Biden said Saturday in a commencement address at the University of Delaware. “We have to stand stronger. We must stand stronger. We cannot outlaw tragedy, I know, but we can make America safer.”

Children Among 31 Killed at Church Fair Stampede in Nigeria

By

Chinedu Asadu

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May 31, 2022

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness said the dead included a pregnant woman and many children.

The stampede at the event organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such events are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow the locked gate was broken open, creating a stampede, she said.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of those trampled to death and bring them to the morgue. Security forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and offering any assistance they could to emergency workers. Doctors and emergency workers treated some of the injured as they lay in the open field. Videos from the scene showed the clothing, shoes and other items meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only identified himself as Daniel said “there were so many children” among the dead. Five of the dead children were from one mother, he told the AP, adding that a pregnant woman also lost her life.

Some church members were attacked and injured by relatives of the victims after the stampede, according to witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to comment on the situation.

The police spokeswoman said the seven injured were “responding to treatment.”

The “Shop for Free” event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.

Nigeria has seen similar stampedes in the past.

Twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, while at least 16 people were killed in 2014 when a crowd got out of control during a screening for government jobs in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Associated Press journalist Hilary Uguru in Warri, Nigeria, contributed.

This article originally appeared on APNews.com.

Abducted Prelate of Nigeria Methodist Church Regains Freedom

By

Chinedu Asadu

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May 31, 2022

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The head of the Nigeria Methodist Church regained his freedom a day after being kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the country’s southeast, police told The Associated Press late Monday.

Samuel Kanu Uche was kidnapped Sunday along with two other senior clerics along a highway in the Umunneochi area in southeastern Abia state. Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna said the two clerics were also freed, but he did not provide details of their release.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and abductions for ransom have been a worrying trend.

Though the abductions are more rampant in the troubled northwestern Nigeria, the southeast has also grappled with violent attacks in recent years. Authorities have accused members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a leading separatist group, of being behind many of the attacks.

The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria had condemned the kidnapping and called on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to “stop the incessant abduction of clerics and other innocent Nigerians.”

“If a great servant of God of Uche’s caliber could be kidnapped like a three-year-old baby on a major road without any resistance from the police, it speaks volumes of what our security architecture has become,” the association said.

Chicago Church Preaches ‘The Gospel According to Dolly Parton’

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

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May 31, 2022

gospel according to dolly parton — The congregation gathers outdoors on May 29, 2022, at Church of the Three Crosses in Chicago. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

CHICAGO (RNS) — She’s been hailed as a “secular country-pop saint” and the “Jesus of Appalachia.”

Her ability to bridge divides has been the subject of many a recent think piece, a popular podcast series, even proposals to replace statues of Confederate figures with her image.

And over the past few weeks, Dolly Parton has been the subject of a five-part sermon series at Church of the Three Crosses in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.

The Rev. Britt Cox wrapped up her sermon series “The Gospel According to Dolly” on Sunday (May 29) at the church, which describes itself as an “ever-widening inclusive Christian community” belonging to both the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ.

“We’ve been using Dolly as a way to talk about story and our larger story of faith and that all of our stories matter and that God’s story is continuing on in us,” Cox told the congregation, accompanied by a flourish from the church’s pianist.

Church of the Three Crosses in Chicago shares about its series "The Gospel According to Dolly" on its Facebook page. Screen grab

Church of the Three Crosses in Chicago shares about its series “The Gospel According to Dolly” on its Facebook page. Screen grab

Church of the Three Crosses has been focusing on sharing personal stories since returning to in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cox told Religion News Service. New members began attending while the church was meeting online. Longtime members hadn’t seen each other face to face or caught up in months.

Parton’s ability to connect with many different people — young and old, religious and non-religious, from red states and blue — through story felt instructive as the congregation got to know each other again.

Plus, Cox said, “She’s really a person who walks her talk.”

Growing up in Texas — where, the pastor said, country music is woven into the church — she admired Parton’s music and subversive sense of humor. Later, she realized the singer-songwriter, who is a Christian, also shares beautiful messages in her songs — some, overtly religious, like her 2019 song “God Only Knows” with Christian musical duo For King & Country.

Parton also invests the money she’s made into causes she cares about, like child literacy. Most recently, she’s earned praise for her $1 million donation to COVID-19 research, which was partly used to fund Moderna’s vaccine.

Parton has said she thinks it’s great if she can set a good example.

“But,” she told People Magazine in December, “I don’t want to be worshiped, because there’s a scripture in my Bible that talks about idol worship. And I see that happening all the time with movie stars and these celebrities. People literally worship them more than they worship God. And I just — I cringe at it sometimes.”

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1. Luck

2. Fate

Undermining and Obscuring Who God Is

4 Reasons Why Pastors Should Publish

1. YOU GET TO DELIVER GOD’S TRUTH

2. IT’S ANOTHER WAY TO PASTOR YOUR CHURCH

3. YOUR MESSAGE ISN’T MINIMIZED OR DILUTED

4. IT INCREASES THE AUDIENCE YOUR MESSAGE CAN REACH

ENCOURAGE PASTORS

5 Ways to Encourage Pastors

1. Call a fellow leader on the phone and mentor them.

2. Connect a fellow leader into a valuable relationship.

3. Send a book.

4. Ask a leader for help.

5. Produce something for others.

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