Month: May 2021

Back Without a Bang: Returning to Church Won’t Be the Celebration We Once Imagined

Instead of a big party, reopenings bring mixed emotions and a call to everyday faithfulness. When COVID-19 shutdowns began in 2020, many pastors thought it would mean missing out on a couple of Sundays. Even in those early weeks of the pandemic, we longed to be off our couches and back in our familiar sanctuaries for worship. We imagined hugging everyone, worshiping shoulder to shoulder, walking forward for Communion, and lingering for small talk. We know how the rest of this story goes.... Read More

20 Truths: No Longer Strangers

20 Truths from Eugene Cho and Samira Izadi Page’s latest release, ‘No Longer Strangers.’ 1. "The editors of this volume and the contributors believe wholeheartedly that evangelism is a necessary and beautiful part of our discipleship. However, while the book affirms the important commitment of evangelism, we highlight the dangers when North American Christians, in particular, underestimate how their education, race, language mastery, and other factors impact their ability to... Read More

Florida reports 3,682 new COVID cases and 92 deaths

Palm Beach County: Test results for residents were reported , leading to a daily positivity rate of %. That’s from % the previous day. Broward County: Test results for residents were reported , leading to a daily positivity rate of %. That’s from % the previous day. Miami-Dade County: Test results for residents were reported , leading to a daily positivity rate of %. That’s from % the previous day. ... Read More

Died: Loran Mann, Who Reported the News and Preached the Good News

COGIC bishop built a church while breaking ground in Pittsburgh TV and radio. As a TV news reporter and a Church of God in Christ (COGIC) pastor, Loran Mann tried to keep his two jobs separate. And that worked. Mostly. But once in the 1980s, he was first to the scene of a standoff where an armed fugitive on the run after murdering his wife was cornered by police. The man decided he would surrender—but only to the locally famous newsman and man of God. “I got an exclusive,”... Read More

Florida teen charged as adult in homecoming vote-rigging case along with her mother

Laura Carroll is accused of hacking into student accounts at Pensacola Taft High School to cast votes in the homecoming court elections and accessing students’ records without authorization. Her daughter, Emily Rose Grover, who was 17 at the time of alleged crime and is accused of aiding her mother, will be tried as an adult, prosecutors said. ... Read More

Endangered elephants, rescued from the circus, get a new home in Florida

This April 2021 photo provided by White Oak Conservation shows former circus elephants in a group hug at a new wildlife sanctuary in Yulee, Fla., north of Jacksonville. The White Oak Conservation Center announced Monday, May 3 that a dozen female Asian elephants have already arrived at the Yulee refuge. Most of the animals previously traveled with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus until they were retired in 2016. (Stephanie Rutan/White Oak Conservation via AP) (Stephanie... Read More

Study: Trauma-Informed Bible Reading Reduces Depression, Anxiety, Anger

Research in Virginia jail could help churches deal with emotional impact of the pandemic. One day soon the pandemic may be past, and COVID-19, a memory. But the trauma—from the isolation, seeing people die, facing financial stress, and living with loss and the anxiety of the unknown—will continue for a long time to come. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of American adults with recent symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders increased... Read More

Charlie Crist, man of many political comebacks, expected to launch another campaign for Florida governor

On his way into the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach during the 2014 Democratic primary campaign for governor, Charlie Crist saw the Rev. Edrina Brown of Mount Herman AME Church in Fort Lauderdale and asked her to pray with him. Thaddeus Hamilton, who ran for state agriculture commissioner, is to their left. (Anthony Man / Sun Sentinel) ... Read More

Visitation Is Still Our Vocation

We may face new challenges, but the heart of our calling remains the same. So much has changed in this world since COVID-19 reared its ugly head at the beginning of last year. The lasting and unintended consequences of quarantine have resulted in a sharp decrease in church attendance. Some parishioners who’ve stepped away from church involvement may never return. We fear that Sunday morning will forever be negatively affected. That’s not the only matter of grave concern. The... Read More