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⚾️ Chicago White Sox give away 40,000 pope hats: 5 things to know 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged “Best day at work ever.” That’s how my friend Bob Smietana responded when I asked if he enjoyed covering “Pope Night” at the Chicago White Sox game … Continue reading ⚾️ Chicago White Sox give away 40,000 pope hats: 5 things to know 🔌

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225 years ago, a revival gave birth to a movement

At Cane Ridge, Barton W. Stone and other ministers put aside confessions and creeds. Instead, they simply preached Christ. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle BOURBON COUNTY, Ky. — By the thousands, the believers came — Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians among them. In covered wagons and carriages, pioneer settlers traveled to the backwoods of Kentucky for a weeklong camp meeting orchestrated by a 28-year-old Presbyterian clergyman … Continue reading 225 years ago, a revival gave birth to a movement

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In rural Idaho, BFFs transform a greenhouse into a thriving Christian school

K-12 educational institution ‘committed to showing Christ to children and planting seeds of hope.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NAPLES, Idaho — An eye-catching sign featuring a Christian school’s Rams mascot greets logging trucks along heavily traveled U.S. 95, about 40 miles south of the Canadian border. Just off the highway, tamarack and ponderosa pine trees dot the landscape as K-12 students gather outside … Continue reading In rural Idaho, BFFs transform a greenhouse into a thriving Christian school

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Bobby Ross Jr. honored as 2026 Diamond Journalist of the Year finalist

The regional award celebrates outstanding journalism in Arkansas and six neighboring states. By Bobby Ross Jr. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — I was honored Saturday night as a finalist for the 2026 Diamond Journalist of the Year award from the Arkansas professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. I previously won this award in 2025 and was a finalist in 2024. The regional Diamond Journalism Awards … Continue reading Bobby Ross Jr. honored as 2026 Diamond Journalist of the Year finalist

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Why two churches came back together after six decades apart

Oklahoma merger reflects a desire to serve as ‘a single, unified body of Christ.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle DURANT, Okla. — Just off U.S. 69/75 beside a Choctaw Travel Plaza billboard, nearly 500 Christians gather in a multipurpose room filled with four-legged cushioned chairs. “You are the melody. You are the harmony. Praise to your name I will bring,” the Durant Church of Christ sings … Continue reading Why two churches came back together after six decades apart

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⛰️ 75-year-old program blends ‘mountains and ministry, rivers and reverence’ 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Kelsey Lundgaard’s love for America’s national parks — and for God — developed at an early age. Every summer, she and her family traveled to places such as Grand … Continue reading ⛰️ 75-year-old program blends ‘mountains and ministry, rivers and reverence’ 🔌

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🏥 My friend’s cancer battle: ‘This is going to be one really cool obituary’ 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s a call you never want to receive. “I’ve got cancer,” your loved one says. Not only that, but it’s pancreatic cancer — often a … Continue reading 🏥 My friend’s cancer battle: ‘This is going to be one really cool obituary’ 🔌

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Refugees stuck in limbo

At a Texas church, tears and talk of bombs underscore the precarious circumstances for thousands of Ukrainians losing their legal status. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle HOUSTON — Liza Sharii-Yukabovska fled her native Ukraine four years ago after Russia attacked its Eastern European neighbor. In the U.S., the mother — who escaped with her daughter, Sophie, now 17 — connected with Houston’s Memorial Church of Christ and … Continue reading Refugees stuck in limbo

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🇺🇸 America at 250: 1976 Bicentennial mixed faith and fireworks 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged PHILADELPHIA — My 7-year-old grandson, Bennett, donned a red, white and blue top hat like Uncle Sam. He grinned as he posed for a picture with his father, … Continue reading 🇺🇸 America at 250: 1976 Bicentennial mixed faith and fireworks 🔌