Dallas-area church grapples with mass shooting in its ‘back yard.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. ALLEN, Texas — In America, mass shootings keep happening. The bloodshed has ravaged churches, schools, homes, offices and — just this weekend — a crowded outlet mall about 30 miles north of Dallas. Roughly 18 hours after eight people, including at least three children, were killed at Allen Premium Outlets in … Continue reading ‘God, we come with broken hearts’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Protecting all faiths: “Prayer and contemplation will accompany pomp and celebration on Saturday when King Charles III is anointed with vegan holy oil consecrated in Jerusalem and the Archbishop of Canterbury places the St. Edward’s Crown on his head for the first time,” the Washington Times Mark A. Kellner notes. Saturday’s coronation “will not be the ‘woke’ mash-up some … Continue reading 👑 Faith and the coronation of King Charles III: What to know about a changing Britain🔌
By Bobby Ross Jr. The Great Plains Journalism Awards, an eight-state regional honor presented by the Tulsa Press Club, were announced today. I was excited to win in the News Reporting (Outside the Region) category for my Associated Press story on churches rebuilding after a massive tornado struck Mayfield, Kentucky. The judges said of my story: “Deeply reported, very well-written, full of great voices and … Continue reading Father-and-son winners: Great Plains Journalism Awards presented
By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Is this heaven?: No, it’s Iowa. But not the one with Kevin Costner. “The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Spring Kick-off event on Saturday represented the first cattle call of the year, a forum for GOP candidates to court an indispensable voting bloc,” Christianity Today’s Kelsey Kramer McGinnis explains. The key takeaway of McGinnis’ interviews with voters: “The world … Continue reading 🐘 Faith and freedom: For GOP presidential candidates, it’s cattle call time again 🔌
Colorado congregation strives to meet its community’s physical — and spiritual — needs. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle LONGMONT, Colo. — Something big is happening at the Longmont Church of Christ. I didn’t realize just how big until I arrived at the church, 40 miles north of Denver, and found a full parking lot … on a Tuesday. “We have an interesting community outreach program,” deacon … Continue reading ‘God’s clinic’ cares for thousands
The Associated Church Press “Best of the Church Press Awards,” for content produced in 2022, were announced last week in Chicago. I was blessed to receive seven awards for stories I wrote for The Christian Chronicle and Religion Unplugged: • First Place, International Reporting (Short Format), for “In Alaska, a Russian-speaking church becomes a hub for helping Ukrainians” from Anchorage, Alaska. • First Place, Biographical Profile, for “She’s … Continue reading Bobby Ross Jr. earns two first-place awards, five other Associated Church Press honors
By Bobby Ross Jr. CHICAGO — I finally made it to Wrigleyville. For a long time, I’ve dreamed of seeing a game at Wrigley Field — the iconic ballpark with ivy-covered outfield walls that opened in 1914. I had experienced America’s favorite pastime at 19 of the 30 MLB stadiums, plus five former big-league fields (I’ll list all of them below). My family and I even … Continue reading Thrill of Wrigleyville: Checking off the No. 1 ballpark on my bucket list
Making sense of senseless deaths, yet again. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Three children, three adults slain: Once again, a mass shooting at a school shocked all of us and surprised none of us. At a Wednesday night vigil in Nashville, “Each speaker echoed the names of those who did not return home earlier this week.” The children who died were Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, all 9 years old. The … Continue reading ⛪️ Tears and faith after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville 🔌
Adherents of Islam abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Islam’s holy month: The new crescent moon Thursday marked the start of Ramadan, as the Washington Post’s Morgan Coates and Adela Suliman report: Almost 2 billion Muslims around the world will observe a month of abstaining from food, drink, smoking, gossip and sexual relations during daylight hours — from dawn to … Continue reading ☪️ For 2 billion Muslims, fasting month of Ramadan has started 🔌
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 