Category: Christian Chronicle

Associated Press, Christian Chronicle, Religion Unplugged

Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists honors Bobby Ross Jr. with eight awards

By Bobby Ross Jr. OKLAHOMA CITY — I’ve been blessed to receive a number of awards from the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists over the last 30 years. In 2021, I was surprised to win the first-place prize for best reporter. This week, I earned eight awards in the 2023 contest, for content published last year: • First place for outstanding profile: “Amid crises, rural roots anchor Southern Baptists’ president” … Continue reading Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists honors Bobby Ross Jr. with eight awards

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

A blessed visit to a Ghanaian immigrant church

For Christians, love transcends any language barrier. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NEW YORK — I didn’t understand the words as the North Bronx Church of Christ sang in Twi, the native dialect of the Ghanaian immigrant congregation. But the tune was the same as “At the Cross,” making the lyrics easy to translate in my mind. “At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the … Continue reading A blessed visit to a Ghanaian immigrant church

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

A diverse church full of conversion stories

Far from the Bible Belt, a New York congregation led by first-generation Christians works to reach the lost. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle LINDENHURST, N.Y. — Prayer kneelers and organ pipes aren’t typical in a Church of Christ. Then again, the Long Island Church of Christ — a diverse body with members representing roughly two dozen nationalities — isn’t an ordinary congregation. Far from the Bible … Continue reading A diverse church full of conversion stories

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

The journey: Reporting the news of our fellowship

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle About 2,800 miles separate Manhattan, N.Y., from Malibu, Calif. By car that trip would take roughly 41 hours, according to Google Maps. The good news for Christian Chronicle readers: We did the traveling for you. To be totally transparent, we didn’t drive. We relied on commercial flights to carry us to the scene of important news featured in this month’s Chronicle.  But the … Continue reading The journey: Reporting the news of our fellowship

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Upper West Side Story

Diverse congregation in Manhattan counts members from five continents — but no Jets or Sharks. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NEW YORK — A rap song by Eminem played in the lobby of a hostel where guests from around the world stay while visiting this city of 8.5 million. In a nearby hallway, the hip-hop beat gave way to the four-part harmony of Christians singing … Continue reading Upper West Side Story

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

They were the foreigners

Brazil experience shapes former missionaries’ outreach to refugees and immigrants. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle OKLAHOMA CITY — In the late 1980s, as four buddies neared graduation from Oklahoma Christian University, they talked about moving around the globe.  Their hearts told them what they needed to do: Tell the story of Jesus Christ. God, they said, showed them where: a South American city where nearly half the … Continue reading They were the foreigners

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Sharing love — and Christ — with refugees

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago, an Oklahoma church has worked to serve its new neighbors. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle OKLAHOMA CITY — The chaos at the end of a long war. The frenzy to leave a troubled homeland. The challenge of a new and different culture. Hong Kluver identifies closely with the Afghan refugees she has worked so hard to … Continue reading Sharing love — and Christ — with refugees

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

How a grassroots ministry to Afghan refugees ‘snowballed’ into something big

A Texas church’s outreach started with one Christian couple compelled to ‘do something.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle AN ANTONIO — Dan and Mary Huber were stuffed. They couldn’t eat any more.  Or so they told their friends — an Afghan refugee family who fled their war-torn native land two years ago. “There’s no room,” Mary explained, patting her stomach. The children, who understand English better than … Continue reading How a grassroots ministry to Afghan refugees ‘snowballed’ into something big

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

A lifeline for people who hurt — all the time

Chronic pain is more prevalent than many Christians realize. This ministry helps. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle WOODWARD, Okla. — Their elbows, knees and ankles throb. Fatigue wrecks their ability to move at times. Like around one-fifth of U.S. adults, these Christians — young and old, male and female — live with chronic pain. Often, they suffer alone, feeling as if no one understands. But at a … Continue reading A lifeline for people who hurt — all the time

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.