For one Navajo, a long journey home (reporting from Gallup, N.M.). Currents. GALLUP, N.M. — It’s past 9 p.m. on a Sunday when Norman Chee Atchison, a housefather at Manuelito Navajo Children’s Home, goes to tuck in 3-year-old Monica. When Atchison and his wife, Cathy, step into Monica’s room, they find her and two older girls on the floor playing. “Girls! You’re supposed to be showered … Continue reading For one Navajo, a long journey home
Singing, sweating and saving souls in West Virginia (reporting from Parkersburg, W.Va.). Page 1 lead. PARKERSBURG, W.VA. – The heat was on. That’s what happens when you take 90-degree temperatures, on-fire-for-the-Lord church members and a 1950s-era high school field house with no air-conditioning — and put them all together. Hundreds of hand fans fluttered, volunteers passed out ice-cold bottled water and sweat-drenched Christians wiped their foreheads … Continue reading Singing, sweating and saving souls in West Virginia
The Spiritual Toll — Katrina: Five Years Later: Beyond physical losses, hurricane’s path of debris left some New Orleans-area churches facing unexpected challenges (reporting from Mandeville, La.). Page 1 lead. MANDEVILLE, La. – In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Tammany Oaks Church of Christ organized a mammoth relief effort that encouraged Christians across the nation. Yet the long-term ramifications of the nation’s costliest natural disaster … Continue reading The Spiritual Toll — Katrina: Five Years Later
Faith, hope and love behind bars: Ministries shine Christ’s light inside prison walls (reporting from Harvest, Ala.). Page 1 lead. Second Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press Honorable Mention, Criminal Justice Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle HARVEST, Ala. – Robbery. Murder. Child molestation. The six inmates seated in state prison chaplain Charles Baggett’s office on a recent … Continue reading Faith, hope and love behind bars
Pepperdine aims to renew, refresh a cappella singing (reporting from Malibu, Calif.). Second Front. MALIBU, Calif. – This sun-drenched city on the Pacific coastline is known for sandy beaches, surfboards and stargazing — Hollywood style. It was singing, though, that drew an estimated 500 music composers, choral directors, choir members, biblical scholars and ordinary church members to Pepperdine University for a recent four-day conference. “The Ascending … Continue reading Pepperdine aims to renew, refresh a cappella singing
Christian education in hard times: Facing financial woes, more schools closing (reporting from Newark, Del.). Page 1 lead. NEWARK, Del. – Thirty-six years ago, Newark Church of Christ leaders founded Aletheia Christian School and Child Care as a community outreach. The dream: to educate children and nurture faith in Jesus Christ. “It enabled us to serve the community, and through that service, it brought people to Christ,” … Continue reading Christian education in hard times
1.5 million blessings: At a Georgia church, a donor’s $1.5 million gift is shared by the congregation and spent in the Lord’s name. Page 1 lead. Let God write the story. Pulpit minister Don McLaughlin made that request of the 1,400-member North Atlanta Church of Christ last fall as he revealed astonishing news. A donor who asked to remain anonymous had given $1.5 million to be … Continue reading 1.5 million blessings
Trends in freshman enrollment: Member numbers down at Christian universities. Page 1 lead. A decade ago, a majority of freshmen at Rochester College in Michigan, York College in Nebraska and Abilene Christian University in Texas claimed membership in Churches of Christ. That’s no longer the case. An increasing number of colleges and universities associated with Churches of Christ draw more freshmen from outside the fellowship … Continue reading Trends in freshman enrollment
More precious than gold (reporting from Vancouver, British Columbia). Currents. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle VANCOUVER, British Columbia – For two weeks, the world’s spotlight will shine on this coastal metropolis as athletes from more than 80 nations compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Long after the Games end in late February, however, the Pacific Northwest city will retain its international flavor, as … Continue reading More precious than gold
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 