Bobby Ross Jr. honored with Religion News Association’s top award for news analysis

By Bobby Ross Jr. The Religion News Association presented its 2023 Awards for Excellence in Religion Reporting during a ceremony tonight at Columbia Journalism School in New York City. I was honored to receive first place for Excellence in Religion News Analysis for stories I wrote last year for The Associated Press. This is a category won in previous years by The Washington Post, The … Continue reading Bobby Ross Jr. honored with Religion News Association’s top award for news analysis

Road to the World Series: My Top 10 Texas Rangers games of 2023

By Bobby Ross Jr. ARLINGTON, Texas — Magical. That’s the best way to describe the Texas Rangers’ 2023 season. An exhilarating and sometimes excruciating journey has taken my beloved favorite team since 1982 all the way to the World Series. Update: Keeping the faith: Rangers win the World Series For the first time, my sons Brady and Keaton and I will get to experience the Fall Classic … Continue reading Road to the World Series: My Top 10 Texas Rangers games of 2023

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

Jesus at the ballpark: Why MLB teams host faith nights

By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged SAN DIEGO — At 8:15 p.m. on a recent Saturday, Texas Rangers catcher Mitch Garver swung and missed at an 86-mph slider from San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader. Garver’s strikeout secured a 4-0 victory for the home team in front of 42,677 fans at Petco Park. Three minutes later, an electric guitarist and a keyboardist from The Rock Church … Continue reading Jesus at the ballpark: Why MLB teams host faith nights

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

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

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

What it means to live in pain

A husband reflects on his wife’s battle with autoimmune diseases. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle You can’t see the pain. You can’t understand why the pretty woman in the burgundy SUV parks in the handicapped space. You can’t figure out why the devoted Christian — who taught children’s Sunday school classes and made homemade lasagna for fellowship meals — stopped showing up for worship. Related: A … Continue reading What it means to live in pain

How a Russian immigrant came to serve Ukrainian refugees

A Houston church develops a thriving outreach to families fleeing the war. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle HOUSTON — On a blue-sky afternoon in this diverse Texas metropolis, about 50 Ukrainian refugees enjoy pizza, cupcakes and fellowship at the Memorial Church of Christ. All of the families seem to know Julia, a friendly woman with an engaging smile, a long blond braid that trails over her shoulder and a … Continue reading How a Russian immigrant came to serve Ukrainian refugees