Texas woman gave her life to Christ, owned up to a slaying — and got a life sentence. Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle GATESVILLE, Texas — Lucinda Wilson might have gotten away with murder. Except that she became a Christian and confessed to her crime. Now 48, Wilson has served 20-plus years … Continue reading A baptism, then a murder confession
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ALLEN, Texas — Aunt Melba has no idea who Harold Tidwell is, but he loves her. He loves her from deep in his soul. He cherishes her as if she were his own mother — a role she fulfilled for him and Gail Tidwell, his wife of nearly 50 years, after their parents died. Harold Tidwell, 78, … Continue reading A favorite aunt has lived a full life; now she battles Alzheimer’s
Texas Rangers’ ‘inspiration’ sings the national anthem on Opening Day. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service ARLINGTON, Texas (RNS) Tony Beasley never lost faith, even when he was diagnosed with cancer. “It’s been an opportunity for me to be who I said I am,” said Beasley, the third base coach for the Texas Rangers. “My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7: ‘For we … Continue reading Faith helped baseball coach Tony Beasley beat cancer
For these Syrians, church members have become ‘a second family.’ First Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — Ten-year-old Mohammed and his sister Miriam, 6, shriek with excitement when they hear knocking at the front door. The pint-sized Syrian refugees are expecting Jori Warren, … Continue reading In Canada, refugees find love and hope
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DAUPHIN, Manitoba (RNS) Ken Yakielashek, a Roman Catholic and semiretired farmer in the Canadian Prairies, says he remembers when Christians of varying denominations “wouldn’t talk to one another.” To Yakielashek, that makes what’s happened in Dauphin — a rural community 200 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg — all the more remarkable. A year … Continue reading In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees
Arkansas church rolls out the red carpet at prom-like event. Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle FORT SMITH, Ark. — Crowns on their heads, the kings and queens flash huge smiles as they emerge from a sleek black limousine. They wear fancy suits and formal dresses and seem to glide up the red … Continue reading For kings and queens with special needs, a Night to Shine
Outreach that started with a small medical clinic has grown to meet needs ranging from education to water systems. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle JINOTEGA, Nicaragua — In a nation where many live on just a few dollars a day, things most U.S. residents take for granted make a world of difference. An aspirin to relieve a headache. A filter to provide clean water. … Continue reading For thousands of Nicaragua’s poor, mission ‘a gift from God’
‘I am still moved and astonished at our special and rare connection.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | AP Religion Writer SOUTHLAKE, Texas (AP) — In George Lucius Salton’s view, it’s nothing short of a miracle. His daughter, Anna Eisen, called him at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with a question that sent his mind racing back 60 years to the hell he survived as a … Continue reading Holocaust Remembrance Day reading: Two survivors find each other, and answers
Civil rights attorney who once challenged Lipscomb University in court receives the Christian university’s highest honor. First Place (part of three-story portfolio), Magazine News Religion Reporting, Religion News Association Second Place, News Story, Associated Church Press By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Forty-five years ago, civil rights attorney and preacher Fred Gray filed a lawsuit that exposed deep divides between … Continue reading MLK Day reading: Black, white and Gray
