Tag: rural ministry

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Religion Unplugged

🚜 Off the beaten path: It’s where to find some of the best faith stories 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged MIDVALE, Idaho — I’ve reported from most of the nation’s largest cities. New York. Chicago. Los Angeles. Houston. Washington. I love covering the news in such important … Continue reading 🚜 Off the beaten path: It’s where to find some of the best faith stories 🔌

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
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Christian Chronicle

144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives

Pacific Northwest congregation celebrates its history while embracing renewed life. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MIDVALE, Idaho — Sunflowers and knee-high yellow grass line U.S. Highway 95, the two-lane blacktop through this blink-and-miss-it farm town. Little green signs at each edge of Midvale —  known as Middle Valley until the post office adopted the shortened name in 1903 — give the population as 222. Amid … Continue reading 144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives

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Christian Chronicle

A little farm, a giant legacy

An ordinary Christian couple made an extraordinary difference. A new memorial pays tribute. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle BELLVUE, Colo. — A blind farmer. A motorcycle-riding nurse. The story of the late Bob and Helen Bland is as ordinary as it is extraordinary, right down to their last name. Yet on a blue-sky Sunday afternoon, a crowd of friends, family and fellow Christians gathered … Continue reading A little farm, a giant legacy

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Building up the kingdom — one small, rural church at a time

Some congregations are between ministers. Others can’t afford one. This program aims to help. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Matthew Morine’s friends in ministry keep quitting. The job, tough in normal times, became insurmountable during the pandemic. “It’s not because they dislike ministry or they’re not wanting to serve the church,” said Morine, pulpit minister for the Castle Rock Church of Christ in … Continue reading Building up the kingdom — one small, rural church at a time

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Sparse numbers, strong faith in North Dakota

Small, isolated congregations face challenges in the state with the nation’s fewest Churches of Christ. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle BISMARCK, N.D. — Talk about a Sunday commute. For 15 years, Rod and Rosalyn Genrich drove 100 miles each way to worship with the Minot Church of Christ. The Genriches, who farmed 1,900 acres of wheat in the small North Dakota community … Continue reading Sparse numbers, strong faith in North Dakota

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Inside the ‘Duck Dynasty’ church

For home congregation, Robertson family’s celebrity a blessing and a challenge. First Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press Honorable mention (part of three-story portfolio), Magazine News Religion Reporting, Religion News Association By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle WEST MONROE, La. — Gasps of excitement wash over a crowded classroom at the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ as Phil Robertson arrives for Sunday … Continue reading Inside the ‘Duck Dynasty’ church

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Rich, in name and spirit, in rural Ohio

Rich, in name and spirit, in rural Ohio: Despite sacrifices, minister reaps a harvest of blessings with a 200-year-old congregation (reporting from Beallsville, Ohio). Page 1 lead. Third part of “Rural Redemption” series. BEALLSVILLE, Ohio — Just after 9 a.m. on a recent Sunday, the well-worn tires on Jeff Rich’s 2003 minivan crunch over a gravel road full of twists, hills and narrow lanes. Already … Continue reading Rich, in name and spirit, in rural Ohio

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Christian Chronicle

Rural Redemption: Iowa church refuses to die

Iowa church refuses to die: 156-year-old congregation epitomizes the challenges faced by many small, rural Churches of Christ (reporting from Montezuma, Iowa). Page 1 lead. First part of “Rural Redemption” series. Third Place (with Erik Tryggestad and David Chenault), Theme Issue, Section or Series, Associated Church Press By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MONTEZUMA, Iowa — Snow coats the ground as Pauline Ell … Continue reading Rural Redemption: Iowa church refuses to die

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Christian Chronicle

Pass the syrup, but religion gets sticky in Vermont

Pass the syrup, but religion gets sticky: Faithful persevere in secular Vermont (reporting from Springfield, Vt.). Page 1 lead. SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Folks in the Green Mountain State like their economy syrupy sweet. The rural, thickly forested New England state produces 39 percent of the United States’ maple syrup. The state’s 626,000 residents are less sweet on religion: Vermont ranks as the nation’s most secular … Continue reading Pass the syrup, but religion gets sticky in Vermont

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