Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Sep 6, 2023

  NJ challenges Ocean Grove Christian group’s limit on private beach access on Sundays

  Ocean Grove, a New Jersey community in Neptune Township founded by Methodist ministers in 1869 as a “Christian seaside resort” has been warned by state officials that their longstanding tradition of limiting access to their privately owned beach before noon on Sundays during the summer months to accommodate church services and maintain the character of their community is a violation of state law.

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  Sep 5, 2023

  Church of Haitian pastor who led members into deadly clash with gang is shut down: gov't official

  Haitian authorities have reportedly temporarily suspended the operating license of the Church of the Pool of Bethesda in Caradeux after the congregation’s pastor, Marcorel Zidor, recently led hundreds of his members into a deadly confrontation with a violent gang then blamed the deaths of  at least seven of them on their lack of faith.

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  Sep 4, 2023

  Pastor Mike Baker announces new church 6 months after resigning over son’s adultery scandal

  Six months after resigning as senior pastor of Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington, Illinois, after his son, Caleb Baker, was fired from his job as a pastor at Central Christian Church following an extramarital affair with another church staffer, Pastor Mike Baker has launched a new church set to begin gathering this month.

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  Sep 4, 2023

  ‘Thank you, Jesus': Deion Sanders praises God after Colorado Buffaloes beat TCU

  New University of Colorado head coach, Super Bowl winner and NFL Hall of Famer, Deion 'Coach Prime' Sanders, thanked Jesus and his supporters who believed in him Saturday after his underdog team, the Colorado Buffaloes, beat the No. 17 ranked TCU Horned Frogs 45-42 to secure an upset win in their debut game of the season.

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  Sep 4, 2023

  Pastors, churches still struggling in throes of ‘uncertainty and unsettledness’ post-pandemic: study

  In a time of “uncertainty and unsettledness” following the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, churches are still struggling to attract young people to the pews, address concerns about aging clergy and congregants, and commit to doing what it takes to ensure their future survival, a new study conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University shows.

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  Sep 2, 2023

  84-year-old white man pleads not guilty to shooting black teenager who rang his bell by mistake

  Andrew D. Lester, an 84-year-old homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl, a black teenager twice after he mistakenly rang his doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, in April is now headed to a trial after he pleaded not guilty to charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, saying that he, too, made a mistake.

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  Aug 31, 2023

  Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in NYC without permit

  The Islamic call to public prayer can now be publicly broadcast by mosques in New York City without a permit every Friday and throughout Ramadan under a new initiative launched by Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban.

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  Aug 31, 2023

  Medical missionary who once criticized the UN's work in Haiti wants them back after government collapse

  As the security situation in Haiti has deteriorated to the point where it is now dangerous for American missionaries, Dr. David Vanderpool, a trauma surgeon who co-founded the medical ministry LiveBeyond, which does significant work in the Caribbean nation, says he believes the United Nations needs to return to help stabilize the country despite its checkered history there.

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  Aug 31, 2023

  As pastors age, majority struggle to find mature young Christian successors: study

  As American pastors continue to skew older, with an average age of 52, a majority now say it is becoming increasingly difficult to find mature young Christians willing to do their jobs as they prepare to retire, data from a new Barna study shows.

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  Aug 30, 2023

  Churches, Christians respond as Hurricane Idalia batters Florida

  Churches across Florida canceled services, offered help, and hunkered down as Hurricane Idalia made landfall as an “extremely dangerous Category 3” storm Wednesday, and at least two people have already died in weather-related crashes across the state.