INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Thousands of devout investors who lost savings after a southern Indiana brokerage persuaded them they were helping to build churches will get the last of their share of the money that's being repaid by the end of the year, the official overseeing the payback said Monday.

Receiver Michael Rusnak said he hopes to finish distributing funds to investors who lost money in the Alanar scam by the end of the year. But most may get back as little as 50 percent.

About $60 million had been repaid to investors through the end of January, and a few more million dollars may be distributed. But Rusnik said the exact amount is up to the federal court in Indianapolis that appointed him.

"We're hoping to make a final distribution this year," Rusnik said. "Ultimately, what they get is what we collect."

The complex case has dragged on since 2005, when the government froze the assets of the brokerage based in Sullivan, a city of around 4,000 people about 80 miles southwest of Indianapolis, and began the lengthy process of finding investors and paying them back.

Seventy-year-old former pastor and Alanar founder Vaughn Reeves Sr. was eventually convicted of securities fraud and sentenced to 54 years in prison. Authorities said Reeves and his three sons duped investors into sinking money into bonds secured by church construction projects, then spent millions of dollars on themselves. Two of the sons have completed their time in prison; the third drew no prison sentence but was ordered to pay back nearly $500,000.

The group used prayers and Bible passages to convince about 11,000 investors to buy bonds worth $120 million secured by mortgages on construction projects at about 150 churches in 35 states, according to court documents. Instead, Reeves and his sons diverted money from new investments to pay off previous investors, pocketing $6 million and buying two airplanes, sports cars and vacations, investigators said.

The financial fallout left churches and nonprofits that had sold the Alanar bonds holding the bag from which the investors were repaid. Some of the more well-off churches were able to pay back all the money they owed, Rusnik said. The government worked out financial arrangements with others. A few churches were foreclosed on, though Rusnik said that was a last resort.

About $19 million has been distributed to investors in the larger projects, and about $42 million to people who sank their money into projects at what tended to be smaller churches. There were far many more small investors than big ones.

"They just didn't have the financial sophistication, they just didn't have the resources, they just didn't have the finances to pay their shareholders back," Rusnik said of the smaller churches.

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Church scam investors may be repaid by end of 2014

NEW CHURCH CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH INDIA !
Greetings friends in the name of Jesus Christ ! now I am constructing new church building by faith among Hindu people.we finished foundation level by His gra...

By: Vennapu Paul

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NEW CHURCH CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH INDIA ! - Video

CONCEPT: A photo from the simulation video of the planned Basin Bridge flyover.

A top NZ Transport Agency boss has defended the aims of a proposed flyover near the Basin Reserve.

At a board of inquiry, NZTA Wellington state highways manager Rod James said the project's objectives included boosting the reliability and efficiency of State Highway 1, improved safety and better access to Wellington Airport, Wellington Hospital and the city centre.

The project would also ease congestion, while supporting regional economic growth, he said.

"We see this [area] as a major constraint on the Wellington region and it's overdue for improvement," James said.

A four-member board is considering the agency's resource consent application to build a two-lane flyover, 20 metres north of the Basin Reserve.

The eight-week hearing has entered its fourth day.

Lawyer Philip Milne, representing the Architecture Centre and Newtown Residents Association, questioned how beneficial the project would be if a proposal to duplicate the Mt Victoria tunnel did not go ahead.

He asked why the two proposals were not merged into one project.

"Some people are going to have to through this all again," Milne said.

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Church seeks Basin flyover silence during services

TENOM: Rural Development Minister Datuk Radin Malleh said the continuing construction of houses of worship in Sabah is evidence that Christians are free to practise their religious beliefs as enshrined in the Constitution of Malaysia.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will continue to fight so that the people of all races in this country, especially in Sabah, are free to practise their religious beliefs, he said, when opening the new RM40,000 St Joseph Catholic Church at Kampung Batu-Batu near here on Saturday.

He said the construction of the new church in the village is proof of the support and concern for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government to bring spiritual development to Christians in the state.

Radin, who is also vice president of PBS, added the government appreciated the contributions and role of the Christian community in Malaysias nation building. All the feedback from the Christian community had also received the governments attention to ensure the continuity of development and to maintain multi-ethnic harmony in the state.

The new church was blessed and consecrated with a holy mass led by the Rev. Fr. David Mamat, Rector of the Parish of St Anthonys, Tenom.

The Melalap assemblyman said the rapid development of the state needs to be balanced with spiritual development to create a community that is upright and with good character and strong personality.

The demand to pursue materialistic wealth in the world will cause us to forget our faith and spirituality and this can undermine morale and well-being of our society. We should emulate the noble teachings of Jesus Christ that human life is moderate and always treat others with love. The church is a place of worship to strengthen our faith and spirituality to sustain us in this world and the hereafter, he said.

Radin added the many Christian youth turnout for the holy mass in conjunction with the opening of the church was very good compared to the presence of youth in many churches in western countries that he had visited.

As the number of youths who attend churches in western countries is smaller there, the church function was turned into a museum and a tourist centre, he added.

Rev. Fr. David Mamat, in his speech, said that the church appreciates the help of the government on Catholic spiritual development in this area and the construction of the new church as it will facilitate the Catholic workers in the village.

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New churches proof Christians free to practise religion Radin

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February 8th, 2014 9:05 pm by Associated Press

LA VERGNE, Tenn. Members of a La Vergne congregation are being locked out of their own church because of a dispute with the citys codes department.

The Word of Life Family Worship Center was ready to open its doors to its parishioners last February when construction was completed on the congregations new church. The Daily News Journal reports that members of the churchs primarily black congregation have been waiting for a year to worship inside because of the ongoing row with the city.

The reason the city wont give the church the green light is because of the placement of a utility box on the churchs property.

In the meantime, some of Word of Lifes flock have left for other places to worship as the church remains closed.

Every Sunday its getting harder and harder to encourage our folks, Johnson said.

Johnson says that after a year hes beginning to doubt whether his church will ever be approved.

Randolph Salyers, director of Codes for the city of La Vergne, declined to comment.

The church has tried to avoid a legal battle with the city.

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Codes dispute leaves members out of Tennessee church

Community Board 10 approved Artimus Constructions proposal Wednesday to rezone St. Nicholas Avenue between 117th and 118th streets on Wednesday night, in return for the developers promise to transform a historic church on the block into a community art space.

The boards original plan to build a residential development on St. Nicholas Avenue ran afoul due to zoning restrictions that would limit its permitted height, making the 12-story building Artimus Construction envisioned an impossibility.

But at the meeting on Wednesday, Artimus representatives came before CB10 with a compromise: If the zoning regulations were changed, Artimus could use the income from the additional residential units to fund the preservation of St. Thomas the Apostle Churchlocated at West 118th Street and St. Nicholas Avenueand the redevelopment of St. Thomas the Apostle School that shares the block. Both the church and the school are currently closed.

The new development will have 80 percent market-rate housing and 20 percent affordable housing, as well as a studio for Millennium Dance Company on the ground floor.

Calling St. Thomass current condition desanctified, Melanie Meyers, an attorney for Artimus, said that using the renovated church as an affordable rental space for art groups would be a great asset for the community.

Artimus has been actively involved in the West Harlem community for a while and is involved with several new developments in the area, including the site of a former BP gas station at 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, which Artimus plans to redevelop into a housing and retail complex.

We see this as a very important structure of the community, Ken Haron, president of Artimus, said of St. Thomas. We were afraid that some other people would just demolish it.

But, according to Haron, the church renovation is contingent on the block being rezoned.

We have to have the income from other things, Haron said, referring to the extra apartment units the proposed change would allow.

On Jan. 30, Artimus held an open house at the church to present the project and hear from community members. Among those present were theater professionals and nonprofit organizations, all of whom were invited to take the microphone and share their ideas in front of coordinators, architects, and others involved in the renovation of the church.

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Historic church redevelopment proceeds after CB10 approves rezoning

February 7, 2014 Religion Briefs

Anonymous http://www.theadanews.com The Ada Evening News Fri Feb 07, 2014, 08:02 AM CST

Ada Couples retreat planned

Pastor & Mrs. Hollars will be hosting Ada Baptist Temples annual couples retreat Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7 and 8. The event will be at the Lone Oak Ranch in Gainesville, Texas. The purpose of the retreat is to strengthen the marriages of ABT. The couples will be served wonderful meals and Hollars has prepared activities and several hours of teaching. Ada Baptist Temple is located at 301 Napier St. For more information or transportation, call the church office at 580-436-4546.

Bible Study at Ada Public Library

The United Church of God will be hosting a public Bible study called The Real Jesus Christ, Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Ada Public Library. For more information, call 918-724-4166 or 405-833-5084.

Church offers lessons

The New Life Apostolic Faith Church offes lessons on the coming of Jesus Christ, blood moon and Jewish feasts. Call 436-1765 for more information. Pastor is M.D. Bates.

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Religion Briefs

Since it was first erected in the nineteenth century, Sacred Heart church in Placentia has not undergone any major construction until now, that is.

Photo by Lee Everts

Sacred Heart church in Placentia has long been a distinguishing feature in the vista of what was known as the Great Beach of Placentia.

Time had taken its toll on the iconic church, with its distinctive tower reaching nobly into the sky. The roof was leaking. Much of the wooden exterior had succumbed to wood rot, and the doors were rusted and decaying. It was time to act. Now or never.

And so, on Oct. 5, 2011, members of Our Lady of Angels Roman Catholic Parish met to discuss the challenges that lay ahead. Their church, one that had been envisioned and erected over a century earlier, was in desperate need of attention. To save their church was vital in terms of its enduring function as a place of worship. Equally important was the fact that Sacred Heart church had become a significant part of the built heritage of the Town of Placentia. It meant something to everyone.

Distinguishing feature

For much of its history, Placentia was characterized by the same types of buildings that could be found in most of the communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Single storey rugged-looking houses and the well-known salt box house rimmed the roadways.

Nevertheless, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Placentia landscape changed dramatically. Take a look at the various photographs from the period and this change would be easy to see. It was at this time, beginning around 1886, when the Sacred Heart church was built. From that point, Sacred Heart church became a distinguishing feature in the vista of what was known as the Great Beach of Placentia.

From the time it was initially built, a moderate amount of changes have been made to the church. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a church bell was installed and some additional work was completed. Afterwards, in 1917, stained glass windows were installed. Later, around 1975, the church underwent a significant change to its interior.

Now, almost 40 years later, the sounds of hammers and other tools of the carpentry trade can yet again be heard as Sacred Heart undergoes its latest transformation.

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Turning back the clock on Sacred Heart church in Placentia

The Church of Abbey
The Church of Abbey.The construction of the abbey church began in1197... Abbaye de Viller -la-Ville...

By: Rossi Ros

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The Church of Abbey - Video

Church Construction January 2014
This video was made to update the congregation at Hancock Church in Lexington, MA, on the progress of the building construction project. It was premiered at ...

By: Hancock Church

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Church Construction January 2014 - Video