06-06-2012 16:10 Interior of construction on the temporary worship center for the new Norte Church. The 320 seat temporary facility is situated beside a local home currently being rented for classroom and office space.
See the rest here:
Norte Church Construction - Video
Members of Wesley United Methodist Church of Macomb arent going far for this weeks mission trip.
Volunteers are continuing the churchs annual efforts to provide construction and home repair services for area residents suffering from physical or financial difficulties through a program called Streaming Waters Work Week.
Carolyn Grove, an organizer for the program, said, We take one week out of the year to donate time to people who arent capable, either physically or financially, to do repair work on their homes.
She added that the church typically handles 19 to 21 projects each year, and has served 71 McDonough County residents in the past four years. The church has projects planned for 11 different homes this year.
Weve been helping an elderly couple with roof repairs, Grove said. Roof repairs are a difficult project, and they werent able to do it on their own. Were also helping a young man whos physically handicapped weve got a group building a wheelchair ramp at his house. Thats one of the big ones were really pleased to be able to do.
That man, Aaron Chapin, said that hes grateful for the help.
Ive had this medical problem for a while, he said. Its hard for me to get up and down stairs.
Without the ramp, Chapin said he would be confined to his house.
I wouldnt be able to get in and out of the house, he said. Im just really happy they came in here and did this for me. Im really struggling right now, but this has made my life a lot easier, just having a way to get in and out of my house without getting hurt.
The program began four years ago as an alternative to traditional mission trips.
See the original post here:
Lending a hand
JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) Jacksonville is working to clean up it's image by cleaning out church signs along Highway 67/167. Jacksonville churches have posted advertisement signs along Highway 67/167 for decades. But over the years, flooding and weather conditions have taken their toll on those signs, creating a problem for the city.
It is one of the busiest highways in Pulaski County and the perfect place to advertise.
"We've had signs up there for over forty years in that same area. I thought, you know, everything was okay on it but evidently it's not," says Royce Lowe, Pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Jacksonville.
Lowe invested more than six hundred dollars in his church sign along 67/167 but is now being told it must come down.
"I just opened up the mail one day and I had a letter from the Arkansas Highway Department telling me that my sign had to be removed," says Pastor Lowe.
That letter cited a violation of the Highway Beautification Act, saying signs larger than eight square feet required a permit. But because of the location of his sign, he did not qualify for the permit.
"I did send a letter to the highway department asking them about what the rules and regulations were concerning the legality of signs along the interstate and then they turned around and sent a letter to the predominantly churches," says Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher.
He says a city sign committee formed in January is addressing all sign ordinances in Jacksonville in an effort to beautify and maintain the city's image. From yard signs, human signs, and banners, they are updating ordinances to prevent a city nuisance. Worn and tattered signs along the highway, for churches or not, must go.
"It needed to be addressed, it needed to be cleaned up. I've had complaints, in fact, I've had some pastors and churches complain to me before we even created this committee last year about it, wanting to know when I'm going to do something about it," says Mayor Fletcher.
Pastor Lowe says he will comply with the highway department's request, moving his sign to a different location.
Read the original:
Jacksonville says worn church signs must go
wwltv.com
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 5:32 AM
Updated today at 7:10 AM
WWLTV.com Email: webteam@wwltv.com | Twitter: @WWLTV
NEW ORLEANS Firefighters fought a massive two-alarm fire that broke out in an abandoned church in Mid-City on Wednesday morning.
At 3:27 a.m., the first alarm was sounded and a crew made their way to the two-story building near the intersection of Banks Street and S. Salcedo Street. Firefighters arrived at 3:30 a.m. and rang the second alarm at 3:32 a.m. when they saw that the second floor was fully involved in flame.
At one point, thick smoke shrouded the block, as cranes high above the old Jehovah's Witness church shot water streams upon the structure.
There was recently construction being done. The second floor of the church had about 10 one-story apartments recently added. No one was living in there, said New Orleans Fire Department Capt. Edwin Holmes.
An occupied single family home on the right side of the church received damage to the side and the rear, according to the NOFD.
By 4:17 a.m., 43 firefighters were able to get the fire under control, as smoke cleared and nearby residents viewed the scene from a safe distance.
Read more from the original source:
Massive fire rips through abandoned Mid-City church
Featured Posts
Opinion
So grace is a story, and grace is a gift. It is God's character, and it is your ...
June 6, 2012|6:41 am
The Christian minority in Indonesia faced 64 cases of violations of religious freedom last year, up from 47 in 2010, said Theophilus Bela, president of the group. Bela said he was worried about the growing incidence of violence and church closures, as his group recorded just 10 anti-Christian incidents in 2009. There were 40 such incidents in 2008, he said.
At least 22 churches have been forced to close this year, including 18 in the Singkil regency of Aceh Province that were sealed last month, as local authorities either sided with or came under pressure from extremist Islamist groups in this Southeast Asian archipelago that is home to the world's largest Muslim population, according to Bela.
The closures in Aceh followed last month's election of a hard-line Islamic governor. Bela said that after his organization's intervention the closed churches in Aceh began worshipping again on May 13, but unconfirmed reports indicate other churches in the area have since been forced to close.
Violence against Christians has also increased, with most incidents taking place in areas surrounding Jakarta and Singkil, said Bela, who is also secretary general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace, a group that promotes inter-religious dialogue.
Besides a May 17 incident in which 600 Islamists hurled bags of urine and ditchwater at about 100 members of the Philadelphia Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, near Jakarta in West Java Province, local authorities closed down a small Pentecostal church about 15 miles west of Jakarta in Tangerang city, Banten Province, after members of the radical Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) attacked it on April 14, Bela said.
Like us on Facebook
Follow this link:
Uptick in Church Closures, Attacks in Indonesia
ONLEY -- Onley Baptist Church has a new steeple after a months-long effort that involved hours of labor by some 20 church members and also the assistance of several area businesses.
The 1907 church building's original steeple had to be replaced because it was in disrepair and was causing leaking problems, Pastor John Burr said.
The old steeple, weighing well over 5,000 pounds, was taken down several months ago and a new, fiberglass steeple, which weighs about one-fifth that, was put up the evening of May 22, with nearly three dozen onlookers viewing the three-hour process.
The church's new steeple is actually a used model and was refurbished by Nathan Thomas of Fiber Tech in Exmore. It is about 30 feet tall, Burr said.
Burr thanked Accomack-Northampton Electric Cooperative for its help during the processes of taking down the old steeple and installing the new one, which involved turning off electricity running through nearby wires. He also thanked those whose electric service was affected for their understanding.
The work to raise the new steeple was done after 5 p.m. to avoid interrupting power to nearby business T&W Block, Inc.
"They've really been gracious and generous to help," Burr said of ANEC personnel.
Daniel Pruitt of DDP Construction Inc. and George Colonna of Colonna Industries headed up the unusual construction project. Both are members of Onley Baptist Church.
"It's all been done debt-free, praise God," Burr said.
See more here:
Church gets new steeple
Cathedral Square Brewery wants to convert a 105-year-old church in St. Louis' Central West End into a brewery, bar, restaurant and event space.
Brewery owners Dr. Gurpreet Padda and Ami Grimes have applied for liquor licenses and, pending their approval, intend to buy the former Holy Corners Second Baptist Church at 500 North Kingshighway Boulevard.
The 40,000-square-foot building is listed for sale at $1.65 million; Cathedral Square's buildout would cost about $3.5 million to $4 million, according to a letter Padda submitted to 28th Ward Alderwoman Lyda Krewson.
Since opening three years ago, Cathedral Square's official home has been 3914 Lindell Boulevard, the old site of the Playboy Club and, more recently, City Grille & Brewhaus. But long-discussed plans to open a brewpub there have yet to materialize, and most Cathedral Square beer is contract-brewed across the state, in Weston.
"We have received significant accolades for the quality of our product and anticipate significant additional growth," Padda wrote in his letter. "We ... are looking for a permanent location for our brew haus and restaurant complex."
Cathedral Square tripled its production in 2011, according to the Brewers Association, brewing about 750 barrels of beer, up from 250 barrels the previous year.
The former sanctuary of the 1907 church would be the brewpub's main seating area, with outdoor dining available in a center courtyard. Cathedral Square's proposed hours would be 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
Padda, who, along with Grimes, also owns Sanctuaria, Diablitos, Cafe Ventana and other local ventures, noted in his letter that Cathedral Square would keep noise, light and other disturbances to a minimum.
"We are not a dancehall. We are not a nightclub. We do not have stadium speakers. We are not predominantly a bar; less than 50 percent of our total sales are bar sales."
Padda last year had considered moving Sanctuaria to a historic church across the street from the old Second Baptist.
View original post here:
Brewery seeks to open in old Central West End church
Buy This Photo
York Hospital's new Meeting Place will be in the former York United Methodist Church in York Village.Courtesy image
YORK, Maine York Hospital is moving forward with plans to convert the former United Methodist Church in the center of York Village to a new center called the Meeting Place.
The new health education center for staff, physicians and the community may open by late this year, according to Steve Pelletier, chief operating officer for York Hospital.
"Since we have Planning Board approval and Historic District Commission support, we're in the process of designing the interior and exterior renovations and put it out to bid," Pelletier said Monday. "We hope get bids back by late summer and begin construction in the fall."
Fiorentino Group Architects designed the renovations to the historic 1834 church, which was most recently used as a retail center.
The building will retain its exterior look, according to Pelletier. He added that the building will retain some of its interior church features, such as old cornices.
The basement will be used for storage while the first floor will hold meeting rooms. There will be a larger meeting room on the second floor. The Meeting Place will be used for staff training and for health education for the community, according to Pelletier.
"We were trying to create the right use for the building, and converting the church into a meeting place is really appropriate," he said.
The main entrance will be at the back of the building, where there is parking, he said.
Muni replaces rails for the N-Judah and J-Church lines. (CBS)
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) A 10-day shutdown that affected two key San Francisco Municipal Railway light-rail lines ended Monday morning.
The shutdown allowed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to complete track and street improvements in the areas of Church and Duboce streets and Carl Street.
The project began the evening of May 25, and stopped train service on the N-Judah line, the citys busiest light-rail route. J-Church trains were limited to above-ground service only and switched back at Church and Market streets. In addition, the 22-Fillmore bus was rerouted.
Muni officials provided shuttle buses and longer trains to accommodate affected riders.
SFMTA Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin said the project would provide new track for more reliable Muni service and improved access for all modes of transportation so that cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders can coexist safety.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
The rest is here:
N-Judah And J-Church Muni Lines Fully Reopened After Construction
Courtesy of the Board of Standards and Appeals
An architectural plan of the chapel that the Mormon church is proposing to build on 133rd Ave. in Flushing, Queens.
A controversial plan to build a large Mormon church in Flushing will get a second hearing before a key city panel on Tuesday.
But a look at the churchs construction plans from around the nation shows that Queens isnt the only place it is seeking permission to build up to the heavens.
Representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say it needs spacious buildings to accommodate its unique way worshipping, which include separate rooms for bible study groups divided by age and sex. Building them often requires permission from local zoning boards.
The Queens plan needs two variances from the city Board of Standards and Appeals.
Everywhere they go, they refuse to abide by the rules that are set, said Paul Graziano, an outspoken Flushing resident and an urban planner.
Church officials say theres nothing untoward about asking for a variance in Flushing or elsewhere. The church endeavors to obey the law, said church spokesman Ahmad Corbitt. Asking for variances is part of the law.
Last year, the zoning board in Brookline, Mass., approved a variance to build a 33-foot high building with a 72-foot steeple, though some community members and lawmakers said that church was too big for the one-acre lot. A band of residents there even hired an attorney to fight the variance.
In one of the more well-known cases, in the late 1990s in Harrison, N.Y., the church sought to build an 89,000-square-foot building with a 159-foot spire. That plan, which faced years of resident opposition, was later abandoned when the church built its temple on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, near Lincoln Center.
Here is the original post:
Mormon church wants to build big