PANAMA CITY A Bay County circuit judge will allow jurors to view a taped murder confession in connection with an August 2010 fatal shooting at a Panama City Beach church construction site, according to court records.

The trial of Christopher Ray Hyler, 50, for the shooting death of his former landlord, 43-year-old Robert S. Ellison, is scheduled to begin Monday. As the trial looms, Hylers attorney requested the judge not allow a taped confession from his arrest to be admitted as evidence, arguing police coerced his testimony after only briefly reviewing his Miranda rights. However, Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark denied the defenses motion to suppress the video, and jurors will have the opportunity to weigh it among other evidence, Clark wrote in his ruling Tuesday.

Hyler validly waived his Miranda rights, and, based on the totality of the circumstances, (Hyler) appears to have voluntarily issued his confession, Clark said.

Ellisons death lingered without an arrest for nearly three years, and, in May 2013, authorities received a confession from Hyler during a taped interrogation. But his legal counsel argued that after two hours of intense questioning, he simply agreed to the facts presented by interrogators.

Hyler had used methamphetamine heavily prior to his arrest by law enforcement and was still under the influence of the drug during the interrogation, defense attorney Henry Sims wrote in his motion to the court.

Sims said Hylers intoxication, coupled with a reasonable self-defense scenario presented by law enforcement to escape the pressure being asserted on him, amounted to coercion.

Sims also argued Hyler did not have privileged knowledge of the crime, and parts of the confession did not jive with the physical evidence or the sparse witness accounts from around the time of the shooting.

He did not provide any details of the crime nor did he divulge facts only the perpetrator would know, Sims wrote.

Investigators confronted Hyler with a variety of scenarios until more than an hour into questioning, when he finally nodded in agreement. Police presented Hyler with the scenario that he confronted an abusive husband and pulled the gun out of self-defense. Hyler continued from there.

He told me that I needed to mind my business and came out from behind the desk. He looked pissed, Hyler told investigators. I pulled (the 9mm), thinking hed back up. He got his hand on it once.

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Judge denies accused killers request

I was recently struck by a highly creative project at Chicago's nondenominational LaSalle Street Church, where the church's pastoral leadership entrusted $500 to each of its 320 members and asked them to use the money for some good cause.

Pastor Laura Truax and church elders decided on a "reverse tithe" after receiving an unexpected windfall of $1.6 million from the sale of a 1970s-era, racially integrated, low-income housing development, Atrium Village, which the church had established in partnership with three other Protestant churches. The partnership had a 15 percent share in the property, a 35-year agreement that a percentage of units would be set aside for disadvantaged populations, and final say in any decision to sell the property. When the 35-year agreement expired, the property had greatly appreciated in value and there was a great deal of pressure to sell it. The church partnership finally agreed, but with the stipulation that a percentage of units in any new construction would be set aside for low-income people.

"It's not really our money," Truax said in a telephone interview. "The way we look at it is that God wants it back in circulation."

When she distributed the checks, Truax preached on the parable of the talents, encouraging everyone to reflect about where he or she could best invest in the socially progressive legacy of LaSalle Street Church. The faith community is well known for its commitment to the poor, whether it be feeding homeless families in the neighborhood or donating an ambulance for a medical clinic in Niger.

Church members were dumbfounded by the unexpected gift but quickly rose to the challenge.

Kristin Hu planned to give her $500 to help "dreamer" children of immigrant families. Jonas Ganz, an avid skateboarder who grew up in Amman, Jordan, donated his share toward a new skate park in his hometown. Other church members put their money toward a no-kill animal shelter, food pantries, an eyeglass ministry, and purchasing winter clothing for disadvantaged college students.

The diversity of needs churchgoers chose to support is impressive. Even more impressive is the creative pastoral leadership that trusts the leading of the Spirit in each believer.

Truax wrote about this on her blog:

How do we know it won't be "squandered"? We don't. But we know this: that every day we wake to gifts we never sought, expected or earned. ... This is the essence of faith I think. Not just that we believe in God but that God believes in us. And trusts us to do great things with his gifts.

The biggest challenge is still to come as the congregation decides what to do with the rest of the money. The unprecedented "reverse-tithing" project, you see, addressed an array of pastoral concerns. This is the most innovative aspect of the whole endeavor.

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It's time for our bishops to think outside the box about effective pastoral leadership

January 6, 2015|1:41 pm

Stained Glass of Jesus and Fishermen, Mary Star of the Sea Church

Churches fitted with ornate stained glass windows may not become a thing of the archaic past just yet, noted one church construction company.

Although presently the stained glass industry has been experiencing a decline in business, research among younger Americans indicates that stained glass could experience a comeback.

Derek DeGroot, architect with the Aspen Group, a company that specializes in building churches, explained to The Christian Post on Monday the current trend.

"Although certain denominations still use stained glass traditionally, many mainline protestant denominations that we designed & built for have seen an apparent decline in the use of stained glass in the recent past," said DeGroot.

"However, there are new discussions that stained glass is seen more favorably by younger generations."

DeGroot cited recent research conducted by the Barna Group, which found that Millennials preferred more traditional looking sanctuaries instead of so-called trendy buildings.

"It seems the Hollywood depiction of the church has remained traditional (think cathedral), and the unchurched not familiar with the 'megachurch' of the '90s and 2000s sees an alarming disconnect with today's buildings and traditional church architecture," said DeGroot. "The ambiguous designs are confusing a new generation that is begging for more visual clarity with regards to the built environment and the faith of those inside."

Last August, surveys administered onlineto 843 young adults ages 18 to 29 by Barna and Cornerstone Knowledge Network, the market research organization created by church design firms Aspen Group and Cogun, found 67 percent chose the word "classic" to describe their ideal church. Only 33 percent preferred a trendy church as their ideal.

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Stained Glass Windows for Churches May Make Comeback With Younger Generations

Pics: Umesh Marapalli

Daijiworld Media Network- Udupi(HB)

Udupi, Jan 6: Thousands of devotees witnessed the grand inauguration and blessing of the newly built Mount Rosary church at Santhekatte (Kallianpur) here on Tuesday January 6.

Jerry Vincent Dias,vice president of parish pastoral council and president of builders association with and Molly Dias inaugurated the stage programme symbolically by releasing balloons.

Dr Gerald Issac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi diocese blessed the gathering. He said that the church does not belong only to christian community but also to all the people of other religions.

Dr Aloysius P DSouza, bishop of Mangaluru, offered the first Eucharistic service in the new church in the presence of hundreds of priests, nuns and thousands of christians as well as non-christians.

After the service he said We have to keep our soul clean first, external beauty is not important. While entering the church the designs look attractive, but our prayers to seek the blessings of God are much more important."

Oscar Fernandes speaking on the occasion said This is my birth place and I always used to go to church for prayer here. It reminds me of my childhood days. We have to indulge in welfare programmes and think on development, only then can we achieve our goals."

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Udupi: Mount Rosary church at Santhekatte inaugurated

For the first time in nearly a century, the Turkish government has approved the construction of a church, Agence France-Presse reports. The decision comes more than a month after Pope Francis visited Turkey, where he discussed the Islamic State group and its persecution of Christians and other religious minorities.

The church will be built in Yesilkoy, a suburb of Istanbul, and will belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, a Christian denomination with about 25,000 followers in Turkey. The area already houses Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic churches, all of which were built before the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1923.

It is the first since the creation of the republic, a government source told AFP Saturday. Churches have been renovated and reopened, but none have been built from scratch. Many existing churches have been converted into mosques.

Plans to build the $1.5 million church, to be called the Virgin Mary Syriac Church, were made during a luncheon between Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and minority leaders on Friday at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Daily Sabah reports. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has allocated land on a Catholic cemetery for the churchs construction. It will have three subterranean floors, two of which will be for parking. Three floors will be located above ground.

Turkey, which became a constitutionally secular republic in 1923, is a predominantly Muslim country. Its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was initially seen as an Islamic leader with democratic ideals who was making strides to join the European Union when he was elected in 2003. Now, he is being criticized for introducing religion into the public realm: He has moved to restrict alcohol sales and rescinded a ban on head scarves in public institutions, the New York Times reports. In public schools, Ottoman Turkishlanguage classes are mandatory. Classes known as religious values are also taught.

Meanwhile, religious minorities say they face discrimination. Their officials are banned from teaching at minority schools. Others have complained they face passport problems and their travel documents are valid for just six months.

Still, freedom of religion remains on the books. Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Apostolic Christians and Jews remain the three largest religious denominations in Turkey after its 99.8 percent Sunni Muslim population.

"There is no problem in terms of practicing their religion, but there is historical baggage by which some religious activity is perceived to be suspicious," Ilter Turan, emeritus professor of international relations at Bilgi University in Istanbul, told the BBCreferring to religious minorities. It's only recently that the native Christian populations have begun once again to aspire to holding public office. At the late stages of the Ottoman Empire, that was normal and that only began to change after the First World War. So it seems that we are back to a period of restoration."

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First Church To Be Built In Turkey In Nearly A Century

January 4, 2015|11:02 am

The imposing structure of Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul, Turkey. The building began as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, was converted to a mosque in the 15th century, and was then made into a museum in the 1930s.

The Islamic government of Turkey has authorized the construction of a new church, for the country's tiny Syriac community, for the first time since the establishment of the modern republic in 1923.

The Syrian Christian church will be built on state-owned land not far from Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic churches in the Istanbul suburb of Yesilkoy on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a meeting of religious representatives in Istanbul, according to Agence France Presse.

Of the 80 million people in Turkey, mostly Muslim, about 100,000 are Christian. While Turkey was the birthplace of numerous Christian Apostles and Saints, the country's government had thus far allowed only renovations of existing churches.

"It is the first since the creation of the republic," the newswire quoted a government as saying. "Churches have been restored and reopened to the public, but no new church has been built until now."

The move could be aimed at pacifying the European Union.

The country was recently criticized for making efforts to erase its Christian past, as was reflected in the conversion of an ancient Byzantine church into a mosque.

The Hagia Sophia Museum, a former Greek Orthodox church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, was used in July 2013 for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan.

The mufti of Trabzon was joined by local Muslim residents for the Islamic prayers in the 13th century church building. The Christian murals were covered with curtains, and the bell dome was used as a minaret.

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Turkey Allows New Church for First Time Since Ottoman Empire's End in 1923

THE WOODLANDS Twenty months of construction are now complete on the new 1,000-seat Harvest Worship Center at The Woodlands United Methodist Church.

The church is commemorating the opening and dedication of the new worship venue with a live, continuous reading of the entire Bible. Hundreds of church members are volunteering to read scripture and pray through the 70 hours preceding the first worship service in the new space at 9:30 a.m. today. Doors are open to visitors and people are encouraged to come in and listen to the live Bible readings and pray for this worship community.

A new caf, bookstore and community meeting areas will open this weekend as part of the Harvest Worship Center. The auditorium is equipped to provide media-rich experiences through music, video and theatrical lighting.

The space features theater-style seating, surrounding a semicircular-shaped stage built for contemporary worship.

We hope this is a centerpiece for our faith community a place where friendships and family connections are strengthened, said Ed Robb, senior pastor. Weve designed a special place where people want to spend time, on Sundays and throughout the week.

Plant, Grow, Harvest is our theme and our focus for 2015, said Rev. Mark Sorensen, lead pastor of the Harvest worship community. We pray everyone who worships with us will become firmly rooted here and make meaningful connections with God and with others.

The Harvest Worship Center is the third of three building projects to open at the church as part of the $20 million Imagine capital campaign. The complex sits across the street from the new Whole Foods Market, currently under construction in Hughes Landing. The church is expanding to keep pace with new construction in Town Center and overall population growth in The Woodlands and South Montgomery County.

The Woodlands United Methodist Church is an 11,000-member congregation offering nine live worship services each week in four unique worship venues. TWUMC streams Sunday worship live, online each week at watch.thewoodlandsumc.org. Learn more about TWUMC at thewoodlandsumc.org and loftchurch.com.

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Harvest Worship Center opens at The Woodlands United Methodist Church

SINGAPORE: Ongoing tunnelling work for the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) along Upper Thomson Road appears to have forced the Church of the Holy Spirit to close its chapel indefinitely, after some floor tiles within buckled.

The Catholic church revealed this in a post showing the affected tiles on its Facebook page on Thursday, preceded by another post of pictures of a long crack on the exterior of its building.

The floor tiles on the left side of our chapel have buckled, possibly due to extensive TEL MRT tunnelling work next to the parish. Some tiles have cracked. For safety reasons, our chapel is closed indefinitely, the post said.

The church, which is more than 50 years old, is located next to the construction site for the Upper Thomson MRT Station.

The contract for the stations construction was awarded to Sato Kogyo Singapore. Work began in the first quarter of last year and it is expected to be completed in 2019.

TODAY saw that the buckled tiles ran along the left side of the chapel during a visit yesterday. There were also some chipped tiles between the pews and loose tiles along the main aisle of the chapel. However, the cracks on the exterior of the church building have been patched up.

Mr Joseph Bong, the churchs head of pastoral care for the Sick Ministry, said it discovered the issues about two to three weeks ago. The road beside the chapel was also cracked, but has since been repaired by Sato Kogyo, he said.

Mr Bong added that it is in close contact with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the construction firm. Both have been informed of the problems and have been to the church to take photos, he said.

The three parties have also been meeting monthly since September last year to discuss the effects of the MRT work as well as traffic management, he added.

Mr Bong said he does not feel that the issues are serious and the church will commence repair work soon. It is sourcing for quotations and hopes to reopen the chapel by the middle of the year, he added.

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Buckled Tiles Prompt Closure Of Chapel Near MRT Work Site

THE WOODLANDS Twenty months of construction are now complete on the new 1,000-seat Harvest Worship Center at The Woodlands United Methodist Church.

The church is commemorating the opening and dedication of the new worship venue with a live, continuous reading of the entire Bible. Hundreds of church members are volunteering to read scripture and pray through the 70 hours preceding the first worship service in the new space at 9:30 a.m. today. Doors are open to visitors and people are encouraged to come in and listen to the live Bible readings and pray for this worship community.

A new caf, bookstore and community meeting areas will open this weekend as part of the Harvest Worship Center. The auditorium is equipped to provide media-rich experiences through music, video and theatrical lighting.

The space features theater-style seating, surrounding a semicircular-shaped stage built for contemporary worship.

We hope this is a centerpiece for our faith community a place where friendships and family connections are strengthened, said Ed Robb, senior pastor. Weve designed a special place where people want to spend time, on Sundays and throughout the week.

Plant, Grow, Harvest is our theme and our focus for 2015, said Rev. Mark Sorensen, lead pastor of the Harvest worship community. We pray everyone who worships with us will become firmly rooted here and make meaningful connections with God and with others.

The Harvest Worship Center is the third of three building projects to open at the church as part of the $20 million Imagine capital campaign. The complex sits across the street from the new Whole Foods Market, currently under construction in Hughes Landing. The church is expanding to keep pace with new construction in Town Center and overall population growth in The Woodlands and South Montgomery County.

The Woodlands United Methodist Church is an 11,000-member congregation offering nine live worship services each week in four unique worship venues. TWUMC streams Sunday worship live, online each week at watch.thewoodlandsumc.org. Learn more about TWUMC at thewoodlandsumc.org and loftchurch.com.

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Harvest Worship Center opens at TWUMC

Photo by: Rick Danzl/The News-Gazette

Bishop Lloyd Gwin and his wife, Mary, look over construction at the Church of the Living God building in Champaign.

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CHAMPAIGN The new Church of the Living God in Champaign shines like the sun, but inside there's work to be done.

A lot of work, according to the church's pastor, Bishop Lloyd Gwin.

It's his prayer that the new building will be ready for worshipers sometime in 2015.

Inside the gleaming structure, workers are installing drywall, insulation and electrical systems.

Still to be installed: sprinklers, heating and air conditioning, lighting, plumbing for restrooms and, of course, carpeting and furniture.

But the building at the northwest corner of Fourth Street and Bradley Avenue is taking shape.

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Pastor hopes new church transforms North End from 'notorious' to 'glorious'