To the Ends of the Earth
Maranatha volunteers spread the Gospel through church construction in the remote jungles of Costa Rica.

By: Maranatha Mission Stories

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To the Ends of the Earth - Video

A 600 pound bell is lowered into a truck on 19th Street and Central Avenue Thursday afternoon. The bell was a gift to St. Mark's Church from St. Mark's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1868 and was removed to be placed on display. Michael Smith/staff

CHEYENNE - A piece of local history kept cloistered away for decades may be back in the public eye again as early as next year.

The article in question is a 600-pound bell that has spent much of the last century hanging unused in the bell tower of St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 1908 Central Ave.

Crafted by a foundry in Troy, New York, the bell was a gift to the local church from another house of worship with the same name - St. Mark's Episcopal Church of Philadelphia.

According to a history of the Cheyenne church written by Shirley Flynn, the bell was gifted by friends of the Rev. Joseph W. Cook, who founded the Cheyenne church in 1868.

Larry Swanson, a former junior warden at St. Mark's, said the bell's age is reflected in its inscription. It presents the bell "to St. Mark's, Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory."

Wyoming would not become a state until 1890.

The bell first rang out on April 4, 1869, at the church's original location on the corner of 18th Street and Ferguson, now Carey Avenue. But it was put into temporary retirement following the construction of the current church building.

"The current St. Mark's was started in 1886 and completed in 1888. But it didn't have the bell tower on it as originally built," Swanson said.

"The tower was added to the building in 1924, and the original bell was placed in the tower at some point after that."

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Historic church bell to return to public eye

The Christian Church is a term used by some to refer to the whole group of people belonging to the Christian religious tradition throughout history. With "Church" capitalized, the term does not refer to a building. Others believe the term "Christian Church" or "Church" applies only to a specific historic Christian institution (e.g., the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy).

The term Christian Church, in the first understanding, which is generally used by Protestants, does not refer to a particular denomination. However, the majority of Christians belong to groups that consider themselves to be the one true church, to which other Christians do not belong. The three largest such groups are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Oriental Orthodox communion. Thus, some Christians identify the Christian Church with a visible structure (the view of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches) while others (generally Protestants) understand it as an invisible reality not identified with any earthly structure and others equate it with particular groups that share certain essential elements of doctrine and practice though divided on other points of doctrine and government (such as the branch theory as taught by some Anglicans).

The Greek term , which is transliterated as "ecclesia", generally meant an "assembly",[1] but in most English translations of the New Testament is usually translated as "church". This term appears in two verses of the Gospel of Matthew, twenty-four verses of the Acts of the Apostles, fifty-eight verses of the Pauline Epistles (including the earliest instances of its use in relation to a Christian body), two verses of the Letter to the Hebrews, one verse of the Epistle of James, three verses of the Third Epistle of John, and nineteen verses of the Book of Revelation. In total, appears in the New Testament text 114 times, although not every instance is a technical reference to the church.[2]

In the New Testament, the term is used for local communities as well as in a universal sense to mean all believers.[3] Traditionally, only orthodox believers are considered part of the true church, but convictions of what is orthodox have long varied, as many churches (not only the ones officially using the term "Orthodox" in their names) consider themselves to be orthodox and other Christians to be heterodox.

The Four Marks of the Church first expressed in the Nicene Creed are unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.[4]

The Greek word ekklsia, literally "called out" or "called forth" and commonly used to indicate a group of individuals called to gather for some function, in particular an assembly of the citizens of a city, as in Acts 19:32-41, is the New Testament term referring to the Christian Church (either a particular local group or the whole body of the faithful). Most Romance and Celtic languages use derivations of this word, either inherited or borrowed from the Latin form ecclesia.

The English language word "church" is from the Old English word cirice, derived from West Germanic *kirika, which in turn comes from the Greek kuriak, meaning "of the Lord" (possessive form of kurios "ruler" or "lord"). Kuriak in the sense of "church" is most likely a shortening of kuriak oikia ("house of the Lord") or ekklsia kuriak ("congregation of the Lord").[5] Christian churches were sometimes called kuriakon (adjective meaning "of the Lord") in Greek starting in the 4th century, but ekklsia and basilik were more common.[6]

The word is one of many direct Greek-to-Germanic loans of Christian terminology, via the Goths. The Slavic terms for "church" (Old Church Slavonic [crky], Russian [cerkov], Slovenian cerkev) are via the Old High German cognate chirihha.[citation needed]

In using the word (ekklsia, "church"), early Christians were employing a term that, while it designated the assembly of a Greek city-state, in which only citizens could participate, was traditionally used by Greek-speaking Jews to speak of Israel, the people of God,[7] and that appeared in the Septuagint in the sense of an assembly gathered for religious reasons, often for a liturgy; in that translation stood for the Hebrew word (qahal), which however it also rendered as (synagg, "synagogue"), the two Greek words being largely synonymous until Christians distinguished them more clearly.[8]

The term appears in only two verses of the Gospels, in both cases in the Gospel of Matthew.[7] When Jesus says to Simon Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church",[9] the church is the community instituted by Christ, but in the other passage the church is the local community to which one belongs: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church."[10]

Continued here:
Christian Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WESTLAKE, LA (KPLC) - Sasol recently bought First Baptist Church of Westlake and its surrounding lot to begin construction of a transit route as part of the company's multibillion-dollar ethane cracker project.

"Properties on the south side of Sulphur Avenue and properties along the north side of Old Spanish Trail are properties we've been negotiating with over the past couple of years," said Sasol public affairs manager Mike Hayes.

The church property will be used as part of the project's heavy haul route, which will be used to transport large modules and other equipment from a construction dock to Sasol's project site.

"We've already started moving power lines, working with Entergy through Triad Electric and some other contractors to get the power lines out of the way," said Hayes. "Widening the road will be the next step. Building the dock and the dock facilities is underway."

Rev. Wayne McEntire of First Baptist Church of Westlake says the offer couldn't have come at a better time.

"The church acquired property on the golf course here in Westlake, over 19 acres, so relocation plans have already been in the works," said McEntire. "This gave us a buyer and the resources needed to make that move."

McEntire says Westlake Assembly of God is also negotiating with Sasol and has to share a facility with Westlake Church of God on Maddox St. until ready to move. He says they hold services at different times.

Hayes says the heavy haul route construction shouldn't be an inconvenience to citizens. He says the first step is relocating both underground and above ground utilities. Signs, fencing and other itemsthat are located in the route that modules will pass through will also be relocated. Width and weight capacity of roads will also be increased and new traffic signals will be installed at the Sampson St. and Sulphur Ave. intersection.

Hayes recommends citizens to log on to Sasol's website and sign up or text alerts to stay up to date on construction alerts and other news.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

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Sasol buys church in Westlake; heavy haul route construction underway

First Baptist Church of Cutchogue hopes to finish work on its new building in 2015. (Credit: Cyndi Murray)

While many religious groups across the U.S. and the North Fork are faced with declining membership, forcing some to shut their doors altogether, the First Baptist Church of Cutchogue is delighted to have the opposite of that problem.

After nearly a century in its historic church building located on a small parcel of land on Sound Avenue, the congregation is reigniting plans to move into a new, larger building.

The church had previously ran out of money to finish the new buildings construction.

Pastor Cornelius Fulford said Thursday that 2015 will mark the year work is completed on the new church. Construction had begun in April 2001.

The 9,600-square foot church building is located on a four-acre parcel thats about one mile west from the current church. It is needed to better accommodate its church attendees, as well as other community organizations looking to use the space for meetings, the pastor said.

In 2015, we are going to work hard to get into this church, he said. God let us know it might take a little time, but we complete the vision that God gave us.

Founded in 1924, the First Baptist Church of Cutchogue is one of the oldest black sanctuaries on eastern Long Island. Initially, services were held in the little schoolhouse on Oregon Road until membership outgrew the building. The congregation then constructed its current location in November 1928.

Today, the church has more than 100 members and it needs to be moved again, Rev. Fulford said.

Since purchasing the property, the church has been raising funds for construction. Over the years, the church has ran out of money to continue building.

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Efforts start again on finishing new First Baptist Church building

Lima, Peru

Latin American church leaders apologized for historical complicity with colonial atrocities in the Amazon and called for a church with an "Amazonian face" in a pastoral letter issued as negotiators from around the world met for a climate summit here.

"The exploitation of the Amazon through mining, the expansion of farming and ranching, road construction, hydroelectric dams and timber companies demand that the church take a more prophetic stance," they wrote.

The letter marks the public launch of a pan-Amazonian network meant to connect pastoral workers throughout the nine-country watershed. The Latin American bishops' council (CELAM), the Brazilian bishops, the region's Caritas humanitarian network and the regional conference of religious are leading the effort.

The letter reflects concern about the Amazon and its people that was expressed by the region's bishops at a conference in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007 and was echoed by Pope Francis on his visit to that country in July 2013.

"We are concerned that 23 percent of the Amazon region is deforested, and that figure is growing," Peruvian Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno, president of CELAM's justice and solidarity department, told Catholic News Service.

As the region's countries turn to mining, oil and gas production and logging to drive their growing economies, the church is speaking out against "a vision that puts profit first," Barreto said. "It is not only unjust, it is an offense against God."

The church leaders issued their letter as thousands of negotiators from 195 countries gathered here for a U.N. climate summit to hammer out details of a new international agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

In Amazonian countries, deforestation is the major source of greenhouse gas emissions. About half of the region's forests are in protected areas or indigenous territories, but studies show that even those areas face threats.

Indigenous leaders attending the summit repeatedly called for stronger legal rights to their territories, to help protect them, and called attention to the murder of indigenous people who were defending their land.

Originally posted here:
Latin American church leaders call for church with 'Amazonian face'

Even without their own church, the congregation of Grace United will be celebrating Christmas.

Progress has been slow but steady on the new wing of the church, since the original second wing was knocked down back in the fall.

Construction is going really well, said Grace United Minster Paul DuVal.

We would have been happier if we got started a month earlier, but all things considered, the walls are up, the concretes in good shape, were moving ahead steadily, and it looks like within the next week to two weeks were going to start putting the floor on.

The long period of construction has meant that the congregation wont have their own church building until work is finished, which could take until next fall. In the meantime, routine services are held in the church hall of Knox Presbytarian.

The Presbyterians have been wonderful hosts, and it kind of grows on you, said DuVal.

The more you spend time in a certain space, it becomes a bit like home, and its not really home but it feels good. People still have a church to go to at Christmas and its going to be different, but most of the folks are adjusting, and the interesting thing thats going to happen is how people are going to feel when we move back into our newly renovated church, if that is going to be disorienting or if people are going to miss the Presbyterian hall when we move back in there, because human beings are creatures of habit, we get used to certain things and even if its what weve always wanted its different again.

DuVal also believes that the feeling among the congregation is one of positivity about their situation, which stands in contrast to a year ago when the project faced difficulties getting off the ground. With shovels now in the ground and concrete poured, people feel as though progress is being made.

There was a lot of discouragement last year when we werent going ahead and people were worried about whether the project was on track, said DuVal.

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Grace United construction continues

The recent news that St. Lawrence Catholic Church of Tampa won permission from the Cuban government to start building the first new Catholic Church in Cuba since it embraced communism in 1959 has many hoping for more religious freedom in the island nation.

But in a visit to Tampa this week, an outspoken religious leader who lives in Cuba advised people against getting their hopes up.

Cuba uses religion to further politics, said Mario Felix Lleonart Barroso, a Baptist pastor of Ebenezer Church in Taguayabon, Cuba.

The Cuban government, Lleonart Barroso said, forces religious leaders to propagate its own message that Communism works in the best interests of the people along with the word of God. Religious leaders who say otherwise risk losing their churches.

So the new Catholic Church to be located in Sandino, he said, amounts to a new weapon for the Cuban government.

The Rev. Ramon Hernandez of St. Lawrence, who spoke with The Tampa Tribune recently about the drive to raise money for the church and his own upbringing in Cuba, could not be reached for comment Wednesday on this view of the government's motives in allowing him to proceed.

Lleonart Barroso was in Tampa as keynote speaker at a luncheon hosted by United for Human Rights, a Los Angeles-based education group.

The luncheon celebrated the 66th anniversary of the signing at the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The event was held inside the Church of Scientology's Ybor City headquarters.

Gracia Bennish, United for Human Rights' president and a member of the Church of Scientology, said the church publishes her organization's materials but has no other link to it.

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Pastor: Cuba will use new church as a tool

By: Kevin Clark December 11, 2014

Josephus Shingles has been a deacon at Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church Number 2 for 30 years. He says his church getting vandalized with the words KKK was surprising.

Shingles said, "When this happened we were a little caught off guard."

Mount Olive is the third Wakulla County church to be tagged with the letters this week.

Wakulla County Sheriffs, FDLE, and the FBI are all involved in an investigation that has yielded several persons of interest.

Officials have been painting over the vandalism to try and cover it up, but remnants of the letters can still be seen on church walls.

"I think it's cowards hiding behind a spray can," said Charlie Creel, Wakulla County Sheriff.

Creel says there is no cause for alarm, adding Wakulla is not a hateful community.

Creel said, "It's probably the work of somebody that's just bored and wanting to start some trouble down here, I don't think it's an active hate group that's involved in these activities."

For Shingles, he's concerned but says the community will bounce back. He cites the construction of his church as an example.

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KKK Sprayed on Another Church in Wakulla County

The First Assembly of God held a ribbon cutting ceremony on the morning of Dec. 4th. The church joined the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and is experiencing a renewal. The First Assembly of God Church began in 1913 as a cottage prayer meeting and over the years has become what it is today.

The current building was built in 1988 under Pastor Rick Vinson and for the past 25 years the church has been led by lead Pastor Rev. John Miller. In April of 1995 construction began on the Activity Center. The current ministries of the church include the Food Bank, Greenwood Healing Center, Greenwood Bible College and ministries to our Children, Youth and Adults. Current Staff is Rev. Brandon Hogue, Youth Minister and Administer and Tanya Bivins Childrens Pastor.

Recent improvements to the outside of the church building are the results of a gift given to the church by a former church member. Lead Pastor Rev. John Miller is excited about all the improvements and wants to bring new life to the church. We have been fixing it up and making it attractive for people to come in and see whats inside.

Youth Minister Rev. Brandon Hogue is excited about the upcoming Christmas programs as well as what the church has to offer the community.

Tanya Bivins, childrens pastor was also excited about upcoming events, Our kids ministry does lots of outreach programs and events. Bivins wanted the community to know that they are available if you have any questions about their programs.

The First Assembly of God is located at 725 Park Drive in Greenwood. They can be contacted at 996-6030. The church provides one of the largest food-banks in the area that serves 100-200 families per week.

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First Assembly of God Holds Ribbon Cutting