EDWARDS Benny Clark and Jerry Milsaps looked around like proud parents watching their children accomplish great things.

Which, of course, they are.

On Sunday, Trinity Church dedicated a building project that almost doubled its capacity, dubbed by pastor Ethan Moore to be the Its Not About The Building building project.

And it turns out, its not about the brick and mortar. Its about community, family and the legacy, said Melinda Carlson. She was at the keyboard of the grand piano at the front of the room, backed by a full-on praise band.

Trinity Church started small, as do most great things, and some of the valleys most far-reaching ministries started in the basement of that little log cabin building.

But before we can tell you that story, we have to tell you this story.

The early years

In the beginning, the Allen family ranched that land for generations. They decided that the site in Edwards would be home to a church.

It was 1975 when Pastor Bill Irwin gave the first sermon. Construction was barely begun, and Irwin was surrounded by excited people, stacks of lumber, and power tools.

The pulpit was plank between two saw horses.

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Trinity Church in Edwards celebrates new building, its 40-year past

Shares His Concerns for Congolese Youth, Urges Fidelity to the Gospel in Ad Limina Message Vatican City, September 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) Staff | 302 hits

The education of young people in order to overcome violence and inequality, the participation of the Church in building society and the consolidation of peace and her mission in aid of those whom life has wounded were the main issues in the discourse Pope Francis handed to the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo this morning, at the end of their ad Limina visit.

The Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a young Church, writes the Holy Father. However, it is also a Church of youth. Children and adolescents, in particular, need God's strength to help them resist the many temptations of a precarious life in which they are unable to study or find work.I am sympathetic to their plight, and I know you share their sorrows, their joys and hopes. I think with horror especially of those children and young people conscripted into militias and forced to kill their own countrymen. I encourage you, therefore, to pursue the pastoral care of youth. By providing the greatest assistance possible, especially through the creation of spaces for human, spiritual and professional formation, you can help them discover their deepest vocation that predisposes them to encounter the Lord.

The most effective way to overcome violence, inequality and ethnic divisions is to equip the young with a critical mind and to offer them the opportunity to mature an understanding of Gospel values. It is also necessary to strengthen pastoral care in universities and in Catholic and public schools, combining education with the clear proclamation of the Gospel. ... Similarly, to face the problem of family breakdown, caused in particular by war and poverty, it is essential to promote and encourage all initiatives to strengthen the family, the source of brotherhood and the foundation and first road to peace.

Fidelity to the Gospel also implies that the Church participates in the construction of the city. One of the most valuable contributions that the local church can offer your country is to help people rediscover the relevance of faith in daily life and the need to promote the common good. Similarly, leading figures in the nation, enlightened by pastors and in relation to their skills, can also be supported in incorporating Christian teachings in their personal lives and in the exercise of their duties in the service of the state and society. In this sense, the Magisterium of the Church, especially the encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the post-Synodal apostolic exhortation Africae munus and the recent apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, are invaluable tools.

The Pope urges the Congolese bishops to work tirelessly for the establishment of a just and lasting peace through a pastoral of dialogue and reconciliation among the various sectors of society, supporting the process of disarmament, and promoting effective collaboration with other religious denominations. He emphasises that at this time, when the country is currently experiencing political events that are important for the future, it is necessary for the Church to make her contribution, avoiding the risk of becoming substitute for political institutions and temporal realities that must retain their autonomy. In particular, pastors must be careful not to take on roles that rightfully belong to the lay faithful, whose mission is justly that of bearing witness to Christ and the Gospel in politics and in all other areas of their activities.

After highlighting the need for collaboration between all pastoral workers in the various fields of the apostolate, especially in education, health and charitable aid, Francis reminds the prelates that there are high expectations of them in defence of spiritual and social values, and he urges them to provide guidance and solutions for the promotion of a society based on respect for the dignity of the human person. In this regard, attention to the poor and needy, as well as the elderly, the sick and disabled, should be the subject of adequate pastoral care under constant review. Indeed, the Church is called to be concerned with the wellbeing of these people and to bring the attention of society and public authorities to their situation.

The Holy Father concludes by encouraging the bishops to be men of hope for the people and gave thanks for the work of all missionaries, priests, religious and other pastoral workers dedicated to the service of those who have been wounded by life, the victims of violence, especially in the most isolated and remote areas of the country, and reserved special mention for the internally displaced and the many people who come from neighbouring countries.

(September 12, 2014) Innovative Media Inc.

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Pope to DRC Bishops: Work for Society Based on Respect for Human Dignity

The remarkable significance of the Catholic church of St James in Reading will be conveyed to visitors over this weekend's Heritage Open Days.

The church, which is between Forbury Gardens and the prison, was the first designed by the Victorian architect Augustus Pugin, who was later to produce the drawings for much of the Houses of Parliament.

Some of the stones used in its construction came from the rubble of the Abbey and the baptismal font is made from material found in the Abbey ruins a few years before the church was built.

Features of the weekend at the church include:

Photographs of the church from a collection of those taken by Woodley Photographic Club.

An audio-visual presentation by Norman Horsham to be shown at intervals throughout the day.

On Sunday, at 12.15pm, after morning mass, celebrated organist Richard Lester will give a recital, on the churchsTamburini organ, of music composed to be played in St Marks, Venice, in the 16th Century.

Talks about the churchs history at 11.30am and 3pm on Friday and Saturday, and at 3pm on Sunday.

For more open day details, visit http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk .

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Have a look around Reading's St James Church as part of Heritage Open Days

By Robert Frank, September 10th, 2014

St. Peter and St. Paul Church is being squeezed between city hall and vandals as parishioners prepare for Orthodox Pope Tawadros IIs Jan. 23 visit to Pointe Claire. The city shocked church officials in May by flatly rejecting their plan to build a new community centre on the site of a long-derelict elementary school at the corner of Sources and Lakeshore. We were going to have more green space than the site now has, church deacon Shahir Guindi told The Suburban. Since then, has been desecrated by graffiti and construction material was dumped on the site. We had to clean that up, Guindi said in an interview. Pointe Claire responded by pressuring the church. The city was all over us, he said, threatening to fine us thousands of dollars per day if it was not cleaned. It has never been as clean as it is now, he added. Guindi said that former Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie had been an enthusiastic supporter. Indeed, when The Suburban asked McMurchie last year about the project, he said that he welcomed the churchs plan to demolish the school. It is good news for the citizens in the area and consequently for the City of Pointe Claire, McMurchie stated. The previous owner wanted multistory buildings which were not acceptable to the city. Originally we were going to keep the church and demolish the school, Guindi recalled. The idea to demolish both and build an integrated church and community complex came from the city, not from us. We scrapped the plans that we had already spent more than $100,000 to develop and went back to the drawing board. After the city bashed our proposal [Mayor Morris Trudeau] and council refused to meet us, Guindi complained. Instead, the interim city manager and an urban planner met four church leaders, including parish priest Fr. Peter Saad. They told us we will be increasing the residential density of that lot and suggested that we sell the property. They said We outwaited the guys who wanted to rezone for Wal-Mart and we can just outwait you, he continued. They didnt understand that were not in this for the money. The church is not trying to make a profit. It is multi-generational. Our priority is youth. We invest heavily in young people. Guindi pointed out that the church went to well beyond what is legally required, in order to respect surrounding residents. We had planned an underground parking garage so visitors wouldnt have to park on the street, he explained. The facilities would benefit the whole community and not just the church. The community centre was going to be the first phase of construction, because you can pray in a gym, but you cant play in a church. The idea was to accommodate youth. According to Pointe Claire spokeswoman Marie-Pier Paquette-Sguin, Mayor Trudeau was too busy to speak to The Suburban about the church. I wasnt a party to everything, so I prefer not to comment, Councilor Paul Bissonnette, who has represented the district since 2005, told The Suburban. I dont know all the information. If Im not sure of everything, if I dont know everything, Im not making comments. Bissonnette preferred that Pointe Claires new city manager Robert Weemaes speak to the issue. Weemaes arrived at Pointe Claire city hall Aug. 25, almost three months after the church decision. Weemaes former employer, the city of Gatineau, reportedly paid him more than $400,000 after council unanimously voted to dismiss him last year. Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said at the time that the career municipal civil servant haad published an open letter in 2011, critical of Gatineaus citys elected officials. According to Guindi, Pointe Claire is also giving Pope Tawadros II the cold shoulder. Neither the mayor nor Councillor Bissonnette have accepted the churchs invitation a reception that expected to attract about 1,000 dignitaries -- including federal, provincial and other municipal elected officials -- to welcome the Orthodox pontiff on his first visit to Canada. Copts have faced centuries of persecution in their native Egypt, particularly in recent years until the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted in a coup dtat last year.

Click here to see the full newspaper. Updated on September 10, 2014

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Coptic church harassed in leadup to papal visit

James Wood

Multimedia Journalist

The Grace United Church congregation has been out of their building since July 7 of this year, while the spire and design has been a landmark of downtown Lloydminster since 1961.

The spire points straight up out the building, and the bricks built in almost four-leaf clover shapes dominate the south wall. However, construction barricades and the sound of workers have been the main fixture of the church in the past few months, as the entire north portion of the complex is slowly demolished.

We knew that something was going to happening this summer, said Reverend Paul Duval, leader of the church for the past two years.

We made a fabulous arrangement with the Presbyterian Church over the summer and that was when it started. The actual demolition process probably didnt start till the first week of August, and weve been moving things out and tying things down, covering up furniture and instruments and that kind of thing, and the construction crew has been here since August 12 or so.

The sense of not having their own space is one that followed the congregation around for the past few months, but DuVal says that people are happy that work is being accomplished on the site now, after major delays a year before.

It is a little unsettled for sure, you dont have all of the resources and all of the facilities that you normally would, said DuVal.

We were used to having a whole bunch of separate rooms and large group spaces, as well as small group spaces. We thought we might have been out of the church a year ago. So, were getting used to it, its not quite ideal, but its going to be OK. Now that things are moving, there is a sense of confidence and a sense of optimism that the end is in sight.

Original post:
Wandering Flock

The remarkable significance of the Catholic church of St James in Reading will be conveyed to visitors over this weekend's Heritage Open Days.

The church, which is between the Forbury Gardens and the prison, was the first designed by the Victorian architect AWN Pugin, who was later to produce the drawings for much of the Houses of Parliament.

Some of the stones used in its construction came from the rubble of the Abbey and the baptismal font is made from material found in the Abbey ruins a few years before the church was built.

Features of the weekend at the church include:

* Photographs of the church from a collection of those taken by Woodley Photographic Club

* An audio-visual presentation by Norman Horsham to be shown at intervals throughout the day.

* On Sunday, at 12.15pm, after morning mass, celebrated organist Richard Lester will give an recital, on the churchsTamburini organ, of music composed to be played in St Marks, Venice, in the sixteenth century.

* Talks about the churchs history at 11.30am and 3pm on Friday and Saturday, and at 3pm on Sunday.

Heritage Open Days help reveal Reading's fascinating history

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Unveil the hidden history of St James's Church

Published: September 10, 2014 | Last Modified: September 10, 2014 10:06PM

By Farrah Duffany Record-Journal staff

SOUTHINGTON The Grace United Methodist Church building was falling apart just over 50 years ago and becoming crowded as membership grew.

Members of the church, which was built in the late 1800s on Main Street where the TD Bank is now, thought it was time for a new building. They reached out to church member Charlie Bass for guidance.

Bass was named the chairman of the churchs building committee and the group began searching for a new location. They eventually chose a spot at the corner of Pleasant Street and Spring Lake Road. The church is now celebrating the 50th anniversary of the building.

They still call it the new building, said Deborah Leonard, a member of the church for 30 years. Weve been through several wonderful pastors, and its just been a very warm and family-oriented congregation.

The church was built for $175,000 and paid for through donations.

We thought we couldnt afford not to do it because the church was growing out of proportion, Bass said.

Bass created a newsletter on church history to share with the community to mark the 50th anniversary.

Things began to change, Bass wrote about the congregations size. The Sunday School was growing so fast that we had to hold many classes at the YMCA.

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Southington church celebrates half a century in new building

Wednesday, September 10, 2014 10:08 PM EDT

By BRIAN M. JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

BRISTOL The Bristol Historical Society is sponsoring a free tour of three local churches on Sunday.

Participants will tour First Congregational Church at 31 Maple St. from 2 to 2:30 p.m., followed by St. Joseph Church at 33 Queen St. from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m., and finally Prospect United Methodist Church at 99 Summer St. from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Each church is independently organizing their own guided tour, during which, they will speak about the history of the building and its congregation. Vivian Brackett will lead the tour at Prospect United Methodist, Arthur Shahverdian will lead the group at First Congregational and Rev. Joseph DiSciacca will walk with the group at St. Joseph Church.

Following the tour, people can meet back at the Bristol Historical Society at 98 Summer Street for refreshments. No prior registration is required.

Ellie Wilson, program chair, member of the Bristol Historical Societys board of directors and a parishioner at St. Joseph Church, said St. Joseph is celebrating their 150th anniversary this year. Because of this, and the fact that previous church tours were well received, she suggested the event.

All three churches are steeped in history, she said. There is a lot of history here in town that people dont know about. I think this will be a draw for people, and that it will help to keep an interest in local history going.

Tom Dickau, president of the Bristol Historical Society, said First Congregational Church is the first church that was established in Bristol. St. Joseph Church is the first Catholic Church in the city. The Sessions family contributed to the construction of Prospect United Methodist.

Dickau has been researching the history of local churches for the past year. This April he held a screening for a film he created which examined interesting facts about most of the churches. Dickau said that event attracted between 80 and 100 people, and he hoped to see some of the same folks come back for the tour. If the tours become popular enough, he said he might hold them at other local churches as well.

The first time I went to Prospect United Methodist was when I was making my film, said Dickau. It is absolutely magnificent inside. Few people get a chance to see other churches aside from the one they go to, unless they are going to a wedding or a funeral. I think this will be a wonderful event and I am eager to get started.

Excerpt from:
Bristol Historical Society to host church tour on Sunday

The boyfriend of a woman who was killed last week when a piece from a stone gargoyle fell from a historic South Loop church and hit her in the head has sued the church and the Presbytery of Chicago.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court by Lance Johnson, who was walking with the victim, Sarah Bean, when she was fatally struck by the falling stone.

The lawsuit claims that the Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago and the Presbytery of Chicago, which oversees Presbyterian churches in Chicago, were negligent in their ownership of the church building by allowing the exterior wall to exist in a dangerous and unrepaired condition.

The lawsuit states that Bean is survived by two children, both minors. Johnson is the father of one of the children, according to the lawsuit.

The incident happened about noon Thursday. According to Chicagos buildings department, a piece of decorative metal came loose from the outside wall of the church at 1936 S. Michigan Ave., a century-old building that had been hit with a number of building violations.

The metal knocked off a chunk of stone from a gargoyle jutting from the churchs southeast corner, city officials said at the time, hitting Bean on the head and killing her. The lawsuit draws the same scenario as that given by the city on the day of the incident.

A day after the incident, repairs were being made to the building.

The church was built in 1874 and failed a string of inspections from 2007 to 2011 for violations that included failing to remove obstruction from building exits and failing to maintain an interior stairway system in safe condition, city records show.

The building passed inspections in 2012 and 2013, records show.

Johnsons lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Lawsuit filed by boyfriend of woman killed by falling stone from church

In 2009, archaeologists working in the heart of Berlin excavated the foundations of what is thought to be one of the city's first churches, St. Peter's Church, built in the early 12th century, in what is now the Petriplatz area.

The church was destroyed during WW II and in its aftermath. The site where the once-grand Romanesque building stood is now little more than a wastelandbut that is set to change.

Due to the religious significance of the site, city planners asked local Protestants if they would like to be involved in the sites redevelopment. But representatives of the Protestant community thought that another church was not necessarily the way to go.

It became clear that we didn't want to build another church, said Anna Poeschel, member of the local Protestant community. We have two big churches in our parish already, the Jewish population has exploded in the last 20 years, and the Muslims in the city need a mosque.

What emerged instead was the the House of Onean idea for a new building hosting a church, a mosque, and a synagogueall under the same roof. If all goes according to plan construction will begin next year and the doors will open in 2018.

Pastor Gregor Hohberg first put forward the idea of multifaith building, and Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin and Imam Kadir Sanci have now joined him in the project.

Each religion will have its own practice space, all equally sized but with different designs. There will also be a central room connecting the prayer rooms and providing an area where Christians, Muslims, and Jews can all meet, along with those of other faiths.

We can see all over the world that faith can divide people, said Markus Drge, a Protestant bishop in Berlin. We want to show that faith doesn't divide Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but instead reconciles them.

In 2012, local architect Wilfried Kuehn won a competition to design the building. To raise money for construction a crowdfunding campaign is under way, with a target of $58.6 million. So far donations amount to just over $47,000 from more than 600 donors. But failure to reach the project's goal will not deter planners, who say a basic version of the building could be built for $13.5 million. If planners are unable to raise that, they still plan to fund smaller projects that promote understanding between religions.

The project in Berlin is exciting and beautiful, but in no way the first to go this direction, said Paul Chaffee, editor of The Interfaith Observer. There are lots of sanctuaries serving more than one tradition. You could write a whole book on the experiments to date.

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House of One: a mosque, synagogue, and church under one roof