U.S. churches reach out with coffee and roller rinks
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SonRise Community Church had been operating without a building for nearly a decade when Pastor Jeff Arington saw the perfect property: an old restaurant on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio.
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By Sam Hodges, The Dallas Morning News  Sep. 16--The dedication of a gleaming new church building is no big deal in suburban Dallas. Downtown, though, it's almost as rare as real wine in a Baptist communion.
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At the Quail Lakes Baptist Church in Stockton, California, the parishioners at weekly prayer group meetings seek spiritual support for everything from health issues to marital problems to job losses.
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By Karen Heinselman, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa  Sep. 17--Editor's note: This is the first of two stories examining how churches balance tradition and new ideas.   CEDAR FALLS -- They come in fine suits and neatly pressed blouses.
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Religious segregation is expanding from places of worship to neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces.
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By Destin Log, Fla.  Feb. 3--One of the ways to measure the health of a community and the vitality of its residents is to look at its churches.  Churches that are new and modern and comfortable and have venues for lots of activities are good signs.
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Worshippers brought hopes for greater peace in the coming year as they flocked to Manger Square in Bethlehem and to St. Peter&#39;s in the Vatican to hear Christmas messages urging an end to violence, particularly in the Middle East.
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More than a century ago, Western missionaries began streaming into Africa looking for souls in need of salvation. Now, conservative American priests say it's their church that needs saving.
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With spirited preaching and conservative teaching, the South is giving the faith a new flavor
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By Frank E. Lockwood, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.  Dec. 16--When it severed ties with its denomination, Church of the Apostles forfeited more than its "Episcopal" label. It also gave up its buildings, its bank accounts, its furniture, even its name tags.
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By Christopher Rodkey, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.  Feb. 24--It doesn't always take a trendy location and hip baristas to produce a good cup of coffee.
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By Mike Wilder, Times-News, Burlington, N.C.  Feb. 1--Christian men often don't spend as much time with each other as they should, some pastors say.   And opportunities to meet men from other churches can be infrequent.
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MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa  - The church basement was filled with families celebrating the festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe, but everyone around the table was talking about the U.S. election.
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By Paul Sand, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.  Feb. 5--It was the intersection of religious celebration and community activism.
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Tending to your soul at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Boise, Idaho, involves recycling old cell phones and printer cartridges in the church lobby, pulling noxious weeds in the backcountry and fixing worn-out hiking trails in the mountains.
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The growth of megachurches in the United States has spawned mega revenues, leading many to find the financial light and embrace transparency to assure their congregations that their offerings are well spent.
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By JEFF BARNARD  Tending to your soul at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Boise, Idaho, involves recycling old cell phones and printer cartridges in the church lobby, pulling noxious weeds in the backcountry and fixing worn-out hiking trails in the mountains.