Category Archives: Church

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Nation’s oldest black church commemorates 225 years today with Rev. Al Sharpton…

Hello World,

“Springfield Baptist Church, located at 114 12th St., was officially organized in 1787, though its congregation is believed to date to 1773. The current building was dedicated in 1910.” Taken by The Augusta Chronicle staff

I just want to give a shout out to Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia which is celebrating its 225th anniversary today! This church, which was officially founded in 1787 according to an article written by Kelly Jasper of The Augusta Chronicle  has a rich history…Here are a few excerpts from the article…

  • The church was officially organized in 1787, though its congregation is believed to date to 1773, two years before the American Revolution. The Rev. Jesse Peters Galphin, a slave whose master allowed him to receive training as a minister, was the first pastor.
  • Morehouse got its start in the basement of Springfield as the Augusta Baptist Institute in 1867. The school quickly outgrew the church. In 1879, it moved to Atlanta as the Atlanta Baptist Institute and was subsequently renamed Morehouse College, an institution that has produced several prominent black leaders, including King.

    taken by The Augusta Chronicle staff

  • The historical marker outside the old sanctuary calls Springfield a church that “helped bridge the transition between slavery and free citizenship” and “the major landmark remaining from the early free-black community of Springfield.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network will speak at 3 p.m. today…

Below is some video from the church (also from The Augusta Chronicle)

Any thoughts?

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Pastors Rap to Invite People “Back to Church,” “Fifty Shades of Grey” replaces Bibles and other religious news…

Hello World,

I love it when churches of all sizes, cultures and denominations come together with innovative ideas to benefit the church nationwide and even worldwide! Churches all across the country are preparing for “National Back to Church Sunday,” on Sept. 16. “National Back to Church Sunday” is a community outreach program designed to invite the nation back to church! The program is supported by LifeWay Research, outreach.com, churchleaders.com and sermoncentral.com. Churches that participate receive tools and information to invite friends, family members and neighbors back to church. Also, churches are also encouraged to reach out to people who have never been to church before!

From backtochurch.com:

  • Although 83 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christians, only about 20 percent attend church on any given Sunday.
  • Studies show that 82% of unchurched people would attend if someone invited them! Yet fewer than 2% of Christians ever invite an unchurched person! National Back to Church Sunday was designed to change that.
  • Last year 7600 churches participated from 34 denominations and together gave millions of invitations to church. It’s amazing to hear the testimonies of record attendance and the number of people that came to Christ through this powerful weekend. Churches responding to a post-event survey welcomed an average of 34 new visitors and increase of 25.4 percent in attendance. Survey results also show that 96% of participating churches would take part in Back to Church Sunday again.
  • Since the initiative began in 2009, “National Back To Church Sunday” has seen increased success. Some 3,800 churches participated in 2010.
  • It’s free – You can sign up your church for free on the roster. There are optional resources available to help you plan and equip your members to invite your community.
  • “Our church almost broke the attendance record for the year and we beat Easter service. Definitely worth doing and pursuing.”–Northgate Wesleyan Church
  • “We broke all our previous attendance records with 145 people including 20-30 first time visitors. That’s an increase of 70% over our normal Sunday attendance. There were multiple commitments/renewals and several others who requested more information about the church. ‘Back to Church Sunday’ is one of the most successful outreach events we have ever hosted.”–Victory Christian Church

And I love this rap video with pastors inviting people back to church, and it’s not even corny  🙂 …It’s actually hilarious!

So if you have stopped going to church, why? And would you come if someone invited you? If you have never been to church, would you come if someone invited you?

In other religious news, seems like folk in the U.K. are losing their religion as a hotel in England is replacing the Bible with “Fifty Shades of Grey!” (Clutching my faux pearls! If you haven’t heard of the book, it’s a trilogy of erotic books that have been referred to as “mommy porn.”) I wonder what the Gideons (the organization responsible for putting Bibles in hotel rooms nationwide and even in other parts of the world) have to say about this! Read the story on msn.com.

Finally, the NAACP has developed a manual to help black church leaders speak with their congregants about HIV and AIDS, which haven’t been a topic for open discussion in the black church. According to “The Washington Post,” “African-Americans make up almost half of all new HIV infections, and blacks are less likely to get treatment and more likely to die of complications from AIDS than any other race.” Read the entire article at “The Washington Post.”

Any thoughts?

 

 

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Black Women Are More Religious than Erebody and other religious news…

Hello World,

It is so easy to get wrapped up in what is going on in our church or our city or even our state so I decided to post links to stories dealing with religion and faith all around the nation and world so that we can make sure that we really know what is going on the world around us…

First of all, according to new study conducted by The Washington Post and The Kaiser Family Foundation, black women are the most religious group in the United States…that is no surprise to me…I’m just surprised that nobody called me…lol…Some of the results of the survey are below…(The only problem I have with the survey is that it appears that only black and white people were surveyed…)

  • 74 percent of black women said that living a religious life is very important to them versus 70 percent of black men. Also, 57 percent of white women agree with that statement versus 43 percent of white men.
  • 87 percent of black women said that religion or faith in God plays a very important role in helping them get through tough times versus 79 percent of black men. 66 percent of white women and 51 percent of white men agree with that statement.

There are some other interesting findings that have nothing to do with religion and faith. For more information, take a look at the complete survey results from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Now on to other interesting news in the religion and faith biosphere….

2. I cannot believe this kind of stuff is going on in the name of Christianity…A whites-only Christian conference…From The Huffington Post – Whites-Only Christian Conference Held in Alabama By Pastor William J. Collier’s Church of God’s Chosen

3. This woman is actually selling her soul…Lord, help us…From The Christian Post – Women Sells Her Soul on eBay, Hopes to ‘Deliver Opportunity’ for Salvation

4. Retired Bishop Leontine Kelly, the first African-American female bishop in a major Christian denomination (United Methodist Church) has passed away at 92 years old. I interviewed Bishop Linda Lee of the United Methodist Church for my book. Bishop Lee is first African-American woman to be elected as a bishop in the North Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church and one of three African-American women elected in jurisdictions across the United States in July 2000. According to The Huffington Post, Bishop Kelly was quoted as saying, “”Praise God, I’m no longer the only one.” From The Huffington Post – Leontine Kelly Dead: African-American United Methodist Woman Dies at 92

5. Just in case your dog needs a blessing…Can I get a woof, woof? I know I’m lame…lol..From The Washington Post – Prayers for Pets in downtown D.C.

6. Remember the first Claire Kyle on that hilarious Damon Wayans show “My Wife and Kids?” Well, the actress Jazz Raycole, is back as a pastor’s daughter in TV Land’s “The Soul Man,” the new show with Cedric the Entertainer. And she says she worshiped her way into her new role. From The Christian Post – Jazz Raycole, ‘The Soul Man’ Actress, ‘Worshiped’ Her Way Into Latest Role

7. Apparently, women givers in churches are being ignored despite controlling more than 51 percent of personal wealth in the nation according to a new survey…(Hmmm….have they been to Atlanta? I don’t think we are being ignored here in the A…Pass that offering plate one mo gain plz…lol…) From Newswise – Many Churches Overlook Women as Donors, Despite Their Growing Control of Personal Wealth in the U.S.

Any thoughts?