The Altarpiece Museum is housed in a temple without worship built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in Gothic style. The Archbishop of Burgos decided to move the worship of the Church of San Esteban to the Church of San Nicolás in order to house the Museum of the Altarpiece.
The building that houses the Museum of the Altarpiece, Church of San Esteban, has three naves with simple ribbed vaults, features a cloister and Chapter Room. Inside are the tombs, the choir and pulpit and outside highlights the facade-tower where there is a rosette with artistic influences of the Cathedral of Burgos.
The Altarpiece Museum is located in the Church of San Esteban, Gothic temple belonging to the Archbishop of Burgos
At the Altarpiece Museum are exposed 18 altarpieces in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These altars are mainly of late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. Some of the altarpieces come from different parishes in the Diocese of Burgos, that for maintenance and protection were transferred to the Church of San Esteban, although some works here exposed also belong to the same church, as the Major Altarpiece.
The Altarpiece Museum Exhibition is divided into three naves with different themes each one, the Central Nave with the theme of “Christian Martyrdom” in addition to the central nave also exhibits two Romanesque baptismal fonts and three Gothic tombs. On the side naves, a call Nave of the Gospel and the other Nave of the Epistle we find the themes of the “mystery of Christ and Mary” respectively.
The Central Nave have exposed the altarpieces: The Altarpiece of San Esteban eighteenth century Church of San Esteban, the Altarpiece of San Juan Bautista and the Altarpiece of Santa Catalina both the sixteenth century, the Church of Carrias, the Altarpiece Santa Eulalia del XVI century church Tañabueyes, the Altarpiece of Santa Eulalia del seventeenth century, Arconada of Bureba, the Altarpiece of San Joaquin and Santa Ana Villamorón sixteenth century and the Altarpiece of San Julián seventeenth century, of Barcena de Bureba.
In the Nave of the Gospel we can see: The Altarpiece of the Virgin Immaculate eighteenth century Church of San Esteban, the Altarpiece of San Clemente sixteenth century Huidobro, the Altarpiece of San Miguel del XVI century Cortiguera, the Altarpiece of San Lorenzo sixteenth century Pesquera de Ebro, the Altarpiece of the Risen Christ Cortiguera seventeenth century and the Altarpiece of St. Martin de Villanueva del Grillo XVII century.
The visit to Altarpiece Museum can be done from November 1st to June 30th only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and from July 1 to October 31 every day except Monday that remain closed.
Price of the entrace: 2€
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More information bout the Altarpiece Museum in: museodeburgos.com
Cover image: museodeburgos.com


In response to this rise of idolatry within our society, I looked to our supposed religious leaders for answers. Now, while there are honest leaders of the faith who love the Lord and live by the tenants of his Word, there are many who worship at the altar of the love for money and power. For they have replaced their love for the word of life with our nation’s idols of greed, money, power and fame. As a result, they teach and preach messages for profit and not to build up the church. Millions of souls are lost every day. What’s more, since they are in the seat of authority, their teachings have a devastating and lasting effect upon the church. Their teachings and doctrine infect the church congregation with a virus of antagonism to the word of life which allows. This allows the evil one entrance into the lives of the people of God. Without words of life being preached on a continual and routine basis, faith is null and void. The power of the spirit of God is short-circuited. Not that our Lord has lost his power, but since there hasn’t been any messages of faith, hope and love – faith for whatever is needed in your life is no longer present. For the scriptures teach us that faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of Life (God) (Romans 10:17 KJV). So now, the church is malnourished on the true message of the gospel but is morbidly obese on faith for power, greed, and obsession. When this happens, the unknown God (who is known to those who love him) cannot move effectively in their lives.
So what, can we do? Those who are called by Lord and love him with all their hearts, souls and minds should continue to preach the good of news of the words of life the nations. We should do this first by our love for one another. Ensuring that our lives are endowed with the love of God and reflecting his love on our neighbors regardless of their ethnicity, religious affiliation, or class. This can be a daunting task, for when the body of Christ disseminates the message of faith, hope, and love to the world, we are often confronted with hostility and derision. The wise and learned men and women of this age look down upon our message and the words of living water that can save their souls. For when the message is preached, there usually is a stumbling block that is in opposition to the world’s hopes and dreams. This stumbling block usually comes in the form of Jesus Christ demanding holiness (purity of life) and a love and complete devotion to the Lord first and then to others. But I am comforted by the words of our Lord when he says, with men this may be impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26 KJV).
Time is short, heaven is too real, hell is too hot and eternity is too long for us not to share the good news with the lost. If you are a child of God stand up with your head held high and share the good news revealed by the unknown God (to the world) to others. When they see that light in your lives which is a city upon a hill they will approach you with how they can have what you have. And share the good news. When they are ready have them accept Jesus in their lives with a simple prayer found in Romans 10:8 (KJV).
Until we meet again, I pray that the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.


Welcome to the first post in my blog originating from michael-david.org. Here I will share my heart with you and hope to enrich your life with insights I have gained from over 30+ years as Prophetic Psalmist, Messianic Believer, Composer, Producer, Inventor and Lover of God. As a harpist, I see myself as a troubadour hoping to woo the Bride of Messiah to fall more deeply in love with her Heavenly Bridegroom. The themes will range from the topics of “Understanding the Mystery of Israel”, “Throne Room Worship and Intercession”, and what I like to call “Quantum Faith”. In the fall many are going back to school, but those of us who are walking with God we are in a school of life-long learning, drawing closer to the heart of the Un-created One. Perhaps, you would consider joining one of these 3 steams at the KingsBridge Study Center. Sample study guides will be posted soon so you will be able to check out the platform we are offering you.
This is time of new beginnings for my wife and I as tonight we are launching, not only our new website and “Virtual Study Hall”,


Samuel Rutherford "My Lord and Master is the Chief of ten thousand, none is comparable to Him in heaven or earth. Dear brethren, do all for Him; pray for Christ, preach for Christ, feed the flock committed to your charge for Christ, do all for Christ; beware of men-pleasing—there is too much of it amongst us."
Christmas morning breakfast cooked by my mother, enjoyed with the entire family
My Hero: My father. He is the most gracious, loving, kind, Christ-like man I have ever known. Even through the hardest trials of life, he has demonstrated to me what it means to be a man who loves Jesus Christ with all of his heart, mind, and soul and others as himself.
Favorite Soccer Player: Retired - The "Great Dane" Peter Schmeichel (retired); current - Luis Robles, goalkeeper for the NY Red Bulls and one of my closest friends and brothers in the Lord.
Favorite Band / Song: Page CXVI - Come Thou Fount
Date of Birth:
December 21, 1993
Favorite Bible Verse:
Favorite Bible Character:
"Seeking greatness for ourselves may bring temporary acclaim, but serving God results in lasting gain."
Duggars Explore Central America
My Past-Time: Traveling with the family, photography, playing piano, shopping, cooking
Favorite Family Trip: Central America Missions Trips
Future Plans: To share the gospel in our community & abroad!


Don't miss our Upcoming events:
0 DAYS TO THE EVENT
26 Sept 2020, 12:00 pm
Combined Sunday School
Join us this Saturday as we host our online combined Sunday School Service. AFM Grace Tabernacle Church (Melbourne) and AFM NSW Assembly (Sydney) kids will bless us with their praise and worship activities. Come and be blessed by our kids.
Every Thursday at 1:00pm
Cranbourne Community House
Come join AFMVICCARE as we extend a hand to the community. If you know anyone who might benefit from this programme, please contact us for more details.


S.WALES & S.WEST REGIONAL DAY
2.30 & 4.30pm
Saturday, September 17, 2016
S.WALES & S.WEST REGIONAL DAY
S.WALES & S.WEST REGIONAL DAY
2.30 & 4.30pm
Saturday, September 17, 2016
We had a lovely spell of summer weather at the end of May/early June. We trusted our Heavenly Father for good weather as the United Kingdom Men for Missions was asked to host the MFM International Cabinet Meetings. Audrey and I had spent two years in planning these meetings and on 29th May -2nd June the planning came to a climax in the Roe Park Resort, Limavady in Northern Ireland. This is only the second time in our history that the UK has hosted the MFM International Cabinet Meetings.
We had 10 people from the USA, 4 from Canada, 1 from South Africa and 10 from the UK, all coming into to the Roe Park Resort to stay during these meetings. We were all present on Sunday 29th May, and after a good night’s sleep we began our two days of meetings each morning at 8:15 am. Marlowe Janke from Canada and Dr. Bob Fetherlin (OMS President) brought us around God’s Word each morning, and then we spent time in prayer until approximately 10am when our wives left for their meetings.
On the Tuesday night, after two long days of meetings, we as an International body travelled to TBF Thompson Ministries, Garvagh to have a ‘Fellowship Evening’ with the OMS Prayer Groups in Northern Ireland. Each of us shared who we were and where we came from. Nigel Davison brought two gospel pieces in song before Dr. Bob Fetherlin brought greetings from OMS-US and shared from God’s Word.
On Wednesday 1st June, we had a day off to see the beauty of the North Coast. Our first engagement of the day was a ‘Mayor’s Reception’ at the Coleraine Civic Centre, hosted by Mayor Michelle Knight-McQuillan. Both Warren Hardig and Audrey presented the Mayor with gifts. Warren presented the Mayor with a copy of ‘Streams in the Desert’ and Audrey a Men for Missions International Belleek mug. We then travelled to ‘Royal Portrush’ Golf Course, and stopped off at a beauty spot for a picnic, prepared by our daughters, Stephanie and husband, William, along with Leanne.
We continued to the Giant’s Causeway and the ‘Dark Hedges’ before stopping off for an evening meal at the Bayview Hotel, Portballintrae.
On Thursday 2nd June, most of our friends left for homeward flights, but ten of us stayed on and travelled down to the Republic of Ireland for a Prayer Journey to visit Calvary Mission, Westport, and Grace Community Church, Roscommon before flying home on Sunday 5th June.
We as Men for Missions give God all the glory for blessed meetings with great unity, as we as laymen take up the challenge to ‘do; go; give’ whatever God has called us to do!
Robin Sloss – MFM-UK National Director
OMS MINISTRY INITIATIVE UPDATE AUGUST 2016
The “Into Every Community 4 Christ (NI)” OMS Ministry Initiative was launched on 1st August 2015. The Initiative has two main focuses:
Our OMS President, Dr Bob Fetherlin, has cast the following vision for our Mission: The: One Billion-One Opportunity Vision: We are asking God, by His power and grace, and for His glory alone, to enable OMS and our partners to give one billion people the opportunity to hear, understand, and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ over the next 10 years.
Please pray that as these gospel booklets go into homes in N Ireland that they will be read by the occupants, and by doing so will have the opportunity of hearing, understanding and believing the gospel. And as they do so, they will make the vital decision to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their own and personal Saviour.
OMS Northern Ireland are pleased to announce an exciting new venture in Portglenone Co Antrim.
Over the past ten years, Mission Possible, under the leadership of Joe and Sadie Law, ran a charity shop in Portglenone. The purpose of the charity shop was to fulfil the desire to see as many as possible of the ‘Street Children’ of Bogota, Colombia helped in their plight and given a better and sustainable life.
From 31st May 2016, the charity shop duties have been handed over to One Mission Society to allow Joe and Sadie to concentrate fully on other fundraising activities which support their projects in Colombia. All of the projects that Mission Possible support in Colombia are One Mission Society related.
The ‘OMS Portglenone Charity Shop’ provides opportunities for local Christians to be ‘salt and light’ at home and to continue to provide support for the Mission Possible work in Colombia, as well several other OMS projects in Haiti and Ireland.
There is a current need for volunteers to help out in various roles in the shop. These include:
SORTERS OF PRODUCTS IN THE STORE ROOM
OTHER VARIED ROLES
If you could spare a few hours each week to help at the shop please contact:
Helen Arrell (Shop Manager), Tel No: 028 25821619 or Mob No: 07787421335 or why not drop into the shop at 44 Main Street Portglenone
We also welcome all relevant products/donations for the shop, including bricabrac, jewellery, and household furniture. We have a collection service for large items.
Pray for those preparing to serve overseas this Summer:
Ukraine English Camp – Camp 1 (July 10-31) & Camp 2 (July 31-August 13)
Camp 2 – David & Nastya from Ballyclare, N.Ireland
South Korea English Camp, plus refugee ministry (July 12-August 8)
Scott from Belfast N.Ireland
Hungary English Camp (July 20-August)
Scott Moore, Minister of Dervock Presbyterian Church (Leader)
Rebecca (Belfast) Lorna (Port Stewart) and Robert from Lisburn, N.Ireland
Gilbert from Bainbridge, N.Ireland and Clare from West Lothian, Scotland
Haiti Team (12-23 August)
Dean from Ballygawley (Leader), Bethany (Ballygawley), Phoebe (Newtonards) & Lewis (Bangor) N.Ireland
and for those on individual placements:
Hannah and Ross, both from University of Bath, serving in Ecuador from early August
Dan & Sharon from Chippenham, serving in Haiti in September
A Men for Missions/OMS 17 mile sponsored walk from Crickhowell to Brecon, along the canal, took place on Saturday, June 18.
Clive Beven, Men for Missions, West Gwent and Chris Palmer, OMS Wales & West, completed the walk to raise funds for a new library computer for an OMS Bible college in the South Pacific; this is in a country where Christianity is a minority faith, with little financial support for OMS colleges.
If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please send donations to OMS HQ in Manchester for `Wales Sponsored Walk’. Donations can also be made on our website at https://www.give.net/omsinternational
Dervock Presbyterian Church is a community of God’s people on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. So, why do we support the ministry efforts of One Mission Society in Hungary and the establishment of their ministry centre?
OMS Hungary seeks to be an early church example
Our church in Ireland seeks, with God’s help, to be a “well” church. Our vision is based on Acts 2:42-47. We seek to be worshipping, evangelizing, learning, and loving. These are all expressions of faith that will be lived out and practiced in this new ministry centre in Hungary. Acts 2 is very clear—the church is to be a community of God’s people. This new vison is about being and building community. How did God bless the community of Acts? “He added to their number those who were being saved.” This is also the goal and vision of OMS Hungary.
OMS Hungary is dependent on churches (like Dervock Presbyterian)
We as the church must help causes like this because organizations like OMS need the help of Christians around the world. Maybe there are some reading this that are not in a position to give, but the field also needs and covets our prayers. I am thankful that this activity is partnership in the Gospel. Not only do I hope the project will be completed, and the people will hear of God’s salvation, but I hope that my own congregation will be spurred on in their missionary interest; we are dependent on this type of project because it keeps congregations like ours fixed on the bigger picture of mission around the world and keeps our eyes fixed on the Lamb by praying more, especially for this cause.
OMS Hungary works on the behalf of churches (like Dervock Presbyterian)
We as a church give thanks to God for this type of initiative. Many in our congregation are rural farmers with major commitments to their livestock, livelihoods, and families. They know they cannot drop everything and go, yet, we are grateful for the team working in Hungary, essentially on our behalf. We cannot go, but it is our responsibility to support those who have been called and given up much to see God’s Kingdom extended. Paul said that God would put the fruit of his own ministry to the account of the church in Philippi. We want to be as involved in Hungary’s vision as the church in Philippi was in Paul’s vision.
OMS Hungary is sharing the Gospel with people
As an evangelical church, we desire above all else that Jesus Christ be known across the world. One individual can only do so much to spread the Gospel in the world. Yet, through church mission involvement, we are privileged to gather our resources out of our abundance to help fund the spread of the Gospel throughout the world, in particular, Hungary. God wants the world to know about Christ. He has chosen us as individuals and as churches to share that Gospel with others.
We (Dervock Presbyterian) are commanded by Almighty God to help
Before returning to glory, our Lord Jesus gave the church an emphatic command. We are to go into the entire world with the Gospel! As a church, we have sent members of this congregation to Hungary to participate in short-term missions. We also can pray, which we do often in our midweek services and prayer meetings; but what is most needed by the field right now is our financial support… so we give. Paul says to the church in Corinth, and perhaps he’s saying to you, today “See that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
Welcome to the new OMS website. Firstly, I want to ask that, as you browse you would tell us your thoughts. Is there more required; is there something missing; is there something else you would want to see? A lot of thought and hard work has gone into this within the office. It has been designed to reflect more fully OMS in a modern light, and in particular that our inclusion of online giving will benefit us directly.
The use of modern tools, such as the internet for Christian organisations is nothing new, though sometimes it is hard to keep up with the changes in technology. We have included website links to our missionaries’ work, an insight into OMS in general, and importantly our opportunities. I want to draw your attention to those we have for people to serve short and long-term. Several of these allow you to use your gifts from the comfort of your own home and with the support of family, friends and church. We seek Regional Directors to take meetings, share the Gospel and recruit future missionaries, as well as preaching and interacting with churches in their own locality. Finance personnel are also required in the office, but this role is not available for home working. Succession planning is something we, as an organisation, are aiming for.
Enjoy our website, and prayerfully seek God’s guidance as you open each page, that He would guide your searching and bless you in Christian service.
Walter McCorkell – Executive Director
Thank you for all your support and generosity towards our work. As a Charity, we want to be responsive to change and to grasp every assistance God places in our path. One of these that we are actively seizing, is a change in the way we distribute our material. We want to be not only responsive, but responsible to God for His provision, care and kindness. Our aim is to try and move more of our communications to electronic means, rather than paper, to help the environment and our finances, and importantly to get the Gospel and our message to more people, more quickly.
Each email contains the `at’ sign, @. If you can imagine this is like a postage stamp, because each email that we send out saves the Mission at least 50 pence. It means that we can get information, questions, and the Gospel out virtually immediately rather than through the postal system. In turn, the information can be shared more easily by forwarding to friends and family.
You may already have contacted us, but especially this Christmas consider the `at’ sign @ as a special gift to OMS and let us know if you can, and would, prefer to receive our prayer letters/literature by email rather than by post. This gift will particularly benefit our missionaries and our work for the Kingdom.
Thank you for your assistance and participation, and may you all have a blessed, peaceful and Spirit-filled time @ Christmas.
To change from snail mail to email please contact firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com
Glenada Conference Centre, Newcastle, Co. Down BT33 0EX
You are invited to join with us at our OMS Northern Ireland Conference 2016, for a weekend of ministry, missionary reports, worship, prayer and fellowship. Alongside reports from our missionaries serving in various countries throughout the world, we are looking forward to the ministry of Trevor Matthews (Faith Mission).
Come along and be informed, challenged and changed in the area of mission God has called you to, as you hear updates from our missionary family and the ministry of God’s Word.
It is my desire as we leave the conference, that we will do so challenged to fulfil the vision of One Mission Society “To Give Everyone One Opportunity to Hear, Understand and Embrace the Gospel” through Prayer, Giving or Going.
Donald Coulter (Northern Ireland Regional Director)
For a booking form, please contact <firstname.lastname@example.org>


CLRC organized a one day “Preaching” seminar on 8/23/2014 at CCMC (Chinese Christian Mission Church, Durham) from 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM. There are 25 brothers/sisters from the Triangle, Greensboro and Greenville areas attending the seminar. The speaker was Pastor/Dr. John Hsu who had ample pastoral experiences in pulpit ministries. Pastor Hsu emphasized that besides the preaching “skills” which one learns from preaching courses/classes, one must strive to pursue spiritual growth in his life in parallel to what he preaches.
Lecture 1 and 2, Speaker: John Hsu
Sharing Introduction, Speaker: John Hsu
Sharing by 盧家超 黃力夫 陳學東 葉季港
Sharing Slides 1 (Tennyson Chen)
Sharing Slides 2 (Elder Yeh)


3rd Mystery: The Nativity - His Holiness Pope John Paul II / Fr. Colm Kilcoyne - The Rosary
Label: Pure Music - PMCD7009,Pure Music - PMCD 7009 • Format: 2x, CD • Country: UK & Ireland • Genre: Non-Music • Style: Religious
Post a Comment Please be respectful in your comments. Thank you. Sunday, January 11, St. Holy Father's homily given on October 29, at the conclusion of the world Synod of Bishops on the consecrated life in the Church.
There have been weeks of intense work during which consecrated life and its mission have been at the center of reflection and Roadrunner (Once) - Jonathan Richman - An Introspective by the church. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" Ps. The readings proclaimed now contain many lights able to make clear the singular state of ecclesial life which is consecrated life. The responsorial psalm remembers the liturgy of baptism with the blessing of the holy water during the great paschal vigil of Holy Saturday.
Baptism is the first and fundamental consecration of the human person. It is he himself—the Son—who incites in man's soul the desire to give oneself without reservation to God: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? Religious consecration, with its distinct eschatological dimension, is inserted on baptismal consecration. No one has ever seen God cf. Lucerito Alba - Los Amadores* - 16 Latin American Favorites is however the beatific vision, that is, the seeing of the visage of God "face to face" 1 Cor.
Consecrated persons have the duty of reminding everyone of this. Faith prepares us for this beatific vision, in which God gives himself to man with the measure of love with which this last one answered to the eternal love, revealed in the incarnation and in the cross of Christ. Benedict proclaims in his rules. Vincent de Paul will say 1, years later. What marvelous strength these words contain! Could one String Quartet No.
12 In F Major, Op. 96 American - Dvořák*, Smetana Quartet - String Quartet No. about culture and European civilization without them? And the great missionary epics of the first and the second millennium, could they be imagined without them? And what to say about monasticism of the Eastern Christian, whose beginnings go back to the first centuries of Christianity? Thus, those who in following the poor, chaste and obedient Christ had abandoned the world, at the same time transformed it.
In them was achieved the invocation: "Send forth thy Spirit and renew the face of the earth" cf. The Holy Spirit knows the "times and the moments" in which one must call upon persons suited for the duties required by the historical circumstances.
At that time, he called upon Benedict and his sister Scholastica. Catherine of Siena. From the public squares the Gospel 3rd Mystery: The Nativity - His Holiness Pope John Paul II / Fr. Colm Kilcoyne - The Rosary the university chairs.
With them, a deep spiritual reform was achieved, and the missionary epic in the East and in the West began. During the centuries closest to us the Spirit, which renews the face of the earth, called upon others such as John Baptist de La Salle, Paul of the Cross, Alphonse Maria Liguori and John Bosco, to only mention but a few of the most noteworthy ones.
At the end of the last century and during the present, the same Spirit of the Father and of the Son spoke through Teresa of the Infant Jesus, through Maximilian Kolbe and through Sister Faustina. What would the world be, ancient and modern, without these figures—and those of many others?
They learned from Christ that "his yoke is easy and his burden is light" cf. We conclude this synodal assembly almost on the eve of the solemnity of All Saints. The Book of the Apocalypse mentions this immense multitude, coming from every nation, people and tongue, standing before the heavenly throne and before the Lamb of God 3rd Mystery: The Nativity - His Holiness Pope John Paul II / Fr. Colm Kilcoyne - The Rosary. The significant question follows: "Who are these clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?
From where do they come? The canonizations and the beatifications proclaimed through the centuries give witness of this. The beatifications, which during this month have almost accompanied the synodal way, give particular witness of this. Today, the last Saturday of October, we offer up to you, Mary, mother and virgin, humble handmaiden of the Lord and queen of all the saints, the fruits of the work of the synod.
We entrust them to you, queen of the holy rosary, queen of this beautiful prayer which has sustained us day by day during the entire month. Make it possible that these fruits, through a singular exchange of gifts, may be useful also to the cause of the family, complying with the design of divine providence, which desired the celebration of this symbol on consecrated life during the Year of the Family.
They praise you, Lord, the consecrated persons. They praise you, the Christian families of the entire world. She praises you, the church, for the gift of the synod.
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Undeniable - The Feeling - Together We Were Made, Take My Advice (Listen Up Mix) - Various - Disc Drive Version 1.2, Wife And Sweetheart - Various - A Dee-Jay Explosion Inna Dance Hall Style, Dream A LIttle Dream Of Me - Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World, I Know U - Kid Lib X Phineus II - Mystery In Space (File, Album)


A Mission-shaped Church for Older People?
How often do you hear the phrase “emerging church” mentioned in the same sentence as “older people”? Not often.
We’ve been thinking about emerging church for the children, teenagers, young adults and young families and understandably so because as they are increasingly absent from our churches. But is church attendance of the older people age group really as healthy as we might think? Is it keeping up with the massive population growth of older people in general?
The mounting challenge for the wider church is to respond to the diversity of people now described as “older”. We need to think beyond “one size fits all” in terms of church for:
- The younger old (mid-fifties to mid-sixties)
- The third age (mid-sixties to mid-seventies)
- The active frail (mid-seventies to mid-eighties)
- The inactive frail (mid-eighties upwards)
Today’s younger-old were the movers and shakers of the 1960s and unlike the generations before them have kept rocking. They tend to be active, independent, adventurous and non-passive receptors of change. A question we often ask is: what would Mick Jagger want to belong to?
For those at the older end of the senior spectrum, we should not assume they are passive receivers but people with gifts, wisdom and skills to share with others. They are our most precious resource in reaching out to older people outside our churches. Once again, different ways of being church will need to be thought through as the average Sunday morning service can be very problematic. Despite a desire on everyone’s part to be inclusive, elderly people can still feel as marginalised as young people.
There are many keen thinkers, salaried posts, books, blogs, websites and other resources to support mission and the growth of emerging churches for younger generations. But these issues need to be thought through for older people too.
A Mission-shaped Church for Older People?, jointly published by Church Army and the Leveson Centre for the Study of Ageing, Spirituality and Social Policy, makes a valuable response to this issue. It contains training sessions to raise awareness of the needs and value of older people, practical suggestions for effective mission to this age group and reflects on a number of case studies that have led to the establishing of new churches.
Written by Michael Collyer, Claire Dalpra, Alison Johnson and James Woodward, the publication costs only £10.00 including postage and packing. Orders enclosing a cheque payable to The Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson should be sent to the address below. Alternatively copies can be ordered on line using a credit card on the Leveson Centre website: www.levesoncentre.org.uk


One New EVERYTHING!
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of your Creator, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Yeshua our Messiah to do good works, which God prepared for us from the beginning that we should walk in them.
Therefore remember that those who were once Gentiles, called unacceptable by the accepted (a work of human hands), remember that you were separated from Messiah, strangers to His people Israel, rejecting the Covenant of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Yeshua you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah.
Berean Study Bible


The Church of Christ
located at 2600 Lawrence Street
in Dallas, Texas
is believed to be one of the oldest predominately African American Church of Christ in the Metroplex.
The congregation was started in 1928. This was
approximately 4-years after the congregation that became known as the Cedar
Crest Church of Christ was
In 1924, Evangelist K.C. Thomas came to Dallas from Oklahoma
to help revive the congregation that had been established under the leadership
of the Van Buren Church of Christ. The church, now known
as the Cedar Crest Church of Christ, rapidly grew in the
Oak Cliff section of Dallas.
Brother Thomas and the leaders of Cedar Crest decided to establish a
congregation in the North Dallas area of the
city and asked members who lived in the area to assist them in this effort. In
1928, housing patterns in Dallas
were different from present time. South Dallas was primarily a White area with
Jewish-merchant class residents residing near the Fair Park
area on South Boulevard
and nearby streets. African Americans
lived in neighborhoods just north of downtown primarily in the Thomas, Hall,
and State areas.
In 1928, the North
Dallas Church of Christ was organized
and met at 3812 ½ Thomas Avenue
until about 1941 when the government began purchasing property in the area to
construct project homes. Brother Phillip Thomas and P. Thomas Brown served as
ministers of the new North Dallas church.
Also, K.C. Thomas served as minister of the congregation. Evangelist Robert
Crawford served as minister for a short period of time.
Under the leadership of Evangelist H.H. Gray the
church purchased property at 2443
Macon Street in South Dallas.
The church, within a 2-year period, moved to a “V” shaped lot at 2600 Lawrence Street.
A small house was placed on the lot in 1941.
In 1944, Roy Winston, an African American
contractor and preacher from Oklahoma City
constructed the original Lawrence and Marder Church
building. The church was renovated to include classrooms and kitchen facilities
in 1957. Contractor Frank Carter constructed the original annex (educational
wing) for approximately $600.00.
A new auditorium was built under the ministry of
Evangelist Grover C. Washington. The auditorium, constructed by the Reynolds
Construction Company, was financed via a bond issue. The Lawrence & Marder
Congregation was one of the first African American congregations in Dallas to finance a
building project via bonds. The auditorium was completed in 1959.
In 1974, Brother Washington, the elders and many of
the members decided to relocate to Marsalis
Avenue in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. This new
congregation became known as the Marsalis Avenue Church
However, the congregation at Lawrence & Marder
continued to proclaim the Gospel of Christ from its South Dallas location due
to the efforts of Christians including Leo Winn, Edna Baccus, Percy Johnson,
Emmitt Taylor, LeRoy McMath, Haywood Finell and many others who believed that it
was necessary not to abandon such an important work in South Dallas.
After years of struggling financially and loans
from Leo Winn, in 1994 LMCC retired a $60,000 obligation from
Church Loans & Investment Company of Amarillo, Texas giving it clear title
to all church properties near and about 2600 Lawrence Street. The church
acquired additional property in the area for future use.
Since 1928, many gospel ministers have served at
the historic South Dallas church including:
J.S. Winston, Leon Ivory, Ulysses Turner, James Maxwell, Grover C. Washington,
H.H. Gray, Roy Jackson and Carl Haley. Evangelist Jesse Jackson served as minister from April 1988 to
June 1991. On June 8, 1991, Robert E. Coleman of Benbrook, Texas
was selected minister of the congregation. Brother Coleman initiated many
programs during his ministry including a feeding program, back-to-school
supplies/clothing give-away, and a building program. Current Lawrence &
Marder facilities are the results of work initiated by Brother Coleman. Robert Coleman passed away on July 21, 1998.
In 2003, the church completed a $600,000 renovation of its educational wing and
In August of 1998, Church Trustees and Brothers at
LMCC initiated a search to replace Brother Coleman. On February 21, 1999,
Grover C. Washington returned to LMCC as interim minister. Brother Washington Passed away
on July 5, 2004.
On February 9, 2002, Willie Tucker was selected to
replace Robert Coleman as minister of LMCC. On April 30, 2011 Brother Tucker
retired and Brother Cephas Northcutt was selected interim minister commencing
with the first Sunday in May, 2011.
On February 5, 2012, Shelton Gibbs IV was selected minister of the
Lawrence & Marder Congregation. Brother Northcutt assumed duties as senior
minister to assist Gibbs.
The Lawrence and Marder
Street Church of Christ, since 1928, has
contributed to the spread of the Gospel of Christ by training and supplying
ministers, teachers, leaders and workers that have established congregations
By Bro Joe
The mission of the Lawrence and Marder
congregation is to teach the Gospel of Christ and train future teachers,
ministers and evangelists. Additionally,
the church must fulfill its commission given to it by Jesus Christ and be a
positive factor in the lives of residents in the greater South
The church will execute it mission and
assume a greater community service role in outh Dallas
by providing certain social, educational, community developmental, youth and
employment related programs to residents.
According to City of Dallas
census/demographics data there are 24,000 residents in the outh
Dallas area. The area is
bounded by the Oakland Street
bridge to the North, the Texas State Fair Park area to the East, Rochester Park and the Trinity
River to the South.
To meet the needs of
Dallas residents the LMCC Family will implement the following
expansion of its Saturday feeding program initiated in 1997
initiation of a family and substance counseling program.
initiation of a job connection telephone hotline listing employment and career
church will sponsor career awareness seminars for teenagers and young adults.
church will sponsor a Back-to-School clothing and study supplies program.
church will initiate a building fund program to upgrade meeting, classroom and
church will host effective parenting seminars for interested residents.
church will sponsor seminars on youth violence and gangs involvement.
church will sponsor weekly tutorials for area students.
at the Lawrence and Marder Church of Christ plead for all to live by
the religious practices and teachings of the New Testament. It is our
desire to restore in the 21st century the original Christian church
of the 1st century. It is our prayer that you may understand and obey
the will of God so that you can spend eternity in Heaven. We
acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lod and Sarvior.
New Testament is our only rule of faith and practice. You cannot
enter Heaven unless you do God's will (Matthew 7:21). If you love the
Lord you will keep His commandments (John 14:15). Jesus is the source
of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9). We must obey
from the heart the form (pattern) of doctrine which the Bible
delivers (Romans 6:17).
Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died for sin, was buried and
raised, never to die again (I Corinthians 15:1-4). We obey that
pattern when we put to death our sinful ways and are buried in water,
raised to walk a new life (Romans 6:4).
church is located near
and Malcolm X Blvd at 2600
and Marder is a
gathering of believers in
South Dallas celebrating
Jesus' life &
What We Believe
access our Online Meeting Center for a scheduled
class, click on the link below.
login to our Membership Database to access info
about our church, click below.
access our Resource Center to learn about the
Church that Christ Built, click below.
submit a prayer request to our church for us to
pray, click on
the link below.


A Passion play commemorating the story of Jesus' suffering is brought to life only in a very few places in Europe. To our knowledge, it is played annually only in Magyarpolány, where this play has been running for 30 years. 150 out of the 1 200 inhabitants of the Europa Nostra award-winner settlement participate in this performance every year.
In 2023, for the first time, the center of the story is not the suffering, but the resurrection of Jesus, based on the Gospel of John. It is not by chance that this gospel is also called the gospel of good news or the gospel of love. Therefore, this story is not the story of the crucified Jesus, but the story of Jesus revealing himself. The body posture of the crucified and revealed Jesus is almost the same, only the position of the head is different. The Gospel of John, as a gospel of love, prompts active action, while as a story of suffering, it prompts passivity. Hence, Jesus did not come to Earth and testify about the Truth that resides with the Heavenly Father, in order to take our sins upon himself by dying on the cross. In the Gospel, Jesus himself says that he has come to set an example so that our actions would follow in his lead. It is not myself or my own truth that is important, but my fellow man, for whom I act according to the universal truth, the order of Creation.
As a doctor of literature, the writer-director is the author of numerous studies and books, primarily in the field of theater studies. Editor of theater yearbooks, founder, editor and publisher of contemporary performing arts magazines. His masterpiece is entitled The Joy of Being, with an ontology of performing art, including a hermeneutic approach. Since 1987, he has been teaching at Hungarian and foreign universities as a lecturer or guest lecturer.
He began his performing arts work at the Szeged University Stage in 1980. Later, he founded a student association at the Jászberény College and developed and implemented the pedagogical program of teacher training based on theater art until 1996. In the beginning, under the name Theatre Pont (Point), performances are presented mainly in Budapest until 2014, of which he is the leader, one of the actors and directors. In 2009, he founded an inclusive theater called the MaloM Program (Mill Program), whose performances are now presented in the small villages of the Bakony-Balaton region and Ormánság, one of the southern regions of the country. Presenting 60-65 different performances every year, it is still the only rural theater in Hungary that operates all year round. The seat of the MaloM Program is Magyarpolány, where the residents of the settlement have presented their outdoor Passion play every year for 30 years.


Do you feel that you may be called to a life of loving service for others, dedicated solely to the Lord?
There are many things to consider when thinking about becoming a Sister. The first thing is to look inward and ask yourself some important questions:
– Do you feel a nudging to give more of yourself for others?
– Does your heart long to alleviate suffering?
– Do you want to share your talents to help the poor and all God’s people?
– Do you find that a career isn’t enough of a motive for your life? Do you want more?
– Does the idea of becoming a Sister keep coming back to you?
– Does your relationship with God sustain you, enliven you and invigorate you in a way that makes you want to share God’s love with others both inside and outside the community?
– Do you find yourself asking God for help?
– Do you have a sneaking suspicion that you are on the brink of a major life decision?
Are you still unsure about your role and your future? Take this Self Quiz.
The next step is to e-mail or talk with a Sister. A Sister can help you talk through these thoughts and your questions and concerns about being called to a religious life. Sister Lucille Flores is our Director of Vocation Ministry and she would be happy to chat with you. You can e-mail her at firstname.lastname@example.org or call her at 414-640-1771.
~~~Read Reflections on What Drew Women to God Here~~~
What Attracts You to Religious Life?
We have collected some thoughts and reflections on what attracts women to consecrated life. Most were collected through our personal interaction with inquirers; some of the below responses were collected from surveys we received from VISION magazine (vocationnetwork.org). Enjoy their reflections here:
SSM Postulant Roxanne: What influenced her desire to seek religious life were “the many documentaries on the poor and suffering of the world, especially in Africa among children.” She “has also been inspired by the works of the Saints, especially Mother Teresa of Calcutta.” She wants to become a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother because that “could allow me the opportunity to care/help for the poor and vulnerable and to make a difference in the lives of many.”
SSM Postulant Rachel: What attracts Rachel to religious life is “St. Francis of Assisi: his joy, especially in relationship with creation; his easy-going attitude, his playfulness, his giving of himself totally to God.” What attracts her to the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, with whom she has associated for the past 13 years, is “their way of life, their ministries, and I, too, want to be a part of that. Furthermore, in my heart, I believe that I am Franciscan and so I want to serve while following in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare.”
SSM Postulant Jennifer: Jennifer is attracted to religious life because “I feel called to give myself in the service of others and to courageously live this in a faith community that nurtures and enables me to be faithful to that vocation.” She wants to become a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother because “I believe I am called to a Franciscan spirituality. The SSM sisters,” whom she has known for 20 years, “have taught me a great deal about the sacredness of the ordinary life and the joy of a truly integrated spirituality. I feel I can serve the poor and develop my desire to write about the faith life as an SSM sister.”
“I am attracted to religious life because I have a servant’s heart and want to spend all my time in prayer, serving God, and serving others.”
“Simplicity, prayer life, service to humanity, the silence of the convent.”
“I feel a stronger desire daily to be close to God in a more intimate way, and to help people through prayer and works. I think I would enjoy living in a community, I like company but also quiet time. Ultimately, I feel a call from God.”
“I want to be loved completely and perfectly and I know I can find that only in God. I want to learn to love perfectly and completely and I know I cannot do that without God’s help. I feel called to make radical choices to love and be loved that way and I think religious life might be the answer to that desire. I also have this fear that I am weak to the powers of this world – fame, money, status, security and I want to strip away those things that provide false comfort, false joy. I want true joy, true and eternal comfort. I think I might be able to find that better spending every day focused intently on loving Jesus Christ. Also, I am honestly just so curious about the beauty of religious life- it’s idea that’s crazy to me, but just won’t go away so I think it deserves serious thought and consideration.”
“I am attracted to religious life because it is ordered by prayer, attempted…community, and focused on imitating Christ’s example of poverty, chastity and obedience. These 3 things make absolutely no sense to the world…They are simultaneously fascinating and repulsive to outsiders because they are so strange! And because they are a wellspring of love.”
“The idea of giving my whole self to God and having everyday built around my faith is beautiful. I feel sometimes as if…religious life might be the only way to satisfy my thirst for Christ. Also, I love the idea of living with others who understand the depth of my faith and seek to live it out daily. I wish to additionally serve others and work as Christ’s hands.”
“Serving God and his people with the fellowship of others.”
From an aspiring doctor: “First of all, I do not think the married life would suit the vocation I had in mind. Being a doctor and a mother is not what I would consider the best for my children or husband. As I considered this, the religious and single life became more and more attractive. I have always admired the sisters that I see as well as priests and religious. They always felt like living saints to me. I would love to be that inspiration to someone else.”
“…I desire an intense life of prayer, a life of service, a divesting of myself and a giving to others and to God…as completely as I am humanly able to do.”
“Seeing what Mother Teresa accomplished.”
“I possess a strong desire to live a simple life of serving others. I do not mind periods of solitude and am quite happy to spend the day in quiet contemplation. I am happiest when caring for others and am not content living a life that is primarily self-serving. I do not have a spouse or significant other and no children, yet I never feel alone and consider all around me to be family. I believe everything happens for a reason, although that reason is not always meant to be known.”
“I want God’s will to inform and define my will…I want to share God’s love with people. I think it would be difficult to be a religious if I were merely seeking God’s love for myself. That’s not how it works.”
A 22-year-old says: “There is a joy and passion towards loving Christ and serving others in different capacities. I love seeing the solidarity alongside community. It’s wonderful.”
A 20-year-old says: “…two things: the joy that these Sisters I met absolutely completely and totally radiate and the vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience. I was just really drawn to the spirit of these Sisters I met. As for the vows: I like the idea of giving up the worries of the world (the security of my worldly possessions, are my clothes in style, etc.) in taking on the vow of “poverty.” In taking on such a vow of “poverty” it just sounds like a wonderful challenge to disconnect from materialism to embrace more of what truly matters in life: standing in solidarity with the least of our brothers and sisters and in doing so stretching and growing in our capacity to love. “Chastity,” on the other hand, is something I have been especially growing in my understanding of recently. The fact that we are all called to chastity in all vocations is something I don’t think I knew about growing up. But the more I learn, the more beauty I find….[T]he thought of becoming a Sister is one of those things that, even when I’m thinking about others things, keeps popping up in the back of my mind. If the idea didn’t bring to mind so many happy thoughts, I would find it annoying….Back to the vows: I also think “obedience” helps us grow in humility and challenges us to rely on Him. It might be difficult at times, but like I said, it’s but a challenge to stretch ourselves to become our best.”
“Actually I have felt drawn to religious life for about 4 years. But it was just this past month that I knew for sure that He wants me to be His bride!”
“At many times through my life I thought about it, but really sort of ignored it because I wasn’t really fully aware of what God was trying to show me at the time. At one point last year I was in a class to learn about the new Mass parts when someone was sharing a story of something, when all of a sudden I heard and felt strongly in my heart, “You are going to be a sister” and all I wanted to do was cry. I had never felt such a rush of emotions before; it was beautiful and unexpected and scary all at once.”
“All the time. But I also feel my education will help me help others in the best ways. I graduate in 2014. I volunteer at the hospital, and through my church I volunteer at the food kitchen. I tutor children in reading.”
“The deep peace and joy that I experience whenever I serve in the church and community in the parish where I belong.”
“I feel drawn towards a commitment to Christ, to put it simply, albeit maybe oddly, my heart isn’t at peace without His presence. I love the Lord, I love people…”
“Because I have never in my life experienced real pure love and peace within myself and because I have always had this need in my heart to do more work for those who need the Lord like I did before and I want them to experience his love just like I do now.”
“I know it is a good life but also a hard life. I feel there is more to life than getting married and raising a family. I want to serve God fully and let people see my love for Him.”
“The ability to serve others, love, and take the vows. The union/being close to God.”
A teen: “You get to spend lots of time with Jesus in prayer. Since sisters are married to Christ, I think I would have a more intimate relationship because I would be married to God. I really like the completeness and total self-gift to God. The saints say that religious life is the surest way to heaven.”
A 21-year-old: “God’s love is the most powerful, attractive force in the whole world. I’m so drawn to the mystery of the Lord and the holiness of His ways, I want nothing more than to know Him and to make Him known to others. For there is nothing greater than that blessed assurance we gain from a life in Christ. I want to be a humble servant of the Lord and a help to His children on Earth.”
A 24-year-old: “I am attracted to the discipline of prayer and life style. I like the idea of fidelity lived out in celibacy for God. I like the idea of abandoning the desires of the world and abandoning the pressures of what our society inflicts upon us.”
A 25-year old: “Whenever I see a sister, my heart is eager. I’m interested in a sister’s praying, serving and devoted life. Being a sister is my deep dream and belonging to God is my thirst.”
A 29-year-old: “The closeness to God and allowing him to be my number one priority. To focus solely on him and his purpose in my life. To live within a community where we help point each other to become closer to and more like God desires us to be each day. To be in ministry that will lead others to a personal relationship with God through religious education, personal example, and providing hope.”
A 38-year old: “To serve and do work for Our Lord.”
A 45-year old: “Because of God…spirtuality has been important to me. I feel like I’ve wasted all the years before now when I was not invested in the church. I’ve missed my true calling but mostly because of a lack of support or information on where to go. I love religion.”
A 55-year-old: “I am most content when in prayer or doing religious reading, or sharing in a group Bible Study, talking about the goodness of God, exploring the mysteries of the faith, immersed in His presence before the Holy Eucharist, singing/chanting/proclaiming his goodness. Over the past two years I have felt work and the pull of career and the usual concerns of daily life fading more and more into the background, as my only joy and consolation comes from the Lord. All other attachments are falling away. My desire and focus is on serving Him. It has become all consuming, burning desire within, crowding out the din of the world around me….”
A 53-year-old: “I trust the Catholic Church. I believe it is the only Church given to us by God through St. Peter. I like the fact that we are one, that we pray for the forgiveness of sins and pray for our dear Holy Mother and all the Saints. But the greatest lesson taught by the Church is to act like Christ to the best of your ability and when you fall short, confess and pray for God’s Grace. The Catholic Church has too many virtues to put down in this small space. I love everything about the Church.”
“I feel that God is calling me to religious life to serve Him more fully than I am able to do in secular life. I am attracted to the religious life, in living in a community that comes together in prayer many times a day. In living in community, I would be living with like-minded women, all who want to serve God in wanting His will to be done.”
A 57-year-old: “It’s rewarding—my idea of enjoyable. I can help someone and feel like I accomplished something (even if it’s making them feel better before they die). I can keep busy. I don’t have to worry about the financial aspect of the job. I can pray without criticism….”
A 64-year-old: “I have always been attracted to the religious life, but felt that what I was doing for God was enough. I kept ignoring my calling, and now I can not ignore the Lord’s voice any longer. I am so sorry that I am saying yes to God at this later time of my life. I do hope that what people are saying that the 60’s are the new 40’s so God will allow me to serve Him for the rest of my life.”
~~~Still Uncertain About Your Call?~~~
A letter from Sister Dorothy Ann to women discerning their call…
Being uncertain about your vocation, not sure whether you are called to religious or married life or the single life, is normal. Knowing which direction to take cannot be forced. What God wants of us is revealed in the nitty gritty of the choices we make. So, let’s say that you continue dating and as a result of those experiences, it becomes clear to you that you are or are not called to marriage; if you conclude that you are not called to marriage, you might then feel freer to focus most of your attention on seriously looking at the other vocations in life.
Living in the tension of not knowing is important. I suggest that, in prayer, you share your tension, all the feelings and thoughts that are going on within you, with the Lord as you consider all vocations. You could do that by journaling, writing the Lord letters in which you express these inner stirrings, the confusion, the questions, etc., you have about marriage, the single life and/or religious life. Eventually a clear picture will emerge in God’s time and place, not ours.
Do not rush the process or force clarity. Live in the mystery. Go about life, living it fully and intentionally, meaningfully and calmly as a student, if you are a student; as a participant in service and/or parish activities, in your area of employment, if employed, knowing that, as Isaiah tells us, “in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” (Is. 30:15). Keep seeking God’s will above all–He will show you what He wants of you as you continue to open yourself up to a variety of experiences and considerations, always seeking His counsel, calling upon Him for clarity, patience, humility and love. Be open to the possibility of intentionally remaining single, if that were God’s will for you. The key is: what does God want of you!
Since the Holy Spirit has whispered to you to consider religious life, it is possible that you are called to consecrate your life to the Lord. That, too, can become obvious as you search out information about religious life, browsing web sites, visiting convents, talking to vocation directors (face-to-face or through e-mail, telephone conversations, Skype), attending discernment sessions and/or “Come and See” events where you meet sisters, become acquainted with their charism and spirituality, listen to their vocation stories and ministry experiences, their living of community life, what makes them happy and joyful in their vocation, etc.–a sort of dating “religious life” over an extended period of time.
Many young women do not enter marriage or religious life until their late twenties or early thirties, so give yourself space to consider the vocation in life to which God is calling you without putting undue pressure on yourself.
I hope this information is helpful to you. As Vocation Director for my religious community, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at 920-230-6157 or by email at email@example.com. Let me know if you would appreciate the opportunity to chat about feeling called to religious life. I look forward to talking with you.
–Sister Dorothy Ann Dirkx, Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother


Via Sant'Efisio, 8, 09124 Cagliari CA
A quarry for limestone blocks, a Phoenician religious site, an amphora deposit, a place of Christian worship, and a shelter in the second world war. The crypt of Santa Restituta, one of the symbols of the picturesque neighbourhood of Stampace, has had a turbulent history, marked by periods of abandonment and with a happy ending in the restoration during the 1970s. The hypogeum has a central space connected to the outside by two stairways carved into the rock. The walls were once painted: the wall showing Saint John the Baptist with his right hand raised in blessing (13th century) still remains. The central altar features a marble statue of Santa Restituita, while the smaller altar used to hold simulacra of Saints Giusta, Giustina and Enedina. You can feel that the church is dug out of the rock as soon as you enter, from the small square of the same name a short walk from the Crypt of Sant'Efisio.
Part of the building is a natural cave, and part is excavated. In the late-Punic period it was a limestone quarry. Findings of votive objects show that it later became a place of worship. The cave was also used during Roman and paleo-Christian times as a warehouse for amphorae up until the 1st century AD, before being abandoned for twelve centuries. In the 13th century it was consecrated to the African martyr Santa Restituita, whose relics had been held in Sardinia since the 5th century. It was then abandoned once more when the new and nearby churches of Sant'Anna and San Francesco were opened. It was rediscovered in the early 17th century. After finding the relics (1614), the bishop began work on improving the altar, creating three niches and the underground crypt with the martyr's column. The central aedicule held the relics of four saints. During the second world war, the hypogeum was used as bomb shelter during raids. The relics were hidden in Sant'Anna to protect them. There, they lay forgotten until they were rediscovered inside a 17th century urn in 1997. (from Sardegna Turismo)


Volume 3 of the successful crime series set in the Berchtesgaden Alps
Six dead priests in rowing boats, a severed hand and a precious ring with a drop of Jesus Christ’s blood—these are the shocking finds on the Königssee!
Thousands of pilgrims take part in the high mountain pilgrimage to the famous church of St. Bartholomew on Königssee in Berchtesgadener Land, including priests from the Höglwörth monastery. A night-time mass on the lake is about old guilt and exorcisms, a long-ago accident and unresolved paternity issues. The next morning, six dead priests are found floating in rowing boats on the lake—crucified. The young team of investigators led by mountain police officer Simon Perlinger delves deep into the history of Berchtesgaden and Salzburg to find motives for the violent crime. In the process, many gruesome facts are uncovered – from the Salzburg witch trials of 1677 to 1679 and the negligent ferry accident of 1688 to the excesses of the monks of today.
»Leibrock is a captivating storyteller.«


Meet Our Staff
Jann Holden, Interim Executive Director
Jann Holden joined The CARE Center Staff in November of 2016 focusing on Public Relations, Fundraising and Grant Writing. In May of 2018, she became the Director of Operations for The CARE Center Thrift Store. As of August 2018, the Board of Directors asked Jann to be the Interim Executive Director. She has her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Houston. She married her husband, Chris, in 1992 and they moved to Huntsville and have two children, Ryann, 22 and Mattie, 20.
Jann has worked for over 25 years in Management, Sales and Marketing. She brings a lot of energy and fresh ideas to the mission of The CARE Center. Jann and her family are members of Cove United Methodist Church, and a member of the groundbreaking team of volunteers to start The CARE Center in 2000.
Jann's heart has always been to spread the love of Christ to others. She has been a volunteer in Student Ministry, Prayer Ministry, Women's Ministry, Children’s Ministry and Hospitality for Cove Church. She worked with Bruce Martin at 100X Church and The CornerStone Initiative for 3 years.
Andrea, a lifelong resident of Owens Cross Roads & proud graduate of New Hope High School, dreamed of one day becoming an elementary teacher. However, upon entering college she declared herself a Business Major. Andrea worked in the financial industry for eleven years & owned her own decorating and design business before joining The CARE Center’s team in January 2009. As The CARE Center’s Education Coordinator, Andrea has combined her knowledge of business and finance, her love for education and children, and her desire to encourage and serve others while she supports many CARE Center ministries. In addition to coordinating and overseeing all education initiatives, Andrea also writes & manages budgets including The CARE Center’s largest grant, including the 21st CCLC grant, which affords us The NHCLC (a partnership with NHES).
Andrea serves as a child advocate in our community & often finds herself serving as a parent, teacher, school and community advocate. Andrea believes in The CARE Center’s mission, to provide our neighbors the resources needed to develop and discover their own God given talents. Andrea feels completely blessed and honored to have the opportunity to assist and encourage some of our youngest neighbors daily in hopes of a brighter future!
Married to Kevin, they are the proud parents of a handsome son, Wesley, who will soon graduate from New Hope High School and plans to attend Harding University in the fall; and a beautiful daughter, Alexandrea, who is a member of New Hope High School’s Marching Indians Colorguard and Winterguard. As a family, they attend Owens Cross Roads Church of Christ where they are very involved with the Youth Ministry, Lads to Leaders Program, and mission work-both local and abroad.
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31
Becky O'Neal, Bookkeeper
Amy Parker, Thrift Store Manager
Aneisha Nolen, Adult Education Coordinator


Religious Limoges Boxes, Hand-Painted French Limoges Box
Keepsakes, Trinket Boxes, Figurines, Collectibles & Gifts
Exquisite Religious collectible Limoges boxes in our beautiful
collection of Christian and Judaic themed porcelain Limoges
Angels, Bibles, famous Cathedrals and Noah’s Ark are among the
favorite religious Limoges boxes we offer.
Each features magnificent quality and is hand-painted by
master French artisans in Limoges France.
Every Limoges box we offer is authentic and comes in a
handsome presentation box with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Celebrate your faith with one of our religious themed
Limoges collectible boxes.


St. David’s Episcopal Church
Parishioners and leadership at St. David's were seeing their beloved church deteriorate around them. Committed to its restoration, they successfully raised the necessary funds to save their sacred space.
The Vestry of St. David’s found itself with several important deferred maintenance projects on its hands, and a dwindling and aging congregation.
As it approached its 75th Anniversary, Rector Robin Dodge and the Vestry asked The Sheridan Group to attract philanthropic support for repairs and small new construction projects. Our report recommended that the parish was in position to conduct a successful campaign, but would likely not be able to raise the funds necessary for its full scope of capital projects.
Based on the recommendations in the feasibility study, we guided St. David’s through The Cornerstone Campaign in order to address the most pressing needs, notably work on the bell tower, the drainage/flooding issues and stained-glass windows. In April of 2016 at the 75th Anniversary celebration, Father Robin Dodge publicly announced to a crowd of more than 150 parishioners that the campaign had exceeded its goal of $480,000 and that construction work was soon to follow.
St. David’s was at a bit of a crossroads when we were first introduced to The Sheridan Group. It is a truly beautiful church, but years of deferred maintenance and ongoing issues with flooding were causing damage throughout the structure. The gorgeous bell tower and roof were both in need of repair; the stained glass windows – a point of pride for the parish – were buckling and in need of restoration; and the flooding in the undercroft hampered our ability to fully serve our community. On the other hand, we had a Vestry that was committed to fixing those issues, and a pending 75th Anniversary celebrating how long the church had been at that location. Dave and Jeff worked with us every step of the way – from engaging the parish in the Feasibility Study, to helping recruit leadership for the Campaign; from managing leadership gift cultivation and solicitation, to assisting with plans for the campaign’s kick-off and celebration events – The Sheridan Group worked with us through everything and made sure that our campaign was a success.


Fandom is Faith
I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about fandom as a faith. A certain fanaticism that we associate with stories–comic books, movies, television shows–veers away from a rational affinity for art and into something religious. Once it gets to that point, we can’t have rational conversations about that particular work’s quality or meaning. Once it is canonized (in the religious sense), it becomes untouchable. And the great irony is that–as in a lot of faiths or cults–the more ephemeral the thing which is believed, the more strongly the believers feel about it.
It’s easy to draw the parallels: we have our holy books (the source material from which more popular media are created). We have our churches–our comic book shops and movie theaters. We have our congregations–those who dress in the symbolic robes (cosplay) versus those who do not. We even have those revivals across congregations–conventions. We have our Fundamentalists (“Michael Bay raped my childhood”) and our Pluralists (“I like the prequels just as much as the originals”), our Catholics (Tolkien’s books) and Protestants (Jackson’s movies).
We demonstrate the transformation from fandom into faith with our desire to establish the true history of the faith and its theology. Do we follow George R. R. Martin’s unfinished gospel uncompromisingly? Or do we see Benioff and Weiss as the Reformation our church needed? Is the Force a godly power controlled by an order of priests? Or is it merely explained away by the science of midichlorians?
Canon, continuity. Like the followers of other faiths, these are our biggest concerns because when events don’t fit the continuity, we realize our faith is based on unstable ground. Was the universe created in seven literal days? Was moon goddess, wife of sun? Is it known?
When fans becomes apostates, the faithful attempt to recruit them back into the flock. The faithful tease the apostates with spoilers and promises of the next cool thing (a sneak preview, a toy, their priests!) that they’ll see at a revival. Fans will cajole and mock the apostate who has missed out on the salvation the faithful have received that day.
Faith has power. But the true nature of a faith is that its power comes only from the believers. Were everyone to turn apostate at once, would this history survive? If no one went to see The Battle of the Five Armies, did it exist at all?
Faith does grant power to believers but not the way they expect. It does not free them from their worldly troubles; merely it helps them forget. And as long as they believe, they empower the priests–the Benioffs and Weisses, Lucases and Jacksons–to contravene the continuity. Where the faithful’s power truly makes a difference is when they decide not to believe. Apostasy is the most powerful weapon against religion, after all.
So it’s enough to wonder: if we stopped having the arguments about the tenets of our faith, would we have any faith at all? If we no longer cared who shot first, would we care at all?


June 3, 2020
As a believer here is one of my guiding verses I keep coming to when I know I have to guide and lead my son during difficult times:
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children’. ” (Matthew 19:14)
I believe we have always been given an opportunity to bring our children close to the heart of God so that HE can shape them and grow them up for His Kingdom work (He has ALWAYS given us this opportunity for centuries…but I this has been on my heart and mind lately and so I wanted to write about this as a reminder to all the parents who follow me that we need/should be bringing our kids close to His heart so that he can help sow the seeds of hope for a better future).
I hope you all understand and know that I am writing this post out of the sincerity of my heart and that my goal is to encourage you as parents to open up the conversation with your kids (no matter what color or race) you are. I am in no shape or form trying to be an authority in this subject matter and I am not trying to preach to anyone- because I am one of the worst sinners ever. I fail. I fall short. I need grace on a daily basis. Simply put, I really hope you can read this through the lens of a parent (and a believer) talking to you. (And if you are still seething with resentment and anger towards me about writing about this topic…you may not want to follow me anymore because I want to use my business to glorify God…and one way I want to honor God is by using my role as a parent/business owner to remind other parents that we have a huge responsibility on our shoulders to lead our children to love others WELL).
With all that being said I am still always afraid of how people perceive me and I am always afraid of what people think about me, and of course, as I am typing this out, I am worried that I will be bashed to pieces because I am a believer, I’m not “diverse” enough, not “enough” in something blah blah blah (insert some fear). But I am going to press on because my son is watching me and I want to be a woman of integrity.
I’m going to start off by saying…I never knew what racism really meant until I moved to the south and then it hit me in the face when I was 19 years old (that’s when I moved to the South for college). It is an ugly thing. And because of my skin color, I am perceived as white (I am mixed Southeast Asian but that’s not the point) so I have been fortunate enough to receive so many privileges that I know I take for granted, and that my neighbors of color do not receive, and that makes me so sick to my stomach.
It also makes me sick to my stomach that this evil sin of racism has been an underlying current in our Nation’s history for generations upon generations and we act so surprised when things happen to disrupt our “perfectly curated world”. I know I am not the only one upset by what is happening. But now that I am a Mother, I see that it is my role and God-given job to teach my son about his privileges (since I did marry a white man and we are extremely blessed on in so many areas of our lives I do see it as my duty to raise my son to be aware of his blessings in life and aware that his primary purpose in life is to Glorify God by serving and loving others well.)
One of those roles is to continue to always set an excellent, loving, and godly example to other families, ESP the “younger” clients I interact with because I firmly believe that everything I say and do, kids are watching. And if kids are watching me in our 30-45 minutes of interaction, you bet I believe that kids are watching what their parents are saying and doing during this very pivotal moment in our nation’s history.
It IS important to have these hard discussions about racism with our children now because we are sowing seeds into their hearts and shaping their future.
Unfortunately, we live in such an ego-centric society (a ME centered society) that has been fueled even more by the powers and fire of social media and we are so consumed with our own egos that we forget to actually stop and consider what our words, actions, and anger-fueled thoughts are doing to our neighbors (and we forget that our children are watching us).
Then we act surprised when our children grow up and act out in so much anger and hatred (because of unspoken racism and unspoken abhorrence) in their hearts and we ask “why are they behaving like this? who can we blame? It’s ____ and _____ fault this is happening!” and then it continues the vicious cycle because we are not actually stopping to THINK about how our past actions have fueled venomous actions towards other people.
I understand there are SO many layers to the brokenness in our society, and I am a firm believer that there will NEVER be an instant remedy or solution to the problems we are facing in the world-(in our culture)-today. But I do believe that it is our role as parents (as caregivers) to our children is to make sure we are setting mature, upright, and wise examples to them.
Here are ways we can do that:
-Take a step outside of yourself and start introspectively thinking about the racism and hatred you may have towards others within your own heart. If you feel anger or resentment rising up inside of you, really be honest with yourself and examine that anger…where is it coming from and how can you deal with it in a healthy way? (Sometimes when INSTANT white-hot anger raises in me, it’s an indicator to me that I have some issues I need to deal with and immaturity I still am dealing with) (Again there is nothing wrong with the emotion of ANGER…it’s just what we do with it makes or breaks our character).
-Take a step further and see how your actions are playing out because of those layers of resentment.
-Are you truly taking steps to better your character by having hard and uncomfortable conversations OR are you conditioning yourself to “FEEL” like you are okay and you are not the problem? (Because let me tell you, we ALL have issues in our hearts no matter what our skin color is, and we all need to dig deeper and ask God to reveal issues in our hearts to help us grow and mature so that our reactions are life-giving and not life-taking to others)
-Are you educating your kids to be aware that there are different races around them? (If so, how are you presenting theses topics to them? Is it through a filter of sarcasm and negativity or biasedness?)
-We could all need to approach these topics with a stance of humbleness (not a stance that people owe us something). When we act arrogantly and act as if the world owes us something…our children see that and that sows bitterness in their hearts as well. Pray to be humble (it’s hard for me to be humble, to be honest, so I’m preaching to the choir).
-Actively be involved with diverse communities (there are SO many ways of doing this). One way my husband and I are involved in our home city of Nashville, TN is by plugging ourselves into Nashville Neighbors. (Again, there must be tangible actions after talking about it at home)
When we take actionable steps, these steps are not going to be an “overnight success” these steps may take months, years heck…even decades to crawl out of, but if we continue to take these steps towards actually cultivating healthier and more loving hearts our children WILL see this and it will sow the seeds of hope into their hearts and in turn when they are adults they will have the tools they need to treat their fellow neighbors with love and respect.
Again, I know there are so many added layers of problems in our country (world) like racism (as mentioned), but there is also abuse, trauma, social and economic traumas, etc. and some families are going to have to do REALLY deep work to step out of some twisted and evil narratives of their past family foundations and past traumas done to them. And in order to STEP out of the narrative, it takes a lot of grit, perseverance, hard work, and healthy communities who will fight for you.
Hey, it’s going to be uncomfortable work parents, but because we have been gifted with the role and blessing of getting to lead our children (for a VERY short period of time less than 18 years specifically) we have an obligation (and for those of us who are believers, I am going to take it a step further and say we have a heavenly obligation) to sow seeds of hope into our young one’s minds and actually SHOW our kids how to live lives of peace towards ALL of our neighbors.
So yes, even though we are going through some infuriating and downright sad and gross times right now in history, remember to put your phone down, and work through your anger first before going to social media, or whatever outlet you use to VENT your anger through because those little eyes are watching you, they are hearing what you are saying about “so and so” and they are being formed and shaped to have the same racist/hateful/biases and hurtful mindset that you have.
I hope, for the sake of my son, that in 20 years when he is a young adult, my husband and I will see the fruits of our labor of having sown in seeds of godliness, maturity, and discipline in his heart. I hope that he will grow to be a man of character, godliness, and a man who is full of joy and compassion towards EVERYONE and he will have the integrity to stand up for people who may not have a voice and that he will use his position in life to honor God.
But again, that prayer is something that my husband and I have to work on NOW and it’s hard work. It’s grueling work. It’s draining work. It’s tiring work. But this is what we believe God has called us to do. We have to dig deep, ask God to continue to take away the layers of sin/racism/hatred in our own hearts, and press into maturity so we can sow healthy seeds into Blaise’s future.
So parents, are you willing to do the hard work it takes for your children’s future?
I hope so.
Dolly DeLong is a Nashville-based family, elopement & branding photographer, and a business educator & encourager. Dolly loves serving families, eloping couples, and business owners with her timeless, radiant photography. She loves capturing the joy and emotion in both digital and film photos.
She also has a heart for serving the larger business community. Dolly shares her knowledge of tools like Pinterest, email marketing, and time management with fellow business owners in an encouraging and supportive way through Pinterest 1:1 training, helpful blog posts, and other resources.
Dolly’s faith and love for her family motivate her to help other business owners find the joy and freedom she’s found in running a successful small business.
Whenever she has a spare moment, she enjoys watching TV (i.e. Survivor), eating way too many sweets, and listening to podcasts while running or walking. To work with Dolly DeLong Photography LLC, please email her at email@example.com or fill out her contact form here.


WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BAPTISM?
Baptism isn’t required for salvation, but is the first step of faith for believers. The baptismal waters don’t save anyone. It’s Jesus that does that. Baptism is a picture of the work that Jesus has done in a person’s heart.
Baptism illustrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) It shows our new life as a follower of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4) Baptism doesn’t make you a believer… it shows that you already believe. Baptism doesn’t save you; Jesus does! Baptism is like a wedding ring, signifying a relationship rather than forming that relationship.
WHY BE BAPTIZED?
We follow Jesus’ example in baptism. He was baptized (Mark 1:9), and commanded us to be baptized (Matthew 28:19-20). Baptism is an opportunity to identify ourselves with both Christ and the family of faith.
HOW ARE WE TO BE BAPTIZED?
At OBC, we baptize by immersion. That’s the example we see
throughout Scripture, and is the basis for the meaning of the word
“baptize,” which means to immerse (or dip under) in water. (Matthew 3:16, Acts 8:38-39) The Greek word baptizo means "to immerse or dip under water". Immersion pictures the symbol of burial and resurrection more vividly than other means.
AM I READY TO BE BAPTIZED?
If you’re a believer, you should be baptized! It doesn’t matter if you were saved 20 years ago or just last week… it’s time to take the next step in your faith journey. Contact our church office to schedule a time with Pastor Chris to take this step of obedience or simply walk down the aisle one Sunday morning during invitation time to share your desire to be baptized. We'll schedule a time that is best for your family and guide you through the details for that day.
WHAT DOES OBC REQUIRE?
The one requirement for baptism is belief in Christ. We do not baptize kids until they are old enough to understand and believe. We recommend baptism if you have not been baptized by immersion since you became a believer, or if you were baptized by a church in a denomination which holds a different view of salvation.


Welcome to Liberty Baptist Church
|Since conduct flows from character and attitude leads to action and our outlook determines our outcome, we at Liberty Baptist Church are continually teaching and learning how to rely on the Word of God as our instructor.
There is so much secular progressive humanism bombarding every life everyday, that we feel it’s imperative to offer the pure and unadulterated Word of God every time we have opportunity to meet. That’s why we preach the Word every Sunday morning and evening and even on Wednesday nights.
We at Liberty strive to live by the G-R-E-A-T principle:
• Give God thanks in all things
• Rejoice in the Lord always
• Engraft the Word of God deep into the soul
• Appeal to God in prayer and “cry” out to the Lord in need
• Triumph in the victory that Jesus has already provided
Don’t let sin empty and enslave your life – come to Jesus and allow Him to be your Lord!
His and yours, Pastor Charlie (Jeremiah 33:3).
Songs Of Worship
Seasons of the Soul sung by Steve Sellers
One Day at a Time sung by Wanda Story
Liberty Baptist Church


Wesley Church’s Youth Group is open to anyone from 7th-12th grade.
Tribes is our family night ministry every Sunday night. We have food, fellowship, and games. This is a time for the whole family to grow closer to each other and closer to Christ. All are welcome, all ages. It’s fun for the whole family!
If you have any questions of would like more information, contact our Director of Youth and Student Ministries, Clark McClain, at firstname.lastname@example.org


Labyrinth walk in Auburn…..walking the labyrinth is like witnessing ones own walk on the spiritual path…..take your shoes off and walk with bare feet. Feel the pebbles beneath, some sharp, some crumbled and smooth. The crumbled pebbles are a comfort as I know that others have walked the path before me. I bless the ones before me and those who come after. I stop for a moment on the path and look around.. The trees are bending, each has a partner in the dance of life. A bird flies from one tree to another. I stretch my arms up and feel the wind, and then move on. Sharpness of the pebbles make me picture Jesus carrying the cross to his own death. I haven’t thought of Jesus for a long time. I breath in the vision and stop. Suddenly I am on my knees in the path of this labyrinth. A wind blows, my friend who is walking this also, we look at each other. Both of us are on the path feeling this moment. We are not alone
I have been reading Judith for a long time now….Cathar days were brough to mind through her and I appreciate this. Look for the truth in her writings, you will find many as you read with your heart. For those who have eyes, will see….
The higher paths of Mysticism have to do with the preparedness to delve ever deeper in the depths of Being – that state of Being which is the Unknown, the endless infinite realm of the Gods and Goddesses – the Mystery of Life and the Life Force itself. It delves deep into the cosmic consciousness which is sublime and which is the creative force itself, yet is within all Beings and all that ever was created under the Central Cosmic Sun.
It is the highest calling of the Illumined State. It takes total commitment and dedication to this path. It is the highest path of supreme purity and it will demand that All.
According to the Oxford dictionary a Mystic is a person who devotes their time to profound thought in order to become closer to God and to reach truths beyond human understanding. Its root is the Greek word…
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THE JOURNEY OF THE ROSES
Roses were blooming summer of 2014 so abundantly in my garden, I began to wonder what to do with all of them. Besides drying the petals, making bouquets, and giving to friends, what else could I do?
How it all began? I had always loved roses, and my ears would perk up at the mention of them, and I had a few bushes in the garden in a house we bought over six years ago. But suddenly I noticed I began to almost in devotion give loving care as I gathered the mature blossoms. There was one bush that really caught my eye…the red rosebush. I knew the red rose had some kind of special meaning, but what? I began to do a little research. In fact, I felt pulled toward the red rose and a longing to know was always in my thoughts and in my heart. As I posted pictures of the roses on my Facebook page, I began to get some wonderful comments and connections to other rose lovers. The roses did seem to have a kind of spiritual connection and it felt as if I was on, what I call, “The Path of Roses”. A Facebook friend mentioned that she had made rose beads many years ago with the rose petals…… What?! Suddenly I knew what I longed to do with the red rose petals. I began to make rose beads from my red rose petals in the spring of 2014. Loving every moment of it, and learning some profound lessons. One day as I simmered rose petals on one stove burner, and a pot of cabbage soup on another, I ended up burning both. I quickly realized the rose needed my undivided attention…This journey has become a most auspicious time for me.


Forty six years ago, in 1968, Fidel Castro ended Christmas holiday in Cuba nine years after he led a Marxist guerrilla revolution to oust President Batista. Interference with the sugarcane harvest was the official reason for the suspension.
After Castro’s revolution, Cuba’s Catholic leadership declared Catholicism incompatible with communism. In turn, Castro viewed the church as a tool of the rich and as such an enemy of the revolution. Many priests were expelled, and Christians were barred from communist party affiliation. Yet the Christian holiday survived another nine years as a paid day-off – mostly for secular reasons – although many families discretely celebrated it during the 28 years it was banned.
Cuba’s religious designation changed from atheist to secular after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and Castro allowed Catholics to re-join the Communist party.
In 1995, the Catholic church called for greater respect for the celebration of Christmas after Cuban authorities had banned the public display of Christmas trees and nativity scenes, other than in places visited by tourists. It wasn’t until 1997 that Castro re-instated Christmas as a national holiday – a radical gesture of goodwill in honor of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the communist nation that year.
Prior to the 1959 revolution, Cuba’s religious scene was dominated by the Catholic church. Today, the Roman Catholic Church estimates that 60 percent of Cuba’s population is Catholic. Membership in Protestant churches is estimated at 5% and includes Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and Lutherans. Other groups include Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Baha’is, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
Today, Christmas Eve remains overshadowed among Cubans by the New Years’ celebration – which happens to coincide with the day of the 1959 revolution – although many Cubans get together with their families for dinner on the night before Christmas.
The traditional Rooster’s Mass (Shepherd’s Mass) is celebrated in some Catholic churches, including the Havana Cathedral, where Cardinal Jaime Ortega presides. The Roman Catholic Church maintains eleven cathedrals in Cuba.
Many homes display Christmas trees. Among more traditional Cuban homes, the table will be set with roast pork, turkey or chicken, as well as black beans and white rice (a dish known as “arroz congri”), a salad and boiled cassava with garlic, olive oil and bitter orange.
Traditional Christmas celebration is returning to the island nation driven by the influence of Cuban-Americans living in the United States and also by the Catholic Church itself. Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother and current President of Cuba, said at a press conference earlier this year, “The pontiff is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too. I always studied at Jesuit schools. I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the Pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the Church, and I’m not joking.”


Please consider donating to Family Promise in honor of Mother's Day and Father's Day. All donations will go to our Family Assistance Fund to help the families we serve!
We are very grateful to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Northeast Mercy Ministry Fund, for the very generous grant of $10,000 which will be used for Family Assistance. These funds will directly help our families cover the costs of daycare, uncovered medical expenses, work clothes/footwear, transportation to work such as bus passes, gas cards and other needs. These funds will alleviate so many worries and burdens that impact their daily lives. We are also very grateful to our Assistant Director, Sr. Nadine Farnum, who works closely with our guest families. We are truly blessed!
A huge thank you to St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church for their generous donation of $1,500 . We are very grateful for your ongoing support as a host congregation and your continuous generous support!
Thank you Stewart’s Holiday Match for your generous donation of $750.00 for our mission. Your continued annual support directly helps the homeless families we serve. We are truly grateful!
Family Promise of the Capital Region is a local 501 (c)3 nonprofit corporation.


Q: We're getting a divorce and it's a nasty one. My kids are legitimately angry. What concerns me is that they're not only mad at us, but they're also mad at God. How do I help them? If I were honest...I would have to admit that I'm mad at Him too.
A: We don't need to tell you that divorce is heart breaking for everyone. It's very hard to help our children deal with their pain when we're hurting as well. There are some great resources out there to help you and your children navigate these challenges (see the 'Resources' page), however, here are some thoughts regarding their feelings about God...
We all let our children down. No matter what the circumstances of your divorce may be the reality is when their parent's divorce, children feel betrayed. The two people they think they should be able to count on, left each other. The message that can be planted in their hearts is: every one has the potential to leave and, therefore, you can't trust anyone completely. This message can poison their relationship with God as well.
It's critical that you help them focus on who God really is (Faithful, Loving, Never Changing, Everywhere, All Knowing, Merciful...). He will be with them no matter what and He will never leave them...no matter what. God is still in control (even if it feels like He's not) and He will make sure that His good will is accomplished in their lives as they cling to Him. Make time now, more than ever, to go through the Family Adventures With God whenever you have your children with you.
The minute you take their focus off who God really is and begin making this about justifying your behavior (even if it's justifiable) your children will loose confidence in God. Be diligent to teach your children who God really is and that He will NEVER divorce them! In the process you may find the hope, encouragement and answers you're looking for as well!


Join us June 7, 2023, for the next “Transformative Christianity“ monthly webinar
to the website of the Outreach and Evangelism Committee of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit!
If you are an Orthodox Christian, this website will help you deepen your faith. If you are not an Orthodox Christian, this website will introduce you to the church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Descent of the Holy Spirit almost 2000 years ago, the church which continued her uninterrupted existence until today.
Discover today’s ancient Christianity! Discover today the treasure of the original Christian Church!
Message from His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas
Transformative Christianity Webinars
Session 13 ~ "I Will Take the Cup of Salvation" - the Ministry of Christian Marriage
Calendar of Events


Matthew Baugus is 19 and attends The Village Church-Denton and is apart of The Initiative relations team. He’s been mentoring youth for 4 years as an intern with Cross Timbers Community Church, and he has a passion for poverty stricken households and troubled teens (self-harm, drug abuse, etc.).
Matthew works to show bring hope and life change through the reality of Jesus Christ to the hopeless. Matthew is passionate about creative arts and performs spoken poetry in predominantly non-Christian settings in hopes of reaching the lost and showing people they can use their gifts for the glory of God. You can connect with him on Instagram: Matt_Baugus or Facebook: Matthew Baugus.