News & Ideas

Monday's News & Ideas - 12/6/2021

  • Pope urges action for migrants
  • NY religious schools & vaccine mandate
  • Degree in agriculture & theology
  • India experiences attacks on Christians
  • Plumber finds money at Osteen’s church
  • Moms overcoming homelessness

Pope comforts migrants at Lesbos refugee camp while urging action
Associated Press: “Let us stop ignoring reality, stop constantly shifting responsibility, stop passing off the issue of migration to others,” Pope Francis said during a visit to the Greek island.

New York religious schools face a vaccine mandate. Will they fight it?*
The New York Times: Mayor Bill de Blasio set a vaccine mandate for religious and private schools. Jewish and Catholic leaders are frustrated, and some have predicted legal challenges.

New Truett Seminary master’s program combines agriculture, theology, social justice
Waco Tribune-Herald: Students pursuing a master’s in theology, ecology and food justice will spend most of their time at World Hunger Relief, a Christian nonprofit founded in 1979 where interns and volunteers gather to learn about agriculture and fight world hunger on a 40-acre demonstration farm.

Why India is witnessing spike in attacks on Christians, churches
Al Jazeera: Rights groups record more than 300 attacks on Christians and their religious places in the first nine months of this year.

Plumber reportedly finds cash and checks in walls of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church
Religion News Service: Did a plumber just discover a new clue in a seven-year-old burglary case at the Houston-area megachurch?

The Spark

These moms overcame homelessness. But the fight for a better life is far from over
There are more homeless families in the United States than in any other industrialized country, NPR says. The main cause is the lack of affordable housing. (trigger warning: description of domestic violence)

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Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative

A new grant is available to support endeavors that help children come to know and love God and grow in faith.

The Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative aims to support programs that help congregations strengthen worship and prayer practices that respect how children experience God and express their faith, include children with disabilities, draw upon the arts, create opportunities for Bible storytelling, and connect worship to the daily lives of children and families.

Proposals are due by 5 p.m. (ET) on May 6, 2024.

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