More Religion stories More Religion Stories By JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch Thursday July 3, 2014 2:05 PM

While two church communities in Morrow County continue to recover from the sting of losing their buildings to fire last fall, both are looking forward with hope as they forge ahead with rebuilding efforts.

Gethsemane Baptist Church in Marengo is preparing to raze whats left of the burned-out structure and begin rebuilding in August, with the hope that a new church will be ready by the new year.

Meanwhile, Sacred Hearts Parish, a Catholic church about 10 miles away, is almost halfway to a $1 million fundraising goal about a month after kicking off a capital campaign.

Sacred Hearts member Andy Ware said people are still suffering from the Thanksgiving Day destruction of a building that held memories and many irreplaceable items, including a wood altar crafted by the father of a parishioner.

Thankfully, folks are channeling that into praying hard, he said. That we were able to raise the amount we have so far is remarkable for our small country church. Were confident we can keep moving forward.

Since the June 8 campaign kickoff, $427,000 has been raised for a building that will look more like a traditional Catholic church than the previous structure dating to 1973, Ware said.

The new 242-seat church and attached parish hall is expected to cost about $2.3 million, to be funded by the donations along with about $1.2 million from insurance money and $100,000 in parish reserves.

We want to put together a facility and a church that glorifies God but will last for the parish for generations, Ware said. We think building a proper church reflecting modest but traditional values would certainly be a boost to the parish and give us the ability to engage more with the community.

Sacred Hearts, with about 200 members, is the only Catholic church in the county. It continues to hold weekend services at the closed Cardington Lincoln Intermediate School.

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New churches to rise from ashes in Morrow County

Sudanese authorities demolished the Church of Christ in Thiba Al Hamyida, North Khartoum on 30 June, after giving the churchs leaders 24 hours notice of the action. However, a mosque on the same plot of land was left standing.

After their Sunday service on 29 June was interrupted by the authorities, who announced the planned demolition, the churchs leader Rev Kwa Shamal appealed to the North Khartoum Commissioner, providing evidence that the Church of Christ was the legitimate owner of the land on which the church was built.

Morning Star news reported that Abdel Aziz Omer, office director for the commissioner, informed Rev Shamal that the government had intended to destroy the church since 2012 to make way for the construction of a hospital. However, the church building was destroyed while a mosque located on the same plot of land was allowed to stand.

Christians in Sudan have come under increasing pressure since the secession of South Sudan on 9 January 2011. In April 2013, the government announced that new church licences would no longer be issued. Since then the destruction of church buildings has continued unabated. Christians have also faced detention and interrogation by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), with several non-Sudanese Christians being deported at short notice.

Christian Solidarity Worldwides (CSWs) Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: It is deeply concerning that Christians in Sudan are experiencing increasing repression. The demolition of the Church of Christ, while a mosque in the same location was left untouched is not only a blatant act of discrimination, but also appears to be part of a strategy aimed at restricting the rights of religious minorities incrementally, and in violation of the Sudans own constitution, which recognises the nation as multicultural, multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi religious. CSW calls on the Sudanese authorities to return the land and rebuild the Church of Christ in Thiba Al Hamyida, or alternatively, to compensate the church and allocate an equally viable location for a new building. Sudan must also fully guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief for all its citizens, as per the Interim constitution and article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sudan is a signatory.

Source: CSW

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Sudan: Authorities demolish church

A large bell was installed Tuesday at the new St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua-Kona.

Ground breaking for the church was held Sept. 28, 2012. The former church building was deemed unsafe by structural engineers in 2007 following Oct. 15, 2006, earthquakes. Since then, services have been held in a tent on the Alii Drive property, and, more recently, at a facility off Honokohau Street in Kailua-Kona.

Completed in 1850, St. Michael the Archangel is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Kona, according to the Kona Historical Society. Gov. John Adams Kuakini gave the land beneath the facility to the Catholic Church in 1841. The original building was completed under the Rev. Joachim Marechal.

The new facility will include a 9,455-square-foot church building and a two-story, 11,030-square-foot parish hall. Also in the plans are a parking lot and landscaping. The $7.1 million project will be built in two phases. Construction is underway with a completion date targeted for Christmas.

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Crews install bell at under-construction St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona

St Mark - New Church construction time lapse - June 2014
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St Mark - New Church construction time lapse - June 2014 - Video

MT. VERNON Demolition of the former St. Mary Church is expected to get underway next week.

The Pastoral Council of St. Mary Immaculate Conception Church in Mt. Vernon announces with mixed emotions that the dismantling and removal of its 1921 church building, located at Main and 14th streets, will begin shortly after July 4, information states. The inside bricks, wooden beams and many other materials from the building will be transported and used as finishing materials in the construction of a grand hall adjacent to St. Stephens on the Hill, an outdoor wedding chapel in Eldorado.

According to the Pastoral Council, only four people in the parish expressed an interest in developing a plan for preserving the building and met with the pastor, Father John Iffert.

He shared with them information and cost estimates that had been produced by engineers, technical architects and construction managers for the parish, information states. He asked (the parishioners) to produce a plan for preservation and reuse of the building that would be consistent with the parish mission and financially self-supporting. After more than two years, no plan was presented.

The council states the decision to dismantle the 1921 church was reached after significant time, deliberation and prayer among our parishioners and church leadership.

Our goal is to dismantle the 1921 church in a way that is respectful to our parishioners and the community, and to find a worthy purpose for the materials of the building.

The new church which was completed and dedicated in January 2013, commemorates the 1921 church in its shape, brick exterior and wooden rafters, information from the church states. The Stations of the Cross, several statues and other artifacts from the former church have been moved and incorporated into the new church.

Many of our parishioners spent most of their lives forming their Catholic faith in the 1921 church, and have a lifetime of memories connected with that building, information from the church states. Not everyone within our church community supports the choice to dismantle and remove the 1921 church. However, Father Iffert and the Parish Pastoral Council are confident that the majority of our parishioners are at peace with this difficult decision, and have embraced the new church building with enthusiasm.

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Church demolition to begin

A 60-year-old man died Monday afternoon after he fell while working at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in downtown Lexington.

Macario Santiago-Cruz of Lexington died of blunt-force trauma when he fell 30 feet, according to a Fayette County coroner's new release.

Santiago-Cruz was pronounced dead at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital. His death has been ruled an accident.

WKYT, the Herald-Leader's TV news partner, reported that Santiago-Cruz fell while doing construction.

St. Peter Claver, at Jefferson and Fourth Streets, is in the midst of an expansion project. It broke ground in December for a multipurpose and education center next to the church.

The Rev. Norman Fischer, the parish priest, said Monday that he planned to hold a memorial for Santiago-Cruz.

Justin Madden: (859) 231-3197. Twitter: @HLpublicsafety.

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Construction worker dies after fall at St. Peter Claver Church in Lexington

(KUTV) A piece of Provo history faced the possibility of extinction just a few weeks ago, but with some innovative planning by the Provo Community United Church of Christ is about to give it a second chance.

The church will undergo a massive restoration and expansion to keep it running. The church was originally built in 1920 and has fallen into tough economic times in recent years. In January the church had to let go its pastor of five years since they're without a budget to keep paying him.

In the absence of a pastor the congregation came up with a committee to steer its future. David Lewis the music director and organist at the Provo community congregation's church has been a parishioner for less than two years, but didn't want to see the church die. When David heard the doors might close he decided where there was a will, there had to be a way.

Lewis said Monday that the congregation feels very lucky. After months of planning, research and looking for help Provo's mayor pointed the committee in the direction of a developer who might be able to help.

Ryan Freeman of Forge Companies has stepped forward to help keep the sanctuary and build a new future for the church. The iconic A-frame sanctuary on Provo's University Avenue will get a face lift and stay for future generations.

The structure that was built in the 1920's will see some dramatic changes. The land where the older portion of the church sits will be part lobby and classrooms for the church. Above it will sit a new high rise apartment complex that will help create a profit sharing opportunity.

The church will get a portion of the apartment profits to keep the church running while the developer gets the land to build the 57 unit building with high end features. The addition will offer apartments of up to two bedrooms for those wanting to live in the heart of Provo.

Without the deal the church would have closed its doors, which would have been a sad end to what was once a thriving church. Lewis who has done his homework says, "The church was bursting at the seams they just couldn't fit as many as they needed." That was in the early days when three different congregations joined to create one unified church.

The original boxy white structure on University Avenue was built in 1920 thanks to a donation from Meno Troupe, a woman who left her church $30,000 when she passed away. Then 20 years later, as World War II ended and Geneva steel kicked up production the now iconic A- frame sanctuary was built for the growing congregation.

Nearly 100 years later the church has seen many changes, but for those still attending the church is a second home. The soon to be renovated sanctuary will fill a need in the community not just keeping religious diversity and saving history, but providing a gathering place for the community.

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Church renovation creates opportunity for Provo community

DANVILLE Living Faith Church of Danville served the people of Hendricks County last week.

A mission team made up mostly of students helped out residents June 16 through 20. The church took requests from people who needed help with yard work, light construction, painting, cleaning, manual labor, or a similar project.

Calvary Baptist Church out of Nacogdoches, Texas, sent 20 students to serve Living Faith Churchs new and growing church here.

They attended church with them on Sunday and then planned the activities for the week.

As a church, we want to be known for our willingness to serve our community and those who live here as our neighbors, Living Faith Church of Danville Pastor Jonathan Hearing said. So we took advantage of this group who came to serve and asked them to serve us by serving Danville.

They had a great response from community residents who requested help.

As I suspected, there were many in the area who could greatly benefit from 20 sets of willing hands, Hearing said. I set up appointments to do work for six different residents throughout the week and the project turned out to be a huge success. We showed up with a Calvary Baptist Church van full of students and we offered several hours of our time, doing anything that was asked of us.

Throughout the week they pulled weeds, mowed yards, laid mulch, installed a patio area, pressure-washed a house, painted a bench, cleaned out a garage, vacuumed, mopped, and did minor repair jobs within their homes.

Most residents were overwhelmed by the humble attitudes of the students and their willingness to do whatever was asked of them.

The fact that the students had given up their summer to come and serve with my church had a moving effect on me as well, Hearing said. These students represented well the attitude of Living Faith Church and our desire to humbly serve those in need, just like Jesus did. Its one thing to serve our community as a whole, but to impact an individual in a tangible way was a blessing to everyone involved.

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Mission team helps community

Ethiopia - On A Mission
Ethiopia is God #39;s harvest field. This summer, a faithful group of servants were able to listen to God #39;s call to go and plant seeds in this region of the world on a mission trip. This was done...

By: Logan Butler

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Ethiopia - On A Mission - Video

Spanish Evangelical Church construction update for Tuesday March 4, 20131
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Spanish Evangelical Church construction update for Tuesday March 4, 20131 - Video