Placement of dome on the new Greek Orthodox Church on Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Time-lapse video by Pablo Alcala | Herald-Leader KENTUCKY.COM

The unofficial "church row" on Tates Creek Road which includes Centenary United Methodist, Immanuel Baptist and Tates Creek Christian is about to get a little bigger and more architecturally diverse.

The Panagia Pantovasilissa Greek Orthodox Church, being built at 3005 Tates Creek Road, should be ready for occupancy in July, said Dr. Dennis Karounos, who chairs the construction committee for the church.

For its first 65 years in Lexington, the church operated at a building a little more than a mile closer to downtown. The site was too small and had no off-street parking or handicap accessibility, Karounos said.

"We used on-street parking for 65 years," he said.

The new church, which serves about 100 families, has 53 parking spaces, Karounos said.

The new church is designed in the Byzantine style, Karounos said, with domes and a bell tower. The 11,300-square-foot structure will be ready for worship in July, but it won't be completely finished. Finishing the interior will require $400,000 on the $2 million-plus building, Karounos said.

Meanwhile, the exterior will be completed, and the interior of the social hall, kitchen and classrooms. The social hall will be divided in half, with part of its used to worship, until money is raised to complete the interior.

The social hall alone is bigger than the church's entire square footage at 920 Tates Creek Road, Karounos said.

The Byzantine architecture draws driver and pedestrian attention along Tates Creek. On Wednesday, the church's huge dome was set into place. The job required a special crane from outside of Lexington.

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Greek Orthodox congregation adds dome, diversity to Lexington's 'church row'

CAPAS, Tarlac -- Folks in Barangay Patling in this town Tarlac denounced recently the action taken by the Catholic Church against the more than 300 years old "balon" or well located inside the premises of the St. Joseph Parish Church -- believed to be one of the oldest Catholic churches in the Philippines -- which was used as a dumping area of trash.

A small chapel was built in front of the well, which hides it. The priest assigned there also ordered it closed to the viewing public.

"They put more importance to the construction of the building than the importance of the historical value of the well," churchgoers said. They added that the present parish priest, whom they did not name, challenged them: "Kahit saan kayo magsumbong na media o television ay hindi ako natatakot." The priest allegedly said, "He is not afraid because the church belongs to catholic priests."

The faithful gathered signatures from the residents of the village to save their heritage church from what said are "abusive priests." So far, they have collected more than 500 signatures to save the well.

"Pumunta pa kami kay Bishop Cinense (Florentino) para sana ipatigil ang pagwasak sa balon subalit ang sagot niya sa amin ay 'Wala akong time. Busy ako. Pupunta lang ako doon sa Marso para basbasan ang chapel, ang sabi po niya, the residents said.

They said their mouths were shut when many things happened in their barangay. However, they said that this time, they feel that they have to make their stand and tell the world what is really going on.

They said that when Fr. Jose Daquigan (deceased) and Fr. Tirso Daquigan (now a Monsignor) were assigned here as parish priests, they desecrated the St. Joseph Parish Church altar. They said they dug the altar where some Spanish friars are buried with treasures.

A certain teenager named "Pugot" who served as a choir guitarist that time saw the digging and remembers that one of the Spanish friars buried below the altar is one "Fr. Atienza", together with two more friars. He said he saw black diaries and notebooks taken out from a tomb below the catacomb with the name "Atienza" in it, which dates back in 1773.

He said there was also a gold chalice recovered from the tomb and other important personal effects of the friars. He said the digging was personally supervised by Fr. Daquigan, allegedly a known friend of Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. He said the digging of the church altar was done in the early '80s. Then sometime in the late 1980s, uniformed soldiers were seen coming in out of the old barrio cemetery of Patling. A chopper was also seen coming down near the area and after a few hours, was seen flying away from the place.

The Patling residents said they were afraid to go near the cemetery when they saw the uniformed soldiers with armalite rifles and heavy armaments. The following day, they said, they investigated the cemetery and saw that the old tomb of the Spanish Friars dating back 1759 was ransacked. The bones of the dead were nowhere to be found. A big hole was dug beneath the compartment type tomb. The folks surmised that a Spanish treasure must have been found inside the tombs.

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Folks denounce priests for desecrating church

Congestion around Eastwood High School, caused by ongoing construction on Montwood Drive, might be allevaited through a possible agreement with Mount Hope Lutheran Church, school officials said.

Susanna Russell, area II associate superintendent for the Ysleta Independent School District, said the district is working with the church. If an agreement is reached, parents could use the church's parking lot, which is across the street from the high school, as a student drop off zone until the construction of Montwood Drive is complete.

"The district is currently working on a plan that may allow parents to utilize the Mount Hope Lutheran Church as an official drop-off area," Russell said.

Rev. Bill Bruggeman, of Mount Hope Lutheran Church, said parents can drop off their students at the church parking lot for now.

"We are happy to help out and we are just trying to be good neighbors," Bruggeman said. "They have a problem with their parking because of the ongoing construction and we are trying to work something out that is mutually beneficial."

Russell added that in an effort to decrease traffic in the area, summer school for fifth- and eighth-grade will not be held at Eastwood High School, and instead will be relocated to Eastwood Middle School. Athletic events have also been rescheduled to assure the safety of students, while also ensuring enough parking is available, Russell said.

Construction along Montwood Drive is part of a $11 million drainage-improvement project that reduced the road to one lane in each direction. Since the project began in Jan. 2013, the campus has had to relocate crosswalks and drop-off zones and add security.

The project is scheduled for completion in February 2015, said Martin Bartlett spokesman for the City's Engineering and Construction Management Department. Once the project is completed, Montwood Drive will have new sidewalks, curbs, gutters, street lights and landscaping.

While traffic has been manageable, Russell said the recent construction of deep trenches on Montwood has blocked off access to neighborhood streets.

This has increased traffic at the front entrance of the school, which faces McRae Boulevard, said Sara Iturriaga, a parent.

Continued here:
Ysleta ISD seeks solution for congestion in East El Paso

The Hindu Scaffolding collapsed at a church under construction at Melapudur in Tiruchi on Monday. Photo: R. M. Rajarathinam

A worker died and 22 injured when volumes of iron scaffoldings erected for interior decoration at the hall of a newly-constructed St. Marys Cathedral Church at Melapudur in the city gave in on Monday. Except three, all the other workers suffered minor injuries. As soon as the incident happened, fire service personnel, police and labour department officers rushed to the spot and inspected the scene. Police and Fire Service personnel said it was a puzzle for the collapse of the scaffoldings as the joints and bolts were in tact. The victim, Ashok Kumar, died at a private hospital.

At the end of construction of the new church, an old church on the premises was demolished recently.

The civil work associated with the church was completed a few months ago and the interior decoration was taken up recently. Hundreds of scaffoldings were found scattered all over the hall of the church. But as compared to the huge volume, the extent of injury was relatively far less, according to eye-witnesses. Rev. Fr. Eugene, Parish-priest in-charge of the church, said the exact reason of the incident was yet to be ascertained. He said the workers had a providential escape. The incident saw the complete preparedness of the official machinery to meet any emergency.

Syed Mohamed Sha, District Fire Officer, who reached the site, said that emergency rescue tenders (ERT) had been brought to the church premises. We were fully prepared with hydraulic cutters, he said.

Police officials immediately prevented the entry of onlookers into the church, as a precautionary measure.

A cross-section of workers said the scaffoldings were not set up uniformly. The scaffoldings were adjusted, re-aligned, or extended in accordance with the work for a particular day.

The workers were from Kolkata, Lalgudi, Manapparai, and Viralimalai. Initially, a section of the injured were admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. After initial treatment, the church authorities made arrangements for shifting them to a private hospital.

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One dead, 22 injured as scaffoldings crash

Orlando Sentinel's Mark Schlueb speaks with FOX35 about Orlando filing a lawsuit to force a church to sell its land for the new Major League Soccer stadium. (Video by FOX35)

After a year of failed talks, Orlando has filed suit in court to force a family-owned church in Parramore to sell its land to make way for a new Major League Soccer stadium.

If successful, the eminent domain action filed Thursday in Orange Circuit Court would allow Orlando to take the last of 20 parcels needed for the $115 million stadium being built for the Orlando City Lions, an MLS expansion franchise.

Newly released records show the city more than doubled its initial offer for the small, African-American-owned Faith Deliverance Temple, to $4 million.

Members of the family that owns the church reduced their initial selling price from $35 million to $15 million. Even so, the two sides remained far apart.

City Attorney Mayanne Downs characterized the church's asking price as essentially "a blank check."

"We've got a duty to safeguard the assets of the city," Downs said. "While we were certainly willing to pay the Williams family a substantial amount of money much more than the property is worth by any estimate there comes a point where we have to go to court."

Asked for comment, church representative Jonathan Williams referred questions to the church's lawyer, who did not return a call Tuesday.

The process of eminent domain, or condemnation, has two phases.

First, a judge will decide whether the purpose of taking the land building a soccer stadium fits the law's definition of a legitimate public use.

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Orlando files suit to take church land for soccer stadium

Rhea Corrion shared this photo of Methodist Churchs first board members from 1923 or 24. Contact Cathy Cottrill if you know the names of any of these people.

BONITA SPRINGS Thanks to Doris Ruth Wollam, Rhea Corrion, Judy Supinie and Kathy Schmitt, we now know quite a bit about one of the communitys most historic church.

Corrion was kind enough to send a history of the chapel that was the original Methodist Church.

The building was the original building for the current First United Methodist Church of Bonita Springs on Shriver Avenue, said Corrion. The house behind the chapel was the parsonage.

Corrion shared several church-related pictures. One features the first board members from 1923 or 24. Unfortunately, she did not know the names of the members, but Im including it today in hopes that someone can identify them. If you know anyone in the photo, please contact me.

The other photo is of the miniature model of the chapel that rides in the Bonita Springs Fourth of July parade each year, sponsored by the First United Methodist Church.

Wollam, whose parents once ran the Wayside Inn on what was then called the Tamiami Trail, has fond memories of the cozy little church. She was 12 years old when her family moved here in 1942 and she recalls helping to teach Sunday school at the church.

It was so nice in that smaller church, said Wollam. I remember the old-fashioned Sundays when we sang the old songs. It was so wonderful.

This is the original First United Methodist Church of Bonita Springs on the corner of Shriver and Crockett, said longtime resident Judy Supinie, a frequent contributor to this column. It was built in the 1920s and has since been added onto. I think the Matheson family was involved with the early construction. I am not a member of the church but drive past there often and at one time my precinct used to vote there. Currently they graciously allow the New Chorale of Southwest Florida, of which I am a member, to use one of their rooms for rehearsals.

Kathy Schmitt provided quite a bit of history about the churchs formation. Heres an excerpt:

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Remember: Readers share history of Methodist Church

Orlando Sentinel's Mark Schlueb speaks with FOX35 about Orlando filing a lawsuit to force a church to sell its land for the new Major League Soccer stadium. (Video by FOX35)

After a year of failed talks, Orlando has filed suit in court to force a family-owned church in Parramore to sell its land to make way for a new Major League Soccer stadium.

If successful, the eminent domain action filed Thursday in Orange Circuit Court would allow Orlando to take the last of 20 parcels needed for the $115 million stadium being built for the Orlando City Lions, an MLS expansion franchise.

Newly released records show the city more than doubled its initial offer for the small, African-American-owned Faith Deliverance Temple, to $4 million.

Members of the family that owns the church reduced their initial selling price from $35 million to $15 million. Even so, the two sides remained far apart.

City Attorney Mayanne Downs characterized the church's asking price as essentially "a blank check."

"We've got a duty to safeguard the assets of the city," Downs said. "While we were certainly willing to pay the Williams family a substantial amount of money much more than the property is worth by any estimate there comes a point where we have to go to court."

Asked for comment, church representative Jonathan Williams referred questions to the church's lawyer, who did not return a call Tuesday.

The process of eminent domain, or condemnation, has two phases.

First, a judge will decide whether the purpose of taking the land building a soccer stadium fits the law's definition of a legitimate public use.

Read more here:
Orlando files suit to take church land for stadium

RUUT NEWS @ FREINDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH CONSTRUCTION SITE 1

By: Nazim ABDUL-LATIF

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RUUT NEWS @ FREINDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH CONSTRUCTION SITE 1 - Video

(Photo: Eric Cotter/ Eastside Christian Church)

One of the first worship services held at Eastside Christian Church's new location at an old Boeing facility in Anaheim in November of 2012.

May 19, 2014|11:24 am

Americans exaggerate how often they go to Church in answers to surveys, a new study finds. Catholics and Mainline Protestants exaggerated more than Evangelical Protestants and black Protestants.

Since religious service attendance is considered positive behavior, Americans tend to overestimate how often they attend services when answering questions from a live interviewer. This is called a "social desirability bias."

When answering questions for an anonymous internet survey, the social desirability bias does not have the same effect. So, Public Religion Research Institute compared the results of phone surveys to those of internet surveys.

Among all Americans, the study found a five percentage point difference for frequent church attendance. Thirty-six percent of Americans answered that they attend religious services weekly or more when asked by a live interviewer, compared to 31 percent who answered the same for an online questionnaire.

Among infrequent church goers, the difference was even greater, 13 percentage points. Only 30 percent of phone survey respondents answered that seldom or never attend religious services, compared to 43 percent of internet survey respondents.

The study found some differences among denominations, age groups, and regions of the country. Catholics, Mainline Protestants, young people, Northeasterners and Westerners were more prone to exaggeration than Evangelicals, Black Protestants, old people, and Southerners. The differences were also greater among those who said they seldom or never attend religious services than among those who said they attend weekly or more. No differences were found based upon race, ethnicity or gender.

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Study: Americans Exaggerate How Often They Go to Church; Catholic, Mainline Exaggerate More Than Evangelical

by Jason Lamb

ANTIOCH, Tenn. Members of a Mid-State church that burned down in a dramatic fire last year now have something to look forward to.

This weekend, members of the Bell Road Church of the Nazarene in Antioch gathered for the groundbreaking of their new church on the same property.

For 16 months, the membership has had to worship out of another church, while plans for the new one were being developed.

Construction issues and a change in contractors delayed the groundbreaking until now, but the church pastor said the wait will be worth it.

I really believe we are moving into a new era, I think for our church this is a new beginning, said Pastor Bryan Russell. I'm looking forward to it being a new spark of enthusiasm to the church.

Russell said if construction goes as scheduled, the church hopes to open its doors by Thanksgiving of 2014.

Originally posted here:
Groundbreaking Follows Dramatic Church Fire