Offers of help for Cathedral restoration 'resented' PHILIP BURDON

Joseph Johnson/Fairfax NZ

ICONIC HERITAGE: The Anglican Cathedral is the oldest in NZ and has the highest heritage listing possible.

Nothing would symbolise survival, rebirth and memorial so dramatically as the restoration of the Christ Church Cathedral, writes Philip Burdon

The legacy of the earthquake is a devastated and broken city that has shown a brave and determined ambition to recover and rebuild.

The Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum and the very badly damaged Provincial Council Chambers have all committed to a restoration programme that has the support and endorsement of their governing bodies.

Of the iconic symbols of the history and heritage of the city, only the cathedral remains an issue of bitter contention and debate.

The cathedral was, and remains, the physical symbol of the deeply religious convictions and beliefs of the founding fathers of the Canterbury Settlement.

Its 40-year construction remains a permanent monument to the tenacity of the Anglican Church and the commitment of the broader community to dignify the city of Christchurch with an appropriate physical presence.

The cathedral was the first Anglican cathedral in New Zealand to be completed and it remains the oldest Anglican Cathedral in the country. In architectural terms it is distinguished as the only building in Australasia designed by Sir George Scott, the pre-eminent Victorian church architect.

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Bishop's attitude to Cathedral 'bizarre'

Extremists Demolish Church Building, Local Government Takes No Action Islamabad, March 13, 2014 (Zenit.org) | 141 hits

Pakistani Christians in Islamabad are reporting abuses against them for their faith.

According to Fides News Agency, Islamic extremists prevented the construction of a Church on land donated by a local Christian.

After the walls of the Church were completed, a cross was place on the main gate of the building. Upon seeing the Christian symbol, extremists bulldozed the construction site and demolished the building. Although a complaint was filed with the police, no arrests were made in connection to the demolition.

Several Christians have also asked for protection from authorities after receiving threats for Church project.

Christian minorities living in the poorest neighbourhoods in Pakistan are facing eviction from the local government. An estimated 5,000 Christians live in the settlements, which a High Court judge in Islamabad deemed inhospitable and abusive. The settlements lack water pipes and sewer systems.

Christian leaders have asked the municipality to help arrange accommodation for the families who have lived for years in Islamabad.

(March 13, 2014) Innovative Media Inc.

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Christians in Pakistan Continue to Be Threatened

March 12, 2014 - 11:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Once an Armenian church, a historical construction in the eastern province of Van had been converted into a hayloft after serving as a school for some time, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Nevertheless, the residents of Korlu village (30 kilometers from Van), who fill the facility with hay, grass, cowpat and wood, have personally appealed to authorities to renovate it.

Considering the villagers request, Van Culture and Tourism Provincial Director Muzaffer Aktu said the renovation could be started soon.

The historical church had served as a primary school for five years when there was no school in the area 30 years ago. Thirty-five students were taught at the school, before it was abandoned and converted into a hayloft by villagers.

Villagers have attached a wooden door to the church, some parts of which are about to collapse, and tried to restore to prevent it from collapsing.

Tourists had come to the village to look at the church, but it was mostly neglected.

For us, the church has a particular value because we graduated from here when we did not have a school. Now it is used as a hayloft. We want officials to restore the church and use it for tourism, said villager Selim Gurban.

Aktu said he would give instructions to the Van Museum Directorate to learn about the churchs situation and whether it was suitable for restoration.

Work will start according to the report after it is made by museum officials. We will discuss the report with the Van Monuments Directorate and we will renovate it if that is ultimately decided [by the directorate], Aktu said.

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Once turned into hayloft, Armenian church to be renovated in Turkey

Would you like salvation with that?

From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. tonight and every Wednesday through April, the Estero United Methodist Church is offering a novel service to Southwest Florida residents: Drive-through prayer.

The idea behind drive-through prayer is to offer spiritual support to folks not attached to our church community, said the Rev. John Halley, 30, a recent transplant from Los Angeles whos been in his post for 10 weeks. Were on a visible part of U.S. 41, and this is one way to put ourselves out there and to give folks the opportunity to come by and receive the blessing of prayer.

Church member and lay leader Pam Sebby said no one is quite sure how the idea originated, but that it may have come from the Internet.

From what I understand, other churches have done it, so it may have filtered through the pipeline, she said. We did it a few years ago, but there was so much construction on U.S. 41 that we didnt feel safe. We started it back up in the first part of February, and well do it through April every year.

Halley said the drive-through prayer is simply a service, not an enticement to join the church that boasts about 1,100 members during season.

Its not a church-growth strategy for us; its really just an outreach to share Gods love with our community, he said.

Both Sebby and Halley said the success of the service varies from week to week.

Our group has been out there five weeks now and in terms of people stopping (to pray), we might get five or six one week, three another week; a couple weeks we didnt get anyone, Halley said.

Sebby said the most people she can remember stopping to pray is about eight, but that number doesnt cover the actual number of prayers offered.

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God to go: Estero church offering drive-through prayer

Truenorth Church Construction Flyover Feb 2014
Aerial video of Truenorth Church #39;s construction site on February 22, 2014. I used a Gopro Hero 3 Black on a DJI Phantom v1 quadcopter with a Arris CM2000 gim...

By: Matt Cooper

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Truenorth Church Construction Flyover Feb 2014 - Video

Free Sign Up CP Newsletter! Related Historic Church Reaches $14.5 Million Deal to Sell Land for New Atlanta Falcons Stadium Atlanta Mayor Strikes $19.5 Million Deal With One Church for Falcons Stadium Site Atlanta Falcons Stadium Deal Failed With Offer $14M Short of Church's Asking Price Atlanta Falcons Drop Idea of New Stadium at Historic Church Site; Says It's 'Unfeasible' Atlanta's Oldest Black Church Wants $24.5M to Make Way for New Falcons Stadium

March 10, 2014|5:01 pm

Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta held its final service Sunday with a commemorative march to make way for a new multibillion stadium set to be built in the city's downtown area.

"Of course, there are a lot of feelings, a lot of memories that we will forever cherish and be thankful to God that he allowed us to have this experience," said Rev. Rodney Turner, reports CBS Atlanta."But we are excited about what's next."

Turner notes that the church has to be cleared out by the end of the week as construction has already begun in areas nearby. The congregation will temporarily hold services at Carver Bible College in southwest Atlanta beginning next Sunday while they search for a permanent worship site. However, Turner hopes they can eventually return to their neighborhood where they have been for nearly a century.

Back in September, church leaders and members voted on a resolution to sell their church site to the city for $14.5 million. Prior to reaching a deal, the city offered Mount Vernon $6.2 million which they considered an "insult."

At that time, the church had asked for $20.4 million but Atlanta city officials said their offer aligned with a state law that prevented them from going higher than the church building's appraised value. While the majority of the congregation voted for the sale, others opposed on the grounds that the city was destroying the history of their church.

Friendship Baptist Church, another church with historic ties that sits directly across from Mount Vernon, also struck a deal with Atlanta to sell its site for nearly $20 million.

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"I think it's an abomination in the sight of God for the city and the Falcons to consider bringing down two historic black churches for a stadium for a second-rate football team," said Vickie Johnson, a member of Mount Vernon,according to Atlanta-based WSB-TV.

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Historic Atlanta Church Holds Last Service Before Demolition for New Atlanta Falcons Stadium

Bobby Banks of the Lake Wales Bible Church of God oversees construction of a new youth center that he hopes will give the community's young people a place to go and help stop the recent violence. Banks said community members and businesses are getting involved.

LAKE WALES | After 10 reported shooting incidents since November, a Lake Wales minister said he hopes building a youth center will help end the violence.

Bobby Banks of Lake Wales Bible Church of God said he wants to give young people in the community a place with a positive atmosphere where they can learn, get active and develop skills.

"The Lord led me to build this youth center along with the people of the church," Banks said. "We see the condition of our neighborhood; we see the condition of our young people. They've got so much promise in their lives, so much talent. If they don't have a place where it can be developed, all their talents and gifts will be wasted."

This is the first youth center built in Lake Wales and the Bible Church of God is not doing it alone. Community members and business owners are getting involved, too.

"We have people in the city who are excited and believe in what we are doing," Banks said.

Calvin Marion, owner of CLM Learning Solutions in Lake Wales, an ACT/SAT preparation service, is one of those who is helping. He said that in the wake of the recent shootings, Lake Wales needs the youth center.

"This stuff is happening because youth aren't engaged," he said. "With this center, youth will be engaged."

Deputy Chief Troy Schulze of the Lake Wales Police Department said he is in favor of any project that gives the young people a safe place to go and keeps them off the street.

The youth center will target college-age and younger people and take a different, more accepting, approach to educating them on how to be successful in a professional setting, Marion said.

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Lake Wales Minister Hopes Youth Center Will Help End the Violence

Raymond Bernard Thrash was back in the balcony at Mount Vernon Baptist Church Sunday, once again doing something proper churchgoers would typically frown upon.

Fifty-odd years ago, when he was a boy, he sat there chewing bubble gum and eating candy _ being a kid - he recalled smiling broadly. Now, with worship services finished, he was taking snapshots of the place, and taking himself back in time.

Lots of church members joined Thrash in grabbing their final photos and thoughts of the Mount Vernon church building, which will soon fall to make way for a new football stadium for the Atlanta Falcons.

After 53 years at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Northside drives, the church held its final service there Sunday morning. It was a three-plus hour event marked by a choir that threatened to take the walls down itself, and by a sweet, sad exit processional in which the 200 or so who attended followed the Rev. R.K. Turner down the center aisle and out of the sanctuary, never to return.

Mount Vernons congregation last September voted to approve a $14.5 million agreement to vacate, clearing the way for the Falcons to build on the land, which is located just south of the Georgia Dome where they now play.

A second, older, historic black church, Friendship Baptist, which sits just across the street from Mount Vernon, sold for $19.5 million, and also will move.

The church will have to be cleared out by Friday, said Turner, who is entering his 11th year as pastor. Preparations, necessarily, are well underway. Even as he preached his sermon, construction crews outside were working in the neighborhood. The stadium is slated to open in 2017.

Beginning next Sunday, the Mount Vernon congregation will hold services in its new temporary home at Carver College on Cascade Road in Atlanta. Turner said he has no idea for how long _ probably in the next few weeks well have some conclusion. But the goal, he said, is still to get back to its current neighborhood.

Thats been our goal from the beginning. This is where our legacy is, and this is where we would like to continue, he said. But well just have to see where it goes.

For the time being, he hopes congregants follow him to Carver.

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Mount Vernon congregation takes flight so Falcons can land

Arthur Funk and Sons Church Construction
Construction Projects of Churches, Life Care, retirement Homes, profesional offices in Central PA.

By: Arthur Funk and Sons, inc. Construction Services

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Arthur Funk and Sons Church Construction - Video

WHORTONSVILLE, PAMLICO COUNTY -

It's a day members of the Zion Hill United Church of Christ have been anticipating for three years- the day their church doors reopen.

On Sunday, March 9th, the church will hold their first service after having to shut down in 2011 because of damage from Hurricane Irene. The damage they've fixed so far, according to volunteers, has cost around $40,000.

This day did not come without lots of hard work, time and donations. Two volunteers in the Pamlico County area know that well. Hank and Bettie Williams have invested a great deal of time and effort in rebuilding the historic church, that has been around since the 1800s.

"My part was a little bit of everything," Bettie said. "I helped raise money, I helped get the donations going, I helped get the word out that the church was in need."

Bettie's initiative is what helped the church get new walls, pews, ceiling and carpet. Also a big contributor was her retired contractor husband, Hank. He helped get people from the area in to fix up the problems.

"I am so glad that everything has got done," Hank said. "And I'm so glad that they are getting back in the church."

The way the Williams couple got involved is because of the long life connection Hank has with the church, and the relationships Hank built with people from the community. Hank knew some of the members there since he was a young boy, such as Rufus Greene who has been a member of the church for over 70 years.

"I missed it so much, not being able to come in here on Sundays," Greene said. "Only God knows how my heart really feels."

Another reason why Hank has a personal connection to the church, is because he helped with renovations at the church decades back when he was working for a contractor in the area.

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Pamlico County church reopens three years after Hurricane Irene