13-06-2012 07:09 Cogun Consultant Randy Ongie talks about his buiilding expansion experience at Grace Fellowship Church.

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12-06-2012 21:48 Carl Frederick Ferguson September 25, 1950 -- June 13, 2011 Carl Frederick Ferguson, loving father and husband, known for his heart of gold, willingness to help others, compassionate, giving and a fighting spirit, died of complications relating to a liver transplant and exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, on June 13, 2011. Carl suffered numerous setbacks but never gave up the fight. Doctors at UCSD Medical Center were amazed by his resiliency. Carl was born in North Kingston, Rhode Island on September 25, 1950 to Carl William and Doris Flora Ferguson. The family moved to San Diego during his childhood. Carl was a Vietnam Veteran of the 11th Armored Cav (Army). He served 1969-1970, was wounded in action and received an honorable discharge. He worked as a tile setter in the late 1970's before starting his own tile business in the early 1980's. Carl eventually branched into other areas of construction, ultimately becoming a project manager for large construction projects. Carl's specialty became church construction. He personally oversaw the rebuilding of St John's Episcopal Church after it was destroyed in a 1994 arson fire. Following the fire Carl built a temporary church in 40-days where services were held until the permanent church was completed. Carl built the church to honor the memory of his Father-in-law, the Reverend Gerald Holmes Graves, who served as priest of St. Johns from 1970-1987. Other notable projects include Trabuco Presbyterian Church, The Stingaree ...

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A new era begins Sunday for members of First Christian Church when the congregation breaks ground for a new church building.

Public ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. under a big tent at the site of the future church at 2106 S. Main St. in South Jacksonville.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be preceded by a brief worship service, music by the churchs praise band and remarks by South Jacksonville President Gordon Jumper, Pastor J. Cook, project coordinator Ryan Turner and womens ministry co-leader Nancy Ator.

Initial construction plans are for a 42,500-square-foot, one-level building, which will have a multi-purpose room that serves both as a sanctuary and a recreational area, a large foyer with a coffee room and a Big Toy room similar to ones at McDonalds restaurants.

This is Phase I of our building project, Turner said. Future plans include construction of a dedicated sanctuary on the west side and additional classrooms on the east side of the building.

Construction will begin this summer and church officials hope that the project is completed by next summer.

On June 3, the congregation affirmed by 90 percent to relocate to 2106 S. Main St., Cook said. The new church is designed to accommodate all ages, but our plans for the facility really are geared toward young parents with children. The facility is designed for everyday use. We own 20 acres and there is a strong possibility of the church offering a sports ministry for youths and adults in the future.

The church had planned to construct a new building at 2106 S. Main St., but those plans were pushed forward after fire and smoke heavily damaged the church on West Vandalia Road on Nov. 29, 2010.

We at First Christian Church are at a pivotal moment in our history where we will redefine who we are as a church in this community, Cook said.

Currently, the church holds worship services at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at Grace United Methodist Church in Jacksonville.

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Church to break ground on new building Sunday

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican insisted after a high level meeting Tuesday that American nuns must faithfully promote age-old church teachings, after the women were accused by Rome of flouting core doctrine and taking an overly liberal "feminist" bent.

Sister Pat Farrell and Sister Janet Mock, respectively president and executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) met with the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada and the American bishop tasked by the Vatican to overhaul the group which represents about 80 percent of American sisters.

Farrell and Mock came to Rome to present their concerns about the Vatican's April decision to reform the LCWR from the ground up. Levada's office had determined that the LCWR had strayed too far from church doctrine and was imposing certain "radical feminist themes" that were incompatible with Catholicism.

The LCWR had termed the Vatican assessment flawed and unsubstantiated, and said Tuesday that Farrell and Mock had brought those concerns directly to Levada and Archbishop Peter Sartain, who, along with two other bishops, will overhaul the group, rewrite its statutes and review its plans and programs.

"It was an open meeting and we were able to directly express our concerns to Cardinal Levada and Archbishop Sartain," Farrell said in a statement. Stopped by reporters outside Levada's office, Farrell said she was "grateful for the opportunity for open dialogue" and said she and Mock would now report back to the LCWR board "to decide how to proceed from here."

The Vatican said the meeting was conducted in an atmosphere of "openness and cordiality." But in its own statement, it stressed that the LCWR must promote church unity by stressing core church teachings.

It noted that the LCWR was created by the Vatican in 1956 and remains under its direction. The purpose of the Vatican's assessment, it said, "is to assist the LCWR in this important mission by promoting a vision of ecclesial communion founded on faith in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the church as faithfully taught through the ages under the guidance of the Magisterium."

The Vatican's crackdown on the nuns has prompted a remarkable outpouring of support from ordinary Catholics and clergy alike, who have touted the good work the sisters do in education, health care and tending to the poor. Mock told reporters such support has been "very affirming" for the sisters.

The dispute with the American sisters goes back decades.

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Vatican says US nuns must promote church teachings

Those wondering what the laity's response to the LCWR crisis might mean for the future of the church justice movement needed only look at the front steps of New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral on the very warm evening of May 29.

More than 150 people gathered to hold a vigil in honor of women religious. The vigil was part of a movement spearheaded by Nun Justice, which called for peaceful protests at cathedrals throughout the country on three consecutive Tuesdays in the month of May.

LCWR supporters protest outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in May. (NCR photo/Jamie L. Manson)Other vigils were equally successful, but the turnout at St. Patrick's was remarkable for a region that only successfully created a Call to Action chapter in 2011. Although New York is regarded as one of the most forward-looking cities in the United States, its brand of Catholicism has remained remarkably traditional.

Witness, for example, that in Manhattan, tens of thousands still stream through the cathedral on big feast days like Ash Wednesday, and the archbishop of New York is typically something of a local celebrity.

When Archbishop Timothy Dolan was elevated to cardinal in February, local new stations broadcasted the liturgy live from the Vatican. An even greater spectacle could be seen at the construction site of One World Trade Center, where for two weeks in February the tower's white lights were turned "cardinal red" to fete the church's newly anointed prince.

Hearing the crowd make impassioned demands of Dolan just outside the doors of his liturgical domain felt like a strong wind of change on that oppressively humid May evening.

Of course, it's not that the island of Manhattan is devoid of justice-oriented, Vatican II Catholics. For decades, most liberal Catholics could find several parishes where they could be spiritually fed, so there wasn't as strong a need for a formal church reform group.

But in the past few years, the culture of fear has reached even the most prophetic parishes, where allowing women to preach regularly or the public affirmation of LGBT rights was once the norm.

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"Progressive parishes were oases, but the oases are shrinking," said Jeff Stone, director of media relations for DignityUSA and a longtime activist and member of Dignity's New York chapter.

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Justice vigils for LCWR unite the church reform movement

Construction to replace the deteriorating Godfrey Brook culvert at Church Street is set to begin July 9.

The project, which will replace the existing culvert with a wider and deeper one, will cost approximately $211,000 but the town is only responsible for about a quarter of that, $52,000. Work is expected to last four to five weeks and will close the road to non-residents.

Town Engineer Michael Santora said Town Meeting last fall appropriated the towns share of the cost. The remaining cost will be covered by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Santora said the brooks stone culvert has collected too much dirt on the bottom and is in serious disrepair. He also said the banks of the brook are too small for the water flow.

The construction will cut down on flooding in the area and replace a culvert that cannot be there anymore, he said.

It gets overwhelmed quite easily.

Separate from the culvert project, the town is designing plans with an environmental firm for the rest of the deteriorating Godfrey Brook.

The brook runs through several Milford neighborhoods, including West Street and Water Street.

That project could cost $6 million. The town is hoping the state will provide construction money through its environmental bond bill. Construction for the project will not begin until the funding is provided.

On the work to begin next month, Highway Surveyor Scott Crisafulli said the new culvert will be 5-feet deep by 11-feet wide, more than double the size of the existing 4-foot by 4-foot structure.

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Work on Milford Brook to begin in July

CONWAY -- Betty Owen has the eye of a photographer and the soul of a poet.

Theres something special about capturing a moment in time, she wrote in an email because she wasnt sure she wanted to be interviewed over the phone. A great photo will transport you right back to that place and flood your mind with memories.

She said shes been taking pictures ever since she got a Kodak Instamatic camera with a flash cube on the top, and the walls of her home are alive with images shes taken over the years.

"Little Green Frog" by Conway photographer Betty Owen.

Now, for the first time, Owen is having a public exhibition of her work.

Through July 8, 12 of Owens photographs will be on display on easels in the new commons area between the Laurel Street entrance and the sanctuary of Conways First United Methodist Church, where Owen is a member.

Billy Fallaw, the churchs music director known for his organization and staging of organ and piano concerts, has arranged for exhibits by four or five artists/church members to run consecutively.

There may be more, he said.

The commons area is open every Sunday between 9 a.m. and noon for anyone to view the artwork. People also can arrange to see the exhibits at other times by calling the church office at 488-4251, Fallaw said.

All of the exhibits scheduled so far are either paintings or photographs. Fallaw said one exhibit will be the work of a teenager, another comes from a retiree.

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Downtown church to start exhibits of members’ artwork

AURORA -

Construction plans are underway to rebuild a church damaged during Hurricane Irene.

Dublin Grove in Aurora was the oldest Free Will Baptist Church in Eastern North Carolina, but the 133-year-old building had to be torn down after it suffered major damage during Hurricane Irene.

The church plans to start construction on a new sanctuary in the next few weeks.

"It's going to be nice, Reverend Earl Sadler said. It's going to be a blessing."

The new building will go in the current parking lot, which is next door. Sadler said donations will pay for most of the construction.

People would send us a check with a little note saying I went to church here when I was young,or someone I knew when to church here, Sadler said. So its been very interesting to see the impact this church has had throughout the state, really.

Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks. The church hopes to rebuild by August 25 -- exactly one year after Irene hit.

Copyright 2012 by WCTI12. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Construction Nearing For Irene-Ravaged Church

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The new Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church has four walls and roof, but nothing more.

"We got plumbing that we must finish and basically the entire inside that needs to be completed," said Pastor James Hayes.

But the church needs $12,000 to finish construction. Therefore Saturday, members held a barbecue fundraiser.

"So we can move back home and we can start worshipping back in that building," said Hayes.

Since a storm destroyed the old church in April 2011, members have been worshipping at another location.

"But we all are ready to go back home. So we need the support to get that done," said Hayes.

Even though members volunteered time Saturday, the fundraiser was actually planned by a non-member. Pat credit says a personal conviction is the reason why she gives her time.

"I called everyone I knew to give us a donation and I got this training for my momma," said Credit.

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Church holds fundraiser to rebuild storm-damaged building

A dispute over the set of 15 plastic spindles removed last year from the facade of the Lancaster Presbyterian Church is moving to the Village Board.

Preservationists say the church must replace the 1-foot-tall spindles because they are part of the buildings historic character.

Church officials say the spindles arent original to the building, and they would rather spend the replacement costan estimated $4,000 or moreon something more directly related to the churchs mission.

The Village Board on Monday will decide this test of Lancasters historic preservation laws.

We want to make every effort to strike a balance between good relations with our neighbors and prudent stewardship of Kingdom resources, said the Rev. Kelly Negus, the church pastor.

A contractor removed the spindles from the church after the 40-year-old decorative objects broke during a repainting project.

The church opted not to replace the cylindrical spindles, but the villages Historic Preservation Commission ruled that they are required to do so under the code that governs Lancasters historic preservation district.

We based it on the standards, which were obligated to uphold, said Michael Meyer, the commissions chairman.

Lancaster Presbyterian Church, at 5461 Broadway, was formed in 1818, and the church sanctuary was built in 1831 after members took a trip through New England to get design ideas, according to a church history. It is the oldest church in Lancaster.

Church leaders last summer hired a contractor to repaint three sides of the sanctuary, caulk holes to make the structure weatherproof and replace two of the steeples roofs.

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Lancaster Church’s Plastic Spindles At Heart Of Preservation Debate