Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

The government has hit back at claims by the Church of Greece that its plans to build a solar park have been caught up in red tape by saying that the intended site is actually public land, which is due to be reforested.

State authorities challenge the ownership rights that the Pendeli Monastery claims to have, the Environment Ministry said in a statement, which added that church officials have been informed that the land in question is listed as public forestland.

A prerequisite for the investment to go ahead is for the ownership issue to be settled, said the ministry.

The statement goes on to say that even if the ownership issue is resolved in favor of the monastery, which is located in northern Athens, then the question of whether the site in question is located is forestland also needs to be settled.

The ministry said that the state had listed the area to be reforested following several wildfires between 1998 and 2009. Once land is set aside for reforestation, the law prevents any construction from taking place. However, this rule has been broken repeatedly in the past.

The Environment Ministry went on to point out that the monastery has not applied for a license to build on the land, suggesting that the Church may have been looking for favorable treatment from the government.

A spokesman for the Church told Kathimerini on Monday that Archbishop Ieronymos had been encouraged to proceed with the plans for a solar park by previous Prime Minister George Papandreou and current Premier Lucas Papademos.

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Calliope Spanou on Monday gave a deposition to financial prosecutor Grigoris Peponis in connection to the rents paid by her organization. Peponis has launched an investigation into the rents paid by state bodies.

The Ombudsmans rent for offices owned by the Vatopedi Monastery, which is located on Mount Athos, is about 100,000 euros a month. Spanou said she has been asking since last year for the rent to be reduced but the governments Land Service, which is responsible for the negotiations, has failed to deliver yet.

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Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

CEBU, Philippines - Blessings keep pouring in for the couple whose faith and generosity made possible the rising of the first church dedicated to Visayan Martyr and soon to be canonized Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City, celebrated its sixth founding anniversary yesterday since the parish was established in Mar, 5, 2006.Yesterday was also the twelfth anniversary of his beatification.

The church, still half-complete, started only as a nipa hut in 2005 until it gradually improved into a concrete structure through the efforts of couple Servillano and Josephine Mapeso and several other benefactors that include mostly the residents of the barangay.

The lot where the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish now stands was donated by the Mapeso family to the Archdiocese of Cebu through a deed of donation signed by former Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and the Mapeso couple in November 17, 2003.

Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Russel Sungcad said the church still has a long way to go especially on the roofing, ceiling, electrical wiring, the parking area, the rectory, the belfry and the landscaping.

After the canonization of our Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Rome, all celebration will be focused here. We hope that by November or December, our Archbishop can do the consecration of our beloved Parish, Sungcad said.

The existence of this church is another miracle from Blessed Calungsod because it has come into this state even with only meager resources and budget, Sungcad said.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish has now organized 16 communities and supervised 32 chapels. It covers five surrounding barangays.Sungcad recalled how the people have helped one another to gradually improve the structure. The structure is designed by Architect Servillano Mapeso, the donor of the lot.

The Mapeso family donated one hectare of their 13-hectare property in Cantabaco, Toledo City to the Archdiocese of Cebu when Msgr. Gerardo Jumao-as and Fr. Michael Hisoler came to them looking for a lot where to possibly build a house of God.

The priests offered to buy the one-hectare lot which was valued at over P1 million at the time.

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The church that rose from faith

POSTED: 11:03 pm CST March 4, 2012UPDATED: 11:04 pm CST March 4, 2012 The Islamic Center of St. Joseph soon wont be the only house of worship on its block.Right across the street, at 2407 Messanie St., rises the frame for what will be Heritage Church, according to documents from the city.City Planner Dustin Smith noted that work began on the building within the past couple of weeks. Plans for it went through the City Council and the planning commission last fall.In keeping with the characteristics of the buildings around it, the church is required to have a brick or stone facade and to be close to the front of the property line. Another red-brick building on the property will be removed.Once complete, Heritage Church will measure about 1,700 square feet.Were still kind of in the process of determining occupancy, Mr. Smith said, adding that for the time being, maximum capacity is set at 48.A representative from the church declined to be interviewed.Erin Wisdom can be reached at erin.wisdom@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWisdom. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

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Construction begins on Heritage Church

By Stacy Lange

5:07 p.m. EST, March 5, 2012

Members of the church who outgrew their old church are in the middle of building a new one.

Methodist Pastor Jean-Pierre Duncan said when four struggling churches in and around Newton Township merged four years ago a church was just a distant dream.

"The four churches, they wanted to do together what they couldn't do separately. They didn't have very strong Sunday schools in each of the churches," said Pastor Duncan.

Construction at the new Countryside Community Church is well underway. A few hundred members of the four merged congregations raised almost $3 million build the new church.

When finished, the new sanctuary that looks out on to Newton Ransom Boulevard, will seat twice as many members as their current building less than a mile down the road.

Since the merger, church members said they have been running out of room in the current building and there are a few other problems. Members have to cross a busy road to get to services on Sunday.

"The point of our churches coming together was to build our church and reach out to the whole community so we're building a church to invite our entire community to join us," said church member Keith Eckel.

He and other members launched a capital campaign and raised almost all of the money necessary to complete the new building. In a struggling economy, members said they were worried this project would never get off the ground.

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New Church Nearing Completion

Jessica Ventura felt like a brand new person on Sunday.

Ventura, of Norwich, was one of 16 people baptized into Iglesia Las Buenas Nuevas, a Spanish-speaking church, Sunday afternoon.

I feel different. I feel great, said Ventura, after taking her turn in the baptismal pool at First Baptist Church of Norwich.

Iglesia Las Buenas Nuevas began meeting nearly six years ago at the First Baptist Church on West Main Street. Since then, the Spanish-speaking Baptist congregation has grown from a handful of members to 74.

We have 58 members, but we add 16 more today, said the Rev. Jorge Morales. The church draws members not only from Norwich but also from nearby towns, including Groton and New London, where Morales is from. Morales said members hail from Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Central and South American countries.

We want to reach as much of the community as we can, Morales explained. Although most of the services are in Spanish, the church provides a translator and individual listening devices so non-Spanish speakers can follow the service in English.

On Sunday, nearly 100 people spent several hours singing and worshipping. Many were there to see the main event of the day the baptisms of 16 new members.

Today is a very special day, said Morales, whose wife, Wanda, also helps lead services. Today, we celebrate something that doesnt occur all year long.

The 16 new members donned white gowns and sandals and took turns stepping into the pool to be baptized. Some wept and some smiled. For husband and wife Cesar and Alicia Santini, baptism was something they experienced as a couple.

My whole family is baptized, Alicia said. My husband wanted me to marry him again, and I said it had to be in the church.

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Spanish-speaking church in Norwich baptizes 16 new members

It's a new beginning for a Bastrop pastor and his wife after their home and church were destroyed in the devastating wildfires last September.

A Bryan church and a congregation from New Hampshire joined forces to build the Vega Family a brand-new home in just a week.

It's a labor for the Lord in Bastrop and it's all for Pastor Mike Vega, his wife Debbie and their congregation at Word of Life Community Church on Highway 21.

He's been doing ministry here for 24 years.

"My church, my home and my daughter's house, daughter used to live right on the church property church homes. We lost three settings here," said Pastor Mike Vega.

The Bastrop Wildfire in September of last year destroyed more than 1,500 homes but left some things like the church's outdoor worship area untouched.

"The fire just went around it as you can see even the trees there we see the fire, the trees have a little bit of burning," said Mike Vega.

After the burning has now come a building blitz and New Englanders talking Texan!

"Yee doggies!" said two of the team members from New Hampshire.

34 people from the Rockingham Church in New Hampshire partnered with First United Methodist Church in Bryan to bless the Vega Family with a brand-new 1,800 square foot home in just a week.

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Bastrop Pastor and Wife Get Brand-New Home After Wildfire Destroyed Their Church and Home

POSTED: 11:03 pm CST March 4, 2012 The Islamic Center of St. Joseph soon wont be the only house of worship on its block.Right across the street, at 2407 Messanie St., rises the frame for what will be Heritage Church, according to documents from the city.City Planner Dustin Smith noted that work began on the building within the past couple of weeks. Plans for it went through the City Council and the planning commission last fall.In keeping with the characteristics of the buildings around it, the church is required to have a brick or stone facade and to be close to the front of the property line. Another red-brick building on the property will be removed.Once complete, Heritage Church will measure about 1,700 square feet.Were still kind of in the process of determining occupancy, Mr. Smith said, adding that for the time being, maximum capacity is set at 48.A representative from the church declined to be interviewed.Erin Wisdom can be reached at erin.wisdom@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWisdom. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

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Construction begins on new Heritage Church building

Saturday, March 3, 2012

THE FUTURE An architectural drawing shows what the inside of the new Salem United Methodist Church will look like once the building is completed. The old building was heavily damaged by a log truck April 25 and will be demolished Tuesday. The congregation has been attending services at another church in their charge. They are hoping the new building will be finished in September, in time for their annual fall festival (Photo submitted)

LUTHERSBURG - The Apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Thessalonians, "Therefore among God's churches, we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecution and trials you are enduring." Thousands of years later, the same can be said for the Salem United Methodist Church in Luthersburg, which was severely damaged by a log truck April 25. According to previously published Courier-Express/Tri-County Sunday articles, the truck, driven by Clayton Null of Reynoldsville, lost control on a curve, left the road, entered the church's parking lot and flipped onto its drivers side. The logs on the truck broke loose and slammed into the side of the church. The damage to the building was so severe that the church will be demolished Tuesday morning. While the truck accident is the latest challenge the congregation has faced it is not the first. According to Barb Muth, chairwoman of the church's board of directors, the church was built in 1857 but later moved to its present location. The church was then rebuilt in 1943 after it had been destroyed by fire. However, this most recent challenge has been one of the toughest the church has faced. Muth, Sonya Fetterhoff, chairwoman of the fundraising committee, and David Radaker, one of the church trustees, said following the accident, the congregation wasn't sure exactly how to proceed. "We had two services (in the building) after the accident, but the church was closed May 15," Muth said. "The building kept shifting and the damage was getting worse." Radaker said the building was inspected by several engineers between April and September before a decision on how much damage was caused and how much it would cost to repair could be made. Radaker said it would be about $350,000 just to repair the building. Several other inspectors said they thought it would be less costly to demolish the building and build a new church on a different area of the property. The decision to move (the location of) the (new) building was made in order to protect the new building from future accidents. Muth, Fetterhoff and Radaker said the log truck incident was not the first traffic accident to occur at the property. They said not long ago, another vehicle struck a utility pole and fencing on the property. They said the mailboxes and fencing are struck by vehicles on a regular basis. Several years ago, they said, a garbage truck wrecked, spilling its entire load into the church's parking lot. The new church will be located on the opposite side of the parking lot, farther away from the road. Radaker said the congregation is hoping the new location will better protect the building from any future accidents. Although the damage to the church did not seem irreparable at first, the building is starting to twist on its foundations. Cracks that were not there at the time of the original accident began to appear and are getting wider. "Even if we were able to rebuild, the engineers could not be sure that the building would not continue shifting and moving," Radaker said. "There is a lot of concern about the roof. If we would have had a hard winter, there's a good chance the roof may have collapsed." Fetterhoff said the congregation plans to hold a service at the church at 7 a.m. Tuesday before the building is demolished. She said the corner stone which was placed in the church's foundation after the fire will be removed and set in the foundation of the new church when it's constructed. "It was a tough decision," Fetterhoff said. "Some people really wanted to keep the old church because of sentimental reasons. A lot of the older members have been going there for a long time. They raised their children there, but they understand the problem with the building." Since the building had to be closed, the 60-80 members have been attending services at the Luthersburg United Methodist Church, another church in their charge. "They're looking forward to coming back home," Muth said. "It's been tough. We're a small congregation but we're looking at a huge project." Radaker said with the church's budget, none of the small, local banks would lend the church money for the rebuilding project. "We can't blame them," Radaker said. "I wouldn't lend us the money either based on our income. We've gotten donations and volunteers have offered to donate their time to help with the painting." Radaker, Fetterhoff and Muth said the church was able to get a loan through a credit union to help pay for the repairs. With the help of Hallstrom Construction, they are hoping to break ground on the new church in late March or early April, weather permitting. Fetterhoff said the church is hoping to have the construction completed in September, in time for its annual Fall Festival. Radaker said the trustees have removed the pews and all the furniture from the old church and it will be taken to the new church once it's built. The new building will be a single-story structure which will be fully handicapped accessible. "The old church was not handicapped accessible," Muth said. "It's something we wanted to do for the older members. The older generation is really what has held our church together after all this." She also said the church is working to raise as much money as possible and is applying for grants so the debt will be paid off as soon as possible." "We have had people ask us what kind of legacy we'll be leaving for future generations," Radaker said. "One thing we won't leave them is debt. We took out a 30-year mortgage so the payments will be lower, but we plan to pay as much as we can as soon as we can." The church is planning several fundraisers including: selling Christmas bulbs with a picture of the original church, a game of chance for a quilt that was made by a member of the church and a spaghetti dinner May 20 at the Luthersburg Community Building complete with "celebrity" waiters and waitresses. The church members will also be at the community booth at the DuBois Mall March 10 and April 14. "It's been a step on faith, but the community and other churches have really done a lot to help us," Fetterhoff said. For more information about fundraisers for the church, call Sonya Fetterhoff at (814) 503-8259. --- Reported by Kimberly Finnigan, Tri-County Sunday. Email: kfinnigan@thecourierexpress.com.

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Church looks to build anew

When the walls of Ridgways St. Joseph Catholic Church fell during Wednesday mornings storm, the tremor was felt in Tallula.

That is where Dennis Drone lives. He scoured the next days news coverage of the southern Illinois storms that killed six in Harrisburg, looking for some mention of the old church. Nothing.

I would have been happy with just a line, he says, saying that 20 miles east of Harrisburg, the storm blew in the church.

The Harrisburg Daily Register reported that, though the church is ruined, the marble altar is untouched.

As far as we can tell, it's hard to find a scratch on it, the Rev. Steve Beatty, St. Joseph pastor, told the Register.

As you can guess, that church means a lot to Drone. He was born in Ridgway in 1937. The family name was LaDrone back in France, but, as happened with many emigrants to America, the original name was shortened by an official when Denniss great-grandfather, Joseph Drone II, arrived in this country.

Joseph eventually settled in Ridgway, where the saying was that if your name was Drone in Gallatin County, you have to go outside of the county to find someone you arent related to.

Joseph Drone and three other men were instrumental in building St. Joseph.

They got money for building the church from France because the family stretched back there, says Dennis. Many of the settlers down there were from France.

The church was beautiful. It was built on the same construction design as the cathedral in Belleville. Thats the Belleville diocese down there. The bishop at the time dubbed it the little cathedral of southeastern Illinois.

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Dave Bakke: Destroyed S. Illinois church was part of family history

Photo gallery: San Elceario Catholic Church restoration

The doors of San Elceario Catholic Church are still open. Instead of pews, there are work ladders and construction materials all around.

In mid-January, parishioners at the church had to move services to the parish hall because of San Elceario's dangerous deterioration.

"I think it all started when we got some bad advice to remove the sidewalk about two years ago," said Lillian Trujillo, a member of the church's finance committee. "Within about a month of it being removed, little cracks started to expand and then there were humongous cracks on the outside and inside."

Trujillo said the church received three grants for several thousand dollars from the Catholic Diocese of El Paso to help with construction work.

"We've also received some donations during collections, so we can start fixing the church again," she said.

To make the money last, most of the work is being done by volunteers.

Tony Araujo of Organizacion Progresiva, and husband of the church's secretary, is leading the construction work.

Trujillo said that a new, wider sidewalk has been put in to stabilize the church and that volunteers are now working on the walls, reinforcing the adobes.

Besides being displaced,

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Preserving San Elizario's past: Services forced to move as church repaired