MANILA, PhilippinesThe Catholic Church is involved in rehabilitation efforts for the survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda.

Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa), on Friday said that the Church has provided P563 million for relief, rehabilitation and recovery efforts that have benefited more than 2 million survivors of Yolanda.

Gariguez said that the amount, mostly donations from 41 various Caritas Internationalis member organizations on six continents, makes up the total budget of the Churchs humanitarian arm for Yolanda recovery.

He said the funds were being used for the implementation of the Churchs integrated human development program REACH Philippines (Recovery Assistance to Vulnerable Communities Affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines), particularly in severely damaged communities.

Among these areas are the 35 parishes comprising the Archdioceses of Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu and Palo; the Dioceses of Kalibo, Antique, Borongan and Calbayog; and the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa.

Gariguez said the CBCP-Nassa, along with its partner dioceses, was overseeing the construction of permanent houses or disaster-resilient shelters for storm survivors. Around 1,600 of these have been completed and are ready for occupation, he said.

UNDP exec returns

Haoliang Xu, assistant administrator and regional director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is returning to Eastern Visayas today for Yolanda one-year anniversary commemorations.

Xu will visit Tacloban and Palo, Leyte province, today to witness ongoing recovery initiatives, the UNDP said in a statement.

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Catholic Church rolls out aid

MESA, AZ - On June 19, Pastor David Land stood helplessly in the parking lot of his Mesa church, the New Life Assembly of God, as it went up in flames a few hundred feet away.

When we spoke to him afterward he told us, "It's still hard to remember that day and the pain that it caused.

Since June, a lot has changed for the church. The pastor gave me a tour of the construction and said because of this the church has moved its services to another church down the street. There's only one service a week instead of three, which is hurting their bottom line.

"The month of October was an extremely low month for us, on average, about four or five thousand dollars for that month," Land said.

And then there are the repairs. Land says the fire damage came out to close to half a million dollar in damages. Insurance can't cover it all,leaving them $130,000 short.

The pastor says the kitchen isn't used for commercial purposes, so he hopes the city will at least reconsider this code requirement to bring down the costs.

"If we have a potluck, people use the ovens to heat things up, that kind of thing," said Land.

The church has until December to pay for the repairs. To contact the pastor, send him an email at pastorland@mesanewlifeaog.org .

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Mesa church needs financial help for repairs

Saint Ritas Father David and Bishop John from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson offer a blessing as they break ground on the new building.

image credit: Betsy Kline

Betsy kline

Castlegar News

More than a year and a half since their building was destroyed by fire, Saint Ritas Catholic Church has begun construction on a new building.

Settling with the insurance company, getting approval from the diocese and making sure the proper permits were in place has taken much time. The architect of the project is Fairbank Architects from Nelson and Hil-Tech Contracting from Trail will be doing the construction.

The long process has involved much consultation and planning and has been open to the entire parish. Father David John explained, One of my objectives with the design process was that we would not just design a church, but that it would be a church for the people of Castlegar. The congregation was given the opportunity to vote on the final design.

Father David is hoping that they can have their first service on the Feast of Pentecost at the end of May.

He explained the symbolism it would represent, It is the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is saying we have our new church and we are hoping that it is not just a building, but it will be a place where God resides and where people can come and meet God in some way.

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Church construction begins

Kale Ralston helps leads an Eagle Scout project at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 in Ocala.

SILVER SPRINGS SHORES - Kale Ralstons Eagle Scout project will provide spiritual inspiration for members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church for years to come.

The Eagle Scout candidate gained permission, organized volunteers, raised funds, gathered materials and held workdays to install a devotional garden near the churchs Marian Center, which houses classes for youth religious instruction.

Fr. Felicito Baybay, pastor of the church, said Ralston approached him with a good plan for the project.

The devotional garden will be a place for prayer and reflection for our parishioners, Baybay said.

The church, located near Lake Weir High School, has a congregation of about 700 members.

I had a plan, Ralston said about the design of the devotional garden.

He oversaw construction of the design, which includes a six foot by eight foot deck with a peaked cover to shelter a statue of the Virgin Mary, which will be supplied by the church.

Church secretary Debbie Desimone said the garden was placed near the building so students could pray the rosary.

The devotional garden also will be used for special ceremonies and events.

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Eagle Scout candidate creates devotional garden

The Presidents Award for new church architecture has been won in 2014 by Evans Vettori Architects for the new hall at St Josephs Roman Catholic Church in Derby.

The Presidents Award is presented annually on behalf of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association President and the National Churches Trusts Joint Presidents, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

The eye-catching new building in the centre of Derby consists of a multi-purpose hall with kitchen, storage and toilet facilities. A new opening with sliding folding doors, created in the wall of the existing church, allows the hall to be opened up to the church space.

Two projects entered for the Presidents Award were Highly Commended by the judges. They were the reordering and restoration of St Bartholomew Church, Wilmslow, Cheshire by architects Buttress, and the design and construction of a small but complex extension to the church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Studley, Warwickshire by architects John C Goom.

Dan Greenaway, Director of Evans Vettori Architects Ltd said: Evans Vettori Architects are delighted to receive the Presidents Award for the New Parish Hall at St Josephs, Derby.

For many years, an aspiration of St Josephs parish has been to strengthen the relationship between the church and local community. Our brief was to fulfill this aspiration through the creation of an extension to the main church building. The end product aims to convey clarity of concept with simple elegant design, to enhance rather than diminish the importance of the existing church and its central worship space.

Father John Trenchard, Parish Priest at St Josephs Roman Catholic Church said: Financial difficulties led to long delay periods in the project, during which the design was approved by the parish and the Trustees of Nottingham Diocese. When I came to St Josephs Parish four years ago, a great sense of pessimism became apparent to me, with cynical concerns amongst the parish congregation as to whether the new building would be large enough or adequate for purpose. Since completion of the Hall, I have not heard a single word of criticism. This is quite remarkable.

The King of Prussia Gold Medal for innovative, high quality church conservation or repair work has been won in 2014 by Beech Tyldesley Architects for their repairs to the tower of St Michaels Church, Othery, Somerset.

The Gold Medal was the gift of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia in 1857, who was highly impressed with British Victorian church architecture.

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Catholic church hall wins major prize for architecture

AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER voting precinct, Rep. Jim Moran and Hon. Don Beyer, running to fill the seat being vacated by Morans retirement chat with Nikki Henderson, a local civil rights activist, (Photo: News-Press)

It was yet another landslide vote in the City of Falls Church to authorize school construction bonds this week. In this Tuesdays election the vote in favor of a $15.4 million bond issue for the expansion and improvement of the Mt. Daniel Elementary School was by more than a whopping 2-to-1 margin.

It proved that once again, education is a top priority of not only the schools and students, but of voting citizens in the City, even when the economy is flagging.

In the other big news, acting City treasurer Jody Acosta won more than two-thirds of the vote to gain election to fill the unexpired term of treasurer Cathy Kaye, who resigned for health reasons earlier this year.

In June 1991, citizens in Falls Church approved the issuance of a $12.3 million bond to renovate George Mason High School, and when the margin was 62 percent to 38 percent, a banner headline in the then-new News-Press declared, Landslide!

But that margin was nothing compared to the 77 percent yes votes on a $25 million bond referendum for the construction of the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in November 2003.

This weeks margin split the difference between the other two at 68 percent yes, and it came as a mild surprise to many in the City whove been hearing a lot of noisy grumblings from certain quarters in the community.

F.C. School Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones told the News-Pressshe is delighted for the children, the staff and the community for the vote. This project is greatly needed, and weve planned for a long time. Still there were many questions as the voting approached.

Now the real work begins, she added. Weve already reached out to Grunley, our selected construction firm and will be meeting with them next week. We will be working to cement plans for packing up classrooms this summer and fine-tuning design choices so that construction can begin in the fall.

JODY ACOSTA (CENTER) CELEBRATES her victory in F.C.s treasurers race with F.C. councilmembers Marybeth Connelly and Phil Duncan at Clare & Dons Tuesday night. (Photo: News-Press)

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Once Again, F.C. Votes for Quality Schools; Beyer & Acosta Win Big

Construction has begun on the Saint Nicholas National Shrine in the World Trade Center complex in New York. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava will complete the white Vermont marble shrine, which will surround a translucent central Cupola.

The original Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed during the 2001 attacks. Now located on 130 Liberty Street, not far from its former site, the structure will overlook the National September 11th Memorial. The building will continue to serve as an active parish and house of worship and will be open to the general public.

Photos by Santiago Calatrava

Echoing Byzantine architectural style, the shrines bright faade takes inspiration from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and the translucent cupola will allow for a glowing effect during the night. The building is slated for completion in 2016.

Santiago Calatrava is also responsible for the World Trade Center transportation Hub, set to open in 2015. The Hub will house a terminal for PATH trains, 225,000-square-feet of retail space, and 11 subway lines.

Photos by Santiago Calatrava

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Santiago Calatrava Begins Construction of Church on 9/11 Site

The members of the historic Metropolitan Baptist Church in Northwest Washington have elected a well-known Georgia pastor as their new minister.

Rev. Maurice Watson, who currently is the pastor of the Beulahland Bible Churchin Macon, was elected by the congregation Monday night during a congregational meeting.

Dr. Watson will begin on January 15th, said Metropolitans longtime pastor, Rev. H. Beecher Hicks, in a brief interview Tuesday.

Hicks, one of the Washington areas most influential church leaders, has been pastor of the congregation for nearly four decades. He announced that he was retiring earlier this year after he also announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.

Entering its 150th year, Metropolitan is one of the areas oldest black churches. During Hicks tenure, the church grew to be one of the areas most prominent congregations: It attracted White House appointees, civil rights figures and nationally renowned gospel artists. The church was a must-stop for political candidates during election cycles. And for years, Sundays were standing room only in the sanctuary in Northwest Washington, as hundreds piled in each week to hear Hicks preach.

But Metropolitans ties to the District weakened as most of its members moved to the suburbs. By 2004, half of the congregation lived in Prince Georges County, and a sizable portion lived in Virginia.

For the past five years, the congregation has held its services in a charter school at 1400 First St. NW after its effort to move to a bigger church in Largo hit a snag: After selling its property in the District and buying 35 acres for a planned multimillion-dollar sanctuary, the church was forced to stop construction because it could not secure additional loans to finish the project. The congregation has since declined to about 2,000.

In interviews, many congregants have expressed private hopes that Watson, who was extensive experience in building congregations, will usher in a new era for the church.

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Metropolitan Baptist Church elects new pastor

Jobs are falling short of meeting equity goals

By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

Despite established equity goals now in place for publicly funded construction projects in Minnesota, many argue that barriers still exist for Black-owned businesses and that laborers from diverse racial backgrounds experience multiple challenges in competing for contracts and getting jobs.

All construction projects should be on a solid leverage for all citizens, stated First Covenant Church Pastor Dan Collison, who also is the East Side Downtown Council executive director. His church last month hosted a construction equity forum.

There are billions and billions of dollars in construction [projects] in our region scheduled to happen in the next eight-to-10 years. People of color are being left behind added St. Thomas Law Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds, who moderated the forum. She told the small audience (the event was open to the public), I dont know how many times Ive driven through parts of the Twin Cities and seen all-White construction crews, and this is 2014.

LifeSource building construction project, 22nd Ave and West River Road in Minneapolis MSR file photo

Levy-Pounds asked, Is this a question of practices that are perhaps unethical, or is this a matter of a lack of a solid infrastructure that creates access [for Blacks and other people of color]? Rethinking the way that [government agencies] do business I think is going to be vitally important. My hope is that the ordinary citizen will see that they need to be engaged if they want things to happen.

How much of that [construction-related] money do African Americans get as laborers? asked local business owner Lennie Chism, who agreed with Levy-Pounds. I havent seen many of my people on City of Minneapolis-funded projects, he added.

What we really are talking about is that people feel that they are not participating in economic development in our country in the way that they should, said State Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsay. One of the means to facilitate that is public construction projects.

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Booming construction leaves states Blacks behind

Welcome to the Official Website of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation, administered by the Office of the General Secretary and Chief Information Officer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church). This site is the gateway into the AME Church Online Community. The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a unique and glorious history. It was unique in that it is the first major religious denomination in the Western World that had its origin over sociological and theological beliefs and differences. It rejected the negative theological interpretations which rendered persons of African descent second class citizens. Theirs was a theological declaration that God is God all the time and for every body. The church was born in protest against slavery against dehumanization of African people, brought to the American continent as labor. The Mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christs liberating gospel through word and deed. At every level of the Connection and in every local church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall engage in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society, out of which the AME Church evolved: that is, to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy.

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African Methodist Episcopal Church | Official Website