You've never loved your church members and you never cared if the church lost money.

Yesterday, former City Harvest Church (CHC) investment manager Chew Eng Han continued to assert that the megachurch's founder, Kong Hee, had deceived those close to him.

He accused Kong of falsifying information - such as the church's attendance figures - and for choosing not to recoup the money sunk into singer Sun Ho's American album.

Chew, Kong and four others are accused of misusing more than $50 million of church money to finance pop singer Ho Yeow Sun's music career and covering up their tracks. (See report below.)

Yesterday, Chew continued his cross-examination of Kong, who is the second accused to take the stand after former board member John Lam.

Chew, a former CHC fund manager, told the court that Kong had urged churchgoers to donate to the building fund despite not doing so himself.

"During the years of the bonds being issued for the Crossover, from 2007 to 2010, you could have put your own money into the Crossover instead of buying personal properties for yourself."

The Crossover Project was the church's attempt to evangelise internationally through Ho's secular music.

Chew added later: "You withheld yourself from giving ... tithes to your own church despite being the founder and senior pastor and... the one on stage who challenged thousands to sacrifice for the building fund."

GAVE MONEY

See original here:
Chew to Kong Hee: You didn't give to church

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File photograph by John Medina The St. George Coptic Orthodox Church is hosting its sixth annual Egyptian Festival at 395 W. Rincon Avenue in Campbell. The festival opens tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. and will continue through Sunday.

The St. George and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church is sponsoring the sixth annual Egyptian Festival of Campbell.

The festival opens Aug. 22 from 5 to 9 p.m., and will continue through the weekend, Aug. 23-24.

"This year's event is very special," said festival director Nagy Gad.

Gad said that this is the first year the new church is open after construction.

The building is Northern California's first Coptic Orthodox church to be built from the ground up, according to Gad.

The festival will boast a "Sphinx Playground" with games, face painting, activity booths and a Nefertiti bazaar souvenir booth. Folklore performances are scheduled throughout the weekend.

Traditional Egyptian fare will be available from the King Tut Buffet and Karnak Caf. Options include grilled meat, sandwiches, wraps, vegetarian dishes and desserts such as baklava and konafa.

Gad said the church has seen more people attending the festival over the years.

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Campbell: Sixth annual Egyptian Festival returns Aug. 22-24

Two of the country's largest developers plan to build a $150-million high-rise apartment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Hollywood.

Reinforcing the area's residential building boom, the project called Hollywood Horizon would be built on a corner that has had a church since 1959. The intersection on the western edge of Hollywood Boulevard's commercial district is near some of L.A.'s top attractions, including the famed TCL Chinese Theatre.

"This is a very important property in the sense that it is the gateway to Hollywood," said William McMorrow, chief executive of Beverly Hills real estate investment firm Kennedy Wilson, one of the two developers of the apartment complex.

Indeed, a shiny public sculpture called Hollywood La Brea Gateway stands on the southeast side of the intersection. The stainless-steel gazebo popular with picture-taking tourists is held up by statues representing actresses Dorothy Dandridge, Mae West, Anna May Wong and Dolores del Rio.

Its less glamorous neighbors across the street, however, include liquor stores, a massage parlor and a pawn shop, remnants of Hollywood's rougher-edged past. Some recent real estate projects failed, but there are signs of a turnaround.

Just south of the intersection on La Brea is a $120-million apartment complex called the Avenue, which was reborn in 2011 as a rental property after the original developer went bankrupt trying to build condominiums on the site.

To the east, at 7060 Hollywood Blvd., is a once-shabby 1970s office building that Kennedy Wilson and its developer partner LeFrak Organization gutted and renovated in 2008 after a previous owner unsuccessfully tried to convert it to condos. Today the tower houses offices of concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Now LeFrak and Kennedy Wilson are turning their sights on the northwest corner of Hollywood and La Brea, where they plan to build Horizon Hollywood, a trio of apartment towers with shops and restaurants.

"This is a community going through a major rejuvenation," said Richard LeFrak, chief executive of the LeFrak Organization, a prominent New York real estate firm.

Since 2003, there have been 3,326 residential units completed in Hollywood, and 1,145 more are under construction, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. An additional 3,675 residences not including Hollywood Horizon are in planning stages.

More:
Developers have faith in church site on Hollywood Boulevard

Former Catholic priest Rodney L. Rodis who lived a secret life as a husband and father of three children died as a prisoner earlier this month, after stealing at least hundreds of thousands of dollars from two Louisa County parishes.

Rodis, 58, was serving an 18-year prison sentence for embezzling money intended for church construction, tsunami relief and mission work in Haiti, among other causes. The money was used to support Rodis wife and children.

He also wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to his native Philippines, according to evidence presented in court leading up to convictions of 10 counts of felony theft in 2008, in addition to other related convictions.

Rodis died on Aug. 5, according to Chiles Funeral Home in Richmond. At the request of his family, a death notice was not provided, and a cause of death was not available.

Rodis wired at least $515,000 to the Philippines, according to authorities, who said at the time of the investigation Rodis bought properties there, including a three-story mansion.

We are praying for Mr. Rodis family and for Mr. Rodis himself. May his soul rest in peace, Catholic Diocese of Richmond spokeswoman Diana Sims Snider said Tuesday.

At the time Rodis was embezzling funds, St. Jude Catholic Church parishioner Toni Seay was the religious education director for the church in Mineral. On Tuesday, a day after learning of Rodis death, she said his lies and thefts hurt people so badly, because he seemed like such a good person.

Seay said she rarely saw Rodis on church grounds during the week. She had assumed he was spending that time at his other parish, the nearby Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Rodis had actually spent much of his time near Fredericksburg with his secret family.

His homilies related to marriage and children, and relationships. And it was great. You connected, Seay said. And he always ended his homilies with: love each other and be a good Christian.

bshulleeta@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6391

Original post:
Former priest dies as prisoner after embezzling from Louisa parishes

Press Release August 19, 2014

Villar SIPAG Unveils Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno

? Sanctuario de San Ezekiel Moreno is the newest church in Metro Manila. It is a project of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Vista Land.

? The construction of the church started in May 2011. It is in honor of the Spanish Recollect who served as the parish priest of Las Pias from 1876 to 1879. His bone relics will be housed in the church. It is located in the compound of the headquarters of Villar SIPAG, C5 Extension Road, Las Pinas.

? Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno is designed by Architect Claude Edwin Andrews, who is also the architect of the St. Therese the Little Flower Shrine across NAIA Terminal 3. It features architectural elements inspired by the Baroque Spanish colonial period and combined with modern structural technology with a cathedral ceiling.

? The 700-seater church will be a column-free edifice, thus it eliminates obstructions in viewing the altar from any point within the church. The church has stained glass doors and windows on both sides providing cross ventilation that lends a bright and airy atmosphere inside.

The interiors of the Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno was done by Arch. Joey Amistoso. The Spanish Baroque retabllo will have Christ on the cross and the tabernacle at the center niche complimented with the image of San Ezequiel on the right niche and St. Joseph on the left. On top of the Crucified Christ will be the sunrayed Holy Spirit dove over Our Lady of Buensoceso.

The retablo and the entire sanctuary area is enhanced by a grand naturally and artificially lighted dome over it with the insignias of the four evangelists rightly placed on its four corners. Beyond the retablo wall, there are two side altars dedicated to Filipino saints, San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod.

? There are landscaped gardens on both sides of the church and a driveway with a Porte Cochere to protect the churchgoers from the rain. There is a loft for the churh choir, which will also feature a wooden musical organ to be built by the Las Pinas organ builders. There is a museum about the life and times of San Ezequiel Moreno so that the churchgoers will get to know the Patron Saint of Cancer Patients.

The church has an Adoration Chapel, and a Rectory.

Read the rest here:
Villar SIPAG Unveils Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno

Today

Support groups

Church of the Open Door: 8 Carlisle Court, West Manchester Township, Celebrate Recovery, 7 to 9 p.m. with worship, teaching/testimony and small group interaction. Refreshments will be provided. For details, visit http://www.codyork.org/cr.

AWANA program

Zwingli United Church of Christ: 403 W. King St., East Berlin, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., teaches children about the Gospel of Christ and how to serve Him. For details, call Rhonda at 717-654-0727.

Employment Support workshop

First St. John's Lutheran Church: 140 W. King St., York, offers a free employment support workshop 11 a.m. every Thursday. The workshop is designed to aid unemployed and underemployed people in their job search. For details, call the church at 717-843-8597.

Lifetree Caf

Friendship Community Church: 3380 Fox Run Road, Dover Township, will host Lifetree Cafe 7 p.m. today and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The program, titled "Encountering God: What Ancient Practices Can Teach Us Today," features a short film depicting how various groups and individuals have tried to grow spiritually. Admission is free; snacks and beverages will be available. For details, contact Dennis Hall at 717-779-0400 or dennis@friendshipcommunity.org.

Grief support

See the original post here:
Church news, events for week of Aug. 21 through Aug. 27

Monday, August 18, 2014 1:12 PM EDT

By ERICA SCHMITT STAFF WRITER

NEW BRITAIN Its not surprising that a church founded on unity would welcome people of all ethnicities to its annual events.

And thats exactly how St. Peters Church operates, from Sundays annual summer picnic to its Oktoberfest on Sept. 27.

I love the parishioners here; they have withstood a lot of hardships but are very loyal and welcoming to everyone, Bernadette Janiol, the church secretary and bookkeeper, said Sunday.

The second oldest church in New Britain, St. Peters was established in 1873 by German immigrants. In 1890 they began construction on the church building in Franklin Square.

They started with the cellar and ran out of money, said Franz Kuch, a lifelong parishioner. They raised more money and 10 years later built the upstairs, he continued.

When French-speaking families settled in the area, they looked to form a Catholic church.

They were going to build their own, but didnt have enough money, added Kuch. The priest here at the time spoke German, French and English, so he asked them to join this church.

That would be the Rev. Charles Coppens.

View post:
Picnic reflects church's origins

By Sara Waite

Journal-Advocate managing editor

Rick Weingardt, chair of First Presbyterian Church's property committee, directs longtime members, from left, Jim Williamson, Jenevieve DeSoto, Mary May, James Leh, Warren Brown, Barbara Armstrong and Harry Peterson in the groundbreaking for the church's elevator and Americans with Disabilities Act addition Sunday, Aug. 17, after the worship service. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

Members at First Presbyterian Church fill their plates from a potluck buffet after the groundbreaking celebration Sunday. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

"Build up, build up, prepare the way. Remove every obstruction from my people's way."

The passage from Isaiah 57 couldn't have been more fitting as the theme of First Presbyterian Church's "ADA/HC Restoration/Elevator Installation Project Groundbreaking Celebration" Sunday.

After their regular worship service, the congregation gathered outside the church to officially mark the beginning of a project that will provide handicapped access to all three levels of the building.

Several members of the committees involved in putting the project together spoke about the project, which will feature an addition with an elevator and "open the doors to all who wish to enter."

Members of the congregation's youngest generation participate in the groundbreaking celebration for First Presbyterian Church's ADA/HC Restoration/Elevator Installation Project Sunday. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

Rick Weingardt, chair of the property committee, thanked those who donated to the fund for the project, noting that it took just six months and 100 individual contributions to meet the goal.

Follow this link:
Church breaks ground on ADA-access project

COBDEN -- More than a thousand miles away in Cobden, Matt Hartlines thoughts rarely wander very far from a desert in Northern Mexico.

Each year Hartline leaves the village of Cobden, where he serves as associate pastor of First Baptist Church, and travels with members of his church to El Coyote, a small remote village in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

For him, its more than just a trip out of the country, though, referring to it as a calling from God.

We are called to missions, but we are called to go to El Coyote, Mexico, Hartline said. We are not just doing random missions, but were called to go there. All of us have a heart for the Mexican people, for these people.

Beginning a dental ministry

Brian and Sherri Lukes, members of First Baptist Church of Cobden, began making the trip to Mexico more than 14 years ago after hearing a woman speak about using what God has given you to do ministry.

Sherri had taught dental hygiene at SIU for 25 years, and so she wanted to clean peoples teeth, meet their physical needs and while theyre waiting in line, share the gospel, Brian Lukes, her husband, said.

The mission work began meagerly, with Sherri setting up a lawn chair at a garbage dump in Matamoros, Mexico, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas, and cleaning teeth while her husband and others built a soup kitchen in the dump.

They expanded their ministry over the next four years, going deeper into the heart of Mexico to Palmillas. While Brian and others from the church did construction work, Sherri cleaned teeth with the help of three to six of her SIU dental hygiene students.

But after hearing about Octavio, a missionary from Mexico City, and his wife, who is a dentist and has a dental operatory and a dormitory for mission groups in El Coyote, the Lukes and others from the Cobden church have been returning each year to the tiny desert village.

Read the rest here:
Cobden church has heart for Mexico

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

UPDATE 8/15/14 @ 5:36 p.m. NEW BOSTON, Ohio (WSAZ) -- A church in New Boston, Ohio is in shambles after a truck smashed through one of its walls.

Police believe the truck was topping out at more than 60 miles per hour before it hit a sign, flipped and landed inside the church.

Investigators said the driver, Samuel Gibson, 21, was drunk and the underage passenger, Zachary Cunningham, 19, was too.

Church leaders said the damage may be bad enough to condemn the building and force them to start from scratch.

"You have a huge hole in the side of your church, it was an accident," said Rev. Mike Percell.

That's the call Rev. Percell got around 4 a.m. Friday, after police said a drunk driver crashed through a fence, a sign and finally, into New Boston Nazarene Church.

"It damaged several pews, of course the walls, the complete wall is structurally unsafe, it is off-limits now to the public," he said.

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UPDATE: Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes into Church