Religion Offerings: December 28
12/28/2013Watch at Mt. Nebo
The Tuesday 9:30 pm. watch night service at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, where the Rev. Cedrick Brock is pastor, features Mt. Nebo's mass choir in concert, and winter coats and gloves will be given to those in need. For more information, call 419-246-8561.
Centennial of Catholic Charities
On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout 2014 starting this Thursday, Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo will post new entries in a blog celebrating its century of service. The blog series is called “100 years. 100 Stories.” Go to catholiccharitiesnwo.org/100years for the series, which will include videos, photos, the experiences of Catholic Charities clients, and more. The organization also invites people to its Facebook and Twitter sites, and it uses the hashtag #Charities100.
Growing into gospel
Youth and young adults involved in gospel still have rehearsal time before the Warren AME Church 2014 Gospel Extravaganza, coming Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. at the church, 915 Collingwood Blvd. People in that age range who are involved in choirs, drill, mime, poetry, praise dance, praise teams, rap, step, and vocals are invited to be part of the performance. The event is hosted by Warrne's Christian education department youth ministry. To register or for more information, call Darlene Sawyer at 419-490-5656 or email Ernest Faulkner at zenobiafaulkner@aol.com.
Apollo 8 astronaut sees capsule
CHICAGO — An astronaut who was aboard the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon has marked the mission’s 45th anniversary in front of the actual spacecraft.
Retired Capt. James Lovell Jr. re-enacted the Apollo 8’s live Christmas Eve broadcast from 1968. During that broadcast, astronauts read the first 10 verses of the book of Genesis from the Bible; Mr. Lovell says they chose Genesis because it’s central to three major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
On Monday, Mr. Lovell and several high school students took turns reading in front of the Apollo 8 module that’s housed at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Jesus was ‘Palestinian messenger’
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — In a Christmas message, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred to Jesus as a “Palestinian” messenger of hope.
Few scholars dispute that Jesus was Jewish. But Palestinian officials said Abbas used the term in a historic context, applying to all those in the Holy Land at the time, regardless of religion.
Abbas’ emailed comments Monday appeared to be part of an effort to reach global public opinion and strengthen links between the Palestinian and Christian narratives.
Abbas said Jesus was a “Palestinian messenger who would become a guiding light for millions.”
A majority of Palestinians, including Abbas, are Muslims, but he and his predecessor Yasser Arafat have called for unity of Palestinian Christians and Muslims.
Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, is a Palestinian town in the West Bank.
Huckabee supports 'Duck Dynasty' patriarch
WASHINGTON — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson’s suspension by the A&E network shows that “militant activist groups” want to silence the kind of biblical views that Barack Obama expressed when he was running for president in 2008.
On Fox News Sunday, Huckabee said that when Obama spoke in 2008 at Saddleback Church, he “made it very clear that he opposed same-sex marriage, and he said he did so because he was a Christian and because of his biblical views.”
In that appearance, Obama told Pastor Rick Warren, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman,” and added, “For me as a Christian, it’s also a sacred union. You know, God’s in the mix.” President Obama later became a supporter of marriage equality.
Huckabee has launched an online petition calling on A&E to reinstate Robertson to the hit reality series.
He said Christians don’t consider homosexual acts worse than other sins, and believe that all people are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.
Huckabee sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and has said that he may run again in 2016.