Month: April 2022

Church, Family Members Calling For Investigation After 63 year Old Pastor Marries 19 Year old Parishioner

Church members and family members are calling for an investigation into a Pentecostal church bishop in Iowa who recently married a 19-year-old girl. Bishop Dwight Reed is 63 and leads Christ Apostolic Temple in Des Moines, Iowa. In November 2021, Reed married 19-year-old Jordan Goodlett, a longtime church member and former student at the church’s school. An outside clergyman accuses the bishop of “gross abuse of power” and years-long “grooming” of an underage congregant. And some of the teen’s family members and fellow church members also say they’re concerned she is a victim of clergy abuse. Read more about the controversy here.

Poll Of Ministers Shows More Are Struggling With Mental Health Challenges

More than 60 percent of pastors say stress is a challenge in their day-to-day ministry, according to a new Lifeway Research survey that also found that roughly half list “discouragement” as a common barrier. The poll of 1,000 American Protestant pastors, released Tuesday, found that 63 percent of pastors say they battle stress and 48 percent face discouragement. Just over one in four (28 percent) say loneliness or lack of friendships is a problem, while about one in four (18 percent) say depression is an issue. Younger pastors are more likely than older pastors to list stress, discouragement, loneliness and depression as issues. Read more about the poll here.

Woman Marries Cat To Avoid Eviction

Deborah Hodge, 49, married her 5-year-old cat, India, on April 19 in a public park in southeast London. Both Hodge and her cat wore tuxedo-styled outfits for the occasion. The decision to marry her cat came after Hodge was previously forced to give up three other pets – two Huskies and one cat – because of landlord rules barring residents from owning pets. India meowed through her vows as Deborah’s friends watched on, including one who legally ordained the civil union. “I recited vows under the universe that no man will ever tear myself and India apart,” she said. Read more about the wedding here.

Ukrainian refugees Find Shelter In Irish Medieval Castle

When Irishman Barry Haughian and his wife Lola watched Ukrainians flee their homes, they decided to offer up their second home, a 15th century castle in the west of Ireland. Within a day Haughian was on a plane to Poland, having set up a Facebook account for the first time to offer refuge. Eleven Ukrainians returned with him to Ballindooley Castle. A month after their arrival, five of the group have found jobs. Their children are settled in school and play on the half acre estate with local kids, whose families constantly drop in everything from spare fridges, televisions and bags of turf to baskets of fresh eggs for Maria Nazarchuk, the keen baker of the group. Read more about the generosity here.

Supreme Court Hearing Case Involving Football Coach fired For Praying 

Arguments are being heard by Supreme Court Justices involving a case where a high school coach was asked to stop publicly praying, and was fired after he refused. Joseph Kennedy filed suit against the school after he was not retained as a coach by Bremerton (Wash.) High School. He had conducted post-game prayers multiple times, violating a district policy – often at midfield while alone. It is one of the biggest cases in recent years involving free speech, religious liberty and the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. A decision is expected before the court’s summer break. Read more about the case here. 

Thousands Of Families Left With $50 Million In Debt After Health Care Sharing Ministry Closes

About 10,000 families have ended up with more than $50 million in unpaid medical bills after their health sharing ministry shut down. Sharity Ministries, formerly known as Trinity HealthShare, filed for bankruptcy in late 2021 and began the liquidation process. With so many outstanding claims against the ministry, it is unlikely that its members will receive the reimbursements they are owed. Sharity Ministries operated as a nonprofit that offered an alternative to traditional health insurance where members pay premiums and voluntarily agree to share their medical expenses in accordance with their Christian beliefs. Read more about the bankruptcy here.

Texas Pastor Tweets “Don’t tell Unbelievers God Loves You” 

When Pastor Gabriel Hughes tweeted yesterday, “You should not tell an unbeliever, ‘God loves you,’” social media took note. He continued, “The apostles never shared the gospel this way. The Bible says God’s wrath is upon unbelievers. Help them see their sin, warn them of the judgment of God, and give them the gospel.” The post has received more than 1,000 likes and dozens of replies. Hughes is associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas. Several people agree with Hughes, while others however, point to apparent scriptural contradictions in Hughes’ words. Read more about the tweet here.

Dutch Designer Helping Refugee Camp Recycle Plastic Waste

In the middle of the Sahara desert on the western border of Algeria, refugee camps hosting tens of thousands of people rely on basic supplies which come in on trucks. And until recently, all the waste from the camps was dumped nearby in the desert into an ever-growing pile of plastic. But refugees are now turning that plastic trash into furniture and other products that they can use. Precious Plastic, an organization with a DIY recycling system developed by a Dutch designer who helped set up a recycling center. One machine shreds the plastic into tiny pieces. Other machines wash and dry them. Then the plastic pieces can be melted down and shaped into new objects. Read more about the center here.