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| Christian News: Luis Palau and Portland Leaders Launch Season Of Service |
Christian News: Church News   (Portland, OR) Evangelist Luis Palau teamed up with the Mayor of Portland, Oregon, and with civic leaders and 350 area pastors to launch the "Season of Service," a collaborative effort between the city, local churches and nonprofit organizations to address the area's social needs.  At the official kick-off event on February 26, evangelist Luis Palau presented a $100,000 check to Portland Mayor Sam Adams - a gift to the city from Portland-area churches. It is designated for the Home Again Mentoring Project, which helps homeless families transition into stable housing, and to help fund the Portland Schools Transition Center, which encourages youth who have dropped out of school to resume their education.
"The money will absolutely go to very good use," said the mayor. He and City Commissioner Nick Fish told the audience Portland had cut $20 million from the city budget. "This $100,000 means more than you will possibly know." Oregon's unemployment rate has recently moved close to 10 percent.
"In 2008 we were 'practicing,' not knowing the worst economic downturn was headed our way," said Kevin Palau, executive vice president of the Luis Palau Association. The 2008 event brought together more than 600 churches and agencies, and nearly 30,000 volunteers to work on hundreds of critical service projects. This year's projects will focus on five areas, said Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community: homelessness; schools; health and wellness; environmental projects; and hunger and poverty.
 James Martin of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church reminded the group to remember also the point of Christian service. "Yes, we help the homeless and clean schools, but we also take the opportunity to share the Gospel."   ______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
http://www.faithtelegraph.com
The latest and most unique Christian news stories from around the world. Bizarre, groundbreaking, worldchanging. Exclusive stories from a wide variety of sources. Missions news directly from missionaries and numerous denominations and organizations. |
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| Christian News: Group That Supports Traditional Marriage Performs At White House |
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 (Washington, D.C.) "Mary, Mary" -- a gospel duo that openly supports traditional marriage -- performed at the White House for Barack Obama and others as part of a ceremony honoring musician Stevie Wonder.  The Gospel duo's open expression of support for traditional marriage flies in the face of ongoing intimidation and harassment of Proposition 8 supporters in California.  Obama officially opposed gay marriage during the Presidential campaign, but had previously unequivocally supported gay marriage. Obama  is now calling for the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act, a federal statute which allows states to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.  "Mary Mary" recently won a Grammy and a NAACP Image Award, and is now nominated for several Dove Awards, including "Group of the Year."  "Mary Mary" is known for songs like "Shackles (Praise You)" (click here for video): Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now so I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you  LINKS: READ MORE
 Mary Mary To Perform At White House Obama Calls For Repeal Of Defense Of Marriage Act Fox News Grammy Wrap-Up Grammy Winners Affirm Support For Traditional Marriage Official Online Presence of Mary Mary ______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
http://www.faithtelegraph.com
The latest and most unique Christian news stories from around the world. Bizarre, groundbreaking, worldchanging. Exclusive stories from a wide variety of sources. Missions news directly from missionaries and numerous denominations and organizations. |
Christian News: Culture Updated
 Christian Artist Mishavonna Henson failed to advance to the final round in American Idol.  Her only remaining hope is to be chosen by the judges as a "wildcard" for one of three remaining spots that will not be chosen based on voting.  Some are speculating that Mishavonna's odds of being a "wildcard" are reasonably good, given: (1) the current imbalance between men and women (currently 4 to 2); (2)  Misha's wise acknowledgment during the show that she had obviously "chosen the wrong song" since the judges thought so (was this candor, pandering, or some combination thereof?); and (3) Misha's overall solid singing performance.  After her performance on Wednesday, Misha received mixed reviews for her performance on American Idol. The judges thought she was a great singer, but "too serious."  "Something left me a bit cold," observed Simon. "You're a great singer," but "you're very serious" and act "too old." "I just wish you were a bit younger and a bit more fun."  If Misha wins one of three spots to continue on to the next round, she will join the "Final Twelve," which will provide her more opportunities to sing to a national audience from Hollywood.  Mishavonna attends South Coast Christian Assembly in San Juan Capistrano, California. Mishavonna won First Place in the Female Vocal Solo Category at the 2008 Assemblies of God Fine Arts Festival. "I give God all the Glory," she said of her Fine Arts win.  "This is a dream come true," she said of her initial win on American Idol. It was also a dream come true for her mother Natassia, who is reportedly closely involved in Mishavonna's career, "We all feel so blessed that Mishavonna has gotten this far...it has been a Dream come true!"  Mishavonna has a fan you might not expect: Teen pop idol Debbie Gibson. Gibson was a popular singer in the 80's and early 90's and is known for such hits as "Only in My Dreams" and "Foolish Beat."  On her blog, Gibson raves about Mishavonna: "Mishavonna is a superstar vocalist, musician and a sweetheart and we here at Electric Youth are so proud of her!!!  Go get 'em Mishavonna!!!" Mishavonna attended Gibson's Electric Youth music camp last summer. Read More: Links  Mishavonna's MySpace Page 'American Idol': Top 36 revealed Debbie Gibson's Blog Â
 ______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
http://www.faithtelegraph.com
The latest and most unique Christian news stories from around the world. Bizarre, groundbreaking, worldchanging. Exclusive stories from a wide variety of sources. Missions news directly from missionaries and numerous denominations and organizations. Â |
| | USC Gets $6.9 Million Grant To Study Pentecostalism |
Christian News: Churches
 (Los Angeles, CA) The birthplace of pentecostalism, Los Angeles, is now home to a research initiative on pentecostalism. USC's College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Center for Religion and Civic Culture has established the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative (PCRI) with a $6.9 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation.  The initiative will foster innovative social science research in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union, by providing up to $3.5 million in grants to regional centers and individual scholars. PCRI will create scholarly resources, including a digital archive and conduct research on Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity in Los Angeles.  "Our goal is to inspire research partnerships around the globe and fund projects that will shape the discussion for years to come," said Donald Miller, executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, and author of Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement. "We are interested in understanding why Pentecostalism is growing so rapidly, what impact it is having on society, and how it is different in various cultural settings."  Representing approximately 500 million adherents around the world, "the movement is reshaping global Christianity, but it also has far-reaching implications for international politics and interactions among religious groups. Studying Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity is critical to understanding the ways in which religion shapes our world," said Brie Loskota, PCRI program officer and managing director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture.  Funding from the grant will support research in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union. Comparative research projects are also eligible, including projects that explore the connections between Western countries and one or more of the four regions.  "The growth of global Pentecostalism is one of the most remarkable religious transformations of the last century," said Dr. Kimon Sargeant, vice president of human sciences at the John Templeton Foundation. "The goal of this project is to further better understanding of its significance in the social sciences in areas ranging from social capital to economic development and more."   ______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
http://www.faithtelegraph.com
The latest and most unique Christian news stories from around the world. Bizarre, groundbreaking, worldchanging. Exclusive stories from a wide variety of sources. Missions news directly from missionaries and numerous denominations and organizations. |
| Sean Penn Wins Oscar For Milk, Blasts Supporters Of Proposition 8 and Traditional Marriage |
Christian News: Culture  Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Milk playing the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Sean Penn thanked the "Commie, Homo-Loving" Academy (twice) and told those who voted for California's gay marriage ban to "sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame, and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support." He also stated that he is "very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man President," Barack Obama.  Milk traces the career of Harvey Milk, who leaves the closet and begins organizing gay purchasing power to build political alliances. Milk runs for office with his lover acting as his campaign manager and wins, and then struggles against a conservative political opponent, including a fight over a statewide initiative to bar gays from public school jobs.  Penn has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor five times. His award for Milk was his second. He won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for his role in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River.  ______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
http://www.faithtelegraph.com
The latest and most unique Christian news stories from around the world. Bizarre, groundbreaking, worldchanging. Exclusive stories from a wide variety of sources. Missions news directly from missionaries and numerous denominations and organizations. |
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