Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On January 25, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the Faithful Central Bible Church's recent purchase of the Great Western Forum - the 17,600-seat arena that once housed the Los Angeles Lakers -offers a window into the triumphs and challenges facing black churches today. The $ 22.5 million purchase comes as black churches...are attracting record numbers, becoming major players in urban renewal, and wrestling with their missionary mandates to revitalize both individuals and the communities in which they...

Source: The Denver Post

On January 24, 2001, The Denver Post reported that "local Hispanics were excited and surprised Tuesday by the addition of a Hispanic bishop to the Denver Catholic Archdiocese. 'This is a tremendous opportunity for us,' said Richard Pabon, president of the parish council at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in northwest Denver. 'We have wanted an advocate for our interests.'" Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput had requested that someone be appointed to help him serve the archdiocese, and says that "'Father Gomez has been...

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On January 24, 2001, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church of McKeesport-Duquesne is planning a full year of celebration in commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the church, which was established when Serbian immigrants to the United States established their church in the U.S. Current membership in the church is 280 families, including 65 children who attend the church school.

Source: USA TODAY

On January 24, 2001, USA Today reported that "when President George W. Bush called out to churches, synagogues and mosques in his inaugural address on Saturday, his speech came sandwiched between two prayers invoking Jesus by name, rather than the usual blessing for the new administration with overarching references to God. While many thrilled to hear clergy make the nation's greatest podium a pulpit for Jesus, others complained that such prayers leave out many Americans." Martin Marty, a leading scholar of American religious history,...

Source: The Washington Post

On January 16, 2001, The Washington Post reported that Franklin Graham, 48, had "been chosen to give the invocation at President-elect Bush's swearing-in ceremony Saturday" in place of his father, 82-year-old evangelist Billy Graham, who was too ill to attend. Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, "one of several black religious leaders who have voiced support of Bush's faith-based initiatives program," gave the benediction. "Franklin Graham said one thing he appreciates about the president-elect is...

Source: U.S. News...

Source: The New York Times

On January 14, 2001, The New York Times reported on the importance of faith to John Ashcroft, President-elect George W. Bush's choice for United States attorney general. He denies that he will use this position to impose his religious beliefs on others. "However, Mr. Ashcroft has said it is the role of government to 'legislate morality.' To judge morality, he has said he relies on God, Scriptures and his faith. He has opposed homosexuality, abortion, pornography, needle exchanges for drug addicts, the National Endowment for...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/News/011301/Citrus/Church_embraces_legac.shtml

On January 13, 2001, the St. Petersburg Times reported on the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday by members of the African-American congregation of the Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church. The church's pastor, Leroy E. "Ed" Jones, says King's greatest lesson is the importance of peace and love. "King's message was not just for black people,...

Source: The Boston Globe

On January 13, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on a dispute before the state Supreme Judicial Court between a group of Mormons and some neighbors of the Mormon Temple in Belmont. A lawyer for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, "that the design of the temple was inspired by divine revelation to the church's president, Gordon B. Hinckley, who Mormons revere as a prophet...But four neighbors asked the justices to uphold a Superior Court judge's ruling that the steeple is not a matter of religious doctrine and...

Source: The Washington Post

On January 13, 2001, The Washington Post reported that " John D. Ashcroft, President-elect Bush's pick to be attorney general, told graduates at Bob Jones University in 1999 that America was founded on religious principles and that "we have no king but Jesus," according to a transcript of his remarks released yesterday." The transcript concerns some Ashcroft opponents, who worry about the signals sent when Ashcroft, then a Missouri senator, "proudly accepted" an honorary degree from the university. Ashcroft's supporters...

Source: The New York Times

On January 13, 2001, The New York Times reported that an emerging trend in Catholicism is to reach "out through advertising to men and women who might feel led toward a life of religious service. This is a response to...the continuing decline in the ranks of priests, nuns and brothers. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the number of diocesan priests in the United States declined from 1965 to 2000 by 15 percent, to 30,607, and the number of nuns and brothers by more than...

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On January 13, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that President-elect George W. Bush's transition office released a speech given by John Ashcroft when he received an honorary degree from Bob Jones University in 1999. Democrats requested the release of the speech, "looking for incendiary quotes that could damage Ashcroft's nomination to be attorney general." Ashcroft's remarks "could fuel concern expressed by some senators that Ashcroft's religious convictions might supersede his enforcement of laws on subjects...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On January 13, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "this week, Armenians worldwide kicked off a yearlong celebration of the 1,700-year anniversary of their homeland's conversion" to Christianity. Legend has it that in the year 301 St. Gregory the Illuminator "healed then-King Tiridat of madness, converted him to Christianity and made Armenia the first nation in the world to officially embrace the light of Christ...In the Southland, the central event [of the celebration] involved the distribution of a flame, symbolizing...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/News/011301/SouthPinellas/Sacred_flame_honors_A.shtml

On January 13, 2001, the St. Petersburg Times reported on the celebration of the 1700-year anniversary of the conversion of Armenia's King Tiridates III to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator. "A sacred flame commemorating the event is making its way to Armenian Orthodox churches around the world." The flame comes from Khor Virab...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On January 11, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "The Rev. Jose Soriano keeps everything he needs to preach the word of God in the back of his van. There's a bag of candles. A box of Bibles and hymnals. A cross, the communion. Even a small pad that he unrolls when his parishioners need to kneel. Every Sunday for the past nine years, he has unloaded the contents of his van into one elementary school gymnasium after another. He and the 90 members of the First Filipino Evangelical Methodist Church have...