Money & Giving
Some churches leave UMC through formal process; others are suing
By Yonat Shimron — December 6, 2022
(RNS) — Legal action — or the threat of legal action — represents a new strategy on behalf of churches that want to leave the 6.4 million-member United Methodist Church.
Poll: More Protestant pastors say the economy is hurting their churches
By Yonat Shimron — October 11, 2022
(RNS) — The survey also found that most pastors say congregational giving is in line with the previous year.
On Yom Kippur, a Ukrainian couple finds a new Jewish home in North Carolina
By Yonat Shimron — October 4, 2022
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — Vladislav Bedereu, a ballet dancer and opera singer, and Elizabeth Orela, a theater actress, gave up their lives and livelihoods in Odesa.
From shoeboxes to war zones: How Samaritan’s Purse became a $1 billion humanitarian aid powerhouse
By Yonat Shimron and Bob Smietana — September 9, 2022
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (RNS) — Now one of the largest US nonprofits, its growth has come largely through frontline work in public health crises and natural disasters around the world.
Wisconsin GOP candidate calls for ‘pitchforks and torches’
By Scott Bauer — September 6, 2022
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tim Michels, Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor endorsed by Donald Trump, is calling for people to “get out on the streets with pitchforks and torches” in reaction to a story detailing his large donations to ant-abortion and church groups.
Long-hidden synagogue mural gets rehabbed, relocated
By Lisa Rathke — August 16, 2022
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — It's a rare representation of a kind of art that graced wooden synagogues in Europe that were largely destroyed during the Holocaust, experts say.
Sanctuaries become art hubs thanks to new space-sharing site
By Kathryn Post — August 11, 2022
(RNS) — Venuely offers a solution for New York City houses of worship in need of income.
Lawyers say church caused suffering for Abe’s alleged killer
By Mari Yamaguchi — July 29, 2022
TOKYO (AP) - The church has been flooded by harassing phone calls, it says, including death threats.
Proclaim debt amnesty throughout all the land? A biblical solution to a present-day problem
By Eva von Dassow — July 27, 2022
(The Conversation) — A scholar of the ancient Near East explains how loan forgiveness was handled thousands of years ago in the Bible and royal decrees.
In an unprecedented food crisis, Buddhist anti-hunger fund meets its moment
By Haley Barker — July 20, 2022
(RNS) — Buddhist Global Relief has challenged Western Buddhists to focus on social engagement.
Vatican closes London property sale at a loss after scandal
By Nicole Winfield — July 1, 2022
ROME (AP) — The scandal over the London property has convulsed the Vatican for three years and prompted Pope Francis to strip the secretariat of state of its 600-million-euro asset portfolio, which had essentially operated as a sovereign wealth fund not answerable to rigorous internal or external controls.
State funds for students at religious schools? Supreme Court says ‘yes’ in Maine case – but consequences could go beyond
By Charles J. Russo — June 22, 2022
(The Conversation) — Once again, the court has expanded the legal ways that public funds can be used for students at religious institutions.
Southern Baptists may cheer DeSantis’ war on Disney but don’t expect a boycott
By Yonat Shimron — April 27, 2022
(RNS) — Younger Southern Baptist pastors, while holding the same traditional positions on gender roles, are not as eager to jump headlong into the culture wars.
More than $90 million missing from AME pension funds, claim class-action lawsuits
By Bob Smietana — April 6, 2022
(RNS) — The lawsuits claim that thousands of retirement clergy have been harmed by the potential loss of their pensions.
Ahead of Purim, Jewish students take up fasting to show solidarity with Ukraine
By Yonat Shimron — March 16, 2022
(RNS) — As Russian forces pummel Ukraine, Hillel International has been spurred to connect the mostly overlooked fast to meet the needs of the current crisis.
