CHICAGO (RNS) — Church members stopped by to pick up the wreaths they’d ordered for the coming Advent season — OK, so they were cardboard drink holders filled with Advent-themed beers and topped with a green ribbon and Christ candle to light on Christmas Eve.

(RNS) — Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci advised weighing the risks. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said he’s skipping the family gathering this year.

(RNS) — The election results in Arizona are a testament to the grassroots organizing work that has been present in the state for the past 10 years.

NEW YORK (RNS) — Religious practices of all sorts are fixtures of community for those inside — and all have been stymied by the pandemic lockdowns.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Seventh-day Adventist website stresses health as a spiritual concern, saying, ‘we believe God calls us to care for our bodies, treating them with the respect a divine creation deserves.’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Churches and other faith-based groups form the backbone of the emergency shelter system for the homeless. But COVID-19 means many shelters are having to shut down or find creative ways to open.

(RNS) — ‘The bell has no words,’ said a pastor whose church bell is sounding through All Saints’ Day. ‘This will transcend dogma, denomination, religion, politics.’

(RNS) — As COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted U.S. Latinos, many will be celebrating the virus’ victims on Day of the Dead altars.

(RNS) — Civic engagement, said one activist, humanizes minority faith groups in the eyes of the rest of the electorate.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — ‘We are trying to convince him’ to wear a mask, said the Rev. Augusto Zampini, adjunct secretary of the Vatican Department for Promoting Integral Human Development and one of the coordinators of the Vatican COVID-19 commission.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Christian musician Sean Feucht’s ‘finale’ concert for his worship protest tour was in D.C. Sunday and the event quickly shifted to a celebration for the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

(RNS) — An abatement order was issued for the United House of Prayer for All People after an outbreak of COVID-19 led to more than 121 cases and at least three deaths.