INDIANA |
|
Haitian church in Indianapolis opens larger doors as community grows
INDIANAPOLIS—After worshiping in a modest locale for nearly eight years, the congregation of Jesus Christ Worship Center, a non-denominational Haitian church, moved to Guion Creek Middle School last month as its membership surpassed 400. On that inaugural Sunday, the faithful streamed into their new rental space on the city’s West Side, radiant in their crisp Sunday Best, colorful garments and accessories and joyful smiles. With hymns on their lips, the throngs danced and moved to praise music, recited verses and received the gospel over a 3-hour service in the new space, which can hold up to 800 people. Psalmist Samuel Robuste, a well-known evangelical Christian among Haitians, even flew in from Jacksonville, Fla. for a fundraising praise night. (Dieu-Nalio Chery/Haitian Times 10/17/23)
Read More>>>>
INDIANAPOLIS—After worshiping in a modest locale for nearly eight years, the congregation of Jesus Christ Worship Center, a non-denominational Haitian church, moved to Guion Creek Middle School last month as its membership surpassed 400. On that inaugural Sunday, the faithful streamed into their new rental space on the city’s West Side, radiant in their crisp Sunday Best, colorful garments and accessories and joyful smiles. With hymns on their lips, the throngs danced and moved to praise music, recited verses and received the gospel over a 3-hour service in the new space, which can hold up to 800 people. Psalmist Samuel Robuste, a well-known evangelical Christian among Haitians, even flew in from Jacksonville, Fla. for a fundraising praise night. (Dieu-Nalio Chery/Haitian Times 10/17/23)
Read More>>>>
Mar 12, 2023: Daily Mail: When good pastors go bad: From disgraced Carl Lentz's multiple affairs in Hillsong scandal to NYC's 'bling bishop', these are the biggest falls from grace
Pastor John Lowe II stepped down from the New Life Christian Church in Indiana in May 2022 after admitting in front of his entire congregation that he had an affair with a 16-year-old girl.
In a shocking moment, the pastor was confronted on stage by Bobi Gephart, a 43-year-old woman who came forward with a microphone to tell their church in Warsaw, Indiana, how he'd groomed her as a teen, starting when she was 16 - the legal age of consent in the state.
Pastor Lowe II had told the church that he 'sinned' 20 years ago by committing adultery, without mentioning how old the woman or girl was at the time. He begged for the church's forgiveness, then received a standing ovation.
Bobi then stormed towards the stage with her husband, Nate, to say it 'was not just adultery' because she was so young at the time.
She said to Lowe: 'I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.
'You did things to to my teenage body that should have never been done. If you can't admit the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here.'
Her husband then presented a pearl necklace that his wife had been given by the church and a 'purity ring' that he said the pastor gave her during their affair.
Lowe has stepped down from the church and been scrubbed from its website.
Pastor John Lowe II stepped down from the New Life Christian Church in Indiana in May 2022 after admitting in front of his entire congregation that he had an affair with a 16-year-old girl.
In a shocking moment, the pastor was confronted on stage by Bobi Gephart, a 43-year-old woman who came forward with a microphone to tell their church in Warsaw, Indiana, how he'd groomed her as a teen, starting when she was 16 - the legal age of consent in the state.
Pastor Lowe II had told the church that he 'sinned' 20 years ago by committing adultery, without mentioning how old the woman or girl was at the time. He begged for the church's forgiveness, then received a standing ovation.
Bobi then stormed towards the stage with her husband, Nate, to say it 'was not just adultery' because she was so young at the time.
She said to Lowe: 'I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.
'You did things to to my teenage body that should have never been done. If you can't admit the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here.'
Her husband then presented a pearl necklace that his wife had been given by the church and a 'purity ring' that he said the pastor gave her during their affair.
Lowe has stepped down from the church and been scrubbed from its website.
March 9, 2023: Slate: Which Religion Counts in America
Indiana’s near-total ban was enacted last summer, immediately after Dobbs: S.E.A. 1 eliminated the licenses for all abortion clinics in the state, and allowed exceptions for abortions at hospitals only in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities, or a serious health risk to the mother. A state judge enjoined it this past December, finding that S.E.A. 1 “substantially burdens the religious exercise of the Plaintiffs.” This particular suit is fast becoming ground zero for reshaping American ideas about religious freedom and who gets to claim it and who gets to decide which religious adherents are “sincere.”
Indiana’s near-total ban was enacted last summer, immediately after Dobbs: S.E.A. 1 eliminated the licenses for all abortion clinics in the state, and allowed exceptions for abortions at hospitals only in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities, or a serious health risk to the mother. A state judge enjoined it this past December, finding that S.E.A. 1 “substantially burdens the religious exercise of the Plaintiffs.” This particular suit is fast becoming ground zero for reshaping American ideas about religious freedom and who gets to claim it and who gets to decide which religious adherents are “sincere.”
Feb 28, 2023: The Herald Bulletin: Saving the Sacred: Indiana church closings cause real estate concerns
North Christian Church in Columbus is recognized around the world as an architectural masterpiece.
Constructed in 1962 by the same architect who designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the structure with its towering spire and unique octagonal shape has become one of the most copied buildings in America.
But its world-renowned style — along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding — wasn’t enough to save the church from permanently closing in July.
North Christian Church in Columbus is recognized around the world as an architectural masterpiece.
Constructed in 1962 by the same architect who designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the structure with its towering spire and unique octagonal shape has become one of the most copied buildings in America.
But its world-renowned style — along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding — wasn’t enough to save the church from permanently closing in July.
Feb 24, 2023: CBN: Revival Spreads to Texas A&M, Indiana Wesleyan and LSU: 'It's Not Religion. It's Just Meeting JESUS'
Jim Lo, a professor in the School of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in Maron, Indiana, wrote in a Facebook post that "God is doing a work at IWU" as well.
"I've been at IWU since 3am. As I sit in the chapel-auditorium, involved in reflective prayer, the words of Robert Coleman comes to mind. 'Anytime you see a revival, you can be sure it started with prayer'," Lo wrote.
"God is doing a work at IWU. It may not have the proportions of what is happening at Asbury, but students are responding to the touch of the Spirit," he noted.
Jim Lo, a professor in the School of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in Maron, Indiana, wrote in a Facebook post that "God is doing a work at IWU" as well.
"I've been at IWU since 3am. As I sit in the chapel-auditorium, involved in reflective prayer, the words of Robert Coleman comes to mind. 'Anytime you see a revival, you can be sure it started with prayer'," Lo wrote.
"God is doing a work at IWU. It may not have the proportions of what is happening at Asbury, but students are responding to the touch of the Spirit," he noted.
Jan 22, 2023: Fox News: Atheist group accuses Indiana sheriff's office of 'pushing Christianity' on inmates after hundreds baptized
A prominent atheist group has issued multiple complaints accusing an Indiana sheriff's office of "[pushing] Christianity onto inmates" after hundreds of detainees have been baptized in recent years.
An attorney for the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has fired off multiple letters to former Decatur County Sheriff David Durant accusing the Decatur County Detention Center of "multiple constitutional violations" by "promoting Christianity and coercing detainees into participating in religious exercises."
A prominent atheist group has issued multiple complaints accusing an Indiana sheriff's office of "[pushing] Christianity onto inmates" after hundreds of detainees have been baptized in recent years.
An attorney for the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has fired off multiple letters to former Decatur County Sheriff David Durant accusing the Decatur County Detention Center of "multiple constitutional violations" by "promoting Christianity and coercing detainees into participating in religious exercises."
Dec 7, 2022: Religion News: Indiana judge backs a religious right to abort
Should religious liberty claims prevail over anti-abortion laws in the United States today? A county superior court judge in Indiana, Heather Welch, thinks they should, and she made the argument in an opinion that blocked the state’s new anti-abortion law last week.
Should religious liberty claims prevail over anti-abortion laws in the United States today? A county superior court judge in Indiana, Heather Welch, thinks they should, and she made the argument in an opinion that blocked the state’s new anti-abortion law last week.