The revival that was taking place in hundreds of churches in Tennessee before the pandemic is now moving online in anticipation of spreading the gospel around the world.
More than 130,000 people from across the world, many in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, have decided to follow Jesus Christ after an online evangelism event, organizers said. “We are living through a Great Quarantine Revival, and I think God is just getting started,” explained evangelist Nick Hall, whose Pulse movement organized the virtual program.
The Governor of Tennessee expressed full support for holding drive-in church services during the COVID-19 pandemic by attending such a service himself, Christian Headlines reports. At a time when state and local leaders have grappled with whether to allow drive-in services, Gov. Bill Lee attended a multi-church ‘Beyond Our Walls’ worship service on Sunday evening.
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization working with national translators with close to 1,200 languages in progress, is expanding its Bible translation technological reach with V-MAST, a video conferencing version of the MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) methodology.
After weeks of having online services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of US churches are expected to resume holding in-person services in May, the Christian Post reported. Churches that reopen are expected to do so while still observing safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
A Baptist pastor in the U.S. state of Michigan has died shortly after celebrating his recovery from the new coronavirus and preaching about the resurrection of Christ. David Ford, a pastor at Friendship House of Prayer Baptist Church in the state capital Lansing, had been hospitalized with the virus disease COVID-19, friends said.
A controversial pastor in the U.S. state of Louisiana held services in his evangelical church Sunday despite house arrest orders for violating social distancing measures linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
Facebook has removed four videos of military chaplains encouraging prayer and referring to God during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News reported on Thursday. The posts were taken down after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRRF) complained the videos constituted ‘illicit proselytizing’ of Christianity.
The Liberty Counsel (LC) Christian non-profit organization has launched the ReOpen Church Sunday campaign, calling on US churches to resume congregating in person on May 3, the Christian Post reports. As the campaign follows weeks of on-line worship services due to the coronavirus pandemic, LC advises that congregations should continue to observe social-distancing and sanitation measures at in-person services. However, LC says: ‘Now is the time to act.’
A church in Harlem has lost 11 members to the coronavirus pandemic in 30 days. Rev. Johnnie Green of the 1200-member Mount Neboh Baptist Church told the Christian Post: ‘It is simply unfathomable and unfortunate that so many people in our congregation [have died].’
A new Danish Bible omits the word ‘Israel’ from its pages, publishers claiming the modern nation of Israel and the ancient kingdom of Israel have nothing to do with each other.
The Babylon Bee, a self-described “Christian News Satire” website that often pokes fun at political figures, didn’t stop delivering the popular humor amid the coronavirus pandemic and its CEO is offering help.
Orthodox believers in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia held church services, despite warnings that they complicated efforts to halt the new coronavirus pandemic. Worldwide, millions of Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter – the most important festival in their calendar, amid a series of restrictions and bans to prevent more infections.
Christian songs reverberated throughout the Dutch town of Urk as residents took to the streets to celebrate Easter outside closed churches in one of Europe’s most God-fearing communities. They gathered Sunday after the 57-year-old housewife Jannie Molenaar expressed concern that locals would no longer be able to sing in churches due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Major Christian publishing companies have reported increased sales of the Bible during the coronavirus pandemic. The increase is reportedly similar to that observed after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.
Roughly 9 in 10 pastors in the United States view current events as signs that Jesus Christ will return soon to Earth, according to a new survey by a significant church research group.
Christians across America drove to hospitals last week to pray for medical staff and coronavirus patients. States involved in the “park and pray” initiative included Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida. Those who attended the prayer gatherings were instructed to practice social distancing so as not to risk spreading the virus.
In an amendment to his March 19 executive order on limiting the spread of coronavirus, the Governor of Texas has decreed that attending “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship” is as important as shopping for food or going to medical appointments. The executive amendment came into effect on April 2.
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is using technology to protect and empower Bible translators working in regions of intense persecution for Christians.
Pastors refusing to comply with coronavirus regulations effectively shuttering churches are facing increased harassment from state authorities, with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio even threatening to permanently close churches and synagogues that defy social distancing orders.