Latest Church Headlines
All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Church Funding Emergency Alert System for West, Texas
Sep 4 2014 // A church in the small Texas city devastated by a fertilizer plant explosion is funding an emergency alert system for the town’s residents. The system will allow West officials to deliver an automated phone message to...
Obama Administration Offers Birth Control Fix for Religious Groups
Aug 25 2014 // Seeking to quell a politically charged controversy, the Obama administration announced new measures Friday to allow religious nonprofits and some companies to opt out of paying for birth control for female employees while...
Jury Says Florida Church Must Pay Burn Victim
Jul 24 2014 // Jurors in Florida have determined that the Agape Baptist Church must pay $471,798.50 to a man who was severely burned after setting fire to a pile of trash while working off community service hours. The verdict in Ocala...
Prosecutor: Plastic Flower Decorations Aided N.J. Fire That Killed 6
Jun 18 2014 // It was pride of ownership that led a New Jersey family to decorate the front of their home with bright plastic flowers, and it was those same decorations that acted as a fatal accelerant in a fast moving blaze that killed...
Mississippi County Hit by Tornado Faces Challenge of Starting Over
May 4 2014 // Rescuers were still looking for people missing after Monday’s tornado when Louisville and Winston County officials started thinking about long-term recovery. The county of 19,000 people in east Mississippi faces...
Kentucky Court Clarifies Religious Exemption from Labor Laws
Apr 22 2014 // Religious institutions in Kentucky may hire and fire people from strictly ecclesiastical jobs as they see fit, but could face legal action if an employment contract is involved, the Kentucky Supreme Court recently...
Church Investor Sues Wal-Mart Over Sale of Guns, ‘Offensive’ Music
Apr 3 2014 // Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s sale of sexually charged music and high-capacity weapons hurts the company’s image, an historic Wall Street church said in a lawsuit seeking to force a shareholder vote on tightening...
Oklahoma Bills Would Limit Liability of Shelters During Storms
Mar 31 2014 // A pair of Oklahoma legislators says businesses, schools and churches that open their doors to passers-by during violent weather should be spared liability if their temporary guests are hurt or killed. A bill by Rep. Larry...
Alabama Churches Destroyed by Tornado in 2011 Reopen Their Doors
Mar 4 2014 // Two Alberta churches that were destroyed by the tornado that decimated that section of the city on April 27, 2011, have reopened their doors after being displaced for nearly three years. “The fact that this is home...
Gov’t Attorneys Appeal Penn. Health Care Law Contraceptive Rulings
Feb 19 2014 // Government attorneys have appealed two injunctions issued by federal judges on challenges by religious organizations over contraceptive coverage requirements in the new health care law. Department of Justice attorneys...
Another Suit Against Ex-California Priest Moving Forward
Feb 14 2014 // Just days after a Southern California diocese announced the settlement of two child-abuse lawsuits, a lawyer says he has no plans to settle a third suit against a former Catholic priest. Attorney Anthony De Marco tells the...
Abuse Suits Settled by California Diocese For $3.8M
Feb 11 2014 // A Southern California diocese has paid $3.8 million to settle two child-abuse lawsuits brought against a former Catholic priest. The Diocese of San Bernardino announced Sunday that payments settling the two civil cases...
Buckley, Kryshak Promoted at Wisconsin-Based Church Mutual Insurance
Feb 6 2014 // Merrill, Wis.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co., an insurer of religious organizations, announced that Bob Buckley is the new vice president — underwriting and policyholder services and Cheryl Kryshak is the new vice...
Texas Insurance, Vietnam Veteran Lyle Ashley Passes Away
Jan 30 2014 // Lyle Ashley, decorated Navy veteran, insurance agency founder, and well-known professional in Texas insurance circles, passed away Jan. 24, 2014. Ashley, 69, received The Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars for his...
Supreme Court Grants Nuns Compromise on Obamacare Birth Control Benefit
Jan 27 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court said an order of Catholic nuns, for now, doesn’t have to fill out an Obama administration form that the religious group says might lead to contraceptive coverage for its employees. The justices...
California Diocese Files For Bankruptcy Due to Sex Abuse Payouts
Jan 17 2014 // A Roman Catholic diocese in Central California filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday after paying out millions of dollars to plaintiffs who made sexual abuse allegations during the past two decades. The Diocese of...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants Church Shelters Protected from Liability Lawsuits
Jan 13 2014 // An Oklahoma legislator is proposing a measure that would protect churches from lawsuits if someone is injured when they open their doors as disaster shelters. On Friday, state Rep. Bobby Cleveland of Slaughterville...
Judge Rejects Catholic Church Challenge to Obamacare Birth Control Coverage
Dec 23 2013 // The Catholic Church isn’t harmed by the U.S. Affordable Care Act’s requirement for providing employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives, a judge ruled, throwing out most of a lawsuit challenging the...
Obama’s Health Care Promise Is 2013 Top Quote, Yale Univ. Librarian Says
Dec 17 2013 // President Barack Obama’s acknowledgement that his promise that Americans could keep their health insurance plan turned out to be inaccurate topped this year’s list of best quotes, according to a Yale University...
New York Catholic Groups Win Challenge to Obamacare Birth Control Mandate
Dec 16 2013 // A group of Catholic health and educational organizations doesn’t have to comply with federal Affordable Care Act requirements to ensure employees receive insurance coverage for contraceptives, a New York federal...
