The African Methodist Episcopal Church in Alabama will feed 5,000 people, believers and nonbelievers, on Saturday to symbolically re-enact the biblical account of Jesus feeding as many people with just five loaves and two fish.

The Ninth Episcopal District of the AME has prepared 5,000 fish sandwiches to be fed to whoever comes for the special event called "Feed the 5,000" between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the campus of the defunct Daniel Payne College, an AME school in Birmingham.

"The whole idea is that in this changing world, God still speaks," AL.com quotes AME Bishop James L. Davis as saying. "This is our way of saying God's word is still the same. He still does what he's always done. He still will do what he's always promised. We dramatically show that through the feeding of the 5,000." more >>

Earlier this week, an Alabama federal judge dismissed the lawsuit of a major Catholic television network regarding the Obama administration's contraception mandate, determining that the rules of the mandate have not been finalized yet, and therefore the court could not make a proper judgment on the case.

Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn of the U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Ala., ruled Monday that although the Eternal World Television Network [EWTN] has standing it its lawsuit because there exists a "real prospect of harm from a concrete regulatory mandate," she determined that she could not review the lawsuit because the Obama administration has promised to amend the mandate, and therefore it is not yet "ripe" for review.

"In this case, common sense weighs in favor of withholding judicial review until the new regulations are created and finalized. At that point, if EWTN still has objections, it may then file suit," Blackburn wrote in her opinion, according to AL.com. more >>

Bestselling author and Christian minister David Platt will be teaching on the end times in the upcoming Secret Church meeting that expects to virtually gather anywhere from 50,000-60,000 Christians in over 50 countries in a six-hour simulcast scheduled for Good Friday, March 29.

The theme of the upcoming Secret Church global gathering is "Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World," and will have Platt speak to the confusion, fear and hope among Christians and non-Christians who may be unsure of what the Bible says about the afterlife. The Birmingham, Ala., preacher argues, however, that what is most important is what the Bible's eschatology, or end-times teaching, says about the Christian's life and purpose in the here and now.

The Secret Church Simulcast, led by Platt and hosted by LifeWay, is described as "six intense hours" of teaching and prayer primarily focused on the persecuted church. It was the minister's experience with underground house church leaders in Asia that inspired the first event in November 2006, which was held at Platt's The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham and attracted more than 1,000 people. more >>

An Alabama elementary school is banning the word Easter from campus activities because the principal said that even secular symbols such as the Easter bunny relate too closely to religion and would not only offend someone but do something even more serious.

"Kids love the bunny and we just try to make sure that we don't say the 'Easter' bunny so that we don't infringe upon the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion," said Principal Lydia Davenport of Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Ala.

Davenport informed teachers on Monday (March 25) that the school's plans to have an "academic egg hunt" for kindergarten and second grade students would have to be cancelled. Instead, teachers are being asked to use something else besides eggs and to not mention the word "Easter," according to local news reports. more >>

A high school football coach in Alabama who made derogatory remarks against gay people in front of a psychology class has been suspended by the school for 10 days without pay.

"I don't believe in queers, I don't like queers. I don't… I don't hate them as a person but what they do is wrong. It's an abomination against God. I don't like being around queers," Lauderdale County High School football coach Bob Grisham said last month. He also insulted first lady Michelle Obama, calling her "a big fat gorilla."

"I misspoke in a debate-type situation," Grisham tried to explain after it was revealed that a student had taped his comments and posted the video online. "I have no hatred toward anyone or any group. People that know my heart, they know that." more >>

Katherine Webb insists she is nothing like reality television star Kim Kardashian after being recognized for her good looks while cheering on her University of Alabama boyfriend, A.J. McCarron, to win the recent BCS National Championship.

Webb, 23-year-old Miss Alabama USA 2012, gained popularity when sports announcers complimented her appearance during the college football championship game last week. The beauty queen will appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue scheduled to hit newsstands on Feb 11.

While she recognizes that people are noticing her beauty, Webb said many are respecting the fact that she is nothing like Kardashian, whose popularity rose after she appeared in a 2006 sex tape. more >>