California

CHINO HILLS, Calif. – Calvary Chapel movement founder Chuck Smith closed out the 2012 SoCal Prophecy Conference at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Sunday with a message of "blessed hope" for Christians during the end times.

More than 8,000 people attended the three-day conference held at the church that included several speakers addressing the difficult objections and misconceptions associated with the end times.

Smith, 84, who is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, is undergoing treatment for lung cancer. However, he had no problem delivering a strong message of hope in a fallen world. more >>

A Los Angeles County beach city's battle over how to allocate park spaces during the Christmas season after atheist groups overpowered a nativity scene last year by dominating the majority of the lots available will continue until at least April.

The Santa Monica City Council voted earlier this week to set aside a controversial decision on the Christmas and winter displays in Palisades Park until its April meeting "to allow church groups and other supporters time to develop ways to keep the program going," according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Last Christmas season, there were 13 individuals that entered the race for the 21 spaces available at the park rather than the usual three. The unusually high demand for spots, especially by atheists, prompted Santa Monica's City Hall to implement a random lottery system to determine who would have access to the spots. more >>

The leaders behind the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the "world's largest faith channel," are coming under scrutiny once again by another member of the Crouch family.

Joseph McVeigh, uncle to Brittany Koper – the granddaughter of TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch – filed a lawsuit against the Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, its affiliates, and TBN lawyers at the Orange County Superior Court.

He claimed TBN was maliciously targeting him as part of a "campaign of retaliation" against Koper and anyone related to her for her recent exposure of unlawful financial schemes occurring among the network's top executives and directors, as reported by the Court House News Service. more >>

Saddleback Church lead pastor Rick Warren and his congregation said goodbye to their worship music leader for the last 24 years during church services this past weekend at the megachurch's main campus in Lake Forest, Calif.

Worship Pastor Rick Muchow's departure comes at a time when Saddleback is transitioning to a less centralized form of leadership and making room for the next generation of leaders, Warren explained. Although having no plans to retire from worship music ministry work, Muchow is leaving after declining a more administrative-type lead position under the church's newly formed worship team structure.

While addressing his congregation during a tribute to Muchow before services, Warren said it took nearly three years to find and recruit a person having the professional flexibility needed to "keep up" with him. Muchow was able to "go with the flow" on countless occasions when changes to the worship plans were made shortly before and even during church services and functions, he said. more >>

Will the classic televangelist show "Hour of Power" produced by Crystal Cathedral Ministries become reduced to 30 minutes?

Reports emerged that the signature televised service created by Crystal Cathedral Ministries might cut its airtime in Canada and possibly some areas in the United States due to financial difficulties.

Following the bankruptcy of the ministry itself – its Garden Grove, Calif., property was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange on Feb. 4 – financial woes are now apparently weighing in on this legendary Christian broadcast. The main reason being that Canadian donations declined when the church's bad financial standing became obvious and after the ministry's founder, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, stopped participating in the broadcast services, Crystal Cathedral's senior pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman, the founder's daughter, told the Edmonton Journal this week. more >>

The Condom Access Project (CAP) launched by California officials in several counties last week provides free condoms through the mail to students as young as 12, and the taxpayer-funded initiative has some wondering if the program might actually encourage teens to have sex.

CAP, supported by the STD Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health and the nonprofit California Family Health Council, aims to cut the high rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections among the state's teens. The free, mail-order condom program for teens living in Alameda, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Kern County, and certain areas in San Francisco, was launched the week of Feb. 14. 

Teens 12-19 can log onto TeenSource.com, fill out a short form requesting their city, zip code and date of birth and then select to have a free package of 10 condoms, lubricant and education literature mailed in a plain yellow envelope to their home. Condoms can be requested every 30 days. more >>