Florida

A Lutheran congregation in Fort Pierce, Fla., was recently denied permission to end their affiliation with the denomination.

Though members of St. Peter Lutheran Church voted unanimously to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, they were informed last week that their request for dismissal was rejected by the Florida-Bahamas Synod.

ELCA Secretary David D. Swartling told the denomination's news service that this was a rare instance in which a congregation was not allowed to leave. more >>

A Christian legal group announced Saturday its intention to sue a Florida county school district in an attempt to restore the rights of faculty to pray.

The lawsuit comes in response to a federal judge's decision Friday to uphold a consent order that the Santa Rosa School District agreed to follow after a lawsuit was filed against it in 2008 by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The decree bars school officials from "promoting, advancing, endorsing, participating in, or causing Prayers" and from "orally express[ing] personal religious beliefs to students during or in conjunction with instructional time or a School Event." more >>

The murder of two young street preachers in Florida by a teenager whom they shared the Gospel with is “alarming,” said a spokesperson for a religious freedom watchdog group.

Eighteen-year-old Jeriah Woody, whose street name is “Plug,” is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Woody allegedly shot and killed Tite Sufra, 24, and Stephen Ocean, 23, on Jan. 30 after they shared about Christ with him during the 15 minutes they talked.

Woody’s phone reportedly rang and he turned and walked away to take the call. But then he turned around again and started walking towards the street preachers. Sufra approached him and Woody allegedly shot him in the head. Ocean tried to run away, but police said Woody allegedly shot him in the back and then walked up to him and shot him again in the head at point-blank range. more >>

Episcopalians in central Florida have committed to stay in The Episcopal Church as faithful, orthodox believers despite their disagreement with the liberal direction of the denomination.

"I think many of us have some pretty deep disagreements with some of the recent decisions of The Episcopal Church," the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe said Saturday at the 41st Annual Convention of the Diocese of Central Florida.

"But, as Bishop Bob Terwilliger put it when someone asked, 'Are you threatening to leave?' he responded, 'No, I’m threatening to stay!' We are not about winning political battles. We are about bearing faithful witness." more >>

More than 1,000 Christian leaders are expected to attend an international pastors conference, organized by the Second Billion Network, starting on Tuesday.

The three day Synergize 2! Pastors Conference will take place in Orlando with the purpose of networking key Christian leaders and pastors to help double the size of the Church in the United States and worldwide.

“The overarching theme of the conference is Synergize the Body of Christ by multiplying vision for local impact, mentoring servants to glorify God and mobilizing leaders to finish the race,” said James Davis, founder and president of the Second Billion Network. “Synergize 2! is the place where some of the best Christian thinkers network to compound the growth of the Church worldwide.” more >>