South Carolina

A pastor recently joined a lawsuit against South Carolina's immigration laws because she believes the law could inhibit church ministries, she said.

Sandra Jones, pastor of Spring of Life Lutheran Church, joined the American Civil Liberties Union and local interest groups to file a complaint Wednesday against a law that will go into effect in January 2012. Police officers will be required to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally when stopped or arrested. Transporting or harboring illegal immigrants will also be a crime.

The Columbia, S.C., pastor stated in court documents that her church has nearly 200 Latino members. She transports many of her congregants to after-school and summer programs, stores and medical appointments as part of her spiritual ministry. more >>

After noticing a significant drop in attendance during Easter time, one church in South Carolina is asking the local school district to consider changing the dates for spring break.

With fewer and fewer people in their pews during Holy Week services, pastors at the Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill are concerned over the spring break overlap with Easter.

“Why [do] the schools each year schedule spring break between Palm Sunday and Easter, right at the high time of the church year?” pastor Shelden Timmerman asked on WBTV. more >>

A South Carolina megachurch pastor has chosen to press through the awkwardness and talk about what an increasing number of churches have been addressing from the pulpit – sex.

Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church made it clear to his congregation that when it comes to sex, the church has a lot to learn.

"Let's just be honest. Sexual immorality is in the house," he told his congregation, adding that he has seen sexual immorality at each of the three churches he has served. more >>

Raymond Johnson got the shock of his life when doctors diagnosed him with breast cancer. Not only was he one of the very few men who develop breast cancer each year, but he was also denied health insurance coverage because he is not a woman.

Men are not covered for breast cancer treatment according current Medicaid rules. They make up an estimated 1 percent of all breast cancer cases reported every year, according to American Cancer Society statistics.

Cancer advocates are now rallying behind Johnson and other men diagnosed with breast cancer to change current insurance laws. more >>

Commissioners from a North Carolina county entered an appeals court Thursday to protect their right to mention Jesus' name in prayers said before public meetings.

Attorneys representing Forsyth County appeared in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to appeal a District Court's decision to bar commissioners from opening public meetings with prayers prayed in Jesus' name.

"America's founders opened public meetings with uncensored prayer. Public officials should be able to do the same," said Mike Johnson, the attorney representing the county. more >>

The U.S. Department of Justice joined in on a 2010 lawsuit on Tuesday against a South Carolina jail that bars prisoners from receiving any reading materials other than the Bible.

Justice Department officials filed a motion, contending that the Berkeley County Detention Center’s mail policy is unconstitutional.

South Carolina U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said the government decided to intervene because of the constitutional issues at stake, as reported by The Associated Press. more >>