As the East Coast continues to recover from the massive coastal storm that hit a number of states hard this past weekend, Thomas Road Baptist Church  in Virginia has been stepping up its efforts to help thousands of people in need of food and water.

"Our church staff and more than 450 volunteers have rallied together to provide a comprehensive relief center on the church campus," said Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor. "We are offering water, ice, meals, overnight sleeping areas, medical services, shower facilities, cooling areas and even a section for pets."

This week alone, Thomas Road Church has joined forces with several other ministry partners to distribute 400,000 bottles of water, 30,000 bottles of Gatorade, 10,000 large bags of ice and free meals to residents in Virginia who now also have to battle a heat wave that is sweeping the eastern states. more >>

NEW YORK – A new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) seeking to end the illegal flow of weapons to terrorist organizations was brought to the table at during a press briefing at the United Nations on Tuesday, as diplomats from more than 100 countries meet this week to negotiate an international agreement.

Global peace and faith leaders were present at the July 3 press briefing, including a former child soldier turned bishop. The participants shared personal accounts of why world leaders and the U.S. government especially need to fully back new regulations on conventional arms and ammunition to address the growing loss of life in impoverished places affected by the illegal weapons trade.

"President Obama needs to promote this arms trade treaty. If he loves the innocent lives, women and children, then he needs to stand for this treaty, and the nation of American and all the nations of this world need to stand for this treaty," urged Bishop Elias Taban, President of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance, who shared at the briefing details of his life as a child soldier back in Sudan. more >>

Walk into the aouli, or courtyard, of an Afghan woman and follow the little girl into the living room where the female host sits on the carpet waiting to have tea with her guest. You are that guest transported to that living room in faraway and foreign Afghanistan as Kate McCord's book In the Land of Blue Burqas sweeps you up and gently sets you down in rickety rickshaws next to an intimidating-looking man with a black-beard below his sneer, or a small living room with cotton floor mats where a gathering of women sit with small plates of candies, nuts, and raisins each within arms' reach as they share stories and laugh.

This is Afghanistan where people struggle against ever-present hardships, poverty, violence, gender discrimination, and anti-American indoctrination, but somehow opened their hearts and homes to a blond, blue-eyed, middle-aged unmarried American woman who learned the local Dari language, respectfully followed the dress code and culture, and shared about the love and teaching of Jesus Christ.

Kate McCord (protective pseudonym) recently spoke to The Christian Post about her five years in Afghanistan and the Afghan people, including common misperceptions – on both sides – the life of Afghan women, child marriage, and the underground Christian population. more >>

A Washington State pastor who has recently had open-heart surgery will be biking across the United States for the benefit of raising money for diapers.

Eric Shadle of Seventh-day Adventist Church in Richland will begin the 3,700 mile on Sunday, with the proceeds going to a local diaper bank.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Shadle explained that he was doing the bike trip during a planned sabbatical to "raise awareness about the need for diapers." more >>

The largest emergency overnight shelter for the homeless in Los Angeles, housing up to 600 people per night, is struggling to survive because of cuts in federal funding and an increased number of poor in a downturned economy, said the shelter's president.

"We need to come up with payroll for this week. Without the payroll I don't know if we'll be able to go forward," said Brenda Wilson, who along with her twin sister, Lynda Moran, operates New Image Shelter for the Homeless.

"This year the need for services all across the board – in the shelter, in our programs that serve homeless families with children – there's an increase," Wilson told The Christian Post Friday. "We are seeing an increase with women, homeless runaway youth, families, and an increase in Asians." more >>

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed chaplains throughout Colorado and New Mexico to help contain the wildfires and assist evacuees in coping with homes lost in the devastating natural disaster sweeping several Western states.

The team has been stationed in the Fort Collins area of Colorado and the Ruidoso/Capitan area of New Mexico since June 14. They are there in correlation with Samaritan's Purse, another Christian aid organization run by Franklin Graham, and are seeking to aid areas heavily affected by disaster or poverty through their evangelical ministry.

"Many of those who have been evacuated and unable to return home have told us that the worst part is not knowing," Jack Munday, director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, said in a statement. more >>