Dec. 28, 2019: Texas megachurch leaves UMC; Notre Dame Cathedral restoration; Reba McEntire on the Holy Spirit
Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— Texas megachurch votes to leave UMC over homosexuality debate
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A United Methodist Church congregation in Texas has voted to leave the mainline denomination because of its debate over homosexuality. Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church of Katy voted Dec. 15 to leave the denomination due to the divisive debate on whether to amend the Book of Discipline to remove language calling homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Jim Leggett, the founding pastor of Grace Fellowship, told The Christian Post in an interview Monday that his congregation wanted to remove themselves from the “dysfunctional fighting going on in the United Methodist Church” so they can fully devote their energies to fulfilling the mission and vision that God has given to them.
Legget said that despite having biblical standards of morality on paper in the denomination’s Book of Discipline, the leadership of the United Methodist Church is unable or unwilling to live by those standards.”
— Reba McEntire 'relies on the Holy Spirit every day,' reveals faith carried her through heartbreak
Country music star Reba McEntire, one of the best-selling artists of all time, told The Christian Post in an interview that she relies on the Holy Spirit each and every moment of her life. And before she goes on stage to perform, she asks the Holy Spirit to touch people in the audience, if they need healing or comfort.
McEntire also said she never felt anger toward God following the a devastating plane crash that killed seven members of her band and her tour manager back in 1991, nor when she split from her husband of 26 years in 2015. In those moments, she told CP that she felt God’s presence, and when she gets to Heaven she will ask God, “how come,” those things happened.
— Islamic extremists launch grenade attack near Philippines cathedral, injuring 14
Suspected Islamic extremists launched a grenade attack near a Catholic cathedral and radio station in the southern Philippines ahead of Christmas Day, wounding 14 and traumatizing worshipers.
Three men riding motorcycles threw grenades at members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who were standing guard at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and a radio station owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Cotabato on the island of Mindanao. At least seven soldiers and several nearby civilians were injured by the explosion.
— Notre Dame Cathedral might not be saved, rector fears
The beloved Notre Dame Cathedral might never be restored due to the extent of structural damage caused by the accidental fire back in April, according to the church's rector.
Monsignor Patrick Chauvet told The Associated Press the iconic building is in such a precarious state that there is only a 50% chance the church will be restored because scaffolding that was installed before the blaze was threatening its vaults.
Some 50,000 tubes of scaffolding had been installed at the back of the church, some of which was damaged during the fire. Taking those tubes down without exacerbating structural damage is a concern for Chauvet who told the AP that the scaffolding has to be completely removed to make the building safe. So the restoration won’t begin until 2021.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-might-not-be-saved-rector-fears.html
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