3+ week, 6+ day ago (498+ words) PERRY, Ga. " Michael Lee grabbed a bag filled with groceries at The Winning Church South on Sunday morning. But, the'furloughed Robins Air Force Base worker wasn't taking it home for himself. "This is for somebody else," Lee said. "It's for a friend of ours. This person that this is for is on government assistance." Lee is one of more than'3,800 civilian workers at Robins AFB who have been furloughed during a government shutdown that entered its 33rd day Sunday, making it the second-longest in U.S. history. The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass new funding bills for the fiscal year. The Perry church distributed "Furlough Blessing Bags" filled with non-perishable food items to congregation members and community residents, responding to a shutdown that has left more than 22,000 base employees and contractors affected by the shutdown. "My house, we're good even…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (356+ words) GORDON, Texas " Thousands of faith leaders across the U.S. are facing a difficult challenge: a backlog in religious worker visas is forcing many to leave their churches and sometimes the country altogether. One such case is Pastor Albert Oliveira, a Brazilian-born minister, who recently held his last in-person service at First Baptist Church in Gordon, Texas, before self-deporting to Brazil. Oliveira has been in the U.S. on a special religious worker visa, which was about to expire. Despite years of navigating the complex immigration system and paying over $30,000 in fees, his green card application remains pending. To avoid breaking the law, Oliveira, his German-born wife Caroline, and their 3-year-old American-born son had to leave for Brazil. "It's not my fault that there's a backlog," Oliveira said. "They're changing the rules while the game is rolling on the field." He plans to continue…...