1+ week, 1+ day ago (269+ words) PHOTO PROVIDED Beech Creek Wesleyan Church, 217 Main St., Beech Creek, will host Chiz Rider in concert on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 9 a.m. Chiz Rider Ministries maintains an active national touring schedule of over 260 concerts a year as well as several international performances. Chiz" trumpet ministry appeals to a wide age range. From [] Beech Creek Wesleyan Church to host Chiz Rider Nov. 23 Beech Creek Wesleyan Church, 217 Main St., Beech Creek, will host Chiz Rider in concert on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 9 a.m. Chiz Rider Ministries maintains an active national touring schedule of over 260 concerts a year as well as several international performances. Chiz" trumpet ministry appeals to a wide age range. From the heartfelt "Amazing Grace," which he played at a Billy Graham Crusade, to the high energy contemporary sounds of "SOS," which he plays at youth concerts, the music and ministry of Chiz Rider…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (287+ words) RENOVO " More than a century after its original charter was drafted, the Knights of Columbus in Renovo are celebrating 125 years of service. The charter, signed on Nov. 11, 1900, marked the beginning of the organization's long-standing commitment to St. Joseph's Parish and the broader Renovo community " a commitment that continues to this day. Father, now Blessed, Michael McGivney (1852-1890) founded the Knights of Columbus in 1877 at his home parish, St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Conn., with the mission of making a difference through community service, philanthropy and prayer. Today, there are 15,900 councils worldwide, with approximately 2.1 million members. Over the years, Renovo Council 542 has hosted spaghetti dinners, picnics, bake sales, Mother's Day breakfasts, softball tournaments and contributed to the Flaming Foliage Festival. Members have also sent memorial mass, sympathy and get-well cards, planted trees and established scholarships for local students. On Oct. 6, Pope…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (292+ words) McELHATTAN " Pastor Laura Gilbert serves the Lord offering messages of God's word at the Pathway to Christ Church in McElhattan. She offers a unique method of sharing Scripture with hand-sign to songs, poem writing, song writing and visual onscreen illustrations of the miracles of Jesus. Her congregation enjoys her uplifting and spiritual messages each [] Pastor at Pathway to Christ Church offers unique way to share Scripture McELHATTAN " Pastor Laura Gilbert serves the Lord offering messages of God's word at the Pathway to Christ Church in McElhattan. She offers a unique method of sharing Scripture with hand-sign to songs, poem writing, song writing and visual onscreen illustrations of the miracles of Jesus. Her congregation enjoys her uplifting and spiritual messages each Sunday. Part of her service also includes a brief video dedicated to the children before they leave for their Sunday…...

4+ week, 20+ hour ago (1302+ words) Like other Quaker houses of worship, it follows values of simplicity and equality. There's no clergy, pulpit or altar. No statues of saints, no stained-glass windows. No one sings or chants, burns incense or lights candles. They simply sit in silence in 200-year-old wooden pews " and wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. "This feels different in that it's so simple. It's set up in a way that makes you feel like your internal world " is equally as important as the space that you're in," says Valerie Goodman, a pink-haired artist reading her Bible outside the meeting house on a recent Sunday before going inside. Goodman, 27, grew up Southern Baptist but left the evangelical church in college. "It feels like I can have a minute to breathe. It's different than having a moment of…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (508+ words) The two-volume Borso D'Este Bible, which is known for its opulent miniature paintings in gold and Afghan lapis lazuli, was unveiled in the Italian Senate, where it will remain on display until Jan. 16. The Bible is usually kept in a safe at a library in Modena and is rarely seen in public. It was transported to Rome under heavy security and its arrival in the Senate was televised, as workers hauled two big red crates from an unmarked van and then extracted the volumes, which were covered in bubble wrap. The Bible, commissioned by Duke Borso D'Este, was created between 1455 and 1461 by calligrapher Pietro Paolo Marone and illustrators Taddeo Crivelli and Franco dei Russi. The Italian Culture Ministry considers it one of the highest expressions of miniature art "that unites sacred value, historic relevance, precious materials and refined aesthetics." It…...

1+ week, 22+ hour ago (863+ words) As we enter the Holiday Season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, so many emotions, memories and traditions can flood our hearts and minds. After all, "It is the most wonderful time of the year!" There seems to be a familiar thread of thought as we share the updates in our lives with similar words "how did this happen?" or "how did I get here?" It used to be that you would only hear this from older generations. But now we hear it from all ages, especially younger people as they notice the aging process in themselves and other family members. My own mind embraces these same thoughts and feelings as I head for 79 and examine my life in the "final home stretch" and I ask "how did I get this far?" As we search for answers, let's look at King Solomon…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (1207+ words) That was Pope Leo XIV "s matter-of-fact response when King Charles III asked about the swarms of televisions cameras documenting his historic visit to the Vatican last month. Charles is no stranger to paparazzi, so Leo wasn't telling the monarch anything he didn't already know. But Leo's blase comment seemed to confirm what Vatican observers have noticed recently: that Leo has indeed gotten used to being pope, and is finding his footing six months into the job. After his shock election in May and sharp learning curve over the summer, Leo's key priorities are coming into focus, especially where he dovetails with his predecessor, Pope Francis, and where he diverges. As his pontificate's six-month mark arrives on Nov. 8, here's a rundown of what we've learned about the first American pope, his style, substance and where he might take the Catholic…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (1032+ words) Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention. But as a historian of religion, I feel obliged to recount how popular interpretations of Thanksgiving also have pulled us apart. Communal rituals of giving thanks have a longer history in North America, and it was only around the turn of the 20th century that most people in the U.S. came to associate Thanksgiving with Plymouth "Pilgrims" and generic "Indians" sharing a historic meal. The emphasis on the Pilgrims" 1620 landing and 1621 feast erased a great deal of religious history and narrowed conceptions of who belongs in America " at times excluding groups such as Native Americans, Catholics and Jews. Farming faiths and harvest The Wampanoag, who shared food with the Pilgrims in 1621, continue to celebrate the cranberry…...