Two Churches Join Forces For MLK Holiday Worship and Community Service
Two Birmingham churches — one majority black, the other majority white — are coming together this weekend to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by fostering friendships between the members of their congregations.
Dr. King once said “Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of Christian America.” Reverend James Sutton and Reverend Steven Castello, the leaders of Ardent Church and Holy Trinity World Outreach Ministry, are determined to change that.
Ardent Church and Holy Trinity World Outreach host a joint worship service on Sunday at Holy Trinity Church, followed by a day of community service on Monday.
When Rev. Castello and Rev. Sutton met two years ago, the pastors quickly became good friends. They discovered that they had similar interpretations of Christianity, particularly in regards to human relationships and peace.
Their idea for Sunday’s joint worship service was inspired by what Rev. Sutton calls a “perfect storm” of exposed racial tension following recent protests in response to the killings of unarmed black men by police officers, along with the release of the movie Selma.
“We are doing this (coming together) as a pre-emptive strike for racial healing in case something like Ferguson or Staten Island happens here in Birmingham,” says Rev. Sutton. “Many of the stereotypes that exists in black hearts and white hearts are there because of a lack of a relationship. And stereotypes gone unchecked and unchallenged create situations like Ferguson.”
According to Rev. Sutton, Birmingham’s history makes it the perfect place to work to foster understanding between people from all races and walks of life.
“We want to bring these people (the members of their congregations) together to worship under one roof in order to give them an idea of what heaven will really be like, diverse and inclusive,” says Sutton. “Although we worship at different places, we worship the same God and have the same savior.”
12,000 chicks found abandoned in postal truck raise concerns about animal shipping
A Delaware animal shelter is working to find new homes for 8,000 surviving chicks that were left abandoned in a U.S. Postal Service truck for three days. Another 4,000 of the animals died.
In Florida, Venezuelans worry about the potential loss of temporary protected status
When the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday the Trump administration could strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans while litigation continues in the lower courts, the move sent shockwaves.
‘Heart Lamp’ wins International Booker, with stories of India’s Muslim women and girls
The major writing prize awards the best fiction translated into English. Judges called Banu Mushtaq's short story collection "something genuinely new for English readers."
Attorneys ask court to block alleged DHS move to deport migrants to South Sudan
Immigration attorneys have asked a Massachusetts federal judge to block a Trump administration move to deport migrants — including nationals from Myanmar and Vietnam — to South Sudan or other third countries.
In Florida, an immigrant pastors detention sends a community reeling
In one weekend in May, more than a 1,000 immigrants were arrested in Florida. The massive crackdown has Trump supporters asking why their neighbors were detained and must be deported.
Trump unveils ambitious and expensive plans for ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense
The plan includes a vast array of space-based sensors and interceptors.
