Chrysostom society offers ‘Life of a Priest’

Chrysostom society offers ‘Life of a Priest’

STRUTHERS — Society of St. John Chrysostom, Youngstown-Warren chapter, will present “The Life of a Priest, East and West,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at St. Nicholas Church, 764 Fifth St. Speakers will be the Rev. Bob Bonnot, pastor of St. Nicholas, and the Rev. George Gage, pastor of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Boardman.

Rosary cenacle at Shrine of Our Lady

YOUNGSTOWN — The Shrine of Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted, 517 S. Belle Vista Ave., and Queen of the Holy Rosary Prayer Group will have a rosary cenacle at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the shrine. Refreshments will follow in the social hall.

Pastor of church

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Aaron Griffin of Youngstown has accepted the position of pastor at New Hope Chapel Fellowship Interdenominational Church in Steubenville.

The Rev. Mr. Griffin was ordained by the Rev. Roosevelt Thompson of First Baptist Church in Wellsville.

‘Marriage, divorce after Reformation’

YOUNGSTOWN — A Jewish-Christian Studies discussion will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Temple El-Emeth, 3970 Logan Way, on “Marriage and Divorce after the Reformation.” For more information, call Rabbi Joseph Schonberger at (330) 759-1429 or Rev. George Balasko at (330) 385-5582.

Sabbath discussion at Ohev Tzedek

YOUNGSTOWN — A Jewish-Christian Studies discussion on “Looking at the Upcoming Sabbath” will be at 2 p.m. Jan. 13 and Jan. 27 at Ohev Tzedek Congregation, 5245 Glenwood Ave. For more information, call Rabbi Joel Berman at (330) 758-2321 or Rev. George Balasko at (330) 385-5582.

Speaker will target troubled Lutherans

GREENFORD — A representative of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ will give a presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Greenford Lutheran Church, 7450 W. South Range Road (state Route 165).

The presentation is targeted to Lutherans and Lutheran congregations who are troubled by recent decisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and may want to consider an alternate affiliation.

How to beat debt and build wealth

AUSTINTOWN — Austintown Community Church, 242 S. Canfield-Niles Road, will host Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University every Monday, beginning Jan. 4 and running until March 29. Each two-hour session will begin at 7 p.m.

Financial Peace University shows how to follow God’s plan to beat debt and build wealth.

The 13-week course includes subjects such as Super Saving, Relating with Money, Cash Flow Planning, Dumping Debt, Credit Sharks in Suits, Buyer Beware, Clause and Effect, That’s Not Good Enough, Of Mice and Mutual Funds, From Fruition to Tuition, Working in Your Strengths, Real Estate and Mortgages, and The Great Misunderstanding.

A $25 minimum deposit is due by Monday. For more information, contact Brad Bloomster, director of ministries, at (330) 799-4214 or BBloomster@yourACC.org; or go to yourACC.org.

Marriage enrichment course begins Feb. 1

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Dynamic Marriage, an eight-week marriage enrichment course developed by the Family Dynamics Institute, will be at First Baptist Church of New Castle beginning Feb. 1.

The course is designed for marriages that are strong, as well as those on the way to crisis, and everything in between. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Call (724) 658-2507.

Town tells church ‘no’ to homeless housing

SUGAR NOTCH, Pa — Officials in a small northeastern Pennsylvania borough are questioning a church’s plan to house a group of homeless men for a week.

Holy Family Church in Sugar Notch, Luzerne County, wants to house around 40 homeless men for a week in January.

The church got a notice from the borough saying that’s a violation of local zoning laws punishable by a $500-a-day fine.

Borough Councilman Herman Balas said he’s acting in the best interest of his constituents. He said some of the homeless men could be violent or drug users or have shady pasts.

From staff/wire reports

Burglars rob church, make off with safe

NORTH VERNON, Ind. — Police say burglars stole a large safe during a break-in at a southern Indiana church.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department told The Tribune in Seymour that St. Anne’s Catholic Church near North Vernon was broken into either late Sunday or early Monday. Someone forced open a rear door of the church and took the safe estimated to weigh more than 700 pounds.

Police say the safe contained gold items valued at several thousand dollars.

Monks, tourists, villagers mark Asian tsunami

PHUKET, Thailand — Buddhist monks in orange robes chanted on a Thai beach, an Indonesian mother mourned her children at a mass grave, and a man scattered flowers in now-placid waters to commemorate the 230,000 killed five years ago when a tsunami ripped across Asia.

An outpouring of aid that followed the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami has helped replace homes, schools and entire coastal communities decimated by the disaster. But at last Saturday’s ceremonies, survivors spoke of the enduring wounds.

Thousands in Indonesia’s Aceh province, which was hardest hit, held prayer services at mosques and beside the mass graves where tens of thousands were buried. The 167,000 people who died in Indonesia accounted for more than half the total death toll.

On last Saturday’s anniversary, Indonesian villagers briefly panicked when another strong earthquake struck deep under the sea off the eastern coast, officials said.

Residents in Saumlaki, about 1,680 miles east of the capital Jakarta, said the magnitude-6.0 quake cut electricity, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

In Thailand on Saturday, hundreds of residents and foreigners returned to the white-sand beaches on the southern island of Phuket.

More than 8,000 people were killed along the country’s shores. Buddhist monks in bright orange robes chanted prayers. Onlookers wept and embraced.

Swastikas painted on temple, church

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Black swastikas were found spray-painted on a Jewish temple and Methodist church in Oshkosh, and police say they’re still looking for suspects.

The damage was discovered on Christmas Eve at B’Nai Israel Congregation and Algoma Methodist Church.

Avi Stern is the president of the Jewish temple. He says the swastika is a symbol of hate, but he doesn’t think the attack was anti-Semitic since a church was also damaged.

Police Sgt. Andrew Lecker says the vandalism could be considered a hate crime, which would enhance the range of penalties.

Most of the vandalism has been cleaned up, and Stern says the healing has already begun. He tells WLUK-TV he’s inspired that a number of strangers have called and e-mailed to pledge their support.

From wire reports