‘Mass Mob’ Churchgoers Unite to Fill Empty Pews at Historic St. Louis Church

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‘Mass Mob’ Churchgoers Unite to Fill Empty Pews at Historic St. Louis Church
Most Holy Trinity (Photo: Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church)

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Christian Post Report – Typically the Sunday after Easter is when worship attendance takes a dip. But not for one struggling inner-city Catholic church located in Missouri.

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, a St. Louis congregation founded in 1849, was the subject of a grassroots effort known as a “mass mob” on Sunday.

A congregation that generally only has around 75 attendees, the mass mob dramatically increased the ranks to approximately 500.

  • Mass Mob
    (Photo: Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church)
    St. Louis Mass Mob.

Michael Kress, director of Mission Advancement at Most Holy Trinity, told The Christian Post about some of the planning that went into the mass mob.

“Our concept was to get about six parishes to gather together and agree to support each other hosting by a mass mob,” Kress said.

“Hosting this event brought a lot of energy to everything we do and to bring attention to our urban churches, even as many of our urban neighborhoods continue to struggle.”

Additional help came from Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, who agreed to preside over the first mass held on Sunday at Most Holy Trinity.

Kress also told CP how he loved “the idea of bringing people from various regions together to worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

“It is a one-time boost to visibility, but a longer-term boost to new relationships and inter-church dialogue,” Kress continued.

“We also had a wide age range with at least one 98 year old in attendance down to my own son, who is a newborn. If mass mob can continue to bring together different races, age groups and socio-economic backgrounds to an urban church, then I think it will be an on-going success.”

The St. Louis-based mass mob movement drew its inspiration from earlier versions found in Buffalo, New York and Detroit, Michigan.

Mass mobs were inspired by the concept of “flash mobs,” which involves a group of people doing some sort of performance or actions in a public space.

Alan Oberst, organizer of Buffalo mass mob, told CP in an interview last October that their group was created for multiple reasons.

“We have been concerned about church and parish closings, the lack of appreciation for urban parishes, and the feeling that urban parishes have been ‘left behind’ in Catholic America (not just in Buffalo), even as they are on the front lines of social and economic challenges facing their surrounding neighborhoods,” said Oberst.

“Also, we wanted to find a way to ‘invite’ people to visit the beautiful and inspiring grand churches in the city, supporting them with their presence and contributions, even if for a single Mass.”

According to Kress, the next St. Louis – based Mass Mob will be held on June 7 at the Visitation St Ann Shrine.

Source : Christian Post

LG G4 Release Date, Specs News: Official Design and Specs Revealed in Leak

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LG G4 Release Date, Specs News: Official Design and Specs Revealed in Leak

Christian Post Report – LG’s highly anticipated smartphone flagship, the LG G4, is slated to be officially unveiled this month.

However, for what it is considered to be a “major leak” incident, it was cited by a slew of tech websites that a series of “official images and specs” for the forthcoming device were seen posted on LG’s product page. The page went live for some hours and was later on taken down.

LG G4 Youtube Screenshot/ file

Leaked images of the LG G4

Luckily, websites like the GSM Arena, was able to get a hold of the pictures and here are some of the details in their report.

The press images of the LG G next-gen phone shows a “genuine leather” cover which are apparently available in different colors.

Aside from the premium phone cover variant, the South Korean tech giant’s product will also come with the regular plastic back cover. These versions, with “squarish texture,” will be shipped in dark gray, white, and gold color choices.

One of the reported highlights about the LG flagship is its “durable, sleek” Slim Arc Design which, as described by LG in their page, will offer a “natural, comfortable, and firm grip” to the users.

As of its display specs, earlier reports dished out that the G4 will have a 5.5-inch screen. As indicated in the screen captures (via GSM Arena), the new device will sport what they call the IPS Quantum Display technology which seeks to “deliver brilliant, crisp images rich and authentic in color.”

The company even went to describe the new display feature to be “remarkably energy efficient” and the screen is claimed to be “visible even in bright light.”

The unit will also have better power thanks to its 3,000mAh battery. It will also house an SD card slot.

The LG G4 officially measures 149.1 x 75.3 x 8.9mm in dimension. Details about its camera, processor and RAM size are yet to be confirmed.

LG’s LG G4 will debut to the public on April 28.

Source : Christian Post

Spider-Man Movie Reboot News: Marvel to Reboot With 15-Year-Old Peter Parker

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Spider-Man Movie Reboot News: Marvel to Reboot With 15-Year-Old Peter Parker

Christian Post Report – The recent announcement from Marvel indicates that the new Spider-Man will still be Peter Parker and not the rumored Miles Morales.

Spider-Man FACEBOOK/ Spider-Man

Spider-Man

The news came after Marvel struck a deal with Sony Pictures, who owns the said superhero franchise, to revive the web slinging New Yorker by first featuring him in MCU’s upcoming big screen offering, “Captain America: Civil War” with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron-Man on May 6, 2016.

After the attached comeback, a new Spider-Man standalone reboot will be on its way this July 28, 2017. This would be the Web-Slinger’s third reboot film after the Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield-led movies.

After several speculations concerning the new Spider-Man identity, Marvel’s head Kevin Feige stepped into the light to announce that it would still be Peter Parker.

However, Parker will still be only 15 years old years when he returns to the big screen. The plan is to skip the origin story.

“In terms of the age of what we believe Peter Parker is, I’d say 15-16 is right. Some of my favorite Spider-Man arcs and Spider-Man stories, he’s in high school for a lot of it. We want to explore that. That also makes him very, very different from any of our other characters in the MCU, which is something else we want to explore: how unique he is when now put against all these other characters,” said Feige.

“In Spider-Man’s very specific case, where there have been two re-tellings of that origin in the last whatever it’s been – [thirteen] years – for us we are going to take it for granted that people know that, and the specifics,” he continued.

As of the actor, Marvel and Sony still has to find the right person to don the red and blue suit.

About the costume, Feige added that the studio already had the design “which is different than any of the ones that have come before.”

Source : Christian Post

Is Easter ‘The Resurrection of the Savior or the Funeral of His Disciples?’ Christian Leaders Cry Out as Rockets Decimate Christian Neighborhoods in Syria

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Is Easter ‘The Resurrection of the Savior or the Funeral of His Disciples?’ Christian Leaders Cry Out as Rockets Decimate Christian Neighborhoods in Syria
Syria (Photo: Reuters/Abdalrhman Ismail)

Civil defence members carry the bodies of girls who were killed after what activists said were barrel bombs dropped by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo’s rebel-controlled al-Maadi district, April 13, 2015.

Christian Post Report – Christian leaders in Syria have condemned the Easter-period bombings of neighborhoods in Aleppo, noting that the ongoing civil war continues to slaughter men, women and children.

“During the Easter period, our city and our people suffered intense pain, anguish and discomfort during the night when neighborhoods in the city were hit with rocket-propelled grenades, with a destructive capacity that we had never heard and seen before,” the heads of churches and Christian communities in Aleppo said in a statement, according to Fides News Agency.

They asked whether Easter is “the time of the Resurrection of the Savior or the funeral of his disciples?” and called on all “people of conscience” to stop the ongoing massacre in Syria.

The Orthodox Easter took place this past weekend in accordance to the Julian Calendar. The report did not make clear who launched the rockets that struck the neighborhoods in Aleppo, though civilians have found themselves in the crossfire of several opposition groups.

The civil war between the government of President Bashar al-Assad, terror group ISIS, and several other Islamic rebel groups entered it’s fifth year in March, with at least 220,000 people reported to have been killed at the time.

A man inspects the damage from what activists said was due to shelling by warplanes loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad inside a vegetable market in the al-Maadi neighbourhood of Aleppo April 11, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Rami Zayat)

A man inspects the damage from what activists said was due to shelling by warplanes loyal to Syria’s president Bashar Al-Assad inside a vegetable market in the al-Maadi neighbourhood of Aleppo April 11, 2015.

A number of human rights agencies have decried the ongoing war and the failure of world leaders to stop it.

“This spiralling catastrophe is a stain on the conscience of the international community,” Oxfam International wrote in a report.

The crisis continues to have no end in sight despite efforts by the United States to broker peace.

Christians have also been hard-hit, and have joined the 4 million Syrians who’ve fled the country as refugees, a well as the other 7.6 million who are internally displaced and facing harsh living conditions.

The Aleppo Christian leaders added in their statement: “We went, we saw, and we cried: bodies pulled out from the rubble, shreds attached to the walls and blood mixed with the soil of homeland! Dozens of martyrs of every religion and confession, wounded and maimed, men and women, the elderly and children. We listened to the cries of the widows and the laments of the children and we saw the panic on the faces of the people.”

They directed their pleas to the international community: “Stop being a laboratory for experimenting weapons of a devastating war! We are tired! Close the doors of the sale of arms and stop the instruments of death and the supply of ammunition. We are tired!”

Source : Christian Post

Assassin’s Creed Movie Release Date, Cast News: Starts Production, Brings in Marion Cotillard

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Assassin’s Creed Movie Release Date, Cast News: Starts Production, Brings in Marion Cotillard

Christian Post Report – The latest video-game movie adaptation that has gamers raving about is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. The film, which started production and will start shooting soon, is slated for release in December of 2016.

Gaining popularity since the announcement of the adaptation, Assassin’s Creed is highly anticipated as the most promising video game-based films, thanks to the high level of influence that Ubisoft is giving production outfits New Regency and 20th Century Fox.

Assassin's Creed Movie Poster 2016 Scified/File

Michael Fassbender to play the main protagonist in the movie adaptation of the video-game “Assassin’s Creed,” set for release on December 21, 2016.

An interesting point of the film is the participation of Michael Fassbender, notable for his roles in “X-Men: The First Class” and “X-Men: Days of the Future Past” as the young Magneto. He also received a nomination for his role in the highly acclaimed 2013 film, “12 Years a Slave”. The German-Irish actor will play both roles as Desmond Miles (present day) and Ezio Auditore (Assassin ancestor). Fassbender, aside from being the main protagonist, is also one of the film’s producers.

A good indication that the film is in full swing is the recent announcement from Deadline magazine that French actress, Marion Cotillard will join the cast in an unspecified role. Cotillard is best known for her roles in “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Inception.” The actress received her Academy Award from portraying Edith Piaf in the 2007 biopic “La Vie en Rose.”

Cotillard and Fassbender previously worked together in the upcoming “Macbeth.” Assassin’s Creed will reunite them with director Justin Kurzel.

The Assassin’s Creed film will follow the life of Desmond Miles, a bartender kidnapped by the corporation and forcefully subjected to the Animus – a machine that allows him to relive the life and times of his ancestor, Altair, an Assassin in the Middle East. As Miles relives his ancestor’s life, he will come to discover the rivalry between two ancient secret societies and how it affects his present life.

Officially in production, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed is under 20th Century Fox and New Regency and will hit theaters on December 21, 2016.

Source : Christian Post

Ryan Gosling New Movies 2015 News: In Negotiations to Star in Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’

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Ryan Gosling New Movies 2015 News: In Negotiations to Star in Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’

Christian Post Report – Ryan Gosling, a former Mousekeeter in the 1993 revival of the Mickey Mouse Club, may be coming back to his roots soon. That is, if talks about him taking the lead in a Disney movie under development called “Haunted Mansion” turn out to be true.

Ryan Gosling movie premiere Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Ryan Gosling on the red carpet for the premiere of “The Ides of March,” Sept. 27, 2011. Gosling was nominated for two Golden Globes for his performance.

First reported by The Wrap, Gosling has been seen with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro during Oscar weekend spending time on the numerous rides and attractions in Disneyland, including Haunted Mansion. The movie adaptation of the famous Disney ride was announced in 2010 during the Comic-Con, with del Toro attached to it as director. Del Toro and Gosling’s recent collaboration was during the SXSW where del Toro moderated a panel with Gosling about his directorial debut “Lost River.”

“Haunted Mansion” is said to be supernatural family friendly adventure film. The first draft of the script is being written by D.V. DeVincentis, who previously worked on “High Fidelity.” Plot details are being kept under wraps.

Aside from his directorial debut which opened this weekend, the 34-year old Gosling’s current projects include being a cast member of “The Big Short,” with Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell and Christian Bale. He also stars opposite Russell Crowe in the crime movie “The Nice Guys” and in an upcoming Terrence Mallick movie.

Del Toro, on the other hand is known for his work in “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Pacific Rim.” He is also said to be such a big fan of the ride “Haunted Mansion.” According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, he has a room in his house dedicated to the ride “filled with secret bookcases, wallpaper from the original ride and original art from Imagineer and Mansion co-designer Marc Davis.”

This is not the first time that Disney has turned its famous rides into a box-office hit. “The Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise originated from a Disney ride.

Source : Christian Post

‘Captain America 3’ News, Update: Scarlett Johansson Teases Details of Upcoming Film

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‘Captain America 3’ News, Update: Scarlett Johansson Teases Details of Upcoming Film

Scarlett (PHOTO) REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Christian Post Report – Scarlett Johansson poses in London

Scarlett Johansson, one of the staple actors in the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently revealed that she has already been handed over with the script for the upcoming superhero film “Captain America: Civil War.” And based on what she said, the movie will take on a different aspect which will surely surprise fans.

In a recent interview with Collider during the press promotion for the upcoming “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the 30-year-old actress shared some interesting details about “Captain America 3.”

“I have read the script for Civil War. You know, the film has a very different feeling than anything of Marvel’s that I’ve read or been a part of before. These films are — I don’t think darker is the right word because there’s definitely always going to be some kind of levity, and that comes in a form of humor or hope,” she said.

The actress, who played Black Widow in the MCU films, went on to discuss the growth of the film in terms of the “psychological” aspect.

“When you compare these films to like Batman, it’s a different feeling obviously, it’s a different audience experience, but as the stakes loom like larger and larger I think these films are kind of maturing with the audience; so there’s even more complex psychological twists that I sort of hadn’t necessarily anticipated,” she went on to say.

When asked further if her Agent Romanov will be taking sides with Chris Evan’s Steve Rogers/Captain America in the conflict against Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron-Man for the Superhero Act, the actress chose to withhold the details.

“I can’t say anything about that,” she replied.

“Captain America: Civil War” premieres in theaters May 6, 2016.

Source : Christian Post

Kirk Cameron Turned Down Role in ‘Left Behind’ Remake; Producer Talks Return of Nicholas Cage for Sequel

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Kirk Cameron Turned Down Role in ‘Left Behind’ Remake; Producer Talks Return of Nicholas Cage for Sequel
A picture of Kirk Cameron taken from his 2010 documentary "Unstoppable." (Photo: www.unstoppablethemovie.com)

A picture of Kirk Cameron taken from his 2010 documentary “Unstoppable.”

Christian Post Report – Kirk Cameron reportedly turned down a role in the “Left Behind” remake, according to Cloud Ten Pictures producer David Heimbecker who worked on the 2014 film.

Cameron was offered a different role from that of reporter Buck Williams who he played in the straight to DVD adaptations that were released in the early 2000s. Cameron turned it down, according to Heimbecker, who said he would probably not be approached again for the upcoming sequel.

“We actually approached Kirk Cameron for a role [in the first film],” Heimbecker told The Christian Post. “He’s obviously at an age that doesn’t fit [for Buck Williams] anymore. He was not interested. So it’s unlikely he would be in the next one. Probably for the same reason.”

Heimbecker confirmed last week that Cloud Ten Pictures will release a sequel to the 2014 adaptation of the books that follow an End Times narrative sometime later this year. The company has already started a crowd funding campaign to close the gap in production costs. He also discussed the possibility of the first film’s star, Nicholas Cage, returning for the second installment.

Heimbecker told CP that three of the actors, whom he did not reveal, are under contract and will return for the sequel. Getting Nicholas Cage to come back to reprise his role as pilot Rayford Steele will be a bit more difficult.

“Nicholas Cage does not sign individual contracts,” Heimbecker said. “Our plan would be to discuss [this film] with many people, including Nicholas Cage. He questions whether he’s interested or not and whether we can come to an agreement, obviously.”

The studio plans to bring back as many of the existing cast as possible for “Left Behind 2.”

The “Left Behind” films are based on the wildly popular book series of the same name penned by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The movies are written by Cloud Ten Pictures co-founder Paul Lalonde who has a passion to tell these stories, according to Heimbecker, who discussed how Bible prophecy actually brought Lalonde to faith in Jesus Christ.

“The key moment in his life was actually brought about because of Bible prophecy,” he said. “His brother and his sister we’re always telling him about Christ. It was when he started to get involved in Bible prophecy — that’s what actually brought him to Christ.”

Lalonde produced both the original straight to DVD trilogy and the new movies. His passion, along with Heimbecker’s, has led to the crowdfuning Indiegogo campaign, which they hope will allow them to release the “Left Behind” sequel by July or August.

“Left Behind” starring Nicholas Cage and Chad Michael Murray is available on DVD. The original trilogy that starred Kirk Cameron is also available for purchase wherever movies are sold.

Source : Christian Post

‘The Last Man on Earth’ Shows Back-to-Back Episodes: ‘The Do-Over’ and ‘Pranks for Nothin’

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‘The Last Man on Earth’ Shows Back-to-Back Episodes: ‘The Do-Over’ and ‘Pranks for Nothin’

Last Man on Earth (Photo: Fox/Fiile)

Christian Post Report – The Last Man on Earth starring Will Forte airs Sunday, 9 PM on Fox.

“The Last Man on Earth” follows the life of Phil Miller (Will Forte) as the last surviving man on Earth. In last Sunday’s back-to-back episodes, Phil’s world just got a little more interesting as two new survivors surfaces and joins their “Alive in Tucson” group.

“The Do-Over”

In “The Do-Over” episode, Phil becomes increasingly frustrated with his wife Carol (Kristen Schaal) and asks for a “do-over,” just as two newcomers, Erica (Cleopatra Coleman) and Gail (Mary Steenburgen) comes up. Phil lies to Gail and Erica about his wife being dead and asks them out for dinner in the hopes of sleeping with them. Phil tells his wife Carol that he wants some time off alone and will go camping.

“Pranks for Nothin'”

The series continues with “Pranks for Nothin,'”with things getting complicated as the rest of the group finds out about Phil’s story about his wife being dead just to get into Erica and Gail’s pants. Carol lashed out at the newcomers for trying to steal his husband and eventually divorces Phil. Phil becomes an outcast and realizes he is a bad liar.

The Last Man on Earth has three episodes left for season one but will be back for another season.

Fox Broadcasting Company Entertainment President David Madden shares that, “We knew we had something special with “The Last Man on Earth.” It’s one of those rare shows that continues to add depth and dimension to its unique premise, week after week. We are so thrilled that this incredibly bold, original and inventive series has been embraced by both fans and critics, and we cannot wait to see where the creative genius and inspired vision of Will, Phil, and Chris take us in season two.”

Created by Will Forte, “The Last Man on Earth” airs every Sunday, 9 p.m. on Fox.

Source : Christian Post

‘GTA V’ for PC Launched (VIDEO)

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‘GTA V’ for PC Launched (VIDEO)

Grand Theft Auto Five YouTube Screenshot/GTA V

Christian Post Report – YouTube Screencap: Grand Theft Auto

Rockstar has just launched “Grand Theft Auto V” for PC yesterday after making the announcement on their Twitter feed.

Rockstar Games’ action adventure video game “Grand Theft Auto V” launched on PC April 13 and 14 preceded by the game developer’s announcement on Twitter last Friday.

The launch benefited users who had already pre-loaded the game for their PCs starting April 7, giving them the opportunity to immediately download the massive 59GB game content in readiness for the PC launch of GTA’s fifth installment in the series.

Players on Steam may have experienced some delay with the pre-loading since it went live last week, and quite a number of gamers are still awaiting their 60GB files.

By offering the pre-loading option for “GTA V,” Rockstar was able to lighten the server strain in preparation for yesterday’s launch, given the amount of data required for downloading the game.

‘GTA V” is currently one of the top titles in the sales charts for Steam, which has held steady since March, based on the number of pre-orders alone.

The long-expected “GTA V” for PC, which players spent nearly two years waiting for, was initially released for Xbox 360 and PS 3 in 2013, and for PS 4 and Xbox One last year featuring a much touted graphics upgrade and even a first person mode that stirred up the gaming community when users discovered they could simulate first person sex in the game, causing some retail outlets in Australia to take the title off their shelves.

The PC version release of “GTA V” will include brand new and upgraded features like the full video editor that gives players the use of new tools such as the ability to go into director mode and take the roles of the game’s other characters and animals.

Source : Christian Post

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