Cincinnati Megachurch Helps Pay Off $46.5 Million in Medical Debt

Cincinnati Megachurch Helps Pay Off $46.5 Million in Medical Debt


Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the help of charity RIP Medical Debt, was able to pay off $46.5 million in medical debt.

The donation came off the heels of a sermon preached by senior pastor Brian Tome last November where the congregation was encouraged to give money to help American families in medical debt. In the last few minutes of the sermon, Pastor Tome had this to say, “I want to give us the opportunity to multiply our impact. Do you realize around Cincinnati there’s $65 million worth of medical debt that’s coming due?” 

He further added that if those in debt were set free, they would receive a letter, for example, saying, “Congratulations, this debt has been paid because someone loves you and there is a God who has not forgotten about you.”

The sermon entitled, “The Marks of Multiplication” was streamed online, which caught the eye of additional donors from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. 

Crossroads was able to raise $465,000 in donations. The church then partnered with RIP Medical Debt, which multiplies donations and gives them back to the communities per zip code. According to the RIP Medical Debt website, every dollar donated counts as $100 of medical debt paid off by RIP Medical Debt. As such, Crossroads Church helped eliminate $46.5 million in debt.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that $42.8 million was paid for 41,233 Ohio households,…

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WATCH: Church Repairing Damage Following Pastor’s Attempted Murder-Suicide of His Wife in Mobile

A small Mobile Church moves forward a day after an unthinkable tragedy unfolded at their doorstep. Police say True Cornerstone Church on Halls Mill Road was the scene of attempted murder and suicide. Friends say a man came to the church looking for his wife, shot her outside and then shot and killed himself. Clean-up continues inside and there’s a new wall outside, thanks to quick generosity from the surrounding community.

“People are incredible, we had people we don’t even know come by here yesterday,” said Pastor Derek Gandy. The pastor and his wife say the woman who was shot immediately started praying.

“She was calling on Jesus, even with the bullet in her she was calling on Jesus,” said the Pastor’s wife, Kula Gandy. It’s a sad tragedy for everyone, the pastor says the victim and the shooter were both friends of theirs. The service forged ahead.

“I can’t preach faith if I don’t live by faith cannot preach determination if you don’t live by it,” said Derek Gandy. Despite all that unfolded in this tragedy the pastor’s wife said her faith was strengthened.

“The Devil is not going to get the victory, at all, he is not going to get the victory,” said Kula Gandy. “To be able to come and pray for her and see she was already looking uk that she was already praying that she was already calling on Jesus I already knew Jesus was going to take care of her.” She points out that things could have gone a lot worse. The car could have crashed into a packed church, the shooter could have shot his wife several times or several people could have been hurt. None of that happened.

“I’m still alive, that young lady is still alive,” said Kula Gady. Mobile Police Have yet to formally release any names in the case. At this time News 5 is withholding the identities of the couple involved. They’re still trying to raise money to help fund building repairs. You can find them on Facebook. They’re asking for donations via “Cash App” to $TCCgive

Source: WKRG

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PBS Kids’ Clifford the Big Red Dog Introduces LGBT Characters

PBS Kids’ Clifford the Big Red Dog Introduces LGBT Characters


The beloved animated show Clifford the Big Red Dog in recent weeks became the second PBS Kids series with a recurring LGBT character when one of Emily Elizabeth’s friends brought her two moms to a dinner party.

The series, based on a popular Scholastic book character, follows the exploits of an energetic girl named Emily Elizabeth and her giant red dog, Clifford, who is the size of a house. 

It was rebooted by PBS and Amazon Prime last year with new animation and new voices. It is within this reboot that two lesbian characters were introduced – although it may not be obvious to many children.

In the episode in question, “The Big Red Tomato/Dogbot,” Emily Elizabeth holds an outdoor dinner party for her friend Samantha. When the dinner is set to begin, Samantha walks up with her two moms.   

“Won’t you please join us?” Emily Elizabeth asks.

“It would be our pleasure,” one of the women replies. “Oooh, something smells delicious!”

Samantha and her moms then prepare to sit down and eat dinner with Emily Elizabeth and her mom as Clifford watches. 

The two moms are not identified within the episode, but the credits call them “Dr. Mulberry” and “Ms. Mulberry.” In other episodes, Samantha calls each of the women “Mom.” In the episode titled “The Birdwell Island Blues/The Big Red World,” she calls Dr. Mulberry “Mom,” and in “Making Lemonade Out of Lemons/The…

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Illness Forces the Pope to Cancel an Event in Rome a Day After Showing Solidarity With Coronavirus Sufferers and Shaking Hands With Congregation at Weekly Audience

Pope Francis has been forced to cancel a planned Mass in Rome with other clergy after suffering a ‘slight illness’.

The Vatican said the 83-year-old pontiff had a ‘slight indisposition’ that meant he did not attend an event at the St John Lateran basilica in Rome on Thursday morning.

A spokesman said Francis would continue with the rest of his day’s business, but preferred to stay within the Vatican rather than travel across the city.

There was no word from the Vatican about the nature of his illness, but the pope was seen coughing and blowing his nose during the Ash Wednesday Mass.

It comes a day after he kissed heads and touched faces as he met with crowds in St Peter’s Square, saying he had solidarity with those suffering from coronavirus.

Italy is currently in the grips of a coronavirus outbreak that has seen towns in the north placed on lockdown and travellers from the region spread the infection to previously unaffected areas of Europe.

Rome had three cases, but all three were cured.

Francis had been scheduled to go to the St John Lateran basilica to meet with Rome clergy and celebrate a penitential Mass at the start of Lent.

Francis is bishop of Rome, but delegates the day-to-day running of the archdiocese to a vicar.

The Argentine pope has generally enjoyed good health. He lost part of one lung as a young man because of a respiratory illness, and suffers from sciatica, which makes walking difficult.

Francis has had a busy schedule lately, including his public general audience on Wednesday and the Ash Wednesday service later in the day in a Roman basilica.

Source: Daily Mail

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Set Free Ministries Helps Children in East Africa Find Freedom from AIDS and Witch Doctor Abuse

Yesterday, we told you about Set Free Ministries’ work in East Africa supporting disabled children who would otherwise be abused and neglected. But that’s not all they do.

Set Free also works in areas of East Africa, where witch doctors have an iron grip on the people. Dean VanderMey with Set Free says in these regions, it’s children and orphans who suffer the most.

One such region is Rakai, Uganda. VanderMey visited Rakai with Set Free for the first time in 2005. He says, “Rakai had 95 percent unemployment at the time. Fifty percent of the people that we were ministering to had AIDS and there were thousands of orphans walking around kind of hollow-eyed. I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing.

“For every 11 people, there’s one witch doctor. So, the witchcraft in that area is very, very strong and they hold everyone through fear because everyone has been abused by a witch doctor there.”

Malaria and waterborne diseases are rampant in Uganda and other areas of East Africa. VanderMey says whenever someone falls ill, their first response isn’t always to visit the nearest hospital. Especially in remote areas, a medical doctor or hospital may be extremely difficult to get to, so they go to the local witch doctor.

“The first thing he will do is he pulls the curtains and that’s where you’re going to be sexually abused as a child,” VanderMey says. “After that, he will give you the herbs to cure you. So the witch doctors hold everyone through fear and terror, and there’s demonization that goes with it.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Lyndsey Koh

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Is This Secretive “Cult Church” Responsible for the Coronavirus Outbreak in South Korea?

Outside of China, South Korea is home to the largest number of coronavirus diagnoses in the world. Within a week, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 catapulted from a few dozen to more than 1,000.

Some have been wondering how such a leap could happen in such a short period of time, but as more information comes in, one potential culprit is becoming increasingly likely, according to numerous reports.

Thankfully, researchers with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been working around the clock to learn more about COVID-19, how to cure it, and how to stop the illness from continuing to spread.

This is an astonishing situation — South Korea has done 35,000+ coronavirus tests. The US has done ~400 and the rollout of testing capability nationwide has been held up by a faulty test. https://t.co/KqZMKsdurD

— carolyn johnson (@Carolynyjohnson) February 25, 2020

In the meantime, though, several journalists and local authorities have invested time into figuring out what exactly might have caused that major spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea.

One major theory is that a fringe Christian church could have unintentionally spread the illness throughout the Asian country.

The uptick in cases, according to Business Insider, correlates with dozens of diagnoses among the congregants of the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, a branch of the controversial Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which the South Korean government has described as a “cult.”

SOURCE: Faithwire

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Elizabeth Warren’s Life Motto Comes from Matthew 25

Elizabeth Warren’s Life Motto Comes from Matthew 25


In Tuesday’s Democratic Debate, political candidate Elizabeth Warren quoted Scripture when asked about her life motto.

“In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” she said, quoting Matthew 25:40 in the King James Version, Relevant magazine reports.

She later tweeted about her response, adding, “It’s about how we treat other people and lift them up. That is why I am in this fight. #DemDebate”

She was the only candidate in the debate to directly quote the Bible, although Pete Buttigieg, who has not been shy about sharing his faith, got close. He said his life motto was to “live by the teachings that say if you would be a leader, you must first be a servant.” This aligns with Jesus’ teaching in Mark 10 that says, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Bernie Sanders quoted Nelson Mandela with his motto, which is, “Everything is impossible until it happens.” And Joe Biden share that his motto is: “When you get knocked down, get up, and everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity no matter what or who they are.”

Warren has been vocal about her faith, having raised her children in the Methodist church, as previously reported by Christian…

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High School Student Praised for Bravery After Being Denied Christian Club on Campus

A high school student was denied permission to start a Christian club on her campus. As a result, letters of support poured in from other students across the country, reports Fox News.

Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth interviewed 14-year-old Daniela Barca, who said she wanted to start the Bible club because “sometimes it feels like it’s just me” who is a Christian on campus.

But Roy C. Ketcham High School denied Barca’s request because the club was too religious and “not generic enough.”

SOURCE: Charisma News

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Evangelist Michael Youssef Mourns Death of Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Calls him ‘A Man of True Integrity’

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak died Tuesday, Feb. 25. He was 91.

BBC reports that he died at a military hospital. In late January, he underwent surgery and was in recovery.

In response to his death, Michael Youssef shared a statement, mourning Mubarak’s loss. Youssef is founder of Leading The Way, a worldwide ministry that uses media to evangelize, and founding pastor of The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. Youssef was born in Egypt, where he became a Christian. In 1984, he became an American citizen.

Read his statement below:

I am so glad to learn that President el-Sisi of Egypt has ordered three days of mourning and a full military funeral for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

For 30 years, Mubarak walked a tight rope of “controlled” democracy, while cracking down on Islamists. His repeated warnings regarding the Muslim Brotherhood’s intent to Islamize the country were proven correct after his departure from office in 2011.

Former President Mubarak was a shrewd tactician and clever politician in his dealings with Israel. He talked peace and sought peace. And yet, he would not make any moves that would anger the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Unlike his predecessor, President Sadat, who was known for his dramatics, Mubarak sought quiet and behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

As Mubarak began to age in office, many of his trusted advisers began to abuse their power. Some of the police apparatus took advantage of the president’s relative isolation from running the day-to-day operation of the country to assert their own power and increase their own wealth.

In many ways, Mubarak’s ouster and the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power taught the most ardent Muslim Brotherhood supporters a very painful lesson. In less than 12 months after seizing power, the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule brought the nation to its knees economically. Yet, it also brought 15 million Christians to their knees—in prayer.

Now, with the benefit of history, no one can deny that the rise of President el-Sisi to power was a direct answer to the Christians’ prayers. President el-Sisi has proven that he is truly God’s gift, not only to Egypt and the region but also the world.

Unlike Mubarak, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is a man of true integrity without intrigue. He has brought about stability, prosperity and equality among the different factions, taking bold measures to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, protecting Christian minorities and even rebuilding churches. He understands the danger of political Islam. He does not feel beholden to political correctness. The leaders of the United States and Europe would do well to listen to him.

Egypt can now say “goodbye” to President Mubarak while its citizenry is at peace and looking forward to great prosperity under the leadership of another son of the military.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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Tenth Avenue North Announces Final Tour Together Before Disbanding

Today Tenth Avenue North is announcing that the upcoming tour, the “Finally Living” tour presented by Transparent Productions, will be the band’s last official tour together as Tenth Avenue North. The band shares the news in a heartfelt message to their fans and everyone involved over the last two decades. They said:

Dear friends,

Words fail when it comes to “farewell”

Even the best goodbyes are bittersweet. It’s like we were made to be together forever.

20 years ago, Tenth Avenue North was just three friends goofing around in a PBA dorm room. Never in a million years could we have dreamt it would take us around the globe for two decades. But it has. And we are eternally grateful for all the stories, all the tears, and all the memories we’ve made together.

If you count independent releases, Tenth Avenue North has birthed 15 original music projects.

Fifteen.

It’s been a glorious, hard-fought, and oftentimes, breathtaking journey. We feel like we’ve seen it all. The Fights. The Victories. Forgiveness. Mercy. Oh yeah. Truckloads of mercy.

And now it seems a season is coming to a close. One by one, band members have been moving on. We don’t think this is a sign of unhealth, but quite the opposite.

After 20 years, we are all dreaming new dreams, and it’s time to encourage one another to go. Go and do all that is in our hearts to do.

That said, tomorrow we will begin the “Finally Living Tour.” Or maybe we’ll now call it, “The Final Farewell Tour,” because that’s what this, a farewell. It is with a great deal of joy and sorrow all mixed up together, we want you to know this will be our last tour as Tenth Avenue North.

There will be some summer shows and festivals sprinkled through the rest of this year, and maybe a bit more music as well, but as far as we can tell, this will be the last tour we ever do.

We don’t exactly know what the future holds, but we believe this; when the way isn’t clear before us, we do well to pay attention to what doors are being closed behind us. Leaning into this guidance, we are going to lean forward into the unknown. We love you all. It has been an incredible journey. May the God who gave us the grace to continue, give us the grace to end well. Here’s to one last tour together. Hope to see you out there.

Cheers,

Tenth Avenue North

In 2019, the band released its sixth LP, No Shame, which received much acclaim as the band explored feeling more free than ever before and revealed the personalities of the band members that lie just beneath the serious subjects they sing about. In November, the band debuted a new unique music video for the song “No Shame.” Filmed in four different locations, the Choose Your Journey video allowed the individual viewer to decide their own journey with multiple options and endings. Click here to view “No Shame.”

SOURCE: Charisma News

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