The vision of one pastor to feed the needy at this time of crisis has sparked a nationwide movement of compassion and generosity.

The Boxes of Hope project is billed as a “tangible way to stretch out a hand to those that are affected either through illness, quarantine, or just the uncertainty of this time” and offers boxes of much-needed supplies to those in need; boxes that are delivered right to their door by an army of dedicated volunteers.

The initiative is the brainchild of New Jersey pastor Chris Morante. The leader of Evangel Church in Scotch Plains, Chris says his goal is simple: “to see HOPE spread faster than COVID-19.”

“We’ve always been committed to reaching our neighbors,” Morante told Fox News. “We always say our mission field is across the street and around the world, so we began to mobilize our efforts as soon as we saw this crisis beginning.”

“We wanted to do something tangible to show God’s love, so we just delivered some groceries in a box to their front door.”

After seeing the profound effect these gifts were having on beneficiaries, Morante’s team started ramping up their operations – they were soon shipping out 600 boxes across the New Jersey area.

Evangel church then partnered up with Convoy of Hope and World Help – along with innumerable local church congregations – to start rolling out the project on a national…

Strip clubs are the latest type of business to want government assistance to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The owners of three strip clubs in Michigan and Wisconsin have filed suit against the U.S. Small Business Administration in recent days, asserting they should be eligible for loans as part of the CARES Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump.

The strip clubs that sued were the Little Darlings strip club in Flint, Mich., and Silk Exotic Gentlemen’s Clubs in Milwaukee and Middleton, Wis., according to CNN.

The Small Business Administration says businesses with live performances of a “prurient sexual nature” are not eligible for the loans.

“The emergency regulations promulgated by the Small Business Administration … improperly and unconstitutionally limit benefits to businesses and workers unquestionably engaged in First Amendment-protected expression,” a lawsuit filed on behalf of Little Darlings says.

The lawsuit says Little Darlings wants to take part in the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small businesses with funds to pay their employees.

Meanwhile, a company headed by strip club owner Jason Mohney also filed suit against the Small Business Administration. His company owns more than two dozen strip clubs in Michigan, Nevada, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida, Oklahoma and California, according to the Detroit News. Among…

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — At the height of the influenza pandemic in 1918, the Rev. John Misao Yamazaki stopped holding services at St. Mary’s Japanese Mission, the Episcopal church in Los Angeles he helped found more than a decade prior. Before mandatory quarantines were enacted, Yamazaki began visiting homes to pray for sick children and families.

More than a century later, in the midst of another global pandemic, the Rev. Laurel Coote, Yamazaki’s successor at what is now St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, stands in the quiet sanctuary livestreaming images of its empty pews and stained glass windows to her congregation via Facebook.

“I felt compelled to come into the sanctuary so that I could sit in its beauty and its silence and stillness. And I know that you’re missing it too, and so I thought, let me share it with you today,” Coote says in the video. “Christ is alive in this holy place.”

Historical records unearthed by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles show scenes of quarantine in the winter of 1918 and 1919 similar to the ones unfolding today: church doors shuttered, congregants in masks, clerics visiting sick patients. The experiences of older, traditional churches like St. Mary’s, logged in yellowed histories and faded black-and-white photographs, show how American religious institutions once weathered a crisis strikingly similar to this one.

“The example that was set by congregations…

(RNS) —The scene in New York City’s Central Park was a snapshot of the nation’s cultural and religious divide.

On Tuesday (April 14) a group of LGBTQ activists stood several yards away from the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital on the East Meadow lawn and blasted city and state officials and Mount Sinai Hospital for partnering with the evangelical humanitarian relief organization treating overflow patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Activists with the Reclaim Pride Coalition holding signs saying “help not hate” called out New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the leadership of Mount Sinai just across the park, for allowing the organization headed by evangelist Franklin Graham to treat New Yorkers while adhering to an anti-gay statement of faith.

“How was this group ever considered to bring their hatred and their vitriol into our city at a time of crisis when our people are fighting a pandemic?” asked Jay W. Walker, an activist with the Reclaim Pride Coalition.

The LGBTQ coalition is the latest in a series of barbs aimed at Samaritan’s Purse since it opened a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park two weeks ago. The conflict pits the country’s growing acceptance of LGBTQ rights with the conservative values of a premier evangelical relief organization.

The hospital is staffed with Christian doctors and nurses experienced in treating infectious…

(RNS) — A student at Liberty University, an evangelical Christian school, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the school alleging that students were put at “severe physical risk” when the campus reopened in March despite the pandemic and accusing administrators of profiting from the health crisis by refusing to fully refund students.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court on Monday (April 13), focuses on Liberty’s refusal to fully close its campus in response to the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. The plaintiff, who is listed only as Student A “out of legitimate fear of retaliation and harassment,” contends that while allowing students to return to Liberty’s campus after spring break put their “health at risk,” the school had subsequently instituted several measures such as shifting to online classes and barring large gatherings.

“The University’s statement that it is ‘open’ is an illusion being put forth to try to keep money that should be returned to students and their families,” the complaint reads.

The suit goes on to suggest that the school’s decision to remain open in an official capacity allows administrators to avoid fully refunding students for fees paid to fund on-campus services and activities.

“Liberty University is, in a very real sense, profiting from the COVID-19 pandemic — keeping its campus services…

Two political rivals in Israel are seeking to extend the deadline to form a unity government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz have until midnight to come up with a power-sharing deal or they will face elections for the fourth time since April 2019, the New York Times reports.

After the midnight deadline passed on Monday night, President Rueven Rivlin granted an extension after he was told the two sides were nearing an agreement. However, friction over the details of a power-sharing deal has left the deal in peril with a new Wednesday deadline looming.

If they cannot reach a deal in time, many expect Rivlin to refer the task to Parliament, which would set the stage for new elections. If Rivlin assigns Parliament with the task of forming a government, they would have a three-week deadline. During this time, they would have to find a prime minister who would be approved by a simple majority of the 120 members.

Netanyahu and Gantz both say they are ready to compromise in the name of unity, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but still face several sticking points in coming to an agreement. In a speech Monday night, Netanyahu said, “We will keep making every effort to achieve the unity that the country so needs these days.” He also appealed to Gantz in a recent tweet. He said, “Benn, I’m waiting for you in the prime minister’s…