‘Serving our Community:’ Calif. Church Repairs 300,000 N95 Masks for Medical Workers

‘Serving our Community:’ Calif. Church Repairs 300,000 N95 Masks for Medical Workers


With personal protective equipment in short supply, a California church has volunteered to repair 300,000 N95 masks that were in storage so long they were no longer usable.

The Rock Church, a congregation in San Diego, hopes to finish the project by the end of the month. 

N95 masks filter out at least 95 percent of airborne particles and are critical for protecting healthcare professionals in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The 300,000 masks, though, had been in storage so long that the bands that secure the masks on the worker’s head were brittle and unusable. The masks themselves remain fully functional under CDC guidelines. 

“The county contacted us and said, ‘Could you take this on and get these done?’ It’s a big need for the medical community,” Mickey Stonier, equip pastor at the Rock Church, told Christian Headlines. “We said, yes, what an honor.

“The Rock Church is very focused on serving our community.” 

Volunteers at the Rock Church are replacing each band on the 300,000 masks, one by one. Stonier said the project involves cutting each band off and tying on a new one.

About 200 volunteers each day are working on the masks.

The masks will be used by healthcare workers in San Diego County. 

“They were outdated, and they’re still usable if the bands get repaired,” Stonier said. “Our church site was deemed an essential place of…

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Church Locked Out of Building for Violating Stay at Home Order Takes Legal Action

Church Locked Out of Building for Violating Stay at Home Order Takes Legal Action


A California church, which planned to hold Palm Sunday services at its rented sanctuary despite a state-mandated stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus, was thwarted when its landlord—another church—changed the locks to prevent entry.

The landlord, Bethel Open Bible Church, took action after the San Joaquin County Public Health Officer posted a notice at the house of worship on April 3 ordering the facility and parking lot be closed. The letter to Pastor Michael Allison of Bethel Open Bible Church noted that its tenant, Cross Culture Christian Center, was continuing to meet despite the emergency order. Doing so, the letter warned, was a misdemeanor that could bring a fine or imprisonment. Bethel Open Bible Church, located in California’s Central Valley, had already heeded the emergency order on March 15 when it stopped holding its own services.

“It is our hope that others in our community, whether of a faith background or not would continue to follow the Governor’s orders and that of the California State Public Health Officer,” Allison told the Los Angeles Times.

“When the Public Health Officer issued an ‘Order Prohibiting Public Assembly’ we immediately took action to lock the building so that it would not be available for any public assembly. … At this time we don’t anticipate CCCC re-entering our building.”

When Pastor Jon Duncan of Cross Culture…

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We present to you -WE CAN -#CHICAGO CAMPAIGN #OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO by ZAMAR ISRAEL

Check out more about the Chicago campaign at www.israelunite.org

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Israel to Go on Strict Lockdown during Passover

Israel to Go on Strict Lockdown during Passover


In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday evening that beginning Wednesday, a new curfew will be enforced across the Holy Land for Passover.

“On Wednesday, before the Passover seder, everyone will remain at their home starting at 6:00 pm until the next day at 7:00 am,” Netanyahu said in a statement, CBN News reports.

“I know that this is very onerous but there is simply no choice. We will strictly enforce the lockdown,” he added.

According to the New York Times, for this duration, residents are required to remain in their homes without any visitors, including immediate family.

The Prime Minister then recalled the mass gatherings that occurred during Purim holiday celebrations last month and noted that the Passover restrictions were being introduced to avoid further spread of the virus during Passover, which, like Purim, traditionally elicits large gatherings.

“We saw what happened one month ago with the events of Purim holiday. The virus contagion had spread in broad circles. I say here in the clearest way possible: Passover will not be Purim,” he asserted.

According to the New York Times, the Israeli government will also be enforcing bans on travel within the country during Holy Week.

Reportedly, between 7:00 pm Tuesday and 6:00 am Friday, all travel between cities is banned in Israel.

In addition to the Passover restrictions, the…

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Matthew McConaughey plays virtual bingo with senior adults: You are someone to someone

Matthew McConaughey won an Academy Award for Best Actor in
2014. According to Wikipedia, he has won or been nominated for nearly ninety
other awards during his acting career.

Now we can add Bingo player to the list.

McConaughey recently joined residents of Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living in Texas for game night over Zoom. He was joined by his wife, Camila Alves, two of their three children, and his mom.

In a video posted by the facility, McConaughey can be heard
calling out numbers as two seniors say they have bingo.

“Thank you to Matthew, his wife Camila, and his mom Kay
for hosting our residents for a few rounds of virtual bingo!” a post on
Enclave’s Facebook reads. “Our residents had a great time playing, and
they loved talking with Matthew about his family heritage and his favorite
drink.”

An executive with the retirement company told Good Morning America over email, “The generosity and kindness Matthew McConaughey and his family showed our residents was beautiful, but more importantly we were gifted with a humble message from his heart. And for that, we will be forever grateful.”

One of the reasons McConaughey can make such a difference in
the lives of these seniors is that he understands and embraces his cultural
influence. If I offered to play bingo with them, I doubt they would be so
excited.

We cannot give what we do not possess. If we have joy, we
can share joy. If we are encouraged, we can encourage others.

You are someone to someone

At this point, it’s important to embrace the biblical view
of humility. Not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less, as
Rick Warren noted. And of God and others more.

Consider this reflection from Henri Nouwen: “For a very
long time I considered low self-esteem to be some kind of virtue. I had been
warned so often against pride and conceit that I came to consider it a good
thing to depreciate myself.

“But now I realize that the real…

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World Vision US President Says ‘All Hands on Deck’ for Pandemic

World Vision U.S. President Edgar Sandoval Sr., like many Americans, has been working from home in recent weeks. But he continues his mission to help vulnerable children and families across the globe during the coronavirus epidemic.

World Vision staff are working with church volunteers — responding simultaneously for the first time in this country and globally — to provide needed food and supplies and help faith leaders train local communities on ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The evangelical Christian humanitarian organization estimated it has helped about 4.3 million people worldwide with coronavirus preparations. It plans to reach 5 times that number in the next six months.

In the U.S., staff and volunteers have helped more than 2,700 children and adults with emergency aid since March 20. They’ve also provided much-in-demand health supplies — tens of thousands of masks, gloves and gowns — to U.S. health care workers.

Sandoval, who describes himself as a “Bible-based Christian” who attends nondenominational churches, spoke with Religion News Service on Wednesday (April 1) about the challenges ahead.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This is probably the most uncertain and concerning situation that World Vision has faced in our 70-year history. But just like other challenging emergencies of the past, in these uncertain times, World Vision is bringing prayer, kindness and action to combat fear, aimlessness, loneliness.

We believe that every small act of courage and love does more than just stop the spread of fear. We actually replace it with hope, and that’s why, from the onset, we have been responding across the world and right here in the U.S.

Internationally, we started responding from the outset in China. We declared — the very first time in our history — the first global emergency response. We’re responding in every region that we operate at the same time. We are scaling our response to 17 priority countries.

Day-to-day life in the Ebola-affected community of
Moyamba, Sierra Leone, in 2014. Photo courtesy of
World Vision

We are particularly concerned about vulnerable children, such as refugees, displaced children and those living in communities where infrastructure and access to health systems are weak.

We’re aiming to reach 22.5 million people in the next six months, and, while that’s a huge challenge, what I can tell you emphatically is our long history has prepared us for such a time as this. We’re drawing on the lessons that we’ve learned in responses to things like HIV pandemics, Zika, Ebola outbreaks.

And one of the core learnings is that vulnerable communities need to be mobilized and the faith leaders, they make all the difference. They can be a powerful force in stopping the spread of COVID-19, just like they were in previous pandemics.

In Sierra Leone in 2014, World Vision worked with faith leaders to help with things like how to bury people the appropriate way — safe burial practices and other ways to protect the family. They helped to mobilize entire communities.

Despite being in the epicenter of the outbreak, not one, not one of 59,000 World Vision-supported children and their families died during that outbreak. And today those same faith leaders that we trained back in 2014, they’re already mobilizing on their own, and we continue to train more to be prepared for the crisis.

I tell you what’s on my mind: the tightly built, overcrowded and sanitarily weak places like refugee settlements, slums, shantytowns, barrios.

And here’s the thing: While you and I can choose not to travel or go to music recitals or sporting events, those ultra-vulnerable folks are being asked to go home to those overcrowded sanitarily weak places. I think they’re much more at risk than we are.

Source: Religion News Service

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Chuck Pierce Prophesied Last Year About the Coming Plague – He Says This Passover Will Be a True Passover

Chuck Pierce of Glory of Zion Ministries, is one of the major prophetic voices in the world today and is known for delivering accurate words about the times and seasons we are in. 

Pierce started prophesying last September and then again in January about what the world is going through now. He said, “plague-like” conditions would hit the Earth through February, March, and April.  

In a new interview with CBN News on “The Prayer Link” show, he also had a word of hope about Passover. “This year would be the year that Believers would really have to understand Passover and that we will pass over!” He said, this year, more than ever, Christians need to understand the power of the blood of Jesus and honor the blood.  

Last August, as Chuck was meeting and praying with his team, he says the Spirit of God fell and told him, “This Passover will be a Passover.” 

MUST SEE Prophetic Word Leads to First-of-Its-Kind Global Moment of Communion for April 8th

During his interview on The Prayer Link, Chuck said, “What I saw is that at Passover this year, after this virus, after this plague-like condition was raging, that we would start turning, if we would participate in Passover. Now, Passover starts Wednesday evening, April 8th and goes through Thursday evening, April 16th. Now, what we want to do is watch the turns that occur in this plague-like condition after that. Then, we have to remember there’s a 40-day period that God intended for them (The Israelites) to press on through and come into their promises. So, I believe the next 40 days after Passover is a pressing forth time for God’s people and if we press, if we grab hold of this Passover, the power of His blood, WE WILL CROSS OVER INTO NEW LEVELS OF HIS PROMISES.”  

He says God is making us treat this Passover the way He did with the original Passover. 

“We have lost the concept of the blood. This Passover is important because we have to understand the power of the blood. Now, notice what’s happening here, God is making us do this Passover the way He did the original Passover.  We’re having to go inside our homes, shut the door, a confinement, like He did the original Passover and really He’s forcing us to recognize the power of His blood,” said Pierce. 

TAKING COMMUNION A GOOD IDEA

Pierce says we don’t have to literally put blood on our doorposts like the Israelites did to keep the plague from entering their homes, but we do have to do, “is recognize the power that the Lord Jesus Christ, by His Spirit left us and like Hebrews says, His spirit is flowing through our blood. His blood is actually activating in us. This year like never before, what I’m praying is, that God’s people, that their spirit gets activated in a new way, a renewal of the spiritual aspect of who He is and who we are and the union we have with Him comes into a whole new Baptism. So, what you are doing by taking communion, because the Lord says always remember me and take communion, I think that’s exactly what the Lord’s looking for,” said Pierce.

He also recalled that the Israelites who experienced the first Passover still had 40 days to press through into their Promised Land, but their promise was delayed 40 years because of many problems. Pierce says that will not be the case for us.

“I decree right now we will not postpone the promises that God has for this nation any longer and I decree that every remnant and every nation will rise up and see that God has a plan for them,” Pierce said.

CHUCK’S POWERFUL PRAYER  

“Father, I ask you right now, there’s one prayer I have that we would know you, that in the midst of this, know your reality. Lord just as they cried out at Passover, we cry out, Lord Help us Right Now! And You said, that when we cry out You come down! And Father, I say right now in the midst of the confusion that’s going on, in the midst of the fear, I ask that Peace invade in Jesus’ name; I ask that wholeness invade. And we cry out Lord, we need a Healer! And Father, You are a Healer and we say come and heal us, spirit, soul, and body as we submit to you during this time of crisis. Father, I bless everyone that’s out there and I say let them see You in a way they’ve never seen You before in Jesus’ name! Amen.”  

Source CBN

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PODCAST: Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #132: Deuteronomy 10, Psalm 53, and 1 Timothy 6 with Daniel Whyte III

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #132. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version each day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. Today we are reading Deuteronomy 10, Psalm 53 and 1 Timothy 6.

Woodrow Wilson said, “I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and pleasure.”

John Stott said, “Christians who neglect the Bible simply do not mature.”

Deuteronomy 10
1 At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.

2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.

3 And I made an ark of shit’-tim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.

4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.

5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.

6 And the children of Is’-ra-el took their journey from Beer’-oth of the children of Ja’-a-kan to Mo’-se-ra: there Aa’-ron died, and there he was buried; and El-e-a’-zar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead.

7 From thence they journeyed unto Gud-go’-dah; and from Gud-go’-dah to Jot’-bath, a land of rivers of waters.

8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Le’-vi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

9 Wherefore Le’-vi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee.

11 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.

12 And now, Is’-ra-el, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of E’-gypt.

20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

22 Thy fathers went down into E’-gypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Psalm 53
To the chief Musician upon Ma’-ha-lath, Mas’-chil, A Psalm of Da’-vid.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.

5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

6 Oh that the salvation of Is’-ra-el were come out of Zi’-on! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Ja’-cob shall rejoice, and Is’-ra-el shall be glad.

1 Timothy 6
1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Je’-sus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Je’-sus, who before Pon’-tius Pi’-late witnessed a good confession;

14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Je’-sus Christ:

15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. A’-men.

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

20 O Tim’-o-thy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. A’-men.

________

PRAY
________

When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out to read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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Christian Minorities at Greater Risk of Persecution during Coronavirus Outbreak

Christian Minorities at Greater Risk of Persecution during Coronavirus Outbreak


In areas around the world where Christians are a religious minority, Christians are more likely to face discrimination when trying to receive food and medical care.

According to Fox News, the coronavirus pandemic is making life even harder for Christians and other religious minorities in countries around the world.

Open Doors USA, a Christian watchdog group, reported that at least 25 countries with positive cases are among the world’s worst persecutors of Christians.

“Their situation is going from bad to worse,” David Curry, CEO of Open Doors, said in a statement.

“In places like North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan, Christians are already seen as second-class citizens, traitors, and infidels,” Curry added. “Now, as COVID-19 ravages the health and livelihoods of all people in these countries, Christians are especially in need of emergency relief.”

Open Doors also said that the second most common form of persecution toward men in the Middle East and North Africa is economic discrimination, where men are denied jobs and support.

In China, a former chef reported to China Aid, another watchdog organization, that he had faced job discrimination for being a Christian and the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic had also impacted his job hunt.

“Now due to the virus, many restaurants are closed, it has become harder for me to find a job,” Ruan Haonan said. “Two days ago, I…

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