Latest Church Headlines

All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Fred C. Church Insurance Announces New Leadership in Massachusetts

Dec 30 2014 // Chris Duble Fred C. Church Insurance, an independent insurance agency in Lowell, Massachusetts, has appointed Mike Reilly as president and Chris Duble as chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1. Both Reilly and Duble...

Attorney Wants Records From Franciscan Friars in News Mexico Abuse Case

Dec 3 2014 // An attorney for victims who claim they were sexually abused by priests in the Diocese of Gallup in New Mexico wants insurance and financial records from the Franciscan Friars, the Albuquerque Journal reported.Claimants...

Plan to Settle Abuse Claims Offered By Montana Catholic Diocese

Nov 20 2014 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena has filed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that proposes a $16.4 million settlement for hundreds of people who said clergy members sexually abused them for decades while the church...

More Snow Threatening for Western New York as Flooding Risk

Nov 20 2014 // Lake-effect snow that killed six people and halted travel across western New York may reach as high as 7 feet in some areas before stopping tomorrow, when temperatures will start to rise along with the risk of flooding.At...

Utah Woman Wears Colander For Driver’s License Photo

Nov 19 2014 // A Utah woman says she encountered only brief resistance when she recently had her driver’s license photo taken while wearing a colander on her head as a religious statement.Asia Lemmon, whose legal name appears on...

Washington City Takes Stock Of Damage Following Tornado

Oct 27 2014 // The southwest Washington city of Longview tallied the damage Friday from a rare tornado that tore off roofs, broke windows and uprooted trees, leaving residents and officials in disbelief.No one was injured in the Thursday...

New Jersey Diocese Settles Priest Sex Abuse Suit for $610K

Oct 7 2014 // The Trenton Diocese has paid $610,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey man who said he was sexually abused for years as a teen by a priest who headed the diocese’s youth group.Forty-two-year-old Chris Naples...

Church Funding Emergency Alert System for West, Texas

Sep 4 2014 // A church in the small Texas city devastated by a fertilizer plant explosion is funding an emergency alert system for the town’s residents. The system will allow West officials to deliver an automated phone message to...

Obama Administration Offers Birth Control Fix for Religious Groups

Aug 25 2014 // Seeking to quell a politically charged controversy, the Obama administration announced new measures Friday to allow religious nonprofits and some companies to opt out of paying for birth control for female employees while...

Jury Says Florida Church Must Pay Burn Victim

Jul 24 2014 // Jurors in Florida have determined that the Agape Baptist Church must pay $471,798.50 to a man who was severely burned after setting fire to a pile of trash while working off community service hours. The verdict in Ocala...

Prosecutor: Plastic Flower Decorations Aided N.J. Fire That Killed 6

Jun 18 2014 // It was pride of ownership that led a New Jersey family to decorate the front of their home with bright plastic flowers, and it was those same decorations that acted as a fatal accelerant in a fast moving blaze that killed...

Mississippi County Hit by Tornado Faces Challenge of Starting Over

May 4 2014 // Rescuers were still looking for people missing after Monday’s tornado when Louisville and Winston County officials started thinking about long-term recovery.The county of 19,000 people in east Mississippi faces three...

Kentucky Court Clarifies Religious Exemption from Labor Laws

Apr 22 2014 // Religious institutions in Kentucky may hire and fire people from strictly ecclesiastical jobs as they see fit, but could face legal action if an employment contract is involved, the Kentucky Supreme Court recently ruled.In...

Church Investor Sues Wal-Mart Over Sale of Guns, ‘Offensive’ Music

Apr 3 2014 // Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s sale of sexually charged music and high-capacity weapons hurts the company’s image, an historic Wall Street church said in a lawsuit seeking to force a shareholder vote on tightening...

Oklahoma Bills Would Limit Liability of Shelters During Storms

Mar 31 2014 // A pair of Oklahoma legislators says businesses, schools and churches that open their doors to passers-by during violent weather should be spared liability if their temporary guests are hurt or killed.A bill by Rep. Larry...

Alabama Churches Destroyed by Tornado in 2011 Reopen Their Doors

Mar 4 2014 // Two Alberta churches that were destroyed by the tornado that decimated that section of the city on April 27, 2011, have reopened their doors after being displaced for nearly three years.“The fact that this is home is...

Gov’t Attorneys Appeal Penn. Health Care Law Contraceptive Rulings

Feb 19 2014 // Government attorneys have appealed two injunctions issued by federal judges on challenges by religious organizations over contraceptive coverage requirements in the new health care law.Department of Justice attorneys asked...

Another Suit Against Ex-California Priest Moving Forward

Feb 14 2014 // Just days after a Southern California diocese announced the settlement of two child-abuse lawsuits, a lawyer says he has no plans to settle a third suit against a former Catholic priest.Attorney Anthony De Marco tells the...

Abuse Suits Settled by California Diocese For $3.8M

Feb 11 2014 // A Southern California diocese has paid $3.8 million to settle two child-abuse lawsuits brought against a former Catholic priest.The Diocese of San Bernardino announced Sunday that payments settling the two civil cases...

Buckley, Kryshak Promoted at Wisconsin-Based Church Mutual Insurance

Feb 6 2014 // Merrill, Wis.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co., an insurer of religious organizations, announced that Bob Buckley is the new vice president — underwriting and policyholder services and Cheryl Kryshak is the new vice...