All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Dec 15 2006 // Nearly all the some 170 people claiming they were sexually abused by priests who once worked in Western Oregon have agreed to settle their lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, a federal judge who...
Nov 29 2006 // A fire that destroyed the sanctuary of a 100-year-old church in Statesboro, Georgia was ruled an arson, Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine said. Authorities have arrested a suspect after the fire engulfed the...
Nov 16 2006 // Robert E. Coates Jr., an insurance broker in Pasadena, Calif., for more than 50 years and resident of La Canada Flintridge died Saturday, Nov. 4.A former blimp pilot for the Navy, he joined Jimmy Ingham and Gleeson...
Oct 30 2006 // A Christian cost-sharing ministry set up to help cover medical costs for churchgoers is not an insurance program and doesn’t claim to be, the head of the American Evangelical Association testified last week.E. John...
Oct 24 2006 // Catholic and other religious social service groups must provide contraceptive coverage through their workplace-sponsored medical insurance programs even if they consider contraception a sin, according to a ruling by New...
Oct 16 2006 // A mistrial has been declared in South Carolina in the case of a former pastor accused of trying to burn down his own Summerville church.A Dorchester County jury deliberated Harold E. Hunter’s fate for nearly 10 hours...
Oct 13 2006 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, the fourth diocese in the nation to seek financial protection to deal with priest sex abuse cases.Bishop William Franklin said the diocese...
Oct 13 2006 // A pastor accused of burning down his own church went on trial this week in South Carolina and could face 25 years in prison if convicted.Harold E. Hunter, 58, is charged in the burning of the Bethel AME Church in...
Oct 2 2006 // The largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the U.S. could sign a $60 million settlement with dozens of alleged victims of clergy abuse within days, several attorneys told The Associated Press.The settlement being drafted by...
Sep 28 2006 // The next time you go to church, you may notice security guards, controlled access, or a secure drop box for collections. These are just some of the innovative safety and security measures being implemented by churches...
Sep 12 2006 // The Archdiocese of Milwaukee plans to keep fighting a $16.8 million damage award, upheld on appeal, for an 85-year-old man who was severely injured when his car was hit by a vehicle driven by a church group volunteer.The...
Sep 7 2006 // A $16.8 million verdict against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and a church insurance fund for an 85-year-old man who was severely injured in a car crash was not excessive, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.Last year a...
Sep 5 2006 // Diana Drees was taking her children to a home-school group at the family’s church when she swerved on an icy road and crashed her Nissan Altima into a fence.Because she was on her way to a church function — and...
Aug 14 2006 // An attorney representing people who allege they were sexually abused by priests says Catholics in Eastern Washington can settle their church’s sex-abuse crisis and bankruptcy for $60 million — half of which he...
Jul 26 2006 // A group helping rebuild the Church of God’s financial arm is to pay at least $4 million to investors who lost many millions more when their money was put in risky real estate deals rather than toward building...
Jul 26 2006 // An insurance claim filed in Clanton, Ala. by a Chilton County church that suffered a roof collapse last month has been denied. Alfa Insurance, which issued the policy, denied the claim filed by the Cedar Grove Methodist...
Jul 24 2006 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane has reached agreements with two more insurance carriers on payments to cover sexual abuse claims as the diocese’s bankruptcy case heads into mediation.In a statement, Bishop...
Jul 24 2006 // Spokane diocese settles claims with two insurersThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane has reached agreements with two more insurance carriers on payments to cover sexual abuse claims as the diocese’s bankruptcy case...
Jul 24 2006 // A Superior Court judge in Springfield, Mass. has for now blocked more than 100 people who say they were molested by priests from having to tell lawyers about the abuse they say they endured.Judge John Agostini ruled...
Jul 10 2006 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane has reached agreements with two more insurance carriers on payments to cover sexual abuse claims as the diocese’s bankruptcy case heads into mediation.In a statement issued late...