The backlash was intense Wednesday to the Montgomery County (Md.) Board of Education’s decision to scrub Christmas and other religious holidays from its published school calendar — without disturbing the days off.

CHARLOTTE, NC – Dr. Jeffery McGirt has been tapped as the new director of the Lee University Charlotte Center.

The Charlotte Center is located on the grounds of the Western North Carolina Church of God state offices. The partnership between the state and Lee began in 1999 after the state closed down the former East Coast Bible College. The campus operates under Lee’s Division of Adult Learning (DAL) and offers undergraduate degrees for both traditional and adult students.

Cornerstone Network is pleased to announce the launch of its new television affiliate, ‘Pittsburgh Faith and Family Channel’ (over-the-air channel 40.2). Featuring many local churches, along with episodes of The WatchWORD Bible (and other worship/teaching specials), this resource gives local ministries the opportunity to share their church services and events with a citywide “congregation.”

International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a nonprofit headquartered in Hampton, Va., whose mission is to nurture believers and assist Church growth worldwide, has reached the milestone of 5,000 churches built or under construction in developing nations through its partnerships with 187 indigenous ministries. Dois Rosser, founder of POMOCO, established ICM in 1986 at the age of 65. Janice Rosser Allen, daughter of the founder, is the current CEO and Executive Chair.

This weekend, Liquid Church of New Jersey is mobilizing over 700 volunteers and leaders to pitch-in on service projects helping families in need in communities across the state. The four-county effort has been in the planning since August by local volunteer coordinators and leaders in each community. The community service campaign aims to complete all projects in time so that the service agencies involved can serve their disadvantaged clients during Thanksgiving week.

The Church Planters Gathering, a free two-day conference to educate on effective church planting methods, will take place next week on November 20 and 21 at the Abundant Life Church in San Antonio, Texas.

I’ve had to report on the deaths of many great men of God over the years—and each of their lives and deaths impacted me. When I got the call that Myles Munroe and his wife, Ruth, were killed in a private plane crash on their way back to Grand Bahama on Sunday night, it was as difficult to believe as when David Wilkerson was killed in a car accident on April 27, 2011.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed suit in federal court Friday on behalf of a Pine Creek High School senior told that he and a group of other students may no longer informally meet to pray and discuss religious topics during free time as they have for the past three years.

Fifteen members of a church group who became lost during a hike in the mountains outside Los Angeles over the weekend were spotted from the air on Monday and were being rescued by helicopter, a county sheriff’s spokesman said.