Stories by Christie Storm
RSSA new start
History-making Vietnamese church to build new facility
FORT SMITH — As members settled in for worship on a recent Sunday morning, Pastor Terry Gallamore greeted them with a few phrases in Vietnamese infused with a hearty Southern twang. Continue reading...
Drive-By Shooting Reported
SPRINGDALE — Police are investigating a drive-by shooting reported on Braxton Drive on Friday night.
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Reach out and touch
Technology changes the way missionaries work
LITTLE ROCK — In the not so distant past, missionaries serving in far-flung locations around the world were largely cut off from family and friends. Communication was limited to letters or infrequent and expensive international phone calls. Continue reading...
Writer, former ‘bad girl’ to lead conference
LITTLE ROCK — In the late 1970s, Liz Curtis Higgs was a mess. A rebellious streak in her teens had led to years of drinking, drugs and sexual promiscuity. She was so far down she couldn’t see a way out. Continue reading...
Energetic stewardship
Interfaith Power and Light practices creation care
FAYETTEVILLE — One of the state’s oldest churches is getting a makeover — a weatherization touch-up courtesy of Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light. Founded in 1828 by settlers from Tennessee, Mount Comfort Presbyterian Church has used its current building for more than 130 years. The small, white building sits on a foundation of stacked stones and logs. Its timeworn hardwood floors creak underfoot. Architectural distinctives of a bygone era, such as the pressed tin ceiling, hint at the true age of the building, which has been fitted with modern touches throughout the years. Continue reading...
NLR church turns 100, gives away $100,000
LITTLE ROCK — First Assembly of God North Little Rock will celebrate its 100th birthday with a $100,000 giveaway. Continue reading...
Resuscitating HAITI
Two years after earthquake, Arkansans toil on to help survivors rebuild lives
LITTLE ROCK — In the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the majority of the 40 schools supported by the Arkansas-based Haiti Education Foundation lay in a jumbled mess of debris. Continue reading...
King’s words shape Pentecostal flock
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — For Pastor Don Hutchings, celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in church is a fitting tribute to the man whose words inspired his own work as a minister. Continue reading...
MASS appeal
Pope ponders study Bible for Catholics published by Little Rock ministry
LITTLE ROCK — A Catholic study Bible developed in Arkansas is now in the hands of the pope, and will soon be aiding Roman Catholics around the world. Continue reading...
Church on serving side of Christmas feast
ROGERS — For the past 35 years, members of Central United Methodist Church in Rogers have spent Christmas Day serving others by offering a free holiday meal. For many volunteers, cooking, serving and delivering the meals has become a family tradition. Continue reading...
Nuns in the kitchen
Besides baking, Advent is quiet time at monastery
FORT SMITH — As shoppers stream down Rogers Avenue in search of Christmas presents, the sisters of nearby St. Scholastica Monastery approach the holiday at a much slower pace. Shopping isn’t a priority for the Benedictine nuns, but there’s plenty to be done as the days of Advent wind toward Christmas Eve. Continue reading...
Author studies why young Christians leave church
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — David Kinnaman knows statistics. As president of the research company the Barna Group he tracks trends in matters of faith. While conducting interviews for his 2007 book unChristian, co-authored with Gabe Lyons, Kinnaman was startled to find that many young Christians shared the same negative views of the church as their nonchurchgoing peers. Continue reading...
By the book
Familiar words will change as Catholics implement a new prayer book
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — On Sunday, English-speaking Catholics will encounter a few changes at Mass. Prayers and responses memorized by heart will be unfamiliar as the new English translation of the Roman Missal is used for the first time. Continue reading...
Episcopal success stories
Arkansas’ diocese grew 1.2% in ’10, bucking the U.S. trend of departures spurred by doctrinal disputes
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — While most Episcopal Church dioceses saw a decline in membership last year, Arkansas was one of a few bright spots for the denomination. Membership and average Sunday attendance increased from 2009 to 2010 within the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, which includes 57 churches throughout the state, according to the Episcopal News Service. Continue reading...
Emptying body and soul
Nativity fast sharpens Orthodox Christians’ focus on God
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — In the middle of the shopping frenzy leading up to Christmas, many Christians will find time to pause and reflect on the spiritual meaning of the holiday. For Orthodox Christians, the days are a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving in anticipation of the celebration of Christ’s birth. Continue reading...
Novelist grounds yarns in WWII reality
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Award-winning author Tricia Goyer didn’t plan on writing historical faith-based fiction. As a budding young writer, she was more interested in heart-fluttering romance novels, but she wasn’t having much success. A trip to a former concentration camp in Austria changed all that and set the course for a string of novels focusing on World War II. Continue reading...
Cross Church’s outreach is ‘one of the greatest visions’
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — At the Compassion Center in Springdale, shoppers can find clothes, furniture and household wares, and if they choose, a spiritual connection. The center is a ministry of Cross Church, the multi-site Southern Baptist church led by Pastor Ronnie Floyd. Continue reading...
It’s the Gospel, folks
Churches that don’t vigorously evangelize are too passive, Ronnie Floyd says in his book
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Pastor Ronnie Floyd speaks with a sense of urgency when he talks about the Great Commission. Continue reading...
Zombie theology
Pastor’s gory allegory is part novel, part commentary
LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock author Jeff Kinley has always been a fan of horror stories, so it’s no surprise his latest book features bloodthirsty zombies. But this is a zombie story with a twist. It’s a gory fiction tale interspersed with spiritual guidance from a Christian perspective. Continue reading...
Website offers tips on aiding veterans
LITTLE ROCK — As a retired member of the U.S. Army Reserve, Col. Glenn Ballard knows the demands of military service. He has seen servicemen struggle when returning home from deployment. He has experienced it first-hand himself, first in Vietnam and again during the Persian Gulf War, and he thinks churches can provide much-needed support. Continue reading...
Breaking ground
Hindus plan new temple, more visibility
Colorful icons of Vishnu, Ganesha and other Hindu deities dominate the main room of the Shri Krishna Temple in Bentonville. Shiny statues of gods and goddesses draped with flowers fill the altar tables as Sriman Ubhaya Vedanta Venugopala Swami Gattu, the temple priest, lights the lamp that symbolizes the flame of knowledge. Continue reading...
Oklahoma priest on sainthood path
The path to sainthood in the Catholic Church is long, but supporters of a murdered Oklahoma priest hope he will one day be recognized as a saint. Continue reading...
Culling names
Southern Baptist task force reconsiders the ‘S’ word
LITTLE ROCK — What’s in a name? That’s what a newly appointed task force is looking into for the Southern Baptist Convention. Continue reading...
Polygamists hope book will change laws
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — With HBO’s Big Love and TLC’s Sister Wives, polygamy has been in the television limelight in recent years and a ratings boon for producers. Viewers, it seems, can’t get enough of plural marriage. Despite the popularity of the shows, polygamy is still against the law in the United States — something the Darger family of Utah hopes will change. Continue reading...
More than a hobby
President of arts supplier draws on a different crowd: biblical antiquities aficionados
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — As president of arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby, Steve Green knows how engrossing hobbies can be. Last year alone, the chain of 491 stores sold more than $2 billion worth of goods from model trains and home decor knickknacks to sewing and art supplies. Continue reading...
PEOPLE & PLACES
Williams Marks 98th Birthday Continue reading...
Survey: Churches losing members, financial support
LITTLE ROCK — After a decade of studying American congregations, researcher David Roozen said the bottom line is this: Fewer people are filling the pews. Continue reading...
Reflect, repent, renew
The High Holidays celebrate creation and open the doors to atonement
LITTLE ROCK — The new year in the Jewish faith isn’t heralded with noisemakers, cheers and a raucous midnight countdown. Instead, the blast of the shofar, or ram’s horn, calls Jews to a solemn period of introspection and repentance. Known as Rosh Hashana, the holiday begins what are known as the Days of Awe, which continue through Yom Kippur. Continue reading...
Full circle
Coach renews ties in work and worship
FAYETTEVILLE — When Razorbacks head basketball coach Mike Anderson and his wife, Marcheita, returned to Arkansas they knew exactly where they would be on Sunday mornings. Continue reading...
Salem Lutheran School alumni sought
SPRINGDALE — Salem Lutheran School leaders are on the lookout for former students, and they’ve taken to Facebook to track them down. Their goal: to find as many as possible to attend the first homecoming at the school in Springdale. Continue reading...
Filling a special need
Church team is designing a worship service for people with disabilities
LITTLE ROCK — Joe Butler isn’t a typical missionary. He’s not toiling away in a foreign land spreading the Gospel or handing out supplies to the needy. His mission field is much closer to home and his calling is to minister to individuals and families dealing with disabilities while encouraging churches to open their doors to those with special needs. Continue reading...
Concerts all month celebrate gospel heritage
LITTLE ROCK — Music lovers across the state are celebrating Arkansas Gospel Music Heritage Month with a variety of concerts and events throughout September. Continue reading...
Answering the bell
Aid partner calls, Judsonia church stuffs container with rice, supplies for Somalia
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — International relief work is old hat to John Kachelman, minister at Judsonia Church of Christ. Continue reading...
Light and water
Presbyterian regions live up to their names in Haiti project
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — In rural Haiti clean water can be hard to find. Villagers often use gasoline-powered generators to filter water, but the fuel is expensive, and without proper care the generators eventually fail. Continue reading...
Cambodia mission to fight trafficking
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Pam Carter is going back to Cambodia, and this time she’s taking fellow members of Bella Vista Christian Church along. She wants them to see how their donations are helping rescue young girls from a life of slavery and exploitation. Continue reading...
Jesus is in the SLOW lane
A monastic life doesn’t require a monastery, Talbot teaches followers
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — John Michael Talbot has been living the monastic life for decades in the Ozark hills of Carroll County. He follows the way of the desert fathers, adhering to vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. But he isn’t a monk in the traditional sense. He’s married. Continue reading...
Torah to get final lettering
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Most people, even those who’ve never flipped through the pages of a Bible, know about the Ten Commandments. Far fewer know that number is only a fraction of the 613 commandments found in the Torah, the sacred text of the Jews made up of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Continue reading...
Gospel-ease for the Marshallese
Newly dubbed docudrama Jesus to premiere in Springdale
LITTLE ROCK — From Arabic to Zulu, the film Jesus has been dubbed into more than 1,100 languages since its debut in 1979. Each year the film brings the words of Christ to millions in their own languages in towns and villages across the world. But some have never seen nor heard the film in their native tongue, including the people of the Marshall Islands. Continue reading...
Jewish mourning period for temples ends
LITTLE ROCK — A three-week mourning period for Jews will end Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
To the ENDS of the EARTH
A medical missions team goes into the Amazonian jungle
LITTLE ROCK — Insect repellent and sunscreen are two must-haves for a mission trip to the Amazon. Bottled water, sports drinks and highprotein snacks were also on the packing list for members of Central United Methodist Church’s team as they readied for a journey to Colombia. Continue reading...
Seeds
Cross Church seeks fertile sites to plant 50 new congregations
LITTLE ROCK — From New York to Hungary, China to Africa, Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas is expanding its reach, hoping to start 50 churches in the next three years. The Southern Baptist congregation is already at work in New York, Indianapolis and Denver, as well as countries overseas including the Dominican Republic and Malawi, Africa. The Springdalebased megachurch has been planting churches for years, starting roughly 40 congregations in the past decade. They embarked on a much faster-paced, three-year campaign this year following Pastor Ronnie Floyd’s work on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. Continue reading...
LR woman joins African translation team
LITTLE ROCK — Wycliffe Bible Translators are best known for their efforts to make Christian Scripture accessible in many languages to people in far-flung parts of the world, no matter how obscure. But the ministry is also sharing lifesaving medical information with help from their translation experts. Continue reading...
Bentonville event explores ‘Why Me ?’
BENTONVILLE — Why me? It’s a question almost everyone has asked in a moment of despair and one that will be the focus of a free seminar Saturday at the Bentonville Public Library. Continue reading...
Charity begins at a home’s driveway
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Corey and Somer Colbert’s ministry started three years ago in the driveway of their Springdale home. The young couple gathered donated household goods and clothes from their neighbors and posted fliers at nearby apartments for a yard sale with a twist. Instead of selling, they were giving everything away for free. Continue reading...
Diocese seeking tip data
Unnamed caller claims child abuse
LITTLE ROCK — The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock is seeking information about an allegation of child abuse within the state’s largest parish. Continue reading...
Adopting a cause
Faith-based group unites foster-care families and state agency to nurture children in need.
LITTLE ROCK — Earlier this summer, on her third day as a foster parent, Allyce Johnson of Farmington was busy but happy. Continue reading...
Graffiti removal is neighborly ministry
LITTLE ROCK — Armed with cleaning supplies and buckets of paint, United Methodists in Fort Smith are helping rid the city of graffiti while easing a financial burden on elderly and lowincome homeowners. Continue reading...
Vocations director: Search never ends
LITTLE ROCK — For Monsignor Scott Friend, the search for future priests is a neverending job. As director of vocations for the Diocese of Little Rock, it’s his job to make sure Arkansas Catholics have plenty of priests in parishes across the state. Continue reading...
Path of a priest
Ordination as a deacon brings immigrant one step closer to his dream
LITTLE ROCK — The call of the priesthood has been with Mauricio Carrasco since he was a young boy in Mexico. On Saturday, he took one step closer as he was ordained a deacon during a special Mass at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Springdale. Continue reading...
Jehovah’s Witnesses assemble in Fort Smith
June conventions to draw 1.7 million in U.S.
FORT SMITH — More than 3,600 Jehovah’s Witnesses from a three-state area crowded into the Fort Smith Convention Center on Friday morning for a three-day gathering. Thousands more from Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are expected to attend weekend events throughout the month. Continue reading...
