As Hurricane Isaac prepares to move ashore on the Gulf Coast and across a significant portion of the eastern United States, we find refuge in the words of Isaiah 43:

Do not fear, I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters
I will be with you.
I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Together we call the church to pray for those in the path of the storm, and for those who will be among the first to respond:

Lord God, our refuge …

More than 1.5 million Syrians are seeking refuge both inside and outside Syria’s borders from the spreading civil war that has brought violence and bloodshed to virtually every part of the country.

With a long history of Christian heritage and ecumenical encounter, the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) is now hosting the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting. The academy was offered as a venue under the sponsorship of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, a founding member of the WCC.

Some Kenyan church leaders are backing protests against the recent arrival of Chinese businesspeople in the east African country, while others urge Africans to welcome Asians in the spirit of the “global village.”

The world’s best-selling book has made it to the small screen in what is thought to be the first religiously themed game show on a secular network.

Chris Hoke found Jesus in the Skagit County Jail … not as a prisoner, but as a pastor.

The Rev. J. C. Austin, director of the Center for Christian Leadership at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City is the featured speaker Sept. 16 on “Day 1” with host Peter Wallace, the nationally syndicated ecumenical radio program also accessible online at Day1.org.

Several Christian denominations in Malawi, including Anglicans, Presbyterians and Pentecostals, have established an organization to help improve management, financial and administrative skills of churches in the southern African nation.

Mars Hill Bible Church has appointed a new teaching pastor, months after founding pastor and well-known author Rob Bell departed for California.

In an email sent Aug. 22 to members of the Grandville, Mich., church, leaders announced Kent Dobson had accepted the lead position.

Entering a conference room filled with such a wealth of resources, Hal Bennett could scarcely contain his exuberance.

“I’ve been jumping up and down like a little kid and praising God every day since I became a part of the For Such a Time as This program,” he said. “My seminary training has come to fruition, and I’m looking forward to doing the work that God has called me to do.”

Bennett—who has been called to serve the Dulatown Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, N.C.—is one of six recent seminary graduates who have received their first calls to ministry in the third year of For Such a Time as This. The program is designed to renew the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by developing missional pastors and equipping them to serve and grow small congregations.