SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF

Published Saturday, January 24, 2009

Moberly church to host event tied to addiction

Family Life Fellowship of Moberly will host the "White Collar Sideshow" at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the church, located at 1614 E. Highway 24.

"White Collar Sideshow" is an intense theatrical musical performance, using bass and drums, to examine the mind of an addict and suggests ways to change.

For more information, contact Family Life Fellowship at (660) 263-0488 or visit the Web site at www.flfministires.com. See a sample of the show at www.whitecollarsideshow.com.

Heritage fete coming to Unitarian church

The Congregational Development Council will host a Heritage Celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, 2615 Shepard Blvd.

The church event will help recognize milestones in its history, including the church’s founding in 1951.

The program will feature video, live music and include a presentation to the Rev. William Haney.

Call 442-5764 for more details.

Graham’s grandson to lead megachurch

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A search committee charged with filling the vacant pulpit at a high-profile South Florida megachurch has chosen a 36-year-old grandson of Billy Graham.

If approved by a congregational vote, Tullian Tchividjian will assume the seat at Fort Lauderdale’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian previously held by church founder D. James Kennedy.

Kennedy, who died in September 2007 at age 76, was an architect of the Christian right. His image on Christian broadcasting was beamed around the globe.

Tchividjian’s image cuts a striking difference. He has spiky hair and a scruffy beard and acknowledges youthful forays into drugs and sex.

He is one of seven children of Gigi Tchividjian, the eldest daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham. His grandfather preached the dedication sermon for the Coral Ridge sanctuary in 1974.

"This will be an exciting legacy for both Dr. Kennedy and Billy Graham," said Dan Westphal, head of Coral Ridge’s search committee. "I’ve come to know Tullian well, and he is a godly man."

Born in Jacksonville and raised in South Florida, Tchividjian was named after Tertullian, a theologian of the second and third centuries.He earned degrees in philosophy at Columbia International University in South Carolina and in divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.

Burglars target items donated to churches

WARREN, Ohio (AP) - Thieves looking for an easy way to grab donated food and clothing have broken into more than a dozen Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran and nondenominational churches in recent months.

Some clergy and parishioners have been reluctant to report the break-ins or to pursue charges out of sympathy for suspects, many of whom are drug addicts who look to sell the stolen food and clothing for quick cash, Warren police Chief John Mandopoulos said.

"They’re trying to be Christian about this and turn the other cheek," Mandopoulos said of the churches. "But on the other hand, you have to be accountable for the money."

In some cases, televisions, computers and digital cameras have been taken from the Youngstown-area churches. Money from collection plates also has been stolen.

Churches are viewed as soft targets because many don’t have alarm systems, said Jeff Hawkins, executive director of the Cincinnati-based consultants the Christian Security Network.