Today, many people caring for infants and children at churches must complete CPR and Darkness to Light training, along with background checks. But with these rigorous requirements, some congregations are struggling to find employees to work their nurseries.
Mepkin Abbey's Monastic Guest program allows some men who, without becoming monks themselves, find refuge. August Turak, a former corporate executive in New York City, is one of them.
I have some great readers who sometimes disagree with me but will only rarely become disagreeable. However, once in a great while I get a letter reeking of discontent.
The National Council of Jewish Women is presenting an interfaith educational event about the #MeToo Movement at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at Circular Congregational Church, 150 Meeting St.
With trick-or-treaters donning their scariest costumes in just a handful of days, I propose we play a version of the game "20 Questions." I introduce these questions under the heading, “What is it that really frightens you?”
With the help of College of Charleston graduate students, who used church records and FARO laser scanning to survey the site, St. Mary recently created a database that cataloged who is buried on the grounds.
The Gullah Society will present a public event called “Rise Up! Summoning the Power and Presence of African Ancestors in Charleston,” at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 at the College of Charleston.
Two churches, Aldersgate and Enoch Chapel United Methodist who started the monthly, Saturday worship service last spring, are now hosting weekly services which they hope will continue to attract people from all walks of life and demonstrate true racial reconciliation.
While the first edition of "The Huguenot Church in Charleston" highlights its national influence between 1687 and the 1800s, the much-anticipated second publication picks up in the 20th Century with nearly 50 more pages highlighting prominent Huguenots who had local and national influence.
Before we vote for the candidate with Jesus in his or her pocket or the one kneeling with a televangelist under glaring camera lights, maybe we should think this through. Let’s pause to ask two questions concerning the candidate who publicly professes religion.
Underground Railroadconference planned
More than a few times, I have introduced myself as chaplain to a patient only to hear him respond, “I’m an atheist”
After receiving many submissions, we've selected five writers to receive for free tickets to the Charleston Leadership Foundation’s 17th annual Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
With more than 35 years in full-time ministry, I’ve performed scores of weddings. In the initial planning stages, the groom will often raise the awkward question about my fees.
One scholar called the establishment of the center a “magic moment,” albeit one that is overdue.
While the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths are unique in their religious beliefs, customs and practices, Abraham is the common forefather that shows the religions have a lot more in common than what some may think.
Pure Theatre is setting up shop in an unlikely new space called the Cannon Street Arts Center, a church that served Charleston's black community.
“I’m sorry” and “excuse me” are phrases we use almost every day. We repeat them endlessly when we’re at a crowded event bumping into people.
The Greater Macedonia church building could be demolished. Even though church leaders want to sell the site, the Charleston Board of Architectural Review deferred the decision on Thursday to tear down Macedonia's downtown facility after several members said they were uninformed that their church could be destroyed.
The India Association of Greater Charleston will celebrate Indian history and culture with an open-to-the-public "India Fest" event, scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Liberty Square, 340 Concord St. (near the South Carolina Aquarium).
Columnist Norris Burkes gives an update on how he is faring with his six "F" passions: fun, family, flight, finances, fitness and faith.
A Nashville-based research group found that the Bible Belt is still fertile ground for church planting. Of the 800-plus new churches surveyed by the organization for a 2015 survey, nearly half of them were founded in the South.
The Post and Courier's arts and culture expert describes his ascent along the Portico di San Luca in Bologna, Italy.
Does “fake news” ever fool you? Or do you count yourself among the discriminating folks who know the difference between fake and real?
Several local churches offer gluten-free bread during Holy Eucharist to accommodate parishioners with celiac disease and other sensitivities.
Submissions qualify for a drawing for a free ticket to this year's annual Prayer Breakfast on Oct. 18.
I have good news for all of you. Most of you, that is. I’m not dead. Apparently, a few of my readers thought, as evidenced by the voicemail I received this past week, that I was singing in the celestial choir.
The sighting of the new moon at sunset on Sept. 11 will mark the first day of Muharram — the first month on the Muslim calendar. The new year honors the Prophet Muhammad's hijrah, or migration, from Mecca to Medina when he fled persecution to found the Islamic faith.
Southern Jewish history soon will no longer remain a discipline limited to a few institutions in the South.
Burkes, now an avid reader, said he didn't start to read whole books in earnest until he turned 43.
The nonprofit, which was reorganized in 2013 under the Charleston Jewish Federation, consists of three staff members and a handful of volunteers trying to "repair the world."
On a Sunday afternoon, my wife, Becky, and I visit the Crimson Tattoo Parlor in Auburn, Calif. We are not looking to get a painful heart-shape tattoo but rather to help alleviate the spiritual pain of suicide.
Churches typically use the start of the school year to reengage families who missed church for beach getaways and leisure time on the boat.
Congregation Dor Tikvah started in 2012 as a small group of Orthodox Jewish worshipers determined to spend the Sabbath in West Ashley, where most of them lived. They met at the Jewish Community Center, and sometimes at a private home.
Last month, my wife, Becky, and I were moving into our new home in Auburn, Calif., when her sister, Melissa, stopped by to help us unpack. A few hours into the job, Becky put down her boxes and started making sandwiches for us.
In a survey of thousands of Americans who attend and do no attend religious services, researchers found that most non-attenders are believers.
Two weeks ago, I invited you to go with me to Honduras in 2019 to create children’s libraries through my daughter’s nonprofit, Chispa Project.
With Pope Francis' latest pronouncement against the death penalty, South Carolina Catholic leaders are once again stirred to action after decades of protest and prayer. Will the state listen to their pleas for mercy?
Hoping to play a part in bridging the racial divide in education, a North Charleston church is planning its first national conference this week.
The chaplain writes that he has met many people who have "given up on God" because of their distaste for organized religion.
Nearly 30 years later, the church can finish that essential detail, thanks to an anonymous $160,000 gift, according to Jack McGovern, director of stewardship at Blessed Sacrament.
Last winter, my wife and I went to Honduras for three months to help our daughter in a small, grassroots nonprofit called the Chispa Project. One night as we left a restaurant, a man followed us to our car. “Por favor,” he said, handing my daughter a note. “PLEASE, can you help me get to America?” the note said. It was signed with a name and phone number. Do you ever wonder what makes them take the risk?
One denomination, in particular, is determined to reach as many people as possible who are deaf and blind.
Cecil Williams' photography exhibit at the Charleston County Public Library includes a tribute to the Charleston Hospital Strike of 1968-69.
Call them the Gullah Power Couple and they squirm, but Ron and Natalie Daise do more than most to inform people about Gullah-Geechee culture and history.
If you saw the 1983 movie “WarGames,” you’ll remember the moment the young hacker David Lightman (played by Matthew Broderick) cracks a Pentagon computer called The War Operation Plan Response (WOPR).
Dozens of South Carolina churches and nonprofits are beginning to voice concern that parts of the recently enacted federal tax reform could hurt them, and even make many of them pay taxes for the first time.
Second Presbyterian Church is one of Charleston's oldest, and has a mostly white congregation. This summer, it decided to reach out to children in nearby African-American neighborhoods and invite them to Vacation Bible School.
While gay marriage has gained greater acceptance across American society, many churches and faith communities struggle to welcome openly gay parishioners.
What does a chaplain tell a young couple whose faith in God has been rocked by a miscarriage? Sometimes, it's better just to listen than to talk.
Mepkin Abbey hosts monastic guests
A protest resulted in the founding of Emanuel AME Church, whose first leaders, including the Rev. Morris Brown, promptly ran afoul of the white authorities for asserting their independence and attempting to educate members of the black congregation.
Rural Mission, the faith-based charity located on Johns Island that rehabilitates homes for low-income residents and works with migrant farmers, now is scrambling to rebuild its operation before the 49-year-old nonprofit is forced to close its doors.
