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‘Hypocritical’: Texas Megachurch Pastor Fires Back at Critics of Large Churches

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Texas-based Pastor Ed Young believes those who think megachurches are “just too big” are hypocrites.

The founder and senior pastor of the multi-site Fellowship Church in Grapevine issued the bold statement in a video shared to his Facebook page. Young’s church, for context, reported a weekly attendance of 24,000 in 2020. The preacher noted in his video many have told him his congregation “is just too big,” but asserted it’s unfair to criticize the sizes of churches in places with large populations.

“‘Your church is just too big,’” Young said, quoting what he’s heard from critics of Fellowship Church. “I’ve heard people tell me that a lot: ‘It’s too big. It’s a megachurch.’ Well, that’s got to be one of the most hypocritical statements someone can make, because the person making the statement goes to massive concerts. They would go to a game — a football game. They would go to a massive mall, and they never really say that about those entities.”

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, a megachurch is a church averaging 2,000 or more weekly attenders. There were roughly 1,170 megachurches in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from the 1,750 megachurches reported by the Hartford Institute in 2020.

Young went on to boldly assert, “Hey, if you think the church is too big, then you’re not going to like Heaven, because Heaven is going to be a big place. If a church is around a lot of people, it should be big in the context of being big.”

In 2020, a Lifeway Research study found the average church in the U.S. seats roughly 200 people, but the median weekly attendance is 65 worshipers. Megachurches, it should be noted, only make up about 0.5% of churches across the country, serving about four million weekly congregants.

Young’s comments come as a handful of megachurch leaders have in recent months faced intense scrutiny for immoral and concerning behavior.

Most recently, Robert Morris, the disgraced founder and pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was ousted from his prominent, longtime role in the spotlight after the now-adult Cindy Clemishire accused Morris of molesting her in the 1980s, when she was 12 years old.

“Like most believers, you don’t want to do anything that’s going to tarnish the name of God,” Clemishire told CBN News this summer of why she took so long to speak out about Morris’ alleged misconduct. “You don’t want to tarnish the church, you don’t want to hurt other believers, you don’t want to, you know, cause another person to not come to Jesus.”

Her goal, she stated at the time, is to keep Morris from continuing to advance in church leadership

Morris, when he resigned from Gateway as a result of the allegations, described engaging in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” in a home he stayed in during his 20s. He further stated it “was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong.” Clemishire, for her part, took issue with the ex-pastor’s characterization of her as “a young lady,” given she was a prepubescent child at the time of the purported wrongdoing.
Sources:faithwire

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6-Year-Old Boy Survives Near Drowning, Tells of Hearing Angels Sing and That ‘He Was With God in the Air’

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The beginning of July saw many tragic drownings from the floods in Central Texas, but in Louisiana, there was another story unfolding with a different ending.

Reporting for KLFY 10 News, Rodricka Stevens details what happened to a 6-year-old boy enjoying a family day on July 4th, at the Paragon Casino Resort.

The boy’s mother, Krista Parker had noticed her son dangling his feet in the pool, later saying, “I was kind of okay with it because DJ, he’s scared of water, so he’s not going to just jump in…”

But the next time she looked, she panicked, “her son looked lifeless,” noted Stevens.

Feeling led to give her son CPR, Parker also began pleading with God, “…Lord, cover my baby with Your Blood in the name of Jesus, Lord, please give me my baby back!”

According to Stevens, about the time the ambulance arrived, DJ had thrown up multiple times and began to cry.

At the hospital, DJ told his mother and stepdad about all he had experienced during the short time his body seemed to have no life.

“He looked at me and my husband. He said, ‘No, Daddy, no Momma, God is real. I saw Him. I saw Him and Uncle Quimaine,'” Parker recalled, adding that DJ also described hearing angels singing.

The experience was so profound to young DJ that he reportedly told his mother he wants to change his name to “Avir” [Air in Hebrew].

When his mother asked why, she said he told her he was “with God in the air.”

Stevens noted that Parker had a closing message for parents: “I feel like everybody, if you have kids [you] need to be CPR certified. Anything can happen in a second. My son didn’t have a life vest on and I regret that to this day. So just safety first, and when it comes to God, God is real…”
Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS

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More Churches Using Pickleball for Community Building, Outreach: ‘Everybody Has Fun’

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Maryland – It’s the country’s fastest-growing sport with almost 20 million Americans playing pickleball. And now, churches are tapping into its popularity.

It’s a relatively easy sport to pick up. That may be why it’s growing so quickly and courts are popping up all over the country.

At Emmanuel Church in Huntingtown, Maryland, they have three that they open to both members and non-members.

“We have a lot of regulars,” Bill Holston, a member at Emmanuel, told CBN News. “It falls off a little during the summer months because people can play outside and somehow that’s a little bit more fun.”

Courts are open Monday evenings to members who are allowed to bring up to two guests. Holston, one of the organizers, begins each session with a short word and prayer. From there, the games begin.

“When we’re playing, it’s pretty competitive but it’s really a good time,” said Wayne Boblitt, a regular player.

Emmanuel offers several one-hour sessions. CBN News visited during the 4 pm window.

“I used to be a person always in a shell, like kind of nervous about doing things, but this kind of really opened me up to other things and being able to fellowship with other Christians and having a mutual fun time together,” Lisa Gratch, another player, told CBN News.

It’s all part of a larger growing trend happening across the country – churches tapping into the popularity of pickleball to grow community and also as an outreach to non-believers.

In addition to Mondays, Emmanuel invites the community to play on the third Saturday of each month.

“Evangelical churches, Catholic churches, Methodist churches, non-denominational churches do pickleball which is kind of fun,” Bob Smietana, a reporter at Religion News Service, told CBN News. “They use it as outreach, community building, and are having a good time with it.”

Smietana talked to churches across the country for a recent report he did.

“It is a game that anyone can play,” he explained. “So that’s what folks told me. The first time you show up you can go from having never played to playing and having a good time fairly early.”

An estimated 19.8 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, up about 45 percent from 2023.

“We’ve got 80-year-olds playing, all the way down to 10-year-olds and we can play together,” Christine King, another player and organizer at Emmanuel Church, told CBN News. “It’s just such a sport that I think everybody has fun!”

King brought her young granddaughter to the session CBN News was at. She said they’ve had several people show up for pickleball who then started going to church.

“They haven’t been to church in 20 years and then they come and some have been maybe in a different religion and I thought it was pretty cool,” she said.

Holston put it this way:

“When I first became a believer years ago back in the mid 70’s there was a concept of ‘Friendship Evangelism’ and this is what it is,” he said. “Reach out to your neighbors, reach out to your friends, reach out to your coworkers, and give them something cool to do with you guys.”

And that’s it. Have fun, get some exercise, and grow the kingdom, one “dink” at a time.
Sources:CBN News

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സിറിയയിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ക്കു സംരക്ഷണം നൽകണമെന്ന് യൂറോപ്യൻ പാർലമെന്റ്

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സ്ട്രാസ്ബർഗ്: സിറിയയിലെ ഡമാസ്കസിലെ ഗ്രീക്ക് ഓർത്തഡോക്സ് ദേവാലയത്തില്‍ അടുത്തിടെ നടന്ന ഭീകരാക്രമണത്തെ അപലപിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് യൂറോപ്യൻ പാർലമെന്റ് അടിയന്തര പ്രമേയം പാസാക്കി. സിറിയയിലെ ക്രിസ്ത്യാനികളുടെയും മറ്റ് മതന്യൂനപക്ഷങ്ങളുടെയും സംരക്ഷണം ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടുക്കൊണ്ടാണ് പ്രമേയം അവതരിപ്പിച്ചത്. മതസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യവും മനുഷ്യാവകാശങ്ങളും സംരക്ഷിക്കേണ്ടതിന്റെ ആവശ്യകത ഊന്നിപ്പറയുന്നതായിരിന്നു പ്രമേയം. യൂറോപ്യൻ പാർലമെന്റിലെ വിവിധ രാഷ്ട്രീയ ഗ്രൂപ്പുകൾ സംയുക്തമായാണ് പ്രമേയം സമർപ്പിച്ചത്.

സിറിയയിൽ ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ക്കെതിരായി അക്രമത്തിന്റെയും വിവേചനത്തിന്റെയും വർദ്ധിച്ചുവരുന്ന രീതി ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടുന്നതായിരിന്നു പ്രമേയം. വിവിധ വിശ്വാസ സമൂഹങ്ങളെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിന് ഉത്തരവാദികളായവർക്കെതിരെ ഉപരോധം ഏർപ്പെടുത്തണം. ദേവാലയം നശിപ്പിക്കൽ, ഭീഷണി, ചെക്ക്‌പോസ്റ്റുകളിലെ വിവേചനം, സെമിത്തേരികൾ നശിപ്പിക്കൽ എന്നീ വിവിധ അക്രമങ്ങളും ജോലികൾ, ലൈസൻസുകൾ, സർക്കാർ സേവനങ്ങൾ എന്നിവയിലേക്കു ക്രൈസ്തവരോട് കാണിക്കുന്ന വിവേചനവും പ്രമേയത്തില്‍ പ്രതിപാദിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.

ആക്രമണത്തെ കുറിച്ച് അന്വേഷിക്കാനും, കുറ്റവാളികളെ ശിക്ഷിക്കാനും, മാർ ഏലിയാസ് ദേവാലയം പുനഃസ്ഥാപിക്കാനും, സമാധാനത്തിനും മതാന്തര സംഭാഷണത്തിനുമായി പ്രത്യേക ഇടപെടല്‍ നടത്താനും സിറിയൻ സർക്കാരിനോട് യൂറോപ്യൻ പാർലമെന്റ് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു. കഴിഞ്ഞ മാസം ഇരുപത്തിരണ്ടാം തീയതിയാണ് സിറിയൻ തലസ്ഥാനമായ ഡമാസ്‌കസിൽ ഗ്രീക്ക് ഓർത്തഡോക്സ് ക്രൈസ്തവ ദേവാലയത്തില്‍ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് ഭീകരർ ചാവേർ ആക്രമണം നടത്തിയത്. മുപ്പതോളം ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ക്കാണ് ആക്രമണത്തില്‍ ജീവന്‍ നഷ്ട്ടമായത്. 63 പേർക്കു പരിക്കേറ്റിരിന്നു.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം

http://theendtimeradio.com

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

– having regard to the statements by the VP/HR and EEAS Spokesperson of 11 March, 7 May and 23 June 2025 on Syria,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 23 June 2025 on Syria and the European Council conclusions of 26 June 2025 on the Middle East,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Syria’s religiously and ethnically diverse society suffered for over a decade at the hands of the violent and divisive Assad regime and terrorist groups, especially Daesh, affecting all communities, including Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis, Shias, Alawites, Christians, Druze and Yazidis;

B. whereas a spree of widespread violence, including sexual violence, along the Syrian coast targeting the Alawite community began in March 2025 and is still ongoing, with over 1 200 civilian victims; whereas Alawite women are victims of an alarming and growing trend of mass abductions and sexual slavery;

C. whereas widespread sectarian clashes in April 2025 killed over 10 Druze civilians;

D. whereas on 22 June 2025, a suicide terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus killed at least 25 and injured over 60, marking the deadliest attack against Christians in years; whereas a newly formed Islamist terrorist group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, claimed this attack;

E. whereas although the transitional Syrian authorities have made assurances of protection and inclusion to religious communities, the recent developments fuel the climate of fear and call into question the transitional authorities’ capacity to duly protect religious communities;

1. Strongly condemns the traumatic terrorist attack against the Mar Elias Church and all threats against worship sites, some historically significant; urges the Syrian authorities to improve safety measures and restore the Mar Elias Church;

2. Strongly condemns all attacks targeting religious and ethnic communities and acknowledges heightened fears among them, seven months into the political transition; expresses solidarity with all victims;

3. Notes, with concern, that many Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members with grave human rights violation records have assumed roles within the transitional administration, with potentially concerning implications for religious freedom, as evidenced by the recurrence of incidents involving Syrian officials;

4. Urges the Syrian transitional authorities to facilitate swift, transparent and independent investigations into these acts, and take all necessary actions to quell sectarian violence, ensure accountability, including by prosecuting perpetrators and enablers of human rights violations such as in the case of Mar Elias, uphold freedom of religion and protect all communities;

5. Reiterates the EU’s support, also through the conditional lifting of sanctions, for a human rights-based political transition in Syria, with transitional justice, the fight against impunity, prohibiting arbitrary violence, a constitutional guarantee of inclusive governance and of adequate representation of religious and ethnic communities, a People’s Assembly, as well as respect for international law as prerequisites for its success; calls on the Syrian transitional authorities to present a specific timeline for organising credible, free, fair and inclusive elections; calls for the EU to set up a Syria reconstruction fund, conditional on demonstrable progress on these priorities and in coordination with relevant international institutions, that would promote interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and reconciliation; calls on the European Commission to give priority to the Conference with Syrian civil society;

6. Urges the Commission and the European External Action Service to include the protection of religious communities and the freedom of religion or belief in their dialogue with the transitional authorities in Syria;

7. Highlights the vulnerability of Christian communities in Syria and the constant threats against worshippers, whose protection should be guaranteed by the authorities; highlights the great diversity within Syria’s confessional groups, as exemplified by the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic, Chaldean and Maronite Churches; underlines the importance of preserving and cherishing their and other communities’ contributions to Syria’s religious and cultural heritage and calls for Syria’s new political architecture to be reflective of this diversity;
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