Skip to main content
Georgia Public Broadcasting Logo
  • Watch

    Featured Specials and Programs

    • All Creatures Great and Small
    • Antiques Roadshow
    • PBS News Hour
    • Miss Scarlet & The Duke
    • Finding Your Roots
    • Doc Martin
    All Programs

    GPB Originals

    • Georgia Legends
    • Lawmakers
    • A Fork in the Road
    • View Finders
    • Georgia Outdoors
    • Your Fantastic Mind
    GPB Originals

    Browse by Genre

    • Arts & Music
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Food
    • History
    • News & Public Affairs
    • TV Schedule
    • GPB Programs
    • PBS Passport
    • TV Highlights this Week
    • PBS KIDS
    • Ways to Watch
    • Newsletters
    • Contact GPB
  • Listen

    Featured Programs

    • The Daily
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Serendipity
    • John Lemley's City Cafe
    • Fresh Air
    • Here and Now
    • Code Switch/Life Kit
    • Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
    All Programs

    Podcasts

    • GA Today
    • Salvation South
    • Battleground: Ballot Box
    • Football Fridays in Georgia
    • Narrative Edge
    • Peach Jam Podcast
    • A Fork in the Road
    • Radio Schedule
    • GPB Classical
    • Radio Programs
    • Podcasts
    • GPB News
    • Find Your Station
    • Ways to Listen
    • Contact GPB
    • Newsletters
  • Learn

    Featured

    • Chemistry Matters
    • Classroom Conversations Podcast
    • GASHA Go! World
    • Georgia Farmcraft®
    • Georgia Classroom
    • Georgia Studies Collection
    • Econ Express
    • Let’s Go Enviro
    • Let's Learn GA!
    • Lights, Camera, Budget!
    • Live Explorations
    • Physics in Motion
    • School Stories
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • VR in the Classroom
    • Writers Contest

    For Kids & Teachers

    • GPB Games
    • PBS KIDS
    • PBS LearningMedia

    • on Twitter
    • on Facebook
    • on Email
  • News

    Featured Programs & Series

    • Lawmakers
    • Lawmakers: Beyond the Dome
    • 1A
    • Battleground: Ballot Box
    • GA Today Podcast
    • Storycorps
    • Narrative Edge

    More GPB News

    • Politics
    • Georgia News
    • Justice
    • Arts & Life
    • Health
    All GPB News
    • Radio Schedule
    • Radio Stations
    • GPB Apps
    • Podcasts
    • Contact GPB News
    • Follow Us on Apple News
    • Newsletters
  • Sports

    GHSA Sports

    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Cheerleading
    • On Demand
    • GPB Sports Blog
    All Sports

    High School Football

    • Scores & Schedule
    • On Demand
    • Teams
    • Rankings
    • Brackets
    • Heads Up Georgia
    Football Home
    • GPB Sports App
    • GPB Sports Blog
    • GPB Sports OnDemand
  • Events

    Browse by Type

    • Community
    • Donor
    • Kids & Family
    • Screenings
    All Events

    Browse by Category

    • Education
    • News
    • Sports
    • Television

    Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email.

    Sign up

    • on Twitter
    • on Facebook
    • on Instagram
  • Kids & Families

    For Kids

    • Video
    • Games

    For Parents & Caregivers

    • Kids & Families Blog
    • Kids & Families Events
    • GPB KIDS - Ways to Watch
  • Support Us

    Support GPB

    • Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Sustainers
    • GPB Passport
    • Leadership Giving
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donations
    • GPB Next
    • Matching Gifts
  • Search
GPB Passport icon GPB Passport icon Passport
GPB donate icon GPB donate icon Donate
Listen Live Listen Live Watch Live Watch Live

GPB Newsletter CTA

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

News Topics

  • Georgia
  • National
  • Politics
  • Lawmakers
  • Elections

Don't Miss

Don't Miss:

  • Support GPB Today
  • Podcast: Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story
  • TV Highlights This Week

News Articles: Churches

2007: Immigrant rights activist Elvira Arellano of Mexico defied a deportation order and took sanctuary for months in an apartment above the Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago. A new Trump administration policy no longer regards churches as "sensitive" areas where authorities should not pursue people in the country illegally. Arellano remains in the U.S.

Tagged as: 

  • National

Churches have a long history of being safe havens — for immigrants and others

For centuries, houses of worship have served as havens for people needing refuge — and, in recent decades, sanctuary from the U.S. government.

January 26, 2025
|
By:
  • Bill Chappell
Pastor Chris Morgan leads a contemporary service — a worship service where people dress casually and sing modern music — at Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park, Pa., on the Sunday after Election Day. The church developed a sermon series called "Do Unto Others" to help parishioners navigate political divisions after the election.

Tagged as: 

  • National

How to bridge our political divide? A pastor's answer: Do unto others

A Pennsylvania church just blocks from where then-candidate Donald Trump's would-be assassin lived created a sermon series on the Golden Rule to try to bridge political divisions in its congregation.

November 20, 2024
|
By:
  • Frank Langfitt
Campers at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, Calif., paint crosses during craft time at vacation Bible school.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

Not your parents' VBS: How vacation Bible schools are changing to meet new needs

Vacation Bible schools have been a staple of summer for thousands of churches. There are fewer of them these days, and those still around have evolved to meet the needs of changing communities.

August 04, 2024
|
By:
  • Jason DeRose
Traditionally, Christians celebrate the season of Advent during the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day. But some are expanding the observance to seven weeks for practical and religious reasons.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

A longer Advent helps some Christians prepare for more than Christmas

Some churches are arching their backs against earlier and earlier celebrations of Christmas by extending Advent, the season that leads up to Christmas.

November 20, 2023
|
By:
  • Jason DeRose
Pastor Douglas Theobald, who has been at Struthers United Methodist Church for more than a decade, poses for a portrait on Sunday at the church in Struthers, Ohio.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

The faithful see both crisis and opportunity as churches close across the country

The sharp uptick in the number of younger Americans with no religious affiliation is driving a seismic shift that is leaving sometimes shattered congregations in its wake.

May 17, 2023
|
By:
  • Scott Neuman
Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900, in Austin, Texas.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

Juneteenth is a jubilant celebration — and a sacred lament

On Sunday, churchgoers will celebrate Juneteenth during their worship services. Members of the clergy reflect on the role of the church and the holiday marking the notification of the end of slavery.

June 19, 2022
|
By:
  • Tekella Foster
Then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on March 4, 2007. The church tops the 2022 list of the nation's most endangered historic places, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Tagged as: 

  • National

A church at the heart of Selma's 1965 voting rights march is an endangered place

The Brown Chapel AME Church, the landmark church that launched a national voting rights movement in Selma, Ala., tops this year's list of the nation's most endangered historic places.

May 04, 2022
|
By:
  • The Associated Press
The Menorah memorial is seen outside of Kharkiv at the Drobitsky Yar Holocaust memorial, a location that saw a mass killing of Jewish people by Nazis during WWII. UNESCO included the memorial in its list of sites that have sustained damaged since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tagged as: 

  • World

UNESCO says 53 cultural sites in Ukraine have been damaged since the Russian invasion

The damaged sites include churches, historic buildings, museums and monuments. A UNESCO spokesperson said they fear more sites will be added to the list, as the group works to verify the destruction.

April 02, 2022
|
By:
  • Deepa Shivaram
Tourists still stop by to see the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in Cairo, Ill., where commercial ships dock on the banks. A history of racial tension dating to the Civil War still stings in Cairo. And like many rural towns across the U.S., the community feels underappreciated and misunderstood.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Why A Hard-Sell Pitch For COVID Vaccines Won't Work In This Rural Illinois Town

The sponsor of 4-H clubs nationally is tapping its respected roots in rural communities to promote COVID-19 vaccines. But it won't be easy, locals say. Start with trusted local voices — and listen.

August 16, 2021
|
By:
  • Cara Anthony
The Supreme Court said California can no longer continue with a ban on indoor church services put in place amid the pandemic.

Tagged as: 

  • Law

Supreme Court Rules Against Calif., Doubles Down On Religious Rights Amid Pandemic

The court sided with two churches that said a ban on indoor church services violated their rights to free exercise of religion. But the justices let stand restrictions that cap attendance at 25%.

February 07, 2021
|
By:
  • Jason Breslow and
  • Nina Totenberg
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins speaks during a Senate hearing earlier this year. On Thursday, Collins called on religious leaders to keep their worship spaces closed, despite rising protests from some church leaders.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

NIH Director Tells Churches To Do The "Altruistic, Loving Thing" And Stay Closed

His comments came even as the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a federal district court to reexamine its previous support for restrictions on indoor religious services in California.

December 03, 2020
|
By:
  • Tom Gjelten
A member of Jesus' Church prays on top of a car during a Sunday church service held at Great Marsh Park in Cambridge, Maryland, on March 22, 2020.

Tagged as: 

  • Religion

Evangelical Doctors' Group Pleads With Churches To Stay Home

Leaders of a national Christian medical group write that Christians who gather now could appear not to "care that we may be contributing to others getting this illness because of our selfishness."

November 19, 2020
|
By:
  • Sarah McCammon
Some churches at the center of COVID-19 outbreaks have shunned attention or responded with defiance, while others have limited crowd sizes and encouraged congregants to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Tagged as: 

  • National

Some Faith Leaders Defiant, Others Transparent Over COVID-19 Outbreaks

Many faith leaders may believe churches are singled out for blame, but one Baptist pastor in Maine called for safety precautions after members tested positive for the coronavirus.

November 19, 2020
|
By:
  • Patty Wight
Members of conservative right-wing and Christian groups take part in an anti-government rally in Seoul on Aug. 15.

Tagged as: 

  • World

The Volatile Mix Of A South Korean Church, Politics And The Coronavirus

A clash over disease control between the government and a church is the latest flashpoint in a wider conflict between a right-wing coalition and President Moon Jae-in's liberal administration.

September 15, 2020
|
By:
  • Anthony Kuhn
A postcard of the first Christian Church in Macon, Georgia from the archives at the Boston Public Library.

Two Macon Pastors Discuss Race, Privilege And Community Engagement

In an episode of " Meet the Press" in April 1960, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said he thought it was one of the most "shameful tragedies of our...

November 19, 2018
|
By:
  • Elena Rivera and
  • Virginia Prescott
  • Load More

Newsletter Signup

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Connect with GPB

  • Connect with GPB on Facebook
  • Connect with GPB on Instagram
  • Connect with GPB on Twitter
  • Connect with GPB on YouTube
  • Connect with GPB on Apple News

Footer

Footer First Nav (Main Menu)

  • Watch
  • Listen
  • Learn
  • News
  • Sports
  • Events
  • Kids & Families
  • Support Us
  • Search

Footer Second Nav Menu

  • Help Center
  • About GPB
  • Contact Us
  • Closed Captioning
  • Directions
  • Studio Production
  • Program Submissions

Footer Third Nav Menu

  • Support Us
  • Careers
  • Accessibility
  • FCC Public Files
  • Drawing Rules
  • News Media Request
  • Open Records and Document Retention Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Georgia Public Broadcasting

260 14th St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
United States

(404) 685-2400 In Atlanta
(800) 222-4788 Outside Atlanta
ask@gpb.org

Newsletter Signup

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Connect with GPB

  • Connect with GPB on Facebook
  • Connect with GPB on Instagram
  • Connect with GPB on Twitter
  • Connect with GPB on YouTube
  • Connect with GPB on Apple News
© Copyright 2025, Georgia Public Broadcasting. All Rights Reserved. Georgia Public Radio® GPTV®