Religion
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Human Connection: Organizations Return To In-Person Outreach
Chris and Ja’Nina Hamilton park their car on the edge of The Preserve neighborhood in Jefferson, Georgia, and start walking. The couple are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and have been waiting for this moment for nearly three years. They are thrilled to be back doing what they love — knocking on doors. …
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Hillel UGA Looks Forward to New Baxter Street Building
This winter, members of Hillel UGA, a Jewish student organization, are celebrating both the holidays and the construction of a brand new building. Plans for the new building have been in the works for about six years, but construction has ramped up in the past few months. The bones of…
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Athens Chaplain Cultivates Conversations Beyond Place, Faiths and Generations
The Rev. Chester “Craig” Topple gathered under a blue umbrella with three residents of St. Mary’s Highland Hills Village, an age-in-place community in Athens where he serves as chaplain. With gentle yet direct questioning, Topple encouraged reflection from the women — What was your first memory of a deep connection…
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5 Ways to Use Video to Tell the Story
Storytelling is important in any journalistic story, but video showcases emotions in a way that words sometimes cannot. Hannah Gaber, winner of a 2021 Religion News Association award for her short video, Oakwood Baptist Church hid a pastor’s disturbing secret from its congregation, offers insight on using video to…
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UGA Students Give Thoughts On Hanukkah And School Calendar
The last week of classes at the University of Georgia coincides this year with Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights that is observed over eight days. The holiday can fall anywhere from late November to mid-December, sometimes allowing students to celebrate during breaks, but the exact dates change every…
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‘We’re Here Because of Ya’ll’: Police, Church Leaders Gather With Watkinsville Community for National Event
The Watkinsville Police Department joined over the weekend with local church leaders and members to connect with the community in light of the pandemic and protests across the country about police brutality. This was one of many events happening across the United States organized by Faith & Blue, a national…
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Milledge Avenue Church’s Pumpkin Sale Raises Funds, Promotes Inclusivity
The Milledge Avenue Baptist Church’s pumpkin patch is a fall tradition for some students and area residents and an annual fundraiser for the congregation. It opened Oct. 3, and students in Prof. Lori Johnston’s Religion Reporting course on Oct. 4 interviewed clergy, volunteers and shoppers for quick-turn stories. Their social…
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Wesley Leader on Missions During COVID-19: How the Ministry Is Pivoting
Sarah Shelnutt, freshman associate director over missions, youth and advancement, discusses planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as told to Savannah Ware. Savannah Ware is a fourth-year majoring in journalism and minoring in political science in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of…
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Students Strengthen Their Faith by Making Own Bible Study Group Due to COVID-19
It is Wednesday at 11:30 p.m., and five students gather on Zoom for their own faith community. Charese Hammond leads a prayer to start off the Bible study group on that mid-November night. They say amen, and then Toni Smith, a fellow University of Georgia student, starts the discussion of…
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Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition Supports Athens Immigrant Community Facing Unique Hardships
Joel Siebentritt bowed his head in prayer along with 50 faith leaders in Georgia. The Zoom screen showed everything from priests wearing clerical collars to rabbis in casual clothing. The mid-November video call was the first-ever statewide effort against inhumane conditions within Georgia Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. The…