The Ecumenical Service Award was presented to Louis J. Kolb at the United Churches of Lycoming County 74th Annual Assembly Thursday. The assembly was held virtually via Zoom. Kolb, a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, was recognized for the ways in which he has extended the mission of ...

Catholics split almost evenly in supporting Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the presidential election. Now they’re sharply divided over a declaration by the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the president-elect’s support for abortion rights presents the church with a ...

The holidays look different this year, no matter who or where we are. Big box retailers have missed the memo; by the last week of October, Christmas goods were back-to-back with Halloween candy, same as always. Too many small businesses have reduced their hours or shut their doors, hoping and ...

After serving 15 years at Lycoming Valley Baptist Church, Pastor Jack Delaney has retired again, and according to Delaney, this time it is final. While he was pastor at Lycoming Valley Baptist, Delaney said the church had undergone some changes, such as remodeling in order to facilitate the ...

2020 could be titled, “The International Year of Grieving.” Almost everyone has experienced daily losses, from time with family members to finances to freedom of travel. For example, this week alone, I broke a knee bone, one son was diagnosed with COVID, I learned the only local son, ...

It is not a secret to anyone that 2020 has been one of the roughest, most challenging years for many reasons. It has been a whirlwind of mask wearing, social distancing, temperature screenings, and many other small things that all add up over time. For many, it has become a time of ...

NEW YORK — Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths prayed and sang together in post-election solidarity Wednesday afternoon in New York City, even as the outcome of the hotly contested and polarizing vote was still in doubt. Gathering outside a church in Manhattan’s ...

The horrific tragedy at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC., with the brutal murder of nine church members, presents a profound challenge to all of us. How do we cope with tragedy? How do we deal with the deep traumas in our lives? Bill Cosby once said, “If you ...

Both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden count endorsements from well-known faith leaders. But for clergy members who try to tackle thorny moral matters without overtly backing a candidate, the campaign has tested their ability to reconcile religious values and ...

A few weeks ago, as I was in prayer, the Holy Spirit took me into a vision where I saw various coins being placed in a pocket that had holes in it. As the change was falling onto the ground, I then looked up and saw a flock of blackbirds that appeared to be crows or ravens. They were all ...

LGBTQ Catholics and their allies in the U.S. welcomed Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions, the first time he’s done so as pontiff, while some prominent members including a bishop said Wednesday that he was blatantly contradicting church teaching. Bishop Thomas Tobin of ...

Recently, while traveling in the northern rural area of our state, I happened upon a bear. It appeared to me that he/she may have slipped down an embankment, landing alongside the road. The bear was obviously in a stressed, fearful state, clamoring and clawing its way with a strong desire to ...

St. Joseph the Worker Parish with the Knights of Columbus Council #366 of Williamsport, recently held the 2020 Rosary Rally. The event, which coincided with the National Rosary Rally day, brought out dozens of parishioners to walk the 2.5 mile route. The event began at noon on the steps of ...

MUNCY — When you give two hours of your time, you will help make an impact on thousands of lives for the sake of the gospel — do more to reach more! That’s the message shared by Experience Missions, a project working to bridge Christian ministries and community churches — this year, ...

If you have a few minutes today, read Psalm 119. From start to finish, this chapter exclaims the theme of holding onto God’s word. I can think of no other time in our history when it is not more important to pray these Psalms and cry out to God for biblical wisdom. As I read verse ...

St. Joseph the Worker Parish with the Knights of Columbus Council #366 of Williamsport, held the 2020 Rosary Rally on Saturday. The event, which coincided with the National Rosary Rally day, brought out dozens of parishioners to walk the 2.5 mile route. The event began at noon on the steps of ...

The annual Blessing of Animals service was held Sunday at many churches locally and throughout the world. These photos were taken at St. Ann Catholic Church on Northway Road in Loyalsock Township, where the Rev. John Chmil, church pastor, conducted such a service, which included prayers, a ...

Do we use the eyes and heart God has given to us to see and to respond compassionately to the needs of those who are facing hunger? Jesus tells the story in Luke 16:19-31 of “The Rich Man And Lazarus.” In this story, though Lazarus is just outside the rich man’s door, the rich man ...

The community’s 42nd annual walk to fight hunger, the CROP Hunger Walk, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. Organized walks will be held in four communities: the Greater Williamsport walk will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 142 Market St.; the Trout Run walk will start at ...

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I was in school when many of the firsts of the space program took place. Everything stopped in class, and we focused on the black and white televisions to watch those early forays into space. The pictures from those first flights that stay in my mind are the ...