People from all around the country are making their way toward downtown Houston this weekend to be part of a unique, one-of-a-kind event created to help them unleash their inherent abilities, spiritual gifts, and talents.

Rev. Bill Lawson has left an incredible legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come. Despite his age and wisdom, he had an extraordinary ability to connect with young people in his church and throughout the nation. #WilliamLawson #WheelerAvenueBaptistChurch

Pastor Lockridge says they’ve lost close to $50,000 to contractors who never finished the job or took the money and ran. One situation includes an architect whom they paid upfront.

A historic Black church in Houston’s Third Ward has been the target of a recent attack and repeated vandalism, costing them thousands of dollars.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Discover the inspiring journey of freed slaves and how faith propelled their emancipation From the Chains to the Church.

He may be tiny, but this Fleming Middle School sixth grader is strong and powerful when expressing his love for God.

While some Houston Astros players are enjoying their offseason, Framber Valdez stayed busy.

It is a church that has been around for more than 100 years, and although its membership has dwindled in recent times, they are looking to touch a growing number of souls with a bold plan for the future.

On Sunday afternoon, members of the Community of Faith Church in Houston came together to sing, pray, and offer their blessings to Mr. Lee Rooker.

A local pastor said two men who forced their way inside his church last Friday weren’t there to find the Lord.

A thief was caught on camera in broad daylight stealing pride flags from The First Christian Church in Katy.

A former employee of a Magnolia church is now the center of an investigation after he reportedly turned himself in and confessed to ‘inappropriate behavior with adolescents’ during his time at the ministry.

A decades old church was left severely damaged after a large fire early Thursday morning in north Houston, according to the Houston Fire Department.

A west Houston business owner says thieves stole their trailer with over $50,000 worth of equipment inside and it was all caught on camera.

There will be an NBA game in Salt Lake City on Sunday night.

An investigation by Maryland’s attorney general has identified 158 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore accused of sexually and physically abusing more than 600 victims over the past 80 years.

A Drag Bingo night at a Katy Church stirred up controversy on Saturday evening.

Restitution of Indigenous and colonial-era artifacts is one of the many agenda items awaiting Pope Francis on his trip to Canada, which begins Sunday.

A local church is now forced to deal with the aftermath of thieves stealing copper and cutting off the power, leaving their place of worship without air conditioning and electricity.

A pastor is now looking for answers after he says two thieves stole property out of his southeast Houston church this weekend.

More than 400 Detroit families came to Faith Xperience Church to watch 10,000 eggs drop from a helicopter!

Christian worshipers gathered in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Seplucher, the traditional site of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection, to observe the Easter holiday.

Church’s, Popeye’s, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, KFC, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and the impending Bojangles will soon reportedly be joined by another fried chicken business in Houston.

More than a month after the invasion first started, Americans are still showing their support for Ukraine.

The King of Saints Church is a place where people from all walks of life come to join in their faith and to worship.

Church of the Resurrection is celebrating its 100-year anniversary as being an anchor in the Denver Harbor community in Houston’s east side.

At the Christ The King Episcopal Church in Mission Bend, guests can immediately feel the warmth and community of this small, multi-cultural church.

disaster relief

MURDOCK, Minn. – The city council of Murdock, Minnesota has anonymously voted to grant a permit that allows a Nordic heritage church identified as a white supremacist group to gather at an abandoned church. The vote came after Murdock’s city attorney advised town officials that rejecting the Asatru Folk Assembly’s request could violate its religious rights. Council members, who were meeting online because of the coronavirus pandemic, kept video cameras turned off and refused to identify who voted for or against the permit. Mayor Craig Kavanagh said the vote was 3-1 to approve the Conditional Use Permit as long as the group meets the conditions set on the permit. “There has been a lot of concern on this topic in the city of Murdock and rightfully so.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted from a building next to Middle Collegiate Church on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in New York. The historic 19th century church in lower Manhattan was gutted by a massive fire early Saturday that sent flames shooting through the roof. The Middle Collegiate Church had been in two other locations in Manhattan since 1729. Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that the fire was “heartbreaking” and pledged: "We’ll do whatever we can to help Middle Collegiate rebuild." The fate of the church building is unclear, Lewis said, but the ministry will continue.

A local Houston Pastor said his church might be structurally damaged but his congregation is determined to give back. “We may be bent but we aren’t broken,” said Pastor Ronald Smith of New Mount Calvary Baptist Church. On Sept. 13, a car plowed through the front of the church and created significant damage to the sanctuary. Despite the damage, Smith said that the church opted to move forward with a free food distribution event. “Though damaged, the church is in us and that’s why this movement is going on today,” said Pastor Smith, “Cars lined up because we are able to serve and we will not be stopped.”

HOUSTON, Texas – Worshipers filled Lakewood Church Sunday for the first in-person services since March. Idlebird has attended Lakewood Church for many years. “Even though we can pray at home or wherever you are, but being among a bunch of other worshipers.”All worshipers are required to wear a mask. Lakewood Church has taken safety measures, including installing touch-less options in the restrooms and a UV-light on the escalators to disinfect the handrails. We’re gonna do our part.”For those who plan on attending a service in the future, people must first pre-register on the church’s website at https://www.lakewoodchurch.com/Lakewood Church was also offering services online, as well.

HOUSTON – A southeast Houston church is still rebuilding after a car crashed through its front door. Earlier this month, the car smashed into New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church along Beldart and South Wayside Drive. The driver was seen moments after the crash, tearing up the inside of the church, before he took off. The suspect was later caught and arrested but not before causing an estimated $300,000 worth of damage. Maybe seeing the damage done would give remorse but certainly, the church as we recognize we are the recipients of mercy.

HOUSTON – A Houston church community is praying that thieves and vandals stop making them a target. For the second time in two months, someone has destroyed or stolen a Black Lives Matter banner from the front of Resurrection MCC Church on West 11th Street near the Heights. This isn’t the first time someone tampered with a Black Lives Matter sign at Resurrection MCC. “I cannot believe that I just drove by your church and you have the sign of Black Lives Matter,” the voice said. “It matters enough to our congregation and it matters enough to our world right now to say: Black Lives Matter,” said Threash.

As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. Question: Ask 2: Are churches allowed to hold in-person services? Answer: Yes, places of worship are allowed to hold in-person services; however, Texas Health and Human Services’ protocols suggest that churches strongly encourage at-risk attendees to watch or participate in service remotely. Greg Abbott’s latest executive order regarding the matter states there is no occupancy limit for religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship. Send it our way, and we will try to hunt down an answer.

As part of our new Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. The original question: All these businesses opening at 50% and 75%, when will churches be allowed at more than 25%? The answer: There is no longer an occupancy limit for religious services conducted in churches, congregations and houses of worship, according to Gov. Health protocols for churches or places of worship were updated on May 26. To view the updated health protocols checklist for churchgoers, click here.

A Mississippi church at the center of an arson investigation is the same church currently in a battle with city leaders over a COVID-19 safer-at-home order. First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs was destroyed by what investigators believe is an arsonist. Investigators found graffiti on pavement in the church parking lot that reads, “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits." We don’t know anyone that we even think could be capable of doing something like this.”The fire comes after Waldrop filed a lawsuit in April against the City of Holly Springs. According to the complaint, the pastor held outdoor services when possible but would hold them indoors while practicing social distancing during inclement weather.

THE WOODLANDS – Houston-area churches are preparing the music, the pews, the signs, and the digital instructions for parishioners, who have been away for weeks to return to mass Sunday. St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands is one of the dozens of Catholic churches in the Houston area preparing to welcome back members this weekend. For starters, St. Anthony of Padua is requiring parishioners to reserve tickets online. Like businesses across Texas, churches must operate at 25% capacity in Phase 1 of Gov. The church's pastor said many will be happy to return to church, changes and all.

HOUSTON – Parishioners in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will be celebrating this Easter with churches closed. About one million Catholics that make up the Archdiocese will celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday together in spirit but separate in the body. Easter services will be streamed online. In-person services for parishes ended two weeks ago, and the church is also struggling financially. To stream Good Friday and Easter Sunday services, visit the website at www.archgh.org.

HOUSTON – Many Houston churches are asking their members to continue to watch services online even as the Texas government has deemed churches as essential businesses. The pews at South Main Baptist Church in Midtown will remain vacant on Palm Sunday and Easter, which is a holy time of the year for Christians. “We plan to continue doing that so long as the County Judge recommends doing so," Well said. Second Baptist Church will continue to stream its services online for its various campuses. Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Christ Church Cathedral and Lakewood Church also plan to remain virtual.

FRISCO, Texas – For many in Collin County, mounting medical debt will soon be erased thanks to the generosity of one Frisco church. “In just Collin County this week we purchased $2.2 million worth of medical debt and forgave it all,” Josh Craft, the executive pastor at Elevate Life Church in Frisco announced at last Sunday’s service. One of the best ways to change someone’s life is to pay off their debt.”They are working with RIP Medical Debt to do this. “Over the next couple of months people in Collin County will be getting letters that say hey we just love you and your debt is forgiven. It says God so loved the world that he gave and the cool thing is we get the opportunity to really find a way to just be that for people.”RIP Medical Debt estimates there’s currently $740 million of unpaid medical debt in Texas.

Police in Jasper, Alabama are searching for a man who robbed at least two churches while wearing a Batman-style mask. King’s Way Church Pastor Jason Hooper says the Batman Bandit used a rock to break the front window. The man stole a keyboard and bass guitar, committing his crime in just one minute and 18 seconds. "Your frustrated, because looking at the gentleman walking through and the way he navigated the building reveals that he is someone we've helped somehow someway," Hooper says. Police believe the batman bandit is responsible for other break-ins in Jasper, Georgia, and Tennessee.

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas – Texas officials have identified the gunman who they say killed two people at a White Settlement church as 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen. Officials say Kinnunen opened fire at the West Freeway Church of Christ Sunday, killing two people, before being killed by church security. He also said the two congregants who opened fire on the suspect were part of a security team at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement. A shooter at a church in White Settlement, Texas, was taken down by parishioners with guns seconds after he began firing Sunday. (West Freeway Church of Christ/Obtained by KTVT) (KPRC)“Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we’ve actually gotten used to it at this point.

A California church is displaying a nativity scene depicting Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages to draw attention to the conditions faced by migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Lead Pastor Karen Clark Ristine spoke with CNN affiliate KABC about the scene outside of the church. "We thought about the most famous refugee family in the world, the family of Jesus," Ristine said. In a Facebook post, Ristine said the display came from the idea of "What if this family sought refuge in our country today?" “Does the world’s most famous and worshipped refugees separated in cages make you uncomfortable USA?