Los Angles
Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles David O’Connell was shot dead by a gunman, later arrested and charged with murder. Carlos Medina, the husband of the housekeeper, was the man charged. O’Connell was born in 1953 in County Cork, Ireland and named auxiliary bishop for the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 2015 by Pope Francis. He was praised by all as a peacemaker who devoted his life to poor and immigrant communities. He had played a central role in restoring order after the police shooting of Rodney King in 1992.
Salt Lake City
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been fined $5 million for failure to properly report their investments to the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In an apparent effort to hide the size of their portfolio, the church concealed its investments in a series of shell companies. When the fraud came to light in 2018, the total investments were estimated at $32 billion. Others have claimed the amount was closer to $100 billion. The church claims nearly 17 million adherents all of whom are expected to tithe their income to the church.
Los Angles
Saddleback Church, founded and pastored by Rick Warren, has been evicted from the Southern Baptist Convention for electing a woman as pastor. Her name is Stacie Wood who, along with her husband Andy, was elected co-pastor of the famous church, succeeding Rick Warren. Months earlier, the church had ordained several women who had served for years as congregational ministers. Other churches dis-fellowshipped for the same infraction included ones in Louisville KY, Griffin GA, Baltimore MD, and Jackson MS. The doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention prohibits women serving as ordained pastors.
Houston and Chicago
Two Christian celebrities have written books. Influential Bible teacher Beth Moore of Houston published a memoir highlighting her troubled childhood, her rise to fame, and recent family and religious crises. It is titled All My Knotted-Up Life. In Chicago, 104-year-old Roman Catholic nun Jean Dolores Schmidt released her first book, Wake Up With Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years. Schmidt caught the public eye as chaplain to the Loyola University Ramblers during their improbable run to the 2018 Final Four.
Wilmore
The student revival that began Wednesday February 8 is being relocated from the chapel of Asbury University to other nearby sanctuaries. Claiming the thousands of curious people from all over the world have disrupted both the university and the town, the school president Kevin Brown announced that the communities could not continue to welcome and host so many people. Security, parking, and food services had been stretched to the breaking point. Going forward, attendance at the student-led prayer services would be limited to people 25 years old and younger. Others will be seated in remote venues. The city has a population of less than 7,000; the school has an enrollment of approximately 1,700. Visitors have numbered upwards of 20,000.
